bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RESÍDUOS SÓLIDOS URBANOS: ESTUDO DE CASO DA ESTÂNCIA TURÍSTICA DE TUPÃ/SP
Authors: Benini Sandra Medina , Martin Encarnita Salas
Published: February 2015

Este artigo tem por objetivo realizar uma breve análise sobre a gestão dos resíduos sólidos urbanos da Estância Turística de Tupã/SP. Para o desenvolvimento deste trabalho foi feito: a conceituação dos tipos de resíduos sólidos; a caracterização do sítio urbano e a identificação dos depósitos tecnogênicos; e por fim, um realizado um breve inventário sobre a gestão dos resíduos sólidos urbanos no município, considerando a coleta, tratamento e destinação final. Como procedimento metodológico adotou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa relacionada à temática proposta, a partir do exame da literatura pertinente a estudos científicos (livros, teses, dissertações, artigos, legislação etc.), bem como, a verificação em loco da disposição dos resíduos sólidos urbanos.
Особливості розвитку рухових здібностей у дівчат середніх класів
Authors: Іващенко О. В. , Пелепенко О. В.
Published: February 2015

У статті аналізуються особливості розвитку рухових здібностей у дівчат середніх класів. Встановлено, що у дівчат-підлітків спостерігається чітка структура рухової підготовки, яка з віком змінюється. У дівчат 5-го класу чільне місце займають силова і бігова підготовка, у дівчат 6-го класу — бігова і силова підготовки, у дівчат 7-го класу — спритність і відносна сила. Порівняння результатів тестування дівчат 5 і 7 класу свідчить, що за баготовимірним критерієм Хотеллінга дівчата за комплексом тестів статистично достовірно відрізняються один від одного. При цьому дівчата 5 класу показують кращі результати в «Згинанні і розгинанні рук в упорі лежачи» і гірші результати в «Стрибку в довжину з місця».
Features of development of speed force for the schoolchildren of junior classes
Authors: Худолій О. М. , Іващенко О. В. , Мірошниченко Д. Т.
Published: February 2015

The article is sanctified to perfection of methodology of development of speed force for the schoolchildren of junior classes. Power office hours that assist a positive dynamics in development of speed force are examined. On the basis of data of experiment there is the set efficiency of an offer methodology, worked out scale of estimation of level of development of speed force.
History Matching of Electromagnetically Heated Reservoirs Incorporating Full-Wavefield Seismic and Electromagnetic Imaging
Authors: Katterbauer Klemens , Hoteit Ibrahim , Sun Shuyu
Published: February 2015

Electromagnetic (EM) heating is becoming a popular method for heavy-oil recovery because of its cost-efficiency and continuous technological improvements. It exploits the relationship that the viscosity of hydrocarbons decreases for increasing temperature; the heavy-oil components become more fluid-like, and hence easier to extract from the reservoir. Although several field studies have considered the effects of heating on the viscosity of the hydrocarbons, there has been very little research on the long-term effects of field production and the forecasting of the development of the reservoir. Increased flow rates within the reservoir render the moving fluids less viscous, implying fast-changing fluid-propagation patterns and increased uncertainty about the state of the oil displacement. This means, in the long term, strongly varying production projections, strong dependence on the permeability of the reservoir, and potentially undesirable fluid migration. To improve the forecasting of production in heavy-oil fields and to accurately capture the dynamics of the fluid movements, we present a history-matching framework incorporating well data and seismic and EM crosswell-imaging techniques. The incorporation of seismic and EM data into the history-matching process counteracts the changing reservoir dynamics caused by increased fluid velocity caused by heating and is shown to significantly improve reservoir matching and forecasts for a variety of different heating scenarios.
Solid Phase Syntheses of Ferulic Acid Derivatives Acetyl Feruloyl Tyrosine and Acetyl Feruloyl Valyl Tyrosine
Authors: Zhao Dongxin , Ma Li , Lu Kui , He Juan
Published: February 2015

Ferulic acid was used as a common drug for cardia-cerebrovascular disease and leukopenia, but the application of ferulic acid was inhibited by the poor absorption and stability. The improvement of these defects can be realized by modifying ferulic acid by amino acids, because the amido bond can increase the bioavailability and therapeutic effect of some drugs based on the peptide transporter system of mammalian which can transport the peptidyl drugs. The peptidyl derivatives of ferulic acid, namely acetyl feruloyl tyrosine and acetyl feruloyl valyl tyrosine, were synthesized using Fmoc solid-phase synthesis method. The synthesized ferulic acid amide derivatives were purified by RP-HPLC, and characterized by IR, HNMR and ESI-MS. The results indicated that Fmoc solid phase synthesis was a convenient method for the amide bond modification of ferulic acid and the further property research on ferulic acid derivatives.
A Method of Designing in Microstrip Equalizer Based on the Substructure Method
Authors: Zhan Huawei , Yang Haoqiang , Jia Runan , Zhang Yu , Yang Haigang
Published: February 2015

