bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Ethics of Regulation
Authors: Antoni David , Leal Freddy
Published: April 2016

Regulations are often imposed in order to correct any failures in the market, whether the failure is a result of the functioning of a market or the behaviour of a government. However, every regulatory intervention br ings up a question: How ethical is the regulation? Even if a regulatory intervention could achieve more effici ency or more equity, it may not mean that it is ethi cal. The concept of ethics is ne cessarily subjective, it is based on the morals and standards of a society. Yet even though a society may be concerned about ethics, the issues of equity and altrui sm matter as does the way in which firms produce and seek to rationally an d efficiently maximize profit. Defining ethics is a difficul t issue, and defining ethical regu lation is even more difficult. Any form of regulation is a tool for interv ention used to balanc e the trade-off between efficiency and equity to create harmony between a market or economy and the society it functions within. In an ideal world, any go vernment intervention implemented would be for the greater benefit of all. However, this does not always happen in the vicissitudes of the real world when governments regulate an d intervene in markets, which are, in turn, based on the principle of rational self-interest and efficiency. In this paper we discuss the role of society in market regu lation. The discussion will focus on the importance of society on ethics and therefore on what constitutes ethical regulations. In fact we argue that equity, effi ciency or even failures are not the main factors to consider when regulating. It is society that defines ethics and how society understands ethics influences the regulatory environment
Coase vs. Pigou in the Petroleum Market
Authors: Chai Ju Vinn , Chen Cen , Giauque Fabienne , Zhu Wei
Published: April 2016

Non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels are used extensively in industrial activities and transportation. The carbon emissions gene rated from those markets are the source of a number of negative externalities such as air pollution, climate change , global warming, and the degradation of ecosystems and natural environments. To alleviate such externalities societies are usually left with one of two choices. Governments may choose to impose carbon taxes on consumers and heavy-emitting industries. This is effectively a Pigovian tax regulation, which seeks to make market participants internalize the cost of externalities into their private costs in the hope that the net increase in the cost reduces the size of the externality. As an alternative, governments may use the price mechanism of markets rather than a direct tax. This could be called a Coasian approach to curbing the externality. It usually involves creating property rights over the resource that is being polluted (e.g. air or water) and trading rights to access it. A typical example might be the creation of pollution units such as emission permits or carbon allowances. Through the trading of permits among consumers, mark et forces determine the price of carbon which facilitates an efficient reduction of emissions. In this paper, we debate the relative merits and problems of both approaches - a Coasian market solution and a Pigovian tax regulation. We consider so me concrete applications of both theoretical concepts in doing so.
Behavioural Change & Exercise: How to stop people from quitting
Authors: Smith Line , Monge Lisa
Published: April 2016

Introduction Physical activity plays a significant part in staying healthy. A healthier, more physically active lifestyle leads to a dimini shed chance of succumbing to a variety of diseases that endanger the lives of millions across the world. One of the most well- known of these diseases is obesity, discus sed in the paper by Campisano and Stewart (2008). That paper suggests taxes and tariff s on trans, saturated fats and sugars to diminish the problem. While obesity is truly an endemic probl em, we begin our paper on the established premise that physical activity is critical in preventing such diseases. We believe that the question of how obesity can be avoided by adopting a physically active lifestyle is as important as the issue that motivate s our paper – that of how to stop people from quitting.
Marriage and Mortgages
Authors: Crawford Curtis , Low Yih Feng , Rinaldo Aleksander
Published: April 2016

Using annualised data, this paper uses a regression model to help explain the relationship between home ownership, marriage, and key economic variables. By investigating the current body of knowledge this paper highlights support for two main theories that explain a fall in home ownership among those aged less than 35. Social trends, particularly delays in relationship formation (marriages), are cited by many academics as being the main reason for the decline in ownership among the young. However, there is more recent support for economic factors, suggesting affordability is much more of an issue for those who wish to achieve home ownership. The regression model, which uses home finance as a proxy for entry to home ownership, suggests that there is a statistically significant relationship between marriages and homeownership from 1979 - 2010 but not between median house prices and home ownership.
Power to the people: what’s driving the supply of green microfinance?
Authors: D’Almeida Skye , Roberts Michael
Published: April 2016

This paper explores some of the possible drivers of the supply of a relatively new form of microfinance: microloans for distributed clean energy systems. The number of microfinance institutions offering this ‘green microfinance’ varies considerably across developing economies. Drawing from a sample of countries in Latin America, we consider whether the green microfinance market is attractive for firms to enter without the need for market interventions. That is, we test the hypothesis that entry will occur provided there is high demand for green microfinance and an absence of barriers to entry. We also test an alternative hypothesis that these conditions are insufficient and that direct support from governments or development organisations is required to promote market entry. Regression analysis using data sourced from development organisations, government databases and industry publications confirms our hypothesis and leads us to reject our alternative hypothesis.
Mining and developing nations: does mining contribute to socioeconomic development?
Authors: Huehne Michael
Published: April 2016

