bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by indigenous knowledge holders to manage healthcare needs in children
Authors: Ndhlovu Peter Tshepiso , Asong John Awungnjia , Omotayo Abiodun Olusola , Otang-Mbeng Wilfred , Aremu Adeyemi Oladapo
Published: March 2023

Childhood diseases remain an increasing health problem in many developing countries and also associated with an enormous financial burden. In South Africa, many people still rely on traditional medicine for their primary healthcare. However, inadequate documentation of medicinal plants used to manage childhood diseases remain a prominent gap. Hence, the current study explored the importance of medicinal plants to treat and manage childhood diseases in the North West Province, South Africa. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted with 101 participants using semi-structured interviews (face-to-face). Ethnobotanical indices such as Frequency of citation (FC), Use-value (UV) and Informed Consensus Factor (ICF) were used for data analysis. A total of 61 plants from 34 families were recorded as medicine used for managing seven (7) categories of diseases resulting from 29 sub-categories. Skin-related and gastro-intestinal diseases were the most prevalent childhood health conditions encountered by the study participants. Based on their FC values that ranged from approximately 0.9–75%, the most popular medicinal plants used by the participants were Aptosinum elongatum (75.2%), Commelina diffusa (45.5%), Euphorbia prostrata (31.6%) and Bulbine frutescens (31.7%). In terms of the UV, A. elongatum (0.75), C. diffusa (0.45), E. prostrata (0.31), H. hemerocallidea (0.19) and E. elephantina (0.19) were the dominant plants used for treating and managing childhood diseases. Based on ICF, skin-related diseases dominated with the highest ICF value of 0.99. This category had 381 use-reports, comprising 34 plants (55.7% of total plants) used for childhood-related diseases. Particularly, B. frutescens and E. elephantina were the most-cited plants for the aforementioned category. Leaves (23%) and roots (23%) were the most frequently used plant parts. Decoctions and maceration were the main preparation methods, and the plant remedies were mainly administered orally (60%) and topically (39%). The current study revealed the continuous dependence on the plant for primary health care relating to childhood diseases in the study area. We generated a valuable inventory of medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge for child healthcare needs. However, investigating the biological efficacies, phytochemical profiles and the safety of these identified plants in relevant test systems remain essential in future research.
A gasztronómiai fogyasztók szegmentálása az online aktivitás és az influencerkövetés szemszögéből
Authors: Szakály Orsolya
Published: March 2023

Jelen tanulmány célja a gasztronómia iránt érdeklődő Instagram-felhasználók szegmentálhatóságának feltárása a fogyasztók online aktivitása és az influencerkövetési magatartásuk alapján. Mivel a közösségi média egyre intenzívebb alkalmazása és az influencerek aktív jelenléte a gasztronómia területén jelentősen befolyásolja a fogyasztói attitűdöket, ezek megismerése az elérni kívánt célközönség feltérképezésekor elengedhetetlen a vendéglátóipari szolgáltatók részéről. A kutatási téma feltárása kérdőíves felméréssel valósult meg, 421 fős elemszámmal, faktor- és klaszteranalízis alkalmazásával. A faktorelemzés során négy faktor emelkedett ki: az influencerkövetési attitűd, a vendéglátóhelyen történő fogyasztási attitűd, az aktivitási attitűd és a gasztronómia iránti attitűd megjelenése az Instagramon. A klaszterelemzéssel négy szegmens volt megkülönböztethető: a foodie-k, az influencerfüggők, az online gasztrofogyasztók és az érdektelenek. A kutatás eredményei a turisztikai és marketing szakemberek, valamint a vendéglátóipari szolgáltatók számára is értékes információkat tartalmaznak.
Stöd, hinder och förväntningar på läsaren
Authors: Sahlée Anna
Published: March 2023

Support, Barriers, and Expectations of the Reader: On Textual and Visual Choices in a Picturebook Based on the Animated Feature Film Cars

Whenever an animated feature film aimed at children is released from a bigger production company, tie-ins will follow, including picturebooks. These books can be found in everyday grocery stores and have the potential to reach many children. Although discussed, few systematic descriptions of the literature in question exist. In this article, I examine textual and visual choices in the picturebook Bilar (Cars, 2015) based on the Disney & Pixar film with the same name (Lesseter). I investigate what barriers and what support it offers the reader to grip the story, but also whom the book addresses as a reader. The analysis focuses on resources important for comprehension, namely temporality and cohesion. Close-up analysis of text and pictures reveals and tries to explain temporal and logical gaps. The analysis shows that Bilar is quite complex, with features that contribute to distancing the story from the reader. The temporal unfolding advances quickly, but quite evenly, with few pauses. Leaps are drastic and linguistically unmarked, and intentions and events are presented indirectly. The text has few explicit causal ties and deviates from what is expected. Overall, the pictures repeat information in the text, but they also contradict the text in a way that suggests it was unintentional. Although the text manages to mediate the plot and intention – to the adult reader – it is hard to grasp in total without the movie in mind. The addressed reader, then, is plural: an adult and a child who have watched the movie and can fill the gaps, and who do not care too much about logical details. However, the study and the conclusion is based on a traditional view of the book and of reading. An investigation of the book in use might change or widen the understanding of this type of product.
Boric acid transport activity of marine teleost aquaporins expressed in Xenopus oocytes
Authors: Kumagai Shiori , Watanabe Erika , Hayashi Naoko , Kimura Yuuri , Kamiya Takehiro , Nagashima Ayumi , Ushio Kazutaka , Imaizumi Genki , Kim Juhyun , Munakata Keijiro , Umezawa Takahiro , Hirose Shigehisa , Kasai Koji , Fujiwara Toru , Romero Michael F. , Kato Akira
Published: March 2023

