bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Before the Storm”: Hurricane Katrina, the BP Oil Spill, and the Challenges to Racial Hierarchies in Rural Louisiana
Authors: Bates Seumas
Published: February 2017

By conceptualizing the recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill as forming part of ongoing processes of “becoming” and the everyday, this article explores how the relative power of a historically privileged group of White males in rural Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, faced significant challenge. First, through the breakdown of informal racial segregation in local social institutions, and through the newly ubiquitous nature of mobile homes threatening their rejection of “trailer trash” culture. Second, however, this impact must be understood within ongoing changes across wider American society, where a locally valorized ideal of normative 1950s culture was seen to be in conflict with the civil rights and feminist movements of the late twentieth century. This imagined cultural hegemony was therefore in serious decline long before these catastrophes, yet has now been confined to the time “before the Storm.”
Computational Complexity
Authors: Tenreiro Machado J. , Lopes António
Published: February 2017

Complex systems (CS) involve many elements that interact at different scales in time and space. The challenges in modeling CS led to the development of novel computational tools with applications in a wide range of scientific areas. The computational problems posed by CS exhibit intrinsic difficulties that are a major concern in Computational Complexity Theory. [...]
A Dui Hua (对话) Standpoint to Multilingual Educational Theorizing
Authors: Shen Haibo
Published: February 2017

New forms of intellectual inequality have become evident with the internationalisation of higher degree researchers (HDRs) education, in particular theoretical dominance and dependency. However, the linguistically and theoretically based inequalities associated with local/global currents of standardized monolingual English HDRs education are gradually opening up to scholarly debates. In the field of education, bilingual HDRs have the potential disposition, and some have the capabilities for multilingual theorizing. Some make use of their knowledge of more than one language to extend the possibilities for theorizing educational phenomena or otherwise naming and making sense of problems. This multilingual theorizing may provide another path to transform the problems with uniformized, Anglophone HDRs education. With this concern, this paper reconsiders the universalisation of Euro-American theories through their embodiment in monolingual English in HDR education. A Dui Hua (对话) standpoint to other languages and theoretical knowledge is outlined and debated to highlight the divergences of languages and thoughts. Thus this paper probes into the possibilities of multilingual educational theorizing, whereby bilingual HDRs generate original conceptual tools that benefit the wider educational research community.
Investigating How an Artificial Neural Network Model Can Be Used to Detect Added Mass on a Non-Rotating Beam Using Its Natural Frequencies: A Possible Application for Wind Turbine Blade Ice Detection
Authors: Gantasala Sudhakar , Luneno Jean-Claude , Aidanpää Jan-Olov
Published: February 2017

Structures vibrate with their natural frequencies when disturbed from their equilibrium position. These frequencies reduce when an additional mass accumulates on their structures, like ice accumulation on wind turbines installed in cold climate sites. The added mass has two features: the location and quantity of mass. Natural frequencies of the structure reduce differently depending on these two features of the added mass. In this work, a technique based on an artificial neural network (ANN) model is proposed to identify added mass by training the neural network with a dataset of natural frequencies of the structure calculated using different quantities of the added mass at different locations on the structure. The proposed method is demonstrated on a non-rotating beam model fixed at one end. The length of the beam is divided into three zones in which different added masses are considered, and its natural frequencies are calculated using a finite element model of the beam. ANN is trained with this dataset of natural frequencies of the beam as an input and corresponding added masses used in the calculations as an output. ANN approximates the non-linear relationship between these inputs and outputs. An experimental setup of the cantilever beam is fabricated, and experimental modal analysis is carried out considering a few added masses on the beam. The frequencies estimated in the experiments are given as an input to the trained ANN model, and the identified masses are compared against the actual masses used in the experiments. These masses are identified with an error that varies with the location and the quantity of added mass. The reason for these errors can be attributed to the unaccounted stiffness variation in the beam model due to the added mass while generating the dataset for training the neural network. Therefore, the added masses are roughly estimated. At the end of the paper, an application of the current technique for detecting ice mass on a wind turbine blade is studied. A neural network model is designed and trained with a dataset of natural frequencies calculated using the finite element model of the blade considering different ice masses. The trained network model is tested to identify ice masses in four test cases that considers random mass distributions along the blade. The neural network model is able to roughly estimate ice masses, and the error reduces with increasing ice mass on the blade.
Effects of a Combination of Berberis aristata, Silybum marianum and Monacolin on Lipid Profile in Subjects at Low Cardiovascular Risk; A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Authors: Giuseppe Derosa , Angela D’Angelo , Davide Romano , Pamela Maffioli
Published: February 2017

