bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a Tai Chi Intervention to Promote Well-Being in Healthcare Staff: A Pilot Study
Authors: Marshall David , Donohue Grainne , Morrissey Jean , Power Brendan
Published: January 2018

Whilst healthcare professions are already considered one of the most stressful occupations, workplaces are becoming busier, and the potential for workplace absenteeism and burnout has intensified. There is growing evidence that the mind–body practice of Tai Chi, which originated in China as a martial art, has value in treating or preventing many health-related problems, such as stress and anxiety, and that regular practice helps to significantly improve wellbeing, attention, focus, and resilience. This intervention provided 12 sessions of Tai Chi for a group of 12 multidisciplinary healthcare workers and was general wellbeing was measured pre- and post-intervention. Using a mixed methods research design, it was discovered that there were statistically significant gains in well-being during this timeframe with results indicating a strong case for further roll out of the program to a larger pool and more extensive study.
The Benefits of the Ka-Band as Evidenced from the SARAL/AltiKa Altimetric Mission: Scientific Applications
Authors: Verron Jacques , Bonnefond Pascal , Aouf Lofti , Birol Florence , Bhowmick Suchandra , Calmant Stéphane , Conchy Taina , Crétaux Jean-François , Dibarboure Gérald , Dubey A. , Faugère Yannice , Guerreiro Kevin , Gupta P. , Hamon Mathieu , Jebri Fatma , Kumar Raj , Morrow Rosemary , Pascual Ananda , Pujol Marie-Isabelle , Rémy Elisabeth , Rémy Frédérique , Smith Walter , Tournadre Jean , Vergara Oscar
Published: January 2018

The India–France SARAL/AltiKa mission is the first Ka-band altimetric mission dedicated primarily to oceanography. The mission objectives were firstly the observation of the oceanic mesoscales but also global and regional sea level monitoring, including the coastal zone, data assimilation, and operational oceanography. SARAL/AltiKa proved also to be a great opportunity for inland waters applications, for observing ice sheet or icebergs, as well as for geodetic investigations. The mission ended its nominal phase after three years in orbit and began a new phase (drifting orbit) in July 2016. The objective of this paper is to highlight some of the most remarkable achievements of the SARAL/AltiKa mission in terms of scientific applications. Compared to the standard Ku-band altimetry measurements, the Ka-band provides substantial improvements in terms of spatial resolution and data accuracy. We show here that this leads to remarkable advances in terms of observation of the mesoscale and coastal ocean, waves, river water levels, ice sheets, icebergs, fine scale bathymetry features as well as for the many related applications.
Fusion of NASA Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) Lidar Time Series over Mountain Forest Landscapes
Authors: Ferraz António , Saatchi Sassan , Bormann Kat , Painter Thomas
Published: January 2018

Mountain ecosystems are among the most fragile environments on Earth. The availability of timely updated information on forest 3D structure would improve our understanding of the dynamic and impact of recent disturbance and regeneration events including fire, insect damage, and drought. Airborne lidar is a critical tool for monitoring forest change at high resolution but it has been little used for this purpose due to the scarcity of long-term time-series of measurements over a common region. Here, we investigate the reliability of on-going, multi-year lidar observations from the NASA-JPL Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) to characterize forest 3D structure at a fine spatial scale. In this study, weekly ASO measurements collected at ~1 pt/m2, primarily acquired to quantify snow volume and dynamics, are coherently merged to produce high-resolution point clouds ( ~ 12 pt/m2) that better describe forest structure. The merging methodology addresses the spatial bias in multi-temporal data due to uncertainties in platform trajectory and motion by collecting tie objects from isolated tree crown apexes in the lidar data. The tie objects locations are assigned to the centroid of multi-temporal lidar points to fuse and optimize the location of multiple measurements without the need for ancillary data or GPS control points. We apply the methodology to ASO lidar acquisitions over the Tuolumne River Basin in the Sierra Nevada, California, during the 2014 snow monitoring campaign and provide assessment of the fidelity of the fused point clouds for forest mountain ecosystem studies. The availability of ASO measurements that currently span 2013–2017 enable annual forest monitoring of important vegetated ecosystems that currently face ecological threads of great significance such as the Sierra Nevada (California) and Olympic National Forest (Washington).
Paper-Based Electrochemical Detection of Chlorate
Authors: Shriver-Lake Lisa , Zabetakis Dan , Dressick Walter , Stenger David , Trammell Scott
Published: January 2018

We describe the use of a paper-based probe impregnated with a vanadium-containing polyoxometalate anion, [PMo11VO40]5−, on screen-printed carbon electrodes for the electrochemical determination of chlorate. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronocoulometry were used to characterize the ClO3− response in a pH = 2.5 solution of 100 mM sodium acetate. A linear CV current response was observed between 0.156 and 1.25 mg/mL with a detection limit of 0.083 mg/mL (S/N > 3). This performance was reproducible using [PMo11VO40]5−-impregnated filter paper stored under ambient conditions for as long as 8 months prior to use. At high concentration of chlorate, an additional catalytic cathodic peak was seen in the reverse scan of the CVs, which was digitally simulated using a simple model. For chronocoulometry, the charge measured after 5 min gave a linear response from 0.625 to 2.5 mg/mL with a detection limit of 0.31 mg/mL (S/N > 3). In addition, the slope of charge vs. time also gave a linear response. In this case the linear range was from 0.312 to 2.5 mg/mL with a detection limit of 0.15 mg/mL (S/N > 3). Simple assays were conducted using three types of soil, and recovery measurements reported.
An EEG-Based Person Authentication System with Open-Set Capability Combining Eye Blinking Signals
Authors: Wu Qunjian , Zeng Ying , Zhang Chi , Tong Li , Yan Bin
Published: January 2018