To make the optimization design result of system and components which, contain ordinary non-uniform substructures,
meet the measurement criteria better. According to the microstrip equalizer’s complex electromagnetic characteristics,
the Substructure Analyzing Method of Interconnect-net based on parameters matrices measurement database is
proposed and verified which combines the measure technology with database. The analysis and engineering design of the
abnormal-edge microwave apparatus is realized. The method treats the complex microwave structure as a interconnect of
some simpler substructure, uses the measurement database to character the substructure whose electricity and magnetism
property is difficult to exactly resolve and uses the net cascading method to get the overall net parameters. The method is
the basis of a number of current and pending patents. It may also lead to other fields such as the design of shortwave multimode
multifeed antenna system. In this paper, a typical example of microstrip equalizer optimization is given to illustrate
the efficiency of the method.
Multi-objective Human-computer Co-operative Co-evolutionary Method Based on Non-dominated Sorting Strategy
Authors: Junzhou Huo , Jing Chen , Jianjun Zhou , Hanyang Wu
Published: February 2015

Based on the human-computer cooperation ideas, a Human-Computer Multi-Objective Cooperative
Co-Evolutionary Method (HCMCCM) is developed to solve the complex engineering layout problem, in which the multiobjective
optimization idea is integrated to avoid the "flooding" phenomenon that occurs during the combination of the
artificial solutions and the algorithm solutions. In the proposed HCMCCM, the artificial solutions expressed by unified
encoding strings are incorporated together with the algorithms solutions to create new cooperative solutions based on the
non-dominated sorting strategies. This kind of cooperation can make the artificial solutions and the algorithm solutions on
an equal basis and integrate the artificial individual with the individual algorithms into a multi-objective trade-off. The
numerical simulation results of the satellite layout problem show that the proposed method can combine the artificial
solutions and the algorithm solutions effectively and provide a Pareto solution set for engineers to choose from.
A Non-Monotone Line Search Combination Technique for Unconstrained Optimization
Authors: Hu Ping , Wang Zong-yao
Published: February 2015

We propose a non-monotone line search combination rule for unconstrained optimization problems, the corresponding
non-monotone search algorithm is established and its global convergence can be proved. Finally, we use some
numerical experiments to illustrate the new combination of non-monotone search algorithm’s effectiveness.
Protein-Protein Interaction Prediction using PCA and SVR-PHCS
Authors: Mahmoudian Saeideh , Yousef Abdulaziz , Moghadam Charkari Nasrollah
Published: February 2015

Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) play a key role in many biological systems. Thus, identifying PPIs is critical
for understanding cellular processes. Many experimental techniques were applied to predict PPIs. The data extracted using
these techniques are incomplete and noisy. In this regard, a number of computational methods include machine learning
classification techniques have been developed to reduce the noise data and predict new PPIs.

Since, using regression methods to solve classification problems has good results in other applications. Therefore, in this
paper, a regression view is applied to the PPI prediction classification problem, so a new approach is proposed using Principal
Component Analysis (PCA) and Support Vector Regression (SVR) which has been improved by a new Parallel Hierarchical
Cube Search (PHCS) method. Firstly, PCA algorithm is implemented to select an optimal subset of features
which leads to reduce processing time and to lessen the effect of noise. Then, the PPIs would be predicted, by using SVR.
To get a better performance of SVR, a new PHCS method has been applied to select the appropriate values of SVR parameters.
The obtained classification accuracy of the proposed method is 74.505% on KUPS (The University of Kansas
Proteomics Service) dataset which outperforms the other methods.
Seismic Attributes Method for Prediction of Unconsolidated Sand Reservoirs of Heavy Oil
Authors: Zhang Lei , Zhu Donghui , Zhang Xuejuan
Published: February 2015

Heavy crude oil is known as oil that is highly viscous and of a higher density than that of conventional oil.
Sand reservoirs containing heavy oil generally consist of unconsolidated sediments deposited at a shallow burial depth,
with high porosity and permeability. In seismic exploration, acoustic impedance inversion is a commonly used tool in
reservoir prediction. However, due to the unconsolidated characteristic of heavy oil reservoirs, the wave impedance
difference between heavy oil sandstones and mudstones becomes less apparent, thus limiting the ability of impedance
inversion to accurately characterize the reservoir. Therefore we must expand our characterization of the target heavy oil
reservoirs to include correlation analysis of different seismic attributes to the unconsolidated reservoir thickness. The
results show that there has a strong correlation between the seismic attribute value of instantaneous frequency and
unconsolidated reservoir thickness, more than other seismic attributes in the target strata. Thus the instantaneous
frequency attribute can be used to predict qualitatively the lateral distribution of unconsolidated reservoirs, which in turn,
indicates the vertical variation of thickness for the unconsolidated reservoirs. By using frequency attributes which are
sensitive to unconsolidated sediments, coupling with additional geologic information, we can predict the distribution of
sedimentary facies accurately in the study area, which results in a more reliable prediction for the lateral and vertical
distributions of heavy oil reservoirs.
Treatment of 2-diazo-4, 6-dinitrophenol (DDNP) wastewater using TiO2/SiO2 composite film in new photocatalytic reactor
Authors: Shen Rongyan , Liu Fang , Li Te , Xu Xia , Liang Yuting , Zhao Xingqing , Zhang Wenyi
Published: February 2015

