bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rationale and Challenges of Technical Vocational Education and Training in Uganda
Authors: Okware James C. , Ngaka Willy
Published: January 2017

This chapter examines the rationale for TVET in Uganda, identifying the challenges it faces and suggesting possible solutions. It is premised on the assumption that education; especially TVET, is the supply side of the economy in Uganda; whereas the labor market and job enterprises are its demand side. For effective and sustainable employability of graduates, there should be a balance between them. But despite its potential, TVET in Uganda still faces a variety of challenges; including stigma, low esteem and parity of status with its academic counterpart, policy inconsistency, endemic public corruption, philosophical dis-orientation, as well as historical, socio-economic and cultural prejudices. The authors proffer several possible solutions, including demand driven TVET, integrating creativity and innovation into the learning processes, life-long learning, Public-Private Training Partnerships (PPTPs), flexible teaching and learning, work-tasks as the curricula; inclusive and affordable learning technologies and the workplace rather than the classroom as delivery venue.
A Non-Linear Stiffness Model for Serial and Parallel Manipulators
Authors: Kumar Manoj
Published: January 2017

The paper presents a methodology to enhance the stiffness analysis of serial and parallel manipulators with passive joints. It directly takes into account the loading influence on the manipulator configuration and, consequently, on its Jacobians and Hessians. The main contributions of this paper are the introduction of a non-linear stiffness model for the manipulators with passive joints, a relevant numerical technique for its linearization and computing of the Cartesian stiffness matrix which allows rank-deficiency. Within the developed technique, the manipulator elements are presented as pseudo-rigid bodies separated by multidimensional virtual springs and perfect passive joints. Simulation examples are presented that deal with parallel manipulators of the Ortholide family and demonstrate the ability of the developed methodology to describe non-linear behaviour of the manipulator structure such as a sudden change of the elastic instability properties (buckling).
Multi-Robot Navigation in Unknown Environment Using Strawberry Algorithm
Authors: Charan B. Sai , Mittal Ayush , Tiwari Ritu
Published: January 2017

Path Planning focuses on the robot motion from the initial position to final position such that it must avoid the hurdles and finally reach the goal in optimal path. But it is not an easy task because many conditions are included for the efficiency of final result like working on different environments, known or unknown target etc. In this paper the authors have proposed an algorithm inspired by the strawberry plants, and is applied in the path planning. The algorithm can efficiently work for different optimization parameters like Path Length, Energy and Number of Turns. The proposed algorithm is compared with RRT, A-star, PSO and the results obtained are satisfactory. The work can be applied in the real life challenges faced during area exploration
Synthesis and Characterization of Bacterial Cellulose - Garcinia mangostana Extract as Anti Breast Cancer Biofilm Candidate
Authors: Agrippina Waya Rahmaning Gusti , Widiyanti Prihartini , Yusuf Helmy
Published: January 2017

In Indonesia, breast cancer is noted as the most common cancer in women. Accordingly, this research was conducted to synthesize biofilm from bacterial cellulose by adding ethanol extract of mangosteen peel. The pellicle of bacterial cellulose was soaked in a 100 mL ethanol solution of mangosteen peel extract varied by 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% v/v. The samples were characterized using the SEM, FTIR, and MTT Assay using the T47D breast cancer cells. The results using the SEM showed the thickness of the bacterial cellulose biofilm samples was 5.63 μm, while the 2% v/v thickness of the bacterial cellulose of the extract of mangosteen peel biofilm samples was 12.2 μm. The FTIR results showed a weak interaction between the O-H groups of the microbial cellulose and the C=C functional group in the phenolic compounds of the mangosteen peel extract. Based on the MTT Assay test results using the T47D breast cancer cells, the highest percentage of cell death result was 25.47% on the 2% v/v bacterial cellulose of the mangosteen peel extract samples. The Garcinia mangostana extracts added in the bacterial cellulose biofilms still required optimal concentrations in order to become potential killing mechanism for the T47D breast cancer cells.
Determinants of microfinance outreach in Sub-Saharan Africa: A panel approach
Authors: Adams Abdulai , Tewarib Devi D.
Published: January 2017

Orientation: The study focused on analysing the outreach performance of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in providing critical services for the poor using innovative lending techniques within constrained environments. Research purpose: The study examined the trade-off relations between the depth and the breadth of outreach and identified institutional level factors that influence MFIs outreach in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Motivation for the study: MFIs continue to play critical roles in extending financial services to the poor and yet previous studies have not analysed comprehensively the dimensions of outreach necessary for financial inclusion. Research design, approach and methods: The study employed correlation analysis and random effects methodology to panel data regression analysis (619 observations, 71 MFIs across 10 countries) to establish the trade-off relations and the determinants of outreach in SSA. Main findings: It was established that a trade-off exists between the depth of outreach (access to credit disbursement by poor clients) and breadth of outreach (number of clients served). The results further revealed that gross loan portfolio, portfolio at risk, borrower per staff member, interest rate, and operating expenses to assets ratio are the main institutional determinants of MFIs outreach in SSA. Practical/managerial implications: The policy implication is that MFIs that concentrate efforts in reaching the relatively poor do so at the expense of reaching a large number of poor clients. We suggest that effective monitoring of depth and breadth and the adoption and implementation of cost-saving outreach technologies by MFIs could enable them to operate sustainably and efficiently. Contribution/value added: A major contribution of the study is the trade-off relations revealed between the depth of outreach and the breadth of outreach of MFIs which advances the outreach literature.
A Multi-Exposure Variational Method for Retinex
Authors: Yang Xue , Huang Yu-Mei
Published: January 2017

