bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Review on the Advancement of Ternary Alloy Counter Electrodes for Use in Dye-Sensitised Solar Cells
Authors: Meyer Edson , Taziwa Raymond , Mutukwa Dorcas , Zingwe Nyengerai
Published: December 2018

A dye-sensitised solar cell (DSSC) counter electrode (CE) plays a vital role in catalysing the conversion of triiodide ( I 3 − ) to iodide ions ( I − ), thereby ensuring the completion of the repetitive cycle of electricity generation. The platinum CE, despite being the standard counter electrode in DSSCs, has drawbacks of platinum’s rarity and high cost. Platinum is an excellent redox catalyst, and consequently, it is the most sought-after metal for catalytic conversions. The huge demand for platinum in the automotive industry for vehicular catalytic converters, the pharmaceutical industry, and in oil refining, as well as other industries, has driven its price to unprecedented levels. The prohibitive price of platinum has caused newer thin film technologies, such as the DSSC which depends on the platinum CE, to be cost-ineffective, thus meaning they cannot compete with the better-established silicon-based solar cells. These problems have stagnated the development of the DSSC, which in turn has dampened larger commercialisation prospects for this thin film technology. With this in mind, this review paper focuses on recent progress in the research and development of alternative cost-effective materials to replace Pt-based CEs. Ternary alloys are amongst the possible alternatives that have been explored, yielding varied results. Alloys, especially ternary sulphides, selenides, and oxides, are attractive as alternatives as they are cheap and are easily fabricated. Ternary alloys also have a synergistic effect produced by the coexistence of two metal ions in a crystal structure, which is believed to induce greater catalytic capability, thus making them ideal cost-effective materials to replace the Pt CE in DSSCs. This review intends to highlight the performance of ternary alloy counter electrodes through the analysis of charge transfer resistance and power conversion efficiencies. Focus is also given to the restrictions and impediments to the attainment of higher power conversion efficiency in alternative CEs. The advances in fabrication of simple ternary alloys, as well as more advanced hierarchical nanostructured counter electrodes, are discussed here in detail. Results obtained to date indicate that the efficiencies of ternary alloy counter electrodes are still below that of the platinum counter electrode, and hence more research is required to enhance their efficiencies.
Thermal Behavior of Hydrated Iron Sulfate in Various Atmospheres
Authors: Kanari Ndue , Menad Nour-Eddine , Ostrosi Etleva , Shallari Seit , Diot Frederic , Allain Eric , Yvon Jacques
Published: December 2018

Iron sulfate, in particular FeSO4·7H2O, is derived from titanium dioxide production and the steel pickling process. Regarding TiO2 manufacturing, the amount of the resultant FeSO4·7H2O can be as high as 6 tons per ton of produced TiO2, leading to a huge amount of ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, which is considered an environmental and economic concern for the titanium dioxide industry in European countries. The present paper focuses on the thermal treatment of ferrous sulfate (heptahydrate and monohydrate) samples under different conditions. Nonisothermal thermogravimetric (TG) analysis was used to study the behavior of iron sulfate samples at temperatures of up to 1000 °C in Cl2 + O2, O2, and N2 atmospheres. Results showed that the dehydration of iron sulfate heptahydrate in nitrogen started at room temperature and resulted in iron sulfate tetrahydrate (FeSO4·4H2O). The ferrous sulfate monohydrate (FeSO4·H2O) was formed at temperatures close to 150 °C, while the anhydrous ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) was obtained when the samples were heated in nitrogen at over 225 °C. The kinetic features of FeSO4 decomposition into Fe2O3 were revealed under isothermal conditions at temperatures ranging from 500 to 575 °C. The decomposition of iron sulfate was characterized by an apparent activation energy of around 250 kJ/mol, indicating a significant temperature effect on the decomposition process. The obtained powder iron oxide could be directed to the agglomeration unit of iron and the steelmaking process.
Determination of Bitterness of Andrographis Herba Based on Electronic Tongue Technology and Discovery of the Key Compounds of Bitter Substances
Authors: Zhang Xiao , Wu Hongwei , Yu Xiankuo , Luo Hanyan , Lu Yaqi , Yang Hongjun , Li Xin , Li Zhiyong , Tang Liying , Wang Zhuju
Published: December 2018

Andrographis Herba (AH), the dry aerial segments of Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees, is a common herbal remedy with bitter properties in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory. Although bitterness is one of the features representing Chinese medicine, it has not been implemented as an index to assess the quality and efficacy of TCM because of peoples’ subjectivity to taste. In this study, 30 batches of AH with different commercial classifications (leaves, stems, or mixtures of both) were collected. Bitterness of AH was quantified by electronic tongue technology. Meanwhile, chemical compositions were characterized through establishing high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints. The result indicated that the radar curves of the bitterness from different AH commercial classifications displayed different taste fingerprint information. Based on six taste factors, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) score three-dimensional (3D) plot exhibited a clear grouping trend (R2X, 0.912; Q2, 0.763) among the three different commercial classifications. Six compounds (Peaks 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8) with positive correlation to bitterness were discovered by a Spearman correlation analysis. Peaks 2, 6, 7, 8 were identified as andrographolide, neoandrographolide, 14-deoxyandrographolide, and dehydroandrographolide, respectively. The electronic tongue can be used to distinguish AH samples with different commercial classifications and for quality evaluation.
Microneedle-Assisted Percutaneous Delivery of Paeoniflorin-Loaded Ethosomes
Authors: Cui Yahua , Mo Yujia , Zhang Qi , Tian Wanwan , Xue Yutao , Bai Jie , Du Shouying
Published: December 2018

