bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Permeability-Selectivity Analysis of Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration Membranes: Effect of Pore Size and Shape Distribution and Membrane Stretching
Authors: Siddiqui Muhammad , Arif Abul , Bashmal Salem
Published: August 2016

We present a modeling approach to determine the permeability-selectivity tradeoff for microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes with a distribution of pore sizes and pore shapes. Using the formulated permeability-selectivity model, the effect of pore aspect ratio and pore size distribution on the permeability-selectivity tradeoff of the membrane is analyzed. A finite element model is developed to study the effect of membrane stretching on the distribution of pore sizes and shapes in the stretched membrane. The effect of membrane stretching on the permeability-selectivity tradeoff of membranes is also analyzed. The results show that increasing pore aspect ratio improves membrane performance while increasing the width of pore size distribution deteriorates the performance. It was also found that the effect of membrane stretching on the permeability-selectivity tradeoff is greatly affected by the uniformity of pore distribution in the membrane. Stretching showed a positive shift in the permeability-selectivity tradeoff curve of membranes with well-dispersed pores while in the case of pore clustering, a negative shift in the permeability-selectivity tradeoff curve was observed.
Enantiopure Indolo[2,3-a]quinolizidines: Synthesis and Evaluation as NMDA Receptor Antagonists
Authors: Pereira Nuno , Sureda Francesc , Pérez Maria , Amat Mercedes , Santos Maria
Published: August 2016

Enantiopure tryptophanol is easily obtained from the reduction of its parent natural amino acid trypthophan (available from the chiral pool), and can be used as chiral auxiliary/inductor to control the stereochemical course of a diastereoselective reaction. Furthermore, enantiopure tryptophanol is useful for the syntheses of natural products or biological active molecules containing the aminoalcohol functionality. In this communication, we report the development of a small library of indolo[2,3-a]quinolizidines and evaluation of their activity as N-Methyl d-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists. The indolo[2,3-a]quinolizidine scaffold was obtained using the following key steps: (i) a stereoselective cyclocondensation of (S)- or (R)-tryptophanol with appropriate racemic δ-oxoesters; (ii) a stereocontrolled cyclization on the indole nucleus. The synthesized enantiopure indolo[2,3-a]quinolizidines were evaluated as NMDA receptor antagonists and one compound was identified to be 2.9-fold more potent as NMDA receptor blocker than amantadine (used in the clinic for Parkinson’s disease). This compound represents a hit compound for the development of novel NMDA receptor antagonists with potential applications in neurodegenerative disorders associated with overactivation of NMDA receptors.
Contemplative Science and Secular Ethics
Authors: Ozawa-de Silva Brendan
Published: August 2016

This article argues that the emerging project of contemplative science will be best served if it is informed by two perspectives. First, attention should be paid not only to non-analytical and/or mindfulness-based practices, but to a fuller range of contemplative practices, including analytical styles of meditation. Second, the issue of ethics must be addressed as a framework within which to understand contemplative practice: both theoretically in order to understand better the practices themselves and the traditions they come from, and practically in order to understand the ways in which contemplative practices are deployed in contemporary societies. The Tibetan Buddhist Lojong (blo sbyong) tradition and secularized practices derived from it, which are now an area of study in contemplative science, are examined as a kind of case study in order to make these two points and illustrate their importance and relevance for the future of this emerging field.
Shmita Revolution: The Reclamation and Reinvention of the Sabbatical Year
Authors: Krantz David
Published: August 2016

Jewish observance of shmita (alternatively spelled shemitah)—the sabbatical year, or seventh (sheviit) year—is changing. Historically rooted in agriculture, modern Jewish environmentalists are seizing upon the long-ignored environmental and social justice (tikkun olam) aspects of shmita as originally described in the five books of Moses, the Torah in the Hebrew Bible, the basis of Jewish law. Primary research was conducted through key-stakeholder interviews with leading American and Israeli Jewish environmentalists and thought leaders. They see shmita as a core Jewish value—one that, like Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath, has the power to transform society. Their work has brought shmita from an obscure law dealt with mainly by Israel’s Orthodox to a new Jewish ethos being discussed across the United States, Europe, Israel, and even on the floor of Knesset, Israel’s parliament. This article also describes shmita as delineated in the Torah and through the rabbinic canon of halacha (Jewish law), and explains shmita practice from biblical times to the present day.
Assessing a Temporal Change Strategy for Sub-Pixel Land Cover Change Mapping from Multi-Scale Remote Sensing Imagery
Authors: Ling Feng , Foody Giles , Li Xiaodong , Zhang Yihang , Du Yun
Published: August 2016

