bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental Profile on Building Material Passports for Hot Climates
Authors: Almusaed Amjad , Almssad Asaad , Homod Raad Z. , Yitmen Ibrahim
Published: May 2020

Vernacular building materials and models represent the construction methods and building materials used in a healthy manner. Local building materials such as gravel, sand, stone, and clay are used in their natural state or with minor processing and cleaning to mainly satisfy local household needs (production of concrete, mortar, ballast, silicate, and clay bricks and other products). In hot climates, the concept of natural building materials was used in a form that can currently be applied in different kinds of buildings. This concept depends on the proper consideration of the climate characteristics of the construction area. A material passport is a qualitative and quantitative documentation of the material composition of a building, displaying materials embedded in buildings as well as showing their recycling potential and environmental impact. This study will consider two usages of building materials. The first is the traditional use of building materials and their importance in the application of vernacular building strategies as an essential global bioclimatic method in sustainable architecture. The second is the affordable use of new building materials for their availability and utilization by a large part of society in a way to add more detail to research. The article aims to create an objective reading and analysis regarding specific building materials in order to generate a competent solution of materials that is suitable for building requirements in hot climates. This study evaluates the most suitable Building Material Passports needed in hot climates, where the environmental profile must be analyzed to confirm the use of natural materials.
New Towns’ Planning and Construction in the Pre-Urbanization or Post-Urbanization Period: A Case Study of the New Towns’ Development Process of Beijing
Authors: Cai Xiaoxiao , De Meulder Bruno , Lin Yanliu , Sun Hong
Published: May 2020

Social background and planning objectives differentiate two kinds of development modes for new towns. One starts in the period of post-urbanization and post-industrialization and is committed to improving living conditions and dispersing urban central areas. The other begins in the stage of pre-urbanization and pre-industrialization with the purpose of promoting the development of urbanization and industrialization. However, academics have not given enough attention to researching the relationship between the different modes and their respective social backgrounds. This paper first proposes these two kinds of development modes and analyses how their different social contexts and institutional backgrounds lead to different planning and construction characteristics. Then, taking Beijing as an example, this paper presents a complete review of the development and transformation history of the planning and construction of China’s new towns with different urbanization levels and in an institutional context. The whole history and transformation process can be considered a demonstration and evolution of the two different development modes. Accordingly, by analyzing the respective characteristics and transformation processes in different periods, this study reveals the impact of social background on the new towns’ development and the problems caused by different development modes.
How COVID-19 Redefines the Concept of Sustainability
Authors: Hakovirta Marko , Denuwara Navodya
Published: May 2020

In January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, to be a public health emergency of international concern. Currently, in several countries globally, this pandemic continues to enforce the temporary closure of all nonessential shops and services aside from supermarkets and pharmacies. Workers in countries that are at a high risk of infection have been asked to work from home, as cities have been placed under lockdown. Even curfews to combat the spread of the virus have been imposed in several countries, with all this signaling an unprecedented disruption of commerce. Companies are facing various challenges regarding health and safety, supply chain, labor force, cash flow, consumer demand and marketing. People in the thousands are dying every day from the virus’s symptoms, while a public health issue has forced the world to come to a halt and rethink what a sustainable future for our planet and existence is. These drastic recent events have raised the deliberation by the authors to redefine the concept of sustainability.
MHD Bioconvection Flow and Heat Transfer of Nanofluid through an Exponentially Stretchable Sheet
Authors: Ferdows Mohammad , Zaimi Khairy , Rashad Ahmed M. , Nabwey Hossam A.
Published: May 2020

Recently, bioconvection phenomenon has gained great importance in research for its use in many engineering and biological applications. Therefore, this work investigates the magnetohydrodynamic flow of a dissipative nanofluid, including gyrotactic microorganisms along an exponentially moving sheet. Since the governing equations that describe the problem are nonlinear and more complicated, similarity transformations are used to get a reduced mathematical model in which all the differential equations are ordinary and asymmetric. The computational analysis for the reduced mathematical model is carried out, employing the spectral relaxation technique (SRM) via software called MATLAB. Comparison results are also validated by using the boundary value problem solver (bvp4c) in MATLAB. The obtained results were compared with previously published researches, and a high degree of compatibility and accuracy were found symmetric. The implications of pertinent parameters on velocity, temperature, nanoparticles volume fraction, and density of the microorganism profiles are graphically presented. A decline was seen in the velocity field with augmentation in the magnetic parameter, but certain enhancement was noticed in the temperature field for augmented values of the magnetic parameter, thermophoresis, and Brownian motion parameters. A significant reduction was also noticed in the behavior of the concentration profile for augmented values of the Brownian motion parameter and Lewis number, while it was enhanced with the boost in the thermophoresis and magnetic parameters. The results also indicated that the density of the motile microorganism decreases with bioconvection Lewis number, Prandtl number, Lewis, and Peclet numbers.
Numerical Study of Suspension Filtration Model in Porous Medium with Modified Deposition Kinetics
Authors: Fayziev Bekzodjon , Ibragimov Gafurjan , Khuzhayorov Bakhtiyor , Alias Idham Arif
Published: May 2020