Retinex theory explains how the human visual system perceives colors. The goal of retinex is to decompose the reflectance and the illumination from the given images and thereby compensating for non-uniform lighting. The existing methods for retinex usually use a single image with a fixed exposure to restore the reflectance of the image. In this paper, we propose a variational model for retinex problem by utilizing multi-exposure images of a given scene. The existence and uniqueness of the solutions of the proposed model have been elaborated. An alternating minimization method is constructed to solve the proposed model and its convergence is also demonstrated. The experimental results show that the proposed method is effective for reflectance recovery in retinex problem.
Clinical Manifestations Associated with Peripheral Joint Involvement in Patients with Acute Chikungunya Virus Infection
Authors: Arroyo-Ávila Mariangelí , Cabán Amanda , García-Rivera Enid J. , Irizarry-Pérez Marisela , Torres Hilda , Gorbea Héctor , Vilá Luis M.
Published: January 2017

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes an acute febrile illness usually accompanied by severe polyarthralgia and polyarthritis. Previous studies have shown that older age, female gender, and some comorbid conditions are associated with chronic CHIKV arthritis. However, the factors associated with acute arthralgia and arthritis are not well known. Thus, we studied the clinical manifestations associated with acute peripheral joint involvement in a group of CHIKV patients from Puerto Rico. Patients with a history of fever for < 7 days evaluated at the emergency department of a university-based hospital were tested for several pathogens including CHIKV. All patients with laboratory-positive CHIKV infection were studied. Demographic features, clinical manifestations, and comorbidities were determined. Patients with and without peripheral joint involvement were compared using bivariable and multivariable analyses. In total, 172 patients with CHIKV fever were evaluated; 52.9% were women. The mean (standard deviation) age was 21.1 years (19.3). Peripheral arthralgia and/or arthritis were seen in 156 (90.7%) patients. In the multivariable analysis adjusted for age and gender, peripheral joint involvement was associated with myalgia (odds ratio [OR] = 4.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.48–14.72), back pain (OR = 16.77, 95% CI = 3.07–313.82), ocular pain (OR = 8.88, 95% CI = 1.65–165.19), headache (OR = 3.63, 95% CI = 1.06–12.53), anorexia (OR = 5.68, 95% CI = 1.87–18.97), and nausea (OR = 6.88, 95% CI = 2.05–31.49). In conclusion, in this population of patients with acute CHIKV infection, peripheral joint involvement was associated with myalgia and back pain as well as nonmusculoskeletal manifestations such as headache, ocular pain, anorexia, and nausea.
Kant, Xunzi and the Artificiality of Manners
Authors: BERNINGER Anja
Published: January 2017

Both Chinese and Western philosophers have argued for the ethical importance of manners. Their approaches are sometimes criticized on the grounds that manners are artificial. I compare Xunzi’s and Kant’s responses to this claim, and discuss the relevance of both positions for the development of a theory of manners. I show that there is no single artificiality claim, but rather four different claims: the claim that polite behavior lacks spontaneity, the claim that it is insincere, the claim that it goes against human nature, and the claim that it is arbitrary. While Kant is mainly concerned with the insincerity claim, Xunzi focusses on the claim that manners are arbitrary rules. Because of their different understandings of the function of manners both authors only provide a partial answer to the artificiality claim. To arrive at a full account of manners both perspectives must be combined.
Usage and efficacy of electronic dictionaries for a language without word boundaries
Authors: Toyoda Etsuko
Published: January 2017

There is cumulative evidence suggesting that hyper-glossing facilitates lower-level processing and enhances reading comprehension. There are plentiful studies on electronic dictionaries for English. However, research on e-dictionaries for languages with no boundaries between words is still scarce. The main aim for the current study is to investigate the usage and efficacy of e-dictionaries for Japanese language learners. This article reports the results of two studies concerning e-dictionaries: a survey study investigating the use of e-dictionaries (with a particular focus on e-glossaries that change a digital text into a hypertext) by L2 learners of Japanese, and a comparative study examining existing e-glossaries to evaluate whether they provide the optimal level of support for reading Japanese e-texts. The results of the survey showed that learners have their preferred e-dictionaries (in most cases, e-word dictionaries in which the user can look up individual words), and that few learners are aware of the existence of e-glossaries. The results of further study revealed that existing e-glossaries have various functions, but lack some requisite information crucial to the target language. This study suggests that technical issues revolving around the lack of spaces between words may be a reason for the lag in usage and efficacy of e-glossaries for languages without word boundaries.
Contaminação microbiológica da água: perspectivas a partir do diálogo entre as fontes do direito
Authors: Wartha Patrícia Maino , Hupffer Haide Maria , Santanna Gustavo Da Silva , Spilki Fernando Rosado
Published: January 2017