Marine teleosts ingest large amounts of seawater containing various ions, including 0.4 mM boric acid, which can accumulate at toxic levels in the body. However, the molecular mechanisms by which marine teleosts absorb and excrete boric acid are not well understood. Aquaporins (Aqps) are homologous to the nodulin‐like intrinsic protein (NIP) family of plant boric acid channels. To investigate the potential roles of Aqps on boric acid transport across the plasma membrane in marine teleosts, we analyzed the function of Aqps of Japanese pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Takifugu genome database contains 16 genes encoding the aquaporin family members (aqp0a, aqp0b, aqp1aa, aqp1ab, aqp3a, aqp4a, aqp7, aqp8bb, aqp9a, aqp9b, aqp10aa, aqp10bb, aqp11a, aqp11b, aqp12, and aqp14). When T. rubripes Aqps (TrAqps) were expressed in X. laevis oocytes, a swelling assay showed that boric acid permeability was significantly increased in oocytes expressing TrAqp3a, 7, 8bb, 9a, and 9b. The influx of boric acid into these oocytes was also confirmed by elemental quantification. Electrophysiological analysis using a pH microelectrode showed that these TrAqps increase B(OH)3 permeability. These results indicate that TrAqp3a, 7, 8bb, 9a, and 9b act as boric acid transport systems, likely as channels, in marine teleosts.
The Unlikely Continuity. The Communist Legacy of Romanian Consumer and Residential Credit Laws
Authors: Stănescu Cătălin Gabriel
Published: March 2023

The study challenges the dominant narrative that Romanian consumer and residential credit laws are a product of the country’s return to capitalism and the market economy, proposing an alternative interpretation. It demonstrates that the origins of Romanian consumer and residential credit laws lay in the pre-World War II and communist legislation that survived the 1989 Revolution. This shows that the communist legacy in consumer and residential credit is real and more enduring than expected and that communism did not differ from capitalism in this respect, other than how consumer and residential credit was organised. Using legal history and doctrinal analysis in a functional approach coupled with statistical and empirical data, the study proves the existence of a normative continuity between pre-and post-1989 Romanian consumer and residential credit laws that ended with the EU accession efforts. Finally, this continuity between communist and capitalist consumer and residential credit laws indicates functional similarities between the monarchic (capitalist) and communist legal systems, further undermining the relevance of political and economic ideology and the idea that communism was inimical to consumers and consumer or residential credit.
A partial inverse problem for non-self-adjoint Sturm–Liouville operators with a constant delay
Authors: Wang Yu Ping , Keskin Baki , Shieh Chung-Tsun
Published: March 2023

In this paper we study a partial inverse spectral problem for non-self-adjoint Sturm–Liouville operators with a constant delay and show that subspectra of two boundary value problems with one common boundary condition are sufficient to determine the complex potential. We developed the Horváth’s method in [M. Horváth,
On the inverse spectral theory of Schrödinger and Dirac operators,
Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 353 2001, 10, 4155–4171] for the self-adjoint Sturm–Liouville operator without delay into the non-self-adjoint Sturm–Liouville differential operator with a constant delay.
Efficient employment of optical sources integrated with both light detectors and free space communication modulated channel under ambient conditions effects
Authors: Gopalan Anitha , Subramaniam Jayapoorani , Sangeetha Dharmapuri Patel , Ahammad Shaik Hasane , Hossain Md. Amzad , Rashed Ahmed Nabih Zaki
Published: March 2023

The paper simulates the efficient employment of light sources integrated with both light detectors and free space communication channel under ambient condition effects. The modified duobinary non return to zero line coding system based optical wireless communication channel under light or dense fog level effects. Max. Q factor against OWC reach is simulated at light and dense fog level for the suggested with the previous model. The study emphasis that the OWC length has been reached to 65 km at light fog level and the OWC length has been reached to 5 km at dense Fog level with acceptable signal power. The total light power and total electrical power are illustrated at light and dense fog levels. Max. Q factor and min. BER after receiver based OWC are clarified at light and dense fog levels.
Integrated optics based on electro optic modulators for long distance links and high bit rate communication
Authors: Rashed Ahmed Nabih Zaki , Kumar Ravichandran Prem , Gopinathan Charulatha , Rajendran Radhika , Ahammad Shaik Hasane , Hossain Md. Amzad
Published: March 2023