Filtration is one of the most used technologies in chemical engineering. Development of computer technology and computational mathematics made it possible to explore such processes by mathematical modeling and computational methods. The article deals with the study of suspension filtration in a porous medium with modified deposition kinetics. It is suggested that deposition is formed in two types, reversible and irreversible. The model of suspension filtration in porous media consists of the mass balance equation and kinetic equations for each type of deposition. The model includes dynamic factors and multi-stage deposition kinetics. By using the symmetricity of porous media, the higher dimensional cases are reduced to the one-dimensional case. To solve the problem, a stable, effective and simple numerical algorithm is proposed based on the finite difference method. Sufficient conditions for stability of schemes are found. Based on numerical results, influences of dynamic factors on solid particle transport and deposition characteristics are analyzed. It is shown that the dynamic factors mainly affect the profiles of changes in the concentration of deposition of the active zone.
The Effects of Computer-Assisted Learning Based on Dual Coding Theory
Authors: Liu Xianghu , Liu Chia-Hui , Li Yang
Published: May 2020

This research explored the integration of dual coding theory and modern computer technology with symmetry into a vocabulary class to improve students’ learning attitude and effectiveness. Three research questions are addressed in this research on the effects of computer-assisted learning based on dual coding theory (DCT). This experimental research was carried out in a high school in a remote rural area in China. The study was conducted in two parallel classes (the experimental and the control) in Grade 8 with a total of 88 students. Our research methods included pre- and post-test, questionnaires, and an interview with symmetry as the focus to obtain the results as follows: (1) Using the integration of computer assisted language learning (CALL) and DCT to effectively improve students’ learning attitude, (2) transforming students’ traditional learning methods into the dual coding method, and (3) enhancing students’ vocabulary learning effectiveness.
Distributed Robust Chance-Constrained Empty Container repositioning Optimization of the China Railway Express
Authors: Xing Lei , Xu Qi , Cai Jiaxin , Jin Zhihong
Published: May 2020

In order to reduce the total cost of empty container repositioning, a multi-period empty container repositioning optimization model of the China Railway Express was established by using distributed robust chance-constrained programming based on partial information such as mean and variance of demand. This established model considered sea-land intermodal transportation, uncertain empty container demand and foldable containers. To simplify the model, the distributed robust chance constraints were transformed into equivalent ones that could be easily solved, and the empty container demands were determined. Numerical experiments were carried out to analyze the influence of different parameters on the total cost. The results showed that the total cost could be greatly reduced by sea-land intermodal transportation. Using foldable containers could reduce the total cost of empty container repositioning. With the improvement of service level, the numbers of empty container repositioning increased owing to the distributional robust chance constraints. When standard and foldable containers were used simultaneously, the total cost could be greatly reduced by appropriately using foldable containers under three different supply–demand relationships of containers. The optimization results may provide a greatly feasible reference for the decision makers of the China Railway Express.
A Kind of Variation Symmetry: Tarski Associative Groupoids (TA-Groupoids) and Tarski Associative Neutrosophic Extended Triplet Groupoids (TA-NET-Groupoids)
Authors: Zhang Xiaohong , Yuan Wangtao , Chen Mingming , Smarandache Florentin
Published: May 2020

The associative law reflects symmetry of operation, and other various variation associative laws reflect some generalized symmetries. In this paper, based on numerous literature and related topics such as function equation, non-associative groupoid and non-associative ring, we have introduced a new concept of Tarski associative groupoid (or transposition associative groupoid (TA-groupoid)), presented extensive examples, obtained basic properties and structural characteristics, and discussed the relationships among few non-associative groupoids. Moreover, we proposed a new concept of Tarski associative neutrosophic extended triplet groupoid (TA-NET-groupoid) and analyzed related properties. Finally, the following important result is proved: every TA-NET-groupoid is a disjoint union of some groups which are its subgroups.
AResU-Net: Attention Residual U-Net for Brain Tumor Segmentation
Authors: Zhang Jianxin , Lv Xiaogang , Zhang Hengbo , Liu Bin
Published: May 2020

Automatic segmentation of brain tumors from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a challenging task due to the uneven, irregular and unstructured size and shape of tumors. Recently, brain tumor segmentation methods based on the symmetric U-Net architecture have achieved favorable performance. Meanwhile, the effectiveness of enhancing local responses for feature extraction and restoration has also been shown in recent works, which may encourage the better performance of the brain tumor segmentation problem. Inspired by this, we try to introduce the attention mechanism into the existing U-Net architecture to explore the effects of local important responses on this task. More specifically, we propose an end-to-end 2D brain tumor segmentation network, i.e., attention residual U-Net (AResU-Net), which simultaneously embeds attention mechanism and residual units into U-Net for the further performance improvement of brain tumor segmentation. AResU-Net adds a series of attention units among corresponding down-sampling and up-sampling processes, and it adaptively rescales features to effectively enhance local responses of down-sampling residual features utilized for the feature recovery of the following up-sampling process. We extensively evaluate AResU-Net on two MRI brain tumor segmentation benchmarks of BraTS 2017 and BraTS 2018 datasets. Experiment results illustrate that the proposed AResU-Net outperforms its baselines and achieves comparable performance with typical brain tumor segmentation methods.
Change of Leaf Trait Asymmetry Type in Tilia cordata Mill. and Betula pendula Roth under Air Pollution
Authors: Erofeeva Elena A. , Yakimov Basil N.
Published: May 2020

