bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Newly Designed Ternary Metallic PtPdBi Hollow Catalyst with High Performance for Methanol and Ethanol Oxidation
Authors: Xiong Zhiping , Li Shumin , Xu Hui , Zhang Ke , Yan Bo , Du Yukou
Published: July 2017

This paper reported the fabrication of ternary metallic PtPdBi hollow nanocatalyst through a facile, one-pot, wet-chemical method by adopting sodium borohydride and polyvinylpyrrolidone as reducing agent and surfactant directing agent, respectively. The hollow structure offers novel morphology and large surface areas, which are conducive to enhancing the electrocatalytic activity. The electrocatalytic properties of hollow PtPdBi nanocatalyst were investigated systematically in alkaline media through cyclic voltammetry and the as-prepared PtPdBi nanocatalyst displays greatly enhanced electrocatalytic activities towards methanol and ethanol oxidation. The calculated mass activities of PtPdBi electrocatalyst are 2.133 A mgPtPd−1 for methanol oxidation reaction and 5.256 A mgPtPd−1 for ethanol oxidation reaction, which are much better than that of commercial Pt/C and commercial Pd/C. The as-prepared hollow nanocatalyst may be a potential promising electrocatalyst in fuel cells and also may be extended to the applications of other desirable functions.
Studying Autophagy in Zebrafish
Authors: Mathai Benan , Meijer Annemarie , Simonsen Anne
Published: July 2017

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process which allows lysosomal degradation of complex cytoplasmic components into basic biomolecules that are recycled for further cellular use. Autophagy is critical for cellular homeostasis and for degradation of misfolded proteins and damaged organelles as well as intracellular pathogens. The role of autophagy in protection against age-related diseases and a plethora of other diseases is now coming to light; assisted by several divergent eukaryotic model systems ranging from yeast to mice. We here give an overview of different methods used to analyse autophagy in zebrafish—a relatively new model for studying autophagy—and briefly discuss what has been done so far and possible future directions.
Putting Plant Genetic Diversity and Variability at Work for Breeding: Hybrid Rice Suitability in West Africa
Authors: El-Namaky Raafat , Bare Coulibaly Mamadou , Alhassan Maji , Traore Karim , Nwilene Francis , Dieng Ibnou , Ortiz Rodomiro , Manneh Baboucarr
Published: July 2017

Rice is a staple food in West Africa, where its demand keeps increasing due to population growth. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify high yielding rice cultivars that fulfill this demand locally. Rice hybrids are already known to significantly increase productivity. This study evaluated the potential of Asian hybrids with good adaptability to irrigated and rainfed lowland rice areas in Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal. There were 169 hybrids from China included in trials at target sites during 2009 and 2010. The genotype × environment interaction was highly significant (p < 0.0001) for grain yield indicating that the hybrids’ and their respective cultivar checks’ performance differed across locations. Two hybrids had the highest grain yield during 2010 in Mali, while in Nigeria, four hybrids in 2009 and one hybrid in 2010 had higher grain yield and matured earlier than the best local cultivar. The milling recovery, grain shape and cooking features of most hybrids had the quality preferred by West African consumers. Most of the hybrids were, however, susceptible to African rice gall midge (AfRGM) and Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RMYV) isolate Ng40. About 60% of these hybrids were resistant to blast. Hybrids need to incorporate host plant resistant for AfRGM and RYMV to be grown in West Africa.
An Alternative for Indicators that Characterize the Structure of Economic Systems
Authors: Dragan Irina-Maria , Isaic-Maniu Alexandru
Published: July 2017

Studies on the structure of economic systems are, most frequently, carried out by the methods of informational statistics. These methods, often accompanied by a broad range of indicators (Shannon entropy, Balassa coefficient, Herfindahl specialty index, Gini coefficient, Theil index, etc.) around which a wide literature has been created over time, have a major disadvantage. Their weakness is related to the imposition of the system condition, which indicates the need to know all of the components of the system (as absolute values or as weights). This restriction is difficult to accomplish in some situations, while in others this knowledge may be irrelevant, especially when there is an interest in structural changes only in some of the components of the economic system (either we refer to the typology of economic activities—NACE, or of territorial units—Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS)). This article presents a procedure for characterizing the structure of a system and for comparing its evolution over time, in the case of incomplete information, thus eliminating the restriction existent in the classical methods. The proposed methodological alternative uses a parametric distribution, with sub-unit values for the variable. The application refers to Gross Domestic Product values for five of the 28 European Union countries, with annual values of over 1000 billion Euros (Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and United Kingdom) for the years 2003 and 2015. A form of the Wald sequential test is applied to measure changes in the structure of this group of countries, between the years compared. The results of this application validate the proposed method.
Vehicle Stability Enhancement through Hierarchical Control for a Four-Wheel-Independently-Actuated Electric Vehicle
Authors: Wang Zhenpo , Wang Yachao , Zhang Lei , Liu Mingchun
Published: July 2017