O acesso à água potável é um direito fundamental do ser humano que sofre não apenas com a escassez dos recursos hídricos, mas com sua contaminação microbiológica. A todo instante são descobertos novos patógenos contaminantes da água e estes não são suprimidos do consumo, uma vez que a portaria de potabilidade não alcança essas atualizações, ocasionando riscos à saúde. O presente estudo propõe uma análise da Teoria do Diálogo entre as Fontes de Direito e busca compreender se estas podem ser utilizada no Brasil para resolver problemas concretos em relação à regulação sobre patógenos emergentes, uma vez que a legislação brasileira não acompanha a descoberta de novos contaminantes da água para consumo humano. A pesquisa é qualitativa, utiliza o método indutivo com apoio em pesquisa bibliográfica e documental. Os resultados apontam que a resposta pode estar no tempo de defasagem entre o processo legislativo e a descoberta de novos patógenos que contaminam a água para consumo humano. Para solucionar o problema da contaminação microbiológica da água e a flacidez da legislação brasileira em relação aos patógenos emergentes que inviabilizam o consumo humano da água, há de se pensar em novas formas de conferir efetividade a direitos essenciais e constitucionalmente previstos, seja por meio de legislação, de princípios, ou do diálogo entre as fontes do direito sempre preconizando a interdisciplinaridade.
Inovação institucional e resistência corporativa: o processo de institucionalização e legitimação do Conselho Nacional de Justiça
Authors: Ribeiro Leandro Molhano , Paula Christiane Jalles
Published: January 2017

O artigo analisa as estratégias de institucionalização e legitimação do Conselho Nacional de Justiça, em um contexto de forte resistência, principalmente por parte da magistratura à ideia de controle do Poder Judiciário. A hipótese deste trabalho é que as ações adotadas pelos primeiros conselheiros, principalmente o presidente e o corregedor do CNJ, tiveram como consequência a formação de uma agenda de atuação e atribuições para o órgão que, gradativamente, se tornou mais técnica, voltada primordialmente para questões administrativas e de gestão da justiça, em detrimento de ações punitivas e típicos de um órgão de corregedoria. O trabalho se valeu de análise documental sobre o embate em torno da ideia de controle do Judiciário desde a Assembleia Nacional Constituinte e de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com atores relevantes que participaram do processo decisório que institucionalizou o CNJ. Por fim, problematiza-se, a partir de um referencial teórico do institucionalismo histórico, o quanto o CNJ significou em termos de inovação institucional para a estrutura do Poder Judiciário brasileiro.
History matters
Authors: Greenberg Stephen J.
Published: January 2017

Not applicable
VetCompanion
Authors: Pavlech Laura L.
Published: January 2017

Not applicable
Modelo de persona, familia y comunidad en salud (MINSA) en el marco del Plan Nacional de Desarrollo Humano (PNDH) de Nicaragua
Authors: Blandon Ortiz William Alfonso , Zamora Herrera Holman Ariel , Zelaya Hernández Gerald Marcelino , Centeno Garmendia Augusto Alexander , Castillo Herrera Beverly
Published: January 2017

El pensamiento del desarrollo con equidad ha sido dinámico, siguiendo los inmensos cambios de la realidad económica y social. El desarrollo sostenible ha emergido como el principio para el desarrollo mundial de manera equilibrada con el medio ambiente. El Desarrollo Humano es un paradigma en el que las personas puedan desarrollar su máximo potencial, de acuerdo con sus necesidades e intereses que estos demanden. La participación ciudadana es un proceso y prácticas sociales de diversa índole, involucrando los espacios de procesos participativos del quehacer político definiéndose como una cultura, para el fortalecimiento de los actuales sistemas políticos. El nuevo modelo (PNDH) tiene como objetivo las transformaciones estructurales y la superación de la pobreza en Nicaragua implementando estrategias donde se involucre toda la comunidad con programas y proyectos que permitan el desarrollo económico, social de las familias. El Modelo de Salud Familiar y Comunitario está basado en la estrategia de atención primaria en salud, entendida como la asistencia sanitaria basada en el alcance de todas las personas y familias para la mejora de salud de la comunidad. Satisfaciendo las necesidades y el ejercicio de los derechos humanos y contribuyendo a la mejora de su calidad de vida durante el ciclo vital.
An assessment of the taxonomic status of the Mediterranean endemic genus Acrodiscus Zanardini (Halymeniales, Rhodophyta)
Authors: Manghisi Antonio , Le Gall Line , Bonillo Céline , Gargiulo Gaetano M. , Ribeira M. Antonia , Morabito Marina
Published: January 2017

Acrodiscus Zanardini is a poorly known monotypic endemic Mediterranean genus based on A. vidovichii (Menegh.) Zanardini. Rarely reported, its reproductive structures have remained undocumented, leaving its exact taxonomic position uncertain. Solely on the basis of its vegetative structure, Zanardini provisionally placed it in the family Cryptonemiaceae of the order Cryptonemiales (currently the Halymeniaceae of the Halymeniales), although he was uncertain as to whether the new genus actually belonged to that family or should instead be included in the Gigartinaceae of the Gigartinales (where Meneghini had originally placed it). In the present study we have extensively sampled A. vidovichii and documented its vegetative and tetrasporangial features. As well, we provide molecular-sequence data (COI-5P, rbcL, LSU) that indicate its phylogenetic affinities. We confirm Acrodiscus as a member of the Halymeniaceae and its status as an independent genus. Searches of several institutional herbaria have allowed us to locate and lectotypify Meneghini’s Chondrus? vidovichii by the discovery of his original material now held at the Herbarium Horti Pisani (Pisa, Italy).
Art and its History
Authors: Pitkänen Risto
Published: January 2017