Leaf fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is widely used as an environmental stress index, including pollution. Besides FA, leaf bilateral traits can have directional asymmetry (DA) and antisymmetry (AS), which are considered hereditary. Leaf FA transitioning to DA/AS or mixed asymmetry, under air pollution, has been insufficiently investigated. This study analysed leaf asymmetry types in Tilia cordata Mill. and Betula pendula Roth under traffic air pollution over several years. In addition, the relations of such transitions to pollution, and their effect on FA-integrated index, were studied. The asymmetry types of all studied leaf traits varied with air pollution increase, as well as in control trees in different years. T. cordata most often had FA transition to DA/mixed asymmetry, while B. pendula rarely had a mixed asymmetry and FA transitions to DA/AS were observed with the same frequency. Air pollution impacted FA transitions to other asymmetry types. In most cases their frequency changed non-monotonically that corresponded to hormesis and paradoxical effects. However, FA integrated index in studied trees did not depend on change of leaf asymmetry type. Thus, DA and AS in studied plants were not exclusively hereditary. Hence, the changes of leaf asymmetry type should be considered when using leaf FA in environment assessment.
An Ensemble Prediction Model for Potential Student Recommendation Using Machine Learning
Authors: Yan Lijuan , Liu Yanshen
Published: May 2020

Student performance prediction has become a hot research topic. Most of the existing prediction models are built by a machine learning method. They are interested in prediction accuracy but pay less attention to interpretability. We propose a stacking ensemble model to predict and analyze student performance in academic competition. In this model, student performance is classified into two symmetrical categorical classes. To improve accuracy, three machine learning algorithms, including support vector machine (SVM), random forest, and AdaBoost are established in the first level and then integrated by logistic regression via stacking. A feature importance analysis was applied to identify important variables. The experimental data were collected from four academic years in Hankou University. According to comparative studies on five evaluation metrics (precision, recall, F1, error, and area   under   the   receiver   operating   characteristic   curve ( AUC ) in this analysis, the proposed model generally performs better than compared models. The important variables identified from the analysis are interpretable, they can be used as guidance to select potential students.
MazF Endoribonucleolytic Toxin Conserved in Nitrospira Specifically Cleaves the AACU, AACG, and AAUU Motifs
Authors: Aoi Rie , Miyamoto Tatsuki , Yokota Akiko , Ota Yuri , Fujitani Hirotsugu , Tsuneda Satoshi , Noda Naohiro
Published: May 2020

MazF is an endoribonucleolytic toxin that cleaves intracellular RNAs in sequence-specific manners. It is liberated in bacterial cells in response to environmental changes and is suggested to contribute to bacterial survival by inducing translational regulation. Thus, determining the cleavage specificity provides insights into the physiological functions of MazF orthologues. Nitrospira, detected in a wide range of environments, is thought to have evolved the ability to cope with their surroundings. To investigate the molecular mechanism of its environmental adaption, a MazF module from Nitrospira strain ND1, which was isolated from the activated sludge of a wastewater treatment plant, is examined in this study. By combining a massive parallel sequencing method and fluorometric assay, we detected that this functional RNA-cleaving toxin specifically recognizes the AACU, AACG, and AAUU motifs. Additionally, statistical analysis suggested that this enzyme regulates various specific functions in order to resist environmental stresses.
Using Ecological Modelling to Assess the Long-Term Survival of the West-Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) in the Panama Canal
Authors: Muschett Giselle , Morales Narkis S.
Published: May 2020

There is evidence of a thriving population of West-Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) in the Panama Canal, although it is not clear if they are descendants of a small group of introduced manatees or if manatees have entered the Canal from the Caribbean through the Canal locks. This study describes the development and application of an individual-based model to assess the survival of a population of West-Indian manatees in the Panama Canal. In addition, we seek to determine the effects of isolation, predation, and mortality on long term survival. The model was parameterized using empirical data collected from the literature to every extent possible. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the model’s sensitivity to changes in the used parameters. Four scenarios were modeled to understand under which conditions the original population could have been maintained over time. Our results show that the manatee population would have collapsed quite quickly after its initial introduction and that only through the addition of several individuals into the lake over the years could the population have survived until the present day. Our results have important implications for the long-term conservation of this endangered species.
Spatial Differentiation and Multiannual Dynamics of Water Conductivity in Lakes of the Suwałki Landscape Park
Authors: Borowiak Magdalena , Borowiak Dariusz , Nowiński Kamil
Published: May 2020