The hypothesis that an active mining industry results in decreased economic benefits to developing countries has often been supported by the theory commonly referred to as the Resource Curse. Data from the World Bank provides some support to the argument that there is a negative relationship between natural resource exploitation and economic development, but more recently it appears this relationship does not hold true. With the advent of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development there is increasing evidence that affirms an alternate hypothesis; that an active mining industry results in increased socioeconomic benefits to developing countries. In order to test this hypothesis this study relies on analysis of macroeconomic data primarily obtained from the World Bank, and in order to analyse measures relating to social development and welfare, examination of alternative measures using the United Nations’ Human Development Index and Millennium Development Goals. Investigation, using a sub-group of sub-Saharan developing countries as the sample selection, supports the alternative hypothesis.
Does economic growth positively affect income inequality in China?
Authors: Ding Xun , Dong Tian , Xu Yanjie , Zheng Zhi
Published: April 2016

This report focuses on the relationship between the economic growth and income inequality in China. The hypothesis is that economic growth led to an increase in income inequality in China. The alternative hypothesis is that economic growth led to a decrease in income inequality in China. After analysing GDP per capita and the GINI index from World Bank, the results show a positive relationship between economic growth and income inequality. Additionally, this report also would measure the influence of monopoly power and the disposable income of urban/rural households to further support the hypothesis.
The Income Elasticity of Gambling in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Davies Jamie
Published: April 2016

This paper analyses disposable income as it relates to consumer demand for gambling products in Australia and New Zealand from Financial years (FY) 1998 to 2008. The hypothesis is that income elasticity of demand for gambling products is greater than one i.e. gambling products are a luxury good. The alternate hypothesis is that the income elasticity of demand for gambling products are less than one and are classed as either necessity or inferior goods. Data compiled by the Queensland Treasury and Trade department, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Statistics New Zealand and the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs was used to calculate income elasticities for all gambling products. The results indicate that income elasticity for gambling products varies over time and is greater than one pre FY2003 and less than one post FY2003. However, once the change in market share of different gambling products and the large increase in supply in the gaming industry sector (pre FY2003) was accounted for, income elasticities were estimated to be less than one in support of the alternate hypothesis.
Unconventional Reservoir Model Predictions Using Massively-Parallel Flow-Simulation: Bakken/Three Forks Reservoir Development Cases and SRV Testing
Authors: Shahvali M. , Gilman J. R. , Angola O. , Uland M. , Meng H. , Esler K. , Mukundakrishnan K. , Ghasemi M. , Natoli V.
Published: April 2016

This paper discusses the application of massively-parallel GPU flow-simulation to rapidly compare alternate reservoir development cases in the Bakken/Three Forks using vertically offset stacks of horizontal wells. Compared with conventional CPU flow simulation, Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) used as general purpose processors allow much faster run times and larger models (10+ million cells). Larger flow simulation models can retain important details of reservoir characterization (hydro-frac SRV + natural fractures + matrix), allowing investigation of many alternative development cases such as closely spaced, vertically offset stacked wells with interfering hydro-frac stages. These multi-pad horizontal well cases are often difficult to simulate due to model active cell size limits or impractical due to project time constraints.

This study aims to investigate three key what-if scenarios that are of current operational and economic significance. In particular, we investigate the impact of hydraulic fracture height, delayed drilling of the vertically offset horizontal wells, as well as horizontal well interference between Middle Bakken and Three Forks. The simulations are run on a GPU based simulator allowing us to take advantage of its high computational efficiency and reduced simulation run times, and to retain geomodel geological detail.

For the flow-sim examples presented in this work, we use a detailed Bakken and Three Forks geomodel based on NDIC public data. We demonstrate how the optimized GPU formulation provides the ability to run multiple fine-scale realizations with offset stacked groups of Bakken and Three Forks horizontal well sets to address vertical hydro-frac SRV uncertainty. Furthermore, we investigate several development cases that provide economic scenarios for future production from Bakken/Three Forks play.

Multi-million cell GPU flow-sim models are shown to run at least an order of magnitude faster than current parallel CPU algorithms for the same large Bakken/Three Forks combined models. Our fast full-physics simulations enable investigation of a wide range of what-if scenarios, thereby providing a better insight into several aspects of production from the complex Bakken/Three Forks play including hydraulic fracture interactions.
Implementation of dynamic working condition seawater desalination system optimization and simulation model
Authors: Zhao Zhihan , Zheng Yuan , Wu Zaiqiang
Published: April 2016

Freshwater is an increasingly important research topic in the 21st century, similar to the importance of coal and oil in the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively. To expand expertise on desalination systems, this study aims to design a set of seawater desalination systems with dynamic working conditions based on the visualized development platform LABVIEW. The optimization searched for the optimal working conditions and formed the seawater desalination refinement process control technology and solution. A scaled dynamic load working device safety and protection solution was obtained, and an ideal scenario compared with the real operation environment was reproduced to assist people in operating and running the system.
Enhanced Versus Conventional Sludge Anaerobic Processes: Performances and Techno‐Economic Assessment
Authors: Gianico Andrea , Bertanza Giorgio , Braguglia Camilla M. , Canato Matteo , Gallipoli Agata , Laera Giuseppe , Levantesi Caterina , Mininni Giuseppe
Published: April 2016

