bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Youse in New Yawk”: The Gender Politics of Zora Neale Hurston’s “Lost” Caroline Stories
Authors: West M. Genevieve
Published: July 2015

In this essay, I examine two of Hurston’s urban migration tales, “The Country in the Woman,” (1927) and “She Rock” (1933), and conduct the first sustained critical treatment of them as historically embedded subversive critiques of New Negro female identity. Both tales focus on a character who also appears elsewhere in Hurston’s work: Caroline. Hurston’s urban Caroline stories are at once corrective and entertaining as the stories challenge negative, sexually-based stereotypes of African Americans, especially of women, and New Negro attempts to inscribe black women as middle-class wives and mothers. Her Caroline folk characters in these two urban versions resist commodification and posit a folk-based alternative female identity that exists outside of the either/or dichotomies posed by the dominant discourses of the period and implicitly challenge the New Negro notion that black women were solely responsible for the well-being of the race. Only within the context of competing negative and positive discourses on black female identity from the period can we examine Hurston’s Caroline stories and appreciate the sophistication of Hurston’s subversive strategies. While I argue that Hurston’s female and male characters’ gendered identities are mutually constitutive and therefore difficult to separate, a thorough treatment of masculinity in these stories is beyond the scope of this essay. Thus, I explore elements of masculinity only to the extent that the male characters contribute to or reveal constructions of female identity.
Kinless or Queer: The Unthinkable Queer Slave in Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Robert O’Hara’s Insurrection: Holding History
Authors: Balon Rebecca
Published: July 2015

Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved and Robert O’Hara’s play Insurrection: Holding History foreground nonnormative sexuality in their reinhabitations of American slavery. Sexuality has a unique relationship to the fundamental conditions of enslavement: preclusion from legally recognized kinship bonds and the inability to generate reproductive futurity. Morrison deploys nonnormative sexuality to represent the perversions of slavery from which the postbellum black psyche must recover to attain heteronormative patriarchy, while O’Hara sends a contemporary queer character back in time to discover the parallels between himself and his enslaved ancestors. Despite their differences, both works demonstrate that the conditions of kinlessness and lack of futurity preclude the enslaved from exercising or articulating queer sexuality.
Isolation protocol for patients with severe combined immune deficiency
Authors: Reid Brenda , Courtney Sarah
Published: July 2015

Infants with severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) typically present in the first few months of life with severe, recurrent, opportunistic infections, and without definitive treatment the condition is invariably fatal (Gaspar et al. 2013). Many centres believe that protective isolation is required for treatment of SCID patients once diagnosed, and the isolation protocol varies across institutions. This paper describes the isolation protocol for SCID requiring hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) that has been utilized at our institution for over the last 25 years. We believe that the profound immunodeficiency in SCID patients warrants a more restrictive treatment to limit the morbidity and mortality associated with HSCT. With this protocol, we have seen a very low infection rate in and have a very good survival rate for our SCID population.
Artistic symbols as support of a biased imagination
Authors: Nicolau Felix
Published: July 2015

Ian McEwan has indulged in macabre plots whose points of interest reside in the power of the imaginary over allegedly rational reality. In novels like Atonement, Enduring Love, On Chesil Beach and Amsterdam he points out how approaching the world scientifically can be as misleading as doing it in religious or literary ways. The target of my paper is to spot those common loci of fanaticism and narrowed perspectives which have constituted the origin of many tragedies. Such a conjured tragedy may be identified with a sluice facilitating the passage from postmodernism to post-postmodernism
The deficit myth of our culture. Confirming the Sacred
Authors: Sîrbu Otilia
Published: July 2015

The term sacred can define itself by the influence it has. It can also be quantified simply by reporting it to other realities such as the profane, the mysterious, the absolute, the infinite and even the possible. From this analogy, the most successful, most imposing collocation is the one made from the sacred and the profane. The opposition between the two underlines two realities, giving the former a rightful and expected brilliance, and the latter the well-defined role it has taken upon itself
The elements of humanity and Sufism in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden
Authors: Arian Ali
Published: July 2015