Water conductivity in 23 lakes of the Suwałki Landscape Park (SLP) was tested in the years 2012–2014. Conductivity profiles were made at the deepest place every two months between spring and autumn water mixing. The collected measurement data, supplemented with historical data, were used to identify factors that shape the spatial variability of water conductivity and to reconstruct its multiannual changes. The range of variability of the mean conductivity of surface water of the SLP lakes ranged from 178 to 522 µS cm−1. The strong negative relationship between conductivity and lake elevation (R = 0.816, p < 0.000) suggests that in the territorially compact complex of the SLP lakes, conductivity is a consequence of the location of the lake in the catchment, which, in turn, affects the structure of its water supply. However, the physical and environmental parameters of the catchment and morphometric parameters of lake basins are of secondary importance. In dimictic lakes and in those showing signs of “spring meromixis”, the magnitude of conductivity differences in the water column is determined by the lakes’ susceptibility to wind mixing expressed by the exposure index value. The developed climate models have also shown that conductivity, an indicator of water quality, is very sensitive to climate change. The analysis of the reconstructed chronological conductivity sequences shows that the deterioration of the quality of the waters of the SLP lakes first occurred at the beginning of the 21st century and a clear increasing trend has been maintained over the last decade.
Modelling Flood-Induced Wetland Connectivity and Impacts of Climate Change and Dam
Authors: Karim Fazlul , Marvanek Steve , Merrin Linda E. , Nielsen Daryl , Hughes Justin , Stratford Danial , Pollino Carmel
Published: May 2020

Hydrological connectivity between rivers and wetlands is considered one of the key critical factors for the integrity of floodplain landscapes. This study is a comprehensive modelling exercise on quantifying flood-induced wetland connectivity and the potential impacts of climate and water storage in an unregulated river basin in northern Australia. Flood inundation was simulated using a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model and the connectivities between wetlands and rivers were calculated using geoprocessing tools in ArcGIS. Wetlands in the floodplain were identified using waterbody maps derived from satellite imagery. A broadly representative sample of 20 wetlands were selected from 158 wetlands in the Mitchell basin considering location, size and spatial distribution. Five flood events ranging from 1 in 2 to 1 in 100 years were investigated to evaluate how connectivity changes with flood magnitude. Connectivities were assessed for the current condition as well as for two scenarios of future climate (Cwet and Cdry) and one scenario of dam storage. Results showed that a 1 in 100 years event inundated about 5450 km2 of land compared to 1160 km2 for a 1 in 2 years event. Average connectivity of wetlands in the Mitchell basin varies from 1 to 5 days for the floods of 1 in 2 to 1 in 26 years. As expected, a large flood produces longer duration of connectivity relative to a small flood. Results also showed that reduction in mean connectivity under a dryer climate (up to 1.8 days) is higher than the possibility of increase under a wet climate (up to 1 day). The impacts of a water storage, in the headwater catchment, are highly pronounced in terms of inundation and wetland connectivity (e.g., mean connectivity reduced by 1.7 days). The relative change in connectivity is higher for a small flood compared to that of a large event. These results demonstrate that there is a possibility of both increase and decease in connectivity under future climate. However, any water storage will negatively impact the connectivity between floodplain waterbodies and thus reduce the material exchange resulting in a reduction in primary and secondary productions in rivers and wetlands.
Comparing Activation Functions in Modeling Shoreline Variation Using Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network
Authors: Chen Je-Chian , Wang Yu-Min
Published: May 2020

The study has modeled shoreline changes by using a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network with the data collected from five beaches in southern Taiwan. The data included aerial survey maps of the Forestry Bureau for years 1982, 2002, and 2006, which served as predictors, while the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveyed data of 2019 served as the respondent. The MLP was configured using five different activation functions with the aim of evaluating their significance. These functions were Identity, Tahn, Logistic, Exponential, and Sine Functions. The results have shown that the performance of an MLP model may be affected by the choice of an activation function. Logistic and the Tahn activation functions outperformed the other models, with Logistic performing best in three beaches and Tahn having the rest. These findings suggest that the application of machine learning to shoreline changes should be accompanied by an extensive evaluation of the different activation functions.
Irrigation of World Agricultural Lands: Evolution through the Millennia
Authors: Angelakιs Andreas N. , Zaccaria Daniele , Krasilnikoff Jens , Salgot Miquel , Bazza Mohamed , Roccaro Paolo , Jimenez Blanca , Kumar Arun , Yinghua Wang , Baba Alper , Harrison Jessica Anne , Garduno-Jimenez Andrea , Fereres Elias
Published: May 2020