The paper argues that something is art only if (i) it belongs to aspecial kind of internal history and (ii) needs to be understood and appreciatedin the light of such history. This goes against both the traditional viewthat art has a timeless, ahistorical essence and the historicist view that therecan be no ahistorical perspective for understanding art. The paper draws onHegel’s view that art needs to be understood through its history, but rejectsthe idea that the history of art has an end in the double sense of a goal and anend point. It also rejects Arthur Danto’s Hegel-inspired claim that the ahistoricalessence of art is revealed at the end of its history and opens the door to anatural alliance between philosophers of art and art historians.
Form and Freedom: The Kantian Ethos of Musical Formalism
Authors: Appelqvist Hanne
Published: January 2017

Musical formalism is often portrayed as the enemy of artistic freedom. Its main representative, Eduard Hanslick, is seen as a purist who, by emphasizing musical rules, aims at restricting music criticism and even musical practices themselves. It may also seem that formalism is depriving music of its ability to have moral significance, as the semantic connection to the extramusical is denied by the formalistic view. In my paper, I defend formalism by placing Hanslick’s argument in a Kantian framework. It is not hard to find Kantian elements in Hanslick’s work, such as his emphasis on the contemplative and disinterested nature of the aesthetic judgment, the nonconceptuality of music’s content, and his insistence that “beauty has no purpose.” I argue further that Hanslick’s formalism is in fact motivated by and manifests the Kantian conception of freedom as self-legislation. Thus understood, the kind of moral significance music may have rests upon its own autonomous rules.
Types of Statements on Emotion in Music
Authors: Krämer Benjamin
Published: January 2017

The question of emotion in music is addressed from a linguistic perspective, providing a typology of statements that can be made  about that topic. In particular, it is analyzed how an interlocutor could react to such statements uttered by another person, and whether or how the content of the statements could be refuted by the listener, and possibly corroborated by the speaker. Furthermore, it is briefly discussed which theories of emotion in music are compatible with the respective types of statement and what illocutionary and perlocutionary function they may serve.
Editorial
Authors: Lund Jacob , Rasmussen Mikkel Bolt
Published: January 2017

Within the last 10–15 years we have witnessed a turn towards art and aesthetics amongst explicitly politically inclined philosophers and theorists whereas many art theorists and art critics have drawn the political aspects of contemporary art to the fore. With the present issue of The Nordic Journal of Aesthetics we want to address the relationship between aesthetics and politics and the ways in which this relationship has been and might be dealt with, analyzing the possible reasons for this current emphasis on the political potentials of art and aesthetics. Furthermore we aim to analyze the current interest in the different ways arts and aesthetics can have a political function and to contextualize this analysis within the broader return to aesthetics that have taken place within the humanities over the last 20 years.
Crowds, Clouds, Politics and Aesthetics, Flipping Again
Authors: Leslie Esther
Published: January 2017

This paper seeks an urban poetics under the pressures of flux, polyglot babble and the rise of technoculture. In so doing it traces the intertwinements of aesthetics and politics as they manifest over the last 150 years. Charles Baudelaire’s poetry is characterised as a delirious response to the delirium of capitalist modernity, in which ‘words rise up’, as he puts it, but it is a also a barometer, which measures the degrees of entwinement of aesthetics and revolutionary politics in the subsequent years, for one in Walter Benjamin’s interpretation in the 1930s and in the wild translations of the poet by Sean Bonney in 2008 in the collection ‘Baudelaire in English’.
The Struggle is Beautiful: On the Aesthetics of Leftist Politics
Authors: Hartle Johan
Published: January 2017

Aesthetic discourse has always openly or secretly been linked to political projects. According to some main strands of aesthetic discourse modern aesthetics mirrors the structure of social and political emancipation and key elements of aesthetic discourse coincide with the political ontology of the left. Marxist and Post-Marxist critics have emphasized that the struggle for emancipation is indirectly present in the historical constitution of aesthetics as a discipline – although in a merely imaginary and displaced form. Therefore, however, it is also partly of the same structure as what is normally described as “aesthetic”. Against this background aesthetic attributes (‘beauty’) can be ascribed to forms of emancipatory politics as well.
After Contemporary Art: Actualization and Anachrony
Authors: Karlholm Dan
Published: January 2017

Departing from a critical assessment of the most widespread and initiated definitions of Contemporary Art from the last decade and a half, sustaining a world-wide discourse on contemporary art and contemporaneity, this article will deal with two aspects of an immodest proposal captured by the keywords actualization and anachrony. While current discussions on contemporary art are arguably reproducing modernist assumptions on the primacy of innovation, bolstered by a veiled avant-garde logic, the proposal to regard contemporary art as actualized art upsets not only ideas on what art after postmodernism might mean, but the whole edifice of historicist historiography. An anachronic perspective, a bi- or polychronic situatedness of the work of art, could be used to liberate art from being defined according to its unique descent, and to embrace, instead, a chronologic open to art’s continuous “life” through its successive aesthetic accessions and actualizations in time.
Keith Moxey: Karlholm Response
Authors: Moxey Keith
Published: January 2017