It seems that the very important role of literature is its transcendental appeal. Literature knows no boundary and it ties whole nations even if they are politically segregated. The present paper tries to trace some of the salient features of humanism and Sufism, such as Absolute Unity, simplicity, selfknowing, purity, solitude, loving one another and some others in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. This American writer, as an ardent follower of the Transcendental Club in America and the holy scriptures of the East, was known as the hero of simplicity in the U.S.A. Being a protester against government and society, he dwelled for more than two years alone in Walden Pond to see the mysteries of life and to find Reality and the Almighty. He believed Nature to be the best teacher and opined that every parcel of nature is a sign of God. He came to know about the holy scriptures of the East, especially those of the Indians and strongly used them in his writings, especially in Walden and the Week. Therefore such a person who seeks God, indeed, can be familiar with elements of humanism and Sufism, and one can find such elements in Walden by pondering its text
Synthesis and evaluation of the smart electric powered wheelchair route stabilization concept – a simulation study
Authors: Skrzypczyk Krzysztof , Gałuszka Adam , Ilewicz Witold , Antas Tomasz
Published: July 2015

The paper addresses the problem of algorithm synthesis for controlling the motion of an electric powered wheelchair. The aim of the algorithm is to stabilize the wheelchair following a linear path and avoiding obstacles if occurred on its way. The main restriction imposed on the project is the application of simple low-cost sensors. That implies the system to cope with a number of inaccuracies and uncertainties related to the measurements. The goal of this work is to evaluate the possibility of the wheelchair project with a navigation system which aids a disable person to move in a complex and dynamic areas. Exemplary simulations are presented in order to discuss the results obtained.
An anisotropic bimodal energy for the segmentation of thin tubes and its approximation with Γ-convergence
Authors: Vicente David
Published: July 2015

This work is a contribution to the problem of detection of thin structures, namely tubes, in a 2D or 3D image. We introduce a variational bimodal model for the case where the histogram of the image has two main modes. This model involves an energy functional that depends on a function and a Riemannian metric. One of the terms of this energy is the anisotropic perimeter associated to the dual metric. We perform an approximation of this functional and prove that it Γ-converges to the original one.
A Simulation for Detecting Nonlinear Echoes from Microbubbles Packets
Authors: Ali Mohamed G.S. , Elsayed Nour Z. , Eid Ebtsam A.
Published: July 2015

This work presents a simulation of the response of packets of microbubbles in an ultrasonic pulse-echo scan line. Rayleigh-Plesset equation has been used to predict the echo from numerically obtained radial dynamics of microbubbles. Varying the number of scattering microbubbles on the pulse wave form has been discussed. To improve microbubble-specific imaging at high frequencies, the subharmonic and second harmonic signals from individual microbubbles as well as microbubbles packets were simulated as a function of size and pressure. Two different modes of harmonic generation have been distinguished. The strength and bandwidth of the subharmonic component in the scattering spectrum of microbubbles is greater than that of the second harmonic. The pressure spectra provide quantitative and detailed information on the dynamic behaviour of ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles packet.
Sound Radiation from a Surface Source Located at the Bottom of the Wedge Region
Authors: Szemela Krzysztof
Published: July 2015

Applying rigorous analytical methods, formulas describing the sound radiation have been obtained for the wedge region bounded by two transverse baffles with a common edge and bottom. It has been assumed that the surface sound source is located at the bottom. The presented formulas can be used to calculate the sound pressure and power inside the wedge region. They are valid for any value of the wedge angle and represent a generalization of the formulas describing the sound radiation inside the two and three-wall corner region. Moreover, the presented formulas can be easily adapted for any case when more than one sound source is located at the bottom. To demonstrate their practical application, the distribution of the sound pressure modulus and the sound power have been analyzed in the case of a rectangular piston located at the wedge’s bottom. The influence of the transverse baffle on the sound power has been investigated. Based on the obtained formulas, the behaviour of acoustic fields inside a wedge can be predicted.
Characterizing Subjective Noisiness in Hospital Lobbies
Authors: Chen Chiung-Yao
Published: July 2015

