bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Statistical modeling of wet and dry spell frequencies over North-East India
Authors: Deka S. , Borah M. , Kakaty S.C.
Published: April 2018

In this paper an attempt has been made to develop a discrete precipitation model for the daily series of precipitation occurrences over North East India. The point of approach is to model the duration of consecutive dry and wet days i.e. spell, instead of individual wet and dry days. Various distributions viz. uniform, geometric, logarithmic, negative binomial, Poisson and Markov chain of order one and two, Eggenberger-Polya distribution have been fitted to describe the wet and dry spell frequencies of occurrences. The models are fitted to the observed data of seven stations namely Imphal, Mohanbari, Guwahati, Cherrapunji, Silcoorie, North Bank and Tocklai (Jorhat) of North-East India with pronounced attention to summer monsoon season. The goodness of fit of the proposed model has been tested using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. It is observed that Eggenberger-Polya distribution fairly fits wet and dry spell frequencies and can be used in the future for an estimation of the wet and dry spells in the area under study.
Scurvy induced changes and ascorbate defense in albino rats, Rattus norvegicus
Authors: Mehta Priyanka , Singh Kunwar Bahadur
Published: April 2018

An attempt has been made to find out effectiveness of scorbutogenic diet in albino rats, Rattus norvegicus. These animals received 50 and 80 gm cakes of scorbutogenic diet for 15 and 30 days respectively. No scurvy like symptoms were observed rather boils got appeared on their hind limbs, below ear and neck region. Steroid producing glands indicated enhanced steroidogenesis as evidenced by decreased concentrations of adrenal ascorbate and cholesterol. The results suggested that scorbutogenic diet was ineffective to cause scurvy in this species.
Editorial Vol.9(1)
Authors: Talukder Md Humayun Kabir
Published: April 2018

Abstract not availableBangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.9(1) 2018: 1
Medical Migration: a review on the licensing process for International Medical Graduates in Australia and other destinations
Authors: Malek Sharafat , Talukder Md Humayun Kabir
Published: April 2018

Movement of health care professionals, nationally or internationally, has now become a common trend worldwide. International recruitment of efficient physicians is an ongoing process for years although some studies have identified this culture as an issue.10-11 Waves of migration to popularly Australia under ‘Skilled Migration’ and other categories started in Bangladesh in early 1970, which have been ongoing since then.1 Among over thirty thousands of such migrants living in the popularly Australian States2; the medical graduates from Bangladesh are identified through their associations/forum made in each State as well as from the data on their participation in the re-accreditation examinations.3-4, 7-8 A lack of pre-migration awareness on social and academic barriers in the host country has been found far more common in the Australian International Medical Graduates’ (IMGs) studies published before 20045. Poor knowledge on the hurdles may affect IMGs’ post-migration coping or adjustment process. Fortunately, internet facilities are widely available so, modern IMGs no more need to rely on information from relatives, friends or high commission/embassy people. Yet, full access to career and job related journals could still be out of reach for many IMGs. Updated clear knowledge around licenselegislation at the destination would help IMGs gaining smoother transition whilst preparing to build the same career, albeit in a different system. This review article at first presents the background behind strict regulations on permitting the IMGs to practise in major destinations. It then progresses with reviewing these regulations in the developed countries including Australia. Following that a detailed summary has been made on the Australian regulations. Available literature6-8 demonstrates a large discrepancy between IMGs’ success rates in the knowledge and practical part of the licensing (Australian Medical Council) process (i.e. 80% vs. 42% in case of Bangladeshi-IMGs). Therefore, this paper has properly discussed the nature and structure of the practical (AMC-Clinical) examination incorporating examples. Useful web-links on Australian IMGs’ accreditation preparation, permanent migration and finding medical jobs have been provided at relevant sections. Finally, a recommendation has been made to teach 3rd-year medical students on this important area under the ‘Community Medicine’ curriculum in Bangladesh.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.9(1) 2018: 26-34
Expressing evaluation without grammatical stance: informational persuasion on the web
Authors: Biber Douglas , Zhang Meixiu
Published: April 2018

Although ‘stance’ and ‘evaluation’ are closely related theoretical constructs, they have typically been analysed in fundamentally different ways. Stance is normally described in terms of explicit lexico-grammatical features. As a result, stance has been studied through corpus-based methods that result in generalisable descriptions of different registers. In contrast, evaluative language has been regarded as implicit and context-dependent. As a result, analyses of evaluative language have focussed on the connotations of particular words and phrases, or on detailed descriptions of particular texts (rather than on generalisable descriptions of a register).

Against this background, this study is motivated by an apparent contradiction that emerged from a recent study of register variation on the web (Biber and Egbert, 2017, forthcoming): end-users identified two categories of opinionated/persuasive documents on the web, one labelled ‘Opinion’ (OP) and the other labeled ‘Informational Persuasion’ (IP). However, a multi-dimensional analysis of register variation indicated that only the OP documents were marked for the use of grammatical stance features, while the IP documents were marked for the absence of those features.