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of an anti-hypercholesterolemic agent containing Berberis aristata, Silybum marianum and monacolin K and KA in a sample of Caucasian patients at low cardiovascular risk according to Framingham score. The primary outcome was to evaluate the effects of this nutraceutical combination on lipid profile; the secondary outcome was to evaluate the effect on some inflammatory markers, in particular high sensitivity C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor-α interleukin-6. One hundred and forty-three patients were randomized to placebo or Berberol® K, once a day, during the dinner, for 3 months, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. We recorded a significant reduction of fasting plasma glucose with Berberol® K compared to placebo (−12.2%, p < 0.05). Moreover, we recorded an increase of fasting plasma insulin with Berberol® K both compared to baseline and to placebo (+9.9%, p < 0.05). Accordingly, the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index obtained after treatment with Berberol® K was lower than the one in the placebo group (−2.8%, p < 0.05). No variations of lipid profile were observed with placebo, while there was a significant decrease of total cholesterol (−20.5%, p < 0.05), triglycerides (−17.7%, p < 0.05), and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholestero (−27.8%, p < 0.05) with Berberol® K, compared to placebo. There was a decrease of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (−30.8%, p < 0.05), and interleukin-6 (−25.0%, p < 0.05), with Berberol® K compared to placebo. In conclusion, combining different hypocholesterolemic nutraceutical agents such as Berberis aristata, Silybum marianum and monacolin K and KA could be effective and safe to obtain a reduction of lipid profile and an improvement of inflammatory parameters.
Increased Dicarbonyl Stress as a Novel Mechanism of Multi-Organ Failure in Critical Illness
Authors: Van Bussel Bas , Van de Poll Marcel , Schalkwijk Casper , Bergmans Dennis
Published: February 2017

Molecular pathological pathways leading to multi-organ failure in critical illness are progressively being unravelled. However, attempts to modulate these pathways have not yet improved the clinical outcome. Therefore, new targetable mechanisms should be investigated. We hypothesize that increased dicarbonyl stress is such a mechanism. Dicarbonyl stress is the accumulation of dicarbonyl metabolites (i.e., methylglyoxal, glyoxal, and 3-deoxyglucosone) that damages intracellular proteins, modifies extracellular matrix proteins, and alters plasma proteins. Increased dicarbonyl stress has been shown to impair the renal, cardiovascular, and central nervous system function, and possibly also the hepatic and respiratory function. In addition to hyperglycaemia, hypoxia and inflammation can cause increased dicarbonyl stress, and these conditions are prevalent in critical illness. Hypoxia and inflammation have been shown to drive the rapid intracellular accumulation of reactive dicarbonyls, i.e., through reduced glyoxalase-1 activity, which is the key enzyme in the dicarbonyl detoxification enzyme system. In critical illness, hypoxia and inflammation, with or without hyperglycaemia, could thus increase dicarbonyl stress in a way that might contribute to multi-organ failure. Thus, we hypothesize that increased dicarbonyl stress in critical illness, such as sepsis and major trauma, contributes to the development of multi-organ failure. This mechanism has the potential for new therapeutic intervention in critical care.
Perindopril Induces TSP-1 Expression in Hypertensive Patients with Endothelial Dysfunction in Chronic Treatment
Authors: Buda Valentina , Andor Minodora , Petrescu Lucian , Cristescu Carmen , Baibata Dana , Voicu Mirela , Munteanu Melania , Citu Ioana , Muntean Calin , Cretu Octavian , Tomescu Mirela
Published: February 2017

Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is a potent endogenous inhibitor of both physiological and pathological angiogenesis, widely studied as a target in drug development for treating cancer. Several studies performed in the cardiovascular field on TSP-1 are contradictory, the role of TSP-1 in the physiopathology of cardiovascular disorders (CVDs) being, for the moment, incompletely understood and may be due to the presence of several domains in its structure which can stimulate many cellular receptors. It has been reported to inhibit NO-mediated signaling and to act on the angiogenesis, tissue perfusion, endothelial cell proliferation, and homeostasis, so we aimed to quantify the effect Perindopril has on TSP-1 plasma levels in hypertensive patients with endothelial dysfunction in comparison with other antihypertensive drugs, such as beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and diuretics, in a chronic treatment. As a conclusion, patients under treatment with Perindopril had increased plasma levels of TSP-1 compared with other hypertensive patients and with the control group. The results of this study confirms the pleiotropic properties of Perindopril: anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, with effects showed by quantifying a single biomarker: TSP-1.
RiPPAS: A Ring-Based Privacy-Preserving Aggregation Scheme in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Zhang Kejia , Han Qilong , Cai Zhipeng , Yin Guisheng
Published: February 2017

Recently, data privacy in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has been paid increased attention. The characteristics of WSNs determine that users’ queries are mainly aggregation queries. In this paper, the problem of processing aggregation queries in WSNs with data privacy preservation is investigated. A Ring-based Privacy-Preserving Aggregation Scheme (RiPPAS) is proposed. RiPPAS adopts ring structure to perform aggregation. It uses pseudonym mechanism for anonymous communication and uses homomorphic encryption technique to add noise to the data easily to be disclosed. RiPPAS can handle both s u m ( ) queries and m i n ( ) / m a x ( ) queries, while the existing privacy-preserving aggregation methods can only deal with s u m ( ) queries. For processing s u m ( ) queries, compared with the existing methods, RiPPAS has advantages in the aspects of privacy preservation and communication efficiency, which can be proved by theoretical analysis and simulation results. For processing m i n ( ) / m a x ( ) queries, RiPPAS provides effective privacy preservation and has low communication overhead.
Seeing the People’s Republic of China through the Eyes of Montesquieu: Why Sino-European Collaboration on Eco City Development Suffers from European Misinterpretations of “Good Governance”
Authors: De Jong Martin , Stout Helen , Sun Li
Published: February 2017

