bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhancing the Performance of Evacuated and Non-Evacuated Parabolic Trough Collectors Using Twisted Tape Inserts, Perforated Plate Inserts and Internally Finned Absorber
Authors: Bellos Evangelos , Tzivanidis Christos
Published: May 2018

The thermal enhancement of parabolic trough collectors is a critical issue and numerous ideas have been applied in the literature on this domain. The objective of this paper is to investigate some usual thermal enhancement techniques for improving the performance of evacuated and non-evacuated receivers of parabolic trough solar collectors. More specifically, the use of twisted tape inserts, perforated plate inserts, and internally finned absorbers are compared with the reference case of the smooth absorber. The analysis is conducted with a developed and validated thermal model in Engineering Equation Solver. The collector is investigated for a typical flow rate of 100 L/min and for inlet temperatures between 50 °C and 350 °C with Syltherm 800 as working fluid. According to the final results, the use of internally finned absorber leads to the highest thermal efficiency enhancement, which is up to 2.1% for the non-evacuated collector and up to 1.6% for the evacuated tube collector. The perforated plate inserts and the twisted tape inserts were found to lead to lower enhancements, which are up to 1.8% and 1.5%, respectively, for the non-evacuated collector, while they are up to 1.4% and 1.2%, respectively, for the evacuated collector. Moreover, the pressure drop increase with the use of the thermal enhancement methods is investigated and the use of internally finned absorber is found again to be the superior technique with the performance evaluation criterion to be ranged from 1.5 to 1.8 for this case.
Economic Analysis of Pellet Production in Co-Digestion Biogas Plants
Authors: Nagy Dávid , Balogh Péter , Gabnai Zoltán , Popp József , Oláh Judit , Bai Attila
Published: May 2018

In our paper we examine the economics of a technological process which utilizes the separated biogas plant digestate as the primary material and, as auxiliary material, the waste heat produced by the cogeneration process, to produce a marketable pellet which can be used in two ways (to supply soil nutrients and heat energy). Using multivariate linear regression model we developed an equation for the biogas yield from the modelled production recipe and expected nutrient pellet prices, and sensitivity analysis were also performed for the substrate dry matter content. We found that pellets can be produced at a cost of 88–90 EUR/ton with a 6 to 10% dry matter substrate content and that, primarily, sales of pellets for heating justify pelleting; producer’s own use and use for nutrient purposes can only be justified in exceptional cases. In the case of dry solid content above 5%, the process does not require the total amount of waste heat; some of this can be used to cover other heat requirements.
Identification of Depression and Screening for Work Disabilities among Long-Term Unemployed People
Authors: Nurmela Kirsti , Mattila Aino , Heikkinen Virpi , Uitti Jukka , Ylinen Aarne , Virtanen Pekka
Published: May 2018

The study explores whether clinical screening targeted at work disabilities among long-term unemployed people reveals eligible individuals for a disability pension and the importance of depression in granting the disability pensions. A total of 364 participants of the screening project were considered as eligible to apply for disability pension. Among them, 188 were diagnosed as clinically depressed. They were classified into those with earlier depression diagnosis (n = 85), those whose depression had not been diagnosed earlier (n = 103), and those without diagnosed depression (n = 176). The association of this ‘Depression identification pattern’ with being granted a disability pension was explored by logistic regression analyses. Compared to those with earlier diagnosis, those whose depression had not been diagnosed earlier were granted disability pension more commonly (72% vs. 54% OR 2.2, p = 0.012). Corresponding figures of the undepressed were 73%, OR 2.3, p = 0.002. The adjustments did not affect the results. Clinical examination of the long-term unemployed people in terms of work disability seems to be worthwhile. In particular, the examination reveals new depression diagnoses, which contribute more to the award of disability pension than depression diagnosed earlier by regular health care. Novel ways to detect depression among the unemployed should be implemented in the health and employment services.
PCBs and PCDD/Fs in Bluefin Tuna: Occurrence and Dietary Intake
Authors: Barone Grazia , Storelli Arianna , Garofalo Rita , Mallamaci Rosanna , Quaglia Nicoletta C. , Storelli Maria Maddalena
Published: May 2018

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDD/Fs) were measured in Mediterranean bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) to verify the compliance with the EU regulations for food commercialization. The estimated intakes were also evaluated. The analyses were performed by gas chromatography-ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS-MS). The PCBs were dominant (1132.0 ng g−1 l.w.), followed by PCDFs (23.2 pg g−1 l.w.) and PCDDs (8.5 pg g−1 l.w.). The pollutant levels (dl-PCBs: 0.7 pg TEQ/g w.w.; PCDD/Fs: 1.9 pg TEQ/g w.w.) and their sum expressed as TEQ values (2.6 pg TEQ/g w.w.) remained below the limits for human consumption proposed by the European Union. On the contrary, the sum of the six indicator non-dioxin-like PCBs (84.2 ng g−1 w.w.) was slightly above the maximum level fixed by the in-force legislation. The estimated dietary intakes for PCDD/Fs plus dl-PCBs were below the toxicological reference values (TRVs) set by various international bodies, while non-cancer and cancer risk assessment revealed a safety concern. Additionally, the estimated intake of ndl-PCBs exceeded the maximum levels set by different European countries. These findings suggest caution in tuna consumption together with an active and frequent surveillance of the chemical quality of its flesh.
Is There a Role for the Non-Helicobacter pylori Bacteria in the Risk of Developing Gastric Cancer?
Authors: Li Jackie , Perez Perez Guillermo I.
Published: May 2018

