bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Rise and Fall of the Yugoslav-Soviet Alliance, 1945-1948
Authors: Majstorović Vojin
Published: November 2016

This essay discusses the Yugoslav-Soviet relations from the end of the Second World War until early 1948, when Stalin expelled Tito from the international communist movement. The primary focus is on the interaction of Moscow and Belgrade’s policies towards Albania, which until the middle of 1947 revealed the strength of the Yugoslav-Soviet relationship. Likewise, Stalin chose Albania to be the main frontline of the conflict when he turned against Tito. The demise of the Yugoslav-Soviet alliance, however, was not caused by the competition between Tito and Stalin for influence in Albania. Although Belgrade placed Moscow in the centre of its foreign policy by seeking the latter’s approval and support for its expansionism, Kremlin’s policies were dictated by considerations far greater than the bilateral ties between the two countries. When Soviet policy makers became convinced that the American commitment to Western Europe was permanent in the wake of the Marshall Plan, Kremlin decided to Stalinize the nascent communist bloc. In view of its popularity at home and assertiveness abroad, the Titoist regime was bound to be the primary victim of the Stalinization drive.
Offspring as Enemy? How Canada's National Magazine Confronted Youth and Youth Culture in the 1960s
Authors: Heilman Jaymie
Published: November 2016

The idea of a "generation-gap" is one of the principal features in the mythology of the 1960s. The construct implies that the response of parents to the social and cultural activism of their teenage baby-boomers, those born in the period 1946-1962, was systematically hostile and decidedly unsympathetic. An examination of the contents of the Canadian periodical Maclean's between the years 1959 and 1973, however, reveals a very different reaction towards youth. Attitudes in the magazine regarding youth culture were generally positive and frequently laudatory, thus calling into question the reality of the generation-gap.
Recantations and the Ars Moriendi in Reformation England
Authors: Ranson Angela
Published: November 2016

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“We Want Pictures so Kodak as You Go”: Promoting Winter Recreation in Banff in the 1920s
Authors: Wheeler Lauren
Published: November 2016

In February 1917 the residents of Banff, Alberta hosted the first Banff Winter Carnival. Aimed at a regional middle class market, the winter carnival became the base of local efforts to get people to visit the Rocky Mountains at a time of year when external promoters, like the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), were not interested in bringing tourists to the region. Local boosters used the established representation of Banff as a wilderness area and incorporated photographs into promotional text to create a different image of place informed by the experience of living in a national park. A careful examination of the 1920 promotional booklet, Banff Winter Sports: Banff Canada’s National Park in Winter, Canada’s Winter Playground, illustrates how Banff boosters used winter recreation and a visual emphasis on people at play in the mountains to make the town a place worth visiting in the winter months.
For the Empire, the Nation and the West: The University of Alberta's Contribution to World War 1
Authors: Borys David
Published: November 2016

At the outbreak of war in August of 1914, the University of Alberta was one of the youngest educational institutions in Canada. It boasted only 439 students and an even smaller staff. However, its support of the war at home and abroad was one of dedication and commitment far beyond what was ever expected of this small institution. The years 1914-1918 witnessed the University of Alberta become one of the leading educational institutions in Western Canada. This paper examines the university’s contribution to the war effort and chronicles its growth and maturation during these formative years.
Origins of the European Economy: Communications Commerce, AD 300-900
Authors: Dutchak Pat
Published: November 2016

Origins of the European Economy: Communications and Commerce, A.D. 300-900. By Michael McCormick. Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press. 2001. xxviii. 1101 pp. $90.00 (cloth).
The Development of United States Government Policy Toward Indian Health Care, 1850-1900
Authors: Massing Christine
Published: November 2016

By 1850 the United States government already had a half century's experience providing health services to its Indian population. During the first halfof the nineteenth century, however, these services were focused primarily on containing epidemic diseases, especially smallpox. By mid-century, the rise of intemperance and venereal diseases among Indians convinced the government that more control over Indians' health was necessary. Professionally trained physicians, bolstered by advances in medical knowledge, led this interventionist effort at improving Indian health care. Government health care providers increasingly came to believe that success depended on undermining traditional lifestyles and leadership.
Catullus’ Otium: A Transgressive Translation?
Authors: Kletke Stefanie
Published: November 2016

The majority of the discussion surrounding Catullus 51 has centered on the function or fit of the poem’s last stanza. For, while the first three stanzas of the poem describe what the sound and sight of Lesbia physically does to Catullus, the poem’s concluding discussion of otium seems to abruptly change the topic, tone, narrative voice, and addressee from what preceded. However, what tends to be ignored in the discussion is the context of the entire poem, both in relation to the rest of the Catullan corpus and to the Sappho poem it is a translation of. Indeed, Catullus’ multilayered poem refers to the Lesbia narrative of Catullus’ corpus, it concludes and directly responds to Catullus 50, and, most importantly, it is a close translation of Sappho 31, a poem from a genre that had largely remained untouched before Catullus’ time, and of a poet who inspired the name of Catullus’ literary mistress. Furthermore, the prefacing nature of poem 50 and the deliberate insertion of Catullus into poem 51 together allude to the uneasy attitude that the Romans held in regards to translation, specifically the translation of a genre that had little in common with Roman culture. Therefore, when the poem is compared to and read alongside other Catullan poems, the last stanza does not seem to be as jarring as it has been purported to be, and is, in fact, informed by the poem that directly precedes it; when Catullus 51 is read as a translation, namely one that is conscious of its status as a translation, the otium stanza is seen as an integral part of a very Catullan poem, and of a very Roman translation.
"It's Our Patriotic Duty to Help Them': the Socio-Cultural and Economic Impact of the 'Solidarity wave' on Canadian and Polish-Canadian Society in the Early 1980s
Authors: Mlynarz Michal
Published: November 2016