The electroencephalogram (EEG) signal represents a subject’s specific brain activity patterns and is considered as an ideal biometric given its superior forgery prevention. However, the accuracy and stability of the current EEG-based person authentication systems are still unsatisfactory in practical application. In this paper, a multi-task EEG-based person authentication system combining eye blinking is proposed, which can achieve high precision and robustness. Firstly, we design a novel EEG-based biometric evoked paradigm using self- or non-self-face rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP). The designed paradigm could obtain a distinct and stable biometric trait from EEG with a lower time cost. Secondly, the event-related potential (ERP) features and morphological features are extracted from EEG signals and eye blinking signals, respectively. Thirdly, convolutional neural network and back propagation neural network are severally designed to gain the score estimation of EEG features and eye blinking features. Finally, a score fusion technology based on least square method is proposed to get the final estimation score. The performance of multi-task authentication system is improved significantly compared to the system using EEG only, with an increasing average accuracy from 92.4% to 97.6%. Moreover, open-set authentication tests for additional imposters and permanence tests for users are conducted to simulate the practical scenarios, which have never been employed in previous EEG-based person authentication systems. A mean false accepted rate (FAR) of 3.90% and a mean false rejected rate (FRR) of 3.87% are accomplished in open-set authentication tests and permanence tests, respectively, which illustrate the open-set authentication and permanence capability of our systems.
Complex Relationships of the Effects of Topographic Characteristics and Susceptible Tree Cover on Burn Severity
Authors: Lee Hyun-Joo , Choi Yun , Lee Sang-Woo
Published: January 2018

Forest fires and burn severity mosaics have profound impacts on the post-fire dynamics and complexity of forest ecosystems. Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between topographic variables and susceptible tree covers with regard to burn severity. However, these relationships have not been fully elucidated, because most studies have assumed linearity in these relationships. Therefore, we examined the linearity and the nonlinearity in the relationships between topographic variables and susceptible tree covers with burn severity by comparing linear and nonlinear models. The site of the Samcheok fire, the largest recorded forest fire in Korea, was used as the study area. We generated 802 grid cells with a 500-m resolution that encompassed the entire study area and collected a dataset that included the topographic variables and percentage of red pine trees, which are the most susceptible tree cover types in Korea. We used conventional linear models and generalized additive models to estimate the linear and the nonlinear models based on topographic variables and Japanese red pine trees. The results revealed that the percentage of red pine trees had linear effects on burn severity, reinforcing the importance of silviculture and forest management to lower burn severity. Meanwhile, the topographic variables had nonlinear effects on burn severity. Among the topographic variables, elevation had the strongest nonlinear effect on burn severity, possibly by overriding the effects of susceptible fuels over elevation effects or due to the nonlinear effects of topographic characteristics on pre-fire fuel conditions, including the spatial distribution and availability of susceptible tree cover. To validate and generalize the nonlinear effects of elevation and other topographic variables, additional research is required at different fire sites with different tree cover types in different geographic locations.
Wind Power Development and Energy Storage under China’s Electricity Market Reform—A Case Study of Fujian Province
Authors: Mou Dunguo
Published: January 2018

This paper, based on the Fujian provincial 500 kV grid and part of the 220 kV grid and the key power plants, including hydro, coal, nuclear, gas, wind and pumping and storage hydro powers (PSHP) connected to the grid, constructs an independent electricity market model. Using data that are very close to reality about coal fired power production costs, along with data about power plants’ technical constraints, this paper studies the effect of wind power on Fujian’s provincial electricity market. Firstly, the paper analyzes the relationship between wind speed and wind power output and the effects of short-term power output fluctuation on frequency modulation and voltage regulation. Secondly, under supposition of the production costs following quadratic functions, the paper analyzes the effects of changes in wind power output on the electricity supply costs under optimal power flow. Thirdly, using the bidding model in the Australian Electricity Market Operator for reference and supposing that, in a competitive market, coal fired power plants can bid 6 price bands according to their capacity, the paper analyzes effects of wind power on electricity prices under optimal power flow, the stabilizing effects of PSHP and the minimum PSHP capacity needed to stabilize the electricity market. Finally, using a daily load curve, this paper simulates the electricity prices’ fluctuation under optimal power flow and PSHP’s stabilizing effect. The results show that, although PSHP has a large external social welfare effect, it can hardly make a profit. In the end, this paper puts forward some policy suggestions for Fujian province’s wind and nuclear power development, PSHP construction and electricity market development.
Recurrence Interval Analysis on Electricity Consumption of an Office Building in China
Authors: Hong Lucheng , Shu Wantao , Chao Angela
Published: January 2018

The energy management of office buildings has been a rising concern for owners, researchers, and energy suppliers. The volatility of power load in office buildings threatens energy consumption and risks device security. This paper investigates the load fluctuation patterns in an office building based on user data, using recurrence interval analysis for different thresholds. The recurrence intervals of volatility are fitted by stretched exponential distribution, from which the probability density function is derived. Then, the short-term and long-term memory effect on the fluctuations are learned by conditional probability density function and multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis, respectively. A hazard function is further established to analyze the risk estimation of load volatility and derive the value at risk (VaR). Thus, a functional relationship has been established between average recurrence interval and threshold. The methodology and analysis results addressed in this paper help to understand load fluctuation patterns and aid in the design of energy consumption strategies in office buildings. According to the results of our research, conclusions and management suggestions are provided at the end of this paper.
Chiral Heterocycle-Based Receptors for Enantioselective Recognition
Authors: Khose Vaibhav N. , John Marina E. , Pandey Anita D. , Borovkov Victor , Karnik Anil V.
Published: January 2018