Helicobacter pylori is the most abundant bacterium in the gastric epithelium, and its presence has been associated with the risk of developing gastric cancer. As of 15 years ago, no other bacteria were associated with gastric epithelial colonization; but thanks to new methodologies, many other non-H. pylori bacteria have been identified. It is possible that non-H. pylori may have a significant role in the development of gastric cancer. Here, we discuss the specific role of H. pylori as a potential trigger for events that may be conducive to gastric cancer, and consider whether or not the rest of the gastric microbiota represent an additional risk in the development of this disease.
Insights into the Origin of Distinct Medin Fibril Morphologies Induced by Incubation Conditions and Seeding
Authors: Davies Hannah , Lee Chiu , Miller Leanne , Liu Lu-Ning , Madine Jillian
Published: May 2018

Incubation conditions are an important factor to consider when studying protein aggregation in vitro. Here, we employed biophysical methods and atomic force microscopy to show that agitation dramatically alters the morphology of medin, an amyloid protein deposited in the aorta. Agitation reduces the lag time for fibrillation by ~18-fold, suggesting that the rate of fibril formation plays a key role in directing the protein packing arrangement within fibrils. Utilising preformed sonicated fibrils as seeds, we probed the role of seeding on medin fibrillation and revealed three distinct fibril morphologies, with biophysical modelling explaining the salient features of experimental observations. We showed that nucleation pathways to distinct fibril morphologies may be switched on and off depending on the properties of the seeding fibrils and growth conditions. These findings may impact on the development of amyloid-based biomaterials and enhance understanding of seeding as a pathological mechanism.
Acquisition of L2 French Object Pronouns by Advanced Anglophone Learners
Authors: Herschensohn Julia , Gess Randall
Published: May 2018

The role native language transfer plays in L2 acquisition raises the question of whether L1 constitutes a permanent representational deficit to mastery of the L2 morphosyntax and prosody or if it can eventually be overcome. Earlier research has shown that beginning and low intermediate Anglophone L2 French learners are insensitive to French morphosyntactic and prosodic constraints in using in situ pronouns transferred from the L1. The prosodic transfer hypothesis (PTH) proposes that native prosodic structures may be adapted to facilitate acquisition of L2 prosodic structure. Our study presents new evidence from three Anglophone advanced learners of L2 French that indicates ceiling performance for pronoun production (99% accuracy in 300 tokens over nine interviews) and grammaticality judgment (98% accuracy). This native-like performance demonstrates target French morphosyntax and prosody, built—as predicted by the PTH—by licensing pronominal free clitics in a new pre-verbal L2 position distinct from post-verbal L1. Furthermore, the learners’ data confirms accurate prosody by way of appropriate prominence patterns in clitic + host sequences, correct use of clitics with prefixed verbs, use of stacked pronouns, as well as correct prosodic alternations involving liaison and elision. These results counter impaired representation approaches and suggest early missing inflection may be overcome.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Adsorption onto Graphene: A DFT and AIMD Study
Authors: Li Bing , Ou Pengfei , Wei Yulan , Zhang Xu , Song Jun
Published: May 2018

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations were performed to understand graphene and its interaction with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) molecules. The adsorption energy was predicted to increase with the number of aromatic rings in the adsorbates, and linearly correlate with the hydrophobicity of PAHs. Additionally, the analysis of the electronic properties showed that PAHs behave as mild n-dopants and introduce electrons into graphene; but do not remarkably modify the band gap of graphene, indicating that the interaction between PAHs and graphene is physisorption. We have also discovered highly sensitive strain dependence on the adsorption strength of PAHs onto graphene surface. The AIMD simulation indicated that a sensitive and fast adsorption process of PAHs can be achieved by choosing graphene as the adsorbent. These findings are anticipated to shed light on the future development of graphene-based materials with potential applications in the capture and removal of persistent aromatic pollutants.
Conjugation of Inulin Improves Anti-Biofilm Activity of Chitosan
Authors: Zhang Guiqiang , Liu Jing , Li Ruilian , Jiao Siming , Feng Cui , Wang Zhuo A. , Du Yuguang
Published: May 2018