Paeoniflorin, the main component of total glucosides of paeony (TGP), shows good therapeutic effects in arthritis, but has low bioavailability when administered orally. Avoiding such a deficiency for topical administration would expand its clinical application. This study aimed to avoid these limitations by using nanotechnology (ethosomes) and a physical approach (microneedles). Paeoniflorin-loaded ethosomal formulation (TGP-E) was optimized and evaluated in terms of entrapment efficiency (EE), particle size (PS), zeta potential (ZP), polydispersity index (PDI) and morphology. TGP-E was prepared by the hot injection method and optimized by single-factor tests and an orthogonal experimental design. The optimized paeoniflorin-loaded ethosomes had EE of 27.82 ± 1.56%, PS of 137.9 ± 7.57 nm with PDI of 0.120 ± 0.005, ZP of −0.74 ± 0.43 mV. Ethosomes showed a nearly spherical shape under the transmission electron microscope (TEM). The optimal microneedle-assisted (MN-assisted) conditions were obtained at a microneedle length of 500 μm, a pressure of 3 N and an action time of 3 min. The cumulative penetration amounts (Qn) of TGP solution transdermal (ST) and MN-assisted TGP solution transdermal (MST) were 24.42 ± 8.35 μg/cm2 and 548.11 ± 10.49 μg/cm2, respectively. Qn of TGP-E transdermal (PT) and MN-assisted TGP-E transdermal (MPT) were 54.97 ± 4.72 μg/cm2 and 307.17 ± 26.36 μg/cm2, respectively. These findings indicate that use of ethosomes and microneedles can both enhance the penetration ofpaeoniflorin, but for the water-soluble drug, there is no obvious synergism between nanotechnology and microneedles for enhancing penetration in a transdermal drug delivery system.
A Pseudouridine Isoxazolidinyl Nucleoside Analogue Structural Analysis: A Morphological Approach
Authors: Floresta Giuseppe , Pistarà Venerando , Christensen Kirsten E. , Amata Emanuele , Marrazzo Agostino , Gentile Davide , Rescifina Antonio , Punzo Francesco
Published: December 2018

An in silico study has been conducted upon (3′RS,5′SR)-5-[2′-benzyl-5′-hydroxymethyl-1′,2′-isoxazolidin-3′-yl]uracil through a molecular dynamics/docking approach that highlights its potential inhibitory activity upon the wild-type pseudouridine 5′-monophosphate glycosidase. The crystal structure of this compound has been solved by means of X-ray single crystal diffraction and the data inferred were used to predict its crystal morphology. These data were compared with optical microscopy images and confirmed the validity of the computed models. This robust approach, already used for several other different compounds, provides a fast and reliable tool to standardize a crystallization method in order to get similar and good quality crystals. As different crystal shapes could be associated with different polymorphic forms, this method could be considered a fast and cheap screening to choose among different and coexistent polymorphic forms. Furthermore, a match with the original crystal structure of pseudouridine 5′-monophosphate is provided.
Advances in the Synthesis of Lignan Natural Products
Authors: Fang Xianhe , Hu Xiangdong
Published: December 2018

Lignans comprise a family of secondary metabolites existing widely in plants and also in human food sources. As important components, these compounds play remarkable roles in plants’ ecological functions as protection against herbivores and microorganisms. Meanwhile, foods rich in lignans have revealed potential to decrease of risk of cancers. To date, a number of promising bioactivities have been found for lignan natural products and their unnatural analogues, including antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, antiplatelet, phosphodiesterase inhibition, 5-lipoxygenase inhibition, HIV reverse transcription inhibition, cytotoxic activities, antioxidant activities, immunosuppressive activities and antiasthmatic activities. Therefore, the synthesis of this family and also their analogues have attracted widespread interest from the synthetic organic chemistry community. Herein, we outline advances in the synthesis of lignan natural products in the last decade.
Dynamic High-Pressure Microfluidization-Treated Pectin under Different Ethanol Concentrations
Authors: Liu Cheng-Mei , Liang Lu , Shuai Xi-Xiang , Liang Rui-Hong , Chen Jun
Published: December 2018

We previously reported that dynamic high-pressure microfluidization (DHPM) can degrade pectin in aqueous solution. In this study, we further investigated the effect of DHPM on pectin in water-ethanol systems. In the absence of DHPM treatment, it was found that pectin exhibited increased average particle size and unchanged average molecular weight, but a decline in reducing-sugar-ends content with the increase of ethanol concentrations (0–10% v/v). These results indicated that the addition of ethanol induced aggregation of pectin. During DHPM treatment, pectin underwent disaggregation and degradation under all measured ethanol concentrations. Disaggregation was enhanced but degradation was weakened with the increase of ethanol concentration. FT-IR and UV spectra indicated that demethylation but no β-elimination occurred in the water-ethanol system during DHPM. Finally, the mechanism of DHPM-induced disaggregation and degradation of pectin under a water-ethanol system was updated. This work may help us to find a suitable condition for reducing the degradation of pectin during the process of homogenization.
Synergistic Improvement in Thermal Conductivity of Polyimide Nanocomposite Films Using Boron Nitride Coated Copper Nanoparticles and Nanowires
Authors: Zhou Yongcun , Yu Shihu , Niu Huan , Liu Feng
Published: December 2018