Our primary goals in this paper are two-fold. First, we undertake detailed linguistic analyses of lexico-grammatical stance features in OP and IP registers to confirm the general results of the earlier analysis. And, second, we use keyword analysis to explore the possibility that evaluation might be expressed lexically – rather than grammatically – in IP. In our conclusion, we discuss the broader theoretical implications of the study, including the possibility of using keyword analysis to explore a particular discourse function (i.e., evaluation); the possibility of analysing evaluative language in ways that can be generalised to an entire register; and the possibility of two complementary discourse systems (i.e., grammatical stance versus lexical evaluation) that are used as alternatives for the expression of personal attitudes and assessments.
Stepchild of Psychoanalysis: ‘Paedophilia’ in Early Psychodynamic Thought
Authors: Janssen Diederik F.
Published: April 2018

Mainstream theorizing of paedophilia from the mid-1920s through to mid-1960, and even into the 1980s, was importantly psychodynamically oriented. The early history of the concept of paedophilia in early psychodynamic thought is problematic, however. Extant historical references are not without problems of their own, and have suffered from a lack of insight in the wider history of sexuality at this point of ‘erotic age preferences’. Review of primary sources highlights several contemporaneous interfaces of early psychodynamic theory: with the established forensic psychology of perpetrators of child sexual abuse; Krafft-Ebing's specific aetiological concept of age fetishism; early study and typologies of homosexual age preferences; emergent and divergent ideas about psychosexual infantilism; and strikingly late empirical attention to the psychiatry of the perpetrator of intergenerational incest.
Separation of Microparticles from Suspension Utilizing Ultrasonic Standing Waves in a Piezoelectric Cylinder Actuator
Authors: Ostasevicius Vytautas , Jurenas Vytautas , Golinka Ievgeniia , Gaidys Rimvydas , Aleksa Algiment
Published: April 2018

A method of microparticle separation from larger volumes of suspension is proposed. A piezoelectric cylinder is selected as an ultrasonic wave actuator, the diameter and length of which the volume of the suspension to be purified depends. Numerically and experimentally, it is demonstrated that the low-level pressure field nodal circles of ultrasonic radiation standing waves concentrate microparticles at different velocities depending on the fluid viscosity. Numerical mathematical modeling has allowed us to identify the basic dynamic characteristics of the piezoelectric actuator to ensure a more effective process of microparticle separation. An important feature of the proposed method is that the ultrasonic radiation stresses that are directly applicable to cell membranes are inadequate to cause them damage.
Mechanical and Non-Destructive Study of CFRP Adhesive Bonds Subjected to Pre-Bond Thermal Treatment and De-Icing Fluid Contamination
Authors: Malinowski Paweł , Tserpes Konstantinos , Ecault Romain , Ostachowicz Wiesław
Published: April 2018

Composite materials are commonly used in many branches of industry. One of the effective methods to join the carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) parts includes the use of adhesives. There is a search on effective methods for quality assurance of bonded parts. In the research here reported the influence of surface pre-bond modification on the adhesive bonds of CFRP plates has been analyzed. Adherends surface modifications, to include defects affecting the bonding quality, were obtained through surface thermal treatment, surface contamination with de-icing fluid and a combination of both the previously described treatments. Characterization of bonded joints was performed by means of mechanical testing, ultrasounds and electromechanical impedance (EMI) measurements. The study here proposed has also the aim to evaluate the ability of different destructive and non-destructive techniques to assess the quality of the bonds. While mechanical tests were strongly affected by the surface modifications, results obtained ultrasound and EMI test have demonstrate only a limited ability of these techniques to differentiate between the different samples. In fact, ultrasounds did not show any changes in the bondline, due to pre-bond modifications. However, this technique was able to detect delamination in CFRP for one of the samples thermally treated at 280 °C. Electromechanical impedance (EMI) measurements showed similar behavior as mechanical tests for samples thermally treated at 260 °C and 280 °C, and for the sample whose surface modification was made with a combination of thermally and de-icing fluid treatments.
22 Years of Governance Structures and Performance: What Has Been Achieved in Agrifood Chains and Beyond? A Review
Authors: Kataike Joanita , Gellynck Xavier
Published: April 2018

Although the existing literature has shown that the choice of governance structure plays a key role in inter-organizational performance, the nature of construct measurability still remains equivocal. The diversity of terminologies used means that the full potential of most studies may be lost in the confusion of indistinctive and misapplied terms. To better understand the relationship between governance structures and performance, a descriptive systematic review was conducted on the extant literature; essentially, to provide a comprehensive point of reference for researchers interested in this research area and to identify future research gaps. A simple analytical framework—Search, Appraisal, and Synthesis—was used to extract data. A total of 110 peer-reviewed journal articles were identified and analyzed. The results indicated that different governance structures are positively related to performance except for the spot market. The findings provide strong evidence that under certain circumstances, the contractual governance structure is negatively related to performance. Whereas in other circumstances, there is a positive interaction. Furthermore, the results revealed that numerous proxy indicators have been used to measure governance structures and performance. Overall, this study provides new insights on the relationship between governance structures and performance in the agrifood sector and beyond. The contribution of the study, implications, and suggestions for future research outlook are discussed in relation to governance structures and performance.
The Use of a Non-Penetrating Captive Bolt for the Euthanasia of Neonate Piglets
Authors: Grist Andrew , Lines Jeff , Knowles Toby , Mason Charles , Wotton Stephen
Published: April 2018

