bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heidegger’s metapolitics
Authors: Jovanov Rastko
Published: December 2016

This paper examines Heidegger?s political engagement on the basis of the
concept of meta-politics, which Heidegger for the first and only time
introduced in his so-called ?Black Notebooks?, written during his 1933/34
Rectorship at the Freiburg University. Through the concept of ?metapolitics?,
Heidegger attempts to deconstruct the modern politics by demanding that the
theoretical reflections after Hitler's takeover of power in national
socialist Germany give priority to the (spiritual) action. Philosophical
concepts thereby operate as a ?weapon? in the struggle against modern
democracy and are put into service of the German people, understood as ?true
community?, which is the only one capable to ask the question of the Being
from the horizon of the ?metaphysics as metapolitics?. Heidegger labelled his
political engagement as a ?spiritual National Socialism? and tried to
implement it through the reshaping of the German educational institutions.
Thus, one part of the paper will also examine his understanding of the
education as a means of his political engagement. In conclusion, this paper
strives to show the ambivalence, agonism and the messianism of Heidegger's
philosophical conception of the politics, but also the unavoidable
Antisemitism of his theoretical and political engagement.
Politico-theologic dispute on identity
Authors: Djukic Nemanja
Published: December 2016

The phenomenology of identity can distinguish identity as an ontological
status and identity as a social-discursive construction. Identity as
ontological status is based on the presence of transcendence. It is the
result of grace, heritage, tradition. Identity as a social and discursive
construction is based on the forgetting of transcendence. It is the result of
self-eroticism and self-constituting intentional consciousness. In the first
case, the identity is immersed in logos-order community (higher, wider and
deeper levels of reality), which is why it is a catholic term of
pre-intentional mindedness (polis as a paradigm of the world). In the second
case, the identity is an expression of self-erotic intentionality that self
reified as the beginning (positive datum ego-cogito), making it an expression
of self-constituting awareness that denies any form of experience of
otherness that precedes its act of self.
Fear and floods in Serbia: Citizens preparedness for responding to natural disaster
Authors: Cvetkovic Vladimir
Published: December 2016

The consequences of the floods that had affected the area of Serbia in 2014
indicated a very low level of preparedness of population to respond to
natural disasters. Therefore, the aim of quantitative research is to examine
the impact of fear on the willingness of citizens to respond to a natural
disaster caused by the flood in the Republic of Serbia. Bearing in mind all
local communities in Serbia where floods occurred or there is a high risk of
flooding, there was selected a random sample consisting of 19 out of 150
municipalities and 23 towns and the city of Belgrade. In the selected
communities, a research was undertaken in those areas that had been most
affected in relation to the amount of water or potential risk of flooding.
The survey used strategy of testing in households with the use of a multi-
stage random sample. The research results indicate that the citizens who have
a fear of floods are familiar with safety procedures to a greater extent in
relation to citizens who do not have the fear; they have taken the preventive
measures; they point out that they still are not ready to respond, but plan
to do so in the next 6 months; they would evacuate to the upper floor of the
house; they point out that someone in the family has educated them about the
flood. In contrast to that, citizens who do not have the fear are not doing
anything to prepare themselves to react in such situations, they are
confident in their own abilities to cope with the consequences of floods,
etc. The originality of the research lies in the fact that in Serbia there
has never been conducted a research to examine the state of preparedness of
citizens to respond. Bearing in mind that the research is based on the
territory of Serbia, conclusions can be generalized to the entire population.
The research results can be used when creating a strategy for improving the
level of preparedness of citizens to respond.
Aberrant Expression of FBXO2 Disrupts Glucose Homeostasis Through Ubiquitin-Mediated Degradation of Insulin Receptor in Obese Mice
Authors: Liu Bin , Lu Han , Li Duanzhuo , Xiong Xuelian , Gao Lu , Wu Zhixiang , Lu Yan
Published: December 2016

Insulin resistance is a critical factor in the development of metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, its molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. In this study, we found that F-box only protein 2 (FBXO2), a substrate recognition component of the Skp1-Cul1-F-box protein (SCF) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, was upregulated in livers of obese mice. Furthermore, using a protein purification approach combined with high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, we carried out a system-wide screening of FBXO2 substrates, in which the insulin receptor (IR) was identified as a substrate for FBXO2. SCFFBXO2 acts as an E3 ligase targeting the IR for ubiquitin-dependent degradation to regulate insulin signaling integrity. As a result, adenovirus-mediated overexpression of FBXO2 in healthy mice led to hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance, whereas ablation of FBXO2 alleviated diabetic phenotypes in obese mice. Therefore, our results identify SCFFBXO2 as an E3 ligase for the IR in the liver, which might provide a novel therapeutic target for treating T2DM and related metabolic disorders.
Clutter and Map Legibility in Automated Cartography: A Research Agenda
Authors: Touya Guillaume , Hoarau Charlotte , Christophe Sidonie
Published: December 2016