TiO2/SiO2 composite film was used to modify the surface of the filter media
sintered by coal refuse. 2-Diazo-4,6-dinitrophenol (DDNP) wastewater was used
as the response substrate to test its photocatalytic activity in new
self-made photocatalytic reactor. The particle morphology and
physico-chemical properties of the modified filter media were characterized
by the scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer
(EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The influencing factors of the
photocatalytic activity of the modified filter media were studied. When the
modified filter media was used, the decolorization rate and COD removal rate
of DDNP wastewater reached 70.00% and 60.85%, respectively. But unmodified
filter media almost had no photocatalytic activity. The orthogonal experiment
showed that the optimal working parameters separately were: 59:1 of Ti/Si in
the TiO2/SiO2 composite film, pH 1, 7 ml L-1 H2O2, and 3000 times chroma
(equivalent initial concentration of DDNP wastewater). Under the above
condition, the decolorization rate and COD removal rate separately reached
98.50% and 92.50% for 1 h photocatalytic reaction. Under the condition of
illumination and aeration, the photocatalytic activities were obviously
higher than those under only illumination or aeration.
Determination of vertical dimension of occlusion by using the phonetic vowel "O" and "E"
Authors: Igic Marko , Krunic Nebojsa , Aleksov Ljiljana , Kostic Milena , Igic Aleksandra , Petrovic Milica , Dacic Stefan , Igic Stevan , Igic Aleksandar
Published: February 2015

Background/Aim. The vertical dimension of occlusion is a very important
parameter for proper reconstruction of the relationship between the jaws. The
literature describes many methods for its finding, from the simple, easily
applicable clinically, to quite complicated, with the use of one or more
devices for determination. The aim of this study was to examine the
possibility of determining the vertical dimension of occlusion using the
vocals ?O? and ?E? with the control of values o btained by applying cognitive
functions. Methods. This investigation was performed with the two groups of
patients. The first group consisted of 50 females and 50 males, aged 18 to 30
years. In this group the distance between the reference points (on top of the
nose and chin) was measured in the position of the mandible in the vertical
dimension of occlusion, the vertical dimension at rest and the pronunciation
of the words ?OLO? and ?ELE?. Checking the correctness of the particular
value for the word ?OLO? was also performed by the phonetic method with the
application of cognitive exercises when the patients counted from 89 to 80.
The obtained difference in the average values i n determining the vertical
dimension of occlusion and the ?OLO? and ?ELE? in the first group was used as
the reference for determining the vertical dimension of occlusion in the
second group of patients. The second group comprised of 31 edentulous persons
(14 females and 17 males), aged from 54 to 85 years who had been made a
complete denture. Results. The average value obtained for the vertical
dimension of rest for the entire sample was 2.16 mm, for the word ?OLO? for
the entire sample was 5.51 mm and for the word ?ELE? for the entire sample
was 7.47 mm. There was no statistically significant difference between the
genders for the value of the vertical dimension at rest, ?ELE? and ?OLO?.
There was a statistically significant difference between the values f or the
vertical dimension at rest, ?OLO? and ?ELE? for both genders. There was a
statistically significant correlation between the value for the vertical
dimension at rest, ?OLO? and ?ELE?, for both groups of subjects. Conclusion.
Determining the vertical dimension of occlusion requires 5.5 mm subtraction
from the position of the mandible in pronunciation of the word ?OLO? or 7.5
mm in pronunciation of the word ?ELE?.
Campylobacter jejuni infection and IgE sensitization in up to 2-year-old infants
Authors: Jovanovic Dara , Ilic Nevenka , Miljkovic-Selimovic Biljana , Djokic Dragoljub , Relic Tijana , Cambur Zoran , Doder Radoje , Kostic Gordana
Published: February 2015

Background/Aim. The ?hygiene hypothesis? addresses the correlation between
the occurrence of atopy and the frequency of infections in the earliest age,
explaining an increase in the incidence of atopic diseases by living in good,
infection-free, hygienic conditions. The aim of our study was to determine
the conection between atopy and Campylobacter infection, and to analyze the
association between serum concentrations of total IgE and Campylobacter
infection in relation to atopy in children up to two years. Methods. A case
control study was conducted with the sample of 98 infants of the average age
of 8 months. Total serum IgE and Phadiatop infant multi-test were determined
on Immunocap-100 (Phadia AB, Uppsala, Sweden). The presence of atopy was
determined by detection of serumspecific IgE ? 0.35 kUA/L (Phadiatop infant
positive) and serum IgM, IgA, IgG levels against C. jejuni were determined by
a quantitative immuno-enzyme test - SERION ELISA classic. Results. Total IgE
cut-off values ? 15 kU/L point to atopy in infants, and tIgE cut-off values ?
8.1 kU/L pointed to a C. jejuni infection in infants. Within the group of
atopic children, tIgE levels ? 29.8 kU/L point to C. jejuni infection, and
within the group of non-atopic children, tIgE levels ? 5.9 kU/L point to
infection. Enteritis is not a predictor of C. jejuni infection, because of a
high frequency of asymptomatic cases of infection. The risk factors for C.
jejuni infection are age and tIgE, and the protective factors are
breastfeeding and atopy. Conclusion. C. jejuni infection increases the total
serum IgE level, which is predictive of infection, regardless of the presence
of atopy. The presence of symptomatic C. jejuni infection reduces the risk of
atopy in a child of the age of 5-24 months by the factor of 10.
Beta-lactam antibiotics use in intensive care units - the pathophysiological, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and pharmacoeconomic approach
Authors: Peric Aneta , Surbatovic Maja , Vezmar-Kovacevic Sandra , Antunovic Mirjana , Veljovic Milic , Krstic-Lecic Ivana , Djordjevic Dragan , Kilibarda Vesna , Zeba Snjezana , Dobric Silva
Published: February 2015

nema
Surgical treatment of disloced fracture of the scapula column and glenoid: A 22-year follow-up
Authors: Mladenovic Desimir , Mladenovic Marko , Stojiljkovic Predrag , Micic Ivan , Karalejic Sasa
Published: February 2015