Remotely sensed imagery is an attractive source of information for mapping and monitoring land cover. Fine spatial resolution imagery is typically acquired infrequently, but fine temporal resolution systems commonly provide coarse spatial resolution imagery. Sub-pixel land cover change mapping is a method that aims to use the advantages of these multiple spatial and temporal resolution sensing systems. This method produces fine spatial and temporal resolution land cover maps, by updating fine spatial resolution land cover maps using coarse spatial resolution remote sensing imagery. A critical issue for sub-pixel land cover change mapping is downscaling coarse spatial resolution fraction maps estimated by soft classification to a fine spatial resolution land cover map. The relationship between a historic fine spatial resolution map and a contemporary fine spatial resolution map to be estimated at a more recent date plays an important role in the downscaling procedure. A change strategy based on the assumption that the change for each land cover class in a coarse spatial resolution pixel is unidirectional was shown to be a promising means to describe this relationship. This paper aims to assess this change strategy by analyzing the factors that affect the accuracy of the change strategy, using six subsets of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) of USA. The results show that the spatial resolution of coarse pixels, the time interval of the previous fine resolution land cover map and the current coarse spatial resolution images, and the thematic resolution of the used land cover class scheme have considerable influence on the accuracy of the change strategy. The accuracy of the change strategy decreases with the coarsening of spatial resolution, an increase of time interval, and an increase of thematic resolution. The results also indicate that, when the historic land cover map has a 30 m resolution, like the NLCD, the average accuracy of the change strategy is still as high as 92% when the coarse spatial resolution data used had a resolution of ~1000 m, confirming the effectiveness of the change strategy used in sub-pixel land cover change mapping for use with popular remote sensing systems.
Maximizing the Diversity of Ensemble Random Forests for Tree Genera Classification Using High Density LiDAR Data
Authors: Ko Connie , Sohn Gunho , Remmel Tarmo , Miller John
Published: August 2016

Recent research into improving the effectiveness of forest inventory management using airborne LiDAR data has focused on developing advanced theories in data analytics. Furthermore, supervised learning as a predictive model for classifying tree genera (and species, where possible) has been gaining popularity in order to minimize this labor-intensive task. However, bottlenecks remain that hinder the immediate adoption of supervised learning methods. With supervised classification, training samples are required for learning the parameters that govern the performance of a classifier, yet the selection of training data is often subjective and the quality of such samples is critically important. For LiDAR scanning in forest environments, the quantification of data quality is somewhat abstract, normally referring to some metric related to the completeness of individual tree crowns; however, this is not an issue that has received much attention in the literature. Intuitively the choice of training samples having varying quality will affect classification accuracy. In this paper a Diversity Index (DI) is proposed that characterizes the diversity of data quality (Qi) among selected training samples required for constructing a classification model of tree genera. The training sample is diversified in terms of data quality as opposed to the number of samples per class. The diversified training sample allows the classifier to better learn the positive and negative instances and; therefore; has a higher classification accuracy in discriminating the “unknown” class samples from the “known” samples. Our algorithm is implemented within the Random Forests base classifiers with six derived geometric features from LiDAR data. The training sample contains three tree genera (pine; poplar; and maple) and the validation samples contains four labels (pine; poplar; maple; and “unknown”). Classification accuracy improved from 72.8%; when training samples were selected randomly (with stratified sample size); to 93.8%; when samples were selected with additional criteria; and from 88.4% to 93.8% when an ensemble method was used.
Stochastic Modeling and Analysis of Multiple Nonlinear Accelerated Degradation Processes through Information Fusion
Authors: Sun Fuqiang , Liu Le , Li Xiaoyang , Liao Haitao
Published: August 2016

Accelerated degradation testing (ADT) is an efficient technique for evaluating the lifetime of a highly reliable product whose underlying failure process may be traced by the degradation of the product’s performance parameters with time. However, most research on ADT mainly focuses on a single performance parameter. In reality, the performance of a modern product is usually characterized by multiple parameters, and the degradation paths are usually nonlinear. To address such problems, this paper develops a new s-dependent nonlinear ADT model for products with multiple performance parameters using a general Wiener process and copulas. The general Wiener process models the nonlinear ADT data, and the dependency among different degradation measures is analyzed using the copula method. An engineering case study on a tuner’s ADT data is conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results illustrate that the proposed method is quite effective in estimating the lifetime of a product with s-dependent performance parameters.
A Fluidically Tunable Metasurface Absorber for Flexible Large-Scale Wireless Ethanol Sensor Applications
Authors: Kim Hyung , Lee Dongju , Lim Sungjoon
Published: August 2016

In this paper, a novel flexible tunable metasurface absorber is proposed for large-scale remote ethanol sensor applications. The proposed metasurface absorber consists of periodic split-ring-cross resonators (SRCRs) and microfluidic channels. The SRCR patterns are inkjet-printed on paper using silver nanoparticle inks. The microfluidic channels are laser-etched on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) material. The proposed absorber can detect changes in the effective permittivity for different liquids. Therefore, the absorber can be used for a remote chemical sensor by detecting changes in the resonant frequencies. The performance of the proposed absorber is demonstrated with full-wave simulation and measurement results. The experimental results show the resonant frequency increases from 8.9 GHz to 10.04 GHz when the concentration of ethanol is changed from 0% to 100%. In addition, the proposed absorber shows linear frequency shift from 20% to 80% of the different concentrations of ethanol.
Analysis of the Bias on the Beidou GEO Multipath Combinations
Authors: Ning Yafei , Yuan Yunbin , Chai Yanju , Huang Yong
Published: August 2016