(response to Dan Karlholm)
Contributors
Authors: Lund Jacob
Published: January 2017

Contributors No. 51
New Brechtian Impulses in Contemporary Finnish Theatre: A Case Study of Juha Jokela’s Esitystalous (2010)
Authors: Füllner Niklas
Published: January 2017

At the beginning of the 21st century, Finnish theatre experienced a wave of new, politically engaged drama that came hand in hand with a renewal of aesthetics and dramaturgical strategies. One component of this renewal was a new perspective on Brecht’s epic theatre, which was initiated by visits of Finnish theatre directors to theatre performances, for example, by Frank Castorf, in Germany. As a consequence of this, an interweavement of Brechtian aesthetics and Finnish theatre tradition became a trend on Finnish stages. One example of this is Juha Jokela’s Esitystalous (Performance Economy), which was premiered at Espoon Kaupunginteatteri in 2010. Here, Jokela uses Brechtian alienation effects to put the audience in the position of a critical observer. However, he does not dissolve the unity of actor and role, but sticks to the Finnish acting tradition, thereby creating his very own aesthetics of a new political theatre.
Prevalência e fatores de proteção para o controle glicêmico em crianças portadoras de diabetes melito tipo 1
Authors: Oliveira Albert Ramon Santos , Andrade Carlos Jefferson Do Nascimento , Alves Crésio De Aragão Dantas , Mendes Carlos Maurício Cardeal
Published: January 2017

Objetivo: avaliar o controle glicêmico de crianças com diabetes melito tipo 1 (DM1) e sua associação com atividade física e hábitos alimentares. Metodologia: estudo de corte transversal, realizado entre abril e agosto de 2013, nos Serviços de Endocrinologia Pediátrica de dois hospitais públicos universitários de Salvador, Bahia, avaliando crianças pré-púberes, com DM1. As características clínicas sociodemográficas, atividade física, e hábitos alimentares foram avaliados por um questionário estruturado para pesquisa. Estas variáveis foram comparadas aos resultados da hemoglobina glicada (HbA1c). Resultados: foram estudadas 68 crianças portadoras de DM1. Desses, 13 pacientes encontravam-se com hemoglobina glicada adequada e 55 com HbA1c elevada. A média do tempo desde o diagnóstico em anos foi de 2,15 anos para os pacientes com HbA1c adequada e 3,13 para os pacientes com HbA1c elevada. Os hábitos alimentares, padrão de refeição, ingestões de frutas, doces e gorduras mostraram associação negativa com HbA1c. A atividade física não esteve associada aos níveis de HbA1c (RP=1), mas o número de vezes esteve associada (RP=0,70). Conclusão: com base nos resultados obtidos no presente estudo, pode-se inferir que hábitos alimentares e condições socioeconômicas, mostraram associação negativa com resultados de HbA1c, o que confirma a importância destas variáveis como coadjuvantes no controle glicêmico. Palavras-chave: Criança. Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 1. Glicemia. Atividade física. Nutrição.
Connecting ocean heat transport changes from the midlatitudes to the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Nummelin Aleksi , Li Camille , Hezel Paul J.
Published: January 2017

Under greenhouse warming, climate models simulate a weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and the associated ocean heat transport at midlatitudes but an increase in the ocean heat transport to the Arctic Ocean. These opposing trends lead to what could appear to be a discrepancy in the reported ocean contribution to Arctic amplification. This study clarifies how ocean heat transport affects Arctic climate under strong greenhouse warming using a set of the 21st century simulations performed within the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. The results suggest that a future reduction in subpolar ocean heat loss enhances ocean heat transport to the Arctic Ocean, driving an increase in Arctic Ocean heat content and contributing to the intermodel spread in Arctic amplification. The results caution against extrapolating the forced oceanic signal from the midlatitudes to the Arctic.
North Pacific atmospheric rivers and their influence on western North America at the Last Glacial Maximum
Authors: Lora Juan M. , Mitchell Jonathan L. , Risi Camille , Tripati Aradhna E.
Published: January 2017

Southwestern North America was wetter than present during the Last Glacial Maximum. The causes of increased water availability have been recently debated, and quantitative precipitation reconstructions have been underutilized in model‐data comparisons. We investigate the climatological response of North Pacific atmospheric rivers to the glacial climate using model simulations and paleoclimate reconstructions. Atmospheric moisture transport due to these features shifted toward the southeast relative to modern. Enhanced southwesterly moisture delivery between Hawaii and California increased precipitation in the southwest while decreasing it in the Pacific Northwest, in agreement with reconstructions. Coupled climate models that are best able to reproduce reconstructed precipitation changes simulate decreases in sea level pressure across the eastern North Pacific and show the strongest southeastward shifts of moisture transport relative to a modern climate. Precipitation increases of ∼1 mm d−1, due largely to atmospheric rivers, are of the right magnitude to account for reconstructed pluvial conditions in parts of southwestern North America during the Last Glacial Maximum.
Improved water balance component estimates through joint assimilation of GRACE water storage and SMOS soil moisture retrievals
Authors: Tian Siyuan , Tregoning Paul , Renzullo Luigi J. , van Dijk Albert I. J. M. , Walker Jeffrey P. , Pauwels Valentijn R. N. , Allgeyer Sébastien
Published: January 2017