This paper examines the economic, social, and cultural impact made on Canadian and Polish-Canadian society as a result of the mass influx of refugees from the People’s Republic of Poland to Canada in the early to mid 1980s. Although a brief overview and examination of Polish immigration history to Canada over the last few centuries is provided, the paper focuses upon the significant effect caused by the arrival of a new wave of Polish immigrants, largely consisting of highly educated and politically vocal individuals, into the country.
Alberta's Resources Negotiations and Bannf and Jasper National Parks
Authors: Gainor Christopher
Published: November 2016

The Government of Canada retained control of Crown lands and mineral and water rights in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba until 1930 when they were transferred to the three provincial governments as a result of agreements reached in 1929. In the case of Alberta, the agreement also settled the boundaries for Banff and Jasper national parks. The national parks discussions helped establish the principle that resource extraction would not take place in national parks anywhere in Canada. This paper examines the political background to the discussions over national parks and the process for setting the boundaries of these parks, with an emphasis on a report on park boundaries that addressed resource development and wildlife management in and near the parks, issues that parks administrators continue to face today.
Multi-source energy networks for cargo Vessels
Authors: Ahmed Sanjana , Castellazzi Alberto , Williams Arthur
Published: November 2016

The paper discusses the feasibility of installing renewable energy generation technologies on sea-going transport, taking into account the additional weight and power consumption. This study in based on the power management of a 26,198 tonne commercial chemical tanker. The management system would aim at reducing the number of generators as well as the power required from burning fossil fuels. After a process of elimination of potential technologies based on feasibility of the project and shipboard application, the work is focused towards photovoltaic and wind energy generation in combination with fossil fueled engines and Li-ion battery storage covering the higher energy density needs, and the intermittent nature of renewables. The network architecture is optimized in order to have the highest efficiency, and reduced system weight. The results show that successful management of the system can lead to reduction in generator requirement, and energy despite the weight of extra installations of photovoltaic and wind energy generation systems. By reducing the number of generators and allowing each remaining one to operate near their maximum power, the specific fuel consumption is improved, the efficiency is increased, resulting in significant fuel and cost saving, along with the mass of fuel to be carried on-board.
Implementación OJS
Authors: Mejia Juan Andres
Published: November 2016

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Foucault Among the Stoics: Oikeiosis and Counter-Conduct
Authors: Depew James F.
Published: November 2016

This paper explores the relation of Foucault’s notion of counter-conduct to the Stoic notion of oikeiosis. Initially, oikeisosis is set against Platonic homoiosis, specifically as discussed in the Alcibiades, which provides what Foucault calls the “Platonic model” of conduct. The paper examines what Foucault means by “care of the self” and points to its difference from the Delphic maxim “know yourself” that centered on a principle of homoiosis, or ethical transcendence. Noting how the problematic of care of the self leads to what Foucault calls “the government of conduct,” the paper considers the possibility of “counter-conduct.” Given that Foucault has argued that the autonomy of conduct has been rendered invisible through its “juridification,” this paper proceeds with a genealogy of the codification of morals in natural law theory. This culminates with the sixteenth century return to Stoicism in the person of Grotius. Showing that a certain conception of counter-conduct present in Gerson is transformed in natural law theory into a juridical grounding of the government of conduct, this paper draws out the immanent relation of conduct and counter-conduct in the notion of appropriation. Arguing that Grotius has fundamentally misunderstood the concept of oikeiosis, which he takes from Cicero and which subtends his theory of appropriation, this paper suggests that a return to the early Stoic formulation of oikeiosis allows for a rethinking of the problem of the government of conduct. A certain moralization of action, irreducible to codification that is present in early Stoic thought provides a model of “counter-conduct.” Ultimately, “care of the self,” as it is given in Stoic philosophy, relates the subject of action to the principle of ethical immanence that grounds Foucault’s critique of the subject.
Foucault and Deleuze: Making a Difference with Nietzsche
Authors: Grace Wendy
Published: November 2016

Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze are regarded as French “Nietzscheans” par excellence. By drawing attention to the articulation of “difference” in contemporary thought, this paper attempts to go beyond the label ‘Nietzschean’ in an effort to discern two distinct philosophical trajectories inspired by Nietzsche.  I suggest that Deleuze reads Nietzsche as an empiricist whose philosophy of nature critically undermines representational modes of thought from Plato to Hegel and beyond.  Difference is therefore given in itself.  Foucault, on the other hand, reads Nietzsche primarily as a historian of culture, whose radical reflection on language pushes philosophy into new interpretative forms of analysis that seriously confronts the role of political power in the production of truth.  Difference is thus invented and only known within the contours of these fabrications.  While no judgement is made about the accuracy or otherwise of their respective interpretations of Nietzsche, this paper implicitly asks whether a Nietzschean genealogical ethos can inform those political struggles today for which the meaning of difference is contested.
Ethnographies of Neoliberal Governmentalities: from the neoliberal apparatus to neoliberalism and governmental assemblages
Authors: Brady Michelle
Published: November 2016

This article is aimed at Foucauldian scholars and seeks to introduce them to ethnographic works that interrogate neoliberal governmentalities.  As an analytic category      ‘neoliberalism’ has over the last two decades helpfully illuminated connections between seemingly unrelated social changes occurring at multiple scales.  Even earlier —in his College de France 1978-9 Birth of Biopolitics lectures, to be precise—Foucault began his engagement with neoliberalism as a dominant political force.  Despite being more than three decades old, Foucault’s analysis of neoliberal rationalities remains fresh and insightful, which perhaps explains why scholars inspired by his analytics of governmentality have been able to make major contributions to the current social science literature on neoliberalism.  However, there are increasing concerns that governmentality scholars succumb to a more general tendency among social scientists to present neoliberal transformations in monolithic and linear terms.  This article critically reviews contributions from a small but growing group of neo-Foucauldian researchers that avoid these tendencies.  These researchers investigate the changes wrought by neoliberalism through methodologies that involve combining an analytics of governmentality with ethnographic and quasi-ethnographic methods, and in doing so they avoid deterministic, homogenous and static accounts of social transformation.  By beginning with the “everyday,” these works reject the idea that neoliberal governmentality forms a coherent apparatus.  Instead these ethnographies of neoliberal governmentalities focus on governmental ensembleges (or assemblages) that link neoliberal political rationalities with non-liberal rationalities, and they explore how neoliberal thought and practice is transformed across time and space.
Spotting the Primacy of Resistance in the Virtual Encounter of Foucault and Deleuze
Authors: Checchi Marco
Published: November 2016

Foucault’s intuition that resistance comes first challenges the theses of the co-originality of power and resistance or the superiority of power over resistance.  In order to transform this intuition into the concept of the primacy of resistance, the article uses Deleuze’s ontology and in particular the idea of the virtual.  According to Deleuze, resistance displays a privileged relation with the virtual, understood as the ontological region animated by all the potentialities that might be or might have been actualised.  As such, resistance is presented as a creative and affirmative force, provoking reactions and forcing power to change.  Nietzsche’s divide between active and reactive forces serves to set up a qualitative distinction between resistance and power.  Power relations are therefore understood as the interplay of the creative affirmation of resistance and the subsequent reaction of power.  The primacy of resistance allows us to elaborate a dynamic model of power relations whose mechanism evokes Tronti’s interpretation of Marxism structured upon the primacy of labour and workers’ struggle over capital.
Historical Epistemology as Disability Studies Methodology: From the Models Framework to Foucault’s Archaeology of Cure
Authors: Hamraie Aimi
Published: November 2016

In this article, I argue for historical epistemology as a methodology for critical disability studies (DS) by examining Foucault’s archaeology of cure in History of Madness. Although the moral, medical, and social models of disability frame disability history as an advancement upon moral and medical authority and a replacement of it by sociopolitical knowledge, I argue that the more comprehensive frame in which these models circulate—the “models framework”—requires the more nuanced approach that historical epistemology offers. In particular, the models framework requires greater use of epistemology as an analytical tool for understanding the historical construction of disability. Thus, I turn to Foucault’s History of Madness in order to both excavate one particular archaeological strand in the text—the archaeology of cure—and to demonstrate how this narrative disrupts some of the key assumptions of the models framework, challenging DS to consider the epistemological force of non-medical fields of knowledge for framing disability and procedures for its cure and elimination. I conclude by arguing that DS must develop historical epistemological methodologies that are sensitive to the complex overlays of moral, medical, and social knowledge, as well as attend to the social construction of scientific and biomedical knowledge itself.
Alea Capta Est: Foucault’s Dispositif and Capturing Chance
Authors: Hardy Nick
Published: November 2016