The present study was conducted in the lobbies of 16 Taiwanese urban hospitals to establish what contributes to the degree of noisiness experienced by patients and those accompanying them. Noise level measurements were then conducted by 15 min equivalent sound pressure levels (LAeq, 15m, dB) during daytime hours. The average LAeq itself was found to be poorly related to perceived noisiness. Levels variations were better correlated, more continual noise may actually be perceived as noisier. According to the findings of a multiple linear stepwise regression model (r = 0.91, R2 = 0.83), the 3 independent variables shown to have the largest effects on perceived noisiness were 1) 1/(L5 − L95), 2) effective duration of the normalized autocorrelation function (τe, h), of all LAeq, 15m over 9–17, and 3) percentile loudness, N5, 15m. These results resemble previous studies that had assumed that a larger fluctuation of noise level corresponds to less annoyance experienced for mixed traffic noise studied in a laboratory situation. As an advanced approach, for hospital noise that consisted of 12 audible noise events, subjective noisiness were evaluated by the noise time structure analyzed by autocorrelation with loudness and levels variation.
MFC Sensors and Actuators in Active Vibration Control of the Circular Plate
Authors: Leniowska Lucyna , Mazan Dominik
Published: July 2015

In this paper, the MFC sensor and actuators are applied to suppress circular plate vibrations. It is assumed that the system to be regulated is unknown. The mathematical model of the plate was obtained on the base of registration of a system response on a fixed excitation. For the estimation of the system’s behaviour the ARX identification method was used to derive the linear model in the form of a transfer function of the order nine. The obtained model is then used to develop the linear feedback control algorithm for the cancellation of vibration by using the MFC star-shaped actuator (SIMO system). The MFC elements location is dealt with in this study with the use of a laser scanning vibrometer. The control schemes presented have the ability to compute the control effort and to apply it to the actuator within one sampling period. This control scheme is then illustrated through some numerical examples with simulations modelling the designed controller. The paper also describes the experimental results of the designed control system. Finally, the results obtained for the considered plate show that in the chosen frequency limit the designed structure of a closed-loop system with MFC elements provides a substantial vibration suppression.
Application of Clustering Method to Determine Production Zones of Field
Authors: Ingeli Martin , Galambošová Jana , Prokeinová Renáta Benda , Rataj Vladimír
Published: July 2015

Determining the production zones of field is an important analysis in the precision farming technology as these may be used to control field operations in site-specific application. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the potential to identify the yield potential zones based on historical yield maps and to evaluate the procedure over the growing extent of input data. Standardized yield values from six growing seasons were considered. Suitable datasets were created, and hierarchical and non-hierarchical clustering methods were applied to create clusters. Results showed that using the data from commercial combine monitoring systems enables determining the zones. Multiple yield data are recommended as the values of analyses increase with the increased number of input datasets. However, commercial data have limitations in terms of complexity.
Predicting US recessions with stock market illiquidity
Authors: Chen Shiu-Sheng , Chou Yu-Hsi , Yen Chia-Yi
Published: July 2015

In this paper, we investigate the dynamic link between recessions and stock market liquidity by examining the predictive content of illiquidity for US recessions. After controlling for other commonly featured recession predictors such as term spreads and credit spreads, we find that the illiquidity measure proposed by (Amihud, Y. 2002. “Illiquidity and Stock Returns: Cross-Section and Time-Series Effects.”
Topological Fragmentation of Medical 3D Surface Mesh Models for Multi-Hierarchy Anatomical Classification
Authors: Zwettler Gerald Adam , Backfrieder Werner
Published: July 2015

