bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new approach for the column apparatuses modeling in chemical and power engineering
Authors: Doichinova Maria , Boyadjiev Christo
Published: November 2014

The column apparatuses are main devices for solution of technological and
ecological problems in chemical and power engineering. A new approach of the
column apparatuses modeling on the base of the physical approximations of the
mechanics of continua, using two steps models: convection-diffusion type of
model (for qualitative analysis) and average concentration model (for
quantitative analysis), is presented. The convection-diffusion type of models
describe chemical and mass transfer processes in column apparatuses in the
cases of one, two ore three phases systems, where the solid phase is reagent,
catalytic or packed bad. A qualitative analysis of these models, using
generalized (dimensionless) variables, where the characteristic (inherent)
scales are the maximal or average values of the variables, is presented. The
using of the convection-diffusion type of models for quantitative analysis of
the processes in column apparatuses is not possible because the velocity
function in the convection-diffusion equation is unknown. The problem can be
avoided if the average values of the velocity and concentration over the
cross-sectional area of the column are used. The average concentration models
permit to analyze the effect of the radial nonuniformities of the velocity
and the concentration on the process efficiency in the column and to solve
the scale-up problem. The convection-diffusion type of models are presented
as a base for to be created convection and diffusion type of models.
Experimental investigation of subcooled flow boiling of water/TiO2 nanofluid in a horizontal tube
Authors: Rajabnia Hossein , Abedini Ehsan , Tahmasebi Ali , Behzadmehr Amin
Published: November 2014

Subcooled flow boiling heat transfer of water/TiO2 nanofluid in a horizontal
tube is experimentally investigated. To validate the experimental apparatus
as well as the experimental procedure, data for distilled water were compared
with the available results on the literature in both single phase and
subcooled flow boiling regime. Experimental investigations were carried out
at three nanoparticles volumetric concentrations of 0.01%, 0.1%, and 5%.
It was found that the nanofluid heat transfer coefficient in single-phase
flow regime augments with the nanoparticle concentration. However, in the
case of subcooled flow boiling regime the heat transfer coefficient decreases
with the nanoparticle volume fractions.
Thermal radiation effects on the onset of unsteadiness of fluid flow in vertical microchannel filled with highly absorbing medium
Authors: Abdollahzadeh Jamalabadia , Park Hyun , Lee Chang
Published: November 2014

This study presents the effect of thermal radiation on the steady flow in a
vertical micro channel filled with highly absorbing medium. The governing
equations (mass, momentum and energy equation with Rosseland approximation
and slip boundary condition) are solved analytically. The effects of thermal
radiation parameter, the temperature parameter, Reynolds number, Grashof
number, velocity slip length, and temperature jump on the velocity and
temperature profiles, Nusselt number, and skin friction coefficient are
investigated. Results show that the skin friction and the Nusselt number are
increased with increase in Grashof number, velocity slip, and pressure
gradient while temperature jump and Reynolds number have an adverse effect on
them. Furthermore, a criterion for the flow unsteadiness based on the
temperature parameter, thermal radiation parameter, and the temperature jump
is presented.
The effect of fuel pyrolysis on the coal particle combustion: An analytical investigation
Authors: Baghsheikhi Mostafa , Rahbari Alireza , Ashrafizadeh Seyed , Bidabadi Mehdi
Published: November 2014

The aim of this work is to analytically investigate the symmetrical
combustion of an isolated coal particle with the fuel pyrolysis effect. The
modelling concept of coal particles is similar to that of the liquid droplet
combustion but in the case of coal devolatilization, the particles do not
shrink like droplet does due to evaporation of liquid fuel. The rate of
devolatilization of volatiles can be calculated using the equation that is
similar to Arrhenius equation. This model is based on an assumption of
combined quasi-steady and transient behaviour of the process and especially
focuses on predicting the variations of temperature profile, radius of
pyrolysis and transfer number. It is revealed that the entrance of pyrolysis
effect into the governing equations leads to the reduction in the film radius
and consequently a reduction in the stand-off ratio and transfer number.
Dehumidification performance investigation of run-around membrane energy exchanger system
Authors: Kassai Miklos , Ge Gaoming , Simonson Carey
Published: November 2014

Liquid-to-air membrane energy exchanger is a novel membrane base energy
exchanger, which allows both heat and moisture transfer between air and a
salt solution. It uses semi-permeable membrane to eliminate entrainment of
liquid desiccant as aerosols in air stream and allow simultaneous heat and
moisture transfer between salt solution flow and airflow. The heat and mass
transfer performance of a single liquid-to-air membrane energy exchanger is
significantly dependent on two dimensionless parameters. They are the number of heat transfer units (NTU) and the ratio of heat capacity rates between solution flow and air flow (Cr*). The liquid-to-air membrane energy exchangers can also be applied in a run-around membrane energy exchanger system, which is mainly comprised of two liquid-to-air membrane energy exchangers and a closed loop of aqueous desiccant solution and used as a passive energy recovery system to recover the energy (both heat and moisture) from the exhaust air to precondition the supply air in air conditioning systems. In this study the dehumidification capacity of a run-around membrane energy exchanger is investigated numerically at different exhaust air temperatures and Cr* values. Increasing the exhaust air temperature or the Cr* would enhance the dehumidification capacity of the a run-around membrane energy exchanger system under Cr*?1, but the improvement is limited. The dehumidification capacity at low Cr* is much lower than that under the optimal Cr* value (Cr*=3.2) where the maximum latent effectiveness is obtained.
Oocyte And Embryo Vitrification In The Ivf Laboratory: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Simopoulou Maria , Asimakopoulos Byron , Bakas Panagiotis , Boyadjiev Nikolay , Tzanakaki Despoina , Creatsas George
Published: November 2014