The most common method for the on-farm euthanasia of neonate piglets is reported to be manual blunt force trauma. This paper presents the results of research to evaluate a mechanical non-penetrating captive bolt (the Accles and Shelvoke CASH small animal tool, Birmingham, UK) to produce an immediate stun/kill with neonate piglets. One hundred and forty-seven piglets (average dead weight = 1.20 kg ± 0.58 (standard deviation, SD), mean age = 5.8 days (median = 3)) were euthanized with the device and demonstrated immediate loss of consciousness, subjectively assessed by behavioural signs and no recovery. The result that 147 out of 147 animals were effectively stun/killed gives a 95% confidence interval for the true percentage of animals that would be effectively stun/killed of 97.5–100% with the use of the CASH small animal tool under the conditions of the current study. This research concludes that the CASH small animal tool, using a 1 grain brown coded cartridge, is suitable for producing a stun/kill in neonate piglets when applied in a frontal/parietal position.
The Use of a Mechanical Non-Penetrating Captive Bolt Device for the Euthanasia of Neonate Lambs
Authors: Grist Andrew , Lines Jeff A. , Knowles Toby G. , Mason Charles W. , Wotton Stephen B.
Published: April 2018

A non-penetrating captive bolt device, powered by a 1-grain 0.22″ cartridge delivering a calculated kinetic energy of 47 Joules was tested as a euthanasia method on 200 neonate lambs (Ovis aries) of 4.464 kg (SD (Standard deviation) ± 1.056) mean dead weight, to assess effectiveness and shot position. Every lamb (n = 200) was effectively stunned when the weapon was applied powered by a brown, 1-grain cartridge but 10/200 (5%) of the lambs displayed rhythmic or agonal breathing and were subsequently euthanased using euthatal (Merial, UK, GTIN: 03661103015550). Evaluation of the method was conducted using behavioural indicators of brain dysfunction followed by post-mortem examination of the heads. A second trial was conducted using a higher velocity 1.25-grain cartridge and a specific shot position on 48 lambs (mean dead weight = 6.21 kg, SD ± 1.24) averaging 5 days old. One hundred percent of the lambs in the second trial were immediately stun-killed. Given this complete kill rate and the sample size of the study, the study provides a statistical 95% confidence interval of 92.6% to 100%. The use of the Accles & Shelvoke “CASH” Small Animal Tool (Birmingham, UK) can therefore be recommended for the euthanasia of neonate lambs with a 1.25-grain cartridge and a specific shooting position.
Small-Format Drug Conjugates: A Viable Alternative to ADCs for Solid Tumours?
Authors: Deonarain Mahendra , Yahioglu Gokhan , Stamati Ioanna , Pomowski Anja , Clarke James , Edwards Bryan , Diez-Posada Soraya , Stewart Ashleigh
Published: April 2018

Antibody–Drug Conjugates (ADCs) have been through multiple cycles of technological innovation since the concept was first practically demonstrated ~40 years ago. Current technology is focusing on large, whole immunoglobulin formats (of which there are approaching 100 in clinical development), many with site-specifically conjugated payloads numbering 2 or 4. Despite the success of trastuzumab-emtansine in breast cancer, ADCs have generally failed to have an impact in solid tumours, leading many to explore alternative, smaller formats which have better penetrating properties as well as more rapid pharmacokinetics (PK). This review describes research and development progress over the last ~10 years obtained from the primary literature or conferences covering over a dozen different smaller format-drug conjugates from 80 kDa to around 1 kDa in total size. In general, these agents are potent in vitro, particularly more recent ones incorporating ultra-potent payloads such as auristatins or maytansinoids, but this potency profile changes when testing in vivo due to the more rapid clearance. Strategies to manipulate the PK properties, whilst retaining the more effective tumour penetrating properties could at last make small-format drug conjugates viable alternative therapeutics to the more established ADCs.
Effects of Ingestion of Different Amounts of Carbohydrate after Endurance Exercise on Circulating Cytokines and Markers of Neutrophil Activation
Authors: Tanisawa Kumpei , Suzuki Katsuhiko , Ma Sihui , Kondo Saki , Okugawa Susumu , Higuchi Mitsuru
Published: April 2018

We aimed to examine the effects of ingestion of different amounts of carbohydrate (CHO) after endurance exercise on neutrophil count, circulating cytokine levels, and the markers of neutrophil activation and muscle damage. Nine participants completed three separate experimental trials consisting of 1 h of cycling exercise at 70% V · O2 max, followed by ingestion of 1.2 g CHO·kg body mass−1·h−1 (HCHO trial), 0.2 g CHO·kg body mass−1·h−1 (LCHO trial), or placebo (PLA trial) during the 2 h recovery phase in random order. Circulating glucose, insulin, and cytokine levels, blood cell counts, and the markers of neutrophil activation and muscle damage were measured. The concentrations of plasma glucose and serum insulin at 1 h after exercise were higher in the HCHO trial than in the LCHO and PLA trials. Although there were significant main effects of time on several variables, including neutrophil count, cytokine levels, and the markers of neutrophil activation and muscle damage, significant time × trial interactions were not observed for any variables. These results suggest that CHO ingestion after endurance exercise does not enhance exercise-induced increase in circulating neutrophil and cytokine levels and markers of neutrophil activation and muscle damage, regardless of the amount of CHO ingested.
A Novel Method for Modeling the Electromagnetic Characteristics of Switched Reluctance Motors
Authors: Li Cunhe , Wang Guofeng , Liu Jian , Li Yan , Fan Yunsheng
Published: April 2018