China faces a number of impressive challenges in dealing with climate change: rising energy use, growing emission levels of greenhouse gases, dangerous levels of air pollution over cities and low resilience against flood and drought. Sustainable urbanization has been adopted as a keyword in handling these challenges. The Chinese central government has undertaken a variety of measures, including the launch of large Sino-European programs to learn from ‘developed nations’. In the wake of these partnerships, a great variety of cross-national and cross-city agreements were signed. Sino-European cooperation does not often run as smoothly as initially hoped because of diverging interests, cultural misunderstandings and practical limitations. In the background, a mismatch in normative conceptions Chinese and European participants have of ‘good governance’ plays a role. In this contribution, insights taken from Montesquieu’s ‘The Spirit of Laws’ regarding checks and balances and trias politica (updated to ‘sextas politica’ for the 21st century) are used to comprehend how the exertion of power is distributed and expected to be distributed differently in Chinese than in European administrative traditions. The article will end with conclusions on how European misconceptions of Chinese governance complicate Sino-European collaboration in sustainable urbanization policies.
Le silex bédoulien sur les sites chasséens du Languedoc : étude fonctionnelle, statut des sites et réseaux de diffusion
Authors: Torchy Loïc , Gassin Bernard
Published: February 2017

Notre étude porte sur la gestion des productions lithiques en silex bédoulien sur des sites chasséens languedociens importateurs et consommateurs compris dans l’aire de diffusion massive et relativement proches les uns des autres, mais éloignés des ateliers producteurs. Il s’agit des sites du Pirou à Valros (Hérault), de Langel à Armissan (Aude) et du fossé St2 d’Auriac à Carcassonne (Aude). Des différences de gestion ont été observées entre les différentes productions (avec ou sans traitement thermique ; entre lames/ lamelles/ éclats ; entre différents rythmes de débitage), mais aussi entre les différents sites. Les sous-systèmes techniques de la coupe des végétaux, du travail de la peau, de l’os et de la céramique ont pu être discutés en abordant la question de la spécialisation artisanale. Différents statuts de sites ont pu être mis en évidence grâce à la représentation des différentes classes fonctionnelles. La forte représentation de la coupe de végétaux sur les sites du Pirou et de Langel leur confère une vocation agricole, tandis que le spectre fonctionnel d’Auriac révèle un statut bien différent des deux autres. L’analyse fonctionnelle a introduit quelques pistes de réflexion confortant l’hypothèse d’un site redistributeur de lamelles débitées par pression après traitement thermique. Enfin, la complexité des réseaux de diffusion des silex bédouliens a été abordée par la mise en évidence d’une variabilité d’aisance d’approvisionnement révélant différents degrés d’intégration dans ces réseaux.
Stratégies de subsistance des Aurignaciens de Solutré (Saône-et-Loire). Les apports de la fouille préventive de 2004
Authors: Connet Nelly , Bayle Grégory , Bémilli Céline , Kervazo Bertrand , Konik Stéphane , Julien Michèle , Vanhaeren Marian , Boitard Eve , Molez Danièle
Published: February 2017

In 2004, after more than a century of research on the site of Solutré, a preventive excavation was conducted within the Aurignacian layers located next to the excavations carried out by J. Combier in the 1970s and 80s. Two archaeological units consisting of small, broken limestone slabs were excavated on a 160 sq. ft. surface. Layer 2, presented in this paper, is dated between 27,000 and 30,000 BP. With nearly 48,000 pieces, mainly Horse and Reindeer, it is particularly rich in faunal remains. These animals were slaughtered and then dismembered in the immediate vicinity, all year round, but in greater numbers in late autumn and in the winter. Animal processing was varied (butchering, cutting of raw material, production of bone objects) but took place on the site for the most part. The associated lithic assemblage mainly consists of retouched tools and a few debris closely related to animal processing. A bone industry composed of retouchers and a smoother is also represented, illustrating diversified activities. Lastly, three worn ornaments were found. Given current knowledge, two of them indicate that the Aurignacian groups of Solutré are related to a wide territory encompassing Western Europe, from south-west France to north-west Europe.
Eumolpidae neotropicaux nouveaux ou peu connus (Coleoptera - Phytophaga)
Authors: Springlova de Bechyné B.
Published: February 2017

En continuant nos études sur les chrysomélides néotropicaux, nous avons rencontré certains genres et espèces qui, jusqu'à présent, n'étaient pas connus et des espèces dont les descriptions sont très déficientes.