Introduction. Most scapular fractures are caused by highimpact blunt
injuries, often as the result of motor vehicle accidents, fall from height,
etc. In 80% to 90% of cases, scapula fractures are associated with multiple
injuries (clavicle fracture, rib fractures, humeral fracture, pulmonary
injury, brachial plexus injury). Case report. We presented scapular fracture
in a 27-years-old male who had sustained a workrelated injury when a ground
soil brick machine pressed him. Fracture line was identified on radiotherapy
and computed tomography scan from the distal scapular angle enclosing
scapular neck. The whole lateral part of the scapula was dislocated laterally
from the scapular body. Scapular fracture was treated operatively. The
posterior approach was used for reposition, while for fixation after
reposition we used two Blunt clamps. We presented functional outcome 22 years
after the injury and the surgical treatment. The patient can perform all
physical activities, still works, and there is no need to remove the
ostheosynthetic material as it causes no discomfort nor problems. The
strength of the shoulder muscles is estimated as physician as the grade 5.
Conclusion. Displaced intraarticular fractures of the scapula should be
treated operatively, with open reduction and internal fixation.
Unilateral galactocele in a male infant
Authors: Vlahovic Aleksandar , Djuricic Slavisa , Todorovic Sladjana
Published: February 2015

Introduction. Galactocele, generally occuring in young women during or after
lactation, is an extremely rare cause of breast enlargement in infants and
children of exclusively male gender. Only 26 cases have been published so
far, including two our cases. Case report. We described unilateral, cystic,
breast enlargement, without any endocrinologic and other abnormalities in a
29-month-old boy. A typical clinical and histopathologic presentation of
galactocele was followed with a complete excision. Conclusion. This was a
27th well documented case of galactocele in a male infant with typical
clinical and histopathologic presentation. There are several hypotheses
regarding etiology of the lesion, but it is likely to be multifactorial.
Because of its extreme rarity, there are some difficulties in differential
diagnosis and treatment options of galactocele in male infants.
Comparison of Large and Ultra-Small Δ14C Measurements in Core Top Benthic Foraminifera from the Okhotsk Sea
Authors: Keigwin L D , Gagnon A R
Published: February 2015

The radiocarbon activity of benthic foraminifera was investigated in surface sediments from a high deposition rate location at a depth of 1000 m in the Okhotsk Sea. Sediments were preserved and stained with Rose Bengal to identify foraminifera that contain cytoplasm. The benthic fauna at this site is dominated by large specimens of Uvigerina peregrina, and bulk samples (∼150 individuals) of stained and unstained specimens were dated. The stained sample was about 240 14C yr younger than the unstained, and the presence of bomb 14C is inferred by comparison to water column data in the nearby open North Pacific. Using new methods, multiple measurements were also made on samples of three stained and unstained individuals (as small as 7 μg C). Results are consistent with those from the bulk samples. This suggests that similar ultra-small measurements could be made at other locations to reveal the age distribution of individuals in a sediment sample in order to assess the extent of bioturbation and the presence of bomb 14C contamination.
Pseudo-Canonical Formulae are Classical
Authors: Caminati Marco B. , Korniłowicz Artur
Published: February 2015

An original result about Hilbert Positive Propositional Calculus introduced in [11] is proven. That is, it is shown that the pseudo-canonical formulae of that calculus (and hence also the canonical ones, see [17]) are a subset of the classical tautologies.
Soil Properties and Soil Management Practices in Commercial Organic and Conventional Vegetable Farms in Kathmandu Valley
Authors: Shrestha Gautam
Published: February 2015

Soil management practices determine the long term productivity of soil. A comparative study of commercial organic and conventional vegetable farming systems was carried out to find out impact of different farming systems on soil properties. This study was executed in Kathmandu valley (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts) among 30 organic and 30 conventional commercial vegetable farmers. Semi-structured questionnaire survey and soil physical and chemical analysis were performed to gather the required information. Results showed that bulk soil pH was significantly higher in the organic field than in the conventional field. Soil organic matter and available soil potassium were significantly higher in amount in the organic farm than in the conventional farm. Total soil nitrogen content and available soil nitrogen content were significantly higher in amount in the conventional farm than in the organic farm. Conventional farmers were applied significantly higher amount of chicken manure and biozyme as compared to organic farmers. Organic farmers applied significantly higher amount of urban compost and bone meal as compared to conventional farmers.  Farmers perceived productivity was increasing in trend in the organic farms whereas it was declining in the conventional farms.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v15i1.12005 Nepal Journal of Science and TechnologyVol. 15, No.1 (2014) 13-22
Life History Traits and Invasion Success of Parthenium hysterophorus L. in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
Authors: Maharjan Seerjana , Joshi Srijana , Shrestha Bharat Babu , Devkota Anjana , Jha Pramod Kumar
Published: February 2015

Parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) is an invasive alien species of global significance which is rapidly expanding in Nepal and other Asian countries with negative impacts on species diversity, health of human and livestock, and productivity of pasture and agriculture. To understand the invasive success of this weed, we analysed soil of its invaded sites, morphological traits, biomass allocation, leaf attributes, and phenology in the Kathmandu valley. The roadside soil, which is loamy sand in the valley is highly suitable for the growth and proliferation of the parthenium weed where its density has become double in less than a decade. An average size plant was 112 cm tall with 12 cm long tap root and produced 2637 achene per plant (max. 3865 per plant). A combination of different leaf traits enables the parthenium to grow under diverse habitats such as resources poor condition (due to low specific leaf area, SLA), disturbed habitats (due to low leaf dry matter content, LDMC) as well as productive sites (due to high leaf nitrogen content). During rainy season it completes lifecycle in 16-18 weeks. Relatively long (12-16 weeks) reproductive period with high output of small seeds and their capacity to germinate and flower anytime in the year make parthenium a successful invasive weed in the Kathmandu valley.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v15i1.12007  Nepal Journal of Science and TechnologyVol. 15, No.1 (2014) 31-38
Assessment of Heavy Metals in Some Vegetables Sold in Urban Open Markets of Kathmandu Valley
Authors: Shakya Pawan Raj , Khwaounjoo Neena Malla
Published: February 2015

Present study describes the extent of heavy metal contamination in two vegetable types viz., cabbage (Brassica oleracea var capitata) and cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var botrytis) sold in urban open markets of Kathmandu valley. A total of 18 vegetable samples collected from various market sites of the valley were analyzed for heavy metals viz., As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Results revealed that the metal concentrations in both the vegetables tested were found in the order as Zn>Cu>Pb>Cd. The metal levels in cabbage leaves irrespective of the market sites, ranged between 0.91–2.05 mg/kg for Cd, 14.32-28.31 mg/kg for Cu, 7.29–14.70 mg/kg for Pb and 36.33–108.09 mg/kg for Zn respectively. Similarly, the metal levels in cauliflower varied from 0.81–1.50 mg/kg for Cd, 19.29–26.77 mg/kg for Cu, 10.82–21.23 mg/kg for Pb and 62.45–73.72 mg/kg for Zn respectively. However, As and Hg were found below the detection limits in both the vegetables tested. It was also found that while the mean concentrations of Cd and Pb exceeded the maximum permissible limits for vegetables, Cu and Zn were found within the safe limits as recommended by FAO/WHO. From the present study, we conclude that a regular monitoring of heavy metals in vegetables is necessary for safe consumption as well as to prevent excessive buildup of these metals in the human food chain.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v15i1.12008 Nepal Journal of Science and TechnologyVol. 15, No.1 (2014) 39-44
Design and Implementation of Synthesizable 32-bit Four Stage Pipelined RISC Processor in FPGA Using Verilog/VHDL
Authors: Poduel Bikash , Kansakar Prasanna , Chhetri Sujit R. , Joshi Shashidhar Ram
Published: February 2015

This paper is delineating the design and implementation of high performance, synthesizable 32-bit pipelined Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) Core. The design of the Harvard Architecture based 32-bit RISC Core involves design of 32-bit Data-path Unit, Control Unit, 32-bit Instruction Memory, 32-bit Data Memory, Register file with each register of size 32 bit. The processor is divided into Fetch, Decode, Execute and Write Back block in order to implement a four-stage pipeline. A 2*16 LCD is connected to the processor IO block to show the instruction execution sequence for demonstration in FPGA. The RISC Core is designed using Verilog HDL and VHDL and is tested in ISIM Simulator. The implementation of the processor is done in a Spartan 3E Starter Board using Xilinx ISE 14.7. All of the instructions incorporated with the processor have been tested successfully both in simulation and hardware implementation in FPGA.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v15i1.12021  Nepal Journal of Science and TechnologyVol. 15, No.1 (2014) 81-88
Analysis of Temporal Variation of Soil Salinity during the Growing Season in a Flooded Rice Field of Thessaloniki Plain-Greece
Authors: Lekakis Emanuel , Aschonitis Vassilis , Pavlatou-Ve Athina , Papadopoulos Aristotelis , Antonopoulos Vassilis
Published: February 2015

The effects of regional water management practices (WMPs) on the soil salinity of a representative rice field under Mediterranean conditions (Thessaloniki plain, Greece) were investigated. The temporal variation of soil salinity parameters in the soil solution and in the exchangeable phase was monitored at and below the root zone (15–20 and 35–40 cm) during the growing season. The comparative analysis (ANOVA for p = 0.05) of the measurements before and after the growing season showed that: (a) for the soil solution of the 15–20 cm layer, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, HCO3− and EC were significantly reduced, Na+ remained constant and Cl− increased, while in the 35–40 cm layer no significant differences were detected to all parameters except for Cl− which was increased; (b) for the exchangeable cations Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ no significant differences were found, while exchangeable Na+ and ESP were significantly increased in both soil layers during the short period of soil drying before harvest. The final values of Na+ and ESP were quite low to indicate soil degradation hazard. Overall the results showed adequate performance of WMPs to preserve a good soil salinity status but with the cost of high water consumption, exceeding 2000 mm.
Hepatitis C, Innate Immunity and Alcohol: Friends or Foes?
Authors: Osna Natalia , Ganesan Murali , Kharbanda Kusum
Published: February 2015