The accuracy of global water balance estimates is limited by the lack of observations at large scale and the uncertainties of model simulations. Global retrievals of terrestrial water storage (TWS) change and soil moisture (SM) from satellites provide an opportunity to improve model estimates through data assimilation. However, combining these two data sets is challenging due to the disparity in temporal and spatial resolution at both vertical and horizontal scale. For the first time, TWS observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and near‐surface SM observations from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) were jointly assimilated into a water balance model using the Ensemble Kalman Smoother from January 2010 to December 2013 for the Australian continent. The performance of joint assimilation was assessed against open‐loop model simulations and the assimilation of either GRACE TWS anomalies or SMOS SM alone. The SMOS‐only assimilation improved SM estimates but reduced the accuracy of groundwater and TWS estimates. The GRACE‐only assimilation improved groundwater estimates but did not always produce accurate estimates of SM. The joint assimilation typically led to more accurate water storage profile estimates with improved surface SM, root‐zone SM, and groundwater estimates against in situ observations. The assimilation successfully downscaled GRACE‐derived integrated water storage horizontally and vertically into individual water stores at the same spatial scale as the model and SMOS, and partitioned monthly averaged TWS into daily estimates. These results demonstrate that satellite TWS and SM measurements can be jointly assimilated to produce improved water balance component estimates.
Graphene Oxide: A Novel 2‐Dimensional Material in Membrane Separation for Water Purification
Authors: Fathizadeh Mahdi , Xu Weiwei L. , Zhou Fanglei , Yoon Yeomin , Yu Miao
Published: January 2017

As a newly emerging 2‐dimensional (2‐D) material with sub‐nanometer thickness, graphene oxide (GO) has been widely studied either as a pure/skeleton membrane material or as an additive in and a functional coating on matrix membranes for water purification because of its unique physico‐chemico‐mechanical properties. Manipulating or incorporating this novel 2‐D material effectively into a membrane structure has been shown to significantly improve membrane performance, including increased water permeability, alleviated fouling, improved antibacterial properties, etc., which will eventually lead to lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, and lower maintenance cost. As the pure/skeleton membrane material, GO flakes typically are deposited as a lamellar structure by solution‐based coating processes on appropriate porous supports, and nano‐channels between GO sheets and sometimes structural defects within GO could be utilized as transport passage. As an effective additive and surface functional coating, GO also shows great potential to improve water permeation, surface hydrophilicity, and chemical resistance. In this paper, the latest studies on the use of GO in membrane application for water purification are reviewed, and potential challenges are discussed. Moreover, possible future research directions to further develop GO or GO‐incorporated membranes for water purification are suggested in different membrane separation processes.
Synergetic coupling of photo and thermal energy for efficient hydrogen production by formic acid reforming
Authors: Song Rui , Luo Bing , Liu Maochang , Geng Jiafeng , Jing Dengwei , Liu Huan
Published: January 2017

Most photocatalytic reactions are conducted near room temperature. In this work, we explored photothermal hydrogen production in a carefully designed photo reactor with external heating. Light sources of different wavelength bands were investigated. Formic acid was used as sacrificial regent to study the photothermal hydrogen production activity. Interestingly, the photothermal reaction is not the simple sum of the photo and thermal effects but their synergetic coupling and at 90°C it is 8.1 and 4.2 times of that under photo or thermal conditions alone. With thermal excitation, the bound electrons in Pt can be excited which can easily overcome the energy barrier between Pt and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the adsorbed reactants. Activation of the substrate itself by light is also found to be crucial to trigger such photothermal reaction. It is therefore different from traditional plasma resonance induced photothermal reaction where long wavelength IR light is more preferred. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 2916–2925, 2017
Anaerobe‐Inspired Anticancer Nanovesicles
Authors: Qian Chenggen , Feng Peijian , Yu Jicheng , Chen Yulei , Hu Quanyin , Sun Wujin , Xiao Xuanzhong , Hu Xiuli , Bellotti Adriano , Shen Qun‐Dong , Gu Zhen
Published: January 2017

Anaerobic bacteria, such as Clostridium and Salmonella, can selectively invade and colonize in tumor hypoxic regions (THRs) and deliver therapeutic products to destroy cancer cells. Herein, we present an anaerobe nanovesicle mimic that can not only be activated in THRs but also induce hypoxia in tumors by themselves. Moreover, inspired by the oxygen metabolism of anaerobes, we construct a light‐induced hypoxia‐responsive modality to promote dissociation of vehicles and activation of bioreductive prodrugs simultaneously. In vitro and in vivo experiments indicate that this anaerobe‐inspired nanovesicle can efficiently induce apoptotic cell death and significantly inhibit tumor growth. Our work provides a new strategy for engineering stimuli‐responsive drug delivery systems in a bioinspired and synergistic fashion.
Encapsulation and Dynamic Behavior of Methanol and Formaldehyde inside Open‐Cage C60 Derivatives
Authors: Futagoishi Tsukasa , Murata Michihisa , Wakamiya Atsushi , Murata Yasujiro
Published: January 2017