Sewage sludge processing is a key issue in water resource recovery facilities due to the inefficacy of conventional treatments to produce high quality biosolids to be safely used in agriculture. Under this framework, the performances of several enhanced stabilization processes, namely ultrasound‐pretreated Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion (US+MAD), thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD), thermal‐pretreated TAD (TH+TAD) and ultrasound‐pretreated inverse Temperature Phased Anaerobic Digestion (US+iTPAD) have been investigated. Such enhanced processes resulted in higher biogas yields and higher destruction of pathogens with respect to conventional MAD process, thus suggesting their feasibility in full‐scale implementation perspectives. A procedure for technical‐economic comparison of new sludge processing lines against conventional ones (benchmarking) was developed, based on the definition of technical issues (e.g. reliability, complexity, etc.) which are rated for each situation. Moreover, capital and operating costs were estimated. The enhanced processes analyzed in this work showed some potentially critical items, mainly related to energy balance and reagent consumption.
Caregivers’ attitudes, knowledge and practices of oral care at nursing homes in Serbia
Authors: Stancic Ivica , Petrovic Milos , Popovac Aleksandra , Vasovic Miroslav , Despotovic Nebojsa
Published: April 2016

Background/Aim. Within the elderly population, residents in nursing homes,
there is a greather risk of caries, periodontal disease and teeth loss.
Assistance of caregivers in maintaininig good oral hygiene besides improving
oral health can improve of residents general health and the qulity of their
lives. The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of caregivers and
knowledge about oral health, as well as the practice regarding oral care they
apply at nursing homes in Serbia. Methods. The survey was conducted at the
Gerontology Center Belgrade, consisting of four nursing homes located in the
urban area. The study included 58 caregivers. They were contacted on working
days, in all work shifts, during January, February and March of 2013. They
were asked to fill in a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 26
closed-type questions. Results. The caregivers mostly considered that it was
very important to take care of oral health of the residents, but 69%
responded that the level of their oral health was low or very low. As the
main barriers to oral hygiene maintenance, the caregivers indicated lack of
time. The caregivers had more knowledge about periodontal disease than about
the main cause of caries and its prevention. Formal medical education had the
influence on the knowledge about oral diseases. Oral hygiene procedures
carried out by the mayority of caregivers were denture cleaning and tooth
brushing. Conclusion. The caregivers were aware of the limitations in
everyday oral care of nursing homes residents in Serbia, although solving
these problems requires the involvement of the entire public health service.
Neobladder “Belgrade pouch”: Metabolic consideration
Authors: Bancevic Vladimir , Aleksic Predrag , Stamenkovic Dusica , Pejcic Tomislav , Milovic Novak , Kovacevic Bozidar , Cerovic Snezana
Published: April 2016

Bacground/Aim. The ileal neobladder should be a lowpressure reservoir with
acceptable volume and relatively small resorptive surface. A larger inner
surface of the ileal pouch is associated with the high resorption of urine
metabolites through intestinal mucosa and systemic metabolic disturbances,
while a too small pouch results in a higher frequency of voiding and
incontinency. The aim of this study was to investigate it is possible to
create a neobladder from a shorter ileal segment compared to standard
surgical techniques, and reduce metabolic complications. Methods. This
prospective study included 77 male patients, scheduled for radical cystectomy
and orthotopic neobladder derivation. The patients were divided into two
groups: the standard pouch (SP) group of 37 patients scheduled for standard
orthotopic neobladder, using a 50?70 cm long terminal ileum segment; the
?Belgrade pouch? (BP) group of 40 patients scheduled for original, orthotopic
urinary reservoir, using a 25?35 cm long terminal ileum segment. We measured
neobladder capacity, acidosis, base excess and bicarbonate concentration in
the postoperative month 3rd, 6th, 12th and 15th. Results. At the end of the
study, the patients from the SP group had much higher neobladder capacity
than the natural bladder ? 750 mL (range 514?2,050 mL); in contrast, the
patients from the BP group had average capacity of 438 mL (range 205?653 mL)
(p < 0.001). At the end of the study, there were more patients with acidosis
(37.8% : 2.5%), base excess (35.1% : 7.5%) and low bicarbonate level (40.5% :
20.0%) in the SP group, than in the BP group, respectively (p < 0.001).
Conclusion. ?Belgrade pouch?, make from 25?35 cm long terminal ileum segment
may obtain adequate capacity and lower rate of metabolic disturbances than
standard, high capacity orthotopic neobladders.
Optical coherence tomography in the evaluation of structural changes in primary open-angle glaucoma with and without elevated intraocular pressure
Authors: Trenkic-Bozinovic Marija , Zlatanovic Gordana , Jovanovic Predrag , Veselinovic Dragan , Djordjevic-Jocic Jasmina , Radenkovic Marija , Resan Mirko
Published: April 2016