This paper has clarified the gallium aluminum arsenide and plastic modulators and its element circuit modeling design considerations for high signal processing distance links communications. Modulator circuit model design considerations and equations analysis are taken into account. Modulator source resistance, modulator inductance, and modulator capacitance based electro-optic modulator (EOM) is studied and analyzed against temperature variations. In addition to the switching voltage for EOM is analyzed at both 1300 nm and 1550 nm wavelength versus temperature variations. The operation efficiency and maximum modulation resonance frequency are studied for previous and proposed EOM versus modulator length variations. The lower modulator resistance, modulator capacitance, and modulator inductance can be achieved with the proposed EOM. As well as the proposed EOM has outlined the optimum operational efficiency and maximum resonance modulation frequency compared to the previous EOM.
How is an Illusion of Reason Possible? The Division of Nothing in the

Critique of Pure Reason
Authors: Smith Daniel James
Published: March 2023

This paper develops a new interpretation of the “table of nothing” that appears at the end of the transcendental aesthetic in the Critique of Pure Reason. In contrast to previous interpretations, which have taken it to be part of Kant’s account of the failures of reason, this paper argues that it should be understood as proffering Kant’s positive account of the objects he will be concerned with in the transcendental dialectic, namely objects that, properly understood, are nothing. I examine the four nothings in turn, showing how Kant’s concern is to develop a positive account of each one that allows him to determine its object while recognizing that it in some sense is not. I introduce Allison’s distinction between error and illusion and argue that the table of nothing is Kant’s theoretical account of what illusions are as objects, and thereby explains how something like a transcendental dialectic is possible at all.
“We are only to Appear to be Fighting Corruption…We can’t even Bite”: online memetic anti-corruption discourse in the Ghanaian media
Authors: Ofori Michael , Sena Dogbatse Felicity
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The goal of this study is to explore how memes are used as tools to expose and shame corruption in Ghana. The Ghanaian media has used memes to criticize unhealthy governmental and social practices and advocated for alternative approaches to addressing these issues. Thus, we explore the qualities memes possess in contributing to the anti-corruption discourse in Ghana.

Methods

Using visual rhetoric and metaphorical analysis of five media memes purposively collected from the Facebook page of Tilapia Da Cartoonist of TV3, this study discusses the approaches memes employ to ridicule and humorize the fight against corruption in Ghana and suggests remediations for governmental corruption.

Results

We find that memes play crucial anti-corruption roles. As such, they criticize corruption by showing the impact of corruption on the average citizen. Memes reveal the suppression of anti-corruption agents and agencies and the lack of real commitment to the fight against corruption in Ghana. While memes expose and criticize corruption, they also provide utilitarian approaches to addressing corruption. Central to this study, the research finds that humor is a basic feature of memes. However, within the Ghanaian media context, the humor in a meme does not affect the seriousness of the message a meme conveys.

Practical implications

Memes can be used strategically as an advocacy tool and a good complement to daily news reports.

Social implications

Media memes could be used as active media tools to produce, reproduce, distribute, and enhance complex socio-political narratives in society. This may have social and political implications for society.

Originality

This is the first study to explore memes as an anti-corruption media text. It is also the first study to examine the impact of humor on the message a meme conveys. This is done through a qualitative interpretation of the memes. Limitations and recommendations are provided.
Signifying Nothing: Nihilism, Information, and Signs
Authors: Woodward Ashley
Published: March 2023

This article explores the theme of nihilism from the perspective of post-continental philosophy by focusing on semiotics and information theory and the question of “meaning” at stake between them. Nihilism is characterised here as an avatar of the counter-Enlightenment tradition. Post-continental philosophy is defined by a positive revaluation of reason, science, and technology, which were critiqued for their nihilistic effects by key continental philosophers. Rather than critiquing nihilism, then, post-continental philosophers have tended to affirm it. This article argues that, despite appearances, such developments in fact allow a deepened response to nihilism, considered as an existential problem. It does so by using Lyotard’s critique of semiotics to show how the kind of linguistic and cultural meaning associated with continental philosophy is itself a kind of nihilism. It then examines Meillassoux’s theory of the meaningless sign and Laruelle’s idea of the secret truth of Hermes to argue that this new paradigm of post-continental philosophy allows a response to nihilism by offering an alternative to semiotic meaning. Thus freed, this new paradigm allows the embrace of information theory as a plural articulation of meanings grounded in meaningless data, which enables a superior response to nihilism in the information age.
A waterborne uniform graphene oxide-epoxy complex with enhanced anticorrosive properties enabled by intercalation polymerization
Authors: Li Jingyi , Zhu Ke , Fu Zeli
Published: March 2023

Dispersion of graphene in water-based epoxy resins has always been a challenge. In this work, the stable and uniform graphene oxide modified emulsifying epoxy resin curing agents (WPA@GOs) were firstly prepared by intercalation polymerization. Subsequently, WPA@GO was used to emulsify E44 to obtain WPA@GO/E44 nano-emulsions. Compared to WPA/E44 and WPA-GO/E44, the water resistance, tensile strength, and anticorrosive properties of WPA@GO/E44 were significantly increased. The corrosion density of WPA@GO2/E44 coating decreased by 5 times and polarization impedance increased by 10 times in comparison to WPA/E44 coating.
Homes: A Quartet
Authors: Marchi Lisa
Published: March 2023

