bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regulering van betaaldienstverlening onder PSD II – is tech eating everything?
Authors: den Hamer J. , Middelburg R.
Published: January 2018

Regulering van betaaldienstverlening onder PSD II – is tech eating everything?

Op 12 januari 2016 is de herziene richtlijn betaaldiensten (PSD II) in werking getreden. Deze richtlijn vervangt de richtlijn betaaldiensten van 2007 (PSD). Met PSD is destijds een vergunningplicht geïntroduceerd voor een nieuw type financiële onderneming: de betaaldienstverlener. PSD II beoogt twee nieuwe, innovatieve betaaldiensten, namelijk betaalinitiatie- en rekeninginformatiediensten, te reguleren om zodoende de interne markt voor betalingsverkeer te versterken. PSD II zal ‘open banking’ stimuleren.
Waarom zou de aansprakelijkheid wegens onrechtmatige daad zijn uitgesloten?
Authors: Vetter H.J.
Published: January 2018

Waarom zou de aansprakelijkheid wegens onrechtmatige daad zijn uitgesloten? HR 17 februari 2017: art. 2:11 BW en onrechtmatige daad – de Hoge Raad kiest (terecht?) voor eenheid

In zijn arrest van 17 februari 2017 heeft de Hoge Raad een knoop doorgehakt: art. 2:11 BW leidt ook tot hoofdelijke aansprakelijkheid van de tweedegraads bestuurder, als de rechtspersoon-bestuurder tegenover een crediteur van de bestuurde rechtspersoon aansprakelijk is op grond van onrechtmatige daad. Bij de motivering van deze keuze door de Hoge Raad kunnen vraagtekens worden geplaatst; geheel in het stelsel van de bestuurdersaansprakelijkheid wegens onrechtmatig handelen past de keuze niet. Maar voordeel is dat nu aan een al jaren slepende discussie in de literatuur en aan de verwarring in de lagere rechtspraak een einde is gekomen.

De via art. 2:11 BW aangesproken tweedegraads bestuurder heeft een disculpatiemogelijkheid: als hij stelt en, zo nodig, bewijst dat hem geen persoonlijk ernstig verwijt treft, ontkomt hij alsnog aan aansprakelijkheid. Hoever moet de aangesproken bestuurder daarbij gaan: moet hij ook stellen dat hij niet is tekortgeschoten in zijn collegiale verantwoordelijkheid? Een vonnis gewezen tegen de rechtspersoon-bestuurder en tegen een collega-tweedegraads bestuurder heeft jegens hem geen gezag van gewijsde.
Você é o que Você Vende: A Influência da Personalidade de Marca no Relacionamento com Clientes de Empresas de Fast-Food
Authors: Delmondez Fernanda , Demo Gisela , Scussel Fernanda Bueno Cardoso
Published: January 2018

A literatura em marketing indica que, cada vez mais, as marcas precisam encontrar meios de se diferenciar dos concorrentes e de conquistar a lealdade dos consumidores, contexto em que o desenvolvimento do relacionamento entre marcas e clientes recebe conotao especial, por constituir uma fonte de diferenciao competitiva, aliado orientao da preferncia e do consumo exercida pela personalidade de marca. Assim, o estudo da relao entre personalidade de marca e relacionamento com clientes torna-se pertinente, sendo o mote principal do desenvolvimento deste artigo. No que tange ao seu objetivo principal, prope-se avaliar a relao entre a personalidade de marcas de fast food e a percepo de relacionamento que os clientes tem com tais marcas. Para tanto, realizou-se um estudo quantitativo com 367 clientes de empresas de alimentao fast food, cujos resultados foram analisados por meio de regresso mltipla linear, de forma que as dimenses de personalidade "Credibilidade e Audcia" foram os melhores preditores das dimenses de percepo de relacionamento Lealdade e Atendimento ao Cliente, respectivamente. Concernente contribuio acadmica desta pesquisa, buscou-se complementar uma lacuna na literatura voltada investigao da relao entre as variveis. Em que pese as contribuies prticas, haja vista que o marketing faz parte das cincias sociais aplicadas, este estudo pode ser uma ferramenta relevante para diagnosticar o relacionamento dos consumidores com estas, auxiliando na tomada de deciso em relao diferenciao da imagem e aprimoramento da experincia com as marcas.
Institutional Image and the Role of The Managers of a major Brazilian Financial Institution: Analysis of Perceptions of High Income Customers
Authors: Lara José Edson , Locatelli Ronaldo Lamounier , Ramalho Wanderley , Silva Samantha Alice de Freitas
Published: January 2018

The economic system has undergone profound transformations due to recurrent technological advances that have repercussions on the organizations. Additionally, there is a demand coming from an affluent social class that, demands a customized service. It is therefore important to develop a corporate strategy that includes differentiated products and services and a focus on the agility and reliability of the business, in accordance to the market. This paper analyses the dynamic of the high income customers perceptions regarding to the services provided by an Brazilian financial institution taking into account its institutional image and the role played by its managers. The selected model is based on a mixing of three constructs, namely the customers evaluation of institutional operating characteristics, the quality of interaction between customers and managers and the propensity to indicated new customers to the bank. The study approach is quantitative by means of a survey followed by a factorial analysis for the selection of the indicators of each of the aforementioned constructs. A multiple regression model was then estimated, having the institutional image and managers performance as predictors, using the OLS method and the ordinal logistic function. The results showed that the customers satisfaction and its propensity to indicate new customers to the bank is properly explained by two predictors as suggested by the model. Furthermore, it was identified a greater influence of the construct which depicts the managers performance. Such conclusions contain fundamental elements for the design of corporate strategies.
The effect of welding defects to the
tensile behavior in corrosive environment
of AISI 304L stainless steel joined with
shielded metal electrode
Authors: Türkan M. , Karakaş Ö.
Published: January 2018