The Beidou navigation satellite system is a very important sensor for positioning in the Asia-Pacific region. The Beidou inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGSO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites have been analysed in some studies previously conducted by other researchers; this paper seeks to gain more insight regarding the geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites. Employing correlation analysis, Fourier transformation and wavelet decomposition, we validate whether there is a systematic bias in their multipath combinations. These biases can be observed clearly in satellites C01, C02 and C04 and have a great correlation with time series instead of elevation, being significantly different from those of the Beidou IGSO and MEO satellites. We propose a correction model to mitigate this bias based on its daily periodicity characteristic. After the model has been applied, the performance of the positioning estimations of the eight stations distributed in the Asia-Pacific region is evaluated and compared. The results show that residuals of multipath series behaves random noise; for the single point positioning (SPP) and precise point positioning (PPP) approaches, the positioning accuracy in the upward direction can be improved by 8 cm and 6 mm, respectively, and by 2 cm and 4 mm, respectively, for the horizontal component.
Reversed Three-Dimensional Visible Light Indoor Positioning Utilizing Annular Receivers with Multi-Photodiodes
Authors: Xu Yinfan , Zhao Jiaqi , Shi Jianyang , Chi Nan
Published: August 2016

Exploiting the increasingly wide use of light emitting diodes (LEDs) lighting, in this paper we propose a reversed indoor positioning system (IPS) based on LED visible light communication (VLC) in order to improve indoor positioning accuracy. Unlike other VLC positioning systems, we employ two annular receivers with multi-photodiodes installed on the ceiling to locate the persons who carry LEDs. The basic idea is using multi-photodiodes to calculate the angle while using the received signal strength (RSS) method to calculate the distance. The experiment results show that the effective positioning range of the proposed system is 1.8 m when the distance between two receivers is 1.2 m. Moreover, a positioning error less than 0.2 m can be achieved under the condition that the radius of the PIN circle is between 0.16 m and 0.2 m, and the distance of the transmitter-receiver plane is less than 1.8 m, which will be effective in practice.
A Novel Cloud-Based Service Robotics Application to Data Center Environmental Monitoring
Authors: Russo Ludovico , Rosa Stefano , Maggiora Marcello , Bona Basilio
Published: August 2016

This work presents a robotic application aimed at performing environmental monitoring in data centers. Due to the high energy density managed in data centers, environmental monitoring is crucial for controlling air temperature and humidity throughout the whole environment, in order to improve power efficiency, avoid hardware failures and maximize the life cycle of IT devices. State of the art solutions for data center monitoring are nowadays based on environmental sensor networks, which continuously collect temperature and humidity data. These solutions are still expensive and do not scale well in large environments. This paper presents an alternative to environmental sensor networks that relies on autonomous mobile robots equipped with environmental sensors. The robots are controlled by a centralized cloud robotics platform that enables autonomous navigation and provides a remote client user interface for system management. From the user point of view, our solution simulates an environmental sensor network. The system can easily be reconfigured in order to adapt to management requirements and changes in the layout of the data center. For this reason, it is called the virtual sensor network. This paper discusses the implementation choices with regards to the particular requirements of the application and presents and discusses data collected during a long-term experiment in a real scenario.
Research of Sustainable Use of Tire Shreds in Landfill
Authors: Bazienė Kristina , Vaiškūnaitė Rasa
Published: August 2016

Studies are on-going to establish the suitability of tire shreds in the landfill bottom drainage layer, to minimize clogging. Four experimental columns were constructed in which were 500 mm long and 200 mm in diameter. They were filled with different fillers and with a different amount of tire shreds. The most important problem with drainage filler in landfills is clogging. Over long periods of time in landfill operation, the drainage layer clogs (the pores of the layer become smaller and the porosity of the layer becomes smaller). The experiment was carried out for 365 days. Although the landfill for this period represents only one-fiftieth or less of the operation time, the laboratory tests found that the drainage layer bandwidth of reduction in one year can have a negative impact in the long run over time. The main elements that influence the decrease of conductivity are the total suspended solids and calcium and iron compounds. The change of these compounds was observed during the column study, where the concentration of each month in all the columns was decreasing. The results showed that the waste of rubber (tire shreds) used for creating fillers in columns provided greater porosity of the layer. It is a beneficial reason to use a rubble and tire shreds waste mix for forming the drainage layer in landfills.
A Study of Incentive Policies for Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Technology in Hong Kong
Authors: Song Aotian , Lu Lin , Liu Zhizhao , Wong Man
Published: August 2016