The clutter effect occurs when there is an excessive amount of information in a map or when this information is disorganized. Measurement of clutter is essential to improve the quality of outputs produced using automated cartographic systems. This paper reviews some existing methods for measuring clutter from different research communities, highlighting the lack of suitable methods for use in automated map design. Three use cases are presented to show what kind of clutter measures are needed to go further with the automation of map design, particularly in generalization, in symbol/style specification, and in heterogeneous data integration and visualization. One measure cannot capture all the aspects of clutter, and combination of clutter measures at each step of the whole map design process should be investigated for automated cartography. A research agenda for clutter assessment regarding some specific cartographic processes is provided.
An Exploratory Method for an Alternative Narrative of Housing History in Istanbul
Authors: Atas Zeynep
Published: December 2016

Analysis and visualization of spatial data has proven to be an effective tool in communicating apparent or latent spatial information in an efficient way. Here a specific data processing and visualization method is employed in creating an original base for a nonlinear historical narrative of a specific urban phenomenon. Housing development in Istanbul is selected as a case to be explored through a heuristic method involving correspondence analysis (COA) complemented by clustering methods and Bertin's graphics theory. COA is an exploratory method for cross-tabular data analysis, which facilitates the interpretation of data by visualizing the relative relationship between its variables. Two sets of data on the shares of the state, the private sector, and housing cooperatives in housing development in Istanbul between 1987 and 2007 have been processed by COA. The outputs of the process are correspondence maps and Bertin graphics. Maps create a basis for a spatiotemporal analyses of public and private housing development in Istanbul, while revealing certain relation networks and breaks in housing history that are not quite perceptible by looking at the data tables only. Thus, drawing upon the discoveries from the maps, a nonlinear narrative of housing history is proposed as a collection of several thorough analyses of the discoveries within the economic, political, and social setting particular to this geography.
To Know the Distance: Wayfinding and Roadmaps of Early Modern England and France
Authors: Petto Christine M.
Published: December 2016

In 1675, John Ogilby produced his road atlas with strip maps which not only arrived with fanfare, but spawned several more publications that aimed to be user-friendly. As with many maps and atlases from the London printing trade, the objectives were to serve consumers, acquire a piece of the market, and have an outlet for a new edition. Across the Channel, however, the road network of France, as with other public works, was not only state-directed but a tool of state power. Not until nearly one hundred years later did Claude-Sidoine Michel and Louis-Charles Desnos produce L'Indicateur Fidèle, which provided strip maps for merchants, navigators, and travelers. This publication emerged out of the French national mapping project directed by the Cassini family. In the interim, while French map makers produced maps with an appeal to serving the state, they, like their London contemporaries, also hoped to maintain a thriving business and attract an audience, often through the traditional French social institution of patronage. The purpose of this comparative study of (post) road maps and atlases of England and France is to investigate the role of the government and the publishing trade in the production of these works.
A Tessellation-Based Methodology for an Interactive Analysis of the Arctic Ice Dynamic Phenomenon with Spatial Online Analytical Processing
Authors: Fortin Michelle , Bédard Yvan , Rivest Sonia , Roy Tania , Larrivée Suzie
Published: December 2016

A tessellation-based methodology for interactively analyzing the spatio-temporal evolution of a dynamic phenomenon – ice coverage and its characteristics – using a spatial online analytical processing (OLAP) approach is proposed. The feasibility of the method was tested through a prototype developed in the context of the CanICE project using Canadian Ice Service data and the Egg Code, an international standard for characterizing sea and lake ice. By transforming the standard spatial OLAP vector-based point of view – aggregating data from instances of evolving features – into a tessellation-based point of view – aggregating data from constant spaces with evolving properties – the proposed solution makes it possible to meet the criteria of interactive multidimensional analysis for dynamic phenomena. The second innovative aspect of the methodology relates to the management of data quality with a spatial OLAP approach.
Éduquer les citoyens : corps, hygiène et santé à l'école mexicaine (1882–1913)
Authors: Moctezuma Lucia Martinez
Published: December 2016

Cet article traite des discours sur le développement physique, intellectuel et moral du citoyen diffusés au Mexique à travers une série de dispositifs nationaux et étrangers tels que les congrès et les conférences. Comme le soulignait le médecin mexicain Manuel Uribe y Troncoso à propos du troisième Congrès international d'hygiène scolaire (Paris, 1910), ces événements sont des moments où les idées s'échangent et servent à comparer son pays aux autres. Au Mexique comme ailleurs, l'école représente l'institution idéale pour transmettre et faire aboutir un discours hygiénique de prévention des maladies et pour favoriser le développement d'une vie saine. Quelques propositions sont intégrées immédiatement lors des réunions pédagogiques, tandis que d'autres doivent être adaptées à la réalité d'un pays subissant des manques qui limitent en grande partie l'application de ces accords. Nous abordons ces discours à partir de deux grands axes permettant de suivre les discussions de ceux qui participent à ces rencontres où se construit une idée sur l'hygiène et la santé au bénéfice de l'enfant en école élémentaire, et d'analyser l'application de quelques-unes de ces propositions aux niveaux national et local.
Keats as a student at Guy's Hospital
Authors: Goellnicht Donald C
Published: December 2016