Background/Aim. Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy characterized by
damage of the retinal ganglion cells and their axons and glial cells. The
aim of this study was to evaluate the differences and connections between
changes in the visual field and the thickness of the peripapillary retinal
nerve fiber layer (RNFL), using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in
patients with primary open-angle glaucoma with normal and elevated
intraocular pressure (IOP). Methods. This prospective study included 38
patients (38 eyes) with primary open-angle glaucoma with normal intraocular
pressure (NTG) and 50 patients (50 eyes) with primary open-angle glaucoma
with elevated intraocular pressure (HTG), paired by the same degree of
structural glaucomatous changes in the optic nerve head and by age. OCT
protocols ?fast RNFL thickness? and ?fast optic disc? were used for testing.
The patients? age, gender, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), IOP,
stereometric and functional parameters were compared. Results. The average
age of the examined population was 65.49 ? 9.36 (range 44-83) years. There
was no statistically significant difference by age and by gender between the
two study groups (p = 0.795 and p = 0.807, respectively). BCVA was higher in
patients with NTG but there was no statistically significant difference
compared to HTG patients (p = 0.160). IOP was statistically significantly
higher in patients with HTG compared to NTG patients (17.40 ? 2.77 mmHg vs
14.95 ? 3.01 mmHg, p = 0.009). The cup/disc (C/D) (p = 0.258), mean
deviation (MD) (p = 0.477), corrected patern standard deviation (CPSD) (p =
0.943), disk area (p = 0.515), rim area (p = 0.294), rim volume (p = 0.118),
C/D area R (p = 0.103), RNFL Average (p = 0.632), RNFL Superior (p = 0.283)
and RNFL Inferior (p = 0.488) were not statistically significantly different
between the groups. Conclusion. OCT measurements of the RNFL thickness
provide clinically significant information in monitoring of glaucomatous
changes. There are no differences in the patterns of RNFL defects per
sectors and quadrants between NTG and HTG, measured by OCT.
Life Is Simple—Biologic Complexity Is an Epiphenomenon
Authors: Torday John
Published: April 2016

Life originated from unicellular organisms by circumventing the Second Law of Thermodynamics using the First Principles of Physiology, namely negentropy, chemiosmosis and homeostatic regulation of calcium and lipids. It is hypothesized that multicellular organisms are merely contrivances or tools, used by unicellular organisms as agents for the acquisition of epigenetic inheritance. The First Principles of Physiology, which initially evolved in unicellular organisms are the exapted constraints that maintain, sustain and perpetuate that process. To ensure fidelity to this mechanism, we must return to the first principles of the unicellular state as the determinants of the primary level of selection pressure during the life cycle. The power of this approach is reflected by examples of its predictive value. This perspective on life is a “game changer”, mechanistically rendering transparent many dogmas, teleologies and tautologies that constrain the current descriptive view of Biology.
An Evolutionary Framework for Understanding the Origin of Eukaryotes
Authors: Blackstone Neil
Published: April 2016

Two major obstacles hinder the application of evolutionary theory to the origin of eukaryotes. The first is more apparent than real—the endosymbiosis that led to the mitochondrion is often described as “non-Darwinian” because it deviates from the incremental evolution championed by the modern synthesis. Nevertheless, endosymbiosis can be accommodated by a multi-level generalization of evolutionary theory, which Darwin himself pioneered. The second obstacle is more serious—all of the major features of eukaryotes were likely present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor thus rendering comparative methods ineffective. In addition to a multi-level theory, the development of rigorous, sequence-based phylogenetic and comparative methods represents the greatest achievement of modern evolutionary theory. Nevertheless, the rapid evolution of major features in the eukaryotic stem group requires the consideration of an alternative framework. Such a framework, based on the contingent nature of these evolutionary events, is developed and illustrated with three examples: the putative intron proliferation leading to the nucleus and the cell cycle; conflict and cooperation in the origin of eukaryotic bioenergetics; and the inter-relationship between aerobic metabolism, sterol synthesis, membranes, and sex. The modern synthesis thus provides sufficient scope to develop an evolutionary framework to understand the origin of eukaryotes.
A Transformerless Medium Voltage Multiphase Motor Drive System
Authors: Wang Dan , Yang Jiawei , Chen Zhu , Mao Chengxiong , Lu Jiming
Published: April 2016

A multiphase motor has several major advantages, such as high reliability, fault tolerance, and high power density. It is a critical issue to develop a reliable and efficient multiphase motor drive system. In this paper, a transformerless voltage source converter-based drive system for a medium-voltage (MV) multiphase motor is proposed. This drive converter employs cascaded H-bridge rectifiers loaded by H-bridge inverters as the interface between the grid and multiphase motor. The cascaded H-bridge rectifier technique makes the drive system able to be directly connected to the MV grid without the phase-shifting transformer because it can offset the voltage level gap between the MV grid and the semiconductor devices, provide near-sinusoidal AC terminal voltages without filters, and draw sinusoidal line current from the grid. Based on a digital signal processor (DSP), a complete improved Phase Disposition Pulse Width Modulation (PD-PWM) method is developed to ensure the individual DC-link capacitor voltage balancing for enhancing the controllability and limiting the voltage and power stress on the H-bridge cells. A downscaled prototype is designed and developed based on a nine-phase motor. The experimental results verify the excellent performances of the proposed drive system and control strategy in steady-state and variant-frequency startup operations.
Numerical Evaluation and Optimization of Multiple Hydraulically Fractured Parameters Using a Flow-Stress-Damage Coupled Approach
Authors: Wang Yu , Li Xiao , Hu Ruilin , Ma Chaofeng , Zhao Zhiheng , Zhang Bo
Published: April 2016