Installing sustainable and renewable energy systems is a promising way of relieving Hong Kong’s dependence on imported fossil fuels. Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology is a perfect solution for Hong Kong as it fits the economic and geographic situation. Through a review of the PV development history of five leading PV countries, Germany, Japan, Italy, Mainland China, and the USA, this paper serves as a useful policy toolbox to aid PV development. Based on the forerunners’ successful PV industry experiences and Hong Kong’s unique local situations, a series of incentive strategies were proposed for Hong Kong to help promote the utilization of solar PV systems by reducing the initial investment and providing reasonable subsidies at the initial stages and during the operation period of the PV systems. These results could be a practical reference for promoting renewable energy applications for local policy-makers.
Hepatitis E Seroprevalence in Europe: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Hartl Johannes , Otto Benjamin , Madden Richie , Webb Glynn , Woolson Kathy , Kriston Levente , Vettorazzi Eik , Lohse Ansgar , Dalton Harry , Pischke Sven
Published: August 2016

There have been large numbers of studies on anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence in Europe, however, the results of these studies have produced high variability of seroprevalence rates, making interpretation increasingly problematic. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a clearer understanding of anti-HEV IgG seroprevalence in Europe and identify risk groups for HEV exposure by a meta-analysis of published studies. Methods: All European HEV-seroprevalence studies from 2003 to 2015 were reviewed. Data were stratified by assay, geographical location, and patient cohort (general population, patients with HIV, solid-organ transplant recipients, chronic liver disease patients, and individuals in contact with swine/wild animals). Data were pooled using a mixed-effects model. Results: Four hundred thirty-two studies were initially identified, of which 73 studies were included in the analysis. Seroprevalence estimates ranged from 0.6% to 52.5%, increased with age, but were unrelated to gender. General population seroprevalence varied depending on assays: Wantai (WT): 17%, Mikrogen (MG): 10%, MP-diagnostics (MP): 7%, DiaPro: 4%, Abbott 2%. The WT assay reported significantly higher seroprevalence rates across all cohorts (p < 0.001). Individuals in contact with swine/wild animals had significantly higher seroprevalence rates than the general population, irrespective of assay (p < 0.0001). There was no difference between any other cohorts. The highest seroprevalence was observed in France (WT: 32%, MP: 16%) the lowest in Italy (WT: 7.5%, MP 0.9%). Seroprevalence varied between and within countries. The observed heterogeneity was attributed to geographical region (23%), assay employed (23%) and study cohort (7%). Conclusion: Seroprevalcence rates primarily depend on the seroassy that is used, followed by the geographical region and study cohort. Seroprevalence is higher in individuals exposed to swine and/or wild animals, and increases with age.
Regulatory T Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Progression: Role and Therapeutic Targeting
Authors: Chaudhary Belal , Elkord Eyad
Published: August 2016

Recent years have seen significant efforts in understanding and modulating the immune response in cancer. In this context, immunosuppressive cells, including regulatory T cells (Tregs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), have come under intense investigation for their proposed roles in suppressing tumor-specific immune responses and establishing an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, thus enabling tumor immune evasion. Additionally, recent evidence indicates that Tregs comprise diverse and heterogeneous subsets; phenotypically and functionally distinct subsets of tumor-infiltrating Tregs could contribute differently to cancer prognosis and clinical outcomes. Understanding Treg biology in the setting of cancer, and specifically the tumor microenvironment, is important for designing effective cancer therapies. In this review, we critically examine the role of Tregs in the tumor microenvironment and in cancer progression focusing on human studies. We also discuss the impact of current therapeutic modalities on Treg biology and the therapeutic opportunities for targeting Tregs to enhance anti-tumor immune responses and clinical benefits.
Bone Marrow-Derived Endothelial Progenitor Cells Reduce Recurrent Miscarriage in Gestation
Authors: Kanki1 Kazuyoshi , Ii Masaaki , Terai Yoshito , Ohmichi Masahide , Asahi Michio
Published: August 2016

Bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been shown to contribute to not only angiogenesis in ischemic tissue but also neovascularization in uterine endometrium formation. Reduced neovascularization and elevation of serum soluble Flt1, a functional blockage of VEGF, in the development of placenta is thought to be one of the major causes of repeated miscarriages in gestation. We then examined whether transfusion of VEGF-expressing extrinsic EPCs prevented frequent miscarriage via its promotional effect on neovascularization with a VEGF–eNOS signaling pathway in a mouse miscarriage model. The results showed that systemic EPC transfusion significantly reduced the rate of miscarriage, and EPCs were frequently observed in the miscarriage placenta. In contrast, only a few EPCs were detected in the placenta of normal gestation. The vascular pattern was irregular, and vessel size was small in the miscarriage placenta compared with that of normal gestation. The placental vascular pattern in miscarriage tended to be normalized with increased vessel size up to a similar level as normal gestation by EPC recruitment. For the mechanistic insight, since soluble Flt1 inhibits EPC functions, it was suggested that the increased soluble Flt1 could suppress the recruited EPC functional activity in the miscarriage placenta. In vitro experiments by soluble Flt1 treatment in cultured EPCs suggested that the vascular abnormality could be partly due to the inhibition of eNOS expression by the increased amounts of soluble Flt1. These findings from animal experiments indicated that autologous EPC therapy may be a novel therapy to prevent miscarriage in high-risk pregnancies, such as preeclampsia.
HPV Vaccines? Still Needed
Authors: Touyz L.Z.G.
Published: August 2016