This article offers a meditation on the idea of home as expressed by four US poets belonging to different historical periods and socio-cultural backgrounds. At first, the poetic compositions I will discuss may startle readers in ways similar to what happened to Ludwig van Beethoven’s contemporaries as they first listened to his experimental and defamiliarizing late quartets. Emily Dickinson, Jennifer Elise Foerster, Richard Wright, and Agha Shahid Ali populate their homes with volcanoes, lice, faces hidden in gingerbread tins, and half-inch Himalayas. Moving alternately between macroscopic and microscopic dimensions, this article asks provocatively: How is the relation between movement and homemaking staged in these poems? To what extent do these poetic compositions bear the marks of homelessness and of imaginary homes? And finally, what should we make out of this unharmonious wholeness?
Hawaiki According to Tupaia: Glimpses of Knowing Home in Precolonial Remote Oceania
Authors: Eckstein Lars
Published: March 2023

This essay looks into the concept of an ancestral homeland in Remote Oceania, commonly referred to as Hawaiki (‘Avaiki; Havai‘i; Hawai‘i). Hawaiki intriguingly challenges Eurocentric notions of ‘home.’ Following the rapid settlement of the so-called Polynesian triangle from Samoa/Tonga at around 1000 AD, Hawaiki has emerged as a concept that is both mythological and real; genealogical and geographic; singular and yet portable, existing in plural regional manifestations. I argue that predominantly Pakeha/Popa‘ā research trying to identify Hawaiki as a singular and geographically fixed homeland is misleading. I tap into the archive surrounding the Ra‘iātean tahu‘a and master navigator Tupaia who joined Captain Cook’s crew during his first voyage to the Pacific to offer glimpses of an alternative ontology of home and epistemology of Oceanic ‘homing.’
Haunting Homes and Emerging Dilemmas of Being in the World: A Commentary
Authors: Boccagni Paolo
Published: March 2023

Home ‘haunts’ in much fiction literature, as the contributors to this volume of ZAA reveal by engaging in fruitful conversation with the scholarship on migration, displacement, exile, settler colonialism, and human/non-human relations, on all scales from local to global. This commentary underlines the promise of more extended exchanges between art, humanities, and social sciences in home studies. This is critical to make sense of the myriad imaginaries, emotions, and moralities associated with home, while being alert to the underlying ideological interests and subtexts. Writing on home and displacement, at the intersection between multiple disciplines, yields unique insights into long-term historical processes and biographical developments that shape our perception of home as a natural state of things, and our unequal opportunities to make ourselves at home. I eventually outline three research pathways that would benefit from a more systematic transition from the ‘haunting’ to the ‘emergence’ of home. These concern the ways of using home as a discursive category, the sensorial embeddedness of home, and the intimately political significance of home.
Stability & Change in a Freshwater Ecosystem
Authors: Hofeld Jennifer , Bowser Robert , Ulrich Sydney , Angle Julie
Published: March 2023

A report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found 46% of rivers and streams and 21% of lakes are in poor biological condition (EPA, 2017). In this 5E standards-based inquiry lesson, students actively engage with the natural phenomena of algal blooms through the introduction of the harmful algal bloom (HAB) that occurred in Lake Erie’s western basin in the summer of 2011. Students make sense of relationships within aquatic ecosystems, using microcosms (miniature ecosystems) containing phytoplankton and zooplankton, and then communicate their findings through a scientific manuscript. This lesson engages students in the three-dimensional learning identified in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) under the standard of HS-LS2, Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics. More specifically, students address the expectation of HS-LS2-6 when they make sense of how the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, while changing conditions may result in new ecosystems. This long-term scientific investigation also provides students with opportunities to make sense of aspects of the nature of science, while increasing their science content knowledge and understanding of the practices of science. Evaluation of student work occurs at all stages of the lesson.
Does Going Green Feel Good in Russia: Implicit Measurements With Visual Stimuli
Authors: Valko Danila
Published: March 2023

Research has shown that in developed environmental cultures, people typically have positive attitudes towards sustainability and pro-environmental behaviour. This has been measured both explicitly, through surveys and interviews, and implicitly, through indirect measures. However, this phenomenon has not yet been extensively studied in emerging environmental cultures, such as Russia. In this study, we adapted two indirect measures, the Affect misattribution procedure and the Affective priming procedure, to examine whether people in Russia have a positive pro-environmental attitude and whether there is a relationship between this implicitly measured attitude and an explicit environmental concern. To ensure reproducibility, we preregistered and conducted two similar studies. The total sample size of the two studies is 394. Our results showed that both measures converge and successfully detect the existence of a positive implicit attitude towards sustainability and pro-environmental behaviour, but there does not appear to be a relationship with environmental concern.
Effect of Seed Dressing with Gibberellins and Brassinosteroids on Enzymatic Activity and Seed Quality of Soya Bean at Different Vigour Levels Under Low Temperature
Authors: Thongsri Kantima , Teingtham Kanokwan , Duangpatra Juangjun , Romkaew Jutamas
Published: March 2023