Purpose: Determination of the tensile behavior of welded constructions made of austenitic
stainless steel in corrosive environments is of great importance for the safer use of the
construction. When austenitic stainless steels are welded together, welding defects can
occur in some cases. And stainless steels are used in corrosive environments. Thus, we
are aimed to investigate the effect of welding defects the tensile behavior in corrosive
environment of AISI 304 L stainless steel joined with shielded metal electrode.
Design/methodology/approach: Hardness measurements and micro-macro structures
examination were made before the corrosion test to characterize the structure of the weld
zone. Corrosion tests were carried out in accordance with EN ISO 9227 by exposing the
welded tensile specimens to salt spray for 24-96-240-480-720-1000 hours. After the salt
spray test, tensile tests were performed. The fractured surfaces were examined following the
tensile tests by scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Findings: A significant decrease in the tensile strength of the material was observed
with the increase of the salt spraying period as a result of the tests. It is worth noting that
corrosion products were occurred especially in the areas of welding defects.
Research limitations/implications: This study was performed on materials containing
welding defects. In addition, the corrosive environment was provided by salt spraying. It
should not be forgotten that the materials may behave differently in different corrosive
environments.
Originality/value: While there are studies regarding effects of welding defects and
corrosion individually, no study has been found in the literature which considers the effect of
welding defects within corrosive environments on the material strength. Therefore, this study
presents novel findings by considering both detrimental effects at the same time. The study
shows significant decrease in strength of the material due to welding defects and corrosive
environment.
A Study on Adsorption Refrigerator Driven by Solar Collector Using Indonesian Activated Carbon
Authors: Sitorus Tulus B. , Napitupulu Farel H. , Ambarita Himsar
Published: January 2018

In the present work, the performance of an adsorption refrigerator driven by a solar collector was investigated. The adsorbent used in this study was 6.5 kg ordinary granular activated carbon of coconut shell produced in the Sumatera Utara province of Indonesia, 3 liters of methanol as adsorbate and 4.5 litres of water as the medium that was cooled. The experiments were carried out under varying weather conditions during seven cycles with total solar radiation about 2.681-3.918 kWh/m2/cycle. In this study, the values of the coefficient of performance (COP) obtained were about 0.0827-0.1271. The values of specific cooling power (SCP) obtained were in the range of 0.01839-0.01883 kW/kg. The experimental results show that the adsorption refrigerator system can deliver an evaporator temperature of about 2.81-13.61°C.
Design of Mobile Application for Assisting Color Blind People to Identify Information on Sign Boards
Authors: Navada Bhagya R. , Venkata Santhosh Krishna
Published: January 2018

Color blindness is a condition where a person cannot distinguish colors that are of similar contrast. This paper reports an attempt to develop a mobile phone application that can run on any Android or Windows smart phone. The developed application/software tool is able to assist color blind people by converting an image with low contrast to an image with high contrast. The objective of the proposed work was to develop a program on the LabVIEW platform to i) acquire the image whose information should be processed, ii) develop an algorithm to display a high-contrast crisp image of the actual dull image, and iii) identify the colors and characters present in the dull image for messaging to the user's phone. The work was implemented on the LabVIEW platform making use of various image processing tools to identify the color and text from the sign board that otherwise cannot be identified by color blind persons. The implementation was tested with several inputs to validate the performance of the proposed method. It was able to produce accurate results for more than 97.3% of the test inputs.
Switching Control Strategy for Greenhouse Temperature-Humidity System Based on Prediction Modeling: A Simulation Study
Authors: Xu Zhenfeng , Chen Junjie
Published: January 2018

It is difficult to achieve coordination control of multiple facilities that are driven by on-off actuators in a greenhouse, especially when there is more than one indoor environmental factor to consider at the same time. With the consideration of indoor air temperature and relative humidity, we propose a switching control strategy based on prediction modeling. The operation of the greenhouse system was divided into several modes according to the on-off control characteristics of the available facilities. Then, a switching diagram was designed according to the relationship between the indoor air temperature and humidity and their setting ranges. When the two indoor environmental factors reach their upper or lower limits, IARX models are used to predict them over a specified horizon for each optional mode respectively. Mode switching is carried out based on prediction results. The switching control strategy was simulated based on a mechanistic model of the greenhouse microclimate. The results show that the facilities can be coordinated very well by the proposed control strategy and it is easy to implement. The control strategy is still applicative when more facilities or more indoor environmental factors need to be taken into account.
The corporate social responsibility policies for the inclusion of people with disabilities as predictors of employees’ identification, commitment and absenteeism
Authors: Pérez Francisco Javier , Romeo Marina , Yepes-Baldó Montserrat
Published: January 2018