Electronic devices are increasingly dense, underscoring the need for effective thermal management. A polyimide (PI) matrix nanocomposite film combining boron nitride (BN)-coated copper nanoparticles (CuNPs@BN) and nanowires (CuNWs@BN) was fabricated by a flexible and fast technique for enhanced thermal conductivity and the dielectric properties of nanocomposite films. The thermal conductivity of (CuNPs-CuNWs)@BN/PI composite comprising 10 wt % filler loading rose to 4.32 W/mK, indicating a nearly 24.1-fold increase relative to the value obtained for pure PI matrix. The relative permittivity and dielectric loss approximated 4.92 and 0.026 at 1 MHz, respectively. The results indicated that the surface modification of CuNPs and CuNWs by introducing a ceramic insulating layer BN effectively promoted the formation of thermal conductive networks of nanofillers in the PI matrix. This study enabled the identification of appropriate modifier fillers for polymer matrix nanocomposites to improve electronic applications.
Reciprocity and the Risk of Rejection: Debate over Sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible
Authors: Eidevall Göran
Published: December 2018

Sacrifice is a central but contested topic in the prophetical literature in the Hebrew Bible. Whereas some texts criticize the sacrificial cult vehemently, other texts express strong support for such a cult. Interestingly, and somewhat paradoxically, a certain writing, such as the book of Jeremiah, may contain both cult-critical prophecies and passages that promote sacrifices. Divergent interpretations of this ancient debate have engendered an intense scholarly debate. Adopting a new approach, informed by sacrifice theories that emphasize the notion of reciprocity, this article refutes the view that prophets like Amos and Jeremiah rejected all sacrifices. Rather, they (that is, the authors of these books) addressed specific situations, or explained specific catastrophes in retrospect. Viewed from this perspective, the cult-critical prophecies, as well as other references to rejected sacrifice, are in fact compatible with a basically positive attitude towards the sacrificial cult.
Model-Based Optimization of Spectral Sampling for the Retrieval of Crop Variables with the PROSAIL Model
Authors: Berger Katja , Atzberger Clement , Danner Martin , Wocher Matthias , Mauser Wolfram , Hank Tobias
Published: December 2018

Satellite hyperspectral Earth observation missions have strong potential to support sustainable agriculture by providing accurate spatial and temporal information of important vegetation biophysical and biochemical variables. To meet this goal, possible error sources in the modelling approaches should be minimized. Thus, first of all, the capability of a model to reproduce the measured spectral signals has to be tested before applying any retrieval algorithm. For an exemplary demonstration, the coupled PROSPECT-D and SAIL radiative transfer models (PROSAIL) were employed to emulate the setup of future hyperspectral sensors in the visible and near-infrared (VNIR) spectral regions with a 6.5 nm spectral sampling distance. Model uncertainties were determined to subsequently exclude those wavelengths with the highest mean absolute error (MAE) between model simulation and spectral measurement. The largest mismatch could be found in the green visible and red edge regions, which can be explained by complex interactions of several biochemical and structural variables in these spectral domains. For leaf area index (LAI, m2·m−2) retrieval, results indicated only a small improvement when using optimized spectral samplings. However, a significant increase in accuracy for leaf chlorophyll content (LCC, µg·cm−2) estimations could be obtained, with the relative root mean square error (RMSE) decreasing from 26% (full VNIR range) to 15% (optimized VNIR) for maize and from 77% to 29% for soybean, respectively. We therefore recommend applying a specific model-error threshold (MAE of ~0.01) to stabilize the retrieval of crop biochemical variables.
Feasibility Analysis on the Use of Ultrasonic Communications for Body Sensor Networks
Authors: Li Meina , Kim Youn Tae
Published: December 2018

Ultrasonic waves have good propagation in the human body and have been widely applied in biomedical device design without any reported side effects. Therefore, ultrasonic waves can provide an alternative method as an information carrier for body sensor networks (BSNs). This paper presents a novel wireless communication method that uses ultrasonic sound waves as a medium for healthcare systems. We investigated the feasibility of our proposal by testing it in a real digital communication experimental setup. To find an acceptable modulation method, the functionality of the proposed ultrasound-based digital communication approach was tested involving three principal modulation methods: amplitude shift keying (ASK), frequency shift keying (FSK), and phase shift keying (PSK). The modulated digital signals obtained from the experiments were compared with the simulated signals. Analysis of the results shows that ultrasonic waves are feasible and can be used for digital communication.
Components of Artificial Neural Networks Realized in CMOS Technology to be Used in Intelligent Sensors in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Talaśka Tomasz
Published: December 2018