Gibberellin (GA3) and brassinosteroid (EBL) interactions can stimulate germination, extend seedling growth and induce low temperature stress tolerance. The effects of GA3and EBL on seed quality, α-amylase and total dehydro genase activities of soya bean seeds at different vigour and temperature levels were studied. The results showed that medium vigour seeds dressed with 100 ppm GA3, 0.25 ppm EBL plus 50 ppm GA3, and 0.50 ppm EBL plus 100 ppm GA3had significantly higher germination (GP) and seedling vigour rates (SVR) than those of untreated seeds. Similarly, 0.50 ppm EBL resulted in higher SVR of low and medium vigour seeds when compared to the control under low temperature. All soya bean seeds dressed with 100 ppm GA3had higher GP, vigour, shoot and root lengths, and SVR under both temperatures than those of the untreated seeds, and mean germination time decreased. At 15°C, all seeds dressed with 0.50 ppm EBL plus 100 ppm GA3had higher α-amylase activity than the untreated seeds, whereas seeds with low and medium seed vigour dressed with 100 ppm GA3and 0.25 ppm EBL plus 50 ppm GA3had higher total dehydrogenase activity than the untreated seeds.
Harnessing collective intelligence for the future of learning – a co-constructed research and development agenda
Authors: Misevic Dusan , Atal Ignacio , Bedard Denis , Cherel Eric , Escamilla José , Evans Linda , Hannon Valerie , Huron Caroline , Irrmann Olivier , Kizilcec Rene , Lazega Emmanuel , Lemoie Kerri , Lindner Ariel , Macedo Mariana , Mainguy Gaell , Mann Richard , Masselot Camille , Michelucci Pietro , Nikolayeva Iryna , Ogan Amy , Pérez-Sanagustín Mar , Pescetelli Niccolo , Poquet Sasha , Rafner Janet , Regester Dominic , Santolini Marc , Sevin Jean-Marc , Shahaf Dafna , Sherson Jacob , Smith Jacksón , Söllner Mattias , Soulié Françoise , Taddei François , Tupikina Liubov , Van Der Leeuw Sander
Published: March 2023

Learning, defined as the process of constructing meaning and developing competencies to act on it, is instrumental in helping individuals, communities, and organizations tackle challenges. When these challenges increase in complexity and require domain knowledge from diverse areas of expertise, it becomes difficult for single individuals to address them. In this context, collective intelligence, a capacity of groups of people to act together and solve problems using their collective knowledge, becomes of great importance. Technologies are instrumental both to support and understand learning and collective intelligence, hence the need for innovations in the area of technologies that can support user needs to learn and tackle collective challenges. Use-inspired research is a fitting paradigm that spans applied solutions and scientific explanations of the processes of learning and collective intelligence, and that can improve the technologies that may support them. Although some conceptual and theoretical work explaining and linking learning with collective intelligence is emerging, technological infrastructures as well as methodologies that employ and evidence that support them are nascent. We convened a group of experts to create a middleground and engage with the priorities for use-inspired research. Here we detail directions and methods they put forward as most promising for advancing a scientific agenda around learning and collective intelligence.
The Effects of STEM Activities Conducted with the Flipped Learning Model on Primary School Students’ Scientific Creativity, Attitudes and Perceptions towards STEM
Authors: Erkan Hayriye , Duran Meltem
Published: March 2023

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of STEM activities carried out with the flipped learning model within the scope of science class on the scientific creativity, perceptions about STEM, and attitudes towards STEM of 4th grade primary school students and to reveal students’ opinions about the learning process. The sample of this study consisted of 57 fourth grade students attending a public primary school in a city center in the Eastern Black Sea region in the spring semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. Mixed method was used in the study. Quasi-experimental method with experimental and control groups was used in the quantitative dimension of the study, and case study was used in the qualitative dimension. In the study, data were collected using the “Scientific Creativity Scale”, “STEM Attitude Scale”, “STEM Perception Test” and a “semi-structured interview form” developed by the researcher. SPSS 21 package program was used to analyze the collected quantitative data and content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The quantitative results of the study revealed that STEM activities conducted with the Flipped Learning Model had a positive effect on students’ scientific creativity levels and STEM perceptions, but had no effect on their attitudes towards STEM. The qualitative results of the study revealed that students mostly found the activities useful, instructive and fun. In line with the results obtained from the study, the use of STEM activities supported by the Flipped Learning model is recommended at all levels of education.
Implicancias tafonómicas y paleoambientales de los pequeños vertebrados del sitio arqueológico Campo Laborde (centro de los pastizales pampeanos, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Authors: Scheifler Nahuel A. , Messineo Pablo G. , Pardiñas Ulyses F. J.
Published: March 2023