It is somewhat of a mystery why one of Foucault's most important concepts—that of ‘dispositif’—is still quite vague in social and political theory; and while a small number of analyses have moved understanding forward, it remains stubbornly opaque. This paper argues that a strengthening of Foucault's concept can be achieved by (i) integrating elements of Althusser’s formulation of a dispositif (with its links to aleatory (‘chance’) events), and (ii) a detailed examination of the shared conceptual history between dispositifs and discursive formations. Regarding (i), the paper contends that dispositifs restrict three types of aleatory event: first, a ‘continuous present’ exerted upon objects and subjects; second, overdetermining repetitious occurrences; and third, negating the effects of unexpected aleatory events. The paper also argues that dispositifs are capable of producing certain forms of aleatory change. Regarding (ii), four developmental thresholds of dispositifs are identified: strategic emergence, political elaboration, overdetermined a priori, and aleatory dominance. These two developments are argued to move Foucault's concept from being descriptive and largely passive to becoming a more theoretically active resource—what Deleuze terms changing the analytical (i.e. analysis of the past) to the diagnostic (i.e. interrogation of the present).
Freedom, Truth, and Possibility in Foucault's Ethics
Authors: Fillion Réal
Published: November 2016

Like Kant, Foucault challenges us to rethink the way we relate freedom and truth by stressing the idea of "maturity" understood as a release from the "self-incurred tutelage" (the expression is from Kant) that otherwise characterizes so much of our lives. Though, rather than linking freedom and truth via the concept of autonomy (or lawfulness), as Kant does, Foucault outlines a possible experience of ethics as an individualizing ideal that contrasts with the model of establishing codes within a conception of moral order. Foucault's project can be read as attempting to decouple ethics from the epistemological concern with the objectivity of a moral order in order to reconnect it to the formation of a political sensibility that sees truth(fulness) in a certain practice of freedom, as opposed to seeing our freedom confirmed or granted by a certain kind of (mode of relating to the) truth. I call this reading of Foucault's investigations into ethics the "methodological/prescriptive" approach (asking and responding to what we can do, ethically-speaking) and contrast it with the sketch of an alternative reading which I call "ontological/historical" (asking and responding to what we are, ethically-speaking). This reading, instead of pushing beyond Kant in the direction of a Nietzschean sensibility, rather challenges Kant's moral law from the space of a Hegelian insistence on the (historical) realization or actualization of freedom in and through the normative constraints structuring existing power-relations.
Senecan Moods: Foucault and Nietzsche on the Art of the Self
Authors: Ure Michael V.
Published: November 2016

This paper examines Foucault's history of the ancient practices of the self. It suggests that his historical reconstruction usefully distinguishes quite different models of self-cultivation in antiquity, and in doing so helps us to identify and understand the parameters and ambitions of much nineteenth-century German philosophy, especially the ethics of self-cultivation Nietzsche formulates in his middle works. However, it also shows how FoucaultÕs casual formulation of an 'aesthetic of existence' is seriously misleading as a guide to the ancient practices of the self, most notably the Stoic tradition. This paper argues that Foucault does not properly take into account how Stoicism conceives the desire to flee from or break with oneself, which Foucault places at the centre of his own askesis, as a pathological agitation that requires therapy. From the Stoic perspective, in other words, Foucault's askesis of constantly losing oneself is symptomatic of a failure to care for oneself.
Statistical study on relationship between educational achievements and adjustment of M.Ed. level students
Authors: Srivastava Pratima
Published: November 2016

In this paper, author has verified and finds a positive and meaningful relationship between educational achievements and adjustment of students through data analysis with the help of V.K. Mittal’s tool for both male and female students.
What are Gravitational waves?
Authors: Singh Bhanu Pratap
Published: November 2016

The purpose of this article is not to present a popular history of mathematical physics nor even to display for the general reader some of the result of research in the history of science, Rather the intention is to explore one important aspect of the great scientific revaluation of recent times which proves the existence of Gravitational wave, predicted by Dr. Albert Einstein about a hundred years ago in his general theory of relativity. Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space time caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the universe. They are produced by catastrophic events such as colliding Black hole as well as the collapse of stellar super nova.
Water problem in India and conservation
Authors: Singh Rajeeve Kumar
Published: November 2016

Water crisis has been a huge problem for past few decades in India. Water conservation is an investigative area for researchers these days. There are many successful methods implemented so for to conserve water. Various issues related to water crisis and its conservation has been discussed briefly in this paper.
Eliminating the Form 20-F Reconciliation and Audit Pricing
Authors: Lin Yi-Hung , Huang Hua-Wei (Solomon)
Published: November 2016

This study examines the impact of the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) policy in 2007 to eliminate the Form 20-F reconciliation requirements for foreign cross-listed firms following the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on audit pricing. We find that the elimination of this requirement decreases audit fees, and this fee decrease is less prominent when foreign cross-listed firms engage industry-specialist auditors. Our findings reinforce prior studies that found that managers of foreign cross-listed firms have a greater tendency to manage earnings when there is a need to reconcile earnings (Bradshaw, Bushee, and Miller 2004; Lang, Raedy, and Wilson 2006; Kang, Krishnan, Wolfe, and Yi 2012), and thus eliminating the Form 20-F reconciliation impedes managerial manipulation of earnings, decrease financial reporting risk, and audit fees. The results also provide direct evidence to support the SEC's (2007) claim that eliminating the Form 20-F reconciliation would reduce the preparation costs and regulatory burdens for foreign issuers.
Productive and reproductive performances of Brown Bengal goat (Hilly goat) at research farm level
Authors: Islam Md Azharul , Rahman Md Moklesur , Alam Md Ashadul , Hemayet Md Abu
Published: November 2016