Dans cet article, nous décrivons ou redécrivons ces espèces, appartenant aux tribus Chrysodinini, Iphimeini et Colaspini. Nous présentons, en outre, de nouvelles combinaisons et des notes faunistiques sur d'autres espèces.
Hybrides trispécifiques nouveaux de Chrysocarabus Thoms. (Coleopt. Carab.)
Authors: Puisségur C.
Published: February 2017

6 imagos trispécifiques nouveaux ont été obtenus : 5 du croisement Chrysocarabus lineatus Dej. x splendens Oliv. x Chrysotribax hispanus Fabr. et 1 du croisement Chrysocarabus splendens x auronitens Fabr. x Chrysotribax hispanus. En outre des larves trispécifiques nouvelles sont nées des deux croisements Ce. lineatus x punctatoauratus Germar x splendens et Cc. lineatus x auronitens x Ct. hispanus. L'ensemble des hybrides trispécifiques jusqu'ici obtenus montre que la parenté entre les quatre espèces de Chrysocarabus est plus étroite qu'entre Chrysocarabus et Chrysotribax.
Remarques sur l'article de Ph. Moretto et J. Baraud, «Les Eupotosia Micksic de France : nouveaux statuts (Col. Scarabaeoidea, Cetoniidae). »
Authors: Miksic René
Published: February 2017

The main conclusions of the cited paper (Nouv. Rev. Entom., XII (2), 1982, 145-149) are disproved.

— Eupotosia Miksic is not a separate genus,

— Protaetia (Eupotosia ) koenigi nat. balcanica Miksic cannot be regarded as a synonym with Eupotosia mirifica (Mulsant),

— Protaetia (Eupotosia ) koenigi (Reitter) cannot be considered as subspecies of Eupotosia mirifica (Muls.),

— the denomination of the populations from Corsica and Sardinia of P. affinis as ssp. pauliani (Moretto and Baraud) is not admissible.
Coléoptères de Madagascar. 9. Description d'un Brachymoschium nouveau et clé de détermination des espèces du genre (Coléoptères, Tenebrionidae)
Authors: Dajoz Roger
Published: February 2017

Description d'une espèce nouvelle Brachymoschium hexagonum, et clé de détermination des 8 espèces connues de ce genre qui est endémique de Madagascar.
La collection de vertébrés pliocènes du Muséum de Perpignan
Authors: Philippe Michel , Bourgat Robert
Published: February 2017

Il existe, au Muséum d'Histoire naturelle de Perpignan, une intéressante série de restes de vertébrés du Pliocène du Roussillon. L'essentiel de cette collection a été recueilli par A. Donnezan à partir de 1886 et a été décrit par C. Depéret.

Longtemps oubliée, cette collection vient d'être remise en ordre. Le but de cette note est d'en rappeler l'existence et d'en faire connaître le contenu : plus de 500 pièces répertoriées, dont 32 spécimens types ou figurés, appartenant aux ordres des Primates, des Carnivores, des Insectivores, des Rongeurs, des Lagomorphes, des Proboscidiens, des Périssodactyles, des Artiodactyles, des Chéloniens et des Amphibiens.
Clinical Models And Evaluation Measures In The Study Of Experimental Anxiety
Authors: Chaves Neto Gabriel , Fernandes Braga João Euclides , Pedrosa Trajano Flavia Maiele , Feitosa Alves Mateus , Soares de Lima Laysa Karen , Dos Santos Araújo Poliana Rafaela , Nunes de Andrade Humberto Hugo , Figueiredo de Almeida Anna Alice , Nóbrega de Almeida Reinaldo , Formiga Melo Diniz Margareth de Fátima
Published: February 2017

Objectives: the following review aims to present accumulated evidence in the literature around the main human models for induction of anxiety and the measures frequently used for its evaluation.

Method: It was made a bibliographic research having as source of research articles listed by Pubmed and Medline databases and research in specific books which have investigated the main human models for experimental anxiety induction and the measurements frequently used for its evaluation.

Discussion: Both the psychological and chemical models for anxiety induction present ethical limits and are constituted of fundamental links between basic research and therapeutic tests done with the patients. The psychological and/or physiological measures for evaluating experimentally produced anxiety reflect body changes that express the level of the elicited anxiety.

Conclusion: The use of clinical models and evaluation measures in the study of experimental anxiety makes possible, under the scientific research, understanding the neurobiological substrate of anxiety in its pathological manifestation, beyond evaluating drugs with anxyolitic potential.
Application of the foamed bitumen and bitumen emulsion to the road base mixes in the deep cold recycling technology
Authors: Iwański Marek , Chomicz-Kowalska Anna
Published: February 2017

This paper presents findings of a study concerning the influence of binder type on the mechanical properties
of road base in the cold recycling technology. The principal aim of this investigation was to evaluate the mixes in scope
of susceptibility to moisture and low-temperatures. In the comparative research foamed bitumen and bitumen emulsion
were used in four different concentrations (2.0%, 2.5%, 3.0%, 3.5%). The materials used in the study were reclaimed
from an existing road construction layers: reclaimed aggregate from the road base and reclaimed asphalt pavement obtained
by milling the surface and binder course. Portland cement in 2.0% concentration was used as a hydraulic binder.
The evaluated parameters were: indirect tensile strengths, tensile strength retained and indirect tensile stiffness modulus
at 25 °C. These tests were complemented by an evaluation of susceptibility to moisture and frost according to modified
procedures implemented by American researchers: Tunnicliff, Root and Lottman. Moreover, tests for low-temperature
cracking were conducted according to Finnish standard. The investigations showed that the use of foamed bitumen for
road base layer produced in the cold recycling technology results in better mechanical properties and resistance to moisture
and frost compared to using bitumen emulsion. The use of 2.5% of foamed bitumen and 2.0% of Portland cement
in the recycled road base allowed to meet the established criteria.
Effects of extended short-term aging duration on asphalt binder behaviour at high temperatures
Authors: Hamzah Meor Othman , Omranian Seyed Reza
Published: February 2017