The human papilloma virus (HPV) was at one time deemed benign, with few variants [...]
Prognostic Value of Pretreatment Circulating Neutrophils, Monocytes, and Lymphocytes on Outcomes in Lung Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy
Authors: Giuliani M. , Sampson L.R. , Wong O. , Gay J. , Le L.W. , Cho B.C.J. , Brade A. , Sun A. , Bezjak A. , Hope A.J.
Published: August 2016

Purpose: In the present study, we determined the association of pretreatment circulating neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes with clinical outcomes after lung stereotactic body radiotherapy (sbrt). Methods: All patients with primary lung cancer and with a complete blood count within 3 months of lung sbrt from 2005 to 2012 were included. Overall survival (os) was calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Factors associated with os were investigated using univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. Fine–Gray competing risk regression was performed to test the association of the neutrophil:lymphocyte (nlr) and monocyte:lymphocyte (mlr) ratios with two types of failure: disease-related failure and death, and death unrelated to disease. Results: Of the 299 sbrt patients identified, 122 were eligible for analysis. The median and range of the nlr and mlr were 3.0 (0.3–22.0) and 0.4 (0.1–1.9) respectively. On multivariable analysis, sex (p = 0.02), T stage (p = 0.04), and nlr (p < 0.01) were associated with os. On multivariable analysis, T stage (p < 0.01) and mlr (p < 0.01) were associated with disease-related failure; mlr (p = 0.03), nlr (p < 0.01), and sbrt dose of 48 Gy in 4 fractions (p = 0.03) and 54 Gy or 60 Gy in 3 fractions (p = 0.02) were associated with disease-unrelated death. Median survival was 4.3 years in the nlr ≤ 3 group (95% confidence interval: 3.5 to not reached) and 2.5 years in the nlr > 3 group (95% confidence interval: 1.7 to 4.8; p < 0.01). Conclusions: In lung sbrt patients, nlr and mlr are independently associated with os and disease-unrelated death. If validated, nlr and mlr could help to identify patients who would benefit most from sbrt.
Regional Variation in the Management of Metastatic Gastric Cancer in Ontario
Authors: Mahar A.L. , Coburn N.G. , Kagedan D.J. , Viola R. , Johnson A.P.
Published: August 2016

Background: Geographic variation in cancer care is common when clear clinical management guidelines do not exist. In the present study, we sought to describe health care resource consumption by patients with metastatic gastric cancer (gc) and to investigate the possibility of regional variation. Methods: In this population-based cohort study of patients with stage iv gastric adenocarcinoma diagnosed between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2008, chart review and administrative health care data were linked to study resource utilization outcomes (for example, clinical investigations, treatments) in the province of Ontario. The study took a health care system perspective with a 2-year time frame. Chi-square tests were used to compare proportions of resource utilization, and analysis of variance compared mean per-patient resource consumption between geographic regions. Results: A cohort of 1433 patients received 4690 endoscopic investigations, 12,033 computed tomography exams, 12,774 radiography exams, and 5059 ultrasonography exams. Nearly all patients were seen by a general practitioner (98%) and a specialist (99%), and were hospitalized (95%) or visited the emergency department (87%). Fewer than half received chemotherapy (43%), gastrectomy (37%), or radiotherapy (28%). The mean number of clinical investigations, physician visits, hospitalizations, and instances of patient accessing the emergency department or receiving radiotherapy or stent placement varied significantly by region. Conclusions: Variations in health care resource utilization for metastatic gc patients are observed across the regions of Ontario. Whether those differences reflect differential access to resources, patient preference, or physician preference is not known. The observed variation might reflect a lack of guidelines based on high-quality evidence and could partly be ameliorated with regionalization of gc care to high-volume centres.
Social networking affordances for open educational language practice
Authors: Zourou Katerina
Published: August 2016

Open Educational Resources (OER), as openly licensed content free to (re-)use at no cost, are attracting increasing interest from scholars and practitioners for their repurpose value in new educational settings, thus enabling Open Educational Practice (OEP). A topic that is under-explored to date is the role of social networking in OER uptake, affording ways for user groups to socially engage in meaningful learning, and bridging formal and informal learning contexts. This paper critically examines whether and how social networks enable open practice, focusing on the field of language learning and teaching in particular. For the purposes of the study, expert views in response to an open-ended questionnaire on OER/OEP for language education were collected between June and August 2014. The 18 respondents were scholars operating at the crossroads of OER and Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Expert views were analyzed through a content analytic framework in line with three dimensions: the value of the social dimension in OEP, social network affordances in OEP and open learning pedagogies. The study examines whether open educational practice for language education can benefit from trends of user engagement through social networks (comprising reputation, recommendation and badging systems), and the potential implications for open language education. It also contributes to an understanding of changes in learning pedagogies afforded by principles of openness.
Une première expérience d'écriture collaborative – Enjeux et défis de co-création des textes selon la perspective des membres d'un groupe nouvellement constitué
Authors: Kotuła Krzysztof
Published: August 2016