Multiple-factor analysis and optimization play a critical role in the the ability to maximizethe stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) and the success of economic shale gas production. In this paper, taking the typical continental naturally fractured silty laminae shale in China as anexample, response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize multiple hydraulic fracturing parameters to maximize the stimulated area in combination with numerical modeling based on the coupled flow-stress-damage (FSD) approach. This paper demonstrates hydraulic fracturing effectiveness by defining two indicesnamelythe stimulated reservoir area (SRA) and stimulated silty laminae area (SLA). Seven uncertain parameters, such as laminae thickness, spacing, dip angle, cohesion, internal friction angle (IFA), in situ stress difference (SD), and an operational parameter-injection rate (IR) with a reasonable range based on silty Laminae Shale, Southeastern Ordos Basin, are used to fit a response of SRA and SLA as the objective function, and finally identity the optimum design under the parameters based on simultaneously maximizingSRA and SLA. In addition, asensitivity analysis of the influential factors is conducted for SRA and SLA. The aim of the study is to improve the artificial ability to control the fracturing network by means of multi-parameteroptimization. This work promises to provide insights into the effective exploitation of unconventional shale gas reservoirs via optimization of the fracturing design for continental shale, Southeastern Ordos Basin, China.
Predictors of Workplace Bullying and Cyber-Bullying in New Zealand
Authors: Gardner Dianne , O’Driscoll Michael , Cooper-Thomas Helena , Roche Maree , Bentley Tim , Catley Bevan , Teo Stephen , Trenberth Linda
Published: April 2016

Background: The negative effects of in-person workplace bullying (WB) are well established. Less is known about cyber-bullying (CB), in which negative behaviours are mediated by technology. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the current research examined how individual and organisational factors were related to WB and CB at two time points three months apart. Methods: Data were collected by means of an online self-report survey. Eight hundred and twenty-six respondents (58% female, 42% male) provided data at both time points. Results: One hundred and twenty-three (15%) of participants had been bullied and 23 (2.8%) of participants had been cyber-bullied within the last six months. Women reported more WB, but not more CB, than men. Worse physical health, higher strain, more destructive leadership, more team conflict and less effective organisational strategies were associated with more WB. Managerial employees experienced more CB than non-managerial employees. Poor physical health, less organisational support and less effective organisational strategies were associated with more CB. Conclusion: Rates of CB were lower than those of WB, and very few participants reported experiencing CB without also experiencing WB. Both forms of bullying were associated with poorer work environments, indicating that, where bullying is occurring, the focus should be on organisational systems and processes.
The Role of Science in Advising the Decision Making Process: A Pathway for Building Effective Climate Change Mitigation Policies in Mexico at the Local Level
Authors: Barraza Roberto , Velazquez-Angulo Gilberto , Flores-Tavizón Edith , Romero-González Jaime , Huertas-Cardozo José
Published: April 2016

This study examines a pathway for building urban climate change mitigation policies by presenting a multi-dimensional and transdisciplinary approach in which technical, economic, environmental, social, and political dimensions interact. Now, more than ever, the gap between science and policymaking needs to be bridged; this will enable judicious choices to be made in regarding energy and climate change mitigation strategies, leading to positive social impacts, in particular for the populations at-risk at the local level. Through a case study in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, we propose a multidimensional and transdisciplinary approach with the role of scientist as policy advisers to improve the role of science in decision-making on mitigation policies at the local level in Mexico.
The Glutathione Derivative, GSH Monoethyl Ester, May Effectively Whiten Skin but GSH Does Not
Authors: Chung Bo , Choi So , Moon Ik , Park Chun , Kim Young-Hoon , Chang Sung
Published: April 2016

Glutathione in its reduced form (GSH) is an antioxidant and also is involved in pheomelanin formation. Thus, it has been long believed that GSH has a skin whitening effect. However, its actual or direct effect is unproven. We evaluated the anti-melanogenic effects of GSH and its derivatives in vitro. We examined change of melanogenesis and its related proteins by GSH itself and its derivatives, including GSH monoethyl ester (GSH-MEE), GSH diethyl ester (GSH-DEE) and GSH monoisopropyl ester (GSH-MIPE) in Melan-A cells, Mel-Ab cells, and B16F10 cells. GSH and GSH-MEE did not display cytotoxic activity, but GSH-MIPE and GSH-DEE did. Intriguingly, GSH itself had no inhibitory effect on melanin production or intracellular tyrosinase activity. Rather, it was GSH-MEE and GSH-MIPE that profoundly reduced the amount of melanin and intracellular tyrosinase activity. Thus, GSH-MEE was selected as a suitable candidate skin-whitening agent and it did not alter melanogenesis-associated proteins such as microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase, tyrosinase-related protein (TRP)-1, and TRP-2, but it did increase the amount of suggested pheomelanin and suggested pheomelanin/eumelanin ratio. GSH-MEE was effective for anti-melanogenesis, whereas GSH itself was not. GSH-MEE could be developed as a safe and efficient agent for the treatment of hyperpigmentation skin disorders.
The Structure of Local Groundwater Law for Sustainable Groundwater Policy in Japan
Authors: Hori Sayaka
Published: April 2016