Many factors affecting pavement performance include variations in binder composition and environmental conditions during asphalt mixture production. Hence, predicting pavement performance is a difficult task. This paper aims to investigate the effects of short term aging on binder viscosity at high temperature. In order to predict the effects of short term aging on the asphalt binder viscosity at high temperatures, a Response Surface Method was performed on the Rotational Viscometer test results. An experimental matrix was planned based on the central composite design for aging duration and test temperature. The test results showed that aging increased the binder viscosity, while increasing test temperature decreased the corresponding value. However, aging effects differ and depend on binder types, test temperatures and aging conditions. It was also found that the Response Surface Method is a fast, effective and reliable method to predict the effects of aging on binder viscosity behaviour at high temperatures.
KELT-16b: A Highly Irradiated, Ultra-short Period Hot Jupiter Nearing Tidal Disruption
Authors: Oberst Thomas E. , Rodriguez Joseph E. , Colón Knicole D. , Angerhausen Daniel , Bieryla Allyson , Ngo Henry , Stevens Daniel J. , Stassun Keivan G. , Gaudi B. Scott , Pepper Joshua , Penev Kaloyan , Mawet Dimitri , Latham David W. , Heintz Tyler M. , Osei Baffour W. , Collins Karen A. , Kielkopf John F. , Visgaitis Tiffany , Reed Phillip A. , Escamilla Alejandra , Yazdi Sormeh , McLeod Kim K. , Lunsford Leanne T. , Spencer Michelle , Joner Michael D. , Gregorio Joao , Gaillard Clement , Matt Kyle , Dumont Mary Thea , Stephens Denise C. , Cohen David H. , Jensen Eric L. N. , Novati Sebastiano Calchi , Bozza Valerio , Labadie-Bartz Jonathan , Siverd Robert J. , Lund Michael B. , Beatty Thomas G. , Eastman Jason D. , Penny Matthew T. , Manner Mark , Zambelli Roberto , Fulton Benjamin J. , Stockdale Christopher , DePoy D. L. , Marshall Jennifer L. , Pogge Richard W. , Gould Andrew , Trueblood Mark , Trueblood Patricia
Published: February 2017

We announce the discovery of KELT-16b, a highly irradiated, ultra-short period hot Jupiter transiting the relatively bright (V = 11.7) star TYC 2688-1839-1/KELT-16. A global analysis of the system shows KELT-16 to be an F7V star with

K,

,

,

, and

. The planet is a relatively high-mass inflated gas giant with

,

, density

g cm−3, surface gravity

, and

K. The best-fitting linear ephemeris is

and

day. KELT-16b joins WASP-18b, −19b, −43b, −103b, and HATS-18b as the only giant transiting planets with P < 1 day. Its ultra-short period and high irradiation make it a benchmark target for atmospheric studies by the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer, and eventually the James Webb Space Telescope. For example, as a hotter, higher-mass analog of WASP-43b, KELT-16b may feature an atmospheric temperature–pressure inversion and day-to-night temperature swing extreme enough for TiO to rain out at the terminator. KELT-16b could also join WASP-43b in extending tests of the observed mass–metallicity relation of the solar system gas giants to higher masses. KELT-16b currently orbits at a mere ∼1.7 Roche radii from its host star, and could be tidally disrupted in as little as a few ×105 years (for a stellar tidal quality factor of

). Finally, the likely existence of a widely separated bound stellar companion in the KELT-16 system makes it possible that Kozai–Lidov (KL) oscillations played a role in driving KELT-16b inward to its current precarious orbit.
The Effects of Interplanetary Transport in the Event-intergrated Solar Energetic Particle Spectra
Authors: Zhao Lulu , Zhang Ming , Rassoul Hamid K.
Published: February 2017

Previous investigations on the energy spectra of solar energetic particle (SEP) events revealed that the energy spectra observed at 1 au often show double power laws with break energies from one to tens of MeV/nuc. In order to determine whether the double power-law features result from the SEP source or the interplanetary transport process from the Sun to 1 au, we separately analyze the SEP spectra in the decay phase, during which the transport effect is minimum. In this paper, we reported three events observed by the Interplanetary Monitory Platform 8 spacecraft, which occurred on 1977 September 19, November 22, and 1979 March 1. For the first two events, the event-integrated spectra of protons possess double power-law profiles with break energies in a range of several MeV to tens of MeV, while the spectra integrated in the decay (reservoir) phase yield single power laws. Moreover, a general trend from a double power law at the rising phase to a single power law at the decay phase is observed. For the third event, both the event-integrated and the reservoir spectra show double power-law features. However, the difference between the low- and high-energy power-law indices is smaller for the reservoir spectrum than the event-integrated spectrum. These features were reproduced by solving the 1D diffusion equation analytically and we suggest that the transport process, especially the diffusion process, plays an important role in breaking the energy spectra.
“Dandelion” Filament Eruption and Coronal Waves Associated with a Solar Flare on 2011 February 16
Authors: Cabezas Denis P. , Martínez Lurdes M. , Buleje Yovanny J. , Ishitsuka Mutsumi , Ishitsuka José K. , Morita Satoshi , Asai Ayumi , UeNo Satoru , Ishii Takako T. , Kitai Reizaburo , Takasao Shinsuke , Yoshinaga Yusuke , Otsuji Kenichi , Shibata Kazunari
Published: February 2017