Methanol (CH3OH) and formaldehyde (H2CO) molecules were inserted into an open‐cage C60 derivative with a large opening, under high‐pressure and high‐temperature conditions in solution. Isolation of their molecular complexes in pure form was achieved by the use of recycling HPLC with Buckyprep columns. 1H NMR spectroscopy, single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction studies, and DFT calculations revealed the orientation of the encapsulated CH3OH and H2CO, both in solution and in the solid state, and the results show that the CH3 group of the CH3OH and the carbonyl group of the H2CO point to the bottom of the cages. Furthermore, the dynamic behavior of the CH3OH and H2CO were studied at the molecular level.
Batch and Continuous‐Flow One‐Pot Processes using Amine Diazotization to Produce Silylated Diazo Reagents
Authors: Audubert Clément , Gamboa Marin Oscar Javier , Lebel Hélène
Published: January 2017

A novel synthesis of trimethylsilyldiazomethane (TMSCHN2) by diazotization of trimethylsilylmethylamine (TMSCH2NH2) is reported using batch and continuous flow synthesis. The latter affords a daily production of 275 g (2.4 mol) of TMSCHN2. Other silylated methylamines were also successfully reacted under the developed reaction conditions to furnish various silicon‐bearing diazomethane reagents. The applicability of the process is highlighted by disclosure of batch and continuous flow one‐pot esterification and 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition processes. Furthermore, the high‐yielding esterification of carboxylic acids with silylated and substituted methylamines in continuous flow is disclosed. Finally, work‐up and purification procedures are reported for the preparation of a 2‐MeTHF solution of TMSCHN2, which can be used in rhodium‐catalyzed methylenation and homologation reactions.
Mechanistic Investigations of Two Bacterial Diterpene Cyclases: Spiroviolene Synthase and Tsukubadiene Synthase
Authors: Rabe Patrick , Rinkel Jan , Dolja Etilia , Schmitz Thomas , Nubbemeyer Britta , Luu T. Hoang , Dickschat Jeroen S.
Published: January 2017

The mechanisms of two diterpene cyclases from streptomycetes—one with an unknown product that was identified as the spirocyclic hydrocarbon spiroviolene and one with the known product tsukubadiene—were investigated in detail by isotope labeling experiments. Although the structures of the products were very different, the cyclization mechanisms of both enzymes proceed through the same initial cyclization reactions, before they diverge towards the individual products, which is reflected in the close phylogenetic relationship of the enzymes.
A Cationic Unsaturated Platinum(II) Complex that Promotes the Tautomerization of Acetylene to Vinylidene
Authors: Ortega‐Moreno Laura , Peloso Riccardo , López‐Serrano Joaquín , Iglesias‐Sigüenza Javier , Maya Celia , Carmona Ernesto
Published: January 2017

Complex [PtMe2(PMe2Ar
)] (1), which contains a tethered terphenyl phosphine (Ar
=2,6‐(2,6‐iPr2C6H3)2C6H3), reacts with [H(Et2O)2]BArF (BArF−=B[3,5‐(CF3)2C6H3]4−) to give the solvent (S) complex [PtMe(S)(PMe2Ar
)]+ (2⋅S). Although the solvent molecule is easily displaced by a Lewis base (e.g., CO or C2H4) to afford the corresponding adducts, treatment of 2⋅S with C2H2 yielded instead the allyl complex [Pt(η3‐C3H5)(PMe2Ar
)]+ (6) via the alkyne intermediate [PtMe(η2‐C2H2)(PMe2Ar
)]+ (5). Deuteration experiments with C2D2, and kinetic and theoretical investigations demonstrated that the conversion of 5 into 6 involves a PtII‐promoted HC≡CH to :C=CH2 tautomerization in preference over acetylene migratory insertion into the Pt−Me bond.
Ferromagnetic nanoparticle‐supported copper complex: A highly efficient and reusable catalyst for three‐component syntheses of 1,4‐disubstituted 1,2,3‐triazoles and C–S coupling of aryl halides
Authors: Khodaei Mohammad Mehdi , Bahrami Kiumars , Meibodi Farhat Sadat
Published: January 2017

A new nanocatalyst was synthesized by immobilization of 4′‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine/CuI complex on ferromagnetic nanoparticles through a surface modification (FMNPs@SiO2‐TPy‐Cu). This heterogeneous catalyst was characterized using various techniques including Fourier transform infrared and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopies, transmission and scanning electron microscopies, X‐ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry and thermogravimetric analysis. The resulting nanocatalyst presented excellent catalytic activity for the regioselective syntheses of 1,4‐disubstituted 1,2,3‐triazoles and thioethers. The thermally and chemically stable, benign and economical catalyst was easily recovered using an external magnet and reused in at least five successive runs without an appreciable loss of activity.
Tetrel bonds, penta‐ and hexa‐coordinated tin and lead centres
Authors: Grabowski Sławomir J.
Published: January 2017