Accurate measurement and determination of the electromagnetic characteristics of the switched reluctance motor (SRM) are indispensable to their advanced control and performance analysis. This paper proposes a novel method for modeling the flux-linkage characteristics of SRM. This strategy without rotor locking, includes three steps, namely measuring, estimating and calculating steps. In the first step, flux linkage curves with current at four equilibrium positions are obtained by an indirect measurement method. In the second step, the flux-linkage characteristic of SRM in the middle position is estimated by its two adjacent flux-linkage curves. In the third step, a decoupled analytical model based on the five-order Fourier series is developed to construct the entire flux-linkage characteristics. The proposed method can not only eliminate the requirements on rotor clamping devices or position sensors, but also achieve fast and accurate modeling for the electromagnetic characteristics of SRM. Comparative studies are carried out between the proposed method and the conventional rotor clamping method, and the results demonstrate that the proposed method has a good agreement with the conventional rotor clamping method. Moreover, the simulation model is established in MATLAB/Simulink software based on the entire electromagnetic characteristics calculated by the proposed method. The accuracy of the proposed method is further verified by comparing the simulation and experimental results under different operating modes of the SRM.
A Hybrid Metaheuristic for Multi-Objective Scientific Workflow Scheduling in a Cloud Environment
Authors: Anwar Nazia , Deng Huifang
Published: April 2018

Cloud computing has emerged as a high-performance computing environment with a large pool of abstracted, virtualized, flexible, and on-demand resources and services. Scheduling of scientific workflows in a distributed environment is a well-known NP-complete problem and therefore intractable with exact solutions. It becomes even more challenging in the cloud computing platform due to its dynamic and heterogeneous nature. The aim of this study is to optimize multi-objective scheduling of scientific workflows in a cloud computing environment based on the proposed metaheuristic-based algorithm, Hybrid Bio-inspired Metaheuristic for Multi-objective Optimization (HBMMO). The strong global exploration ability of the nature-inspired metaheuristic Symbiotic Organisms Search (SOS) is enhanced by involving an efficient list-scheduling heuristic, Predict Earliest Finish Time (PEFT), in the proposed algorithm to obtain better convergence and diversity of the approximate Pareto front in terms of reduced makespan, minimized cost, and efficient load balance of the Virtual Machines (VMs). The experiments using different scientific workflow applications highlight the effectiveness, practicality, and better performance of the proposed algorithm.
An Iterative Load Disaggregation Approach Based on Appliance Consumption Pattern
Authors: Wang Huijuan , Yang Wenrong
Published: April 2018

Non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM), monitoring single-appliance consumption level by decomposing the aggregated energy consumption, is a novel and economic technology that is beneficial to energy utilities and energy demand management strategies development. Hardware costs of high-frequency sampling and algorithm’s computational complexity hampered NILM large-scale application. However, low sampling data shows poor performance in event detection when multiple appliances are simultaneously turned on. In this paper, we contribute an iterative disaggregation approach that is based on appliance consumption pattern (ILDACP). Our approach combined Fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm, which provide an initial appliance operating status, and sub-sequence searching Dynamic Time Warping, which retrieves single energy consumption based on the typical power consumption pattern. Results show that the proposed approach is effective to accurately disaggregate power consumption, and is suitable for the situation where different appliances are simultaneously operated. Also, the approach has lower computational complexity than Hidden Markov Model method and it is easy to implement in the household without installing special equipment.
Octave Spanning Supercontinuum in Titanium Dioxide Waveguides
Authors: Hammani Kamal , Markey Laurent , Lamy Manon , Kibler Bertrand , Arocas Juan , Fatome Julien , Dereux Alain , Weeber Jean-Claude , Finot Christophe
Published: April 2018

We report on the experimental generation of an octave-spanning supercontinuum in a 2.2 cm-long titanium dioxide optical waveguide with two zero dispersion wavelengths. The resulting on-chip supercontinuum reaches the visible wavelength range as well as the mid-infrared region by using a femtosecond fiber laser pump at 1.64 µm.
Adaptive Trajectory Tracking Control for Underactuated Unmanned Surface Vehicle Subject to Unknown Dynamics and Time-Varing Disturbances
Authors: Mu Dongdong , Wang Guofeng , Fan Yunsheng , Qiu Bingbing , Sun Xiaojie
Published: April 2018