Keats is famous first as a poet, second as a letter-writer, and hardly at all as a man of medicine; yet he spent six years of his brief life, from the summer of 1810 to the summer of 1816, studying to be an apothecary-surgeon, first as an apprentice to the surgeon Thomas Hammond in Edmonton (just north of London) and then as a medical student at Guy's Hospital in London. This period is equal in duration to that of his poetic creativity, from 1814 to 1820, yet his biographers have often skimmed over it while literary critics have usually ignored the influence of his medical training on his poetry and thought. I do not intend to trace such influence here; rather, I propose to examine Keats's career as a medical student at Guy's as a paradigm of a certain type of medical training in early nineteenth-century England: that of the apothecary-surgeon as distinguished from the university-trained physician.
The Restructuring of Canada's Automotive Industry, 2005–2014
Authors: Sweeney Brendan A. , Mordue Greigory D.
Published: December 2016

The Canadian automotive industry underwent substantial restructuring between 2005 and 2014. This article draws on establishment-level data to examine these changes as they relate to both automotive assembly and automotive parts manufacturing. It also elucidates the limitations of using official government statistics to study the automotive industry. In addition to analyzing changes to the structure and composition of the industry, our data demonstrate that the industry employs far more people than are reported in official government statistics. We conclude that improvements to data collection methods are important for policy-makers to develop effective supports for the automotive industry.
Mapping the New Critical Terrain: Rules, Ethics, Hierarchies
Authors: Poll Melissa
Published: December 2016

Ongoing changes in the media landscape have led to a greater diversity of forms for theatre criticism in Canada. Criticism now appears on personal blogs and group reviewing websites, on social media, and via online features supported by theatre companies, as well as in newspapers and specialist magazines. Through contributions from a range of Canadian theatre critics, including Richard Ouzounian, Megan Mooney, and Rodrigo Flores, this article responds to the diversification of critical forms, mapping the terms, expectations, and hierarchies that are defining English-language theatre criticism in twenty-first-century Canada.
Theatre Criticism in Canada: A Round Table and Its Aftermath
Authors: Guay Hervé , Levin Laura , Dickinson Peter , Ruprecht Alvina , Cadieux Alexandre
Published: December 2016

The 2015 Canadian Association of Theatre Research and Société québécoise d’études théâtrales conferences at the University of Ottawa included a round table discussion on the intersection of theatre studies and theatre criticism in Canada, conducted in French and English. Here, its five participants (Hervé Guay, Laura Levin, Peter Dickinson, Alvina Ruprecht, and Alexandre Cadieux) revisit that lively and sometimes combustive event, repeating and expanding on points made, and reflecting on the discussion and thoughts arising from it.
I Really, Really Mean Something: Ten Micro-Plays about Theatre
Authors: Small Rosamund
Published: December 2016

These are ten very short plays about theatre and the way theatre deals with criticism of itself within the community and the industry. The main theme is honesty. They are a bit silly, a bit of satire, and just a little tiny bit preachy. These plays have been specially commissioned for Canadian Theatre Review 168, with the exception of Face Acting, which was developed in a Canada Council Residency with Outside the March in 2015.
In Search of Peace: Public Humanities and the Face in Creative Arts
Authors: Mitchell Jolyon
Published: December 2016

Through this paper, I will consider the roles that the humanities can play in interpreting and interacting with the arts. To investigate this topic, I will use several international examples. These are situated in Cannes, Edinburgh, and London, though they directly connect with countries such as South Africa and Mozambique. The world's best known film festival (Cannes), and the world's largest theatre and arts festival (Edinburgh), alongside the world's first national public museum (the British Museum in London), provide the contexts in which my argument develops. In each of these spaces, one can be confronted by a myriad of human faces, presented publically in innumerable ways. Film posters, stand-up comedy adverts, and exhibition fliers commonly employ the human face to attract, to intrigue, and to entice audiences toward their spectacle. The humanities can both interact with and critically analyse these uses of faces. The human faces in these diverse and dynamic settings provoke questions which the public humanities can address, as they interrogate celebrity, analyse portrayals of suffering, and in the shadows of dangerous memories, even help to create materials to inspire peace.
Why the Humanities Must Be Public
Authors: Shumway David R.
Published: December 2016

Many academics continue to assume or actively advocate for the idea of the university as radically autonomous from both state and civil society. This view was articulated by nineteenth-century German idealists, and has remained influential, but the university it imagines has never existed, even in Germany. My argument is that we need to reconceive the humanities' relation to the public. While we will want to continue to insist on a degree of autonomy greater than that enjoyed by most other American workers, we need to reconceive that autonomy as granted in the service of the public good, and we need to make the knowledge we produce available and accessible to those outside of academe.
What Are the Public Humanities? No, Really, What Are They?
Authors: Wickman Matthew
Published: December 2016