A tetrel bond – an interaction between a Group 14 element acting as Lewis acid centre and an electron‐donating moiety – is analysed for ZF4(Z = Sn, Pb) complexes with NH3and HCN species. MP2/aug‐cc‐pVTZ calculations were performed and supported by results of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules. The results of calculations show that the tetrel centre may be considered as a pentavalent one if ZF4interacts with one NH3or HCN ligand or even as a hexavalent centre if it interacts with two ligands; thus the hypervalency phenomenon is discussed for the complexes analysed here. The theoretical analysis is supported by a discussion of the crystal structures containing the SnF4fragment; these structures are characterized by a hexa‐coordinated tin centre.
A novel polymer composite with a small optical band gap: New approaches for photonics and optoelectronics
Authors: Aziz Shujahadeen B. , Abdullah Omed Gh. , Rasheed Mariwan A.
Published: January 2017

In this article, a novel approach is presented for the preparation of small band‐gap polymer composites. The intensity of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak increased from 0.64 to 3.2 for the chitosan–silver nitrate sample containing 1 wt % titanium dioxide (TiO2). In the cases of 3 and 5 wt % added TiO2 particles, the SPR peak disappeared. A wide shift of the absorption coefficient from 4.36 to 0.93 eV was observed. The smallest optical band gap of about 0.98 eV was achieved for the sample containing 3 wt % TiO2 filler. The wide shift in the optical band gap was interpreted on the bases of the formation of metal‐induced gap states between the metallic silver particles and the TiO2 structure. A novel approach was achieved that was an alternative method to Tauc's semi‐empirical model for band‐gap estimation. The optical dielectric loss parameter for the band‐gap study was easily calculated and analyzed, whereas it unfolded a deep knowledge from the physics point of view. The established quantum mechanical expression revealed a strong relationship between the energy band gap and the optical dielectric loss parameter. The scanning electron microscopy results show the leakage of white aggregated silver particles and distinguishable intense peaks of metallic silver particles between 3 and 3.3 keV appearing in the energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrum. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44847.
Modeling of tensile strength in polymer particulate nanocomposites based on material and interphase properties
Authors: Zare Yasser , Rhee Kyong Yop , Park Soo‐Jin
Published: January 2017

In this work, a simple model is presented to determine tensile/yield strength in polymer nanocomposites containing spherical nanofillers based on material and interphase properties. The accuracy of the proposed model is estimated by comparing with the experimental strength of several samples from the literature. In addition, the effects of thickness (t) and tensile strength (σi) of the interphase as well as the radius (R) and volume fraction (
) of the nanoparticles on the tensile strength are explained according to the proposed model. The high level of nanoparticle strength (more than 100 GPa) commonly leads to overestimates of the tensile strength of nanocomposites, whereas the assumption of correct interphase properties produces accurate calculations. The tensile strength of nanocomposites does not change at σi < 38 MPa, while it increases by 140% at t = 20 nm and σi = 90 MPa. However, a maximum 14% growth in tensile strength is obtained with the optimum values of
 = 0.04 and R = 10 nm. Therefore, the concentration and size of the nanoparticles have minor effects on the tensile strength of nanocomposites, but the major influences of interphase thickness and strength are pronounced. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44869.
A congested and dwell time dependent transit corridor assignment model
Authors: Alonso Borja , Muñoz Juan Carlos , Ibeas Ángel , Moura José Luis
Published: January 2017

This research proposes an equilibrium assignment model for congested public transport corridors in urban areas. In this model, journey times incorporate the effect of bus queuing on travel times and boarding and alighting passengers on dwell times at stops. The model also considers limited bus capacity leading to longer waiting times and more uncomfortable journeys. The proposed model is applied to an example network, and the results are compared with those obtained in a recent study. This is followed by the analysis and discussion of a real case application in Santiago de Chile. Finally, different boarding and alighting times and different vehicle types are evaluated. In all cases, demand on express services tends to be underestimated by using constant dwell time assignment models, leading to potential planning errors for these lines. The results demonstrate the importance of considering demand dependent dwell times in the assignment process, especially at high demand levels when the capacity constraint should also be considered. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Projecting the future burden of cancer: Bayesian age–period–cohort analysis with integrated nested Laplace approximations
Authors: Riebler Andrea , Held Leonhard
Published: January 2017

The projection of age‐stratified cancer incidence and mortality rates is of great interest due to demographic changes, but also therapeutical and diagnostic developments. Bayesian age–period–cohort (APC) models are well suited for the analysis of such data, but are not yet used in routine practice of epidemiologists. Reasons may include that Bayesian APC models have been criticized to produce too wide prediction intervals. Furthermore, the fitting of Bayesian APC models is usually done using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), which introduces complex convergence concerns and may be subject to additional technical problems. In this paper we address both concerns, developing efficient MCMC‐free software for routine use in epidemiological applications. We apply Bayesian APC models to annual lung cancer data for females in five different countries, previously analyzed in the literature. To assess the predictive quality, we omit the observations from the last 10 years and compare the projections with the actual observed data based on the absolute error and the continuous ranked probability score. Further, we assess calibration of the one‐step‐ahead predictive distributions. In our application, the probabilistic forecasts obtained by the Bayesian APC model are well calibrated and not too wide. A comparison to projections obtained by a generalized Lee–Carter model is also given. The methodology is implemented in the user‐friendly R‐package BAPC using integrated nested Laplace approximations.