This paper proposes an adaptive trajectory tracking control strategy for underactuated unmanned surface vehicles subject to unknown dynamics and time-varing external disturbances. In short, the goal of this paper is to provide a control strategy that allows an underactuated unmanned surface vehicle to track a time dependent trajectory. First, a first-order sliding surface is introduced into the design of surge control law to converge to surge tracking error, and then a second-order sliding surface is hired to design yaw control law to deal with sway motion tracking error. Meanwhile, neural network minimum learning parameter method, which has a smaller amount of computation than a multilayer neural network, is employed to preserve the control law robustness against unknown dynamics and time-varing disturbances induced by wind, waves and ocean currents. Furthermore, much effort is made to obtain uniform ultimate bounded stability for the closed-loop control system. Finally, the numerical simulation experiments of straight line and circle trajectory tracking have been given to prove the correctness and feasibility of the proposed control strategy.
A Self-Recovery Fragile Image Watermarking with Variable Watermark Capacity
Authors: Wang Chengyou , Zhang Heng , Zhou Xiao
Published: April 2018

Currently, the watermark capacity of most self-recovery fragile image watermarking schemes is fixed. That means for smooth regions and texture regions, the length of watermark information is always the same. However, it is impractical since more recovery information is needed for the recovery of texture regions. In this paper, a self-recovery fragile image watermarking with variable watermark capacity is proposed. Based on the characteristic of singular value decomposition (SVD), a new block classification method is introduced. The image blocks are classified into smooth blocks and texture blocks. For smooth blocks, the average pixel values are adopted as the recovery information to recover the tampered blocks, while for texture blocks, the quantized and coded DCT coefficients are adopted as the recovery information. After encrypted by binary pseudo-random sequence, the recovery watermark of each block is embedded into its mapping block. In the detection side, the three-level detection mechanism is applied to detect and locate the tampered regions. The experimental results prove that the proposed method achieves good tamper detection results, and the recovered image has better image quality than other self-recovery fragile watermarking methods.
Prediction of the Tensile Load of Drilled CFRP by Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Yenigun Burak , Kilickap Erol
Published: April 2018

The application areas of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) have been increasing day by day. The machining of CFRP with incorrect machining parameters leads in huge loss cost and time. Therefore, it is very important that the composite materials are machined with correct machining parameters. The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of drilling parameters on tensile load after drilling of CFRP. The drilling operations were carried out on Computer Numerical Control (CNC) by Tungsten Carbide (WC), High Speed Steel (HSS) and Brad Spur type drill bits with spindle speeds of 1000, 3000 and 5000 rpm and feed rates of 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 mm/rev. The results indicate that the surface roughness, delamination and thrust force, were affected by drilling parameters therefore tensile load was also affected by the same parameters. It was observed that increase in surface roughness, delamination and thrust force all lead to the decrease of tensile load of CFRP. If the correct drilling parameters are selected; the decrease in tensile load of CFRP can be saved up to 25%. Furthermore, an artificial neural network (ANN) model has been used to predict of tensile load. The results of the ANN model are in close agreement with the experimental results.
A High-Performance Implementation of an IoT System Using DPDK
Authors: Pak JuGeon , Park KeeHyun
Published: April 2018

An IoT (Internet of Things) system typically encompasses a number of devices and sensors and is required to process a large number of messages at a high speed. To address this requirement, we propose a dual plane architecture, which consists of a control plane and a data plane. The control plane processes signaling messages and the data plane takes charge of processing user data messages. This allows the system to process messages separately and simultaneously in the different planes according to the type of incoming message. In this paper, we present the each plane’s role and how messages are processed in the different planes. We also present the interworking method between both planes. To verify the proposed architecture, we implement and apply the architecture to our previous single plane IoT system. We also compare the performance of the proposed system with that of the single plane IoT system in terms of throughput and packet loss ratio. The results reveal that the performance of the proposed architecture is much higher than that of the previous single plane IoT systems. The results prove that the proposed architecture is highly appropriate for IoT environments.
The Original “Cybernetic Serendipity” Special Issue of Studio International to Be Reprinted
Authors:   Arts Editorial Office
Published: April 2018

Studio International (Studio International 2018), the now on-line successor to print art magazine The Studio, is planning a late April 2018 50th anniversary reprinting of its Special Issue dedicated to the historic 1968 “Cybernetic Serendipity” techno-art exhibition (Benavides 2018a)[...]
Seasonal Variability of Airborne Particulate Matter and Bacterial Concentrations in Colorado Homes
Authors: Clements Nicholas , Keady Patricia , Emerson Joanne , Fierer Noah , Miller Shelly
Published: April 2018