Hepatitis C and alcohol are the most widespread causes of liver disease worldwide. Approximately 80% of patients with a history of hepatitis C and alcohol abuse develop chronic liver injury. Alcohol consumption in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients exacerbates liver disease leading to rapid progression of fibrosis, cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatocytes are the main sites of HCV-infection and ethanol metabolism, both of which generate oxidative stress. Oxidative stress levels affect HCV replication and innate immunity, resulting in a greater susceptibility for HCV-infection and virus spread in the alcoholic patients. In this review paper, we analyze the effects of ethanol metabolism and other factors on HCV replication. In addition, we illustrate the mechanisms of how HCV hijacks innate immunity and how ethanol exposure regulates this process. We also clarify the effects of HCV and ethanol metabolism on interferon signaling—a crucial point for activation of anti-viral genes to protect cells from virus—and the role that HCV- and ethanol-induced impairments play in adaptive immunity which is necessary for recognition of virally-infected hepatocytes. In conclusion, ethanol exposure potentiates the suppressive effects of HCV on innate immunity, which activates viral spread in the liver and finally, leads to impairments in adaptive immunity. The dysregulation of immune response results in impaired elimination of HCV-infected cells, viral persistence, progressive liver damage and establishment of chronic infection that worsens the outcomes of chronic hepatitis C in alcoholic patients.
On Equivalence of Nonequilibrium Thermodynamic and Statistical Entropies
Authors: Gujrati Purushottam
Published: February 2015

We review the concept of nonequilibrium thermodynamic entropy and observables and internal variables as state variables, introduced recently by us, and provide a simple first principle derivation of additive statistical entropy, applicable to all nonequilibrium states by treating thermodynamics as an experimental science. We establish their numerical equivalence in several cases, which includes the most important case when the thermodynamic entropy is a state function. We discuss various interesting aspects of the two entropies and show that the number of microstates in the Boltzmann entropy includes all possible microstates of non-zero probabilities even if the system is trapped in a disjoint component of the microstate space. We show that negative thermodynamic entropy can appear from nonnegative statistical entropy.
Coordinated Charging Strategy for Electric Taxis in Temporal and Spatial Scale
Authors: Yang Yuqing , Zhang Weige , Niu Liyong , Jiang Jiuchun
Published: February 2015

Currently, electric taxis have been deployed in many cities of China. However, the charging unbalance in both temporal and spatial scale has become a rising problem, which leads to low charging efficiency or charging congestion in different stations or time periods. This paper presents a multi-objective coordinated charging strategy for electric taxis in the temporal and spatial scale. That is, the objectives are maximizing the utilization efficiency of charging facilities, minimizing the load unbalance of the regional power system and minimizing the customers’ cost. Besides, the basic configuration of a charging station and operation rules of electric taxis would be the constraints. To tackle this multi-objective optimizing problems, a fuzzy mathematical method has been utilized to transfer the multi-objective optimization to a single optimization issue, and furthermore, the Improved Particle Swarm Optimization (IPSO) Algorithm has been used to solve the optimization problem. Moreover, simulation cases are carried out, Case 1 is the original charging procedure, and Cases 2 and 3 are the temporal and spatial scale optimized separately, followed with Case 4, the combined coordinated charging. The simulation shows the significant improvement in charging facilities efficiency and users’ benefits, as well as the better dispatching of electric taxis’ charging loads.
Proteomic Challenges: Sample Preparation Techniques for Microgram-Quantity Protein Analysis from Biological Samples
Authors: Feist Peter , Hummon Amanda
Published: February 2015

Proteins regulate many cellular functions and analyzing the presence and abundance of proteins in biological samples are central focuses in proteomics. The discovery and validation of biomarkers, pathways, and drug targets for various diseases can be accomplished using mass spectrometry-based proteomics. However, with mass-limited samples like tumor biopsies, it can be challenging to obtain sufficient amounts of proteins to generate high-quality mass spectrometric data. Techniques developed for macroscale quantities recover sufficient amounts of protein from milligram quantities of starting material, but sample losses become crippling with these techniques when only microgram amounts of material are available. To combat this challenge, proteomicists have developed micro-scale techniques that are compatible with decreased sample size (100 μg or lower) and still enable excellent proteome coverage. Extraction, contaminant removal, protein quantitation, and sample handling techniques for the microgram protein range are reviewed here, with an emphasis on liquid chromatography and bottom-up mass spectrometry-compatible techniques. Also, a range of biological specimens, including mammalian tissues and model cell culture systems, are discussed.
6-(4-Amino-1-methyl-2-(methylthio)-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-pyrimidin-5-yl)-3,6-dimethyl-2-(methylthio)-6,7-dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-4,5-dione
Authors: Romo Pablo , Quiroga Jairo , Insuasty Braulio , Nogueras Manuel , Cobo Justo
Published: February 2015

The title compound 6-(4-amino-1-methyl-2-(methylthio)-6-oxo-1,6-dihydro-pyrimidin-5-yl)-3,6-dimethyl-2-(methylthio)-6,7-dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-4,5- dione was synthesized in 60% yield by a microwave-induced cyclocondensation reaction of aminopyrimidine with pyruvic acid in the presence of cerium ammonium nitrate (CAN) as catalyst.
Exploring the Preparation of Albendazole-Loaded Chitosan-Tripolyphosphate Nanoparticles
Authors: Kang Bong-Seok , Lee Sang-Eun , Ng Choon , Kim Jin-Ki , Park Jeong-Sook
Published: February 2015