In this paper, an optimal control strategy for a four-wheel-independently-actuated electric vehicle (FWIA EV) is proposed to improve vehicle dynamics stability and handling performance. The proposed scheme has a hierarchical structure composed of an upper and a lower controller. The desired longitudinal and lateral forces and yaw moment are determined based on the sliding-mode control (SMC) scheme in the upper controller, which takes the longitudinal and lateral velocity and the yaw rate as control variables. In the lower controller, an optimization algorithm is adopted to allocate the driving/braking torques to each in-wheel motor. A cost function with adjustable weight coefficients is specially designed by taking the motor power capability and the tire workload into consideration. The simulation and hardware-in-loop experimental results show that the proposed control strategy exhibits superior performance in comparison to commonly-used rule-based control strategies, and has the capability of online implementation.
Switched Control Strategies of Aggregated Commercial HVAC Systems for Demand Response in Smart Grids
Authors: Ma Kai , Yuan Chenliang , Yang Jie , Liu Zhixin , Guan Xinping
Published: July 2017

This work proposes three switched control strategies for aggregated heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in commercial buildings to track the automatic generation control (AGC) signal in smart grid. The existing control strategies include the direct load control strategy and the setpoint regulation strategy. The direct load control strategy cannot track the AGC signal when the state of charge (SOC) of the aggregated thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) exceeds their regulation capacity, while the setpoint regulation strategy provides flexible regulation capacity, but causes larger tracking errors. To improve the tracking performance, we took the advantages of the two control modes and developed three switched control strategies. The control strategies switch between the direct load control mode and the setpoint regulation mode according to different switching indices. Specifically, we design a discrete-time controller and optimize the controller parameter for the setpoint regulation strategy using the Fibonacci optimization algorithm, enabling us to propose two switched control strategies across multiple time steps. Furthermore, we extend the switched control strategies by introducing a two-stage regulation in a single time step. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed switched control strategies can reduce the tracking errors for frequency regulation.
Quick Screening of Pareto-Optimal Operating Conditions for Expanding Solvent–Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage Using Hybrid Multi-Objective Optimization Approach
Authors: Min Baehyun , Kannan Krupa , Srinivasan Sanjay
Published: July 2017

Solvent–steam mixture is a key factor in controlling the economic efficiency of the solvent-aided thermal injection process for producing bitumen in a highly viscous oil sands reservoir. This paper depicts a strategy to quickly provide trade-off operating conditions of the Expanding Solvent–Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (ES-SAGD) process based on Pareto-optimality. Response surface models are employed to evaluate multiple ES-SAGD scenarios at low computational costs. The surrogate models play a role of objective-estimators in the multi-objective optimization that provides qualified ES-SAGD scenarios regarding bitumen recovery, steam–energy efficiency, and solvent-energy efficiency. The developed hybrid approach detects positive or negative correlations among the performance indicators of the ES-SAGD process. The derived Pareto-optimal operating conditions give flexibility in field development planning and thereby help decision makers determine the operating parameters of the ES-SAGD process based on their preferences.
Influence of Substratum Hydrophobicity on the Geomicrobiology of River Biofilm Architecture and Ecology Analyzed by CMEIAS Bioimage Informatics
Authors: Dazzo Frank , Sexton Rachel , Jain Arham , Makhoul Arthur , Shears Michael , Gusfa Donald , Handelsman Shane , Niccum Brighid , Onsay Daphne
Published: July 2017

Microbial biogeography in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems is mainly dominated by community biofilm lifestyles. Here, we describe applications of computer-assisted microscopy using CMEIAS (Center for Microbial Ecology Image Analysis System) bioimage informatics software for a comprehensive analysis of river biofilm architectures and ecology. Natural biofilms were developed for four summer days on microscope slides of plain borosilicate glass and transparent polystyrene submerged in the Red Cedar River that flows through the Michigan State University campus. Images of the biofilm communities were acquired using brightfield and phase-contrast microscopy at spatial resolutions revealing details of microcolonies and individual cells, then digitally segmented to the foreground objects of interest. Phenotypic features of their size, abundance, surface texture, contour morphology, fractal geometry, ecophysiology, and landscape/spatial ecology were digitally extracted and evaluated by many discriminating statistical tests. The results indicate that river biofilm architecture exhibits significant geospatial structure in situ, providing many insights on the strong influence that substratum hydrophobicity–wettability exert on biofilm development and ecology, including their productivity and colonization intensity, morphological diversity/dominance/conditional rarity, nutrient apportionment/uptake efficiency/utilization, allometry/metabolic activity, responses to starvation and bacteriovory stresses, spatial patterns of distribution/dispersion/connectivity, and interpolated autocorrelations of cooperative/conflicting cell–cell interactions at real-world spatial scales directly relevant to their ecological niches. The significant impact of substratum physicochemistry was revealed for biofilms during their early immature stage of development in the river ecosystem. Bioimage informatics can fill major gaps in understanding the geomicrobiology and microbial ecology of biofilms in situ when examined at spatial scales suitable for phenotypic analysis at microcolony and single-cell resolutions.
Disinfection of the Water Borne Pathogens Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus by Solar Photocatalysis Using Sonochemically Synthesized Reusable Ag@ZnO Core-Shell Nanoparticles
Authors: Das Sourav , Ranjana Neha , Misra Ananyo Jyoti , Suar Mrutyunjay , Mishra Amrita , Tamhankar Ashok J. , Lundborg Cecilia Stålsby , Tripathy Suraj K.
Published: July 2017