Many agricultural production areas worldwide are characterized by high variability of water supply conditions, or simply lack of water, creating a dependence on irrigation since Neolithic times. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the evolution of irrigation of agricultural lands worldwide, based on bibliographical research focusing on ancient water management techniques and ingenious irrigation practices and their associated land management practices. In ancient Egypt, regular flooding by the Nile River meant that early agriculture probably consisted of planting seeds in soils that had been recently covered and fertilized with floodwater and silt deposits. On the other hand, in arid and semi-arid regions farmers made use of perennial springs and seasonal runoff under circumstances altogether different from the river civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and early dynasties in China. We review irrigation practices in all major irrigation regions through the centuries. Emphasis is given to the Bronze Age civilizations (Minoans, Egyptians, and Indus valley), pre-Columbian, civilizations from the historic times (e.g., Chinese, Hellenic, and Roman), late-Columbians (e.g., Aztecs and Incas) and Byzantines, as well as to Ottomans and Arabs. The implications and impacts of irrigation techniques on modern management of water resources, as well as on irrigated agriculture, are also considered and discussed. Finally, some current major agricultural water management challenges are outlined, concluding that ancient practices could be adapted to cope with present challenges in irrigated agriculture for increasing productivity and sustainability.
Runoff Changes from Urumqi Glacier No. 1 over the Past 60 Years, Eastern Tianshan, Central Asia
Authors: Jia Yufeng , Li Zhongqin , Jin Shuang , Xu Chunhai , Deng Haijun , Zhang Mingjun
Published: May 2020

Glaciers are vital to water resources in the arid land of central Asia. Long-term runoff records in the glacierized area are particularly valuable in terms of evaluating glacier recession and water resource change on both a regional and global scale. The runoff records of streams draining basins with 46% current glacier cover, located at the Urumqi Glacier No. 1 in the source area of the Urumqi River in eastern Tianshan, central Asia, were examined for the purpose of assessing climatic and glacial influences on temporal patterns of streamflow for the period 1959–2018. Results suggest that runoff from the catchment correlates well with temperature and associated precipitation data. During the period 1993–2018, it increased by 114.39 × 104 m3, which was 1.7 times the average runoff during the period 1959–1992. A simple water balance model is introduced to calculate the different components of the runoff, including precipitation runoff from glacier surface and from nonglacial areas, glacier mass balance and glacial runoff. Thus, the long-term change of each component and its response to climate change are revealed. We found that the period 1997–2018 is likely to be the “peak water” (tipping point) of the glacial runoff resulting from shrinkage of glacier area.
Explorando cualidades espaciales y sociales de los distritos de innovación como modelo de regeneración urbana: ¿es posible planificar clústeres socialmente inclusivos?
Authors: Gras José Antonio
Published: May 2020

Los distritos de innovación son desarrollos de regeneración urbana emergentes en el contexto de la econo-mía del conocimiento del siglo XXI y de un urbanismo cada vez más global, que transporta y adapta estra-tegias de una geografía a otra. Se catalogan como iconos del nuevo paradigma urbano y económico, y se presentan como posible solución a algunos de los grandes desafíos urbanos de nuestros tiempos; sin em-bargo, son igualmente criticados por tratarse de iniciativas poco inclusivas que se plantean de arriba abajo ignorando o limitando la participación ciudadana y de las que derivan externalidades sociales negativas como la gentrificación y la desigualdad social. En este sentido, esta investigación proporciona un marco analítico para explorar las articulaciones entre las configuraciones físicas y sociales que se producen en estos clústeres. Utilizando el estudio de caso múltiple, se indaga en cuáles son las estrategias y políticas ur-banas que fomentan distritos de innovación socialmente inclusivos
Sur la présence de Cymbula safiana (Gastropoda : Patellidae) au niveau de la côte algérienne (Méditerranée sud-ouest) : structure des populations et nouvelles stations de signalisation / On the presence of Cymbula safiana (Gastropoda : Patellidae) on the Algerian coast (SW Mediterranean) : Population structure and new record stations
Authors: Bouzaza Zoheir , Mezali Karim
Published: May 2020

Cymbula safiana (Lamarck, 1819) est une espèce de gastéropode menacée de disparition en Méditerranée. En Algérie, peu d’études lui ont été consacrées. Le présent travail a pour objectif d’étudier la structure en taille et en densité des populations de C. safiana dans six stations de la côte algérienne. À travers cette étude, nous avons pu signaler pour la première fois C. safiana dans quatre stations de la côte algérienne (port de Salamandre, port de Aïn Taya, Figuier Plage et Collo). Nos résultats ont montré l’existence d’une classe de taille de jeunes individus [ 3-4 cm] dans les stations de Kharouba, Figuier Plage et Collo représentant un évènement de recrutement massif. La plus grosse taille de coquille mesurée dans notre étude se trouvait à Kharouba (8,5 cm). Les habitats à substrats lisses et homogènes paraissent abriter les plus importantes densités d’individus de C. safiana : par exemple, 5,2 ind/ m au port de Salamandre et 2,1 ind/ m à Figuier Plage. Cymbula safiana semble être bien installée sur les côtes algériennes, comme en témoigne son aire de distribution en nette progression vers l’est de l’Algérie. Cependant, l’urbanisation intense des zones côtières et l’absence de législation relative à son statut de protection pourraient remettre en cause cette situation.
Effets d’une crue sur la banque de semences du sol des habitats riverains dans les Alpes du Sud, France / Impacts of a flood on the seed bank of riparian habitats in the Southern Alps, France
Authors: Huc Stéphanie , Saatkamp Arne , Jacob Frédérick , Abdulhak Sylvain
Published: May 2020