The objective of this study was to improve the solubility of albendazole and optimize the preparation of an oral nanoparticle formulation, using β-cyclodextrin (βCD) and chitosan-tripolyphosphate (TPP) nanoparticles. The solubility of albendazole in buffers, surfactants, and various concentrations of acetic acid solution was investigated. To determine drug loading, the cytotoxic effects of the albendazole concentration in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) were investigated. The formulations were prepared by mixing the drug solution in Tween 20 with the chitosan solution. TPP solution was added dropwise with sonication to produce a nanoparticle through ionic crosslinking. Then the particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential of the nanoparticles were investigated to obtain an optimal composition. The solubility of albendazole was greater in pH 2 buffer, Tween 20, and βCD depending on the concentration of acetic acid. Drug loading was determined as 100 µg/mL based on the results of cell viability. The optimized ratio of Tween 20, chitosan/hydroxypropyl βCD, and TPP was 2:5:1, which resulted in smaller particle size and proper zeta positive values of the zeta potential. The chitosan-TPP nanoparticles increased the drug solubility and had a small particle size with homogeneity in formulating albendazole as a potential anticancer agent.
Evaluation of Lapatinib Powder-Entrapped Biodegradable Polymeric Microstructures Fabricated by X-Ray Lithography for a Targeted and Sustained Drug Delivery System
Authors: Jeong Eun-Goo , Yoo Hyung , Song Byeonghwa , Kim Hwang-Phill , Han Sae-Won , Kim Tae-You , Cho Dong-Il
Published: February 2015

An oral medication of a molecular targeted drug, lapatinib, is taken regularly to maintain the drug concentration within the desired therapeutic levels. To alleviate the need for such cumbersome administration schedules in several drugs, advanced drug delivery systems (DDSs), which can provide time-controlled and sustained drug release, have recently received significant attention. A biodegradable synthetic polymer, such as polycaprolactone (PCL), is usually used as a carrier material for DDSs. In this paper, lapatinib powder-entrapped, PCL microstructures were fabricated with a precise X-ray lithography-based method. In vitro experiments on HER2 positive-human gastric cancer derived NCI-N87 cells were performed to appraise the drug release characteristics of the fabricated DDSs. The in vitro results indicate that after the X-ray lithography process, the lapatinib powder is still working well and show time- and dose- dependent drug release efficiencies. The cell growth inhibition characteristics of one hundred 40-μm sized microstructures were similar to those of a 1 μM lapatinib solution for over 144 h. In conclusion, the developed lapatinib-entrapped PCL microstructures can be used in molecular targeted delivery and sustained release as effective cancer-targeted DDSs.
Rapid Reactivation of Deep Subsurface Microbes in the Presence of C-1 Compounds
Authors: Rajala Pauliina , Bomberg Malin , Kietäväinen Riikka , Kukkonen Ilmo , Ahonen Lasse , Nyyssönen Mari , Itävaara Merja
Published: February 2015

Microorganisms in the deep biosphere are believed to conduct little metabolic activity due to low nutrient availability in these environments. However, destructive penetration to long-isolated bedrock environments during construction of underground waste repositories can lead to increased nutrient availability and potentially affect the long-term stability of the repository systems, Here, we studied how microorganisms present in fracture fluid from a depth of 500 m in Outokumpu, Finland, respond to simple carbon compounds (C-1 compounds) in the presence or absence of sulphate as an electron acceptor. C-1 compounds such as methane and methanol are important intermediates in the deep subsurface carbon cycle, and electron acceptors such as sulphate are critical components of oxidation processes. Fracture fluid samples were incubated in vitro with either methane or methanol in the presence or absence of sulphate as an electron acceptor. Metabolic response was measured by staining the microbial cells with fluorescent dyes that indicate metabolic activity and transcriptional response with RT-qPCR. Our results show that deep subsurface microbes exist in dormant states but rapidly reactivate their transcription and respiration systems in the presence of C-1 substrates, particularly methane. Microbial activity was further enhanced by the addition of sulphate as an electron acceptor. Sulphate- and nitrate-reducing microbes were particularly responsive to the addition of C-1 compounds and sulphate. These taxa are common in deep biosphere environments and may be affected by conditions disturbed by bedrock intrusion, as from drilling and excavation for long-term storage of hazardous waste.
Open Access Article Processing Charges: DOAJ Survey May 2014
Authors: Morrison Heather , Salhab Jihane , Calvé-Genest Alexis , Horava Tony
Published: February 2015

As of May 2014, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) listed close to ten thousand fully open access, peer reviewed, scholarly journals. Most of these journals do not charge article processing charges (APCs). This article reports the results of a survey of the 2567 journals, or 26% of journals listed in DOAJ, that do have APCs based on a sample of 1432 of these journals. Results indicate a volatile sector that would make future APCs difficult to predict for budgeting purposes. DOAJ and publisher title lists often did not closely match. A number of journals were found on examination not to have APCs. A wide range of publication costs was found for every publisher type. The average (mean) APC of $964 contrasts with a mode of $0. At least 61% of publishers using APCs are commercial in nature, while many publishers are of unknown types. The vast majority of journals charging APCs (80%) were found to offer one or more variations on pricing, such as discounts for authors from mid to low income countries, differential pricing based on article type, institutional or society membership, and/or optional charges for extras such as English language editing services or fast track of articles. The complexity and volatility of this publishing landscape is discussed.
An Improved Unmixing-Based Fusion Method: Potential Application to Remote Monitoring of Inland Waters
Authors: Guo Yulong , Li Yunmei , Zhu Li , Liu Ge , Wang Shuai , Du Chenggong
Published: February 2015