The article presents novel hardware solutions for new intelligent sensors that can be used in wireless sensor networks (WSN). A substantial reduction of the amount of data sent by the sensor to the base station in the WSN may extend the possible sensor working time. Miniature integrated artificial neural networks (ANN) applied directly in the sensor can take over the analysis of data collected from the environment, thus reducing amount of data sent over the RF communication block. A prototype specialized chip with components of the ANN was designed in the CMOS 130 nm technology. An adaptation mechanism and a programmable multi-phase clock generator—components of the ANN—are described in more detail. Both simulation and measurement results of selected blocks are presented to demonstrate the correctness of the design.
Efficient Fiducial Point Detection of ECG QRS Complex Based on Polygonal Approximation
Authors: Lee Seungmin , Jeong Yoosoo , Park Daejin , Yun Byoung-Ju , Park Kil Houm
Published: December 2018

Electrocardiogram signal analysis is based on detecting a fiducial point consisting of the onset, offset, and peak of each waveform. The accurate diagnosis of arrhythmias depends on the accuracy of fiducial point detection. Detecting the onset and offset fiducial points is ambiguous because the feature values are similar to those of the surrounding sample. To improve the accuracy of this paper’s fiducial point detection, the signal is represented by a small number of vertices through a curvature-based vertex selection technique using polygonal approximation. The proposed method minimizes the number of candidate samples for fiducial point detection and emphasizes these sample’s feature values to enable reliable detection. It is also sensitive to the morphological changes of various QRS complexes by generating an accumulated signal of the amplitude change rate between vertices as an auxiliary signal. To verify the superiority of the proposed algorithm, error distribution is measured through comparison with the QT-DB annotation provided by Physionet. The mean and standard deviation of the onset and the offset were stable as − 4.02 ± 7.99 ms and − 5.45 ± 8.04 ms, respectively. The results show that proposed method using small number of vertices is acceptable in practical applications. We also confirmed that the proposed method is effective through the clustering of the QRS complex. Experiments on the arrhythmia data of MIT-BIH ADB confirmed reliable fiducial point detection results for various types of QRS complexes.
Validity and Reliability of the GymAware Linear Position Transducer for Squat Jump and Counter-Movement Jump Height
Authors: Wadhi Tanuj , Rauch Jacob T. , Tamulevicius Nauris , Andersen Jody C. , De Souza Eduardo O.
Published: December 2018

The purpose of this study was to assess the concurrent validity and test-retest reliability of a linear position transducer (LPT) for the squat jump (SJ) and counter-movement jump (CMJ) height. Twenty-eight subjects (25.18 ± 7.1 years) performed three SJs followed by three CMJs using a force plate concurrently with the LPT to test validity. Subjects returned on a separate day, at least 48 h apart, to measure test-retest reliability. A t-test showed a significant difference between the two devices for both SJ (p < 0.001) and CMJ (p < 0.001) while Bland–Altman analysis for validity revealed that the LPT overestimated jump height for both SJ (mean difference (MD) = 8.01 ± 2.93 cm) and CMJ (MD = 8.68 ± 2.99 cm). With regards to reliability of the LPT, mean intraclass correlation (ICC) for both SJ (ICC = 0.84) and CMJ (ICC = 0.95) were high, and Bland–Altman analysis showed mean differences lower than minimal detectable change (MDC) between the days for both SJ (MD = 1.89 ± 4.16 cm vs. MDC = 2.72 cm) and CMJ (MD = 0.47 ± 3.23 cm vs. MDC = 2.11 cm). Additionally, there was a low coefficient of variation (CV) between days for both SJ (CV = 3.25%) and CMJ (CV = 0.74%). Therefore, while the LPT overestimates jump height, it is a reliable tool for tracking changes in jump height to measure performance improvement and monitor fatigue.
Gentrification as an Emerging Source of Environmental Research
Authors: Uribe-Toril Juan , Ruiz-Real José Luis , De Pablo Valenciano Jaime
Published: December 2018

Gentrification is a controversial term that refers to certain changes in neighbourhoods that result in the economic and social transformation of a low-income area into one of higher value, moving or pushing out the old population and businesses. The purpose of this paper is to highlight a new branch of research in the field of environmental studies. It presents a bibliometric analysis of the gentrification process, scanning the scientific articles published in journals since 1979, from different knowledge areas and analysing the impact factors and the evolution of the term itself. The review of scientific journals uses the Web of Science and Scopus databases for analysing the evolution of papers, the impact factors and references related to this concept. The results show that the literature related to gentrification is increasing at a very high rate, particularly in the fields of environmental science. Since 1987, the number of scientific papers in environmental studies that have focused on this topic have increased at an annual rate of 60.4%, making it a promising subject for researchers. Thus, the article represents a contribution to identify the main trends in gentrification research and environment and, from there, propose future research initiatives.
Intellectual Capital as a Factor of Sustainable Regional Competitiveness
Authors: Januškaitė Virginija , Užienė Lina
Published: December 2018

Sustainable competitive advantage is a widely explored topic at the organizational level. Although, regions care about competitiveness as much as organizations, because it leads to improved welfare and economic performance. However, sustainable regional competitiveness is still an ambiguous concept. On the one hand, it considers long lasting economic growth and on the other hand, it focuses on the sustainability and well-being of upcoming generations. This paper considers both aspects. Intellectual capital, considered to be the foundation for competitive growth, is selected as a basis for the analysis. It is evaluated as a factor involved in regional competitiveness. Sustainable regional competitiveness in this paper is defined based on the World Economic Forum framework, the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index, and the Global Green Economy Index. The aim of the paper is to identify the interlinks between intellectual capital and sustainable regional competitiveness. The paper is based on a literature review and index analysis. The findings show that intellectual capital is involved in almost all factors influencing regional competitiveness and it is even more important for sustainable regional competitiveness. It can be concluded that the interlinks between intellectual capital and sustainable regional competitiveness are strong and inseparable.
Classification of Two Dimensional Cellular Automata Rules for Symmetric Pattern Generation
Authors: Vellarayil Mohandas Nisha , Jeganathan Lakshmanan
Published: December 2018