A nucleus-breeding flock of selected Brown Bengal goat was established in the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI), Regional Station, Naikhongchari, Bandarban, with the objective of characterization, conservation and improvement of the breed. A total of 69 does of different generations (Foundation = 07, Generation one = 32, Generation two = 23 and Generation three = 07.) and 07 bucks (All were first generation) were used to study the genetic parameters of Brown Bengal goat on productive and reproductive traits. The studied Animals were bred naturally. Goats were reared under semi-intensive management system in which goats were browsing in nature and allowed to graze in field as well as mounting in hills. All goats were housed in a plastic made floor house and allowed to graze 6-8 hours in a day and concentrate was offered twice daily during morning and evening at the rate of 1% of their body weight per day. The adult body weight of hilly goat was 20.95 kg. The phenotypic characteristics like the face, horn, ear and udder length were 15.56, 7.18, 12.19 and 12.67 cm respectively. On the other hand the hearth girth, front leg, hind leg and body length were 61.51, 46.8, 49.48 and 55.24 cm respectively. The gestation length, kidding to first heat, kidding to conception and kidding interval were 148.52 ± 1.06, 33.48 ± 2.85, 33.40 ± 1.98 and 176.86 ± 1.98 days, respectively. According to parity the GL, AFH, KC and KI were not followed trends up to 3rd parity but kid birth weight was increasing trends with increasing parity up to fifth. The birth weight of male kid (1.25 ± 0.25 kg) was higher than that of female kid (1.13± 0.27 kg). The highest birth weight (1.24±0.02 kg) was found in single birth. According to litter size the birth weight of single kid (1.24 ± 0.01 kg) stood first followed by twine (1.20 ± 0.01), triplet (1.1±0.03 kg) and quadruplet kids (0.93±0.08 kg). . The productive and reproductive performances of brown Bengal goat were not affected by parity. Birth weights of kids were significantly varied with birth type.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. September 2016, 2(3): 477-482
Hydrogen Generation from Catalytic Steam Reforming of Acetic Acid by Ni/Attapulgite Catalysts
Authors: Wang Yishuang , Chen Mingqiang , Liang Tian , Yang Zhonglian , Yang Jie , Liu Shaomin
Published: November 2016

In this research, catalytic steam reforming of acetic acid derived from the aqueous portion of bio-oil for hydrogen production was investigated using different Ni/ATC (Attapulgite Clay) catalysts prepared by precipitation, impregnation and mechanical blending methods. The fresh and reduced catalysts were characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption–desorption, TEM and temperature program reduction (H2-TPR). The comprehensive results demonstrated that the interaction between active metallic Ni and ATC carrier was significantly improved in Ni/ATC catalyst prepared by precipitation method, from which the mean of Ni particle size was the smallest (~13 nm), resulting in the highest metal dispersion (7.5%). The catalytic performance of the catalysts was evaluated by the process of steam reforming of acetic acid in a fixed-bed reactor under atmospheric pressure at two different temperatures: 550 °C and 650 °C. The test results showed the Ni/ATC prepared by way of precipitation method (PM-Ni/ATC) achieved the highest H2 yield of ~82% and a little lower acetic acid conversion efficiency of ~85% than that of Ni/ATC prepared by way of impregnation method (IM-Ni/ATC) (~95%). In addition, the deactivation catalysts after reaction for 4 h were analyzed by XRD, TGA-DTG and TEM, which demonstrated the catalyst deactivation was not caused by the amount of carbon deposition, but owed to the significant agglomeration and sintering of Ni particles in the carrier.
Texture Segmentation Using Laplace Distribution-Based Wavelet-Domain Hidden Markov Tree Models
Authors: Qiao Yulong , Zhao Ganchao
Published: November 2016

Multiresolution models such as the wavelet-domain hidden Markov tree (HMT) model provide a powerful approach for image modeling and processing because it captures the key features of the wavelet coefficients of real-world data. It is observed that the Laplace distribution is peakier in the center and has heavier tails compared with the Gaussian distribution. Thus we propose a new HMT model based on the two-state, zero-mean Laplace mixture model (LMM), the LMM-HMT, which provides significantly potential for characterizing real-world textures. By using the HMT segmentation framework, we develop LMM-HMT based segmentation methods for image textures and dynamic textures. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the introduced model and segmentation methods.
Experimental Optimization of Passive Cooling of a Heat Source Array Flush-Mounted on a Vertical Plate
Authors: Baudoin Antoine , Saury Didier , Zhu Bo , Boström Cecilia
Published: November 2016

Heat sources, such as power electronics for offshore power, could be cooled passively—mainly by conduction and natural convection. The obvious advantage of this strategy is its high reliability. However, it must be implemented in an efficient manner (i.e., the area needs to be kept low to limit the construction costs). In this study, the placement of multiple heat sources mounted on a vertical plate was studied experimentally for optimization purposes. We chose a regular distribution, as this is likely to be the preferred choice in the construction process. We found that optimal spacing can be determined for a targeted source density by tuning the vertical and horizontal spacing between the heat sources. The optimal aspect ratio was estimated to be around two.
Fermentation-Assisted Extraction of Isothiocyanates from Brassica Vegetable Using Box-Behnken Experimental Design
Authors: Jaiswal Amit , Abu-Ghannam Nissreen
Published: November 2016