Vitrification is an excellent tool in the IVF laboratory, enabling options and offering flexibility in assisted reproduction. The technology of cryopreservation has been underway since the early 20th century. The advent of vitrification has advanced the expectations in routine clinical practice in the IVF laboratory presenting impressive results both in post-thaw survival, and in clinical pregnancy rates, as well as significantly enhancing clinical results on preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Contradicting opinions have been published recently on the limitations and potential that vitrification has in the laboratory, as well as on the optimal approach to employ vitrification in IVF. This review aims to present a comprehensive analysis of the practical aspects of vitrification including concerns and options regarding its use on oocytes and embryos while comparing it with the traditional “slow-freezing” cryopreservation technique
Clinical Investigations: Lash Ptosis As A Characteristic Sign Of Floppy Eyelid Syndrome
Authors: Sredkova Milena I.
Published: November 2014

AIM: To find a correlation between the floppy eyelid syndrome and the clinical sign of lash ptosis and loss of eyelash parallelism and develop an algorithm for early diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective case-control study including 97 consecutive patients diagnosed with floppy eyelid and 81 healthy sex- and age-matched controls. The study was conducted in Professor Pashev Eye Hospital, Sofia between January 2011 and December 2012. The clinical sign of lash ptosis and loss of eyelash parallelism was investigated in two stages. The condition was graded using a specially designed algorithm. RESULTS: Lash ptosis and loss of eyelash parallelism was documented in all 97 (100%) patients with floppy eyelid and only in 8 patients (9%) in the control group. Statistical analysis of the results showed a very strong association between this sign and the floppy eyelid syndrome (p < 0.0001), and a correlation between the degree of lash ptosis and stage of the disease (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: The clinical sign of lash ptosis and loss of eyelash parallelism is characteristic for the syndrome. Recognizing this sign during a routine eye examination can facilitate a timely diagnosis of the frequently overlooked and improperly treated disorder of floppy eyelid.
Experimental Investigations: Micromeritic Procedures In Assessing Antinuclear Antibody Patterns In Immunofluorescent Assay
Authors: Murdjeva Mariana A. , Milieva Emilia T. , Stefanov Rumen S. , Draganov Marian M. , Krastev Petko B.
Published: November 2014

AIM: The aim of this study was to introduce a micromeritic procedure (a statistical approach for small objects) in indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) to fi nd objective quantitative parameters of antinuclear antibody (ANA) patterns which could support a diagnosis of auto-immune diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sera of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases, McCoy-Plovdiv serum-free cell line, goat anti-human immunoglobulin-G FITC-conjugate, fluorescent microscope, computer-assisted digital image processing, analysis using a micromeritic procedure, ANOVA. RESULTS: Three ANA fluorescent patterns (homogeneous, rim and speckled) were analyzed by the micromeritic procedure. Parameters for the image brightness of the pixels (pixel grey value) were obtained and discussed as objective characteristics of fluorescent patterns: maximum ANA-linkage volume and surface density were established for the objects with speckled localization pattern. CONCLUSION: The micromeritic method for getting objective quantitative values of ANA fluorescent patterns in indirect immunofluorescent assay might be a valuable tool aiding in immunological diagnosing if integrated in a laboratory software package.
Chemical Tests for Identification and Characterization of Tomato Cultivars
Authors: Vishwanath K. , Pallavi H.M. , Nethra N. , Prasad S. Rajendra
Published: November 2014

Various chemical tests are being used to reveal chemical differences among the seeds or seedlings of different cultivars. Study to characterize and identify 24 tomato cultivars based on chemical test chemicals viz., Standard phenol test, Modified phenol test, NaOH test, KOH test and Seedling growth response to added chemicals reveled that, most of the cultivars studied were distinct from other cultivars. No single chemical test could distinguish all the varieties. However, distinguishable chemical characteristics were used to develop the keys for identification of each and every cultivar and all the cultivars were distinguished based on these identification keys.
Recognition and Determination of Related Traits Importance with Seed Yield in Chickpea (Cicer Aietinum)
Authors: Ghorbani Tayebeh , Cheghamirza Kianoosh , Bardideh Kosar , Shoar Parastoo Basili
Published: November 2014