Water borne pathogens present a threat to human health and their disinfection from water poses a challenge, prompting the search for newer methods and newer materials. Disinfection of the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli and the Gram-positive coccal bacterium Staphylococcus aureus in an aqueous matrix was achieved within 60 and 90 min, respectively, at 35 °C using solar-photocatalysis mediated by sonochemically synthesized Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles. The efficiency of the process increased with the increase in temperature and at 55 °C the disinfection for the two bacteria could be achieved in 45 and 60 min, respectively. A new ultrasound-assisted chemical precipitation technique was used for the synthesis of Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles. The characteristics of the synthesized material were established using physical techniques. The material remained stable even at 400 °C. Disinfection efficiency of the Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles was confirmed in the case of real world samples of pond, river, municipal tap water and was found to be better than that of pure ZnO and TiO2 (Degussa P25). When the nanoparticle- based catalyst was recycled and reused for subsequent disinfection experiments, its efficiency did not change remarkably, even after three cycles. The sonochemically synthesized Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles thus have a good potential for application in solar photocatalytic disinfection of water borne pathogens.
Post-Disaster Food and Nutrition from Urban Agriculture: A Self-Sufficiency Analysis of Nerima Ward, Tokyo
Authors: Sioen Giles , Sekiyama Makiko , Terada Toru , Yokohari Makoto
Published: July 2017

Background: Post-earthquake studies from around the world have reported that survivors relying on emergency food for prolonged periods of time experienced several dietary related health problems. The present study aimed to quantify the potential nutrient production of urban agricultural vegetables and the resulting nutritional self-sufficiency throughout the year for mitigating post-disaster situations. Methods: We estimated the vegetable production of urban agriculture throughout the year. Two methods were developed to capture the production from professional and hobby farms: Method I utilized secondary governmental data on agricultural production from professional farms, and Method II was based on a supplementary spatial analysis to estimate the production from hobby farms. Next, the weight of produced vegetables [t] was converted into nutrients [kg]. Furthermore, the self-sufficiency by nutrient and time of year was estimated by incorporating the reference consumption of vegetables [kg], recommended dietary allowance of nutrients per capita [mg], and population statistics. The research was conducted in Nerima, the second most populous ward of Tokyo’s 23 special wards. Self-sufficiency rates were calculated with the registered residents. Results: The estimated total vegetable production of 5660 tons was equivalent to a weight-based self-sufficiency rate of 6.18%. The average nutritional self-sufficiencies of Methods I and II were 2.48% and 0.38%, respectively, resulting in an aggregated average of 2.86%. Fluctuations throughout the year were observed according to the harvest seasons of the available crops. Vitamin K (6.15%) had the highest self-sufficiency of selected nutrients, while calcium had the lowest (0.96%). Conclusions: This study suggests that depending on the time of year, urban agriculture has the potential to contribute nutrients to diets during post-disaster situations as disaster preparedness food. Emergency responses should be targeted according to the time of year the disaster takes place to meet nutrient requirements in periods of low self-sufficiency and prevent gastrointestinal symptoms and cardiovascular diseases among survivors.
Assessing the Potential of Land Use Modification to Mitigate Ambient NO2 and Its Consequences for Respiratory Health
Authors: Rao Meenakshi , George Linda A. , Shandas Vivek , Rosenstiel Todd N.
Published: July 2017

Understanding how local land use and land cover (LULC) shapes intra-urban concentrations of atmospheric pollutants—and thus human health—is a key component in designing healthier cities. Here, NO2 is modeled based on spatially dense summer and winter NO2 observations in Portland-Hillsboro-Vancouver (USA), and the spatial variation of NO2 with LULC investigated using random forest, an ensemble data learning technique. The NO2 random forest model, together with BenMAP, is further used to develop a better understanding of the relationship among LULC, ambient NO2 and respiratory health. The impact of land use modifications on ambient NO2, and consequently on respiratory health, is also investigated using a sensitivity analysis. We find that NO2 associated with roadways and tree-canopied areas may be affecting annual incidence rates of asthma exacerbation in 4–12 year olds by +3000 per 100,000 and −1400 per 100,000, respectively. Our model shows that increasing local tree canopy by 5% may reduce local incidences rates of asthma exacerbation by 6%, indicating that targeted local tree-planting efforts may have a substantial impact on reducing city-wide incidence of respiratory distress. Our findings demonstrate the utility of random forest modeling in evaluating LULC modifications for enhanced respiratory health.
Applications of Location-Based Services and Mobile Technologies in K-12 Classrooms
Authors: Kolvoord Robert , Keranen Kathryn , Rittenhouse Paul
Published: July 2017

The use of location-based services and mobile technologies is increasing in K-12 classrooms. In this article, we describe the history and the current use of these tools in the innovative Geospatial Semester project in Virginia. We share a number of examples where students are creating projects of their own interest that use editable feature services, mobile data collection and other cutting-edge technologies. These projects help students build their spatial thinking and problem-solving skills, and help teachers build conceptual understanding in a variety of domains.
Trajectory Data Mining via Cluster Analyses for Tropical Cyclones That Affect the South China Sea
Authors: Yang Feng , Wu Guofeng , Du Yunyan , Zhao Xiangwei
Published: July 2017