Few studies have explored the effect on employees of corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies focused on the inclusion of people with disabilities. The present research examines the extent to which employees’ perceptions of CSR policies aimed at the employment of disabled people are related to organizational identification, commitment, and absenteeism. A questionnaire was administered to 104 employees (participation rate: 41.1%). Correlations and common method variance tests, and linear regressions were performed. Only the internal-focus policies have an effect on employees’ identification and commitment, although the external-focus policies have been more deeply studied. There were no significant results related to absenteeism. Our research highlights the impact of internal-focus policies for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the commitment and identification of all employees, those with and without disabilities. The results also contribute significantly to the design of strategies that facilitate and enhance the normalization of these employees in the labor market, helping practitioners to target these companies as future employers of people with disabilities.
Intergroup trust and anxiety: the two sides of stigma towards people with Down syndrome
Authors: Delgado Rodríguez Naira , Ariño Mateo Eva , Betancor Rodríguez Verónica , Rodríguez-Pérez Armando
Published: January 2018

People with Down syndrome experience a type of ambivalent stigmatisation, which combines stereotypes, emotional reactions, and both positive and negative attitudes. The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between ambivalent attitudes towards people with Down syndrome, and the levels of intergroup trust and anxiety felt towards them. A total of 144 university students completed a questionnaire on their social perception of people with Down syndrome, indicating the extent to which they anticipate an interaction with this group based on trust or anxiety. The results show that responses to people with Down syndrome are ambivalent. Moreover, while intergroup trust is preceded by high levels of admiration and competence, intergroup anxiety is associated with high levels of aversion, compassion and low admiration. We discuss the implications of these results, taking into account how to enhance the social perception of people with Down syndrome, as well as the complex role of compassion in the assessment of stigmatised groups.
Relación entre optimismo y rendimiento deportivo. Revisión sistemática
Authors: Ortín Montero Francisco José , Martínez Rodríguez Alejandro , Reche García Cristina , Garcés de los Fayos Ruiz Enrique Javier , González Hernández Juan
Published: January 2018

Optimism is a moderating psychological factor in sports performance. The aim of this study is to review the current evidence regarding optimism and sports performance. To this end, a systematic review of the literature was conducted, taking in consideration only those that followed PRISMA guidelines (Urrútia & Bonfill, 2013). The following databases were used with the predefined inclusion criteria (optimism and sports performance): PubMed, WOS, Scopus, Psycinfo and SportDiscus. The study was assessed using the Critical Reading and Evaluation of Epidemiological Studies (Berra, Elorza-Ricart, Estrada & Sanchez, 2008). Interrater reliability was verified withCohen’s Kappacoefficient(2 judges). The majority of the studies performed correlational analyses between LOT scale results and athletic performance (n = 7). As a result, a positive correlation was observed between optimism and athletic performance. In general, the quality of the studies was considered average. Future studies should take in consideration the use of additional, higher quality and more rigorous experimental procedures.
La medida de la originalidad en las respuestas del test CREA
Authors: Elisondo Romina Cecilia , Donolo Danilo Silvio , Limiñana-Gras Rosa María
Published: January 2018

The aim was to study a new scoring procedure for the CREA Test, complementary to the traditional, that considers the originality of the productions. The new procedure and corresponding analyzes were defined for three groups (children, adolescents and adults) and for the three stimuli of the CREA. The sample included 505 participants (188 children, 108 adolescents and 209 adults) living in Cordoba, Argentina. The new procedure included  three categories of questions: very frequent, frequent and unique, each categories had different scoring. A descriptive analysis of typologies and a correlational analysis of the scores were performed according to the two procedures. Also, the paper presented a case study of people asking unique questions. The results showed very high consistency of measurements and correlations between two procedures for the three groups and the three stimuli. There were significant associations between the levels of creativity defined by both procedures. The unique questions represented between 1 and 4% of the total, stimulus A is the one that most promotes the formulation of unique questions. The authors proposed to use of the alternative system in groups that obtain low scores with the traditional system  and when a differential analysis of the originality is required. Authors discussed theoretically relations between quantity and originality and proposed future lines of research.
Análisis del comportamiento alimentario y sus factores psicológicos en población universitaria no obesa
Authors: López Morales José Luis
Published: January 2018

The eating beahaviour of obese population can be influenced by various psychological factors such us eating restriction, lack of control or emotional eating. Although in most ocassions this variables have been studied in obese population, the aim of this study is to evaluate the relations between this factors with eating behaviour in non-obese population and relate this behaviour with Edorexia Syndrome. A battery of psychological tests was applied to 75 students of Murcia University, this battery consisted of the Edorexia Syndrome Questionnaire, Big Five Personality Questionnaire and the Coping Response Inventory  (CRI-A).  The results showed how the Edorexia Syndrome was related with a dicrease in emotional stability, emotional control and positive reevaluation as well as an increase in acceptance and resignation. In addition, people with Edorexia Syndrome were related to dieting, food deprivation, exercising and consumption without needing. This results are explained by the Five Ways Theory (Macht, 2008) which relates the lack of skills to cope with emotions with the uncontrollable abuse of food.
La elección de la lengua extranjera como titulación universitaria: Expectativas y rasgos de estudio
Authors: Martínez-Martínez Asunción , Zurita-Ortega Félix , Castro-Sánchez Manuel , Espejo-Garcés Tamara , Chacón-Cuberos Ramón , Ruiz-Rico-Ruiz Gerardo
Published: January 2018