Aerosol measurements were collected at fifteen homes over the course of one year in Colorado (USA) to understand the temporal variability of indoor air particulate matter and bacterial concentrations and their relationship with home characteristics, inhabitant activities, and outdoor air particulate matter (PM). Indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations averaged (±st. dev.) 8.1 ± 8.1 μg/m3 and 6.8 ± 4.5 μg/m3, respectively. Indoor PM2.5 was statistically significantly higher during summer compared to spring and winter; outdoor PM2.5 was significantly higher for summer compared to spring and fall. The PM2.5 I/O ratio was 1.6 ± 2.4 averaged across all homes and seasons and was not statistically significantly different across the seasons. Average indoor PM10 was 15.4 ± 18.3 μg/m3 and was significantly higher during summer compared to all other seasons. Total suspended particulate bacterial biomass, as determined by qPCR, revealed very little seasonal differences across and within the homes. The qPCR I/O ratio was statistically different across seasons, with the highest I/O ratio in the spring and lowest in the summer. Using one-minute indoor PM10 data and activity logs, it was observed that elevated particulate concentrations commonly occurred when inhabitants were cooking and during periods with elevated outdoor concentrations.
The Fourth Workshop on Lineshape Code Comparison: Line Merging
Authors: Alexiou Spiros , Stambulchik Evgeny , Gomez Thomas , Koubiti Mohammed
Published: April 2018

For a given set of plasma parameters, along a single series (Lyman, Balmer, etc.) the lines with higher principal quantum number (n) lines get progressively wider, closer to each other, and start merging for a certain critical n. In the present work, four different codes (with further options) are used to calculate the entire Balmer series for moderate and high electron densities. Particular attention is paid to the relevant physics, such as the cutoff criteria, strong and penetrating electron collisions.
The Possibility of Measuring Nuclear Shapes by Using Spectral Lines of Muonic Ions
Authors: Oks Eugene
Published: April 2018

We analytically calculated the shift of spectral lines of hydrogenlike ions for non-spherical nuclear shapes, such as the oblate or prolate ellipsoid of revolution. We show that the allowance for the ellipsoidal nuclear shape can change the shift of spectral lines of muonic hydrogenlike ions by several times compared to the corresponding shift for spherical nuclei. This can serve as an additional method for the experimental determination of the quadrupole moment of nuclei and of the standard beta-parameter related to the quadrupole moment.
Special Numbers and Polynomials Including Their Generating Functions in Umbral Analysis Methods
Authors: Simsek Yilmaz
Published: April 2018

In this paper, by applying umbral calculus methods to generating functions for the combinatorial numbers and the Apostol type polynomials and numbers of order k, we derive some identities and relations including the combinatorial numbers, the Apostol-Bernoulli polynomials and numbers of order k and the Apostol-Euler polynomials and numbers of order k. Moreover, by using p-adic integral technique, we also derive some combinatorial sums including the Bernoulli numbers, the Euler numbers, the Apostol-Euler numbers and the numbers

y
1

n
,
k
;
λ

. Finally, we make some remarks and observations regarding these identities and relations.
Flexible and Lightweight Lithium-Ion Batteries Based on Cellulose Nanofibrils and Carbon Fibers
Authors: Lu Huiran , Hagberg Johan , Lindbergh Göran , Cornell Ann
Published: April 2018

Flexible, low-weight electrodes with integrated current collectors based on chopped polyacrylonitrile carbon fibers (CF) were produced using an easy, aqueous fabrication process, where only 4 wt% of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) were used as the binder. A flexible full cell was assembled based on a LiFePO4 (LFP) positive electrode with a CF current collector and a current collector-free CF negative electrode. The cell exhibited a stable specific capacity of 121 mAh g−1 based on the LFP weight. The CF in the negative electrode acted simultaneously as active material and current collector, which has a significant positive impact on energy density. Stable specific capacities of the CF/CNF negative electrode of 267 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and 150 mAh g−1 at 1 C are demonstrated. The LFP/CNF with CF/CNF, as the current collector positive electrode (LFP-CF), exhibited a good rate performance with a capacity of ~150 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and 133 mAh g−1 at 1 C. The polarization of the LFP-CF electrode was similar to that of a commercial Quallion LFP electrode, while much lower compared to a flexible LFP/CNF electrode with Al foil as the current collector. This is ascribed to good contact between the CF and the active material.
Effect of Carboxymethyl Cellulose Added at the Dosage Stage on the Foamability of a Bottle-Fermented Sparkling Wine
Authors: Crumpton Mark , Atkinson Andrew , Marangon Matteo
Published: April 2018

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is used in winemaking to prevent potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate deposits from forming. These deposits are particularly detrimental when occurring in bottle-fermented sparkling wine ahead of disgorging or in the finished product as they can cause gushing of the wine when bottles are opened. Despite CMC being used by several sparkling winemaking producers both on the base wine and after disgorging, its effect on the behavior of foam, a key indicator of sparkling wine quality, has not been systematically tested. In this work the effect on wine composition and foam attributes of CMC additions to an English sparkling wine at the dosage stage was assessed. Results showed that CMC did not cause major changes on wine parameters, with the exception of wine viscosity, and did not result in major modification of the foamability of a wine, especially when analyzed in real serving conditions. These results suggest that, at least for the wine analyzed in this work, CMC could be added at the dosage stage without compromising its foam quality attributes.
Feasibility of a Novel Industrial-Scale Treatment of Green Cold-Pressed Juices by UV-C Light Exposure
Authors: Biancaniello Michael , Popović Vladimir , Fernandez-Avila Cristina , Ros-Polski Valquiria , Koutchma Tatiana
Published: April 2018