Recent studies showed that Brassica vegetables are rich in numerous health-promoting compounds such as carotenoids, polyphenols, flavonoids, and glucosinolates (GLS), as well as isothiocyanates (ITCs) and are involved in health promotion upon consumption. ITCs are breakdown products of GLS, and typically used in the food industry as a food preservative and colouring agent. They are also used in the pharmaceutical industry due to their several pharmacological properties such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiprotozoal, anti-inflammatory, and chemoprotective effects, etc. Due to their widespread application in food and pharmaceuticals, the present study was designed to extract ITCs from York cabbage. In order to optimise the fermentation-assisted extraction process for maximum yield of ITCs from York cabbage, Box-Behnken design (BBD) combined with response surface methodology (RSM) was applied. Additionally, the GLS content of York cabbage was quantified and the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on GLS was evaluated. A range of GLS such as glucoraphanin, glucoiberin, glucobrassicin, sinigrin, gluconapin, neoglucobrassicin and 4-methoxyglucobrassicin were identified and quantified in fresh York cabbage. The experimental data obtained were fitted to a second-order polynomial equation using multiple regression analysis, and also examined by appropriate statistical methods. LAB facilitated the degradation of GLS, and the consequent formation of breakdown products such as ITCs. Results showed that the solid-to-liquid (S/L) ratio, fermentation time and agitation rate had a significant effect on the yield of ITCs (2.2 times increment). The optimum fermentation conditions to achieve a higher ITCs extraction yield were: S/L ratio of 0.25 w/v, fermentation time of 36 h, and agitation rate of 200 rpm. The obtained yields of ITCs (45.62 ± 2.13 μM sulforaphane equivalent (SFE)/mL) were comparable to the optimised conditions, indicating the accuracy of the model for the fermentation-assisted extraction of ITCs. This method has good prospects in industrial applications for the extraction of ITCs, and can be helpful in the food, pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors.
Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Exposure and Risk of Cardiovascular Mortality: Adjustment of the Meteorological Factors
Authors: Luo Kai , Li Wenjing , Zhang Ruiming , Li Runkui , Xu Qun , Cao Yang
Published: November 2016

Few studies have explicitly explored the impacts of the extensive adjustment (with a lag period of more than one week) of temperature and humidity on the association between ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and cardiovascular mortality. In a time stratified case-crossover study, we used a distributed lag nonlinear model to assess the impacts of extensive adjustments of temperature and humidity for longer lag periods (for 7, 14, 21, 28 and 40 days) on effects of PM2.5 on total cardiovascular mortality and mortality of cerebrovascular and ischemic heart disease and corresponding exposure-response relationships in Beijing, China, between 2008 and 2011. Compared with results only controlled for temperature and humidity for 2 days, the estimated effects of PM2.5 were smaller and magnitudes of exposure-response curves were decreased when longer lag periods of temperature and relative humidity were included for adjustments, but these changes varied across subpopulation, with marked decreases occurring in males and the elderly who are more susceptible to PM2.5-related mortalities. Our findings suggest that the adjustment of meteorological factors using lag periods shorter than one week may lead to overestimated effects of PM2.5. The associations of PM2.5 with cardiovascular mortality in susceptible populations were more sensitive to further adjustments for temperature and relative humidity.
The Association between Environmental Factors and Scarlet Fever Incidence in Beijing Region: Using GIS and Spatial Regression Models
Authors: Mahara Gehendra , Wang Chao , Yang Kun , Chen Sipeng , Guo Jin , Gao Qi , Wang Wei , Wang Quanyi , Guo Xiuhua
Published: November 2016

(1) Background: Evidence regarding scarlet fever and its relationship with meteorological, including air pollution factors, is not very available. This study aimed to examine the relationship between ambient air pollutants and meteorological factors with scarlet fever occurrence in Beijing, China. (2) Methods: A retrospective ecological study was carried out to distinguish the epidemic characteristics of scarlet fever incidence in Beijing districts from 2013 to 2014. Daily incidence and corresponding air pollutant and meteorological data were used to develop the model. Global Moran’s I statistic and Anselin’s local Moran’s I (LISA) were applied to detect the spatial autocorrelation (spatial dependency) and clusters of scarlet fever incidence. The spatial lag model (SLM) and spatial error model (SEM) including ordinary least squares (OLS) models were then applied to probe the association between scarlet fever incidence and meteorological including air pollution factors. (3) Results: Among the 5491 cases, more than half (62%) were male, and more than one-third (37.8%) were female, with the annual average incidence rate 14.64 per 100,000 population. Spatial autocorrelation analysis exhibited the existence of spatial dependence; therefore, we applied spatial regression models. After comparing the values of R-square, log-likelihood and the Akaike information criterion (AIC) among the three models, the OLS model (R2 = 0.0741, log likelihood = −1819.69, AIC = 3665.38), SLM (R2 = 0.0786, log likelihood = −1819.04, AIC = 3665.08) and SEM (R2 = 0.0743, log likelihood = −1819.67, AIC = 3665.36), identified that the spatial lag model (SLM) was best for model fit for the regression model. There was a positive significant association between nitrogen oxide (p = 0.027), rainfall (p = 0.036) and sunshine hour (p = 0.048), while the relative humidity (p = 0.034) had an adverse association with scarlet fever incidence in SLM. (4) Conclusions: Our findings indicated that meteorological, as well as air pollutant factors may increase the incidence of scarlet fever; these findings may help to guide scarlet fever control programs and targeting the intervention.
Oil Prices, Credit Risks in Banking Systems, and Macro-Financial Linkages across GCC Oil Exporters
Authors: Alodayni Saleh
Published: November 2016