The equal division of tropical cyclone (TC) trajectory method, the mass moment of the TC trajectory method, and the mixed regression model method are clustering algorithms that use space and shape information from complete TC trajectories. In this article, these three clustering algorithms were applied in a TC trajectory clustering analysis to identify the TCs that affected the South China Sea (SCS) from 1949 to 2014. According to their spatial position and shape similarity, these TC trajectories were classified into five trajectory classes, including three westward straight-line movement trajectory clusters and two northward re-curving trajectory clusters. These clusters show different characteristics in their genesis position, heading, landfall location, TC intensity, lifetime and seasonality distribution. The clustering results indicate that these algorithms have different characteristics. The equal division of the trajectory method provides better clustering result generally. The approach is simple and direct, and trajectories in the same class were consistent in shape and heading. The regression mixture model algorithm has a solid theoretical mathematical foundation, and it can maintain good spatial consistency among trajectories in the class. The mass moment of the trajectory method shows overall consistency with the equal division of the trajectory method.
Ubiquitination in Periodontal Disease: A Review
Authors: Tsuchida Sachio , Satoh Mamoru , Takiwaki Masaki , Nomura Fumio
Published: July 2017

Periodontal disease (periodontitis) is a chronic inflammatory condition initiated by microbial infection that leads to gingival tissue destruction and alveolar bone resorption. The periodontal tissue’s response to dental plaque is characterized by the accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, macrophages, and lymphocytes, all of which release inflammatory mediators and cytokines to orchestrate the immunopathogenesis of periodontal disease. Ubiquitination is achieved by a mechanism that involves a number of factors, including an ubiquitin-activating enzyme, ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, and ubiquitin–protein ligase. Ubiquitination is a post-translational modification restricted to eukaryotes that are involved in essential host processes. The ubiquitin system has been implicated in the immune response, development, and programmed cell death. Increasing numbers of recent reports have provided evidence that many approaches are delivering promising reports for discovering the relationship between ubiquitination and periodontal disease. The scope of this review was to investigate recent progress in the discovery of ubiquitinated protein in diseased periodontium and to discuss the ubiquitination process in periodontal diseases.
Impact of Autophagy in Oncolytic Adenoviral Therapy for Cancer
Authors: Tazawa Hiroshi , Kuroda Shinji , Hasei Joe , Kagawa Shunsuke , Fujiwara Toshiyoshi
Published: July 2017

Oncolytic virotherapy has recently emerged as a promising strategy for inducing tumor-specific cell death. Adenoviruses are widely and frequently used in oncolytic virotherapy. The mechanism of oncolytic adenovirus-mediated tumor suppression involves virus-induced activation of the autophagic machinery in tumor cells. Autophagy is a cytoprotective process that produces energy via lysosomal degradation of intracellular components as a physiologic response to various stresses, including hypoxia, nutrient deprivation, and disruption of growth signaling. However, infection with oncolytic adenoviruses induces autophagy and subsequent death of tumor cells rather than enhancing their survival. In this review, we summarize the beneficial role of autophagy in oncolytic adenoviral therapy, including the roles of infection, replication, and cell lysis. Numerous factors are involved in the promotion and inhibition of oncolytic adenovirus-mediated autophagy. Furthermore, recent evidence has shown that oncolytic adenoviruses induce autophagy-related immunogenic cell death (ICD), which enhances the antitumor immune response by inducing the activation of danger signal molecules and thus represents a novel cancer immunotherapy. Understanding the precise role of oncolytic adenovirus-induced autophagy and ICD could enhance the therapeutic potential of oncolytic adenoviral therapy for treating various cancers.
The Plasticity of Th17 Cells in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Kotake Shigeru , Yago Toru , Kobashigawa Tsuyoshi , Nanke Yuki
Published: July 2017

Helper T (Th) cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It has been revealed that Th17 cells can shift to Th1 cells (i.e., “nonclassic Th1 cells”), which are reported to be more pathogenic than Th17 cells per se. Thus, the association of Th cells in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease has become more complicated. We recently reported using peripheral blood from untreated and early-onset RA patients that the ratio of CD161+Th1 cells (i.e., Th17-derived Th1 cells to CD161+Th17 cells) is elevated and that levels of interferon-γ (IFNγ)+Th17 cells are inversely correlated with levels of anti-CCP antibodies. Here, we review the plasticity of Th17 cells in the pathogenesis of RA, suggesting possible implications for novel therapies.
Deposition of Nanostructured CdS Thin Films by Thermal Evaporation Method: Effect of Substrate Temperature
Authors: Memarian Nafiseh , Rozati Seyeed , Concina Isabella , Vomiero Alberto
Published: July 2017

Nanocrystalline CdS thin films were grown on glass substrates by a thermal evaporation method in a vacuum of about 2 × 10−5 Torr at substrate temperatures ranging between 25 °C and 250 °C. The physical properties of the layers were analyzed by transmittance spectra, XRD, SEM, and four-point probe measurements, and exhibited strong dependence on substrate temperature. The XRD patterns of the films indicated the presence of single-phase hexagonal CdS with (002) orientation. The structural parameters of CdS thin films (namely crystallite size, number of grains per unit area, dislocation density and the strain of the deposited films) were also calculated. The resistivity of the as-deposited films were found to vary in the range 3.11–2.2 × 104 Ω·cm, depending on the substrate temperature. The low resistivity with reasonable transmittance suggest that this is a reliable way to fine-tune the functional properties of CdS films according to the specific application.
On Transform Domain Communication Systems under Spectrum Sensing Mismatch: A Deterministic Analysis
Authors: Jin Chuanxue , Hu Su , Huang Yixuan , Luo Qu , Huang Dan , Li Yi , Gao Yuan , Cheng Shaochi
Published: July 2017