The majority of biomolecules found in living beings are chiral, therefore chiral molecular recognition in living systems is crucial to life. Following Cram’s seminal work on the crown-based chiral recognition, prominent research groups have reported innumerable chiral receptors with distinctly different geometrical features and asymmetry elements. Main applications of such chiral receptors are found in chiral chromatography, as for analytical purposes and for bulk separation of racemates.Incorporation of heterocyclic rings in these recognition systems added a new dimension to the existing group of receptors. Heterocycles have additional features such as availability of unshared electron pairs, pronounced conformational features, introduction of hydrogen bonding and presence of permanent dipoles as well as specific spectral properties in certain cases. These features are found to enhance binding properties of the receptors and the selectivity factors between opposite enantiomers, allowing them to be effectively separated. The review presents the synthetic approaches towards these heterocyclic receptors and their distinctly different behavior vis-à-vis carbocyclic receptors.
Modeling Exposure to Heat Stress with a Simple Urban Model
Authors: Hoffmann Peter , Fischereit Jana , Heitmann Stefan , Schlünzen K. , Gasser Ingenuin
Published: January 2018

As a first step in modeling health-related urban well-being (UrbWellth), a mathematical model is constructed that dynamically simulates heat stress exposure of commuters in an idealized city. This is done by coupling the Simple Urban Radiation Model (SURM), which computes the mean radiant temperature ( T m r t ), with a newly developed multi-class multi-mode traffic model. Simulation results with parameters chosen for the city of Hamburg for a hot summer day show that commuters are potentially most exposed to heat stress in the early afternoon when T m r t has its maximum. Varying the morphology with respect to street width and building height shows that a more compact city configuration reduces T m r t and therefore the exposure to heat stress. The impact resulting from changes in the city structure on traffic is simulated to determine the time spent outside during the commute. While the time in traffic jams increases for compact cities, the total commuting time decreases due to shorter distances between home and work place. Concerning adaptation measures, it is shown that increases in the albedo of the urban surfaces lead to an increase in daytime heat stress. Dramatic increases in heat stress exposure are found when both, wall and street albedo, are increased.
Protective Immunity Induced by DNA Vaccination against Ranavirus Infection in Chinese Giant Salamander Andrias davidianus
Authors: Chen Zhong-Yuan , Li Tao , Gao Xiao-Chan , Wang Chen-Fei , Zhang Qi-Ya
Published: January 2018

Andrias davidianus ranavirus (ADRV) is an emerging viral pathogen that causes severe systemic hemorrhagic disease in Chinese giant salamanders. There is an urgent need for developing an effective vaccine against this fatal disease. In this study, DNA vaccines containing the ADRV 2L gene (pcDNA-2L) and the 58L gene (pcDNA-58L) were respectively constructed, and their immune protective effects were evaluated in Chinese giant salamanders. In vitro and in vivo expression of the vaccine plasmids were confirmed in transfected cells and muscle tissues of vaccinated Chinese giant salamanders by using immunoblot analysis or RT-PCR. Following ADRV challenge, the Chinese giant salamanders vaccinated with pcDNA-2L showed a relative percent survival (RPS) of 66.7%, which was significant higher than that in Chinese giant salamanders immunized with pcDNA-58L (RPS of 3.3%). Moreover, the specific antibody against ADRV was detected in Chinese giant salamanders vaccinated with pcDNA-2L at 14 and 21 days post-vaccination by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Transcriptional analysis revealed that the expression levels of immune-related genes including type I interferon (IFN), myxovirus resistance (Mx), major histocompatibility complex class IA (MHC IA), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) were strongly up-regulated after vaccination with pcDNA-2L. Furthermore, vaccination with pcDNA-2L significantly suppressed the virus replication, which was seen by a low viral load in the spleen of Chinese giant salamander survivals after ADRV challenge. These results indicated that pcDNA-2L could induce a significant innate immune response and an adaptive immune response involving both humoral and cell-mediated immunity that conferred effective protection against ADRV infection, and might be a potential vaccine candidate for controlling ADRV disease in Chinese giant salamanders.
Sorption of Arsenic from Desalination Concentrate onto Drinking Water Treatment Solids: Operating Conditions and Kinetics
Authors: Xu Xuesong , Lin Lu , Papelis Charalambos , Xu Pei
Published: January 2018

Selective removal of arsenic from aqueous solutions with high salinity is required for safe disposal of the concentrate and protection of the environment. The use of drinking water treatment solids (DWTS) to remove arsenic from reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate was studied by batch sorption experiments. The impacts of solution chemistry, contact time, sorbent dosage, and arsenic concentration on sorption were investigated, and arsenic sorption kinetics and isotherms were modeled. The results indicated that DWTS were effective in removing arsenic from RO concentrate. The arsenic sorption process followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Multilayer adsorption was simulated by Freundlich equation. The maximum sorption capacities were calculated to be 170 mg arsenic per gram of DWTS. Arsenic sorption was enhanced by surface precipitation onto the DWTS due to the high amount of calcium in the RO concentrate and the formation of ternary complexes between arsenic and natural organic matter (NOM) bound by the polyvalent cations in DWTS. The interactions between arsenic and NOM in the solid phase and aqueous phase exhibited two-sided effects on arsenic sorption onto DWTS. NOM in aqueous solution hindered the arsenic sorption onto DWTS, while the high organic matter content in solid DWTS phase enhanced arsenic sorption.
Datation d'une stalagmite dans la caverne de Tenehet (Wildhorn, Valais -Suisse)
Authors: Quinif Yves , Leroy José , Morverand Philippe , Pahud André
Published: January 2018