This paper assesses the effect of the recent 2014–2015 oil price slump on the financial stability in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. The first objective of this paper is to assess how oil price shock propagates within the macroeconomy and how the macro shocks transmit to GCC banks’ balance sheets. This part of the paper implements a System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and a Panel Fixed Effect Model to estimate the response of nonperforming loans (NPLs) to its macroeconomic determinants. The second objective of this paper is to assess any negative feedback effects between the GCC banking systems and the economy. The paper, therefore, implements a Panel VAR model to explore the macro-financial linkages between GCC banking systems and the real economy. The results indicate that oil price, non-oil GDP, interest rate, stock prices, and housing prices are major determinants of NPLs across GCC banks and the overall financial stability in the region. Credit risk shock tends to propagate disturbances to non-oil GDP, credit growth, and stock prices across GCC economies. A higher level of NPLs restricts banks’ credit growth and can dampen economic growth in these economies. The results support the notion that disturbances in banking systems lead to unwanted economic consequences for the real sector.
Urban Link Travel Time Prediction Based on a Gradient Boosting Method Considering Spatiotemporal Correlations
Authors: Zhang Faming , Zhu Xinyan , Hu Tao , Guo Wei , Chen Chen , Liu Lingjia
Published: November 2016

The prediction of travel times is challenging because of the sparseness of real-time traffic data and the intrinsic uncertainty of travel on congested urban road networks. We propose a new gradient–boosted regression tree method to accurately predict travel times. This model accounts for spatiotemporal correlations extracted from historical and real-time traffic data for adjacent and target links. This method can deliver high prediction accuracy by combining simple regression trees with poor performance. It corrects the error found in existing models for improved prediction accuracy. Our spatiotemporal gradient–boosted regression tree model was verified in experiments. The training data were obtained from big data reflecting historic traffic conditions collected by probe vehicles in Wuhan from January to May 2014. Real-time data were extracted from 11 weeks of GPS records collected in Wuhan from 5 May 2014 to 20 July 2014. Based on these data, we predicted link travel time for the period from 21 July 2014 to 25 July 2014. Experiments showed that our proposed spatiotemporal gradient–boosted regression tree model obtained better results than gradient boosting, random forest, or autoregressive integrated moving average approaches. Furthermore, these results indicate the advantages of our model for urban link travel time prediction.
Lipidomics—Reshaping the Analysis and Perception of Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Markgraf Daniel , Al-Hasani Hadi , Lehr Stefan
Published: November 2016

As a consequence of a sedentary lifestyle as well as changed nutritional behavior, today’s societies are challenged by the rapid propagation of metabolic disorders. A common feature of diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), is the dysregulation of lipid metabolism. Our understanding of the mechanisms underlying these diseases is hampered by the complexity of lipid metabolic pathways on a cellular level. Furthermore, overall lipid homeostasis in higher eukaryotic organisms needs to be maintained by a highly regulated interplay between tissues, such as adipose tissue, liver and muscle. Unraveling pathological mechanisms underlying metabolic disorders therefore requires a diversified approach, integrating basic cellular research with clinical research, ultimately relying on the analytical power of mass spectrometry-based techniques. Here, we discuss recent progress in the development of lipidomics approaches to resolve the pathological mechanisms of metabolic diseases and to identify suitable biomarkers for clinical application. Due to its growing impact worldwide, we focus on T2D to highlight the key role of lipidomics in our current understanding of this disease, discuss remaining questions and suggest future strategies to address them.
Analytical Modelling and Optimization of the Temperature-Dependent Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Fused Deposition Fabricated Parts Made of PC-ABS
Authors: Mohamed Omar , Masood Syed , Bhowmik Jahar
Published: November 2016