Towards the era of mobile Internet and the Internet of Things (IoT), numerous sensors and devices are being introduced and interconnected. To support such an amount of data traffic, traditional wireless communication technologies are facing challenges both in terms of the increasing shortage of spectrum resources and massive multiple access. The transform-domain communication system (TDCS) is considered as an alternative multiple access system, where 5G and mobile IoT are mainly focused. However, previous studies about TDCS are under the assumption that the transceiver has the global spectrum information, without the consideration of spectrum sensing mismatch (SSM). In this paper, we present the deterministic analysis of TDCS systems under arbitrary given spectrum sensing scenarios, especially the influence of the SSM pattern to the signal to noise ratio (SNR) performance. Simulation results show that arbitrary SSM pattern can lead to inferior bit error rate (BER) performance.
Multi-National Banknote Classification Based on Visible-light Line Sensor and Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Pham Tuyen , Lee Dong , Park Kang
Published: July 2017

Automatic recognition of banknotes is applied in payment facilities, such as automated teller machines (ATMs) and banknote counters. Besides the popular approaches that focus on studying the methods applied to various individual types of currencies, there have been studies conducted on simultaneous classification of banknotes from multiple countries. However, their methods were conducted with limited numbers of banknote images, national currencies, and denominations. To address this issue, we propose a multi-national banknote classification method based on visible-light banknote images captured by a one-dimensional line sensor and classified by a convolutional neural network (CNN) considering the size information of each denomination. Experiments conducted on the combined banknote image database of six countries with 62 denominations gave a classification accuracy of 100%, and results show that our proposed algorithm outperforms previous methods.
Lagos Bat Virus Infection Dynamics in Free-Ranging Straw-Colored Fruit Bats (Eidolon helvum)
Authors: Suu-Ire Richard , Fooks Anthony , Banyard Ashley , Selden David , Amponsah-Mensah Kofi , Riesle Silke , Ziekah Meyir , Ntiamoa-Baidu Yaa , Wood James , Cunningham Andrew
Published: July 2017

Bats are key species for ecological function, but they are also reservoirs of zoonotic agents, such as lyssaviruses that cause rabies. Little is known about the maintenance and transmission of lyssaviruses in bats, although the observation of clinically sick bats, both in experimental studies and wild bats, has at least demonstrated that lyssaviruses are capable of causing clinical disease in bat species. Despite this, extensive surveillance for diseased bats has not yielded lyssaviruses, whilst serological surveys demonstrate that bats must be exposed to lyssavirus without developing clinical disease. We hypothesize that there is endemic circulation of Lagos bat virus (LBV) in the straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) in Ghana, West Africa. To investigate this further, longitudinal blood sampling was undertaken quarterly between 2012 and 2014 on wild E. helvum at two sites in Ghana. Serum samples were collected and tested for LBV-neutralizing antibodies using a modified flourescent antibody virus neutralisation (FAVN) assay (n = 294) and brains from moribund or dead bats were tested for antigen and viral RNA (n = 55). Overall, 44.7% of the 304 bats sampled had LBV-neutralising antibodies. None of the brain samples from bats contained lyssavirus antigen or RNA. Together with the results of an earlier serological study, our findings demonstrate that LBV is endemic and circulates within E. helvum in Ghana even though the detection of viral infection in dead bats was unsuccessful. Confirmation that LBV infection is endemic in E. helvum in Ghana is an important finding and indicates that the potential public health threats from LBV warrant further investigation.
Nonthermal Particle Acceleration in 3D Relativistic Magnetic Reconnection in Pair Plasma
Authors: Werner Gregory R. , Uzdensky Dmitri A.
Published: July 2017

As a fundamental process converting magnetic to plasma energy in high-energy astrophysical plasmas, relativistic magnetic reconnection is a leading explanation for the acceleration of particles to the ultrarelativistic energies that are necessary to power nonthermal emission (especially X-rays and gamma-rays) in pulsar magnetospheres and pulsar wind nebulae, coronae and jets of accreting black holes, and gamma-ray bursts. An important objective of plasma astrophysics is therefore the characterization of nonthermal particle acceleration (NTPA) effected by reconnection. Reconnection-powered NTPA has been demonstrated over a wide range of physical conditions using large 2D kinetic simulations. However, its robustness in realistic 3D reconnection—in particular, whether the 3D relativistic drift-kink instability (RDKI) disrupts NTPA—has not been systematically investigated, although pioneering 3D simulations have observed NTPA in isolated cases. Here, we present the first comprehensive study of NTPA in 3D relativistic reconnection in collisionless electron–positron plasmas, characterizing NTPA as the strength of 3D effects is varied systematically via the length in the third dimension and the strength of the guide magnetic field. We find that, while the RDKI prominently perturbs 3D reconnecting current sheets, it does not suppress particle acceleration, even for zero guide field; fully 3D reconnection robustly and efficiently produces nonthermal power-law particle spectra closely resembling those obtained in 2D. This finding provides strong support for reconnection as the key mechanism powering high-energy flares in various astrophysical systems. We also show that strong guide fields significantly inhibit NTPA, slowing reconnection and limiting the energy available for plasma energization, yielding steeper and shorter power-law spectra.
A Flaring Magnetar in FRB 121102?
Authors: Beloborodov Andrei M.
Published: July 2017