Cellular automata (CA) are parallel computational models that comprise of a grid of cells. CA is mainly used for modeling complex systems in various fields, where the geometric structure of the lattices is different. In the absence of a CA model to accommodate different types of lattices in CA, an angle-based CA model is proposed to accommodate various lattices. In the proposed model, the neighborhood structure in a two dimensional cellular automata (2D-CA) is viewed as a star graph. The vertices of the proposed graph are determined by a parameter, angle ( θ ) . Based on the angle ( θ ) , the neighborhood of the CA, which is treated as the vertices of the graph, varies. So this model is suitable for the representation of different types of two dimensional lattices such as square lattice, rectangular lattice, hexagonal lattice, etc. in CA. A mathematical model is formulated for representing CA rules which suit for different types of symmetric lattices. The star graph representation helps to find out the internal symmetries exists in CA rules. Classification of CA rules based on the symmetry exists in the rules, which generates symmetric patterns are discussed in this work.
Artemether and Praziquantel: Origin, Mode of Action, Impact, and Suggested Application for Effective Control of Human Schistosomiasis
Authors: Bergquist Robert , Elmorshedy Hala
Published: December 2018

The stumbling block for the continued, single-drug use of praziquantel (PZQ) against schistosomiasis is less justified by the risk of drug resistance than by the fact that this drug is inactive against juvenile parasites, which will mature and start egg production after chemotherapy. Artemisinin derivatives, currently used against malaria in the form of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), provide an opportunity as these drugs are not only active against malaria plasmodia, but surprisingly also against juvenile schistosomes. An artemisinin/PZQ combination would be complementary, and potentially additive, as it would kill two schistosome life cycle stages and thus confer a transmission-blocking modality to current chemotherapy. We focus here on single versus combined regimens in endemic settings. Although the risk of artemisinin resistance, already emerging with respect to malaria therapy in Southeast Asia, prevents use in countries where ACT is needed for malaria care, an artemisinin-enforced praziquantel treatment (APT) should be acceptable in regions of North Africa (including Egypt), the Middle East, China, and Brazil that are not endemic for malaria. Thanks to recent progress with respect to high-resolution diagnostics, based on circulating schistosome antigens in humans and molecular approaches for snail surveys, it should be possible to keep areas scheduled for schistosomiasis elimination under surveillance, bringing rapid response to bear on problems arising. The next steps would be to investigate where and for how long APT should be applied to make a lasting impact. A large-scale field trial in an area with modest transmission should tell how apt this approach is.
Phylogeography of Bulinus truncatus (Audouin, 1827) (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in Selected African Countries
Authors: Abe Eniola M. , Guo Yun-Hai , Shen Haimo , Mutsaka-Makuvaza Masceline J. , Habib Mohamed R. , Xue Jing-Bo , Midzi Nicholas , Xu Jing , Li Shi-Zhu , Zhou Xiao-Nong
Published: December 2018

The transmission of some schistosome parasites is dependent on the planorbid snail hosts. Bulinus truncatus is important in urinary schistosomiasis epidemiology in Africa. Hence, there is a need to define the snails’ phylogeography. This study assessed the population genetic structure of B. truncatus from Giza and Sharkia (Egypt), Barakat (Sudan) and Madziwa, Shamva District (Zimbabwe) using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene (COI) and internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS 1) markers. COI was sequenced from 94 B. truncatus samples including 38 (Egypt), 36 (Sudan) and 20 (Zimbabwe). However, only 51 ITS 1 sequences were identified from Egypt (28) and Sudan (23) (because of failure in either amplification or sequencing). The unique COI haplotypes of B. truncatus sequences observed were 6, 11, and 6 for Egypt, Sudan, and Zimbabwe, respectively. Also, 3 and 2 unique ITS 1 haplotypes were observed in sequences from Egypt and Sudan respectively. Mitochondrial DNA sequences from Sudan and Zimbabwe indicated high haplotype diversity with 0.768 and 0.784, respectively, while relatively low haplotype diversity was also observed for sequences from Egypt (0.334). The location of populations from Egypt and Sudan on the B. truncatus clade agrees with the location of both countries geographically. The clustering of the Zimbabwe sequences on different locations on the clade can be attributed to individuals with different genotypes within the population. No significant variation was observed within B. truncatus populations from Egypt and Sudan as indicated by the ITS 1 tree. This study investigated the genetic diversity of B. truncatus from Giza and Sharkia (Egypt), Barakat area (Sudan), and Madziwa (Zimbabwe), which is necessary for snail host surveillance in the study areas and also provided genomic data of this important snail species from the sampled countries.
Influence of the Natural and Built Environment on Personal Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) in Cyclists Using City Designated Bicycle Routes
Authors: Gilliland Jason , Maltby Matthew , Xu Xiaohong , Luginaah Isaac , Shah Tayyab
Published: December 2018