To study the relationship between seed yield and its components 5 varieties and 18 different genotypes of Cicer arietinum were evaluated. This study was carried out under dryland farming during 2007 in research farm of Razi university. Path analysis showed that in the first level of yield, the highest direct effect was related to biological yield and the highest indirect effect was related to seed number per plant due to biological yield. In second level of yield due to the seed number per plant double seed pod number had the highest direct effect and the highest indirect effect was related to hundreds seed weight due to double the seed pod number. In second level of yield due to biological yield, the highest direct effect was related to high plant and the highest indirect effect was related to high plant due to second branch number. In the third level of yield due to a hundred seed weight, the highest direct effect was related to pod diameter and the highest indirect effect was related to pod length due to pod diameter. Factor analysis showed that 5 factors explained 81.65 percent of the variance. Cluster analysis based on ward method were arranged genotypes in 3 clusters.
Variation of Water-Soluble Carbohydrates and Grain Yield in Iranian Cold Barley Promising Lines Under Well-Watered and Water Stress Conditions
Authors: Mohammadi Soleiman , Nazani Reza Kas , Mahootchi Ayda Hosseinzadeh , Ftohi Keiwan
Published: November 2014

In order to evaluate promising lines in terms of grain yield and water-soluble carbohydrates remobiliza-tion, an experiment with fifteen promising lines and two checks was carried out under full irrigation and terminal water stress conditions at Miyandoab Agricultural Research and Natural Resources Station. Mobilized dry matter content and remobilization percentage from shoot to grain under water deficit (177mg)(11.2%) were greater than those under well watering condition. The lowest (110 mg) and the highest (260mg) mobilized dry matter to grain were obtained for C-79-18 and C-83-15lines, respectively. Water deficit reduced grain yield of barley genotypes by 200-1600 kg/ha, and mean grain yield reduction was 800 kg/ha. Line 14 with 5.880and 5.300t/ha grain yield in favorable and water stress conditions was superior to the other lines. Under water deficit condition, line 14 had greater grain yieldby20% and 38% than the Bahman and Makouee cultivars, respectively. The results showed that greater grain yield in tolerant lines under water deficit was due to remobilization of unstructured carbohydrates from shoot to grain. Thus, it seems that selection of lines with higher translocated dry matter and contribution of pre-anthesis assimilate in grain filling under water stress, the suitable way for achieving genotypes with high grain yield under water stress condition.
The Waves as Exploration of (An)aesthetic of Absence
Authors: Miller J. Hillis
Published: November 2014

Virginia Woolf’s The Waves demonstrates how an (an)aesthetic of absence might be dramatized in a work of fiction. It presupposes a vast impersonal memory bank that stores everything that has ever happened, every thought or feeling of every person. This data bank, however, is absent, inaccessible to direct experience. The thoughts and feelings it stores, moreover, are always already turned into appropriate language, complete with figures of speech for sensations and feelings that cannot be said literally. These vivid memories are involuntary, to borrow a word from Henri Bergson’s memory theory. They have been forgotten completely and suddenly “come to the top” and begin re-enacting themselves as present occurrences in vivid detail before the mind’s eye. All the characters in The Waves, to different degrees and in different ways, are haunted with the sense of a secret absent centre to which they are attached and that they glimpse but cannot reach.
The Dodo in the Long Eighteenth Century: An Exploration of the Gray Ghost Outside of the English Sentimental Eye
Authors: Hoge Charles
Published: November 2014

This article examines the specific type of monster that developed in eighteenth-century British culture arising from early attempts to reconstruct the extinct dodo. Specifically, discussions about the absent dodo took shape in early ornithological texts, where it was universally depicted as a monster, a lumbering, clumsy, gluttonous animal whose survival was unquestionably doomed by its ungainly morphology. This iteration of the dodo was constructed in the absence of productive empirical information about the “real” bird, largely from cultural prejudices and conjecture extracted from studying old, inaccurate paintings. This reconstructed monster-dodo shares little with the “real” dodo, about which we know only from fragmentary seventeenth-century accounts by witnesses who actually saw the living bird and recent studies drawn from its fossil record. This article explores why English culture took the relative “blank slate” left by this extinct bird and, contrary to emerging notions of sentimentality, re-fashioned the dodo as a monster.
Mal D'Archive: Derrida, Freud, and the Beginnings of the Logic of the Trace in 1888
Authors: Bergo Bettina
Published: November 2014

Starting from Mal d'archive and La bête et le souverain II, I explore what Derrida argues is the cleaved nature of Freud's concepts, and which he compares to the contradictory characteristics of every archive (from a library, to memory, to writing, to electronic mail): to be revolutionary in its institution of the new and simultaneously to be or become conservative, even reactionary. For Derrida, Freud's later writing will tie the motivation to create an archive to the destructive logic of the death drive. An interesting example of Freud's cleaved concepts first emerges in his early study of the brain (1888). It is elaborated in his deconstructive approach to aphasia and to the acquisition of language (1891).