The persistent radio counterpart of fast radio burst (FRB) 121102 is estimated to have

particles, energy

erg, and size

cm. The source can be nebula inflated and heated by an intermittent outflow from a magnetar—a neutron star powered by its magnetic (rather than rotational) energy. The object is young and frequently liberating energy in magnetic flares driven by accelerated ambipolar diffusion in the neutron star core, feeding the nebula and producing bright millisecond bursts. The particle number in the nebula is consistent with ion ejecta from giant flares. The nebula may also contain the freeze-out of electron–positron pairs

created months after the neutron star birth; the same mechanism offers an explanation for

in the Crab Nebula. The persistent source around FRB 121102 is likely heated by magnetic dissipation and internal waves excited by the magnetar ejecta. The volumetric heating by waves explains the nebula’s enormous efficiency in producing radio emission. The repeating radio bursts are suggested to occur much closer to the magnetar, as a result of ultrarelativistic internal shocks in the magnetar wind, which are launched by the magnetospheric flares. The shocks are mediated by Larmor rotation, which forms a GHz maser with the observed ms duration. Furthermore, the flare ejecta can become charge-starved and then convert to electromagnetic waves.
Contribuições das atividades experimentais para o despertar científico de alunos do ensino médio
Authors: Rauber Amanda Gabriele , Quartieri Marli Teresinha , Dullius Maria Madalena
Published: July 2017

Este trabalho visa socializar contribuições das atividades experimentais para despertar a curiosidade e a investigação pela área das Ciências Exatas. A pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, caracterizada como um estudo de caso, foi realizada com quatorze estudantes do Ensino Médio, que, durante um ano, participaram de encontros científicos para a realização de atividades experimentais investigativas de Ciências. Eles também participaram do “Aprender Experimentando”, evento em que orientavam e explicavam experimentos aos visitantes. A partir dos relatos dos integrantes e das filmagens de discussões semanais com o grupo, foi possível perceber que as atividades experimentais lhes despertaram o interesse, bem como possibilitaram a aquisição de novos conhecimentos sobre conteúdos de Física, Química e Matemática. As atividades estimularam a criatividade, o trabalho em grupo e o raciocínio lógico, oportunizando aos alunos estabelecerem conexões entre os elementos teóricos e práticos de cada conteúdo.
Harmonia entre a prática pedagógica de professores de ciências e a música popular brasileira: possibilidades para um ensino CTS
Authors: Dias Greiciele Da Silva , Messeder Jorge Cardoso
Published: July 2017

A investigação da qual originou este artigo teve como objeto de estudo as possibilidades que oficinas de música com temas sociocientíficos podem trazer para alfabetização científica. O estudo qualitativo foi realizado com alunos do quarto ano do Ensino Fundamental.  A pesquisa se alicerçou na literatura disponível ao Ensino de Ciências nos anos iniciais e estímulo ao desenvolvimento da alfabetização cientifica. Os temas sociocientíficos foram elencados considerando as propostas curriculares oficiais e a contextualização com a realidade da escola onde as oficinas foram aplicadas, sendo eles: lixo e meio ambiente. Para dinamizar as discussões, foi utilizada a música “Lixo no Lixo” do grupo Falamansa. A partir da interpretação da letra da canção, foram relacionados conceitos científicos e tecnológicos a situações vividas pelos alunos. A oficina de música para o Ensino de Ciências possibilitou uma prática docente mais dinâmica e desenvolveu nos discentes capacidades argumentativas, contribuindo para o aprimoramento da cidadania.
O ensino de Língua Portuguesa utilizando o gênero textual conto: aspectos básicos de análise sintática (termos essenciais da oração)
Authors: Barbosa Celina De Oliveira Barbosa
Published: July 2017

O ensino do português há muito vem sendo considerado sob o viés da gramática isolada, o que dificulta sobremaneira a aprendizagem em virtude da inoperância semântica que os conceitos parecem obter dentro dos variados contextos em que aparecem, bem como o que suscita a famigerada aversão que muitos ainda possuem em relação à apreensão das normas que regem a língua oficial dos brasileiros. Este trabalho objetiva, portanto, contemplar, dentre as múltiplas possibilidades de abordagem do idioma, o ensino de Língua Portuguesa, especificamente dos aspectos básicos de análise sintática (termos essenciais da oração), baseado na leitura e análise do gênero textual conto. Esta investigação se deu por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica, utilizando como teóricos: Bordini & Aguiar (1988), Cortázar (1999), Travaglia (2005), Faraco, Moura & Maruxo (2007), Henriques (2009), entre outros, o que possibilitou esclarecer nuances contextuais do ensino de línguas, do português propriamente, e a pertinência e efetividade do texto conto como espaço de verificação destas.
Ressonâncias do euclidiano consórcio entre ciência e arte no Grande Sertão rosiano
Authors: Costa Gregory Magalhães
Published: July 2017