Les banques de semences du sol jouent un rôle primordial pour le maintien de la diversité des communautés des bords de cours d’eau. Or des crues importantes avec un charriage de matériaux peuvent les altérer. Pour quantifier cet effet, nous avons étudié les différences en termes de composition floristique et de diversité spécifique de la banque de semences avant et après crues d’une rivière à régime alpin en marge de la région méditerranéenne : la Durance. Dans le cadre de travaux sur une installation hydroélectrique, l’exploitant a réalisé des lâchers d’eau importants générant des crues contrôlées. Afin de mesurer l’effet sur la banque de semences du sol, nous avons prélevé 30 échantillons de sol sur quatre sites, dont un témoin. Les échantillons ont été mis en culture en conservant la stratification du sol et les germinations ont été suivies pendant les trois années consécutives aux prélèvements. L’effet de la crue sur la richesse et la composition spécifique du stock semencier est marqué. La richesse spécifique diminue après crue puis augmente au bout d’une année. On constate une dissimilarité du cortège d’espèces avant et après crue. Cette étude montre le potentiel de restauration de la banque de semences dans différentes profondeurs du sol. L’échantillonnage confirme la présence d’une espèce rare, Centaurium favargeri, dans la banque de semences du sol. Cette espèce est historiquement présente dans deux des quatre sites étudiés. Les différents épisodes de crue sur la Durance peuvent expliquer le caractère d’espèce à éclipse (espèce qui disparaît puis réapparaît quand les conditions bioclimatiques deviennent favorables). L’étude comparative de la végétation observée et de la végétation potentielle montre une grande dissimilarité : le potentiel semencier dormant est très important et son expression dépend des facteurs environnementaux. Il contient tous les cortèges floristiques possibles sous forme de graines en un même lieu alors qu’une part infime des espèces s’observe sur le terrain.
Note on the Flora of Plane Island (Oran) / Note sur la flore de l’île Plane (Oran)
Authors: Bahi Kheira , Hadjadj Aoul Seghir , Belguermi Ahmed
Published: May 2020

The Oran coastline is a remarkable region cited as a hotspot of plant biodiversity (Véla & Benhouhou 2007). Plane island is the third largest island after Habibas and Rachgoun islands in the Oran region but is less studied. A botanical assessment of Plane island was undertaken in spring 2016. We carried out several phytoecological surveys. We collected and identified ten species in eight families : Chenopodiastrum murale (L.) Fuentes, Uotila & Borsch, Crithmum maritimum L., Cynomorium coccineum L., Frankenia cf laevis L., Limonium pescadense Greuter & Burdet, Malva arborea (L.) Webb & Berthel, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L., Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum L., Senecio leucanthemifolius Poiret subsp. crassifolius, Suaeda vera Forssk. Ex J. F. Gmel. The identified species list will allow us to follow vegetation dynamics on the island.
Forest ecological restoration using native species in the North-West of Tunisia: a brand new experience of participatory approach / Restauration écologique des forêts par l’utilisation d’espèces autochtones au nord-ouest de la Tunisie : une nouvelle expérience d’approche participative
Authors: Touhami Issam , El khorchani Ali , Nasr Zouheir , Elaieb Mohamed tahar , Rzigui Touhami , Khaldi Abdelhamid
Published: May 2020

Restoring forest landscapes is critical in the face of continued global forest loss and degradation. The study area of M’sid-Nefza in North West of Tunisia suffers a continuous degradation problem. This situation results from the combined effects of several historical, socioeconomic, silvicultural and natural factors. A program for integrated participatory approach with different stakeholders (local communities, local forest services, and scientists) to reduce land degradation and to promote forest restoration was implemented. Ten plant species of local provenances were used for this restoration project. In a 7ha plot, more than 1000 seedlings were planted. After two years, the pilot site remains intact, free of any act of vandalism, and grazing. Indicators of ecosystem functioning were measured and are improving. The involvement and motivation of the local communities for the implementation of the project, constitutes a real support for the success of the restoration experience.
Analyse phytosociologique et phytoécologique des formations forestières à pin laricio de Corse (Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold subsp. laricio Maire) / Phytosociological and phytoecological survey of Corsican Pine forests
Authors: Gauberville Christian , Panaïotis Christophe , Bioret Frédéric , Capelo Jorge
Published: May 2020

This phytosociological and phytoecological study considers the whole Corsican Pine (Pinus nigra J. F. Arnold subsp. laricio Maire) forest formations of the upper mesomediterranean to the alpine and subalpine levels. Bibliographical survey since the XIXth century, confronted with 2018 floristic-ecological analyses allows us to highlight the already described syntaxa status and to describe their internal variations. Three new sub-associations have been described at the supramediterranean level, and three others at the montane level. A new plant association is proposed at the mesomediterranean level. The respective place of the Corsican Pine and Beech is discussed as well as conservation issues of the Corsican Pine as an emblematic species for Corsica.
New insights into the distribution and the ecology of Cerastium siculum Guss. (Caryophyllaceae) / Nouveaux éléments sur la répartition et l’écologie de Cerastium siculum Guss. (Caryophyllaceae)
Authors: Traclet Sébastien , Pires Mathias
Published: May 2020