I argue in this essay that Derrida understood Freud's logic as present over the course of his entire life, and this, in a way that justifies my showing its presence in Freud's earliest neurological texts. I show that in its radicality, which includes an interactionist neurology based on inscription and archiving, opposition to 19th century cortico-centrism (and the homunculus model of psychic sovereignty), and a rethinking of traditional “localizationism,” Freud's model of the brain and mind would have advanced understanding of the mental “archive” decades before this upheaval took place in neuroscience.
Putting in the Graft: Philosophy and Immunology
Authors: Staikou Elina
Published: November 2014

How does one testify and, moreover, testify philosophically to the experience of receiving an organ transplant? What kinds of survival or forms of living are being fostered by newly emerging conjunctions between philosophy and biomedicine? Focusing on transplantation and immunology, we are going to reflect on some of the ways and styles in which motifs drawn from these biomedical fields have come to occupy an increasingly prominent place in recent philosophy expressing and formulating different concerns and paradigms. Spurred on by Francisco J. Varela and Jean-Luc Nancy's autobiographical reflections on transplantation, we are going to consider distinct moments and preoccupations at work in the motifs of immunity, autoimmunity, the pharmakon and the graft in the thought of Jacques Derrida, Roberto Esposito and Bernard Stiegler.
Photodetectors based on carbon nanotubes deposited by using a spray technique on semi-insulating gallium arsenide
Authors: Melisi Domenico , Nitti Maria Angela , Valentini Marco , Valentini Antonio , Ligonzo Teresa , De Pascali Giuseppe , Ambrico Marianna
Published: November 2014

In this paper, a spray technique is used to perform low temperature deposition of multi-wall carbon nanotubes on semi-insulating gallium arsenide in order to obtain photodectors. A dispersion of nanotube powder in non-polar 1,2-dichloroethane is used as starting material. The morphological properties of the deposited films has been analysed by means of electron microscopy, in scanning and transmission mode. Detectors with different layouts have been prepared and current–voltage characteristics have been recorded in the dark and under irradiation with light in the range from ultraviolet to near infrared. The device spectral efficiency obtained from the electrical characterization is finally reported and an improvement of the photodetector behavior due to the nanotubes is presented and discussed.
Rapid degradation of zinc oxide nanoparticles by phosphate ions
Authors: Herrmann Rudolf , García-García F Javier , Reller Armin
Published: November 2014

Zinc oxide nanoparticles are highly sensitive towards phosphate ions even at pH 7. Buffer solutions and cell culture media containing phosphate ions are able to destroy ZnO nanoparticles within a time span from less than one hour to one day. The driving force of the reaction is the formation of zinc phosphate of very low solubility. The morphology of the zinc oxide particles has only a minor influence on the kinetics of this reaction. Surface properties related to different production methods and the presence and absence of labelling with a perylene fluorescent dye are more important. Particles prepared under acidic conditions are more resistant than those obtained in basic or neutral reaction medium. Surprisingly, the presence of a SiO2 coating does not impede the degradation of the ZnO core. In contrast to phosphate ions, β-glycerophosphate does not damage the ZnO nanoparticles. These findings should be taken into account when assessing the biological effects or the toxicology of zinc oxide nanoparticles.
World Checklist of Opiliones species (Arachnida). Part 1: Laniatores – Travunioidea and Triaenonychoidea
Authors: Kury Adriano , Mendes Amanda , Souza Daniele
Published: November 2014

Comprising more than 6500 species, Opiliones is the third most diverse order of Arachnida, after the megadiverse Acari and Araneae. The database referred here is part 1 of 12 of a project containing an intended worldwide checklist of species and subspecies of Opiliones as Darwin Core archives, and it includes the superfamilies Travunioidea and Triaenonychoidea. These two superfamilies are often treated together under the denomination of Insidiatores. In this Part 1, a total of 571 species and subspecies are listed. Briggsidae and Cladonychiidae are both downgraded to subfamilies of Travuniidae. Peltonychia Roewer, 1935 is an available name and senior synonym of Hadziana Roewer, 1935 and is herein revalidated. Seven genera of Triaenonychidae described by Lawrence between 1931 and 1933 originally failed to comply ICZN rules for availability (Art. 13.3). All of them only became available when Staręga (1992) designated a type species for each. Therefore, the correct authorships of Austromontia Lawrence, 1931, Biacumontia Lawrence, 1931, Graemontia Lawrence, 1931, Larifugella Lawrence, 1933, Mensamontia Lawrence, 1931, Monomontia Lawrence, 1931 and Rostromontia Lawrence, 1931 are all Staręga, 1992. Fumontana Shear, 1977, originally referred only to subfamily Triaenonychinae (as opposed to Soerensenellinae then and not corresponding to present Triaenonychinae), not to any tribe (which in turn correspond to modern subfamilies) is herein included in the subfamily Triaenonychinae. Picunchenops Maury, 1988 originally not included in any tribe of Triaenonychidae, is herein included in the subfamily Triaenonychinae. Trojanella Karaman, 2005, originally ranked as Travunioidea incertae sedis, is herein included in the Travuniidae Travuniinae. Nuncia ovata Roewer, 1915 (synonymized with Triaenonyx cockayni Hogg, 1920 by Forster (1954), but with inverted precedence) is here combined as Nuncia coriacea ovata Roewer, 1915 as correct senior synonym instead of Nuncia coriacea cockayni (Hogg, 1920), which is current in the literature. Neonuncia enderbei (Hogg, 1909) is reaffirmed as the correct spelling for the species, while the deliberate change to Neonuncia enderbyi by Forster (1954) is an incorrect subsequent spelling.
Les enjeux du passé dans la construction d'une façade
Authors: Schrecker Cherry
Published: November 2014