High resolution 3D mesh representations of patient anatomy with appendant functional classification are of high importance in the field of clinical education and therapy planning. Thereby, classification is not always possible directly from patient morphology, thus necessitating tool support. In this work a hierarchical mesh data model for multi-hierarchy anatomical classification is introduced, allowing labeling of a patient model according to various medical taxonomies. The classification regions are thereby specified utilizing a spline representation to be placed and deformed by a medical expert at low effort. Furthermore, application of randomized dilation allows conversion of the specified regions on the surface into fragmented and closed sub-meshes, comprising the entire anatomical structure. As proof of concept, the semi-automated classification method is implemented for VTK library and visualization of the multi-hierarchy anatomical model is validated with OpenGL, successfully extracting sub-meshes of the brain lobes and preparing classification regions according to Brodmann area taxonomy.
A Comparison of Data Traffic in Standardized Personal Health Monitoring Solutions
Authors: Schuler Andreas , Franz Barbara , Krauss Oliver
Published: July 2015

The publication of the HL7-FHIR standard offers new possibilities for integrated applications in healthcare. Although trial implementations have only recently started, the application of FHIR in context of a Personal Health Monitoring solution is worth investigating. Most of the existing telemonitoring solutions in healthcare rely on guidelines defined by the Continua Health Alliance (CHA). This paper compares the requirements of CHA and HL7-FHIR with respect to data traffic between client devices and server side applications. Therefore an existing CHA-compliant telemonitoring solution is extended towards supporting HL7-FHIR. Both approaches were simultaneously evaluated in a live system with 68 participants. The results of the evaluation show that the FHIR approach offers the possibility of reducing data traffic in comparison to the CHA solution.
Optical Tracking System
Authors: Korak Gernot , Kucera Gernot
Published: July 2015

The presented optical tracking system allows intuitive controlling and programming of industrial robots by demonstration. The system is engineered with low cost components. Using an active marker (IR-LEDs) in combination with a stereo vision configuration of the camera system and the selection of suitable algorithms for the process chain of the image processing a positioning accuracy in the range of millimeters has been achieved. The communication between the tracking system and the robot is realized by using the TCP/IP protocol via an Ethernet connection.
Analysis of an Adaptive Switching Point for LTE TDD by Dynamic System-Level Simulations
Authors: Backfrieder Christian , Ostermayer Gerald
Published: July 2015

This paper introduces an LTE system level simulator and presents investigations of scenarios with differently balanced traffic emergence between uplink and downlink as well as inhomogeneous distribution of link direction asymmetry. In the TDD mode of LTE, duplexing is implemented via sharing the time domain between uplink and downlink users. This is done by different switching configurations, which offer varying capacity distributions between downlink and uplink, from a downlink-heavy configuration with 90 percent of the capacity in downlink direction to uplink heavy configurations with 60 percent uplink. We utilize the available capacity perfectly by adjusting the link configuration appropriately to traffic emergence. Performance gains when selecting a configuration appropriate to the arising traffic compared to usage of a static configuration with equally distributed capacity are investigated. In case of different configurations, additional interference can occur in neighbored cells due to distinct communication direction at the same time. We clarify the differences between these scenarios and quantify the gains and losses when the switching point between uplink and downlink is variable.
Dynamic RSA Problem for Time-Varying Traffic in Spectrum Sliced Elastic Optical Path Network
Authors: Olszewski Ireneusz
Published: July 2015

Service time-varying traffic flexible optical networks require a dynamic bandwidth allocation in order to follow the source transmission rate. The problem of service time-varying traffic, assuming that the set of connection requests is not known in advance, is considered in this work. Connection requests arrive randomly and have random durations. The considered dynamic RSA problem involves minimizing the probability of future connections blocking while maintaining spectrum continuity constraints and non-overlapping spectrum assignment constraints between spectrum-adjacent connections on the network links. The proposed algorithm determines the path with the required number of slots around the reference frequency for a connection request. An analysis of the network with time-varying traffic on the network connections was carried out on the basis of spectrum expansion/contraction schemes which allow to determine average blocking probability of the additional slot requests on these connections. The obtained results have been compared with those obtained by a well known algorithm that solves the dynamic RSA problem.
Numerical Model of Directional Radiation Pattern Based on Primary Antenna Parameters
Authors: Jankowski-Mihułowicz Piotr , Lichoń Wojciech , Węglarski Mariusz
Published: July 2015