La caverne du Ténéhet (669 m, -120 m) se situe à 2770 m d'altitude en bordure du glacier du Wildhorn (Suisse). Des concrétionnements abondants et brisés naturellement ont été observés dans un paléo-collecteur se développant vers -70 m. Une datation U/Th donne un âge de plus de 400 000 ans. Ces données suggèrent l'âge ancien de cette cavité qui a dû se former avant les glaciations quaternaires à une époque plus chaude et dans un contexte géomorphologique différent.
Niveaux marins et karsts à Saint Domingue
Authors: Diaz del Olmo Fernando , Camara Artigas Rafael
Published: January 2018

La secuencia dc niveles marinos y karstificaciôn asociada a las terrazas coralinas de les costas de la Republica Dominicana, pone de manifiesto una dinâ-mica cuaternaria ligada a los cambios climâticos con repercusion directa en las variaciones del nivel del mar en el Caribe, correlacionables con los registros isotôpicos del oxigeno. La evoluciôn analizada abarca los ûltimos 400 000 anos, limite cronometri-co del U/Th, y pone de manifiesto la importances de los Estados 1, 5 y 7 (interglaciales) en la conformaciôn de las terrazas coralinas. Las diferencias de la karstificaciôn entre periodos antiguos del Pleistoceno y mas recientes, se plantean derivadas de una posible evoluciôn del sistema morfoclima-tico intertropical hacia mis seco.
Analyse des conditions de développement de la karstification profonde
Authors: Fourneaux Jean-Claude
Published: January 2018

Karstification is a dissolving process which enlarges some channels, clefts and fractures and eventually creates caves. The phenomenon is only possible in deep areas located under the base level, if water flows easily. The analysis of the physical and chemical data accumulated at the beginning of the flood shows hotter and more mineralized waters once the flow starts accelerating. The hydrodynamic study of the phenomenon allows to build a model that explains the deep karstification process. The deep karstification process occurs when a very heterogeneous distribution of pressures briefly takes place in the aquiferous system at the beginning of the recharge. This is due to the fact that the zvaters reach the karstic conduits at different times and therefore the refill and the eviction of waters do not occur uniformly in the saturated zone. Actually, the very mineralized waters located under the base level in the caves, conduits and other holes are evicted first. Then, these waters are replaced by aggressive waters, which are often with a high CO2 concentration. As a result, the limestones dissolution process starts again in the area under the outlet point and the splits and bedding joints keep on enlarging. The heterogeneous distribution of pressures also opens new splits through a corner effect and leads to the development in depth of the karstification process.
Let-7c Inhibits the Proliferation, Invasion, and Migration of Glioma Cells via Targeting E2F5
Authors: Huang Mengyi , Gong Xin
Published: January 2018

As a member of the miRNA family, let-7c has been identified as a tumor suppressor in many cancers. However, the molecular biological function of let-7c in glioma has not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to explore let-7c expression levels and evaluate its function in glioma
cells. We first measured the expression of let-7c in four glioma cell lines and a normal cell line by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and the results showed that let-7c was downregulated in glioma cells. By applying gain-of-function and loss-of-function
assays, the experiments suggested that dysregulation of let-7c could obviously affect cell proliferation, metastasis, and invasion. Based on online bioinformatics analysis and Dual-Luciferase Reporter assays, we found that E2F5 was a target gene of let-7c and contributed to the function of let-7c in glioma cells. Our investigations indicated that loss of let-7c contributed to the progression of glioma cells.
Measurement of the Electrically Evoked Stapedial Reflex Response with Wideband Acoustic Reflectance Measurement
Authors: Wolfe Jace , Gifford Rene , Schafer Erin
Published: January 2018

Background:The electrically evoked stapedial reflex threshold (ESRT) has been shown to be a good predictor of upper stimulation level for cochlear implant recipients. Previous research has shown that the ESRT may be recorded at lower stimulation levels and with a higher incidence
of success with the use of higher frequency probe tones (e.g., 678 and 1000 Hz) relative to the use of the conventional 226-Hz probe tone. Research has also shown that the acoustic reflex may be recorded at lower stimulus levels with the use of wideband reflectance when compared to the acoustic
reflex threshold recorded with a conventional acoustic immittance measurement.Purpose:The objective of this study was to compare the ESRT recorded with acoustic immittance and wideband reflectance measurements.Research Design:A repeated measures design was used to evaluate potential
differences in ESRTs with stimulation at an apical, middle, and basal electrode contact with the use of two different techniques, acoustic immittance measurement and wideband reflectance.Study Sample:Twelve users of Cochlear Nucleus cochlear implants were included in the study.Data
Collection and Analysis:Participants’ ESRTs were evaluated in response to simulation at three different electrode contact sites (i.e., an apical, middle, and basal electrode contact) with the use of two different middle ear measurement techniques, acoustic immittance with the use
of a 226-Hz probe tone and wideband reflectance with the use of a chirp stimulus.Results:The mean ESRT recorded with wideband reflectance measurement was significantly lower when compared to the ESRT recorded with acoustic immittance. For one participant, the ESRT was not recorded with
acoustic immittance before reaching the participant’s loudness discomfort threshold, but it was successfully recorded with the use of wideband reflectanceConclusions:The ESRT may potentially be recorded at lower presentation levels with the use of wideband reflectance measures
relative to the use of acoustic immittance with a 226-Hz probe tone. This may allow for the ESRT to be obtained at levels that are more comfortable for the cochlear implant recipient, which may also allow for a higher incidence in the successful recording of the ESRT.
DIRVOŽEMIO TARŠA SUNKIAISIAIS METALAIS VILNIAUS MIESTO
ŠNIPIŠKIŲ MIKRORAJONE
Authors: BARTAŠIŪNAITĖ Berta , SATKŪNAS Jonas , VALSKYS Vaidotas , IGNATAVIČIUS Gytautas
Published: January 2018