La New School for Social Research est une université privée située à Manhattan. Les documents émanant de l’École et des personnes qui la connaissent la décrivent comme une institution atypique vouée à la défense de la démocratie et de la liberté intellectuelle et politique. Cet article est basé sur la consultation d’archives et sur des entretiens avec des membres présents et passés de l’institution. Il examine le rôle de l’histoire, vue comme une reconstruction continuelle, dans la création et pérennisation de l’image idéale projetée. Cet article examine les diverses influences qui pèsent sur la construction de l’histoire. Une attention particulière est portée à la manière dont elles contribuent à façonner une image positive d’une institution pensée à la fois comme toujours nouvelle et solidement ancrée dans le passé.
Les passés composés de la grande distribution
Authors: Hocquelet Mathieu
Published: November 2014

S’appuyant sur une enquête menée aux États-Unis et en France au sein des grandes enseignes de la distribution, Walmart et Carrefour, cet article s’intéresse aux enjeux qui traversent la construction et l’appropriation de la mémoire collective de l’organisation. Il revient sur les deux phases qui ont marqué le développement des grandes surfaces depuis leur émergence au milieu du xx e siècle, d’une première ère marquée par une appropriation managériale du passé à l’apparition progressive de mémoires contestataires défendues par les employés aux prises avec des restructurations du travail.
Formes et usages de la mémoire dans la construction de l'éthos professionnel
Authors: Bonnet Thomas , Filion Normand
Published: November 2014

Cet article présente quelques résultats d’une étude comparative interrogeant la construction de l’éthos professionnel à travers l’usage mémoriel. En s’intéressant à la façon dont les souvenirs sont mobilisés dans trois collectifs de travail, les auteurs montrent comment les identités s’élaborent dans l’appel à différents régimes discursifs. Trois types de récits sont dégagés : l’anecdote, le récit expérientiel et l’« histoire illustre ». S’ils s’appuient sur des souvenirs individuels et sont partagés au sein des groupes, ils contribuent cependant chacun spécifiquement à la construction du sens du travail.
Exergames-Based Intervention for Assisted Living Residents: A Pilot Study
Authors: Chao Ying-Yu , Scherer Yvonne K. , Montgomery Carolyn A. , Lucke Kathleen T. , Wu Yow-Wu
Published: November 2014

The physical and psychosocial benefits of exergames have been reported in various literature. A pre-posttest, single-group design was used to test the effects of an exergames-based intervention on cognition, depression, and health-related quality of life (QOL) in assisted living residents. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory was applied. Seven residents (mean age = 86,
SD
= 5 years) participated in the program two times per week for 8 weeks. Outcome measures included cognition, depression, and health-related QOL. No statistically significant differences were found in any of the outcomes after the intervention. A tendency toward improved cognition occurred, but the outcomes of depression and health-related QOL did not follow a similar trend. However, improved socialization and motivation to exercise were reported. Continued research is needed to investigate the cognitive and psychosocial effects of exergames on this population. Nurses can collaborate with other health care professionals to engage residents in exercise and thus improve residents’ QOL. [
Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 40
(11), 36–43.]
Sustainability of grape-ethanol energy chain
Authors: Foppa Pedretti Ester , Duca Daniele , Toscano Giuseppe , Riva Giovanni , Pizzi Andrea , Rossini Giorgio , Saltari Matteo , Mengarelli Chiara , Gardiman Massimo , Flamini Riccardo
Published: November 2014

The aim of this work is to evaluate the sustainability, in terms of greenhouse gases emission saving, of a new potential bio-ethanol production chain in comparison with the most common ones. The innovation consists of producing bio-ethanol from different types of no-food grapes, while usually bio-ethanol is obtained from matrices taken away from crop for food destination: sugar cane, corn, wheat, sugar beet. In the past, breeding programs were conducted with the aim of improving grapevine characteristics, a large number of hybrid vine varieties were produced and are nowadays present in the Viticulture Research Centre (CRA-VIT) Germplasm Collection. Some of them are potentially interesting for bio-energy production because of their high production of sugar, good resistance to diseases, and ability to grow in marginal lands. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of grape ethanol energy chain was performed following two different methods: i) using the spreadsheet BioGrace, developed within the Intelligent Energy Europe program to support and to ease the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC implementation; ii) using a dedicated LCA software. Emissions were expressed in CO2 equivalent (CO2eq). These two tools gave very similar results. The overall emissions impact of ethanol production from grapes on average is about 33 g CO2eq MJ–1 of ethanol if prunings are used for steam production and 53 g CO2eq MJ–1 of ethanol if methane is used. The comparison with other bio-energy chains points out that the production of ethanol using grapes represents an intermediate situation in terms of general emissions among the different production chains. The results showed that the sustainability limits provided by the normative are respected to this day. On the contrary, from 2017 this production will be sustainable only if the transformation processes will be performed using renewable sources of energy.
Bovine tuberculosis in Rwanda: Prevalence and economic impact evaluation by meat inspection at Société des Abattoirs de Nyabugogo-Nyabugogo Abattoir, Kigali
Authors: Habarugira Gervais , Rukelibuga Joseph , Nanyingi Mark O. , Mushonga Borden
Published: November 2014