Cerastium siculum est une plante vasculaire méconnue de la côte méditerranéenne française. Une synthèse bibliographique complétée par la consultation de nombreux herbiers a permis d’établir sa distribution mondiale (France, Corse, Italie, Sicile, Sardaigne). Ce travail conduit à considérer C. siculum comme une espèce tyrrhénienne présente uniquement en Italie et en France. Son écologie a également été clarifiée et montre que l’espèce pousse sur un substrat sablolimoneux à simono-sableux sans sel, à pH neutre et avec une végétation basse maintenue par une charge pastorale (habitat principal). Cependant, il peut aussi pousser sur des habitats marginaux dans des dunes de sable ou sur la crête sablonneuse de petits ruisseaux.
Leitura e produção de textos como instrumentos da aprendizagem em um curso de licenciatura em matemática do norte do Paraná
Authors: Pereira David da Silva , Pereira Silvana Dias Cardoso
Published: May 2020

A reforma do currículo de uma Licenciatura em Matemática de uma Instituição de Ensino Pública Federal do Norte do Paraná iniciou um processo de intensificação de esforços que eram realizados no âmbito de um conjunto de disciplinas curriculares de formação geral de profissionais da Educação vinculadas aos Fundamentos Educacionais. Nesses cinco anos, colheu-se alguns elementos que podem ser mobilizados para a reflexão e para o aprimoramento de tais iniciativas que partem da Leitura, como campo de práticas e de investimento, para construir uma expressão dos sentidos apreendidos pelos licenciandos no âmbito da relação professor-aluno, bem como um acompanhamento contínuo do processo de aprimoramento da capacidade de leitura e de expressão escrita. Como resultados pois, algumas reflexões quanto aos modos de enfrentamento dos desafios de aprimoramento da leitura, exercício contínuo da escrita e promoção da reflexão oral acerca da produção em sala de aula.
Leitura e docência: a perspectiva do PNAIC na formação do professor-leitor
Authors: Goulart Ilsa do Carmo Vieira , Cabral Giovanna Rodrigues
Published: May 2020

Este estudo tem por centralidade a compreensão de como se organizam as propostas de formação docente dos profissionais que atuam na alfabetização, na vertente das ações leitoras. Assim, objetiva-se refletir sobre o processo de formação do professor-leitor nas discussões teóricas dispostas nos cadernos de formação do Programa Pacto Nacional pela Alfabetização na Idade Certa (PNAIC). Para tanto, realizou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa, por meio da análise documental dos cadernos de formação do PNAIC, com caráter descritivo das marcas teóricas e metodológicas direcionadas à formação do professor-leitor ou de atividades leitoras que exigem ações e posicionamentos pedagógicos. O referencial teórico baseou-se na concepção enunciativa-discursiva da linguagem em Bakhtin, na concepção de leitura como prática social em Chartier, nos estudos de Bronckart sobre as noções de atividade e ação. O estudo aponta para o processo de formação do professor-leitor demarcado por ações leitoras que se articulam num plano motivacional, intencional e interpretativo.
A leitura para a educação infantil na BNCC: continuidades e rupturas
Authors: Silva Mellina , Guedes-Pinto Ana Lúcia
Published: May 2020

Ao longo das últimas décadas a Educação Infantil tem recebido diversas orientações de documentos oficiais para guiar os fazeres pedagógicos. A Base Nacional Comum Curricular (BNCC), publicada em 2017, entrou para o rol de documentos que prescrevem a educação de todo o país. Desta forma, o objetivo deste artigo é analisar a Prática de Leitura apresentada pela BNCC para a Educação Infantil, buscando encontrar continuidades e rupturas em relação aos documentos oficiais precedentes - Referencial Curricular Nacional para a Educação Infantil (RCNEI) e as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para a Educação Infantil (DCNEI). A pesquisa documental evidenciou que a BNCC apresenta como continuidades: o reconhecimento e o destaque do professor como mediador entre os textos e as crianças, e a leitura de livros literários como principal fonte de leitura; e como ruptura, a ausência de menção ao conceito de letramento como fundamento para o trabalho com a leitura.
O livro ilustrado de literatura infantil no Brasil: histórias, concepções e transformações
Authors: Dalcin Andrea Rodrigues
Published: May 2020

Conhecer o percurso histórico do livro ilustrado nos permite analisar as transformações ocorridas quanto aos ideários desta literatura e a solidificação de seu acervo em diferentes décadas, movido por diferentes expectativas e voltado para leitores diversos em seu tempo e espaço. Analisar esse percurso no Brasil é condição para compreendermos esse nicho que produz um encontro entre imagem e palavra, que vê o ilustrador como escritor de imagens e que traz em seu projeto gráfico a descoberta da materialidade do livro enquanto objeto. Trabalharemos com a ideia de que o livro ilustrado traz uma maneira singular de diagramação e um encadeamento que se constrói na narrativa da história por meio da relação entre o texto, a imagem e o objeto livro diante dos sentidos produzidos pelo leitor. Este artigo está ancorado nos estudos de Hunt (2010), Linden (2011), Scott e Nikolajeva (2012), Oliveira (2008, 2013), Moraes, Hanning e Paraguassu (2012).
Correlation of carbon isotope events in the Danish Upper Cretaceous chalk
Authors: Schovsbo Niels H. , Rasmussen Susanne Lil , Sheldon Emma , Stemmerik Lars
Published: May 2020