Straipsnyje nagrinėjama Vilniaus miesto Šnipiškių mikrorajono dirvožemio tarša sunkiaisiais metalais. Tyrimai
atlikti rentgeno fluorescenciniu spektrometru Niton XL2. Analizuojami Vilniaus miesto Šnipiškių mikrorajono dirvožemio
kokybiniai parametrai: sunkiųjų metalų koncentracijos (As, Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, Ni, Co, Mn), erdvinis pasiskirstymas. Gauti
rezultatai apdoroti „ArcMap“ programine įranga, kuria naudojantis tiriamojoje teritorijoje atlikta sunkiųjų metalų koncentracijų
interpoliacija. Pateikiami ir aptariami tyrimų duomenys, kurie lyginami su aplinkosauginiais normatyvais bei
ankstesniais tyrimų rezultatais. Įvertinamos potencialiai pavojingiausios Šnipiškių mikrorajono teritorijos, kuriose nustatytos
didžiausios sunkiųjų metalų koncentracijos. Atlikus išsamius urbanizuotos teritorijos dirvožemio tyrimus, galima
įvertinti antropogeninio poveikio mastą, kuris gali būti kenksmingas žmogaus sveikatai ir visai dirvožemio ekosistemai.
Tyrimo duomenys, jų rezultatai ir analizė papildo 1999 metais paskelbtus Šnipiškių mikrorajono dirvožemio tyrimus ir
leidžia geriau suprasti urbanizuotų teritorijų dirvožemio užterštumo laipsnį bei kitimo tendencijas.
ANYKŠČIŲ MIESTO PAVIRŠINIŲ NUOTEKŲ UŽTERŠTUMO VERTINIMAS
Authors: KLEPAITĖ Kristina , ALEKNAITĖ Jurgita , ŠEREVIČIENĖ Vaida , PALIULIS Dainius
Published: January 2018

Lietuvoje gausu geros/labai geros ekologinės būklės upių bei kitų vandens telkinių, kurie laikomi šalies gamtos turtu. Labai svarbu išsaugoti tinkamą ekologinę būklę nuo bet kokios žmogaus veiklos sukeltos taršos. Norint įvertinti upės vandens būklę, reikia įvertinti jos kokybės kaitą. Šiame straipsnyje siekiama įvertinti miesto teritorijos paviršinių nuotekų įtaką paviršinio vandens telkiniams – per miestą tekančioms upėms. Norint ištirti paviršinių nuotekų poveikį upei buvo pasirinktas Anykščių miestas ir jo paviršinių nuotekų sistemos tinklas su išleistuvais į miesto upelius, bei Šventosios upę. Siekiant įvertinti paviršinių nuotekų poveikį upei buvo pasinaudota miesto paviršinių nuotekų išleistuvų žemėlapiu ir paimti mėginiai iš visų nuotekų išleidimo sistemų. Atsižvelgta į tai, jog paviršinių nuotekų sistemoje neįdiegti valymo įrenginiai ir paviršinės nuotekos nevalomos. Atlikti vandens kokybės tyrimai, kurie paviršinėms nuotekoms retai arba iš viso neatliekami ir nustatyti parametrai: pH, nitratai ir nitritai, amonio azotas bei bendras azotas, fosforas ir fosfatai, chloridai, permanganatinės oksidacijos laipsnis. Naftos ir jos produktų buvimą patvirtino atliktas bendrosios ir neorganinės anglies tyrimas. Aptiktas didžiausias naftos ir jos produktų kiekis – 2,06 mg/l, kuris neviršija didžiausios leistinos koncentracijos (DLK = 5 mg/l), tačiau vietomis skendinčių medžiagų kiekis siekė 192,3 mg/l ir viršijo 30 mg/l leistiną ribą 6,4 kartus. Didžiausią įtaką miesto paviršinių nuotekų užterštumui daro meteorologinės sąlygos ir galimi taršos šaltiniai – tai senos potencialiai užterštos teritorijos, padidėjęs transporto srautas, remontuojami keliai. Skendinčių medžiagų kiekio padidėjimas fiksuojamas po žiemos sezono, kai dėl sniego ir ledo dangos buvo intensyviai barstomos gatvės.
KADMIO IR VARIO POVEIKIS VAISTINIŲ RAMUNIŲ (MATRICARIA RECUTITA)
MORFOLOGINIAMS, FIZIOLOGINIAMS IR BIOCHEMINIAMS PARAMETRAMS
Authors: NARKEVIČIŪTĖ Vilgailė , ŽALTAUSKAITĖ Jūratė
Published: January 2018