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados obtenidos del estudio taxonómico y tafonómico del conjunto arqueofaunístico de pequeños vertebrados de Campo Laborde (centro de los pastizales pampeanos, Buenos Aires, Argentina), un sitio interpretado como un locus de caza y procesamiento primario de un perezoso extinguido (Megatherium americanum) sobre las márgenes de un pantano del Holoceno temprano. Entre los taxones presentes predominan los roedores (Reithrodon auritus, Akodon cf. Akodon azarae, Ctenomys sp., Galea leucoblephara, Dolichotis patagonum y Lagostomus maximus) y, en menor medida, anuros, reptiles, aves, peces, dasipódidos y cánidos. El análisis tafonómico permitió establecer que buena parte de los restos de pequeños vertebrados fueron generados por la acción de lechuzas y búhos, mientras que en otros casos su incorporación se asoció con el aprovechamiento antrópico y con procesos eto-ecológicos. El conjunto de pequeños vertebrados sugiere que el paleopantano formaba parte de ambientes de pastizales relativamente homogéneos, desarrollados bajo condiciones climáticas templadas, similares a las actuales, aunque con un mayor grado de aridez. La integración de la información con otras líneas de evidencia sugiere que posteriormente este microambiente habría sufrido un proceso de desecación.
Combustibility and characteristics of wood-fiber insulation boards prepared with four different adhesives
Authors: Lee Min , Lee Sang-Min , Kang Eun-Chang , Son Dong-Won
Published: March 2023

Wood-fiber insulation boards can be utilized as a core construction material. They provide a comfortable and safe residential space and reduce energy consumption because of the ecofriendly nature and high heat insulation. In this study, wood-fiber insulation boards were prepared with different types of adhesive (melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF), phenol-formaldehyde (PF), emulsifiable 4,4’ methylene diisocyanate (eMDI), and latex resins), and the physical and heat insulation properties, toxic chemical emissions, and combustion characteristics were analyzed. The different adhesive types had no major effects on the insulation. With regard to the toxic emissions, all wood-fiber insulation boards showed the best rating possible except for the PF resin. In the cone-calorimeter test, the wood-fiber insulation board prepared with MUF showed a lower total heat release, mean heat release rate, smoke release, and CO and CO2 yields than the other samples because of the early formation of the carbonized layer. Based on the comprehensive evaluation, the MUF adhesive is the best choice for wood-fiber insulation boards.
Preparation of porous composite bio-carriers from lignin-carbohydrate complexes and cellulose nanocrystals, and their application in the culture of human hepatocytes
Authors: Wu Hongfei , Xie Yimin , Zhao Houkuan , Chen Xuekuan , Jiang Chen , Bi Shuying , Liu Yanchao
Published: March 2023

Lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCC) were isolated from poplar wood after ball-milling for 48 h and 72 h. The water-insoluble LCC-48 and LCC-72 were fractionated. Porous spherical composite bio-carriers were prepared by liquid-nitrogen freezing using the water-insoluble LCCs and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) showed that the bio-carriers were composed of lignin moieties and polysaccharide units. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the outer surface and cut surface of the spherical carrier had many pores. The specific surface areas of the LCC-72/CNC and the LCC-48/CNC composite carriers were 24.2 m2/g and 28.9 m2/g, respectively, while their pore sizes were 28.6 nm and 33.6 nm, respectively. Both carrier samples had good stability at pH 4.6 to 9.5 for about 50 days. Human hepatocytes were cultured in vitro with the bio-carriers and the cells grew well. A large number of cells adhered to the porous bio-carriers, and the cells of the experimental group to which the carriers were added exhibited higher metabolic activities. The CNC improved the biocompatibility for human hepatocytes. In summary, spherical bio-carriers prepared from LCC/CNC composite displayed high biocompatibility and have potential applications in liver tissue engineering.
Changes in characteristics of wood fiber insulation board according to density
Authors: Lee Min , Lee Sang-Min , Kang Eun-Chang
Published: March 2023

As the demand increases for low energy green buildings, such as passive housing, the development of new insulation systems based on natural materials is underway. In this study, 20-mm-thick wood fiber insulation board (WIB) samples of different densities were prepared using melamine-formaldehyde-urea (MFU) resin adhesives. The resin contents were fixed at 35% and the target densities were 0.10 g/cm3, 0.15 g/cm3, 0.20 g/cm3, and 0.25 g/cm3. The thermal conductivities of the WIBs gradually increased as the density increased. The formaldehyde (HCHO) emissions of all the WIBs indicated that they were of “Super E0” (SE0) grade, but the quantity of the HCHO emissions slightly increased as the density increased. The thickness swelling of all the WIBs was stable at less than 3%, and the bending strength linearly increased as the WIB density increased. A notable decrease in the water absorption rate was observed between the lower and higher density WIB samples. Based on the results of the cone calorimeter tests, the carbonization depth ratio and the weight loss rate remarkably decreased as the density increased. Therefore, the optimum WIB density was in the range of 0.15 g/cm3 to 0.20 g/cm3 to provide adequate insulation performance as well as human and structural safety.
Air-drying of seven clones of Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla wood
Authors: França Frederico J. N. , Maciel André P. V. , França Tâmara S. F. A. , Silva João G. M. , Batista Djeison C.
Published: March 2023