Groundwater is extremely important to all societies. It provides in many places a reliable and ample supply of water for home use, irrigation, and industry. Japanese groundwater policy consists of complex laws and rules. The law governing groundwater nationally is inadequate. The main controversy has been that a river law exists only at a national level, whereas groundwater law does not exist in the national law of Japan. When local government faces problems with groundwater, the policy makers have to solve the problem following their local rules. Each local government solves problems case by case. Local government is used to obeying local rules and old traditions. Local common law becomes the local groundwater rule. Groundwater policy has recently been progressively promoted to an evolution of the local groundwater ordinances for sustainable groundwater conservation. This paper describes the complex legal framework of the related local groundwater policy and regulations under Japanese law. This is a bibliographic survey of Japanese groundwater laws and local groundwater ordinances. It is used to analyze the functions of local autonomy and the role of ordinances and to explain its changing functionalities of groundwater ordinances. Local ordinances are known as the strongest conservation legal network for sustainable groundwater policy in Japan. This is the first paper to try to explain the basic principles of the Japanese groundwater law for an international journal.
Poly(lactide)-g-poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) with High Crystallization Capacity and Migration Resistance
Authors: Yang Xi , Xu Huan , Odelius Karin , Hakkarainen Minna
Published: April 2016

Plasticized polylactide (PLA) with increased crystallization ability and prolonged life-span in practical applications due to the minimal plasticizer migration was prepared. Branched plasticized PLA was successfully obtained by coupling poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (PBSA) to crotonic acid (CA) functionalized PLA. The plasticization behavior of PBSA coupled PLA (PLA-CA-PBSA) and its counterpart PBSA blended PLA (PLA/PBSA) were fully elucidated. For both PLA-CA-PBSA and PLA/PBSA, a decrease of Tg to around room temperature and an increase in the elongation at break of PLA from 14% to 165% and 460%, respectively, were determined. The crystallinity was increased from 2.1% to 8.4% for PLA/PBSA and even more, to 10.6%, for PLA-CA-PBSA. Due to the inherent poor miscibility between the PBSA and PLA, phase separation occurred in the blend, while PLA-CA-PBSA showed no phase separation which, together with the higher crystallinity, led to better oxygen barrier properties compared to neat PLA and PLA/PBSA. A higher resistance to migration during hydrolytic degradation for the PLA-CA-PBSA compared to the PLA/PBSA indicated that the plasticization effect of PBSA in the coupled material would be retained for a longer time period.
Mechanical and Physical Properties of Hydrophobized Lightweight Aggregate Concrete with Sewage Sludge
Authors: Suchorab Zbigniew , Barnat-Hunek Danuta , Franus Małgorzata , Łagód Grzegorz
Published: April 2016

This article is focused on lightweight aggregate-concrete modified by municipal sewage sludge and lightweight aggregate-concrete obtained from light aggregates. The article presents laboratory examinations of material physical parameters. Water absorptivity of the examined material was decreased by the admixture of water emulsion of reactive polysiloxanes. Water transport properties were determined using Time Domain Reflectometry, an indirect technique for moisture detection in porous media. Together with basic physical parameters, the heat conductivity coefficient λ was determined for both types of lightweight aggregate-concrete. Analysis of moisture and heat properties of the examined materials confirmed the usefulness of light aggregates supplemented with sewage sludge for prospective production.
Structural Interpretation of the Large Slowdown of Water Dynamics at Stacked Phospholipid Membranes for Decreasing Hydration Level: All-Atom Molecular Dynamics
Authors: Calero Carles , Stanley H. , Franzese Giancarlo
Published: April 2016

Hydration water determines the stability and function of phospholipid membranes as well as the interaction of membranes with other molecules. Experiments and simulations have shown that water dynamics slows down dramatically as the hydration decreases, suggesting that the interfacial water that dominates the average dynamics at low hydration is slower than water away from the membrane. Here, based on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we provide an interpretation of the slowdown of interfacial water in terms of the structure and dynamics of water–water and water–lipid hydrogen bonds (HBs). We calculate the rotational and translational slowdown of the dynamics of water confined in stacked phospholipid membranes at different levels of hydration, from completely hydrated to poorly hydrated membranes. For all hydrations, we analyze the distribution of HBs and find that water–lipids HBs last longer than water–water HBs and that at low hydration most of the water is in the interior of the membrane. We also show that water–water HBs become more persistent as the hydration is lowered. We attribute this effect (i) to HBs between water molecules that form, in turn, persistent HBs with lipids; (ii) to the hindering of the H-bonding switching between water molecules due to the lower water density at the interface; and (iii) to the higher probability of water–lipid HBs as the hydration decreases. Our interpretation of the large dynamic slowdown in water under dehydration is potentially relevant in understanding membrane biophysics at different hydration levels.
Five 2-(2-Phenylethyl)chromones from Sodium Chloride-Elicited Aquilaria sinensis Cell Suspension Cultures
Authors: Zhang Zhongxiu , Wang Xiaohui , Yang Wanqing , Wang Juan , Su Cong , Liu Xiao , Li Jun , Zhao Yunfang , Shi Shepo , Tu Pengfei
Published: April 2016