Bacteria biofilm helps bacteria prevent phagocytosis during infection and increase resistance to antibiotics. Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive pathogenic bacterium and is tightly associated with biofilm-related infections, which have led to great threat to human health. Chitosan, the only cationic polysaccharide in nature, has been demonstrated to have antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities, which, however, require a relative high dosage of chitosan. Moreover, poor water solubility further restricts its applications on anti-infection therapy. Inulins are a group of polysaccharides produced by many types of plants, and are widely used in processed foods. Compared to chitosan, inulin is very soluble in water and possesses a mild antibacterial activity against certain pathogenic bacteria. In order to develop an effective strategy to treat biofilm-related infections, we introduce a method by covalent conjugation of inulin to chitosan. The physicochemical characterization of the inulin–chitosan conjugate was assayed, and the anti-biofilm activity was evaluated against S. aureus biofilm. The results indicated that, as compared to chitosan, this novel polysaccharide–polysaccharide conjugate significantly enhanced activities against S. aureus either in a biofilm or planktonic state. Of note, the conjugate also showed a broad spectrum anti-biofilm activity on different bacteria strains and low cellular toxicity to mammalian cells. These results suggested that chitosan conjugation of inulin was a viable strategy for treatment against biofilm-related infections. This finding may further spread the application of natural polysaccharides on treatments of infectious disease.
Simultaneous Analysis of Iridoid Glycosides and Anthraquinones in Morinda officinalis Using UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS and UPLC-Q/TOF-MSE
Authors: Zhao Xiangsheng , Wei Jianhe , Yang Meihua
Published: May 2018

Morinda officinalis is an important herbal medicine and functional food, and its main constituents include anthraquinone and iridoid glycosides. Quantification of the main compounds is a necessary step to understand the quality and therapeutic properties of M. officinalis, but this has not yet been performed based on liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Analytes were extracted from M. officinalis by reflux method. Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqQ-MS) using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was applied for quantification. Fragmentation pathways of deacetyl asperulosidic acid and rubiadin were investigated based on UPLC with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (Q/TOF-MS) in the MSE centroid mode. The method showed a good linearity over a wide concentration range (R2 ≥ 0.9930). The limits of quantification of six compounds ranged from 2.6 to 27.57 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-day precisions of the investigated components exhibited an RSD within 4.5% with mean recovery rates of 95.32–99.86%. Contents of selected compounds in M. officinalis varied significantly depending on region. The fragmentation pathway of deacetyl asperulosidic and rubiadin was proposed. A selective and sensitive method was developed for determining six target compounds in M. officinalis by UPLC-MS/MS. Furthermore, the proposed method will be helpful for quality control and identification main compounds of M. officinalis.
Hyperbranched Polysiloxanes Based on Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Cages with Ultra-High Molecular Weight and Structural Tuneability
Authors: Liu Ning , Yu Jianyi , Meng Yaoyong , Liu Yuzhou
Published: May 2018

Hyperbranched siloxane-based polymers with ultra-high molecular weight were synthesized by the Piers–Rubinsztajn reaction between octakis(dimethylsiloxy) octasilsesquioxane with different dialkoxysilanes, using tris(pentafluorophenyl) borane as the catalyst. The origin of the high molecular weight is explained by the high reactivity of the catalyst and strain energy of isolated small molecule in which all eight silane groups close into rings on the sides of a single cubic cage. The structural tuneability was further demonstrated by use of methyl(3-chloropropyl)diethoxysilane, which generates a polymer with similar ultra-high molecular weight. Introduction of phosphonate groups through the chloropropyl sites later leads to functionalized polymers which can encapsulate various transition metal nanoparticles.
The Comparison of Canopy Height Profiles Extracted from Ku-band Profile Radar Waveforms and LiDAR Data
Authors: Zhou Hui , Chen Yuwei , Feng Ziyi , Li Fashuai , Hyyppä Juha , Hakala Teemu , Karjalainen Mika , Jiang Changhui , Pei Ling
Published: May 2018

An airborne Ku-band frequency-modulated continuous waveform (FM-CW) profiling radar, Tomoradar, records the backscatter signal from the canopy surface and the underlying ground in the southern boreal forest zone of Finland. The recorded waveforms are transformed into canopy height profiles (CHP) with a similar methodology utilized in large-footprint light detection and ranging (LiDAR). The point cloud data simultaneously collected by a Velodyne® VLP-16 LiDAR on-board the same platform represent the frequency of discrete returns, which are also applied to the extraction of the CHP by calculating the gap probability and incremental distribution. To thoroughly explore the relationships of the CHP derived from Tomoradar waveforms and LiDAR data we utilized the effective waveforms of one-stripe field measurements and comparison them with four indicators, including the correlation coefficient, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the difference, and the coefficient of determination and the RMSE of residuals of linear regression. By setting the Tomoradar footprint as 20 degrees to contain over 95% of the transmitting energy of the main lobe, the results show that 88.17% of the CHPs derived from Tomoradar waveforms correlated well with those from the LiDAR data; 98% of the RMSEs of the difference ranged between 0.002 and 0.01; 79.89% of the coefficients of determination were larger than 0.5; and 98.89% of the RMSEs of the residuals ranged from 0.001 to 0.01. Based on the investigations, we discovered that the locations of the greatest CHP derived from the Tomoradar were obviously deeper than those from the LiDAR, which indicated that the Tomoradar microwave signal had a stronger penetration capability than the LiDAR signal. Meanwhile, there are smaller differences (the average RMSEs of differences is only 0.0042 when the total canopy closure is less than 0.5) and better linear regression results in an area with a relatively open canopy than with a denser canopy.
Manipulation of Unknown Objects to Improve the Grasp Quality Using Tactile Information
Authors: Montaño Andrés , Suárez Raúl
Published: May 2018