El objetivo de este estudio es dictaminar cual es el grado más demandado por alumnos de último curso de Bachillerato y Ciclos Formativos de Grado Superior, así como evaluar la influencia que tienen parámetros de género, rama de estudios, intereses académicos profesionales y motivos en la elección de un grado o titulación de Lengua Extranjera. En este estudio participaron un total de 1.164 estudiantes de España, con una edad comprendida entre los 17 y 30 años (M=18,24 años; DT= 1,258). Como principales conclusiones de la presente investigación se extrae que aaproximadamente uno de cada diez son los estudiantes que pretenden estudiar los tres grados de Lengua Extranjera que hay en la Universidad (Grado de Estudios Ingleses, Traducción e Interpretación y Primaria Mención en Lengua Extranjera), siendo las mujeres las que tienen más intención de estudiar Grados de Lengua Extranjera, procediendo casi en su totalidad de Bachillerato, caracterizándose por ser altruistas y señalando “el gusto por esta profesión” como motivo más determinante.
Signatures of rapid evolution in urban and rural transcriptomes of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) in the New York metropolitan area
Authors: Harris Stephen E , Munshi-South Jason , Obergfell Craig , O'Neill Rachel
Published: January 2018

Urbanization is a major cause of ecological degradation around the world, and human settlement in large cities is accelerating. New York City (NYC) is one of the oldest and most urbanized cities in North America, but still maintains 20% vegetation cover and substantial populations of some native wildlife. The white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, is a common resident of NYC’s forest fragments and an emerging model system for examining the evolutionary consequences of urbanization. In this study, we developed transcriptomic resources for urban P. leucopus to examine evolutionary changes in protein-coding regions for an exemplar ‘urban adapter’. We used Roche 454 GS FLX+ high throughput sequencing to derive transcriptomes from multiple tissues from individuals across both urban and rural populations. From these data, we identified 31,015 SNPs and several candidate genes potentially experiencing positive selection in urban populations of P. leucopus. These candidate genes are involved in xenobiotic metabolism, innate immune response, demethylation activity, and other important biological phenomena in novel urban environments. This study is the first to report candidate genes exhibiting signatures of directional selection in divergent urban ecosystems.
Navigating the challenges of medical English education: a novel approach using computational linguistics
Authors: Gayle Alberto A
Published: January 2018

Recent studies have shown that International medical graduates (IMG) comprise a substantial and increasingly larger share of the medical workforce, internationally. IMGs wishing to work in English-speaking countries face many challenges. And overcoming such challenges plays an important role in ensuring a more comfortable transition and improved outcomes for patients. This study addresses one such area of concern: the efficient acquisition of advanced language competence for use in the medical workplace. This research also addresses the needs of medical students and practitioners in other countries, where English is not the primary language. Medical terminology and phrasing is based on a tradition spanning more than 2500 years—a tradition that cuts across typical linguistic and cultural boundaries. Indeed, as is commonly understood, the language required by doctors and other medical professionals varies substantially from the norm. In the present study, this dynamic is exploited to identify and characterize the language and patterns of usage specific to medical English, as it is used in practice and reporting. Overall, constructions comprised of preposition-dependent nouns, verbs and adjectives were found to be most prevalent (38%), followed by prepositional phrases (33%). The former includes constructions such as “present with”, “present to”, and “present in”; while constructions such as “of … patient”, “in … group”, and “with … disease” comprise the latter. Preposition-independent noun and verb-based constructions were far less prevalent overall (18% and 5%, respectively). Up to now, medical language reference and learning material has focused on relatively uncommon, but essential, Greek and Latin terminology. This research challenges this convention, by demonstrating that medical language fluency would be acquired more efficiently by focusing on prepositional phrases or preposition-dependent verbs, nouns, and adjectives in context. This work should be of high interest to anyone interested in improved communication competence within the English-speaking medical workplace and beyond.

What is already known on this subject :

* International medical graduates make up a substantial portion of the medical workforce

* Imperfect medical English creates challenges for international medical graduates

* Subideal language impacts credibility and has been associated with increased risk to patients

What this paper adds :

* Preposition-dependent terms, following Germanic usage patterns, dominate medical English

* Complex terms derived from Greek and Latin are far less prevalent than assumed

* Medical English learning expected to be expedited by focus on preposition-dependent terms
CheckM: assessing the quality of microbial genomes recovered from isolates, single cells, and metagenomes
Authors: Parks Donovan H , Imelfort Michael , Skennerton Connor T , Hugenholtz Philip , Tyson Gene W
Published: January 2018