Virtually all scholars in the humanities agree that the public humanities are important, but consensus frays when it comes to discussing the degree of institutional investment in the public humanities, methods of public humanities engagement, and even the definition of what counts as the public humanities. To that end, Jeremy Browne (of BYU's Office of Digital Humanities) and I created a survey whose data we compiled from dozens of institutions in the international Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes. What emerges are a series of perspectives, at once diverse and overlapping, about such issues as the definition and perceived impact of the public humanities, both within and outside universities.
Theory Follows from Practice: Lessons from the Field
Authors: Sommer Doris , Strong Pauline
Published: December 2016

Theory is a distillation that makes the inevitable trial and error of teaching and learning count for lessons to be passed on. We learned this from working on engaged humanities projects, and also from reading Frederich Schiller, John Dewey, and others who share a fascination with doing as a trigger for feeling and thinking. The sometimes humble practice of service learning generates lessons that add up to the broad intellectual ambition of public humanities: to explore and expand the civic dimensions of art and interpretation, and to demonstrate through practise the centrality of the humanities to democratic processes and social justice. Theory not only informs engaged humanities practices: theory is transformed by these practices, as are those who participate in them. At a time when the value of the humanities is continually in question, it is all the more essential to engage the humanities in the dialogical process of refashioning education, community, theory, and the humanities themselves.
Teaching internationalisation?: Surveying the lack of pedagogical and theoretical diversity in American International Relations
Authors: Cook Christopher R.
Published: December 2016

This article contributes to the discussion of internationalisation in higher education in the context of the international relations (IR) subfield of political science. The field of IR might seem by definition to be ‘internationalised’, but the underlying theoretical assumptions of the field, its social science rationalism and privileging of the unitary nation-state exhibit an American or Eurocentric bias. This Western bias with its emphasis on security issues is then replicated in research agendas and reproduced in higher education classrooms across the United States and beyond. I argue that the way forward to promoting internationalisation partially lies with promoting plurality and diversity within research and in the classroom or what Lamy calls ‘challenging hegemonic paradigms’ (2007).
Collective argumentation: A survey of aggregation issues around argumentation frameworks
Authors: Bodanza Gustavo , Tohmé Fernando , Auday Marcelo
Published: December 2016

Dung’s argumentation frameworks have been applied for over twenty years to the analysis of argument justification. This representation focuses on arguments and the attacks among them, abstracting away from other features like the internal structure of arguments, the nature of utterers, the specifics of the attack relation, etc. The model is highly attractive because it reduces most of the complexities involved in argumentation processes. It can be applied to different settings, like the argument evaluation of an individual agent or the case of dialectic disputes between two agents (pro and con), or even in multi-agent collective argumentation. The latter case involves agents with possibly different arguments and/or opinions on how to evaluate them, leading to the possibility of considering multiple sets of arguments and attack relations. Two basic questions can be asked here, namely ‘what to aggregate’ and ‘how to aggregate’. The former concerns what kinds of entities do the agents intend to choose (arguments, attacks, assessments, etc.), while the second one focuses on which aggregation mechanisms yield rational choices (voting on arguments, merging procedures to obtain a common argumentation framework, deliberation processes, etc.). In particular, the question about the rationality of a collective argument choice relates this topic to Social Choice and Judgment Aggregation theories, while its associated strategic issues relate it to Game Theory. The research efforts on the disparate problems elicited by collective argumentation have generated a considerable corpus of literature that deserves an orderly evaluation. This survey is intended as a contribution to that end.
Variation of morphological and chemical properties of three varieties of jute stick
Authors: Rahman M Mostafizur , Siddiqua S , Akter F , Jahan M Sarwar , Quaiyyum MA
Published: December 2016

Pulp property of a lignocellulosic material depends upon its morphological characteristics and chemical constituents it. Shabuj Pat (CVL-1) variety from Corchorus capsularis and BJRI Tossa Pat 4 (O-72) and BJRI Tossa Pat 5 (O-795) varieties from Corchorus olitorius of jute are mostly grown in Bangladesh. This study deals on morphological and chemical properties of these three varieties of jute stick to assess their suitability for pulp production. The results were significantly differed among the varieties and within the variety. The ?-cellulose content was almost the same in the variety of CVL-1 and O-795. In the same variety, the middle portion contained the largest amount of alpha-cellulose and the top portion contained the lowest. Klason lignin content varied from 24.2 to 26.8%. Fibre length was significantly same for all the three jute sticks but the width and slenderness ratios were different. Pulp yield in soda anthraquinone process was nearly the same in all these varieties around 44% at kappa number 15.Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 51(4), 307-312, 2016
Biochemical, Physico-Chemical and Microbiological Properties of Camel Raw Milk Marketed in Bechar city (South-West Algeria): Hygienic and Safe Consumers Approach
Authors: Benyagoub Elhassan , Ayat Mohammed
Published: December 2016