Daug vaistinių augalų naudojami farmacijoje, taip pat kaip prieskoniai ir arbatos. Didėjanti aplinkos tarša, gali
turėti įtakos vaistinių augalų kokybei, tuo pačiu ir žmonių, kurie vartoja vaistinius augalus sveikatai. Dažnas užterštų
sunkiaisiais metalais vaistinių augalų naudojimas gali sukelti neigiamą toksinį poveikį žmogaus organizmui.
Šio darbo tikslas buvo nustatyti chronišką dirvožemio užterštumo kadmiu (Cd) (3, 6, 12 mg/kg) ir variu (Cu) (100, 200,
400 mg/kg) poveikį vaistinės ramunės (lot. Matricaria recutita) augimui. Buvo tirtas Cd ir Cu poveikis vaistinės ramunės
(lot. Matricaria recutita) morfologiniams (šaknų šviežios ir sausos masės, žiedų kiekis), fiziologiniams (fotosintezės pigmentų
kiekiai) ir biocheminiams (malondialdehido kiekis) parametrams.
DIDŽIOSIOS RŪGTIES (REYNOUTRIA SACHALINENSIS) PANAUDOJIMAS ENERGETIKOJE
Authors: STREIKUS Dionizas , JASINSKAS Algirdas
Published: January 2018

Didžioji rūgtis (Reynoutria sachalinensis) pasirinkta kaip perspektyvus energinis augalas, nes ji nėra reikli dirvožemiui ir dėl aukšto derlingumo priklauso patiems našiausiems centrinės Europos augalams. Dėl panašių mechaninių ir terminių savybių rūgtys prilyginamos medienos briketams ir granulėms. Jų produktyvumas – 15 t ha–1 sausos masės. Eksperimentiniai tyrimai buvo atlikti Aleksandro Stulginskio universiteto laboratorijose. Rūgčių ir drambliažolių bei sidų biomasė buvo nupjauta, susmulkinta, sumalta ir granuliuota mažos galios granuliatoriumi (200– 350 kg h–1). Buvo nustatyti techniniai biokuro paruošimo ir naudojimo parametrai. Drambliažolė (Miscanthus sinensis) ir sida (Sida hermaphrodita) buvo pasirinkti kaip kontroliniai augalai. Buvo nustatyta augalo pjaustinio ir frakcinė miltų sudėtis, taip pat granulių kokybės rodikliai – drėgnis, tankis, elementinė sudėtis, peleningumas ir šilumingumas. Drėgnis siekė 30,5 %, tankis – 1057,5 kg m–3, peleningumas – 4,3 %, o šilumingumas – 17,7 MJ kg–1.
ANTROPOGENINĖS VEIKLOS ĮTAKA ŠVENTOSIOS UPĖS VANDENS KOKYBEI IR
BIOGENINIŲ MEDŽIAGŲ KAITOS TENDENCIJOS
Authors: ŠAUČIŪNAS Laurynas , BAGDŽIŪNAITĖ-LITVINAITIENĖ Lina
Published: January 2018

Dėl antropogeninės veiklos didėjanti biogeninių medžiagų migracija upių vandenyje yra pagrindinis veiksnys,
lemiantis upių vandens kokybę. Siekiant išsaugoti gerą upių bei kitų paviršinių vandens telkinių būklę, būtina imtis prevencinių
priemonių, kuriomis gali būti moksliniai vandens kokybės tyrimai ir jų analizė. Pagal atliktus natūrinius tyrimus,
straipsnyje analizuojama Anykščių miesto, kaip sutelktosios taršos šaltinio, įtaka Šventosios upės vandens kokybei. Taip
pat, remiantis statistine informacija, atliekama biogeninių medžiagų koncentracijų kitimo tendencijų analizė, įvertinant
meteorologinių ir hidrologinių sąlygų įtaką. Tyrimai atlikti 2016 m. liepos-rugsėjo mėn. Fotometrinės analizės pagrindu
ištirtos amonio (NH4-N), nitritų (NO2-N), nitratų (NO3-N), fosfatų (PO4-P) ir ištirpusio deguonies (O2) koncentracijos.
Siekiant nustatyti sutelktosios taršos šaltinio įtaką upės vandens kokybei, vertinamas koncentracijų pokytis prieš Anykščių
miestą ir už jo, atsižvelgiant į meteorologines ir hidrologines sąlygas. Nustatyta, kad bendrojo azoto (Nb) ir fosfatinio
fosforo (PO4-P) koncentracijos tiriamuoju laikotarpiu už misto atitinkamai padidėja 6 % ir 8 %.
DESIGN OF THE REGENERATION METHOD OF HYDROXYL-CONTAINING
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS IN PROCESSES OF WATER PURIFICATION FROM
BORON
Authors: URBANAS David , MELNYK Liudmyla
Published: January 2018

The regeneration method of zirconium hydroxide sorbent spent in the boron sorption process by diluted solution
of acids as well as the principle recycling diagram of the formed regenerating solution by the nanofiltration process
with the OPMN-P membrane were proposedin this work. The permeate obtained can be used as a boron-containing microfertilizer
(ammonium salt + boron) after it has been neutralised with ammonium hydroxide. Zirconium-containing
concentrate may be reused for sorbent preparation. The effectiveness of separation of the regenerating solution components
by nanofiltration is demonstrated by high values of zirconium rejection coefficient in this process (RZr ~98– 99%)
and low values of boron rejection coefficient (RB ~12%). In this case the specific performance of the membrane is about
50 dm3/m2·h.
http://journals.vgtu.lt/index.php/MLA/article/view/114
Authors: GURAUSKIS Donatas , GURAUSKIS Donatas , FURSENKO Antanas , SAMY Mohammed
Published: January 2018