O projeto literário de Euclides da Cunha consiste no consórcio entre ciência e arte, como ele próprio revelou a José Veríssimo. Essa união pressupõe vigor de imaginação poética estruturado sob um rigor crítico científico – como aquelas partículas quânticas que mutuamente se implicam, observadas por Ilya Prigogine[1]. Por isso, sua obra poética se assemelha a um ensaio sócio-histórico. Esse drama fáustico se expressa no Grande sertãode Guimarães Rosa na luta civilizatória de Zé Bebelo contra a primitiva dicção poética dos demais chefes jagunços, liderados por Joca Ramiro e Hermógenes. O canto poético de Riobaldo é eivado de reflexões filosóficas de rigor científico, como a própria disposição crítica de sua narração catártica, que visa curar sua dor de amor pela morte de Diadorim. Assim, pelo método da poética comparada, com embasamento crítico-literário e científico-filosófico, pretende-se demonstrar como Euclides cunha o consórcio entre ciência e arte e sua herança na obra de Rosa.[1] Ilya Prigogine nasceu em Moscou em 1917, foi professor da Universidade Livre de Bruxelas, recebeu o prêmio Nobel de Química por suas contribuições à termodinâmica do desequilíbrio, em particular a teoria das estruturas dissipativas e morreu em Bruxelas, Bélgica, em 2003.
Linguagem e alteridade em Vidas Secas
Authors: Comin Clarissa Loyola
Published: July 2017

O presente artigo tem como objetivo analisar Vidas secas, de Graciliano Ramos, sob o viés da violência, uma vez que consideramos esta traço essencial da nossa conformação sócio-histórica e, consequentemente, passível de representação via literatura. Para isso, observamos e investigamos este fenômeno, a violência, a partir da linguagem e da alteridade como manifestas no romance. Pretendemos mostrar como tal fenômeno é percebido segundo dois pontos de vista essenciais no romance: 1) o ponto de vista dos dominados – a família de retirantes; 2) o ponto de vista dos dominadores – representados pelas instâncias de poder, como o patrão e o soldado amarelo. Feitas as explanações dessas ocorrências na obra, apontamos para o uso “feliz” do imaginário como alternativa à dominação, que faz-se possível a partir da íntegra formulação das alteridades dos personagens via instância narrativa.
Morphologic and molecular data help adopting the insect-pathogenic nephridiophagids (Nephridiophagidae) among the early diverging fungal lineages, close to the Chytridiomycota
Authors: Radek Renate , Wurzbacher Christian , Gisder Sebastian , Nilsson R. Henrik , Owerfeldt Anja , Genersch Elke , Kirk Paul M. , Voigt Kerstin
Published: July 2017

Nephridiophagids are poorly known unicellular eukaryotes, previously of uncertain systematic position, that parasitize the Malpighian tubules of insects. Their life cycle includes merogony with multinucleate plasmodia and sporogony leading to small, uninucleate spores. We examined the phylogenetic affiliations of three species of Nephridiophaga, including one new species, Nephridiophaga maderae, from the Madeira cockroach (Leucophaea maderae). In addition to the specific host, the new species differs from those already known by the size of the spores and by the number of spores within the sporogenic plasmodium. The inferred phylogenetic analyses strongly support a placement of the nephridiophagids in the fungal kingdom near its root and with a close, but unresolved, relationship to the chytids (Chytridiomycota). We found evidence for the nephridiophagidean speciation as being strongly coupled to host speciation.
Ageing evolution of foamed warm mix asphalt combined with reclaimed asphalt pavement
Authors: Perez-Martinez M. , Marsac P. , Gabet T. , Pouget S. , Hammoum F.
Published: July 2017

The combination of high rates of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and warm mix asphalt (WMA) technologies is still ambiguous in terms of durability. With the aim of clarifying this issue, a study comparing a hot mix asphalt with a WMA prepared using the foaming process technology. Both mixes contain 50% of RAP and are submitted to a laboratory ageing procedure. The long term related performance of the mixtures is compared by means of complex modulus and fatigue testing. Penetration and ring and ball tests are undertaken on the recovered bitumens, as well as the ageing evolution, characterised by the Fourier Transform Infrared analysis. Finally, the Apparent Molecular Weight Distribution (AMWD) of the binders is calculated from rheological measurements using the δ-method. Results show a relation between ageing evolution and mechanical performance. After ageing, the overall tendencies are similar for both processes.
DESCEMETOCELE COM BORDAS EM “melting” EM CÃO BRAQUICEFÁLICO – relato de caso
Authors: Sampaio Humberto Marques , Gomes Melina Cavalcante , Costa Paula Priscila Correia , Melo Mirza Sousa
Published: July 2017