Despite the significant public health burden of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Rwanda, the prevalence of bTB is poorly documented. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of bTB in cattle using gross examination of granulomatous lesions, to identify mycobacteria species in suspected samples, and to evaluate the economic impact of meat condemnation based on bTB-like lesions in the meat industry in Rwanda. Routine meat inspection was conducted at Société des Abattoirs de Nyabugogo (SABAN)-Nyabugogo Abattoir. Tissue samples including 31 lymph nodes, 3 lungs and 2 livers were obtained from cattle of different ages with gross tuberculous lesions. Mycobacterium bovis was identified using microscopy with Kinyoun staining and isolation of mycobacterial species in culture on Löwenstein–Jensen and Colestos media, further identified using biochemical tests. Our findings, based on culture and postmortem results, show that the prevalence of bTB is 0.5%(0.587*148/16753), with an overall gross tuberculous lesion prevalence of 0.9% (148/16753). The presence of lesions were higher in cattle aged 2 years and older (1.6% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.05) and higher in females than in males (1.4% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.05). Of the 36 samples tested, 26 (72.2%) were positive by microscopic examination with Kinyoun staining while M. bovis was culture-confirmed in 21 (58.7%) cases. Bovine tuberculosis caused condemnation of 1683.5 kg of meat, resulting in an estimated loss of $4810. Our findings indicate that the prevalence of bTB in Rwanda is significant, and that bTB is a major cause of meat condemnation requiring continued implementation of surveillance and control measures. Furthermore, the results from this study also show important variations in sensitivity of the different tests that were used to determine the prevalence of bTB in cattle in Rwanda.
Newton-Shamanskii Method for a Quadratic Matrix Equation Arising in Quasi-Birth-Death Problems
Authors: Guo Pei-Chang
Published: November 2014

In order to determine the stationary distribution for discrete time quasi-birth-death Markov chains, it is necessary to find the minimal nonnegative solution of a quadratic matrix equation. The Newton-Shamanskii method is applied to solve this equation, and the sequence of matrices produced is monotonically increasing and converges to its minimal nonnegative solution. Numerical results illustrate the effectiveness of this procedure.
Computing Switching Surfaces in Optimal Control Based on Triangular Decomposition
Authors: Li Xiaoliang , Huang Yanli , Zheng Zewei , Cheng Wanyou
Published: November 2014

Various algorithms for optimal control require the explicit determination of switching surfaces. However, switching strategies may be very complicated, such that the computation of switching surfaces is quite challenging. General methods are proposed here to compute switching surfaces systematically, based on algebraic computational tools such as triangular decomposition. Our methods are highly complex compared to some widely-used numerical options, but they can be made feasible for realtime applications by moving the computational burden off-line. The tutorial-style presentation is intended to introduce potentially powerful symbolic computation methods to system scientists in particular, and an illustrative example of time-optimal control is given to show the effectiveness and generality of our approach.
Lie Group Classification for a Generalised Coupled Lane-Emden System in Dimension One
Authors: Muatjetjeja Ben , Khalique Chaudry Masood
Published: November 2014

In this article, we discuss the generalised coupled Lane-Emden systemu”+ H(v) = 0,v” +G(u) = 0 that applies to several physical phenomena. The Lie group classification of the underlying system shows that it admits a ten-dimensional equivalence Lie algebra. We also show that the principal Lie algebra in one dimension has several possible extensions, and obtain an exact solution for an interesting particular case via Noether integrals.
Backward Error Analysis for an Eigenproblem Involving Two Classes of Matrices
Authors: Zhu Lei , Xu Weiwei
Published: November 2014

We consider backward errors for an eigenproblem of a class of symmetric generalised centrosymmetric matrices and skew-symmetric generalised skew-centrosymmetric matrices, which are extensions of symmetric centrosymmetric and skew-symmetric skew-centrosymmetric matrices. Explicit formulae are presented for the computable backward errors for approximate eigenpairs of these two kinds of structured matrices. Numerical examples illustrate our results.
Possible Vertical Transmission of Bartonella bacilliformis in Peru
Authors: Tuya Ximena L. , Escalante-Kanashiro Raffo , Tinco Carmen , Pons Maria J. , Petrozzi Verónica , Ruiz Joaquim , del Valle Juana
Published: November 2014

A 22-day-old male was admitted with a 2-day history of irritability, dyspnea, jaundice, fever, and gastrointestinal bleeding. A thin blood smear was performed, which showed the presence of intraerythrocyte bacteria identified as Bartonella bacilliformis, and subsequently, the child was diagnosed with Carrion's disease. The diagnosis was confirmed by specific polymerase chain reaction. The child was born in a non-endemic B. bacilliformis area and had not traveled to such an area before hospitalization. However, the mother was from an endemic B. bacilliformis area, and posterior physical examination showed the presence of a wart compatible with B. bacilliformis in semi-immune subjects. These data support vertical transmission of B. bacilliformis.
Local Evolution of Pyrethroid Resistance Offsets Gene Flow Among Aedes aegypti Collections in Yucatan State, Mexico
Authors: Saavedra-Rodriguez Karla , Beaty Meaghan , Lozano-Fuentes Saul , Denham Steven , Garcia-Rejon Julian , Reyes-Solis Guadalupe , Machain-Williams Carlos , Loroño-Pino Maria Alba , Flores-Suarez Adriana , Ponce-Garcia Gustavo , Beaty Barry , Eisen Lars , Black William C.
Published: November 2014