Coronal disturbances associated with solar flares, such as Hα Moreton waves, X-ray waves, and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) coronal waves, are discussed herein in relation to magnetohydrodynamic fast-mode waves or shocks in the corona. To understand the mechanism of coronal disturbances, full-disk solar observations with high spatial and temporal resolution over multiple wavelengths are of crucial importance. We observed a filament eruption, whose shape is like a “dandelion,” associated with the M1.6 flare that occurred on 2011 February 16 in Hα images taken by the Flare Monitoring Telescope at Ica University, Peru. We derive the three-dimensional velocity field of the erupting filament. We also identify winking filaments that are located far from the flare site in the Hα images, whereas no Moreton wave is observed. By comparing the temporal evolution of the winking filaments with those of the coronal wave seen in the EUV images data taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory and by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead, we confirm that the winking filaments were activated by the EUV coronal wave.
Solar Energetic Particle Acceleration by a Shock Wave Accompanying a Coronal Mass Ejection in the Solar Atmosphere
Authors: Petukhova A. S. , Petukhov I. S. , Petukhov S. I. , Ksenofontov L. T.
Published: February 2017

Solar energetic particle acceleration by a shock wave accompanying a coronal mass ejection (CME) is studied. The description of the accelerated particle spectrum evolution is based on the numerical calculation of the diffusive transport equation with a set of realistic parameters. The relation between the CME and shock speeds, which depend on the initial CME radius, is determined. Depending on the initial CME radius, its speed, and the magnetic energy of the scattering Alfvén waves, the accelerated particle spectrum is established 10–60 minutes from the beginning of CME motion. The maximum energies of particles reach 0.1–10 GeV. The CME radii of 3–5

and the shock radii of 5–10

agree with observations. The calculated particle spectra agree with the observed ones in events registered by ground-based detectors if the turbulence spectrum in the solar corona significantly differs from the Kolmogorov one.
First Evidence of Running Cosmic Vacuum: Challenging the Concordance Model
Authors: Solà Joan , Gómez-Valent Adrià , Pérez Javier de Cruz
Published: February 2017

Despite the fact that a rigid

-term is a fundamental building block of the concordance ΛCDM model, we show that a large class of cosmological scenarios with dynamical vacuum energy density

together with a dynamical gravitational coupling G or a possible non‐conservation of matter, are capable of seriously challenging the traditional phenomenological success of the ΛCDM. In this paper, we discuss these “running vacuum models” (RVMs), in which

consists of a nonvanishing constant term and a series of powers of the Hubble rate. Such generic structure is potentially linked to the quantum field theoretical description of the expanding universe. By performing an overall fit to the cosmological observables SN Ia+BAO+H(z)+LSS+BBN+CMB (in which the WMAP9, Planck 2013, and Planck 2015 data are taken into account), we find that the class of RVMs appears significantly more favored than the ΛCDM, namely, at an unprecedented level of

. Furthermore, the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria confirm that the dynamical RVMs are strongly preferred compared to the conventional rigid

-picture of the cosmic evolution.
Hall Effect–Mediated Magnetic Flux Transport in Protoplanetary Disks
Authors: Bai Xue-Ning , Stone James M.
Published: February 2017

The global evolution of protoplanetary disks (PPDs) has recently been shown to be largely controlled by the amount of poloidal magnetic flux threading the disk. The amount of magnetic flux must also coevolve with the disk, as a result of magnetic flux transport, a process that is poorly understood. In weakly ionized gas as in PPDs, magnetic flux is largely frozen in the electron fluid, except when resistivity is large. When the disk is largely laminar, we show that the relative drift between the electrons and ions (the Hall drift), and the ions and neutral fluids (ambipolar drift) can play a dominant role on the transport of magnetic flux. Using two-dimensional simulations that incorporate the Hall effect and ambipolar diffusion (AD) with prescribed diffusivities, we show that when large-scale poloidal field is aligned with disk rotation, the Hall effect rapidly drags magnetic flux inward at the midplane region, while it slowly pushes flux outward above/below the midplane. This leads to a highly radially elongated field configuration as a global manifestation of the Hall-shear instability. This field configuration further promotes rapid outward flux transport by AD at the midplane, leading to instability saturation. In quasi-steady state, magnetic flux is transported outward at approximately the same rate at all heights, and the rate is comparable to the Hall-free case. For anti-aligned field polarity, the Hall effect consistently transports magnetic flux outward, leading to a largely vertical field configuration in the midplane region. The field lines in the upper layer first bend radially inward and then outward to launch a disk wind. Overall, the net rate of outward flux transport is about twice as fast as that of the aligned case. In addition, the rate of flux transport increases with increasing disk magnetization. The absolute rate of transport is sensitive to disk microphysics, which remains to be explored in future studies.
Clustering Techniques Within Service Sector
Authors: Yazici İbrahim , Beyca Ömer Faruk , Zaim Selim
Published: February 2017