A high resolution carbon isotope (δ13C) profile through the upper Campanian to Maastrichtian chalk was recently completed based on material from the Stevns-1 core from the Stevns peninsula, eastern Denmark. The δ13C variation of marine carbonates essentially reflects global perturbations in the carbon cycle, i.e. the burial fluxes of carbonate carbon versus organic carbon. It is widely observed that the δ13C variation broadly tracks the eustatic sea-level curve, and that δ13C curves can be used for stratigraphic correlation (e.g. Jarvis et al. 2002). In the Stevns-1 core, a total of 29 notable isotope changes have been identified in the upper Cam panian to Maastrichtian succession. In order to evaluate the stratigraphic significance of the isotope changes, the variation in δ13C values of the mid-Maastrichtian chalk from cores in eastern Denmark and the Danish North Sea, and from outcrops at Rørdal, northern Jylland has been examined (Fig. 1). The selected interval is characterised by distinct chalk and marl cycles in the Stevns-1 and Karlslunde-1 cores and in the Rørdal quarry (Fig. 2), whereas a non-cyclic clean chalk is found in the M-10X well from the North Sea. In the Rørdal quarry, the chalk–marl unit spans the upper–lower Maastrichtian boundary in the Boreal brachiopod and belemnite stratigraphies (Surlyk 1984; unpublished data, B. Lauridsen & F. Surlyk). In Stevns-1 and Karlslunde-1 the chalk–marl unit was deposited during the younger part of nannofossil subzone UC20b (Sheldon 2006, in press). This paper presents preliminary results of a high-resolution study of carbon isotopes, carried out by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) in co-operation with partners from the Department of Geography and Geology at the University of Copenhagen. This paper is a product of the Cretaceous Research Centre (CRC) at Geo center Denmark.
Social Support and Sex Role Orientation as Predictors of Quality of Life in Senior Citizens
Authors: Yajvinder Yajvinder , Sharma Dr. Anita
Published: May 2020

The present study was aimed to explore the relationship of social support and sex role orientation with quality of life in senior citizens. The sample comprised of 400 senior citizens with equal number of educated males and females (200 each). The analysis revealed that for the male’s sample, social support explained the maximum variance (5%) followed by femininity (4%) in quality of life. In all, these variables have accounted for 9% of the variance. In female’s sample, only social support has contributed (5%) of variance. Further, t-test has revealed the superiority of males in masculinity, femininity and quality of life and female’s superiority on social support.
Natural Disaster Literacy Curriculum Proposal
Authors: SÖZCÜ Ufuk
Published: May 2020

Problems related to natural disasters in Turkey and the world are increasing every day. It seems that the main source of these problems is the inadequacies in natural disaster training. The main starting point of the study is that acquisitions about natural disasters in all the curricula in Turkey do not contribute to the natural disaster literacy in terms of quality and quantity. For this reason, a natural disaster literacy course curriculum has been proposed for high schools. In the study, the basic philosophy and general objectives of the natural disaster literacy course curriculum have been defined. In the curriculum, the acquisitions that are convenient to the dimensions of natural disaster literacy (knowledge-attitude-behavior); skills and values related to those acquisitions and units have also been included. The natural disaster literacy course, which has been planned to be 2 course hours per week at the level of 9th grade, consists of 5 units and 49 acquisitions. It is recommended that the study to be examined and applied in the form of a sample curriculum. Thus, students are expected to be natural disaster literate. It is thought that the increase in the number of individuals who are natural disaster literate will decrease the material and immaterial damages caused by natural disasters.
Diabetic Retinopathy Detection using Fundus Photography
Authors:   Student, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur India., Rao* Hritik , Bajaj Pranjay ,   Student, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur India., Sivagar Kanmani ,   Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India.
Published: May 2020

Patients suffering from prolonged diabetic conditions are prone to Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) which leads to vision impairment if left untreated. Diabetic Retinopathy has been on the rise across the globe due to an increase in the number of diabetic patients. Diabetic Retinopathy detection in early stages has become vital to prevent permanent vision impairment and avoid arduous medical treatment in the later stages. Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) causes damage to the retina and gradual loss of sight and in severe cases permanent vision impairment eventually leading to blindness. An early analysis of Diabetic Retinopathy helps in controlling the progress of the disease and increases the chances of recovery. An automated classification of Diabetic Retinopathy using images is a difficult job due to the microscopic variability of the appearance of different classes and the lack of a standard data infrastructure by medical professionals. One of the major deterrents in automated Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) detection is the identification of the essential features in the fundus image. Techniques like Gaussian Blur and auto-cropping has been used for feature extraction and noise removal. Through this paper, we aim to classify various fundus images of the eye into various classes of diabetic Retinopathy and automate the screening process.