This study focused on the analysis of twenty-four samples of camel raw milk commercialized at the market of Bechar city. Sample analysis of raw milk was performed by measuring of some physicochemical parameters which the average results obtained have a slightly acidic pH (5.67), high titratable acidity (4.49g/l). Density, total dry extract and fat content were low (1.0268; 89g/l and 29.87g/l respectively), a lactose content of (28.18 g/l). The microbiological examination has several microbial quality attributes such as total bacteria, thermo tolerant coliforms, fecal Streptococci, Sulphite-reducing clostridia and fungal flora with average obtained 3.1 x 107 cfu/ml, 4.9 x 104 cfu/ml, 1.16 x 10 germ/ml, less than 5 spore/20ml and 2.36 x 103 uf/ml respectively. In addition, the analysis revealed the presence of coagulase positive Staphylococci for two samples, however, all samples are free of Salmonella sp. and Shigella sp. 58% of the samples were of satisfactory quality, 8.33% are acceptable and 33.33% are unacceptable.Microbes and Health, January 2015. 4(1): 14-18
Gaskinetic Modeling on Dilute Gaseous Plume Impingement Flows
Authors: Cai Chunpei
Published: December 2016

This paper briefly reviews recent work on gaseous plume impingement flows. As the major part of this paper, also included are new comprehensive studies on high-speed, collisionless, gaseous, circular jet impinging on a three-dimensional, inclined, diffuse or specular flat plate. Gaskinetic theories are adopted to study the problems, and several crucial geometry-location and velocity-direction relations are used. The final complete results include impingement surface properties such as pressure, shear stress, and heat flux. From these surface properties, averaged coefficients of pressure, friction, heat flux, moment over the entire flat plate, and the distance from the moment center to the flat plate center are obtained. The final results include accurate integrations involving the geometry and specific speed ratios, inclination angle, and the temperature ratio. Several numerical simulations with the direct simulation Monte Carlo method validate these analytical results, and the results are essentially identical. The gaskinetic method and processes are heuristic and can be used to investigate other external high Knudsen (Kn) number impingement flow problems, including the flow field and surface properties for a high Knudsen number jet from an exit and flat plate of arbitrary shapes. The results are expected to find many engineering applications, especially in aerospace and space engineering.
Stabilization of Iron (Micro)Particles with Polyhydroxybutyrate for In Situ Remediation Applications
Authors: Chronopoulou Laura , Palocci Cleofe , Valentino Francesco , Pettiti Ida , Wacławek Stanisław , Černík Miroslav , Petrangeli Papini Marco
Published: December 2016

Groundwater is an extremely important resource that may, however, contain a variety of toxic and bioaccumulative contaminants. Traditional “Pump and Treat” technologies for treating contaminated groundwater are no longer time- or cost-effective; therefore, new technologies are needed. In this work, we synthesized core–shell materials of micrometric dimensions based on the interaction of iron particles (the core) and fermentable biopolymers such as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB, the surrounding shell) to be used in permeable reactive barriers for the removal of chlorinated pollutants from contaminated groundwater. The materials were prepared by precipitation techniques that allowed stable preparations to be obtained, whose chemico-physical properties were thoroughly characterized by scanning electron microscopy, porosimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analyses, disc centrifuge analysis, and dynamic light scattering. The properties of the prepared materials are very promising, and may enhance the performance of permeable reactive barriers towards chlorinated compounds.
Influence of Freeze-Dried Yeast Starter Cultures on Volatile Compounds of Tchapalo, a Traditional Sorghum Beer from Côte d’Ivoire
Authors: Coulibaly Wahauwouélé , N’guessan Kouadio , Coulibaly Ibourahema , Cot Marlène , Rigou Peggy , Djè Koffi
Published: December 2016

The production of the Ivorian sorghum beer known as tchapalo remains more or less an empirical process. The use of starter cultures was therefore suggested as the appropriate approach to alleviate the problems of variations in organoleptic quality and microbiological stability. In this study, we evaluated the capacity of S. cerevisiae and C. tropicalis to produce sorghum beer as freeze-dried starter in mixed or pure cultures. Beers produced with mixed freeze-dried cultures of S. cerevisiae F12-7 and C. tropicalis C0-7 showed residual sugars and ethanol contents similar to beers obtained with S. cerevisiae F12-7 pure culture, but the total sum of organic acids analyzed was the highest with the mixed culture (15.71 g/L). Higher alcohols were quantitatively the largest group of volatile compounds detected in beers. Among these compounds, 2-phenyl ethanol, a higher alcohol that plays an important role in beer flavor, was highly produced with the mixed culture (10,174.8 µg/L) than with the pure culture (8749.9 µg/L).
Subjective Mood in Young Unmedicated Depressed Women under High and Low Sleep Pressure Conditions
Authors: Birchler-Pedross Angelina , Frey Sylvia , Götz Thomas , Brunner Patrick , Knoblauch Vera , Wirz-Justice Anna , Chellappa Sarah , Cajochen Christian
Published: December 2016