A novel industrial-scale ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light processor from AseptoRay (MGT, Israel) was used to treat a raw cold-pressed green juice blend (GJB) consisting of kale, romaine, celery, apple, and lemon. The effect of UV-C light energies of 0.88 kJ L−1 and 2.93 kJ L−1 on microbial, enzymatic, nutritional, quality, and sensory parameters of the GJB was studied. Using 2.93 kJ L−1, 3.7 log reduction in aciduric bacteria and 3.9 logs in aerobic colony count were achieved, while lactic acid bacteria, coliforms, yeasts, and moulds were reduced by >3, >2, 2.1, and 2.1 logs, respectively. A minor increase in polyphenoloxidase (PPO) enzyme activity was seen with 0.88 kJ L−1 and a slight change in colour (not visually observed) was detected using 2.93 kJ L−1. No other significant change in nutritional and quality parameters or enzyme activities was detected. Further, the stability of the GJB was explored. Kale and romaine contributed the most significant source of spoilage enzyme activity, cloud loss, and browning in the GJB. These stability parameters were shown to be affected by pressing temperature and pH. The commercial UV-C treatment process explored in this study is a viable alternative to high pressure processing (HPP) for improved microbial safety of fresh green juice blends.
Recent Progress in Atomic-Level Understanding of Cu/SSZ-13 Selective Catalytic Reduction Catalysts
Authors: Gao Feng , Peden Charles
Published: April 2018

Cu/SSZ-13 Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalysts have been extensively studied for the past five-plus years. New and exciting fundamental and applied science has appeared in the literature quite frequently over this time. In this short review, a few topics specifically focused on a molecular-level understanding of this catalyst are summarized: (1) The nature of the active sites and, in particular, their transformations under varying reaction conditions that include dehydration, the presence of the various SCR reactants and hydrothermal aging; (2) Discussions of standard and fast SCR reaction mechanisms. Considerable progress has been made, especially in the last couple of years, on standard SCR mechanisms. In contrast, mechanisms for fast SCR are much less understood. Possible reaction paths are hypothesized for this latter case to stimulate further investigations; (3) Discussions of rational catalyst design based on new knowledge obtained regarding catalyst stability, overall catalytic performance and mechanistic catalytic chemistry.
Thickness-Dependent Bioelectrochemical and Energy Applications of Thickness-Controlled Meso-Macroporous Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide
Authors: Mieritz Daniel , Liang Runli , Zhang Haojie , Carey Anne-Marie , Chen Shaojiang , Volosin Alex , Lin Su , Woodbury Neal , Seo Dong-Kyun
Published: April 2018

Coatings of hierarchically meso-macroporous antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) enable interfacing adsorbed species, such as biomacromolecules, with an electronic circuit. The coating thickness is a limiting factor for the surface coverage of adsorbates, that are electrochemically addressable. To overcome this challenge, a carbon black-based templating method was developed by studying the composition of the template system, and finding the right conditions for self-standing templates, preventing the reaction mixture from flowing out of the mask. The thicknesses of as-fabricated coatings were measured using stylus profilometry to establish a relationship between the mask thickness and the coating thickness. Cyclic voltammetry was performed on coatings with adsorbed cytochrome c to check whether the entire coating thickness was electrochemically addressable. Further, bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers were incorporated into the coatings, and photocurrent with respect to coating thickness was studied. The template mixture required enough of both carbon black and polymer, roughly 7% carbon black and 6% poly(ethylene glycol). Coatings were fabricated with thicknesses approaching 30 µm, and thickness was shown to be controllable up to at least 15 µm. Under the experimental conditions, photocurrent was found to increase linearly with the coating thickness, up to around 12 µm, above which were diminished gains.
Cobalt(II) Terpyridin-4′-yl Nitroxide Complex as an Exchange-Coupled Spin-Crossover Material
Authors: Ondo Akihiro , Ishida Takayuki
Published: April 2018

Spin-crossover (SCO) was studied in [Co(L)2](CF3SO3)2, where L stands for diamagnetic 2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine (tpy) and its paramagnetic derivative, 4′-{4-tert-butyl(N-oxy)aminophenyl}-substituted tpy (tpyphNO). The X-ray crystallographic analysis clarified the Co-N bond length change (Δd) in high- and low-temperature structures; Δdcentral = 0.12 and Δddistal = 0.05 Å between 90 and 400 K for L = tpy and Δdcentral = 0.11 and Δddistal = 0.06 Å between 90 and 300 K for L = tpyphNO. The low- and high-temperature structures can be assigned to approximate low- and high-spin states, respectively. The magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed that the χmT value of [Co(tpyphNO)2](CF3SO3)2 had a bias from that of [Co(tpy)2](CF3SO3)2 by the contribution of the two radical spins. The tpy compound showed a gradual SCO around 260 K and on cooling the χmT value displayed a plateau down to 2 K. On the other hand, the tpyphNO compound showed a relatively abrupt SCO at ca. 140 K together with a second decrease of the χmT value on further cooling below ca. 20 K. From the second decrease, Co-nitroxide exchange coupling was characterized as antiferromagnetic with 2JCo-rad/kB = −3.00(6) K in the spin-Hamiltonian H = −2JCo-rad(SCo·Srad1 + SCo·Srad2). The magnetic moment apparently switches double-stepwise as 1 μB ⇄ 3 μB ⇄ 5 μB by temperature stimulus.
Dynamic Model for a Uniform Microwave-Assisted Continuous Flow Process of Ethyl Acetate Production
Authors: Wu Yuanyuan , Hong Tao , Tang Zhengming , Zhang Chun
Published: April 2018