Large-scale recovery of genomes from isolates, single cells, and metagenomic data has been made possible by advances in computational methods and substantial reductions in sequencing costs. While this increasing breadth of draft genomes is providing key information regarding the evolutionary and functional diversity of microbial life, it has become impractical to finish all available reference genomes. Making robust biological inferences from draft genomes requires accurate estimates of their completeness and contamination. Current methods for assessing genome quality are ad hoc and generally make use of a limited number of ‘marker’ genes conserved across all bacterial or archaeal genomes. Here we introduce CheckM, an automated method for assessing the quality of a genome using a broader set of marker genes specific to the position of a genome within a reference genome tree along with information about the collocation of these genes. We demonstrate the effectiveness of CheckM using synthetic data and a wide range of isolate, single cell and metagenome derived genomes. CheckM is shown to provide accurate estimates of genome completeness and contamination, and to outperform existing approaches. Using CheckM, we identify a diverse range of errors currently impacting publicly available isolate genomes and demonstrate that genomes obtained from single cells and metagenomic data vary substantially in quality. In order to facilitate the use of draft genomes, we propose an objective measure of genome quality that can be used to select genomes suitable for specific gene- and genome-centric analyses of microbial communities. CheckM is open source software available at http://ecogenomics.github.io/CheckM.
Ebola virus disease outbreak in Nigeria: lessons to learn
Authors: Althaus Christian L , Gsteiger Sandro , Low Nicola
Published: January 2018

International air travel has already spread Ebola virus disease (EVD) to major cities as part of the unprecedented epidemic that started in Guinea in December 2013. An infected airline passenger arrived in Nigeria on July 20, 2014 and caused an outbreak in Lagos and then Port Harcourt. After a total of 20 reported cases, including 8 deaths, Nigeria was declared EVD free on October 20, 2014. We quantified the impact of early control measures in preventing further spread of EVD in Nigeria and calculated the risk that a single undetected case will cause a new outbreak. We fitted an EVD transmission model to data from the outbreak in Nigeria and estimated the basic reproduction number R0 = 9.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.2-15.6). We also found that the net reproduction number Rt fell below unity 15 days (95% CI: 11-21 days) after the arrival of the index case. Using the estimated value of R0 in Nigeria, we calculated that the risk of an outbreak from a single undetected case was 89% (95% CI: 81-94%). Even though R0 in Nigeria was high, EVD outbreaks caused by infected air travelers can be successfully contained if control measures are rapidly implemented.
Blood, sweat and tears: non-invasive vs. non-disruptive DNA sampling for experimental biology
Authors: Lefort Marie-Caroline , Boyer Stephane , Barun Arijana , Emami Khoyi Arsalan , Ridden Johnathon , Smith Victoria R , Sprague Rowan , Waterhouse Benjamin R , Cruickshank Robert H.
Published: January 2018

DNA data are becoming increasingly important in experimental biology. For example, it may be necessary to obtain DNA from an organism before using it in a bioassay or an experiment, to identify and distinguish between cryptic species, or when comparing different morphocryptic genotypes. Another example could be the assessment of relatedness between organisms prior to a behavioural study. In such cases, it is important to obtain DNA without affecting the fitness or behaviour of the subject being tested, as this could bias the results of the experiment. This points out the existence of a gap in the current molecular and experimental biology terminology, for which we propose the use of the term non-disruptive DNA sampling, specifically addressing behaviour and/or fitness, rather than simply physical integrity (invasiveness). We refer to these methods as “non-disruptive”, and discuss when they are appropriate to use.
Systematic literature review on the association between soundscape and ecological/human wellbeing
Authors: Moscoso Paola , Peck Mika , Eldridge Alice
Published: January 2018

Background. There is an increasing trend of incorporating wellbeing issues into the global sustainable development plans but also into the academic research focus, within fields such as conservation biology and environmental sciences. The role of landscape on human wellbeing has been widely reported, but a comprehensive understanding of the role of soundscape has yet to be explicated. Research on the influences of sound on wellbeing has been conducted across a range of disciplines, but integration of findings is impeded by linguistic and cultural differences across disciplinary boundaries.

Method. This study presents the largest systematic literature review (2379 publications) of research addressing the association between soundscape and human/ecological wellbeing to date. It is divided in two components: 1. rapid visualisation of publication metrics using the software VOS Viewer, and 2. analysis of the categories of wellbeing associated with soundscape using the natural language processing platform, Method52.

Results. The first component presents network diagrams created from keyword searches and cited references (lexical, temporal, spatial and source networks) that explain the origin and evolution of the field, the influences between disciplines and the main contributors to the field. Research on the topic, occurring mostly between 2004 and 2016, evolved from a medical/physiological focus, into technological and psychological/social considerations, and finally into ecological/social research. The evolution of the field was associated with the diversification of terminology and the evolution of new branches of research. Moreover, research appears to have evolved from the study of particular associations between sound and physical health, to an integrative multidimensional field addressing soundscape and wellbeing, across human and non-human species, including ecological based studies. The second component includes a trained classifier that categorizes publications, based on keywords analysis, into three frameworks for understanding the association between soundscape and wellbeing: ‘Human health’, ‘Social and Cultural wellness’ and ‘Ecological integrity’.