Diurnal mood variations are one of the core symptoms in depression, and total sleep deprivation (SD) can induce rapid, short-lasting clinical improvement in depressed patients. Here, we investigated if differential sleep pressure conditions impact on subjective mood levels in young women with major depressive disorder (MDD) without sleep disturbances, and in healthy controls. Eight healthy and eight MDD women underwent 40-h SD (high sleep pressure) and 40-h multiple NAP (low sleep pressure) protocols under constant routine conditions during which subjective mood was assessed every 30-min. MDD women rated overall significantly worse mood than controls, with minimal values for both groups during the biological night (ca. 4 a.m.), under high and low sleep pressure conditions. During SD, nighttime mood ratings in MDD women were lower than in controls and partially recovered during the second day of SD, but never attained control levels. The degree of this diurnal time-course in mood under SD correlated positively with sleep quality in MDD women. Our data indicate that MDD women without sleep disturbances did not exhibit a SD-induced antidepressant response, suggesting that the mood enhancement response to sleep deprivation might be related to the co-existence of sleep disturbances, which is an association that remains to be fully established.
Optimized Load Shedding Approach for Grid-Connected DC Microgrid Systems under Realistic Constraints
Authors: Trigueiro dos Santos Leonardo , Sechilariu Manuela , Locment Fabrice
Published: December 2016

The microgrid system is an answer to the necessity of increasing renewable energy penetration and also works as a bridge for the future smart grid. Considering the microgrid system applied to commercial building equipped with photovoltaic sources, the usage of a DC microgrid architecture can improve the efficiency of the system, while ensuring robustness and reducing the overall energy cost. Given the power grid stress and the intermittency of the DC microgrid power production, backup power provision and load shedding operations may occur to stabilize the DC bus voltage. Based on the knapsack problem formulation, this paper presents a realistic optimization approach to shedding a building’s appliances, considering the priority of each appliance, and also considering a minimum amount of load that must be attended. The problem is solved by mixed integer linear programming and the CPLEX solver. The proposed architecture ensures critical load supply and voltage stabilization through the real-time operation of the operational algorithm allowing the load shedding optimization approach to be applied without compromising the robustness of the system. The results obtained by simulation prove that the DC microgrid is able to supply the building power network by applying the load shedding optimization program to overcome, mainly, the renewable energy intermittency.
The Smart Ring Experience in l’Aquila (Italy): Integrating Smart Mobility Public Services with Air Quality Indexes
Authors: Villani Maria-Gabriella , Cignini Fabio , Ortenzi Fernando , Suriano Domenico , Prato Mario
Published: December 2016

This work presents the “City Dynamics and Smart Environment” activities of the Smart Ring project, a model for the smart city, based on the integration of sustainable urban transport services and environmental monitoring over a 4–5-km circular path, the “Smart Ring”, around the historical center of l’Aquila (Italy). We describe our pilot experience performed during an experimental on-demand public service electric bus, “SmartBus”, which was equipped with a multi-parametric air quality low-cost gas electrochemical sensor platform, “NASUS IV”. For five days (28–29 August 2014 and 1–3 September 2014), the sensor platform was installed inside the SmartBus and measured air quality gas compounds (nitrogen dioxide, carbon oxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide) during the service. Data were collected and analyzed on the bases of an air quality index, which provided qualitative insights on the air status potentially experienced by the users. The results obtained are in agreement with the synoptic meteorological conditions, the urban background air quality reference measurements and the potential traffic flow variations. Furthermore, they indicated that the air quality status was influenced by the gas component NO 2 , followed by H 2 S, SO 2 and CO. We discuss the features of our campaign, and we highlight the potential, limitations and key factors to consider for future project designs.
Understanding Climate Adaptation Cultures in Global Context: Proposal for an Explanatory Framework
Authors: Heimann Thorsten , Mallick Bishawjit
Published: December 2016

This paper aims at enhancing the previously formulated culture-theoretical explanation of risk-related perception and action with ecological and institutional connectedness. This is needed for global comparison of adaptation cultures as well as transferability of local knowledge. Differences in climate-related patterns of knowledge will therefore be explained by common patterns of socially shared knowledge in relation to ecological and institutional transformation. This will be done by combining a cultural-knowledge approach with different social-ecological and institutional contexts. Changes in knowledge development as well as in adaptation practices will be described by state-and-transition. The proposed approach combines the culture-theoretical explanation of Values-Beliefs-Identities (VBI) and socio-ecological as well as institutional approach of the state-and-transition model.
Crystal Structure of the Substrate-Binding Domain from Listeria monocytogenes Bile-Resistance Determinant BilE
Authors: Ruiz Stephanie , Schuurman-Wolters Gea , Poolman Bert
Published: December 2016