This work presents a novel and simple approach in the area of manipulation of unknown objects considering both geometric and mechanical constraints of the robotic hand. Starting with an initial blind grasp, our method improves the grasp quality through manipulation considering the three common goals of the manipulation process: improving the hand configuration, the grasp quality and the object positioning, and, at the same time, prevents the object from falling. Tactile feedback is used to obtain local information of the contacts between the fingertips and the object, and no additional exteroceptive feedback sources are considered in the approach. The main novelty of this work lies in the fact that the grasp optimization is performed on-line as a reactive procedure using the tactile and kinematic information obtained during the manipulation. Experimental results are shown to illustrate the efficiency of the approach.
Defense Strategies for Asymmetric Networked Systems with Discrete Components
Authors: Rao Nageswara S. V. , Ma Chris Y. T. , Hausken Kjell , He Fei , Yau David K. Y. , Zhuang Jun
Published: May 2018

We consider infrastructures consisting of a network of systems, each composed of discrete components. The network provides the vital connectivity between the systems and hence plays a critical, asymmetric role in the infrastructure operations. The individual components of the systems can be attacked by cyber and physical means and can be appropriately reinforced to withstand these attacks. We formulate the problem of ensuring the infrastructure performance as a game between an attacker and a provider, who choose the numbers of the components of the systems and network to attack and reinforce, respectively. The costs and benefits of attacks and reinforcements are characterized using the sum-form, product-form and composite utility functions, each composed of a survival probability term and a component cost term. We present a two-level characterization of the correlations within the infrastructure: (i) the aggregate failure correlation function specifies the infrastructure failure probability given the failure of an individual system or network, and (ii) the survival probabilities of the systems and network satisfy first-order differential conditions that capture the component-level correlations using multiplier functions. We derive Nash equilibrium conditions that provide expressions for individual system survival probabilities and also the expected infrastructure capacity specified by the total number of operational components. We apply these results to derive and analyze defense strategies for distributed cloud computing infrastructures using cyber-physical models.
Construction and Functionality of a Ceramic Resonant Pressure Sensor for Operation at Elevated Temperatures
Authors: Sadl Matej , Bradesko Andraz , Belavic Darko , Bencan Andreja , Malic Barbara , Rojac Tadej
Published: May 2018

Piezoelectric ceramic resonant pressure sensors have shown potential as sensing elements for harsh environments, such as elevated temperatures. For operating temperatures exceeding ~250 °C, conventional and widely used Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) piezoelectrics should be replaced. Here, a ceramic pressure sensor from low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) was constructed by integrating a piezoelectric actuator made from bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) on a diaphragm. This ferroelectric material was selected because of its high Curie temperature (TC = 825 °C) and as a lead-free piezoelectric extensively investigated for high-temperature applications. In order to construct a sensor with suitable pressure sensitivity, numerical simulations were used to define the optimum construction dimensions. The functionality of the pressure sensor was tested up to 201 °C. The measurements confirmed a pressure sensitivity, i.e., resonance frequency shift of the sensor per unit of pressure, of −8.7 Hz/kPa up to 171 °C. It was suggested that the main reason for the hindered operation at the elevated temperatures could lie in the thermo-mechanical properties of the diaphragm and the adhesive bonding at the actuator-diaphragm interconnection.
Mobile Money, Individuals’ Payments, Remittances, and Investments: Evidence from the Ashanti Region, Ghana
Authors: Apiors Emmanuel Kwablah , Suzuki Aya
Published: May 2018

While many studies that are focused on mobile money concern the effects of mobile money on consumption and informal risk-sharing, little evidence is provided on how mobile money influences payments and microbusiness investment for low-income people. We estimate the effects of access to mobile money on individuals’ payments and income-generating activities by using data from the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Based on propensity-score matching and propensity-score weighted regression, we find that participation in mobile money is not dependent on individuals’ financial status. We also observe that mobile-money users are likely to send and receive larger volumes of payments and remittances. We further find that mobile-money users are more likely to save higher amounts, invest more in education, microbusinesses, land, and buildings, and also consume more relative to non-users.
A Newsboy Model with Quick Response under Sustainable Carbon Cap-N-Trade
Authors: Lee Jinpyo , Lee Mi Lim , Park Minjae
Published: May 2018