Le présent article se focalise sur la problématique de l'écriture collaborative assistée par ordinateur. Nous présentons les résultats d'une recherche que nous avons menée sur un groupe de 36 élèves apprenant le français dans un lycée d'enseignement général en Pologne Les sujets ont été assignés aléatoirement à 12 groupes contenant trois apprenants chacun. Leur tâche consistait à écrire une histoire d'aventure en prenant comme point de départ le jeu vidéo Bermuda Escape auquel les élèves ont joué dans le cadre d'un cours de français. Nos objectifs étaient de constater comment se déroule la collaboration entre les élèves utilisant des outils web 2.0, quelles stratégies d'écriture collaborative ils emploient afin d'achever le projet et quels facteurs peuvent influencer la perception que les participants se font des projets collaboratifs.
On Energy Transfer between Vibration Modes under Frequency-Varying Excitations for Energy Harvesting
Authors: Felix Jorge Luiz Palacios , Bianchin Rafael P. , Almeida Alan , Balthazar José M. , Rocha Rodrigo T. , Brasil Reyolando M.L.R.F.
Published: August 2016

This paper presents an analytical and numerical analysis of vibration energy harvesting from the dynamic interaction and energy transfer between the two vibration modes of a 2-D-O-F model of a flexible portal frame. The frequencies of these modes are set in a two-to-one internal resonance condition. Excitation is provided by eccentric rotating mass-motor captured in external resonance. Next, we consider the same flexible portal frame excited from various directions with time-variable frequency. A piezoelectric device is used for energy harvesting. Depending on how the piezoelectric energy harvester is installed (or coupled) different gains are obtained. Good performance of the harvester generator is detected. We also observed periodic, quasi-periodic or chaotic oscillations, depending on the saturation phenomenon.
Analysis of Quantum Dot Vertical Cavity Semiconductor Optical Amplifier with Saturable Absorber
Authors: Qasaimeh Omar
Published: August 2016

We analyze the bistable characteristics of quantum dot vertical cavity semiconductor optical amplifier integrated with saturable absorber. The device demonstrates bistable characteristics in the input-output powers which can be controlled by changing the voltage of the saturable absorber. We observe that the lower trigger level is more sensitive to variation of the absorption coefficient of the saturable absorber than that of upper trigger level. For clockwise and butterfly loops, we find that the upper and lower trigger levels increase as the absorption coefficient increases, and consequently the hysteresis width decreases. For counter clockwise, the upper and lower trigger levels decrease as the absorption coefficient increases and the corresponding hysteresis width increases.
Heterogenous Computing on Iris Matching with OpenCL
Authors: Şimşek Buğra , Akçam Nursel
Published: August 2016

This study presents parallelization of Hamming Distance algorithm, which is used for iris comparison on iris recognition systems, for heterogeneous systems that can be included Central Processing Units (CPUs), Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), Digital Signal Processing (DSP) boards, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and some other mobile platforms with OpenCL. OpenCL allows to run same code on CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs and DSP boards. Heterogeneous computing refers to systems include different kind of devices (CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs and other accelerators). Heterogeneous computing gains performance or reduces power for suitable algorithms on these OpenCL supported devices. In this study, Hamming Distance algorithm has been coded with C++ as a sequential code and has been parallelized a designated method by us with OpenCL. Our OpenCL code has been executed on Nvidia GT430 GPU and Intel Xeon 5650 processor. The OpenCL code implementation demonstrates that speed up to 87 times with parallelization. Also our study differs from other studies, which accelerate iris matching, with regard to ensure heterogeneous computing by using OpenCL.
Minimizing Energy Consumption in Wireless Sensor Networks by Partition
Authors: Zhu Wen Zhi , Xu Feng
Published: August 2016

In wireless sensor networks, clustering class routing protocol is an important protocol type. Different clustering methods, and cluster head selection method directly affects the energy consumption of the entire network communication. This paper studies the effect of different partition methods of the network energy consumption, and to study the partitioning methods under the conditions of uneven distribution of nodes. We believe that energy efficiency clustering method should adapt the distributed of sensor nodes in order to improve energy efficiency. And according to the partition method we propose a low-power adaptive clustering routing protocol based on node distribution to partition. The protocol can effectively extend the lifetime of a wireless sensor network. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol can effectively prolong the network lifetime.
Model Checking Formal Verification Methodology for Virtual Channel NoCs
Authors: Agamy Sherif , Sayed Ahmed , Guindi Rafik
Published: August 2016