Discussion. The methodology used was an effective tool for analysing large collections of data in short periods of time. In order to address the gaps found during the study, it is recommended to increase research conducted by non-western societies and in non-English languages, and the exploration of ecological and sociocultural aspects of wellbeing associated with soundscape.
CSF neurogranin or tau distinguish typical and atypical Alzheimer disease
Authors: Wellington Henrietta , Paterson Ross W. , Suárez‐González Aida , Poole Teresa , Frost Chris , Sjöbom Ulrika , Slattery Catherine F. , Magdalinou Nadia K. , Lehmann Manja , Portelius Eric , Fox Nick C. , Blennow Kaj , Zetterberg Henrik , Schott Jonathan M.
Published: January 2018

Objective

To assess whether high levels of cerebrospinal fluid neurogranin are found in atypical as well as typical Alzheimer's disease.

Methods

Immunoassays were used to measure cerebrospinal fluid neurogranin in 114 participants including healthy controls (n = 27), biomarker‐proven amnestic Alzheimer's disease (n = 68), and the atypical visual variant of Alzheimer's (n = 19) according to international criteria. CSF total‐tau, Aβ42, and neurofilament light concentrations were investigated using commercially available assays. All affected individuals had T1‐weighted volumetric MR images available for analysis of whole and regional brain volumes. Associations between neurogranin, brain volumes, total‐tau, Aβ42, and neurofilament light were assessed.

Results

Median cerebrospinal fluid neurogranin concentrations were higher in typical and atypical Alzheimer's compared to controls (P < 0.001 and P = 0.005). Both neurogranin and total‐tau concentrations, but not neurofilament light and Aβ42, were higher in typical Alzheimer's compared to atypical patients (P = 0.004 and P = 0.03). There were significant differences in the left hippocampus and right and left superior parietal lobules in atypical patients, which were larger (P = 0.03) and smaller (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001), respectively, compared to typical patients. We found no evidence of associations between neurogranin and brain volumes but a strong association with total‐tau (P < 0.001) and a weaker association with neurofilament light (P = 0.005).

Interpretation

These results show significant differences in neurogranin and total‐tau between typical and atypical patients, which may relate to factors other than disease topography. The differential relationships between neurogranin, total‐tau and neurofilament light in the Alzheimer's variants, provide evidence for mechanistically distinct and coupled markers of neurodegeneration.
Unsustainability and the Architecture of Efficiency
Authors: Wright Graham S
Published: January 2018

It is common knowledge that if we continue our current dependence on fossil fuels, we are headed for global economic, environmental and societal disaster. With around a third of the world's primary energy consumed in the operation of commercial and residential buildings, architecture has a major role to play in averting this. After setting out the dangers of the status quo, Graham S Wright – a building scientist and Chair of the US Passive House Institute's Technical Committee – explains how passive building techniques can help us to turn away from fossil fuels without compromising comfort or functionality.
Stability Analysis and L2‐gain of Switched Neutral Systems with All Unstable Subsystems
Authors: Wang Haiyan , Wu Baowei , Wang Yue‐E
Published: January 2018

The stability analysis and L2‐gain for a class of switched neutral systems with all unstable subsystems are investigated in this paper. By constructing the discretized multiple Lyapunov‐Krasovskii functional and resorting to the time‐driven switching signals, sufficient conditions for exponential stability and weighted L2‐gain are developed for a class of switched neutral systems, where all subsystems are unstable. It should be pointed out that all the Lyapunov‐Krasovskii functional energies are allowed to increase during the running intervals of the active subsystems. Furthermore, all the conditions are formulated in forms of a set of linear matrix inequalities which can be easily solved by using the recently developed interior point method. Finally, two numerical examples are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Oplopane Sesquiterpenes from Ligularia knorringiana and Their Anti‐Complementary Activity
Authors: Dai Wei , Lu Chuan‐Qi , Wang Yan , Lu Yan , Chen Dao‐Feng , Wang Qi
Published: January 2018

Three new oplopane sesquiterpenes, knorringianalarins D – F (1 – 3, respectively), and five known analogues (4 – 8, respectively), were isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Ligularia knorringiana. The structures of three new compounds were identified as 4‐acetoxy‐11α,12‐epoxy‐2β‐hydroxy‐3β‐(2‐methylbutyryloxy)‐9α‐(4‐methylsenecioyloxy)oplop‐10(14)‐ene (1), 3β,4‐diacetoxy‐9α‐(4‐acetoxy‐4‐methylsenecioyloxy)‐11α,12‐epoxy‐8α‐(2‐methylbutyryloxy)oplop‐10(14)‐ene (2), and (1R,5R,6R,7R,9R)‐5,9,11‐trihydroxy‐4,15‐dinoroplop‐10(14)‐en‐3‐one (3) based on spectroscopic methods including 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR, mass spectrometry, and CD spectroscopy techniques. All compounds were evaluated for their anti‐complementary activity on the classical pathway of the complement system in vitro. Among which, three oplopane sesquiterpenes (3, 7, and 8) exhibited better anti‐complementary effects with CH50 values ranging from 0.33 to 0.89 mm, which are plausible candidates for developing potent anti‐complementary agents.
Laplace Transform Treatment for Chemical Engineering Systems: Whether to Use 0− or 0+?
Authors: Ahuja Sanjeev , Arya Raj Kumar
Published: January 2018