In this study, we consider a carbon emission cap-and-trade system in which the policymaker decides the cap for carbon emissions for each company and also has the power to regulate the carbon price in the carbon trading market for the purpose of minimizing total carbon emissions. We assume that there are n companies regulated in terms of carbon emissions by the policymaker, each of which emits carbon when producing its own product. After learning the carbon cap and carbon price regulated by the policymaker, each company makes simultaneous pricing and production decisions using the quick response strategy, and can trade some of its carbon emissions in the carbon market at the carbon price set by the policymaker, if the carbon emissions are below the cap. We model this non-cooperative game between the policymaker and companies as a Stackelberg game in which the policymaker is the leader and the companies are the followers. We show that there exists an equilibrium for the policymaker’s carbon pricing decisions and each company’s production and pricing decisions. From this equilibrium, we derive a carbon cap for the company at which the amount of traded carbon emissions is zero. This implies that some company’s production and pricing decisions, even under carbon emission restrictions, will be equal to those without the carbon emission restrictions. Also, we find that companies participating in the carbon cap-and-trade system would reduce their carbon emissions through reduced production, but can have a chance to improve profit through control of the product’s selling price.
A Social Assessment of the Usage of Renewable Energy Sources and Its Contribution to Life Quality: The Case of an Attica Urban Area in Greece
Authors: Ntanos Stamatios , Kyriakopoulos Grigorios , Chalikias Miltiadis , Arabatzis Garyfallos , Skordoulis Michalis , Galatsidas Spyros , Drosos Dimitrios
Published: May 2018

The aim of this paper is to analyze and evaluate the use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and their contribution to citizens’ life quality. For this purpose, a survey was conducted using a sample of 400 residents in an urban area of the Attica region in Greece. The methods of Principal Components Analysis and Logit Regression were used on a dataset containing the respondents’ views on various aspects of RES. Two statistical models were constructed for the identification of the main variables that are associated with the RES’ usage and respondents’ opinion on their contribution to life quality. The conclusions that can be drawn show that the respondents are adequately informed about some of the RES’ types while most of them use at least one of the examined types of RES. The benefits that RES offer, were the most crucial variable in determining both respondents’ perceptions on their usage and on their contribution to life quality.
Structural Equation Model for Evaluating Factors Affecting Quality of Social Infrastructure Projects
Authors: Hussain Shahid , Fangwei Zhu , Siddiqi Ahmed Faisal , Ali Zaigham , Shabbir Muhammad Salman
Published: May 2018

The quality of the constructed social infrastructure project has been considered a necessary measure for the sustainability of projects. Studies on factors affecting project quality have used various techniques and methods to explain the relationships between particular variables. Unexpectedly, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) has acquired very little concern in factors affecting project quality studies. To address this limitation in the body of knowledge, the objective of this study was to apply the SEM approach and build a model that explained and identified the critical factors affecting quality in social infrastructure projects. The authors developed a quantitative approach using smart-PLS version 3.2.7. This study shed light on the views of different experts based on their experience in public construction projects in Pakistan. Particularly, the authors aimed to find out the relationships between construction, stakeholders, materials, design, and external factors, and how these relate to project quality. The findings of this study revealed that the R2 value of the model was scored at 0.749, which meant that the five exogenous latent constructs collectively explained 74.9% of the variance in project quality. The Goodness-of-Fit of the model was 0.458. The construction related factor was the most important out of the five constructs. This study determined that better planning and monitoring and evaluation should be developed to better address and control the quality defects by decision-makers, project managers as well as contractors. These findings might support practitioners and decision makers to focus on quality related problems that might occur in their current or future projects.
Brooks–Corey Modeling by One-Dimensional Vertical Infiltration Method
Authors: Xing Xuguang , Wang Heng , Ma Xiaoyi
Published: May 2018

The laboratory methods used for the soil water retention curve (SWRC) construction and parameter estimation is time-consuming. A vertical infiltration method was proposed to estimate parameters α and n and to further construct the SWRC. In the present study, the relationships describing the cumulative infiltration and infiltration rate with the depth of the wetting front were established, and simplified expressions for estimating α and n parameters were proposed. The one-dimensional vertical infiltration experiments of four soils were conducted to verify if the proposed method would accurately estimate α and n. The fitted values of α and n, obtained from the RETC software, were consistent with the calculated values obtained from the infiltration method. The comparison between the measured SWRCs obtained from the centrifuge method and the calculated SWRCs that were based on the infiltration method displayed small values of root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and mean absolute error. SWMS_2D-based simulations of cumulative infiltration, based on the calculated α and n, remained consistent with the measured values due to small RMSE and MAPE values. The experiments verified the proposed one-dimensional vertical infiltration method, which has applications in field hydraulic parameter estimation.
Prediction and Optimization of the Fenton Process for the Treatment of Landfill Leachate Using an Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Maslahati Roudi Anita , Chelliapan Shreeshivadasan , Wan Mohtar Wan Hanna Melini , Kamyab Hesam
Published: May 2018