Knowledge of the ongoing processes in the linear encoder and application of new technologies allows to solve problems and adapt to increasingly tightening requirements. In the paper, the dynamical characteristics of the linear encoder scanning-head are examined, and the special experimental equipment for the investigation of the mechanical vibration influence, while the head is driven at certain speeds, is presented.
Quasi-periodic Behavior of Mini-disks in Binary Black Holes Approaching Merger
Authors: Bowen Dennis B. , Mewes Vassilios , Campanelli Manuela , Noble Scott C. , Krolik Julian H. , Zilhão Miguel
Published: January 2018

We present the first magnetohydrodynamic simulation in which a circumbinary disk around a relativistic binary black hole feeds mass to individual accretion disks (“mini-disks”) around each black hole. Mass flow through the accretion streams linking the circumbinary disk to the mini-disks is modulated quasi-periodically by the streams’ interaction with a nonlinear m = 1 density feature, or “lump,” at the inner edge of the circumbinary disk: the stream supplying each mini-disk comes into phase with the lump at a frequency 0.74 times the binary orbital frequency. Because the binary is relativistic, the tidal truncation radii of the mini-disks are not much larger than their innermost stable circular orbits; consequently, the mini-disks’ inflow times are shorter than the conventional estimate and are comparable to the stream modulation period. As a result, the mini-disks are always in inflow disequilibrium, with their masses and spiral density wave structures responding to the stream’s quasi-periodic modulation. The fluctuations in each mini-disk’s mass are so large that as much as 75% of the total mini-disk mass can be contained within a single mini-disk. Such quasi-periodic modulation of the mini-disk structure may introduce distinctive time-dependent features in the binary’s electromagnetic emission.
Requirement for CD40/CD40L Interactions for Development of Autoimmunity Differs Depending on Specific Checkpoint and Costimulatory Pathways
Authors: Voynova Elisaveta , Mahmoud Tamer , Woods Lucas T , Weisman Gary A , Ettinger Rachel , Braley-Mullen Helen
Published: January 2018

CD40/CD40L interactions play a critical role in immunity and autoimmunity. In this study, we sought to understand the requirement for CD40 signaling in the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) checkpoint and CD28 costimulatory pathways important for maintenance of peripheral tolerance. Blocking either pathway can result in loss of self-tolerance and development of autoimmunity. We found that primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) and autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATDs) that develop spontaneously in CD28-deficient IFN-γ−/− NOD.H-2h4 (CD28−/−) mice required CD40 signaling. Specifically, blockade of CD40L with the anti-CD40L mAb, MR1, inhibited autoantibody production and inflammation in thyroid and salivary gland target tissues. Unexpectedly, however, ATD and pSS in PD-1–deficient IFN-γ−/− NOD.H-2h4 (PD-1−/−) mice developed independently of CD40/CD40L interactions. Treatment with MR1 had no effect and even exacerbated disease development in pSS and ATD, respectively. Most interesting, anti-thyroglobulin and pSS-associated autoantibodies were increased following anti-CD40L treatment, even though MR1 effectively inhibited the spontaneous splenic germinal centers that form in PD-1–deficient mice. Importantly, blockade of the PD-1 pathway by administration of anti–PD-1 mAb in CD28−/− mice recapitulated the PD-1−/− phenotype, significantly impacting the ability of MR1 to suppress ATD and pSS in these mice. These results indicate that there can be different pathways and requirements to autoimmune pathogenesis depending on the availability of specific checkpoint and costimulatory receptors, and an intact PD-1 pathway is apparently required for inhibition of autoimmunity by anti-CD40L.
Genre analysis of essays in the Social Sciences: The case of Botswana students
Authors: Magogwe Joel M. , Nkateng Unity M.
Published: January 2018

Writing is a challenging but requisite skill at university and other life situations. At university, essay writing is generally challenging to first-year students across disciplines or faculties. This study therefore describes the writing challenges of the Faculty of Social Sciences students at the University of Botswana. To that end, this study asks the following research questions: (1) What writing tasks are first-year students in the Faculty of Social Sciences given? (2) What problems do the students encounter when writing essays in the Faculty of Social Sciences? (3) What kind of assistance do students receive on writing essays? This article is underpinned by the English for Academic Purposes genre analysis framework. All in all, the findings of this study point to the need for a more intensive writing programme for first-year students at the University of Botswana in which both faculties and the Communication and Study Skills Unit will cooperatively assist students with writing. Students’ responses clearly indicated the need for such collaboration.
Minimum aerosol layer detection sensitivities and their subsequent impacts on aerosol optical thickness retrievals in CALIPSO level 2 data products
Authors: Toth Travis D. , Campbell James R. , Reid Jeffrey S. , Tackett Jason L. , Vaughan Mark A. , Zhang Jianglong , Marquis Jared W.
Published: January 2018