The new numerical model of directional radiation pattern, in which part of energy is emitted in side and back lobs, has been presented in this paper. The model input values are determined on the base of primary parameters that can be read from the datasheet of used antennas. The special software tool NmAntPat has been elaborated to carry out the described task. The elaborated model, program and output files can be easily implemented into an analysis of radio wave propagation phenomenon in any algorithms and numerical calculations. The comparison of the graphical plots that have been obtained on the base of measurements, producers’ data specification notes and modelling results confirms the model correctness.
A Random Number Generator Using Ring Oscillators and SHA-256 as Post-Processing
Authors: Łoza Szymon , Matuszewski Łukasz , Jessa Mieczysław
Published: July 2015

Today, cryptographic security depends primarily on having strong keys and keeping them secret. The keys should be produced by a reliable and robust to external manipulations generators of random numbers. To hamper different attacks, the generators should be implemented in the same chip as a cryptographic system using random numbers. It forces a designer to create a random number generator purely digitally. Unfortunately, the obtained sequences are biased and do not pass many statistical tests. Therefore an output of the random number generator has to be subjected to a transformation called post-processing. In this paper the hash function SHA-256 as post-processing of bits produced by a combined random bit generator using jitter observed in ring oscillators (ROs) is proposed. All components – the random number generator and the SHA-256, are implemented in a single Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). We expect that the proposed solution, implemented in the same FPGA together with a cryptographic system, is more attack-resistant owing to many sources of randomness with significantly different nominal frequencies.
The Analysis of the Influence of Riveting Parameters Specified in Selected Riveting Instructions on Residual Stresses
Authors: Wronicz Wojciech , Kaniowski Jerzy
Published: July 2015

The riveting parameters strongly affect residual stresses induced during riveting, which in turn have an impact on the fatigue life of riveted joints. Since rivets are established as critical from the fatigue point of view, the fatigue life of riveted joints often determines the life of the whole structure.

The authors were able to become acquainted with three riveting instructions (process specifications) used by the aerospace companies from western Europe. This work presents the analysis of the riveting parameters' influence on residual stresses around the rivets. The impact of the clearance between a rivet shank and a hole as well as driven head dimensions and a rivet length were investigated based on the numerical simulations. The aim of the analysis was to determine the range of stresses variation when the requirements of the riveting instructions are fulfilled. For the purposes of comparison, the calculations were performed also with the parameters as specified in the Polish industry standards. For all calculations, the geometry of the universal rivet MS20470 was used.

The results show that residual stresses can vary strongly depending on the parameters in the instructions and standard requirements.
Stress Analysis of the PZL M28’s Airframe Subjected to Repairs During Fatigue Tests
Authors: Brzęczek Józef , Gruszecki Henryk , Pieróg Leszek , Deszcz Franciszek , Pietruszka Janusz
Published: July 2015

The PZL M28’s service life is determined based on the fatigue tests of the wing and wing loads-carry-through structure. During the fatigue test, the first occurrence of significance was the appearance of a in the area of the wing where loads are applied from the strut. It was demonstrated during further activities that repairs of the wing and other basic assemblies enabled, when performed at an appropriate time, the airplane’s service life to be significantly increase.