Significant confusion exists in the standard pedagogical presentations on the issue of 0− and 0+ in the Laplace transform treatment for linear systems. Moreover, and approaches have been shown to yield the same solution, even as the issue has been of resurgent interest in the literature. In this work, the accuracy of the approach over the approach for chemical engineering applications is substantiated. The popular 0− convention of the Laplace transform or the approach are found to be inconsistent and incorrect for some nontrivial chemical process systems. This is due to the fact that their models cannot account for the initialization inconsistency revealed using physical reasoning of the approach. The results are illustrated by two chemical engineering examples. Common issues in the literature are also addressed.
Energy and Exergy Analysis of Power Generation Systems with Chemical Looping Combustion of Coal
Authors: Luo Ming , Yi Yang , Wang Chao , Liu Ke , Pan Jianfeng , Wang Qian
Published: January 2018

Coal direct (CD) chemical looping combustion (CLC) and coal gasification (CG) CLC processes are two basic approaches to the application of CLC with coal. Based on these two approaches, two different combined cycle power generation systems were proposed and simulated by using the ASPEN Plus software. The performance of those two combined cycles was evaluated based on energy and exergy analyses. The results indicate that the circulation ratio of the oxygen carrier in the CG‐CLC process is smaller than that in the CD‐CLC process, but the CD‐CLC combined cycle offers advantages of higher net power efficiency, exergy efficiency, and carbon capture efficiency.
Challenges and Opportunities With Oncology Drug Development in China
Authors: Bajaj Gaurav , Gupta Manish , Wang Hwei‐Gene Heidi , Barrett Jeffrey S. , Tan Matthew , Rupalla Katrin , Bertz Richard , Sheng Jennifer
Published: January 2018

Cancer is a growing public health problem in China. Despite the high unmet medical need of patients with cancer in China, oncology drug approvals have historically lagged behind those in the West, mainly the United States and Europe. China is currently undertaking regulatory reforms at a fast pace in order to mitigate this lag.
High refuge availability on coral reefs increases the vulnerability of reef‐associated predators to overexploitation
Authors: Rogers Alice , Blanchard Julia L. , Newman Steven P. , Dryden Charlie S. , Mumby Peter J.
Published: January 2018

Refuge availability and fishing alter predator‐prey interactions on coral reefs, but our understanding of how they interact to drive food web dynamics, community structure and vulnerability of different trophic groups is unclear. Here, we apply a size‐based ecosystem model of coral reefs, parameterized with empirical measures of structural complexity, to predict fish biomass, productivity and community structure in reef ecosystems under a broad range of refuge availability and fishing regimes. In unfished ecosystems, the expected positive correlation between reef structural complexity and biomass emerges, but a non‐linear effect of predation refuges is observed for the productivity of predatory fish. Reefs with intermediate complexity have the highest predator productivity, but when refuge availability is high and prey are less available, predator growth rates decrease, with significant implications for fisheries. Specifically, as fishing intensity increases, predators in habitats with high refuge availability exhibit vulnerability to over‐exploitation, resulting in communities dominated by herbivores. Our study reveals mechanisms for threshold dynamics in predators living in complex habitats and elucidates how predators can be food‐limited when most of their prey are able to hide. We also highlight the importance of nutrient recycling via the detrital pathway, to support high predator biomasses on coral reefs.
Low Cost Layer by Layer Construction of CNT/Chitosan Flexible Paper‐based Electrodes: A Versatile Electrochemical Platform for Point of Care and Point of Need Testing
Authors: Figueredo Federico , Jesús González‐Pabón María , Cortón Eduardo
Published: January 2018

Modification of cellulosic paper with carbon nanotubes (CNT) was studied for the development of electronic and analytical devices. Interesting results were published by using a CNT aqueous solution and the capillary forces of filter paper to make conductive tracks, supercapacitors, potentiometric electrodes and chemometric sensors. In this report, we show for the first time an electrochemical characterization of CNT‐CS‐SDS paper electrodes constructed with an ink containing optimized proportions of multi‐wall CNT, chitosan (CS) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and we compared our data with CNT‐SDS paper electrodes constructed with a previously reported ink. We achieved better reversibility (ΔE=131±14 mV, CVs) and reproducibility (RSD=3.63 %) with CNT‐CS‐SDS paper electrodes, when compared to CNT‐SDS paper electrodes (ΔE=249±7 mV; RSD=6.8 %) used as controls. When electrodes were fold at 90° angle, CNT‐CS‐SDS paper electrodes showed lower RSD than CNT‐SDS paper electrodes, 8.43 % and 21.5 % respectively. These results are in concordance with SEM analysis indicating a dense CS film in CNT‐CS‐SDS paper electrodes. As a proof of concept, we determine dopamine concentration by DPV in the presence of ascorbic and uric acids, the limit of detection calculated was 6.32 μM. Moreover, a bismuth‐film was prepared by in situ plating of Bi into CNT‐CS‐SDS paper electrodes. ASV allowed us to detect Pb in the presence of Bi (10–200 ppb) with a limit of detection of 6.74 ppb.
Increasing Energy Densities of Sulfur Cathodes using Dispersing and Calendering Processes for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Titscher Paul , Schön Patrick , Horst Marcella , Krewer Ulrike , Kwade Arno
Published: January 2018