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing has been intensively used for many industrial applications due to its attractive advantages over traditional manufacturing processes. The process parameters used in FDM have significant influence on the part quality and its properties. This process produces the plastic part through complex mechanisms and it involves complex relationships between the manufacturing conditions and the quality of the processed part. In the present study, the influence of multi-level manufacturing parameters on the temperature-dependent dynamic mechanical properties of FDM processed parts was investigated using IV-optimality response surface methodology (RSM) and multilayer feed-forward neural networks (MFNNs). The process parameters considered for optimization and investigation are slice thickness, raster to raster air gap, deposition angle, part print direction, bead width, and number of perimeters. Storage compliance and loss compliance were considered as response variables. The effect of each process parameter was investigated using developed regression models and multiple regression analysis. The surface characteristics are studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Furthermore, performance of optimum conditions was determined and validated by conducting confirmation experiment. The comparison between the experimental values and the predicted values by IV-Optimal RSM and MFNN was conducted for each experimental run and results indicate that the MFNN provides better predictions than IV-Optimal RSM.
Optimal Surface Amino-Functionalization Following Thermo-Alkaline Treatment of Nanostructured Silica Adsorbents for Enhanced CO2 Adsorption
Authors: Medina-Juárez Obdulia , García-Sánchez Miguel , Arellano-Sánchez Ulises , Kornhauser-Straus Isaac , Rojas-González Fernando
Published: November 2016

Special preparation of Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA)-15, mesoporous silica with highly hexagonal ordered, these materials have been carried out for creating adsorbents exhibiting an enhanced and partially selective adsorption toward CO2. This creation starts from an adequate conditioning of the silica surface, via a thermo-alkaline treatment to increase the population of silanol species on it. CO2 adsorption is only reasonably achieved when the SiO2 surface becomes aminated after put in contact with a solution of an amino alkoxide compound in the right solvent. Unfunctionalized and amine-functionalized substrates were characterized through X-ray diffraction, N2 sorption, Raman spectroscopy, electron microscopy, 29Si solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and NH3 thermal programmed desorption. These analyses proved that the thermo-alkaline procedure desilicates the substrate and eliminates the micropores (without affecting the SBA-15 capillaries), present in the original solid. NMR analysis confirms that the hydroxylated solid anchors more amino functionalizing molecules than the unhydroxylated material. The SBA-15 sample subjected to hydroxylation and amino-functionalization displays a high enthalpy of interaction, a reason why this solid is suitable for a strong deposition of CO2 but with the possibility of observing a low-pressure hysteresis phenomenon. Contrastingly, CH4 adsorption on amino-functionalized, hydroxylated SBA-15 substrates becomes almost five times lower than the CO2 one, thus giving proof of their selectivity toward CO2. Although the amount of retained CO2 is not yet similar to or higher than those determined in other investigations, the methodology herein described is still susceptible to optimization.
Acoustic Emission Assessment of Impending Fracture in a Cyclically Loading Structural Steel
Authors: Rastegaev Igor , Danyuk Alexey , Afanas’yev Maksim , Merson Dmitry , Berto Filippo , Vinogradov Alexei
Published: November 2016

Using the advanced acoustic emission (AE) technique, we address the problem of early identification of crack initiation and growth in ductile structural steels under cyclic loading. The notched 9MnSi5 steel specimens with weld joints were fatigue tested at room and lower temperatures with concurrent AE measurements. Detection of AE in ductile materials where fatigue crack initiation and propagation is mediated by local dislocation behavior ahead of the notch or crack tip is challenging because of an extremely low amplitude of the AE signal. With account of this issue, two new practically oriented criteria for recognition of different stages of fatigue are proposed on the basis of AE data: (1) a power spectrum-based criterion and (2) a pattern recognition-based criterion utilizing modern clustering algorithms. The applicability of both criteria is verified using obtained AE data. A good correspondence between AE outcomes and experimental observations of the fatigue behavior was obtained and is discussed.
Synthesis and Formulation of Thermosensitive Drug Carrier for Temperature Triggered Delivery of Naproxen Sodium
Authors: Gasztych Monika , Gola Agnieszka , Kobryń Justyna , Musiał Witold
Published: November 2016

Nanospheres and microspheres are known as a multipurpose compounds and are used in various branches of science. Recent controlled delivery systems for drugs are also based on poly-micro and nanospheres. In our study we describe an investigation of the influence of thermosensitive polymer N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) on the release of the drug naproxen sodium (NS) with a hydrogel hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) base. The hydrodynamic diameter (DH) of the obtained polymer was measured by using dynamic light scattering (DLS) at a wavelength of 678 nm. Hydrogel formulations of NS were prepared in a specific way ex tempore. NS was sprinkled on the surface of a distilled water, then polymer soluted in water was added. Afterward, HPMC was affixed to the solution. Prepared samples were stored at room temperature for 24 h. Release tests showed that modification of thevcross-linker type influenced the properties of synthesized polymeric particles. The NIPA derivatives obtained via surfactant free precipitation polymerization (SFPP) may be formulated as hydrogel preparations using HPMC. The obtained formulations presented varied half-release times, depending on the type of applied NIPA derivatives in hydrogel formulations. At 18 °C, the release rates were lower comparing to the reference HPMC hydrogel, whereas at 42 °C, the release rates were significantly higher. The synthesized thermosensitive polymers enabled temperature-triggered release of NS.