BilE has been reported as a bile resistance determinant that plays an important role in colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis. The mechanism(s) by which BilE mediates bile resistance are unknown. BilE shares significant sequence similarity with ATP-binding cassette (ABC) importers that contribute to virulence and stress responses by importing quaternary ammonium compounds that act as compatible solutes. Assays using related compounds have failed to demonstrate transport mediated by BilE. The putative substrate-binding domain (SBD) of BilE was expressed in isolation and the crystal structure solved at 1.5 Å. Although the overall fold is characteristic of SBDs, the binding site varies considerably relative to the well-characterized homologs ProX from Archaeoglobus fulgidus and OpuBC and OpuCC from Bacillus subtilis. This suggests that BilE may bind an as-yet unknown ligand. Elucidation of the natural substrate of BilE could reveal a novel bile resistance mechanism.
Ferroelastic Domain Boundary-Based Multiferroicity
Authors: Salje Ekhard , Ding Xiangdong
Published: December 2016

Domain boundary engineering endeavors to develop materials that contain localized functionalities inside domain walls, which do not exist in the bulk. Here we review multiferroic devices that are based on ferroelectricity inside ferroelastic domain boundaries. The discovery of polarity in CaTiO3 and SrTiO3 leads to new directions to produce complex domain patterns as templates for ferroic devices.
Developing a Research Instrument to Document Awareness, Knowledge, and Attitudes Regarding Breast Cancer and Early Detection Techniques for Pakistani Women: The Breast Cancer Inventory (BCI)
Authors: Naqvi Atta , Zehra Fatima , Ahmad Rizwan , Ahmad Niyaz
Published: December 2016

There is a general hesitation in participation among Pakistani women when it comes to giving their responses in surveys related to breast cancer which may be due to the associated stigma and conservatism in society. We felt that no research instrument was able to extract information from the respondents to the extent it was needed for the successful execution of our study. The need to develop a research instrument tailored for Pakistani women was based upon the fact that most Pakistani women come from a conservative background and sometimes view this topic as provocative and believe discussing publicly about it as inappropriate. Existing research instruments exhibited a number of weaknesses during literature review. Therefore, using them may not be able to extract information concretely. A research instrument was, thus, developed exclusively. It was coined as, “breast cancer inventory (BCI)” by a panel of experts for executing a study aimed at documenting awareness, knowledge, and attitudes of Pakistani women regarding breast cancer and early detection techniques. The study is still in the data collection phase. The statistical analysis involved the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure and Bartlett’s test for sampling adequacy. In addition, reliability analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were, also employed. This concept paper focuses on the development, piloting and validation of the BCI. It is the first research instrument which has high acceptability among Pakistani women and is able to extract adequate information from the respondents without causing embarrassment or unease.
GPGPU Accelerated Deep Object Classification on a Heterogeneous Mobile Platform
Authors: Rizvi Syed , Cabodi Gianpiero , Patti Denis , Francini Gianluca
Published: December 2016

Deep convolutional neural networks achieve state-of-the-art performance in image classification. The computational and memory requirements of such networks are however huge, and that is an issue on embedded devices due to their constraints. Most of this complexity derives from the convolutional layers and in particular from the matrix multiplications they entail. This paper proposes a complete approach to image classification providing common layers used in neural networks. Namely, the proposed approach relies on a heterogeneous CPU-GPU scheme for performing convolutions in the transform domain. The Compute Unified Device Architecture(CUDA)-based implementation of the proposed approach is evaluated over three different image classification networks on a Tegra K1 CPU-GPU mobile processor. Experiments show that the presented heterogeneous scheme boasts a 50× speedup over the CPU-only reference and outperforms a GPU-based reference by 2×, while slashing the power consumption by nearly 30%.
Operating Wireless Sensor Nodes without Energy Storage: Experimental Results with Transient Computing
Authors: Ahmed Faisal , Ahmed Tauseef , Muhammad Yar , Le Moullec Yannick , Annus Paul
Published: December 2016

Energy harvesting is increasingly used for powering wireless sensor network nodes. Recently, it has been suggested to combine it with the concept of transient computing whereby the wireless sensor nodes operate without energy storage capabilities. This new combined approach brings benefits, for instance ultra-low power nodes and reduced maintenance, but also raises new challenges, foremost dealing with nodes that may be left without power for various time periods. Although transient computing has been demonstrated on microcontrollers, reports on experiments with wireless sensor nodes are still scarce in the literature. In this paper, we describe our experiments with solar, thermal, and RF energy harvesting sources that are used to power sensor nodes (including wireless ones) without energy storage, but with transient computing capabilities. The results show that the selected solar and thermal energy sources can operate both the wired and wireless nodes without energy storage, whereas in our specific implementation, the developed RF energy source can only be used for the selected nodes without wireless connectivity.
Effects of Indoor Air Pollutants on Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Kim JaKyoung , Kim HyungJin , Lim DaeHyun , Lee Young-Kyu , Kim Jeong
Published: December 2016