Selecting clones with the best genetic material is one goal of eucalyptus breeding programs. Understanding the variations between the wood from different hybrid clones during drying is necessary to process improvement. This study aimed to select eucalyptus clones for lumber production based on their drying defects. From a plantation in Brazil, 42 trees within the seven different clones were used. All trees were 13 years old. The effect of the genetic material on the apparent density of the clones was significant. It was possible to separate the clones into four groups. Even if the wood was from the same genotype, a load of boards made from Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla wood exhibited heterogeneity in the drying rate due to factors inherent in the wood, especially the apparent density. The apparent density negatively affected the drying rate of the clones, i.e., approximately 70.5% of the drying rate was explained by the apparent density. Denser pieces exhibited lower drying rates. For a more homogeneous natural drying, it is recommended that the composition of the stacks use pieces with the same apparent density and thus similar initial moisture. The air-drying process is recommended to release any free water from eucalyptus woods.
Evaluation of biogas production from anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge with microalgae and agriculture wastes
Authors: Ahmed Dalia , Wagdy Rabab , Said Noha
Published: March 2023

Anaerobic digestion of biomass wastes could have a huge impact on renewable energy requirements. Moreover, it reduces biomass wastes and greenhouse gas emissions. To improve the performance of anaerobic digesters, the co-digestion of different biomass wastes, such as waste activated sludge, microalgae, and agriculture wastes including sawdust, wheat straw, and rice straw has been performed in this study. The results showed that sludge and microalgae have low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios. Meanwhile, the addition of agriculture wastes to sludge and microalgae mixture increased the C/N ratio and improved biogas yield by 179%, 209%, and 265% in the cases of adding sawdust, rice straw, and wheat straw, respectively. Co-digestion with wheat straw showed the highest values of C/N for the feedstock (20.6) and biogas production. Moreover, it recorded the highest reduction values for total solids (48.1%), volatile solids (58.2%), and chemical oxygen demand (77.5%) as compared to the other wastes.
Potential use of waste cotton in production of biomass composites
Authors: Qu Junlin , Wang Zhongwei , Hu Changchun , Yin Qian , Pang Yan
Published: March 2023

Mechanical and waterproof properties were evaluated for hot-pressed cotton boards produced from different layers (3, 4, and 5) of cotton veneers under the same weight of cotton fibers and melamine-urea-formaldehyde adhesive. The mechanical and waterproof properties of cotton boards exceeded the specifications for particleboard and medium-density fiberboard of the China national standard requirements, and the four-layer cotton boards performed better. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that fibers were intertwined to form a dense network structure after hot-pressing with water, and thicker veneers were not conducive to the penetration of adhesives after cold-pressing. Fourier transform infrared spectra indicated that hydrogen bonding, physical, and mechanical bonding took place in the cotton veneers, and stronger absorption peaks were shown for the chemical functional groups of the five-layer and four-layer cotton boards. X-ray diffraction spectra revealed that the cellulose crystallinity of the cotton boards (3, 4, and 5 layers) increased to 74.5%, 74.4%, and 73.2%, respectively. Thermal gravity/ differential thermal gravity curves showed that the thinner cotton veneers of the cotton boards showed better thermal stability. These results showed promise for the revaluation of this textile waste to produce biomass composites and for its potential use as a raw material in the preparation of biomass composites.
Methodology for the characterization of elastic constants of wood from tree branches
Authors: Gonçalves Raquel , Garcia Gustavo Henrique Lopes , Brazolin Sergio , Bertoldo Cinthya , Ruy Monica
Published: March 2023

In biomechanical analyses, computational models are essential tools for simulating the behavior of a tree subjected to a load. However, such models allow only approximation of the actual behavior of the tree if the elastic parameters of the wood in different tree parts (stem, branches, and roots) and at least orthotropic behavior are not considered. In addition, as the wood is green, the parameters of strength and stiffness must be adequate for this level of moisture. However, even for stem wood, knowledge of elastic properties is not available for most species used in urban tree planting, and this scarcity of information is even greater for wood branches. The objective of this research was to evaluate methodology, based on wave propagation, in characterizing the 12 elastic constants of wood from branches. Complementarily, compression tests were performed to characterize the strength. The obtained elastic parameters using ultrasound tests were comparable with the values expected based on theoretical aspects related to the behavior of the wood. The results of the compression test complemented the ultrasound characterization, but the application of this method for the complete characterization of the elastic parameters is not feasible for tree branches because of their small size.
Wood dust granular analysis in the sanding process of thermally modified wood versus its density
Authors: Očkajová Alena , Barcík Štefan , Kučerka Martin , Koleda Peter , Korčok Michal , Vyhnáliková Zuzana
Published: March 2023