The increasing complexity of System on a Chip (SOC) using Network on a Chip (NoC) results in significant increases in traditional verification times. Formal methods fully prove design properties, without deadline vs. coverage compromises, hence tremendously reducing time to market. In this work we use the CONNECT NOC to illustrate our new white box formal verification methodology. We develop constraints and assertions for properties verification. Our methodology is faster than the current methods; it also uncovered key gaps in current practices. In addition, our assertion checkers can be reused both in simulation and as monitors on silicon.
Study on the Hierarchical Routing Protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Moussa Sherif , Abdel Halim Ghada , Ramadan Salah
Published: August 2016

Routing the sensed data is considered a main challenge in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) because the routing characteristics may vary depending on the network application and/or the network architecture. Since most sensor network applications work in clusters, hierarchical routing protocols have been developed to fit this network topology. This paper introduces the performance differentials for most common hierarchical routing protocols such as Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) and Threshold sensitive Energy Efficient sensor Network protocol (TEEN). The design parameters of sensor networks are analyzed to present a classification and comparison of LEACH, TEEN routing protocols. The two protocols are analyzed using different mobility models using NS2 simulation tool. This comparison reveals the important features that need to be taken into consideration while designing and evaluating new routing protocols for sensor networks.
Miniaturized Implantable Ultra-Wideband Antenna with Bio-Compatible Substrate Material
Authors: Abu Maisarah , Izahar Nurul Hafiza , Mohamad Najimiah Radiah , Othman Adib , Aris N.A.M. , Aziz Nur Afiqah , Tan Teng Hwang
Published: August 2016

Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology was nowadays increased in interest for various applications due to its distinctive characteristics where it able to carry signals passes through obstacles unlikely narrow-band frequency that tends to reflect the signal. Through this paper, a design of miniaturized implantable UWB antenna utilizing various bio-compatible materials is studied. These materials are to be compared and determined the best material to be used for the design in terms of its return loss, center frequency, bandwidth, antenna gain and total efficiency. The antenna is designed in a structure of circular-ring with slit patch antenna using CPW profile with dimension of 10×10 mm2. As for the materials used in this study are Silicon, PDMS and Teflon PTFE. Each of this substrate has a thickness of 0.5 mm, 2.5 mm, and 1.5 mm correspondingly. After comparing these three materials, the one that gives the best result is Teflon PTFE with return loss at 11.91 GHz and 5.58 GHz bandwidth that covers from 9.16 GHz to 17.74 GHz frequency range. The antenna gives out total gain and efficiency of 2.54 dB and 86.5% respectively.
Slot Radial Array Design on Hollow Pyramidal Microwave Absorber
Authors: Abdullah@Idris Hasnain , Taib Mohd Nasir , Nazaruddin Mohamad Syafiq Iskandar , Ahmad Najwa Rawaida , Ahmad Azizah , Ismail Noor Azila , Kasim Linda Mohd , Kasim Nazirah Mohamad , Noor Norhayati Mohamad
Published: August 2016

This paper will introduce the new technique to design new type of microwave absorber. Microwave absorbers are used in anechoic chamber to diminish the unwanted RF signal, so that the measurement obtain have perfect and good results. The basic theories of slot antenna combining with the theory of microwave absorber are used in this paper. As a result of studies, the new design called as the slot radial array design on hollow pyramidal microwave absorber. The design of pyramidal microwave absorber and the slot was introducing in this paper. The simulation process was done by using CST software. The new design of the absorber was measured to make sure it can be compared in terms of the performance. Lastly, the performance of new slot radial array design pyramidal microwave absorber will be analysed by identifying the characteristics performance. The Slot Radial Array proved to be as one of the way to improve the performance.
Verso una professionalizzazione del bioeticista clinico / Towards professionalization of clinical bioethicist
Authors: Pegoraro Renzo , Picozzi Mario , Spagnolo Antonio G.
Published: August 2016

Non disponibile / Not available
La consulenza etica nella pratica clinica tra expertise e counseling: aspetti fondativi
Authors: Bellino Francesco
Published: August 2016

La bioetica clinica è etica applicata e si occupa dei problemi morali che sorgono al “letto del malato” e nella pratica clinica. Il consulente bioetico deve essere in possesso di una duplice competenza, quella specifica (expertise) in etica applicata e quella più generale di tipo relazionale (counseling). Oltre a svolgere funzioni deliberative o di supporto tecnico alle questioni morali in rapporto ai casi clinici e funzioni di informazione, documentazione e formazione nell’ambito della comunità socio-sanitaria, il Sevizio di bioetica dovrebbe prendersi cura (counseling) delle singole persone coinvolte, dei loro dilemmi morali, del disagio esistenziale e dei problemi di senso. Deve aiutare il paziente a concettualizzare il dolore. Il consulente bioetico può offrire il supporto tecnico, valoriale, relazionale, perché i diretti interessati possano prendere le opportune decisioni morali. Il counselling etico-filosofico può operare una svolta culturale profonda, perché pone la persona malata al centro dell’impegno socio-sanitario. ---------- Clinical ethics is mainly applied ethics. It deals with moral problems, rising at the bedside and in a real-life ethical practice. The bioethical consultant should possess two main competences: one competence is specific, and we may define it “expertise”; the other one is more broad in scope and it shows an intrinsic relational nature, and we will refer to it as “counselling”. Bioethical Consultation in the NHS (National Health System) should take care by counselling the individual persons involved about their moral dilemmas, their existential malaise, and their questions over the sense of life. Bioethical consultation should help patients to conceptualize their suffering. The bioethical consultant, as a consequence, could offer technical (meaning ethical), value-based, and relational support, in order to allow people to take decisions in life, that is, being more conscious of the sense that these decisions will take in their life as a whole. Philosophical-ethical counselling could provide a radical cultural change in the way medical care is conceptualized in health systems, in so far as persons are the centre of the engagement of the NHS.
La consulenza etica nella pratica clinica dei trapianti
Authors: Piccolo Giuseppe
Published: August 2016