Urban cyclists are exposed to many traffic-related air pollutants including particulate matter (PM) that may increase vulnerability to health effects. This study investigates second-by-second personal exposure to PM2.5 (fine particulate matter that is 2.5 microns in diameter and less) along bicycle commuting paths, and assesses elements of the natural and built environment for the relative importance of these factors in understanding the variability in PM2.5 personal exposure. Urban cyclists were carrying high resolution PM2.5 monitors (placed in a backpack) in combination with portable GPS trackers to provide a spatial identity to each one-second pollutant measurement. The results of this study indicate that daily averages of PM2.5 concentrations from all bicycle routes were weakly correlated with meteorological variables, however, a strong influence of regional levels of PM2.5 was observed. Geospatial analysis of PM2.5 personal exposure concentrations showed a considerable variation within routes, correlated with land use (with lower concentrations in parks and higher in industrial areas) and clustered at four areas: busiest bridge, heavily trafficked road segments, the downtown urban core, and two construction sites. This study has found many incidences of personal exposure to PM2.5 exceeding the provincial guidelines for healthy activity (e.g., very poor (PM2.5 > 91 μg/m3) pollution concentrations are clustered in three regions: approaching the bridge in the west part of the city; the downtown urban core; and two under construction spots), which suggests behavioural and infrastructure modifications in balancing the health benefits of cycling with the environmental exposure to air pollutants.
Cervical Cancer Screening Programs in Europe: The Transition Towards HPV Vaccination and Population-Based HPV Testing
Authors: Chrysostomou Andreas C. , Stylianou Dora C. , Constantinidou Anastasia , Kostrikis Leondios G.
Published: December 2018

Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequently occurring cancer in women around the world and can affect them during their reproductive years. Since the development of the Papanicolaou (Pap) test, screening has been essential in identifying cervical cancer at a treatable stage. With the identification of the human papillomavirus (HPV) as the causative agent of essentially all cervical cancer cases, HPV molecular screening tests and HPV vaccines for primary prevention against the virus have been developed. Accordingly, comparative studies were designed to assess the performance of cervical cancer screening methods in order to devise the best screening strategy possible. This review critically assesses the current cervical cancer screening methods as well as the implementation of HPV vaccination in Europe. The most recent European Guidelines and recommendations for organized population-based programs with HPV testing as the primary screening method are also presented. Lastly, the current landscape of cervical cancer screening programs is assessed for both European Union member states and some associated countries, in regard to the transition towards population-based screening programs with primary HPV testing.
Reducing Mobile Air Conditioner (MAC) Power Consumption Using Active Cabin-Air-Recirculation in A Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)
Authors: Li Chengguo , Brewer Eli , Pham Liem , Jung Heejung
Published: December 2018

Air conditioner power consumption accounts for a large fraction of the total power used by hybrid and electric vehicles. This study examined the effects of three different cabin air ventilation settings on mobile air conditioner (MAC) power consumption, such as fresh mode with air conditioner on (ACF), fresh mode with air conditioner off (ACO), and air recirculation mode with air conditioner on (ACR). Tests were carried out for both indoor chassis dynamometer and on-road tests using a 2012 Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Real-time power consumption and fuel economy were calculated from On-Board Diagnostic-II (OBD-II) data and compared with results from the carbon balance method. MAC consumed 28.4% of the total vehicle power in ACR mode when tested with the Supplemental Federal Test Procedure (SFTP) SC03 driving cycle on the dynamometer, which was 6.1% less than in ACF mode. On the other hand, ACR and ACF mode did not show significant differences for the less aggressive on-road tests. This is likely due to the significantly lower driving loads experienced in the local driving route compared to the SC03 driving cycle. On-road and SC03 test results suggested that more aggressive driving tends to magnify the effects of the vehicle HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system settings. ACR conditions improved relative fuel economy (or vehicle energy efficiency) to that of ACO conditions by ~20% and ~8% compared to ACF conditions for SC03 and on-road tests, respectively. Furthermore, vehicle cabin air quality was measured and analyzed for the on-road tests. ACR conditions significantly reduced in-cabin particle concentrations, in terms of aerosol diffusion charger signal, by 92% compared to outside ambient conditions. These results indicate that cabin air recirculation is a promising method to improve vehicle fuel economy and improve cabin air quality.
Indeterminate solitary vertebral lesions on planar scintigraphy
Authors: Qian Xie , Wenqi Zhang , Shi Gao , Qingjie Ma , Tianji Liu , Bin Chen , Bin Ji
Published: December 2018

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the added value of hybrid SPECT-CT in differential diagnosis of indeterminate solitary vertebral lesion (SVL) on planar scintigraphy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Sixty-three NSCLC patients with indeterminate “hot spot” SVL on planar scintigraphy were retrospectively included in this study. Pathological confirmation and followup by whole body scintigraphy and SPECT-CT were used as golden standard for the evaluation of diagnostic performance of planar scintigraphy, SPECT, and SPECT-CT. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed and compared among the three imaging modalities. For subgroup analysis, the performance of each imaging modality in different NSCLC subgroups including age, gender, histology of primary tumor and nature, site and location of SVL were analyzed, respectively. The impact of SPECT-CT on the management of NSCLC patient with SVL was also analyzed.