In this study, the artificial neural network (ANN) technique was employed to derive an empirical model to predict and optimize landfill leachate treatment. The impacts of H2O2:Fe2+ ratio, Fe2+ concentration, pH and process reaction time were studied closely. The results showed that the highest and lowest predicted chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency were 78.9% and 9.3%, respectively. The overall prediction error using the developed ANN model was within −0.625%. The derived model was adequate in predicting responses (R2 = 0.9896 and prediction R2 = 0.6954). The initial pH, H2O2:Fe2+ ratio and Fe2+ concentrations had positive effects, whereas coagulation pH had no direct effect on COD removal. Optimized conditions under specified constraints were obtained at pH = 3, Fe2+ concentration = 781.25 mg/L, reaction time = 28.04 min and H2O2:Fe2+ ratio = 2. Under these optimized conditions, 100% COD removal was predicted. To confirm the accuracy of the predicted model and the reliability of the optimum combination, one additional experiment was carried out under optimum conditions. The experimental values were found to agree well with those predicted, with a mean COD removal efficiency of 97.83%.
Modeling Hydroclimatic Change in Southwest Louisiana Rivers
Authors: Xue Z. George , Gochis David J. , Yu Wei , Keim Barry D. , Rohli Robert V. , Zang Zhengchen , Sampson Kevin , Dugger Aubrey , Sathiaraj David , Ge Qian
Published: May 2018

We applied the newly developed WRF-Hydro model to investigate the hydroclimatic trend encompassing the three basins in Southwest Louisiana as well as their connection with large-scale atmospheric drivers. Using the North American Land Data Assimilation System Phase 2 (NLDAS-2), we performed a multi-decadal model hindcast covering the period of 1979–2014. After validating the model’s performance against available observations, trend and wavelet analysis were applied on the time series of hydroclimatic variables from NLDAS-2 (temperature and precipitation) and model results (evapotranspiration, soil moisture, water surplus, and streamflow). Trend analysis of model-simulated monthly and annual time series indicates that the regional climate is warming and drying over the past decades, specifically during spring and summer (growing season). Wavelet analysis reveals that, since the late 1990s, the anomaly of evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and streamflow exhibits high coherency with that of precipitation. Pettitt’s test detects a possible change-point around the year 2004, after which the monthly precipitation decreased from 140 to 120 mm, evapotranspiration slightly increased from 80 to 83 mm, and water surplus decreased from 60 to 38 mm. Changes in regional climate conditions are closely correlated with large-scale climate dynamics such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
The Origins of the Miwa Lineage
Authors: Andreeva Anna
Published: May 2018

Des documents historiques suggèrent que, vers le XIIIe siècle, le Mont Miwa, dans la partie sud-est de la plaine de Yamato, devint le centre d'un culte de kami. Plus tard, ce culte sera connu comme la « lignée du shintō de Miwa » ou le « Miwaryū shintō ». Les précédentes études japonaises sur ce sujet ont souvent affirmé que des rituels invoquant les kami ont commencé dès l'année 1266. De plus, des sources datant de la fin du Moyen Âge tardif et de l'époque Edo décrivent fréquemment la lignée de Miwa de telle façon que l'on peut imaginer qu'elle constitua l'une des forces les plus importantes et les plus répandues dans le paysage religieux de la fin du Moyen Âge japonais.

Le présent article offre un aperçu de l'histoire de ce que l'on appelle le Miwa bessho, un « endroit séparé » énigmatique où la lignée de Miwa s'était établie. Sa fondation est habituellement attribuée à un Miwa shōnin nommé Kyōen (1140-1223). Les plus anciens récits hagiographiques composés par ses disciples le présentent comme un maître autodidacte et itinérant, qui s'était établi d'abord dans la partie sud du Yamato, où il aurait eu des rapports avec des ascètes bouddhiques et des adeptes du shugendō de Yoshino, de Tōnomine, de Miwa et de Mura. Il est dit avoir acquis ses initiations de diverses lignées ésotériques comme le Sanbōin-ryū, le Chūin-ryū, le Kezōin-ryū et d'autres encore, sans doute dans l'intention de créer un fond de savoirs secrets et de se légitimer lui-même comme un maître puissant du Shugendō.

L'énigmatique lignée de Miwa a laissé peu de témoignages écrits de son existence, mais de nombreuses sources externes concernant l'histoire des mouvements ésotériques dans le Japon médiéval font mention des principaux protagonistes liés aux pratiques religieuses à Miwa et décrivent leurs activités. Le présent article, tente de traiter brièvement des principales questions et de dissiper quelques mythes relatifs à l'émergence de la lignée de Miwa et ses pratiques religieuses dans le Japon médiéval.
Re-positioning the Gods: "Medieval Shintō" and the Origins of Non-Buddhist Discourses on the Kami
Authors: Rambelli Fabio
Published: May 2018