Abstract. Due to instrument sensitivities and algorithm detection limits, level 2 (L2)
Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) 532 nm aerosol
extinction profile retrievals are often populated with retrieval fill values
(RFVs), which indicate the absence of detectable levels of aerosol within
the profile. In this study, using 4 years (2007–2008 and 2010–2011) of
CALIOP version 3 L2 aerosol data, the occurrence frequency of daytime CALIOP
profiles containing all RFVs (all-RFV profiles) is studied. In the CALIOP
data products, the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) of any all-RFV profile is
reported as being zero, which may introduce a bias in CALIOP-based AOT
climatologies. For this study, we derive revised estimates of AOT for
all-RFV profiles using collocated Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Dark Target (DT) and, where available, AErosol RObotic NEtwork (AERONET) data. Globally, all-RFV profiles comprise roughly
71 % of all daytime CALIOP L2 aerosol profiles (i.e., including completely
attenuated profiles), accounting for nearly half (45 %) of all daytime cloud-free L2 aerosol profiles. The mean collocated MODIS DT (AERONET) 550 nm AOT is found to be near 0.06 (0.08) for CALIOP all-RFV profiles. We
further estimate a global mean aerosol extinction profile, a so-called
“noise floor”, for CALIOP all-RFV profiles. The global mean CALIOP AOT is
then recomputed by replacing RFV values with the derived noise-floor values
for both all-RFV and non-all-RFV profiles. This process yields an
improvement in the agreement of CALIOP and MODIS over-ocean AOT.
Compact Modeling Framework v3.0 for high-resolution global ocean-ice-atmosphere models
Authors: Kalmykov Vladimir V. , Ibrayev Rashit A. , Kaurkin Maxim N. , Ushakov Konstantin V.
Published: January 2018

Abstract. We present new version of the Compact Modeling Framework (CMF3.0) developed for providing the software environment for stand-alone and coupled models of the Global geophysical fluids. The CMF3.0 designed for implementation high and ultra-high resolution models at massive-parallel supercomputers. The key features of the previous CMF version (2.0) are mentioned for reflecting progress in our researches. In the CMF3.0 pure MPI approach with high-level abstract driver, optimized coupler interpolation and I/O algorithms is replaced with PGAS paradigm communications scheme, while central hub architecture evolves to the set of simultaneously working services. Performance tests for both versions are carried out. As addition a parallel realisation of the EnOI (Ensemble Optimal Interpolation) data assimilation method as program service of CMF3.0 is presented.
Development of the city-scale chemistry transport model CityChem-EPISODE and its application to the city of Hamburg
Authors: Karl Matthias
Published: January 2018

Abstract. This paper describes the City-scale Chemistry (CityChem) extension of the urban dispersion model EPISODE with the aim to enable chemistry/transport simulations of multiple reactive pollutants on urban scales. The new model is called CityChem-EPISODE. The primary focus is on the simulation of urban ozone concentrations. Ozone is produced in photochemical reaction cycles involving nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted by various anthropogenic activities in the urban area. The performance of the new model was evaluated with a series of synthetic tests and with a first application to the air quality situation in the city of Hamburg, Germany. The model performs fairly well for ozone in terms of temporal correlation and bias at the air quality monitoring stations in Hamburg. In summer afternoons, when photochemical activity is highest, modelled median ozone at an inner-city urban background station was about 30 % lower than the observed median ozone. Inaccuracy of the computed photolysis frequency of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is the most probable explanation for this. CityChem-EPISODE reproduces the spatial variation of annual mean NO2 concentrations between urban background, traffic and industrial stations. However, the temporal correlation between modelled and observed hourly NO2 concentrations is weak for some of the stations. For daily mean PM10, the performance of CityChem-EPISODE is moderate due to low temporal correlation. The low correlation is linked to uncertainties in the seasonal cycle of the anthropogenic particulate matter (PM) emissions within the urban area. Missing emissions from domestic heating might be an explanation for the too low modelled PM10 in winter months. Four areas of need for improvement have been identified: (1) dry and wet deposition fluxes; (2) treatment of photochemistry in the urban atmosphere; (3) formation of secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA); and (4) formation of biogenic and anthropogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The inclusion of secondary aerosol formation will allow for a better sectorial attribution of observed PM levels. Envisaged applications of the CityChem-EPISODE model are urban air quality studies, environmental impact assessment, sensitivity analysis of sector-specific emission and the assessment of local and regional emission abatement policy options.
A global lake and reservoir volume analysis using a surface water
dataset and satellite altimetry
Authors: Busker Tim , de Roo Ad , Gelati Emiliano , Schwatke Christian , Adamovic Marko , Bisselink Berny , Pekel Jean-Francois , Cottam Andrew
Published: January 2018

Abstract. Lakes and reservoirs are crucial elements of the hydrological and biochemical cycle and are a valuable resource for hydropower, domestic and industrial water use and irrigation. Although their monitoring is crucial in times of increased pressure on water resources by both climate change and human interventions, publically available datasets of lakes and reservoir levels and volumes are scarce. Within this study, a time series of variation in lake and reservoir volume between 1984 and 2015 were analysed for 135 lakes over all continents by combining the JRC Global Surface Water (GSW) dataset and the satellite altimetry database DAHITI. The GSW dataset is a highly accurate surface water dataset at 30 m resolution compromising the whole L1T Landsat 5, 7 and 8 archive, which allowed for detailed lake area calculations globally over a very long time period using Google Earth Engine. Therefore, the estimates in water volume fluctuations using the GSW dataset are expected to improve compared to current techniques as they are not constrained by complex and computationally intensive classification procedures. Lake areas and water levels were combined in a regression to derive the hypsometry relationship (dh/dA) for all lakes. Nearly all lakes showed a linear regression, and 42 % of the lakes showed a strong linear relationship with an R2 > 0.8 and an average R2 of 0.91. For these lakes and for lakes with a nearly constant lake area (coefficient of variation