Although remote sensing technology has been widely used to monitor inland water bodies; the lack of suitable data with high spatial and spectral resolution has severely obstructed its practical development. The objective of this study is to improve the unmixing-based fusion (UBF) method to produce fused images that maintain both spectral and spatial information from the original images. Images from Environmental Satellite 1 (HJ1) and Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) were used in this study to validate the method. An improved UBF (IUBF) algorithm is established by selecting a proper HJ1-CCD image band for each MERIS band and thereafter applying an unsupervised classification method in each sliding window. Viewing in the visual sense—the radiance and the spectrum—the results show that the improved method effectively yields images with the spatial resolution of the HJ1-CCD image and the spectrum resolution of the MERIS image. When validated using two datasets; the ERGAS index (Relative Dimensionless Global Error) indicates that IUBF is more robust than UBF. Finally, the fused data were applied to evaluate the chlorophyll a concentrations (Cchla) in Taihu Lake. The result shows that the Cchla map obtained by IUBF fusion captures more detailed information than that of MERIS.
Evaluation of Satellite Rainfall Estimates for Drought and Flood Monitoring in Mozambique
Authors: Toté Carolien , Patricio Domingos , Boogaard Hendrik , Van der Wijngaart Raymond , Tarnavsky Elena , Funk Chris
Published: February 2015

Satellite derived rainfall products are useful for drought and flood early warning and overcome the problem of sparse, unevenly distributed and erratic rain gauge observations, provided their accuracy is well known. Mozambique is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events such as major droughts and floods and thus, an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different rainfall products is valuable. Three dekadal (10-day) gridded satellite rainfall products (TAMSAT African Rainfall Climatology And Time-series (TARCAT) v2.0, Famine Early Warning System NETwork (FEWS NET) Rainfall Estimate (RFE) v2.0, and Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS)) are compared to independent gauge data (2001–2012). This is done using pairwise comparison statistics to evaluate the performance in estimating rainfall amounts and categorical statistics to assess rain-detection capabilities. The analysis was performed for different rainfall categories, over the seasonal cycle and for regions dominated by different weather systems. Overall, satellite products overestimate low and underestimate high dekadal rainfall values. The RFE and CHIRPS products perform as good, generally outperforming TARCAT on the majority of statistical measures of skill. TARCAT detects best the relative frequency of rainfall events, while RFE underestimates and CHIRPS overestimates the rainfall events frequency. Differences in products performance disappear with higher rainfall and all products achieve better results during the wet season. During the cyclone season, CHIRPS shows the best results, while RFE outperforms the other products for lower dekadal rainfall. Products blending thermal infrared and passive microwave imagery perform better than infrared only products and particularly when meteorological patterns are more complex, such as over the coastal, central and south regions of Mozambique, where precipitation is influenced by frontal systems.
Improvements of a COMS Land Surface Temperature Retrieval Algorithm Based on the Temperature Lapse Rate and Water Vapor/Aerosol Effect
Authors: Cho A-Ra , Choi Youn-Young , Suh Myoung-Seok
Published: February 2015

The National Meteorological Satellite Center in Korea retrieves land surface temperature (LST) by applying the split-window LST algorithm (CSW_v1.0) to Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite (COMS) data. Considerable errors were detected under conditions of high water vapor content or temperature lapse rates during validation with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST because of the too simplified LST algorithm. In this study, six types of LST retrieval equations (CSW_v2.0) were developed to upgrade the CSW_v1.0. These methods were developed by classifying “dry,” “normal,” and “wet” cases for day and night and considering the relative sizes of brightness temperature difference (BTD) values. Similar to CSW_v1.0, the LST retrieved by CSW_v2.0 had a correlation coefficient of 0.99 with the prescribed LST and a slightly larger bias of −0.03 K from 0.00K; the root mean square error (RMSE) improved from 1.41 K to 1.39 K. In general, CSW_v2.0 improved the retrieval accuracy compared to CSW_v1.0, especially when the lapse rate was high (mid-day and dawn) and the water vapor content was high. The spatial distributions of LST retrieved by CSW_v2.0 were found to be similar to the MODIS LST independently of the season, day/night, and geographic locations. The validation using one year’s MODIS LST data showed that CSW_v2.0 improved the retrieval accuracy of LST in terms of correlations (from 0.988 to 0.989), bias (from −1.009 K to 0.292 K), and RMSEs (from 2.613 K to 2.237 K).
Sensors for Fluid Leak Detection
Authors: Martinsanz Gonzalo
Published: February 2015

Fluid leak detection represents a problem that has attracted the interest of researchers, but not exclusively because in industries and services leaks are frequently common. Indeed, in water or gas supplies, chemical or thermal plants, sea-lines or cooling/heating systems leakage rates can cause important economic losses and sometimes, what it is more relevant, environmental pollution with human, animal or plant lives at risk. This last issue has led to increased national and international regulations with different degrees of severity regarding environmental conservation.[...]