Due to big data availability in markets recently, processing and making predictions with data have been becoming more difficult, and this difficulty has been affecting management decisions. As a result, competitiveness for companies are related to analyze and utilize big data in order to achieve company targets. Transforming big data into business advantage has become a vital management tool across all industries. There are many data mining techniques that are being applied to plenty of problems. One of the frequently utilized data mining technique is clustering method. Clustering techniques aim to group a set of objects in clusters that more similar objects are in the same cluster. Main utilization aim of clustering techniques is segmenting or clustering or grouping objects. Clustering techniques and their utilization within service sector by aim of clustering technique and their methodologies are presented. Energy, social media and bank sectors are found that the mostly user of clustering techniques within service sector for segmenting customers based on searched papers.
Using Functional Link Artificial Neural Network (FLANN) for Bank Credit Risk Assessment
Authors: Jena Saroj Kanta , Dwivedy Maheshwar , Kumar Anil
Published: February 2017

Credit scoring is the most important and critical component conducted by the credit providers to decide whether to grant a loan to the applicant or not. Therefore credit scoring models are generally used to predict the potentiality of the loan applicant. A proper evaluation of the credit can help the service provider to determine whether to grant or to reject the credit. The objective of the study is to predict banking credit scoring assessment using a data mining technique i.e. Functional Link Artificial Neural Network (FLANN) classifier. Credit approval datasets: Australian credit and German credit have been used to do this analysis. The output of the study shows that the proposed model used for classification works better on credit dataset. Secondly, we have applied our proposed model on the two credit approval dataset to check the performance of the model for the classification accuracy. A proper evaluation of the credit using the proposed FLANN approach can help the service provider to accurately and quickly ascertain whether to grant credit or to reject.
Approaches for Automating ERP Category Configuration for SMEs
Authors: Wölfel Klaus
Published: February 2017

Disruptive business models, such as software as a service and open source software, have made Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages and related software more accessible for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). However, the consulting required to configure an ERP to meet the specific needs of an organization remains a major financial burden for SMEs. One configuration task which is common to many ERPs is category configuration. With the help of automated category configuration support, managers of small businesses can perform category configuration on their own and reduce part of the consulting cost. This chapter presents the design of generic automation approaches for ERP category configuration, their implementation and their application to the open source ERP package ERP5. The approaches are based on similarity of example data, automatic vocabulary consolidation through Wikipedia redirects and (meta-) templates. The empirical evaluation through a laboratory experiment with one hundred test persons and a survey supports the validity, effectiveness and utility of the designed artefact.
The Trouble with Cyberpragmatics
Authors: Orsini-Jones Marina Erica , Lloyd Elwyn , Cribb Michael , Lee Fiona , Bescond Gwenola , Ennagadi Amine , García Brenda Ivonne
Published: February 2017

This paper reports on MexCo (Mexico-Coventry), an ongoing online intercultural learning project underpinned by action research. Its aim is to embed internationalisation into the curriculum of the institutions involved in order to promote citizenship competences, online intercultural communicative competence in particular, among both students and staff. The integration of telecollaboration into the curriculum has highlighted problematic aspects of the development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC), such as cyberpragmatics (Yus, 2011). Cyberpragmatics is intended here as the skill of understanding others' intended meanings in computer-mediated communication. It is suggested that cyberpragmatics in online intercultural learning exchanges is a ‘Threshold Concept' (TC) (Meyer & Land, 2005, p. 375), i.e. a key concept that is troublesome to understand as it is challenging to the identity of the learner, but which could open new learning horizons to the students who do manage to grasp it.
Comparative Performance Analysis of Optimization Techniques on Vector Quantization for Image Compression
Authors: Chiranjeevi Karri , Jena Umaranjan , Dash Sonali
Published: February 2017

Linde-Buzo-Gray (LBG) Vector Quantization (VQ), technically generates local codebook after many runs on different sets of training images for image compression. The key role of VQ is to generate global codebook. In this paper, we present comparative performance analysis of different optimization techniques. Firefly and Cuckoo search generate a near global codebook, but undergoes problem when non-availability of brighter fireflies and convergence time is very high respectively. Hybrid Cuckoo Search (HCS) algorithm was developed and tested on four benchmark functions, that optimizes the LBG codebook with less convergence rate by taking McCulloch's algorithm based levy flight and variant of searching parameters. Practically, we observed that Bat algorithm (BA) peak signal to noise ratio is better than LBG, FA, CS and HCS in between 8 to 256 codebook sizes. The convergence time of BA is 2.4452, 2.734 and 1.5126 times faster than HCS, CS and FA respectively.
Significant Enhancement of Segmentation Efficiency of Retinal Images Using Texture-Based Gabor Filter Approach Followed by Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Kumar Upendra
Published: February 2017