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the major vector of the four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV1–4). Previous studies have shown that Ae. aegypti in Mexico have a high effective migration rate and that gene flow occurs among populations that are up to 150 km apart. Since 2000, pyrethroids have been widely used for suppression of Ae. aegypti in cities in Mexico. In Yucatan State in particular, pyrethroids have been applied in and around dengue case households creating an opportunity for local selection and evolution of resistance. Herein, we test for evidence of local adaptation by comparing patterns of variation among 27 Ae. aegypti collections at 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): two in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene para known to confer knockdown resistance, three in detoxification genes previously associated with pyrethroid resistance, and eight in putatively neutral loci. The SNPs in para varied greatly in frequency among collections, whereas SNPs at the remaining 11 loci showed little variation supporting previous evidence for extensive local gene flow. Among Ae. aegypti in Yucatan State, Mexico, local adaptation to pyrethroids appears to offset the homogenizing effects of gene flow.
Factors Influencing Physical Activity Behaviors in Colorectal Cancer Survivors
Authors: Packel Lora B. , Prehn Angela Witt , Anderson Cheryl L. , Fisher Paige L.
Published: November 2014

Purpose.

To elucidate factors that impact intention (INT) to be active as well as actual physical activity (PA) behavior in colorectal cancer survivors (CRC-S) using the theory of planned behavior (TpB). Planning for PA was explored as a mediator of the INT-behavior relationship. Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and fatigue were also explored.

Design.

A cross-sectional quantitative mailed survey was used.

Setting.

The study was conducted among community-dwelling adults living in Pennsylvania when diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Subjects.

Subjects comprised 843 CRC-S diagnosed with CRC in Pennsylvania in 2009.

Measures.

The survey included questions about planning for PA, TpB constructs, medical and social variables, and PA as measured by a modified Godin Leisure Time Questionnaire.

Analysis.

Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample. A mediation analysis was used to determine if planning mediated the relationship between INT and actual PA behavior. A stepwise regression was used to determine predictors of INT and PA.

Results.

Ninety-six CRC-S responded, with 25% meeting PA recommendations for health promotion, suggesting that CRC-S are insufficiently active. Perceived behavioral control (PBC) and social norm (SN) accounted for 43% of the variance in INT, whereas 30% of the variance in PA was explained by PBC and age. Neuropathy negatively impacted PA behavior (p = .008). Both action and coping planning partially mediated the INT-behavior relationship (β = 20.08, p = .007; β = 22.85, p = .001, respectively).

Conclusion.