Le présent article essaie de montrer que l'un des principaux traits — peut-être même le trait le plus significatif du point de vue des développements ultérieurs — du discours médiéval sur les kami est la tendance vers l'extérieur du bouddhisme et sa vision du monde (y compris les idées bouddhiques sur les kami et les divinités locales en général). Nous discuterons de quelques cas où ce mouvement centrifuge est particulièrement évident, à savoir : les doctrines sur l'ignorance fondamentale (ganbon mumyō) en tant que condition originelle de l'univers, associée à l'idée d'un dieu primordial ; le discours sur les « kami réels » (jisshashin), c'est-à-dire les divinités locales qui résistent à l'assimilation au bouddhisme ; et ce que nous appellerons les « kami quasi-bouddhiques », qui sont des divinités telles que Gozu Tennō, Suwa Daimyōjin ou Awashima Myōjin, mais aussi des patriarches et des moines bouddhistes comme Bodhidharma et Ryōgen, dont les cultes ont commencé à l'intérieur de la religiosité combinatoire bouddhique mais se sont développés de telle façon qu'ils se sont éloignés des préoccupations principales du bouddhisme. Enfin, nous suggérerons qu'il est nécessaire de considérer l'histoire du shintō non pas dans le cadre exclusif de l'histoire de la pensée et de la religion japonaises, mais dans une perspective plus générale et comparative tenant compte des évolutions culturelles et politiques d'une grande partie de l'Asie.
Quel enseignement de la ponctuation (et autres marques d'organisation textuelle) en formation initiale d'enseignants ?
Authors: Paolacci Véronique , Garcia-Debanc Claudine
Published: May 2018

The question of the teaching of punctuation (and other textual organiza-tion markers) in teachers training courses.

Véronique Paolacci et Claudine Garcia Debanc, IUFM Midi-Pyrénées -GRIDIFE et laboratoire Lordat, université Toulouse-Le Mirail.

How to build up professional expertise in the teaching of punctuation and textual organization markers ?

Between the normative approach and the stylistic one, between activities of comprehension (reading) and activities of production (writing), trainers teachers find it difficult to define the objectives and teaching modalities of such linguistic markers as punctuation, connectives and graphie blank. How do trainee teachers see the teaching of these linguistic elements ? How can we take them to regard ail the teaching aids available, especially the text books, with a critical eye ? How can we take them to look on their pupils' writings differently ?

We first aim to characterize these teaching objects on the linguistic and psycholinguistic level. These two perspectives are complementary and they enlighten teachers about what their pupils do when writing. Then we take up a more descriptive attitude since we present an analysis of some trainee teachers' work (i.e. their class devising worksheets) done during the second year of their professional training. These analyses enable us to characterize the actual teaching practises used by the trainee teachers. Once conclusions are drawn from these descriptions a specific course is set up for the trainees. Trainers of teachers need to give themselves the means by which they can respond to the fol lowing question : what do teachers need to know and be able to do in order to implement language activities about textual organization markers efficiently and how to initiate these compétences with novice teachers ?
Quelle(s) articulation(s) entre le français langue de l’école et les langues étrangères ou régionales ? Une exploration de la transférabilité des apprentissages à l’école élémentaire
Authors: Deyrich Marie-Christine , Olivé Suzanne
Published: May 2018

L’article prend appui sur une expérimentation menée à l’IUFM de l’académie de Montpellier dans le cadre d’un projet innovant. Dans le contexte de l’école primaire, il s’agissait d’explorer théoriquement et pratiquement l’articulation entre le français langue de l’école et la langue étrangère ou régionale. Nous avons notamment examiné comment et dans quelle mesure la culture littéraire proposée en français peut servir de point d’appui pour faciliter l’acquisition des compétences dans la langue étrangère ou régionale. Notre réflexion sur la création d’outils mettant la démarche en pratique nous a amenées à proposer quelques éléments de cadrage pour leur accompagnement pédagogique. Pour discerner les points d’ancrage et les obstacles à la transférabilité des apprentissages en fonction de nos hypothèses, des activités ont été élaborées puis mises en oeuvre et analysées. Ce dispositif, qui a concerné chacun des trois cycles de l’école primaire et quatre langues (anglais, arabe, espagnol et occitan), a donné quelques résultats et il a généré de nouveaux projets.
Mon chat, je lui parle en allemand même s’il vient de France. Contacts de langues et représentations du plurilinguisme chez les jeunes apprenants frontaliers
Authors: Stratilaki Sofia
Published: May 2018

in this article, examples taken from partly guided interviews with young French-German learners illustrate some of the links existing between the multilingual language practices of children and the social representations of multilingualism as well as the multilingual skills which underlines such practices partly influenced by these representations. The verbalized representations as mentioned

in the different examples entitle us to consider that some practices are potentially linked to the dynamics of representations. From this viewpoint, the mother-tongue is both a linguistic and affective base as well as a bridge towards the construction of multilingual skills for bilingual children. The reflections which we suggest aim to a better understanding of the language interactions in class.
Les langues nationales à l’école burkinabé : enjeux d’une innovation pédagogique majeure
Authors: Sawadogo Georges
Published: May 2018