In the case of each design change implemented in the airframe subject to the fatigue testing, a stress analysis of the airframe was required in order to check if local changes, i.e. local repairs, did not affect the stress level in other tested areas. This helped to avoid significant stress redistribution in the airframe after the repair, so the fatigue test was still valid for all areas of interest.
Anomalies on codimension growth of algebras
Authors: Giambruno Antonio , Zaicev Mikhail
Published: July 2015

This paper deals with the asymptotic behavior of the sequence of codimensions

c
n

⁢

(
A
)

${c_{n}(A)}$

,

n
=

1
,
2
,
…

,

${n=1,2,\ldots,}$

of an algebra A over a field of characteristic zero.
It is shown that when such sequence is polynomially bounded,
then

lim sup

n
→
∞

⁡

log
n

⁡

c
n

⁢

(
A
)

${\limsup_{n\to\infty}\log_{n}c_{n}(A)}$

and

lim inf

n
→
∞

⁡

log
n

⁡

c
n

⁢

(
A
)

${\liminf_{n\to\infty}\log_{n}c_{n}(A)}$

can be arbitrarily distant.
Also, in case the codimensions are exponentially bounded, we can construct an algebra
A such that

exp
⁡

(
A
)

=
2

${\exp(A)=2}$

and, for any

q
≥
1

${q\geq 1}$

, there are infinitely many integers n
such that

c
n

⁢

(
A
)

>

n
q

⁢

2
n

${c_{n}(A)>n^{q}2^{n}}$

. This gives counterexamples to a conjecture of Regev
for both cases of polynomial and exponential codimension growth.
The Reliability of Electromyographic Normalization Methods for Cycling Analyses
Authors: Sinclair Jonathan , Taylor Paul John , Hebron Jack , Brooks Darrell , Hurst Howard Thomas , Atkins Stephen
Published: July 2015

Electromyography (EMG) is normalized in relation to a reference maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) value. Different normalization techniques are available but the most reliable method for cycling movements is unknown. This study investigated the reliability of different normalization techniques for cycling analyses. Twenty-five male cyclists (age 24.13 ± 2.79 years, body height 176.22 ± 4.87 cm and body mass 67.23 ± 4.19 kg, BMI = 21.70 ± 2.60 kg·m−1) performed different normalization procedures on two occasions, within the same testing session. The rectus femoris, biceps femoris, gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles were examined. Participants performed isometric normalizations (IMVC) using an isokinetic dynamometer. Five minutes of submaximal cycling (180 W) were also undertaken, allowing the mean (DMA) and peak (PDA) activation from each muscle to serve as reference values. Finally, a 10 s cycling sprint (MxDA) trial was undertaken and the highest activation from each muscle was used as the reference value. Differences between reference EMG amplitude, as a function of normalization technique and time, were examined using repeated measures ANOVAs. The testretest reliability of each technique was also examined using linear regression, intraclass correlations and Cronbach’s alpha. The results showed that EMG amplitude differed significantly between normalization techniques for all muscles, with the IMVC and MxDA methods demonstrating the highest amplitudes. The highest levels of reliability were observed for the PDA technique for all muscles; therefore, our results support the utilization of this method for cycling analyses.
Effect of Performance Speed on Trunk Movement Control During the Curl-Up Exercise
Authors: Barbado David , Elvira Jose Luis L. , Moreno Francisco J. , Vera-Garcia Francisco J.
Published: July 2015

Trunk exercise speed has significant effects on neuro-mechanical demands; however, the influence of a variety of exercise speeds on motor control of the trunk displacement remains unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of performance speed on trunk motion control during the curl-up exercise by analyzing the kinematic variance about the sagittal trajectory. Seventeen subjects volunteered to perform curl-ups at different cadences controlled by a metronome. Standard deviation (SD) and range (RG) of shoulder girdle medial-lateral displacement (SGML) and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) of SGML were calculated to examine linear variability and long range autocorrelation of medial-lateral upper trunk displacements, respectively. In addition, SD, RG and DFA of centre of pressure medial-lateral displacement (COPML) were performed to analyze the behavior of the motor system while controlling trunk displacement. Although SD and RG of COPML increased as speed increased, the curl-up cadence did not have significant effects on SD and RG of SGML. These results suggest that although high speed curl-ups challenged participants’ ability to carry out medial-lateral adjustments, an increase of performance speed did not modify the linear variability about the sagittal trajectory. Regarding DFA, the scaling exponent α of SGML and COPML was higher for the fastest movements, mainly in long term fluctuations. Therefore, to maintain the target trajectory, participants used different strategies depending on performance speed. This is to say, there were less trajectory changes when participants performed the fastest exercises.
Effects of Sled Towing on Peak Force, the Rate of Force Development and Sprint Performance During the Acceleration Phase
Authors: Martínez-Valencia María Asunción , Romero-Arenas Salvador , Elvira José L.L. , González-Ravé José María , Navarro-Valdivielso Fernando , Alcaraz Pedro E.
Published: July 2015