Survivors at risk for inactivity are those with low PBC, low SN, and neuropathy, and those who are older.
Effects of drought on nitrogen turnover and abundances of ammonia-oxidizers in mountain grassland
Authors: Fuchslueger L. , Kastl E.-M. , Bauer F. , Kienzl S. , Hasibeder R. , Ladreiter-Knauss T. , Schmitt M. , Bahn M. , Schloter M. , Richter A. , Szukics U.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Future climate scenarios suggest an increased frequency of summer drought periods in the European Alpine Region. Drought can affect soil nitrogen (N) cycling, by altering N transformation rates, as well as the abundances of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea. However, the extent to which drought affects N cycling under in situ conditions is still controversial. The goal of this study was to analyse effects of drought on soil N turnover and ammonia-oxidizer abundances in soil without drought history. To this end we conducted rain-exclusion experiments at two differently managed mountain grassland sites, an annually mown and occasionally fertilized meadow and an abandoned grassland. Soils were sampled before, during and after drought and were analysed for potential gross rates of N mineralization, microbial uptake of inorganic N, nitrification, and the abundances of bacterial and archaeal ammonia-oxidizers based on gene copy numbers of the amoA gene (AOB and AOA, respectively). Drought induced different responses at the two studied sites. At the managed meadow drought increased NH4+ immobilization rates and NH4+ concentrations in the soil water solution, but led to a reduction of AOA abundance compared to controls. At the abandoned site gross nitrification and NO3− immobilization rates decreased during drought, while AOB and AOA abundances remained stable. Rewetting had only minor, short-term effects on the parameters that had been affected by drought. Seven weeks after the end of drought no differences to control plots could be detected. Thus, our findings demonstrated that in mountain grasslands drought had distinct transient effects on soil nitrogen cycling and ammonia-oxidizers, which could have been related to a niche differentiation of AOB and AOA with increasing NH4+ levels. However, the effect strength of drought was modulated by grassland management.
Climate versus carbon dioxide controls on biomass burning: a model analysis of the glacial–interglacial contrast
Authors: Martin Calvo M. , Prentice I. C. , Harrison S. P.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Climate controls fire regimes through its influence on the amount and types of fuel present and their dryness. CO2 concentration constrains primary production by limiting photosynthetic activity in plants. However, although fuel accumulation depends on biomass production, and hence on CO2 concentration, the quantitative relationship between atmospheric CO2 concentration and biomass burning is not well understood. Here a fire-enabled dynamic global vegetation model (the Land surface Processes and eXchanges model, LPX) is used to attribute glacial–interglacial changes in biomass burning to an increase in CO2, which would be expected to increase primary production and therefore fuel loads even in the absence of climate change, vs. climate change effects. Four general circulation models provided last glacial maximum (LGM) climate anomalies – that is, differences from the pre-industrial (PI) control climate – from the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project Phase~2, allowing the construction of four scenarios for LGM climate. Modelled carbon fluxes from biomass burning were corrected for the model's observed prediction biases in contemporary regional average values for biomes. With LGM climate and low CO2 (185 ppm) effects included, the modelled global flux at the LGM was in the range of 1.0–1.4 Pg C year-1, about a third less than that modelled for PI time. LGM climate with pre-industrial CO2 (280 ppm) yielded unrealistic results, with global biomass burning fluxes similar to or even greater than in the pre-industrial climate. It is inferred that a substantial part of the increase in biomass burning after the LGM must be attributed to the effect of increasing CO2 concentration on primary production and fuel load. Today, by analogy, both rising CO2 and global warming must be considered as risk factors for increasing biomass burning. Both effects need to be included in models to project future fire risks.
Comment on "Technical Note: On the Matt–Shuttleworth approach to estimate crop water requirements" by Lhomme et al. (2014)
Authors: Shuttleworth W. J.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. It is clear from Lhomme et al. (2014) that aspects of the explanation of the Matt–Shuttleworth approach can generate confusion. Presumably this is because the description in Shuttleworth (2006) was not sufficiently explicit and simple. This paper explains the logic behind the Matt–Shuttleworth approach clearly, simply and concisely. It shows how the Matt–Shuttleworth can be implemented using a few simple equations and provides access to ancillary calculation resources that can be used for such implementation. If the crop water requirement community decided that it is preferable to use the Penman–Monteith equation to estimate crop water requirements directly for all crops, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization could now update Irrigation and Drainage Paper 56 using the Matt–Shuttleworth approach by deriving tabulated values of surface resistance from Table 12 of Allen et al. (1998), with the estimation of crop evaporation then being directly made in a one-step calculation using an equation similar to that already recommended by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for calculating reference crop evaporation.
Wind waves in the Black Sea: results of a hindcast study
Authors: Arkhipkin V. S. , Gippius F. N. , Koltermann K. P. , Surkova G. V.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. In this study we describe the wind wave fields in the Black Sea. The general aims of the work were the estimation of statistical wave parameters and the assessment of interannual and seasonal wave parameter variability. The domain of this study was the entire Black Sea. Wave parameters were calculated by means of the SWAN wave model on a 5 × 5 km rectangular grid. Initial conditions (wind speed and direction) for the period between 1949 and 2010 were derived from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. According to our calculations the average significant wave height on the Black Sea does not exceed 0.7 m. Areas of most significant heavy sea are the southwestern and the northeastern parts of the sea as expressed in the spatial distribution of significant wave heights, wave lengths and periods. Besides, long-term annual variations of wave parameters were estimated. Thus, linear trends of the annual total duration of storms and of their quantity are nearly stable over the hindcast period. However, an intensification of storm activity is observed in the 1960s–1970s.
A coupling of hydrologic and hydraulic models appropriate for the fast floods of the Gardon River basin (France)
Authors: Laganier O. , Ayral P. A. , Salze D. , Sauvagnargues S.
Published: November 2014

Abstract. Mediterranean catchments are regularly affected by fast and flash floods. Numerous hydrologic models have been developed, and allow modelling of these floods. However, these approaches often concern average-size basins of a few hundred km2. At larger scales (>1000 km2), coupling of hydrologic and hydraulic models appears to be an adapted solution. This study has as its first objective the evaluation of the performances of a coupling of models for flood hydrograph modelling. Secondly, the coupling results are compared with those of other modelling options. The aim of these comparisons is to clear up the following points. (1) Is a simplified routing model (lag and route) as efficient as a full hydraulic model for the modelling of hydrographs, in the intermediary downstream part of the stream? (2) Is adding lateral inflows necessary for all studied events? (3) What is the impact of the qualities of upstream hydrologic modelling feeding the coupling? The coupling combines the SCS–LR (Soil Conservation Service–lag-and-route) hydrologic model of the ATHYS platform and the MASCARET 1-D hydraulic model based on full Saint-Venant equations. It is applied to the Gardon River basin (2040 km2) in the south of France. For the seven studied events, the results of the coupling are satisfactory, the calculated Nash indexes varying between 0.61 and 0.97. The comparisons with the other modelling options show the important role of the spatial distribution of rains during events: when rains are centered on the intermediary downstream part of the catchment, adding lateral inflows is necessary; when rains are more important in the upstream part, the quality of the hydrologic modelling upstream of the coupling has a strong impact. Furthermore, the used coupling of models seems well adapted for water rising and flooded area forecasting. The future developments of the tool will concentrate on this point.