Five 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones including a new one, (5S,6R,7S,8R)-5,8-dichloro-6,7-dihydroxy-2-phenylethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-chromen-4-one (1), and four known ones (2–5), were isolated from 150 mM NaCl-elicited Aquilaria sinensis cell suspension cultures. In addition, three feruloyl amides (6–8), six nucleosides (9–14), (+)-syringaresinol (15), indole-3-carboxaldehyde (16), and two glycosides (17–18) were also obtained. The structures were unambiguously identified by analysis of their UV, IR, NMR, and HRESIMS data. The absolute configuration of the new 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone (1) was established by a dimolybdenum tetraacetate-induced circular dichroism experiment. Compared to un-elicited cell lines, the appearance of 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones in NaCl-treated cells occurred on the 3rd and 5th days of their treatment. 2-(2-Phenylethyl)chromones, feruloyl amides, nucleosides, and lignins have been reported to be closely related to plant defense; therefore, the identification of these compounds from NaCl-elicited A. sinensis cell suspension cultures would be useful for further exploring the mechanism of agarwood formation.
Dye-Doped Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles for Live Cell and In Vivo Bioimaging
Authors: Zhang Wen-Han , Hu Xiao-Xiao , Zhang Xiao-Bing
Published: April 2016

The need for novel design strategies for fluorescent nanomaterials to improve our understanding of biological activities at the molecular level is increasing rapidly. Dye-doped fluorescent silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) emerge with great potential for developing fluorescence imaging techniques as a novel and ideal platform for the monitoring of living cells and the whole body. Organic dye-containing fluorescent SiNPs exhibit many advantages: they have excellent biocompatibility, are non-toxic, highly hydrophilic, optically transparent, size-tunable and easily modified with various biomolecules. The outer silica shell matrix protects fluorophores from outside chemical reaction factors and provides a hydrophilic shell for the insoluble nanoparticles, which enhances the photo-stability and biocompatibility of the organic fluorescent dyes. Here, we give a summary of the synthesis, characteristics and applications of fluorescent SiNPs for non-invasive fluorescence bioimaging in live cells and in vivo. Additionally, the challenges and perspectives of SiNPs are also discussed. We prospect that the further development of these nanoparticles will lead to an exciting breakthrough in the understanding of biological processes.
Streetlight Control System Based on Wireless Communication over DALI Protocol
Authors: Bellido-Outeiriño Francisco , Quiles-Latorre Francisco , Moreno-Moreno Carlos , Flores-Arias José , Moreno-García Isabel , Ortiz-López Manuel
Published: April 2016

Public lighting represents a large part of the energy consumption of towns and cities. Efficient management of public lighting can entail significant energy savings. This work presents a smart system for managing public lighting networks based on wireless communication and the DALI protocol. Wireless communication entails significant economic savings, as there is no need to install new wiring and visual impacts and damage to the facades of historical buildings in city centers are avoided. The DALI protocol uses bidirectional communication with the ballast, which allows its status to be controlled and monitored at all times. The novelty of this work is that it tackles all aspects related to the management of public lighting: a standard protocol, DALI, was selected to control the ballast, a wireless node based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard with a DALI interface was designed, a network layer that considers the topology of the lighting network has been developed, and lastly, some user-friendly applications for the control and maintenance of the system by the technical crews of the different towns and cities have been developed.
Prediction of the Strain Response of Poly-AlN/(100)Si Surface Acoustic Wave Resonator and Experimental Analysis
Authors: Chen Shuo , You Zheng
Published: April 2016

The strain sensitivity of the Aluminum Nitride (AlN)/Silicon (Si) surface acoustic wave resonator (SAWR) is predicted based on a modeling method introduced in this work, and further compared with experimental results. The strain influence on both the period of the inter-digital transducer (IDT) and the sound velocity is taken into consideration when modeling the strain response. From the modeling results, AlN and Si have opposite responses to strain; hence, for the AlN/Si-based SAWR, both a positive and a negative strain coefficient factor can be achieved by changing the thickness of the AlN layer, which is confirmed by strain response testing based on a silicon cantilever structure with two AlN configurations (1 μm and 3 μm in thickness, respectively).
Thermal Storage Systems Assessment for Energy Sustainability in Housing Units
Authors: Lagunes Vega Tania , Zamora Castro Sergio , Velazquez Camilo Oscar , Diaz Vega Ma , Campos Campos Ricardo
Published: April 2016