The increasing prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with variations in indoor environments. In Korea, many inner walls of homes are covered with wallpaper: such walls emit indoor air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde. This randomized, double-blind study investigated the effects of wallpaper on indoor air quality and AD. Thirty-one children (aged three to eight years) with moderate AD were assigned to environmentally-friendly (EF) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) wallpaper groups. Indoor air concentrations of VOCs, natural VOCs (NVOCs), formaldehyde, and total suspended bacteria were measured before and two (W2) and eight weeks (W8) after wallpapering. Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) evaluations and blood tests were performed during the same period. The EF wallpaper and PVC wallpaper groups showed similar trends in the changes in total VOCs (TVOC) and formaldehyde content in the indoor air. However, the EF wallpaper group showed more improvement on the SCORAD at W2 and W8 than the PVC wallpaper group. The SCORAD index was positively correlated with several indoor air pollutants. Further, the SCORAD index and NVOC % were negatively correlated. Improved SCORAD index and effects of wallpapering on indoor air quality improvements occurred within a short period of time in both groups. We believe that NVOCs in indoor air after EF wallpapering have a beneficial effect on health.
How Do Households Respond to Unreliable Water Supplies? A Systematic Review
Authors: Majuru Batsirai , Suhrcke Marc , Hunter Paul
Published: December 2016

Although the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for drinking water was met, in many developing countries water supplies are unreliable. This paper reviews how households in developing countries cope with unreliable water supplies, including coping costs, the distribution of coping costs across socio-economic groups, and effectiveness of coping strategies in meeting household water needs. Structured searches were conducted in peer-reviewed and grey literature in electronic databases and search engines, and 28 studies were selected for review, out of 1643 potentially relevant references. Studies were included if they reported on strategies to cope with unreliable household water supplies and were based on empirical research in developing countries. Common coping strategies include drilling wells, storing water, and collecting water from alternative sources. The choice of coping strategies is influenced by income, level of education, land tenure and extent of unreliability. The findings of this review highlight that low-income households bear a disproportionate coping burden, as they often engage in coping strategies such as collecting water from alternative sources, which is labour and time-intensive, and yields smaller quantities of water. Such alternative sources may be of lower water quality, and pose health risks. In the absence of dramatic improvements in the reliability of water supplies, a point of critical avenue of enquiry should be what coping strategies are effective and can be readily adopted by low income households.
The Adverse Effects of Heavy Metals with and without Noise Exposure on the Human Peripheral and Central Auditory System: A Literature Review
Authors: Castellanos Marie-Josée , Fuente Adrian
Published: December 2016

Exposure to some chemicals in the workplace can lead to occupational chemical-induced hearing loss. Attention has mainly focused on the adverse auditory effects of solvents. However, other chemicals such as heavy metals have been also identified as ototoxic agents. The aim of this work was to review the current scientific knowledge about the adverse auditory effects of heavy metal exposure with and without co-exposure to noise in humans. PubMed and Medline were accessed to find suitable articles. A total of 49 articles met the inclusion criteria. Results from the review showed that no evidence about the ototoxic effects in humans of manganese is available. Contradictory results have been found for arsenic, lead and mercury as well as for the possible interaction between heavy metals and noise. All studies found in this review have found that exposure to cadmium and mixtures of heavy metals induce auditory dysfunction. Most of the studies investigating the adverse auditory effects of heavy metals in humans have investigated human populations exposed to lead. Some of these studies suggest peripheral and central auditory dysfunction induced by lead exposure. It is concluded that further evidence from human studies about the adverse auditory effects of heavy metal exposure is still required. Despite this issue, audiologists and other hearing health care professionals should be aware of the possible auditory effects of heavy metals.
The Roles of Autophagy and the Inflammasome during Environmental Stress-Triggered Skin Inflammation
Authors: Chen Rong-Jane , Lee Yu-Hsuan , Yeh Ya-Ling , Wang Ying-Jan , Wang Bour-Jr
Published: December 2016

Inflammatory skin diseases are the most common problem in dermatology. The induction of skin inflammation by environmental stressors such as ultraviolet radiation (UVR), hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and TiO2/ZnO/Ag nanoparticles (NPs) has been demonstrated previously. Recent studies have indicated that the inflammasome is often wrongly activated by these environmental irritants, thus inducing massive inflammation and resulting in the development of inflammatory diseases. The regulation of the inflammasome with respect to skin inflammation is complex and is still not completely understood. Autophagy, an intracellular degradation system that is associated with the maintenance of cellular homeostasis, plays a key role in inflammasome inactivation. As a housekeeping pathway, cells utilize autophagy to maintain the homeostasis of the organ structure and function when exposed to environmental stressors. However, only a few studies have examined the effect of autophagy and/or the inflammasome on skin pathogenesis. Here we review recent findings regarding the involvement of autophagy and inflammasome activation during skin inflammation. We posit that autophagy induction is a novel mechanism inter-modulating environmental stressor-induced skin inflammation. We also attempt to highlight the role of the inflammasome and the possible underlying mechanisms and pathways reflecting the pathogenesis of skin inflammation induced by UVR, Cr(VI) and TiO2/ZnO/Ag NPs. A more profound understanding about the crosstalk between autophagy and the inflammasome will contribute to the development of prevention and intervention strategies against human skin disease.