Considering Retinal image as textured image, its texture based segmentation is required to identify the presence of retinal diseases. This pre-processing is important in automatic detection system for recognizing the abnormality present in the retinal images. Likewise, the proposed system mainly focused on diabetic retinopathy disease caused into eye –retina, generally leads to eye-blindness. Inspired from robust human's texture based segmentation capability, a mathematical model of the eye was formulated. A texture based Gabor filter was applied to get the output feature helping in detecting the abnormality and deriving statistical properties, further used in segmentation and classification. This work deals with the better separation of various clusters of Gabor filter output features, in order to get better segmentation efficiency. This was also followed by formalizing an objective function to tune filter parameters with Gradient descent and further Genetic Algorithm. This paper showed both qualitative and quantitative segmentation results with improved efficiency.
Decision-Making Support Systems in Quality Management of Higher Education Institutions
Authors: Mora Manuel , Wang Fen , Gómez Jorge Marx , Rainsinghani Mahesh S. , Shevchenko Valentyna Savkova Taras
Published: February 2017

The provision of high-quality educational services is a mandatory objective for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) nowadays. Consequently, HEIs implement Quality Management System (QMS) process frameworks. A core managerial activity conducted in these QMS is decision making, which impacts the overall quality of the provided HEI's educational services. This managerial context found in HEIs demands an adequate and reliable managerial decision-making support. In this article, we elaborate a new Process-Task-Decision scheme for HEIs based on a relevant international QMS process framework (ISO 9001 IWA 2:2007), and we survey selectively DMSS and HEI literature in the 1996-2016 period. We found that DMSS have been used in a variety of Process-Task-Decision situations in HEIs from early periods to the present, but their utilization is still scarce and partially deployed. Thus, open opportunities to apply them in HEIs and relevant knowledge gaps still exist to be further researched.
Learning Geography Through Serious Games
Authors: Zaharias Panagiotis , Chatzeparaskevaidou Ioanna , Karaoli Fani
Published: February 2017

Serious games have gained momentum during last and current decade and research findings indicate they can be fertile and effective learning tools. While there are several studies dealing with 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional serious games in education, there is a dearth of relevant empirical research in formal educational settings that compares their effectiveness. In this study, two versions (2-dimensional and 3-dimensional) of a serious educational game on geography, were developed and offered in eight elementary schools. An experimental process was set up and the investigation was focused on the impact of using the two game versions, regarding motivation to learn and user experience. Both versions had a positive impact on learning, confirming thus the advantages of serious games in education. 2D version had a greater impact comparing to 3D, regarding learning, while 3D version had a greater impact on motivation to learn and user experience.
Attenuation-Based Cable Design for High-Quality Manufacturing
Authors: Burstein Leonid , Bohbot Asher
Published: February 2017

The original design model for defining the attenuation of manufactured cables was derived and fitted to experimental data. The model relationship connects attenuation with some parameters of cable design and testing: copper wire, aluminum, and insulation thicknesses, cable impedance, test frequency, and lay length. Defined expression was used for Monte-Carlo simulation of the cable attenuation prediction. With developed MATLAB program, a special graphical user interface was created. After assigning the desired parameters, this interface generates a plot with distribution of the attenuation values and required attenuation limit, and outputs defined mean attenuation, its 98% error, and numbers of values that get in and out of the limiting value. Data of calculations were verified by experiments and reveal good concurrence with the actual data. The realized fitting and simulation procedure, together with developed programs and created interface can be used as compact tool for designing cables with optimal parameters.
Backpropagation Neural Network for Interval Prediction of Three-Phase Ampacity Level in Power Systems
Authors: Fainti Rafik , Alamaniotis Miltiadis , Tsoukalas Lefteri H.
Published: February 2017

The modern way of living depends on a very high degree on electricity utilization. People take for granted that their energy needs will be satisfied 24/7 which mandates the maintaining of the power grid in stable state. To that end, the development of precise methods for monitoring and predicting events that might disturb its uninterrupted operation is immense. Moreover, the evolvement of power grids into smart grids where the end users continuously participate in the power market by forming energy prices and/or by adjusting their energy needs according to their own agenda, adds high volatility to load demand. In that sense, with regard to predictive methods, a plain single point prediction application may not be enough. The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate a method in order to further enhance this type of applications by providing Predictive Intervals (PIs) regarding ampacity overloading in smart power systems through the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs).
Local Phase Features in Chromatic Domain for Human Detection
Authors: Ragb Hussin K. , Asari Vijayan K.
Published: February 2017

In this paper, a new descriptor based on phase congruency concept and LUV color space features is presented. Since the phase of the signal conveys more information regarding signal structure than the magnitude and the indispensable quality of the color in describing the world around us, the proposed descriptor can precisely identify and localize image features over the gradient based techniques, especially in the regions affected by illumination changes. The proposed features can be formed by extracting the phase congruency information for each pixel in the three-color image channels. The maximum phase congruency values are selected from the corresponding color channels. Histograms of the phase congruency values of the local regions in the image are computed with respect to its orientation. These histograms are concatenated to construct the proposed descriptor. Results of the experiments performed on the proposed descriptor show that it has better detection performance and lower error rates than a set of the state of the art feature extraction methodologies.