The aim of this work is to present a model of a reaction tube with cross structures in order to improve ethyl acetate production and microwave heating uniformity. A commercial finite element software, COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3a (Newton, MA, USA), is used to build the proposed model for a BJ-22 rectangular waveguide system. Maxwell’s equations, the heat conduction equation, reaction kinetics equation and Navier-Stokes equation are combined to describe the continuous flow process. The electric field intensity, the temperature, the concentration of water, the coefficient of variation (COV) and the mean temperature at different initial velocities are compared to obtain the best flow rate. Four different initial velocities are employed to discuss the effect of flow velocity on the heating uniformity and heating efficiency. The point temperatures are measured by optical fibers to verify the simulated results. The results show the electric field intensity distributions at different initial velocities have little difference, which means the initial velocity will have the decisive influence on the heating process. At lower velocity, the COV will be smaller, which means better heating uniformity. Meanwhile, the distance between each cross structure has great influence on the heating uniformity and heating efficiency, while the angle has little. The proposed model can be applied to large-scale production of microwave-assisted ethyl acetate production.
Entropy Generation Analysis of Laminar Flows of Water-Based Nanofluids in Horizontal Minitubes under Constant Heat Flux Conditions
Authors: Karimzadehkhouei Mehrdad , Shojaeian Mostafa , Sadaghiani Abdolali , Şendur Kürşat , Mengüç M. , Koşar Ali
Published: April 2018

During the last decade, second law analysis via entropy generation has become important in terms of entropy generation minimization (EGM), thermal engineering system design, irreversibility, and energy saving. In this study, heat transfer and entropy generation characteristics of flows of multi-walled carbon nanotube-based nanofluids were investigated in horizontal minitubes with outer and inner diameters of ~1067 and ~889 µm, respectively. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with outer diameter of 10–20 nm and length of 1–2 µm were used for nanofluid preparation, and water was considered as the base fluid. The entropy generation based on the experimental data, a significant parameter in thermal design system, was examined for CNTs/water nanofluids. The change in the entropy generation was only seen at low mass fractions (0.25 wt.% and 0.5 wt.%). Moreover, to have more insight on the entropy generation of nanofluids based on the experimental data, a further analysis was performed on Al2O3 and TiO2 nanoparticles/water nanofluids from the experimental database of the previous study of the authors. The corresponding results disclosed a remarkable increase in the entropy generation rate when Al2O3 and TiO2 nanoparticles were added to the base fluid.
A Green Energy Application in Energy Management Systems by an Artificial Intelligence-Based Solar Radiation Forecasting Model
Authors: Kuo Ping-Huan , Huang Chiou-Jye
Published: April 2018

The photovoltaic (PV) systems generate green energy from the sunlight without any pollution or noise. The PV systems are simple, convenient to install, and seldom malfunction. Unfortunately, the energy generated by PV systems depends on climatic conditions, location, and system design. The solar radiation forecasting is important to the smooth operation of PV systems. However, solar radiation detected by a pyranometer sensor is strongly nonlinear and highly unstable. The PV energy generation makes a considerable contribution to the smart grids via a large number of relatively small PV systems. In this paper, a high-precision deep convolutional neural network model (SolarNet) is proposed to facilitate the solar radiation forecasting. The proposed model is verified by experiments. The experimental results demonstrate that SolarNet outperforms other benchmark models in forecasting accuracy as well as in predicting complex time series with a high degree of volatility and irregularity.
Local Flexibility Market Design for Aggregators Providing Multiple Flexibility Services at Distribution Network Level
Authors: Olivella-Rosell Pol , Lloret-Gallego Pau , Munné-Collado Íngrid , Villafafila-Robles Roberto , Sumper Andreas , Ottessen Stig , Rajasekharan Jayaprakash , Bremdal Bernt
Published: April 2018

This paper presents a general description of local flexibility markets as a market-based management mechanism for aggregators. The high penetration of distributed energy resources introduces new flexibility services like prosumer or community self-balancing, congestion management and time-of-use optimization. This work is focused on the flexibility framework to enable multiple participants to compete for selling or buying flexibility. In this framework, the aggregator acts as a local market operator and supervises flexibility transactions of the local energy community. Local market participation is voluntary. Potential flexibility stakeholders are the distribution system operator, the balance responsible party and end-users themselves. Flexibility is sold by means of loads, generators, storage units and electric vehicles. Finally, this paper presents needed interactions between all local market stakeholders, the corresponding inputs and outputs of local market operation algorithms from participants and a case study to highlight the application of the local flexibility market in three scenarios. The local market framework could postpone grid upgrades, reduce energy costs and increase distribution grids’ hosting capacity.