Results: The sensitivity and specificity of planar scintigraphy, SPECT, and SPECT-CT in differentiating SVL were 41.9 % and 81.2 %, 83.9 % and 71.9 %, and 90.3 % and 90.6 %, respectively. SPECT-CT performed significantly better than both planar scintigraphy (P < 0.0001) and SPECT (P = 0.0027). The sensitivity for planar scintigraphy in nonlytic SVL was significantly higher than in lytic SVL (88.5 % vs. 50.0 %, P = 0.0008). The sensitivity for the planar scintigraphy and SPECT-CT in dorsal SVL was significantly higher than in non-dorsal SVL (55.0 % vs. 18.2 %, P = 0.0029 and 100 % vs. 85.7 %, P = 0.0236, respectively). SPECT-CT had an impact on the clinical management of 52.6 % (20/38) of patients compared to planar scintigraphy and 23.6 % (9/38) of patients compared to SPECT.

Conclusion: Compared to planar scintigraphy and SPECT, hybrid SPECT-CT shows excellent performance in differentiating indeterminate SVL in NSCLC patients, the application of which will significantly impact patient management.
ICT IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR: COMPUTING THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Authors: Ruddock Les
Published: December 2018

Any assessment of the extent of the economic benefits for the construction sector from technological change is difficult to determine accurately but in view of the construction sector's contribution to a nation's economy, it is important that the impact of technological change on the industry is properly recognised. One area of technological change in the industry — the increased use of information and communication technology (ICT) is considered in this study, which examines the evidence concerning the crucial role of ICT usage and investment in generating growth and improving technical productivity in the industry and considers the question of how the gains from ICT can be evaluated at the industry level. The U.K. construction sector forms the focal point of this study but comparisons are also made with the construction sectors of other industrially developed countries. The results of the analysis find that the construction industry is now beginning to reap the benefits on productivity from the post ‐ 1995 surge in ICT investment.
IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES IN SPANISH RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS
Authors: Pellicer Eugenio , Victory Richard
Published: December 2018

Urban development of land and subsequent residential development of buildings are closely related to construction industry. Within the industry, project management is widely applied in Anglo‐Saxon countries. Nevertheless, the results obtained from the literature review conducted did not find how project management is taken into consideration in land and property management. Furthermore, this project management approach is seldom implemented in the Spanish construction industry, even in the private sector. The traditional rigidity and protectionism of the industry, along with the peculiarities of the Spanish Building Law, create a scenario where innovation is difficult to attain. Although, there is a promising future for small to medium sized project management firms to provide a very wide range of services to private clients. This paper shows how the implementation of project management principles can be attempted for residential developments in the Mediterranean Coast of Spain. An inductive approach is used as methodology. After explaining the real state process for the Spanish market, a basic outline for the implementation of project management is proposed. Project and client risk assessment, preliminary questionnaires, stages and steps, company organisation related to professional expertise, procurement strategies and contractual relationships are displayed. Finally, the model is tested by two characteristic case studies.
PREFACE
Authors: Nikiforova Basia
Published: December 2018

„Preface" LIMES: Cultural Regionalistics, 3(1), p. 4-5
Plasma Waves and Particles during Multi-dip Storms Invoked by Turbulent Solar Wind
Authors: Shah Asif , Rehman Saeed ur , Haque Qamar ul
Published: December 2018

The temporal variations of the disturbance storm time index show the occurrence of multi-dip storms during 2015 April. Specifically, a double-dip storm was observed during April 9–12 and a six-dip storm occurred during April 13–21. This work analyzes the data from the electric field and wave (EFW) instrument, relativistic electron proton telescope (REPT), and electric and magnetic field instrument suite (EMFISIS) on board radiation belt storm probe A (RBSP-A) during the selected multi-dip storms. The ultra low-frequency (ULF) as well as very low-frequency (VLF) electromagnetic oscillations were observed by EFW and EMFISIS simultaneously with the REPT observed fluctuating fluxes of relativistic electrons in the slot and outer Van Allen belt. The timescales, for relativistic electrons flux increase in slot and depletion, refilling of the outer Van Allen belt, were much faster than the temporal variations expected from the radial diffusion driven by drift resonance between ULF waves and relativistic electrons. Therefore, the contribution of VLF interaction with the relativistic electrons is important for understanding rapid flux variations on times of few hours during the considered multi-dip geomagnetic storms. The findings of this study may be helpful for understanding the relativistic electrons dynamics and transport in the Earth’s magnetosphere during multi-dip geomagnetic storms.
Revealing the Broad Line Region of NGC 1275: The Relationship to Jet Power
Authors: Punsly Brian , Marziani Paola , Bennert Vardha N. , Nagai Hiroshi , Gurwell Mark A.
Published: December 2018