Nella medicina dei trapianti l’etica del rapporto medico-paziente si estende in modo peculiare a più soggetti “deboli”: i soggetti in lista d’attesa, i familiari dei donatori deceduti, i donatori viventi. L’applicazione coerente e sistematica dei principi etici dei trapianti rappresenta forse l’elemento più critico di tutto il sistema donazione-trapianto. In Italia, il processo donazione-trapianto, sia da donatore cadavere, sia da donatore vivente, sta vivendo un’evoluzione, regionale e nazionale, che tocca le modalità di applicazione di principi fondanti quali l’equità di accesso alle cure ed il rispetto dell’autodeterminazione dei soggetti coinvolti nella donazione e nel trapianto. Nell’esperienza della Comunità dei Trapianti del NITp (Nord Italia Transplant), il coinvolgimento degli esperti di etica ha portato alla “Carta dei Principi”, modello positivo di connubio tra etica e trapianti. Il ricorso alla consulenza etica viene oggi visto, in prospettiva, come un valore aggiunto che assicura l’indipendenza di valutazione di un parte terza rispetto ad alcune scelte critiche della rete regionale e nazionale trapianti nei confronti dei “pazienti” e dei loro familiari. ---------- In transplant medicine, ethics of doctor-patient relationship extends particularly to more “weak” subjects: subjects on the waiting list, the families of deceased donors, living donors. The consistent and systematic application of the ethical principles of transplantation is perhaps the most critical element of the whole system donation-transplantation. In Italy, the cadaveric donation- transplantation process, both from cadaveric and living donor, is undergoing an evolution, at regional and national levels, touching on detailed rules for the application of principles such as equality of access to care and respect for the self-determination of stakeholders. In the experience of the NITp’s transplant community, the involvement of Ethics experts led to the “Chart of principles”, a good match between ethics and clinical transplants. Ethics consultation is seen, ultimately, as an added value that ensures the independence of evaluation by a third party in the light of some critical choices of regional and national transplant network towards the “patients” and their family members.
A Supraglottic Pseudotumor in an Immunocompromised Patient with Nephrotic Syndrome, Herpes Zoster, and a Cytomegalovirus Infection
Authors: Akimoto Tetsu , Yamazaki Tomoyuki , Saito Osamu , Muto Shigeaki , Kusano Eiji , Nagata Daisuke
Published: August 2016

Several viral infections may occasionally induce supraglottic mass lesions, resulting in an obstructive airway emergency. We herein report one such case in a 63-year-old male immunocompromised patient with nephrotic syndrome due to membranous nephropathy who also had ophthalmic herpes zoster with a laryngeal mass, which required urgent intubation and mechanical ventilation. The patient was initially treated with acyclovir; however, because a serological analysis revealed a concurrent cytomegalovirus infection, we discontinued the administration of acyclovir and gave priority to the simultaneous treatment of the cytomegalovirus and varicella-zoster virus infections with ganciclovir. The clinical course was favorable, and he was weaned from the ventilator 10 days later when a serial imaging analysis revealed no signs of the supraglottic mass, leading us to conclude that these two viral infections could have additively or synergistically contributed to the development of the local pseudotumor. The diagnostic and therapeutic concerns arising in the current case are also discussed.
Bowel Obstruction and Peritoneal Dialysis: A Case Report of a Patient with Complications from a Broad Ligament Hernia
Authors: Otani-Takei Naoko , Akimoto Tetsu , Sadatomo Ai , Saito Osamu , Muto Shigeaki , Kusano Eiji , Nagata Daisuke
Published: August 2016

Abdominal hernias are a common cause of bowel obstruction. The major types of abdominal hernias are external or abdominal wall hernias, which occur at areas of congenital or acquired weakness in the abdominal wall. An alternative entity is internal hernias, which are characterized by a protrusion of viscera through the peritoneum or mesentery. We herein present the case of a female peritoneal dialysis patient with bowel obstruction due to an internal hernia. Although an initial work-up did not lead to a correct diagnosis, an exploratory laparotomy revealed that she had intestinal herniation due to a defect in the broad ligament of the uterus, which was promptly corrected by surgery. The concerns about the perioperative dialytic management as well as the diagnostic problems regarding the disease that arose in our experience with the present patient are also discussed.