Lithium–sulfur batteries are nearly ready to be commercialized. However, each material composition has specific challenges regarding its adaption to state of the art production lines of lithium‐ion batteries. The influence of the dispersing and calendering process on the battery performance is investigated with an easy‐to‐implement material approach and a solvent‐based process. The slurry is treated by different dispersing intensities using an extruder and a triple roller mill, which leads to increased energy densities. The coating is calendered to increase the energy density by maintaining the specific capacity. The reactions within the sulfur cathodes are investigated by evaluating the potentials of the upper and lower voltage plateaus. It was determined that the variation of the process parameters leads to a changed reactivity of the polysulfide reactions but not to a shift of the sulfur utilization within the sulfur cathodes. The process parameters influence the pore structure of the cathode, resulting in different sensitivities for higher C‐rates.
Effects of pretreatment during drying on the antioxidant properties and color of selected tomato varieties
Authors: Mwende Rosemary , Owino Willis , Imathiu Samuel
Published: January 2018

Drying is essential in lowering the water activity and increasing the shelf stability of perishables. Thus, this study investigated the effect of pretreatment on the retention of the antioxidant properties and color of four tomato varieties; that is, Anna F1, Kilele, Prostar F1, and Riogrande during drying. Prepared quarters were treated by spraying with 0.5% sodium metabisulfate, 0.5% calcium chloride, and distilled water. The quarters were oven dried at 50°C, 60°C, and 70°C to 13% moisture content. Lycopene, β carotene, total phenolics, color, and moisture content were determined in both the fresh and dried samples. Initial moisture content among the four varieties did not differ significantly and ranged between 94.2 and 94.6%. Results showed that the main effects were significant (p < .05) on all measurable variables. Significantly (p < .05) higher retention levels in lycopene, β carotene, total phenolics, and lightness was observed in chemically pretreated samples compared to the control during drying.
Brückenanrampungen auf geokunststoffummantelten Sandsäulen
Authors: Taetz Steffen , Blume Karl‐Heinz , van Keßel Marie‐Therese , Raithel Marc
Published: January 2018

Im Rahmen des Neubaus der Bundesautobahn (BAB) A26 zwischen Stade und Hamburg, östlich der Este bis zur Anschlussstelle (AS) Neu Wulmstorf werden auf ca. 5 km Länge im Auftrag der Niedersächsischen Landesbehörde für Straßenbau und Verkehr (Geschäftsbereich Stade) ein Vorbelastungsdamm und mehrere Brückenbauwerke erstellt. Im Bereich der Trasse stehen holozäne, wenig tragfähige Weichschichten über pleistozänen, tragfähigen Sanden an. Aufgrund der geringen Steifig‐ und Scherfestigkeiten dieser Böden in Verbindung mit der vorgezogenen Herstellung der Brückenbauwerke sind im Übergangsbereich der Anrampungen zu den tiefgegründeten Brückenbauwerken besondere Gründungsmaßnahmen erforderlich. Zur Standsicherheitserhöhung, Setzungsreduktion und Konsolidationsbeschleunigung kommt das Bauverfahren Aufgeständerte Gründungspolster (AGP) zum Einsatz. Bei diesem Gründungsverfahren werden geotextilummantelte Sandsäulen (GEC) als Gründungselemente unter einem mit horizontaler Geokunststoffbewehrung verstärkten Bodenpolster angeordnet. Die Bemessung der GEC erfolgt nach den Empfehlungen für den Entwurf und die Berechnung von Erdkörpern mit Bewehrungen aus Geokunststoffen (EBGEO), wobei zusätzliche Nachweise zur Vermeidung von Seitendruckbeanspruchungen auf die Pfahlgründungen der Brückenbauwerke gemäß den Empfehlungen des Arbeitskreises „Pfähle“ erforderlich sind. Die Kontrolle der erforderlichen Konsolidierungsgrade für maßgebende Bauzwischenzustände und Schüttstufen, die Freigabe der weiteren Dammschüttungen und die Festlegung des Zeitpunkts für den Abtrag der temporären Überschüttung erfolgt durch ein geotechnisches, baubegleitendes Messprogramm.
Enhanced Phagocytic Activity of Blood Leukocytes in Athymic Nude Mice
Authors: Holub M , Fornůsek L , Větvička V , Chalupná J
Published: January 2018

After 30-min incubation, blood leukocytes of adult athymic BALB/c nude mice (nu/nu) have a distinctly higher methacrylate or yeast particle uptake than leukocytes of euthymic nu/ + or + / + mice. This permanent enhancement is not due to humoral factors, since the percentage of phagocytosing nu/nu leukocytes increases further in nu/ + littermate's plasma. Also, chronic infection or intraperitoneal immunization causes an additional transitory increase of the percentage of phagocytosing leukocytes and numbers of particles ingested; the phagocytic performance of leukocytes of euthymic mice is raised under these conditions by a greater factor. In fetuses enhanced phagocytosis of nu/nu mice is found only in monocytes. The bulk of ingestion of methacrylate particles is mediated by Fc receptors and significantly more receptors for IgG2B, IgG1, and IgG2A are demonstrable on nu/nu neutrophils; ingestion of particles via these receptors is again higher in nu/nu neutrophils, whereas nu/nu monocytes display a higher uptake via Fc(lgG1) receptors.