In order to achieve greater enhancements in energy sustainability for housing, the function and efficiency of two different passive cooling systems were studied: encapsulated water in recycled bottles of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene plates, in comparison with standard concrete slab systems, which are customarily used in housing. Experiments were placed over a tile surface, in which temperature changes were monitored for a period of 20 days from 08:00 to 20:00. The efficiency of passive thermal storage systems was endorsed through statistical analysis using the “SPSS” software. This resulted in a 17% energy saving, thus promoting energy sustainability in housing units, which reduces the use of electrical appliances required to stabilize conditions to achieve optimum thermal comfort for the human body inside a house, therefore, reducing electrical power consumption, CO2 emissions to the atmosphere and generating savings. Due to the complexity of a system with temperature changes, a fractal analysis was performed for each experimental system, using the “Benoit” software (V.1.3 with self-compatible tools of rescaled range (R/S) and a wavelets method), showing that the thermal fluctuations on the tiles with the thermal storage system adapt to the rescaled range analysis and the regular tiles adapt to the wavelets method.
Analysis of the Relationship between Tourism and Food Culture
Authors: Jiménez-Beltrán Francisco , López-Guzmán Tomás , González Santa Cruz Francisco
Published: April 2016

In recent years, gastronomy has established itself as one of the key elements for the enhancement, sustainable and consolidation of tourist destinations. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the advancement of knowledge on gastronomic tourism in European countries, specifically in the analysis of the relationship between gastronomy, culture and tourism as the research focuses on the city of Córdoba, Spain. The methodology of this research involved conducting surveys with foreign travelers who were lunching or dining at various restaurants in the historic area, and these facilities were characterized by having in their gastronomic menus major typical culinary products of the city using the concept of tapas, i.e., the presentation of gastronomy through small portions of food. The results of the study indicate that the healthy component of the gastronomy represents the main dimension. Based on the detected dimensions, three types of international visitors are established (healthy-cultural tourist, cultural tourist and generic tourist) which are considered valid and useful for segmenting the market. This highlights the importance given to gastronomy by tourists as part of the cultural identity of a place and the satisfaction achieved through the gastronomy of the city of Córdoba.
A Scorpion Defensin BmKDfsin4 Inhibits Hepatitis B Virus Replication in Vitro
Authors: Zeng Zhengyang , Zhang Qian , Hong Wei , Xie Yingqiu , Liu Yun , Li Wenxin , Wu Yingliang , Cao Zhijian
Published: April 2016

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major worldwide health problem which can cause acute and chronic hepatitis and can significantly increase the risk of liver cirrhosis and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nowadays, clinical therapies of HBV infection still mainly rely on nucleotide analogs and interferons, the usage of which is limited by drug-resistant mutation or side effects. Defensins had been reported to effectively inhibit the proliferation of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. Here, we screened the anti-HBV activity of 25 scorpion-derived peptides most recently characterized by our group. Through evaluating anti-HBV activity and cytotoxicity, we found that BmKDfsin4, a scorpion defensin with antibacterial and Kv1.3-blocking activities, has a comparable high inhibitory rate of both HBeAg and HBsAg in HepG2.2.15 culture medium and low cytotoxicity to HepG2.2.15. Then, our experimental results further showed that BmKDfsin4 can dose-dependently decrease the production of HBV DNA and HBV viral proteins in both culture medium and cell lysate. Interestingly, BmKDfsin4 exerted high serum stability. Together, this study indicates that the scorpion defensin BmKDfsin4 also has inhibitory activity against HBV replication along with its antibacterial and potassium ion channel Kv1.3-blocking activities, which shows that BmKDfsin4 is a uniquely multifunctional defensin molecule. Our work also provides a good molecule material which will be used to investigate the link or relationship of its antiviral, antibacterial and ion channel–modulating activities in the future.
SUPERNOVA DRIVING. I. THE ORIGIN OF MOLECULAR CLOUD TURBULENCE
Authors: Padoan Paolo , Pan Liubin , Haugbølle Troels , Nordlund Åke
Published: April 2016

Turbulence is ubiquitous in molecular clouds (MCs), but its origin is still unclear because MCs are usually assumed to live longer than the turbulence dissipation time. Interstellar medium (ISM) turbulence is likely driven by supernova (SN) explosions, but it has never been demonstrated that SN explosions can establish and maintain a turbulent cascade inside MCs consistent with the observations. In this work, we carry out a simulation of SN-driven turbulence in a volume of (250 pc)3, specifically designed to test if SN driving alone can be responsible for the observed turbulence inside MCs. We find that SN driving establishes a velocity scaling consistent with the usual scaling laws of supersonic turbulence, suggesting that previous idealized simulations of MC turbulence, driven with a random, large-scale volume force, were correctly adopted as appropriate models for MC turbulence, despite the artificial driving. We also find that the same scaling laws extend to the interiors of MCs, and that the velocity–size relation of the MCs selected from our simulation is consistent with that of MCs from the Outer-Galaxy Survey, the largest MC sample available. The mass–size relation and the mass and size probability distributions also compare successfully with those of the Outer Galaxy Survey. Finally, we show that MC turbulence is super-Alfvénic with respect to both the mean and rms magnetic-field strength. We conclude that MC structure and dynamics are the natural result of SN-driven turbulence.