NGC 1275 is one of the most conspicuous active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the local universe. The radio jet currently emits a flux density of ∼10 Jy at ∼1 mm wavelengths, down from the historic high of ∼65 Jy in 1980. Yet, the nature of the AGN in NGC 1275 is still controversial. It has been debated whether this is a broad emission line (BEL) Seyfert galaxy, an obscured Seyfert galaxy, a narrow line radio galaxy, or a BL Lac object. We clearly demonstrate a persistent Hβ BEL over the last 35 yr with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 4150–6000 km s−1. We also find a prominent Pα BEL (FWHM ≈ 4770 km s−1) and a weak C iv BEL (FWHM ≈ 4000 km s−1), Hβ/C iv ≈ 2. A far-UV Hubble Space Telescope observation during suppressed jet activity reveals a low luminosity continuum. The Hβ BEL luminosity is typical of broad line Seyfert galaxies with similar far-UV luminosity. X-ray observations indicate a softer ionizing continuum than what would be expected for a broad line Seyfert galaxy with similar far-UV luminosity. This is the opposite of the expectation of advection-dominated accretion. The AGN continuum appears to be thermal emission from a low luminosity, optically thick, accretion flow with a low Eddington ratio, ∼0.0001. The soft, weak, ionizing continuum is consistent with the relatively weak C iv BEL. Evidence that the BEL luminosity is correlated with the jet millimeter-wave luminosity is presented. It appears that the accretion rate regulates jet power.
Supermassive Black Holes with High Accretion Rates in Active Galactic Nuclei. VIII. Structure of the Broad-line Region and Mass of the Central Black Hole in Mrk 142
Authors: Li Yan-Rong , Songsheng Yu-Yang , Qiu Jie , Hu Chen , Du Pu , Lu Kai-Xing , Huang Ying-Ke , Bai Jin-Ming , Bian Wei-Hao , Yuan Ye-Fei , Ho Luis C. , Wang Jian-Min
Published: December 2018

This is the eighth in a series of papers reporting on a large reverberation mapping (RM) campaign to measure black hole (BH) mass in active galactic nuclei with high accretion rates. We employ the recently developed dynamical modeling approach for broad-line regions (BLRs) based on the method of Pancoast et al. to analyze the RM data set of Mrk 142 observed in the first monitoring season. In this approach, continuum variations are reconstructed using a damped random walk process, and BLR structure is delineated using a flexible disk-like geometry, in which BLR clouds move around the central BH with Keplerian orbits or inflow/outflow motion. The approach also includes the possibilities of anisotropic emission from BLR clouds, nonlinear response of the line emission to the continuum, and different long-term trends in the continuum and emission-line variations. We implement the approach in a Bayesian framework that is apt for parallel computation and use a Markov chain Monte Carlo technique to recover the parameters and uncertainties for the modeling, including the mass of the central BH. We apply three BLR models with different prescriptions of BLR cloud distributions and find that the best model for fitting the data of Mrk 142 is a two-zone BLR model, consistent with the theoretical BLR model surrounding slim accretion disks. The best model yields a BH mass of

, resulting in a virial factor of

for the full width at half maximum of the Hβ line measured from the mean spectrum. The virial factors for the other measures of the Hβ line width are also presented.
Improved Calibration of the Radii of Cool Stars Based on 3D Simulations of Convection: Implications for the Solar Model
Authors: Spada F. , Demarque P. , Basu S. , Tanner J. D.
Published: December 2018

Main-sequence, solar-like stars (M ≲ 1.5 M
⊙) have outer convective envelopes that are sufficiently thick to affect significantly their overall structure. The radii of these stars, in particular, are sensitive to the details of inefficient, superadiabatic convection occurring in their outermost layers. The standard treatment of convection in stellar evolution models, based on the mixing-length theory (MLT), provides only a very approximate description of convection in the superadiabatic regime. Moreover, it contains a free parameter, α
MLT, whose standard calibration is based on the Sun and is routinely applied to other stars, ignoring the differences in their global parameters (e.g., effective temperature, gravity, chemical composition) and previous evolutionary history. In this paper, we present a calibration of α
MLT based on 3D radiation hydrodynamics (RHD) simulations of convection. The value of α
MLT is adjusted to match the specific entropy in the deep, adiabatic layers of the convective envelope to the corresponding value obtained from the 3D RHD simulations, as a function of the position of the star in the

plane and its chemical composition. We have constructed a model of the present-day Sun using such entropy-based calibration. We find that its past luminosity evolution is not affected by the entropy calibration. The predicted solar radius, however, exceeds that of the standard model during the past several billion years, resulting in a lower surface temperature. This illustrative calculation also demonstrates the viability of the entropy approach for calibrating the radii of other late-type stars.
The Radio/Gamma Connection of Blazars from High to Low Radio Frequencies
Authors: Fan Xu-Liang , Wu Qingwen
Published: December 2018

We construct a large sample of γ-ray blazars with low-frequency radio data using the recently released TGSS AD1 catalog at 150 MHz. The radio/gamma connections of blazars are compared from 143 GHz to 150 MHz. The radio flux density at all radio frequencies shows strong correlation with γ-ray flux for blazars, as well as for the two subclasses, flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) and BL Lacs. But the correlations get worse from high to low radio frequencies, which indicates that the low-frequency radio emission is the mixture of extended and core components for blazars. In addition, we find that the correlation between 150 MHz radio flux density and γ-ray flux is more significant for BL Lacs than that for FSRQs. The slope for the luminosity correlation between radio and γ-ray flux also gets flatter than unity at 150 MHz. These results indicate that the core dominance at 150 MHz for BL Lacs is larger than that for FSRQs. We also compare the radio luminosity from direct TGSS observations and the extended radiation at 150 MHz for blazars. The results show that the ratio between core and extended components at 150 MHz is about 1:1 on average.