This paper aimed to define the density fluctuations of thermally modified wood. This was achieved by the granular analysis of wood dust. The wood dust was acquired by sanding completed using a narrow belt sander. The samples were taken from spruce, oak, and meranti wood types that were thermally modified at temperatures of 160 °C, 180 °C, 200 °C, and 220 °C. The results showed the shares of ≤ 0.08 mm wood dust particles and how their share was related to the temperature treatment; residue curves manifested the wood dust stratification in individual sieves and their density. The shares and densities of the wood dust were statistically analysed, and the statistical significance of the analysed values was calculated. An increased temperature decreased the wood density and decreased the share of the ≤ 0.08 mm wood dust particles. The wood dust shares in the 0.032-mm sieve and at the bottom (the finest particles) of the sieving machine also decreased; however, the share increased in the 0.125-mm sieve.
Tool wear during high-speed milling of wood-plastic composites
Authors: Wei Weihua , Li Yingli , Xue Tongming , Li Yuantong , Sun Peng , Yang Bin , Yin Zhen , Mei Changtong
Published: March 2023

A high-speed milling test was performed with a self-developed wood-plastic composite using uncoated and coated carbide cutting tools. The nose width was used to represent the tool wear. An advanced tool measurement system was adopted to measure the wear of each tool. The influence of some cutting parameters, including spindle speed, feed rate, axial cutting depth, and radial cutting depth, on the tool wear was analyzed using a single factor test method. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the wear morphology on the rake and clearance face of the tool before and after the tool was worn. The results showed that the tool nose width increased with increased axial cutting depths or spindle speeds, while the radial depth under the condition of the same cutting length decreased with an increase in the feed rate. Moreover, the main form of tool wear was abrasive wear and coating peel-off when the wood-plastic composites were machined with high-speed milling.
Soft sensor model of adsorbable organic halogen based on bleached pulp quality indices
Authors: Ma Zhichao , Zhong Pei , Li Jianpei , Yin Yongjun
Published: March 2023

Adsorbable organic halogen (AOX) produced during the bleaching process contains polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins. To predict AOX in a timely and economical manner during pulp bleaching, a soft sensor model based on pulp quality indices was developed by analyzing the correlation between the AOX in the bleaching effluent and the whiteness, Kappa number, and intrinsic viscosity of the pulp. Variations of the main components during pulp bleaching were considered to determine their effects on wastewater AOX content. The results showed that the models can predict the AOX content of bleaching wastewater precisely and rapidly. The high relevant between pulp components and whiteness, Kappa number, and intrinsic viscosity allows the soft sensor model to predict AOX value without interference of components. The developed model has practical importance for monitoring AOX emissions and controlling pollution, which is essential for the global optimization of bleached pulp production cost, pulp quality, and environmental impact. Additionally, it adapts to the requirement of intelligent control of the bleaching process.
Rapid determination of total sulfur content in green liquors by turbidimetric method
Authors: Xing Renwei , Yang Zhiyong , Zho Yan , Wang Songlin
Published: March 2023

A turbidimetric method for the determination of total sulfur content in green liquors was developed. The proposed method involves the quantitative conversion of reduced sulfur with hydrogen peroxide to form sulfate at room temperature for 2 min. After barium chloride is added, sulfate instantly reacts with barium chloride to form precipitated barium sulfate that is measured with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The interference from carbonate can be eliminated by adding hydrochloric acid. Proper analytical conditions were determined as follows: detection wavelength of 420 nm, the stabilizer of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and an analysis time of 10 min. The results showed that the method has an excellent measurement precision (RSD < 1.30%) and accuracy (recovery = 100.1 ± 1.7%) for the quantification of total sulfur content in green liquors. The present method is simple, rapid, and accurate, and can be used for the eﬃcient determination of total sulfur in green liquors.
Sicambria et la Hongrie dans Li Myreur des histors de Jean d’Outremeuse
Authors: Seláf Levente
Published: March 2023

In the first, mostly fictitious part of his Myreur des histors Jean d’Outremeuse tells the story of the origins of the Franks combining the two traditional narratives, that of the Chronicle of Pseudo-Fredegarius, and that of the Liber historiae francorum. In his text Gaulois and Sicambrins, both descending from Trojan refugees, are united after some conflict as the same people, ancestors of the French. Instead of locating Sicambria to Hungary as some of his comtemporaries do, he is attributing to a secondary but significant role to Hungary as a colony and rival of Danemark, another important kingdom in his narrative. The article argues that it might be a kind of compensation of putting apart Hungary from the story of Sicambria, and also a consequence of the phonetic closeness of Hongrie (Hungary) and the city of Tongres, which is in the center of the narrative before the foundation of Liège.
Evolutionary control system of asymmetric quadcopter
Authors: Albedran Hazim , Jármai Károly
Published: March 2023

Drones, specifically quadcopters, have increased in importance during the last years due to their wide range of applications, from civil applications to military employment. One of the most important issues in quadcopters is the efficient control system. While many researchers have dealt with building control systems for symmetric quadcopters, this work presents an efficient control system for asymmetric quadcopters using evolutionary computations. The problem is well-defined throughout the paper, and the methodology is explained in detail in the respective sections. A genetic algorithm is used to tune the weighting matrix of the control system after formulating the control system as an optimization problem. The genetic algorithm was fast and active to increase the performance of the proposed system.