Úlcera de córnea profunda é uma das doenças mais comuns em cães, muitas vezes levando à perda da visão. Úlceras profundas ferem o estroma, as descemetoceles são úlceras profundas que expõem camada Descemet. Com etiologia variada, a úlcera de córnea ou ceratite ulcerativa requer um diagnóstico preciso, com a resolução da causa primária e tratamento específico. Uma cadela de uma raça Pug anos de idade apresentou a hiperemia conjuntival com coceira mucoleosa e descarga. Depois de três dias de tratamento ocular tópico com ciprofloxacina a córnea do animal tornou-se irregular e foi ignorada a presença de um "ponto branco" no centro do olho. Através de exames, verificou-se através da lâmpada de fenda, que foi uma descemetocele com a presença de bordas em hipópio e "fusão" com uveíte e edema em curso. O diagnóstico foi um descemetocele com bordas em "melting". O objetivo é relatar um caso de úlcera profunda (descemetocele) em "melting" em um cão braquicefálico, o método de diagnóstico utilizado, o tratamento realizado e os resultados obtidos.
Proteômica de clara e gema de ovos – revisão de literatura
Authors: Cervi Renato , Cavallieri Ângelo Luiz Fazani , Bailão Alexandre Mello , Café Marcos Barcellos , Andrade Maria Auxiliadora
Published: July 2017

Os ovos de deferentes espécies de aves possuem em sua composição proteínas de alto valor biológico. Muitas das proteínas localizadas neste complexo fluido permanecem ainda não caracterizadas. Novas proteínas podem ser identificadas apresentando características antimicrobianas ou antivirais, proteínas de transporte, ou fatores de crescimento. Esta investigação exige métodos específicos para separação e caracterização. A proteômica vêm sendo utilizada com êxito para a caracterização das proteínas dos ovos. Através de revisão de literatura, objetivou-se realizar o levantamento das técnicas utilizadas para caracterização das proteínas, conhecimento das proteínas e isoformas identificadas em clara e gema de ovos.
O COMPORTAMENTO DE CÃES E GATOS: SUA IMPORTÂNCIA PARA A SAÚDE PÚBLICA
Authors: Grisolio Ana Paula Rodomilli , De Carvalho Picinato Mirelle Andréa , Ramalho Nunes Juliana Olivência , Bianco Carvalho Adolorata Aparecida
Published: July 2017

Os cães e os gatos convivem próximos aos seres humanos a aproximadamente 12 mil e 4 mil anos atrás, respectivamente. Nessa relação inúmeros benefícios são relatados para a saúde física e psicológica de ambas as partes, demonstrando auxiliar desde a redução do estresse e da pressão sanguínea até facilitar o contato social entre pessoas, diminuindo assim gastos com a saúde e melhorando aspectos do bem estar humano e animal. Porém, quando essa relação não é acompanhada pelo correto conhecimento sobre cuidados básicos e sobre o comportamento natural ou alterado dos cães e gatos, problemas sérios podem surgir como àqueles relacionados aos agravos causados por animais, por exemplo, que geram ferimentos e/ou que, podem facilitar a transmissão de zoonoses, importantes para a saúde pública.  Assim, destaca-se a importância do estudo do comportamento de animais de estimação, em especial os cães e os gatos, na tentativa de auxiliar a amenizar essas situações indesejadas.  Também busca-se inserir o médico veterinário neste contexto, por ser um profissional que possui habilitação para transmitir informações sobre o comportamento de cães e gatos e guarda responsável desses animais. A integração entre os serviços médicos e médicos veterinários deve ser um elo importante nesse trabalho, na tentativa de auxiliar nos trabalhos da Vigiliância Epidemiológica e também na promoção da saúde pública.
Numerical Study of Fracture Process on Full-Scale Concrete Foundations by Means of Controlled Blast Method Utilizing Galvanized Steel Charge Holders
Authors: Kim Hak Man , Fukuda Daisuke , Kaneko Katsuhiko , Nakamura Yuich , Lee Ju Hyung , Cho Sang Ho
Published: July 2017

Mechanical breakage systems are generally employed to demolish a portion of a concrete building, however it is time consuming and costly. And the mechanical demolition work involves various risks such as those associated with occupational safety and presents a noise hazard to the general public living in the vicinity. Therefore, alternative methods for such work have been sought. For this purpose, a dynamic breakage system utilizing diamond-shaped charge holders was proposed to rapidly remove the desired portion of the concrete foundation. The charge holders which initiate crack growth were placed inside a concrete mass along the desired fracture plane. In this study, full-scale blast experiments utilizing the charge holders were introduced and the roughness of fracture planes was observed using a 3-dimensional photography system. In order to verify the effect of the charge holders on fracture controlling in full-scale blast experiments, the fracture processes of the concrete blocks were analyzed using the dynamic fracture process analysis (DFPA) code. The mechanism required to achieve controlled breakage was discussed after taking into account the influence of various loading conditions and crack tip velocity. It was found that the DFPA tool is a useful instrument in the analysis of full scale blast experiments.
Thermal Performance Optimization of Shape Stabilized Phase Change Material Used in Building Envelopes
Authors: Zhang Yin , Zhang Ming Shan
Published: July 2017

Integrating phase change materials (PCM) with building envelopes is an effective way to reduce the cooling or heating loads, improve indoor thermal comfort and save building energy consumptions. In this paper, the heat transfer model of building envelopes with shape stabilized PCM is established and the optimal phase change temperature and enthalpy of PCM for internal walls are determined. Moreover, different PCM locations in external walls are compared based on the evaluation index of integrated uncomfortable degree. The results shows that to improve indoor thermal comfort, it is preferable to put the PCM in the middle of external wall. It also indicates that the overall integrated uncomfortable degree in a whole year decreases with increasing thickness of the inserted shape stabilized PCM plate. This work is of great significance in guiding the optimization design of building envelopes with PCM for practical applications.