Our report first shows that the problematics about the use of national languages

in school systems has always been a major preoccupation in most countries particularly in the Subsaharan French speaking countries. After a mostly alarming acknowledgement, we then review the various pedagogical innovations, among them the way national languages are taken into account in the Burkina Faso primary schools, where the option seems to be official bilingualism. Finally we show that the different alternative forms, in their initial approach, aim to improve the school system in Burkina Faso where there is a lack of new pedagogical and didactic methods capable of reaching the objectives of a school system whose purpose is to meet both the norms of efficency and quality while at the same time it has to lie within the framework of mass education.
Évaluer les écrits littéraires des élèves
Authors: Sève Pierre
Published: May 2018

Assessing the pupils’ literary pieces of writing,

Pierre Sève, IUFM d’Auvergne et INRP The most common practices in assessing writings set forth the conformity with the linguistic and procedural models of the reference practices. They usually leave aside the deviant elements which give sense to literature though. And they usually place the fellow pupils in the position of critics. An INRP research conducted by C. Tauveron called «Literary writing of narrative pieces in primary school, what acquisitions for what skills ? A systemic and tactical approach» has tried to consider the relations existing between writers and readers on the basis of an «aesthetic relation» as Genette (1977) had defined it. Relying on the contrasted processes of two classgroups, we explore the possibility to take the pupils to that form of relation and see the effects on them. As the teacher’s evaluative reading seems to be a possible obstacle, we suggest tracks likely to transform it in reference to the posture of an editor.
L’enseignement des grands auteurs dans les écoles élémentaires de la Grèce : lecture et réaction
Authors: Kalogirou Jina
Published: May 2018

La enseñanza de los grandes autores en las escuelas elementales de Grecia : Lectura y Reacción

Jina Kalogirou, université nationale Kapodistrias d’Athènes, faculté d’enseignement primaire, département des sciences humaines (Grèce) El punto de vista que se defiende ante todo en este artículo es que una gran parte de la obra de grandes autores, como Cavafy, Elytis, Seferis, etc., podría ser realmente enseñada en la escuela elemental y que ésta suscitaría una gran variedad de reacciones estéticas. Presentamos aquí una secuencia pedagógica de un poema de George Seferis, centrada en el lector. Se trata de un fragmento de un poema de Mythistorema. El poeta, Premio Nobel, se caracteriza por la abstracción y por una multiplicidad de perspectivas. Se espera de los alumnos que descubran las múltiples posibilidades de lectura a partir de sus reacciones personales, que aludan a otros textos de su repertorio de lectura, que desarrollen su imaginación explorando la imaginería del texto. Las actividades de clase pueden ser un ejercicio con huecos para completar, la toma libre de apuntes, la lectura y el debate de textos paralelos en grupo, etc.
Des difficultés de lecture des élèves : ce qu’en disent des chercheurs et des enseignants
Authors: Soussi Anne , Broi Anne-Marie , Wirthner Martine
Published: May 2018

En fin de primaire tout comme à la fin de la scolarité obligatoire, on observe, de manière générale, en Suisse romande la présence d’élèves éprouvant des difficultés en compréhension de l’écrit. Que disent dès lors les enquêtes à grande échelle, telle que PISA (fin de 9e année) ou telle que l’enquête romande faite en fin de 6e année, sur les difficultés des élèves en lecture (11-12 ans) ? Que disent des enseignants interviewés (dans le canton de Genève), du primaire, du secondaire, voire de l’école post-obligatoire, des difficultés de compréhension de lecture de leurs élèves ? Les discours issus de ces différentes investigations seront mis en regard. Il apparait des différences dans l’appréhension des difficultés des élèves en lecture entre chercheurs et enseignants. Aussi bien à la fin du primaire que du secondaire I, les observations montrent que les élèves éprouvent plus particulièrement de la peine à répondre aux questions nécessitant une interprétation et une réflexion, à se décentrer, à saisir l’implicite d’un texte ou les intentions de l’auteur. De leur côté, les enseignants interrogés abordent ces questions selon une optique plus générale. Ils font part aussi de ce qui, à leurs yeux, est à l’origine des lacunes de leurs élèves, de leurs représentations du bon élève en lecture et de leurs stratégies de remédiation. Il s’avère finalement qu’ils manquent encore d’outils d’analyse des difficultés de leurs élèves et d’outils de remédiation.
Portraits de lecteurs faibles en compréhension au début de l’école secondaire
Authors: Van Grunderbeeck Nicole , Payette Mylène
Published: May 2018

Les élèves faibles en lecture possèdent peu de stratégies cognitives et métacognitives. Tout en partageant des caractéristiques communes, ils forment cependant un groupe hétérogène. Quelques recherches tentent de dresser des portraits de lecteurs faibles en étudiant les processus de compréhension (selon Giasson, 1990) utilisés par ceux-ci. Hormis le lecteur qui semble avoir un déficit généralisé de compréhension, cinq portraits se dessinent : le lecteur textuel faible, le lecteur limité aux microprocessus, le lecteur utilisant les micro et les macroprocessus, celui qui comprend globalement le texte et celui qui a une faiblesse marquée dans les processus d’inférence et d’élaboration. Ces recherches débouchent sur la nécessité d’enseigner à ces élèves une variété de stratégies et d’adapter les interventions en fonction des caractéristiques de chacun.