Resisted sprint training is believed to increase strength specific to sprinting. Therefore, the knowledge of force output in these tasks is essential. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of sled towing (10%, 15% and 20% of body mass (Bm)) on sprint performance and force production during the acceleration phase. Twenty-three young experienced sprinters (17 men and 6 women; men = 17.9 ± 3.3 years, 1.79 ± 0.06 m and 69.4 ± 6.1 kg; women = 17.2 ± 1.7 years, 1.65 ± 0.04 m and 56.6 ± 2.3 kg) performed four 30 m sprints from a crouch start. Sprint times in 20 and 30 m sprint, peak force (Fpeak), a peak rate of force development (RFDpeak) and time to RFD (TRFD) in first step were recorded. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant increases (p ≤ 0.001) in sprint times (20 and 30 m sprint) for each resisted condition as compared to the unloaded condition. The RFDpeak increased significantly when a load increased (3129.4 ± 894.6 N·s−1, p ≤ 0.05 and 3892.4 ± 1377.9 N·s−1, p ≤ 0.01). Otherwise, no significant increases were found in Fpeak and TRFD. The RFD determines the force that can be generated in the early phase of muscle contraction, and it has been considered a factor that influences performance of force-velocity tasks. The use of a load up to 20% Bm might provide a training stimulus in young sprinters to improve the RFDpeak during the sprint start, and thus, early acceleration.
The Efficiency of a Visual Skills Training Program on Visual Search Performance
Authors: Krzepota Justyna , Zwierko Teresa , Puchalska-Niedbał Lidia , Markiewicz Mikołaj , Florkiewicz Beata , Lubiński Wojciech
Published: July 2015

In this study, we conducted an experiment in which we analyzed the possibilities to develop visual skills by specifically targeted training of visual search. The aim of our study was to investigate whether, for how long and to what extent a training program for visual functions could improve visual search. The study involved 24 healthy students from the Szczecin University who were divided into two groups: experimental (12) and control (12). In addition to regular sports and recreational activities of the curriculum, the subjects of the experimental group also participated in 8-week long training with visual functions, 3 times a week for 45 min. The Signal Test of the Vienna Test System was performed four times: before entering the study, after first 4 weeks of the experiment, immediately after its completion and 4 weeks after the study terminated. The results of this experiment proved that an 8-week long perceptual training program significantly differentiated the plot of visual detecting time. For the visual detecting time changes, the first factor, Group, was significant as a main effect (F(1,22)=6.49, p<0.05) as well as the second factor, Training (F(3,66)=5.06, p<0.01). The interaction between the two factors (Group vs. Training) of perceptual training was F(3,66)=6.82 (p<0.001). Similarly, for the number of correct reactions, there was a main effect of a Group factor (F(1,22)=23.40, p<0.001), a main effect of a Training factor (F(3,66)=11.60, p<0.001) and a significant interaction between factors (Group vs. Training) (F(3,66)=10.33, p<0.001). Our study suggests that 8-week training of visual functions can improve visual search performance.
Physiological Responses During Multiplay Exergaming in Young Adult Males are Game-Dependent
Authors: McGuire Stephen , Willems Mark ET
Published: July 2015

Regular moderate-intensity exercise provides health benefits. The aim of this study was to examine whether the selected exercise intensity and physiological responses during exergaming in a single and multiplayer mode in the same physical space were game-dependent. Ten males (mean ±SD, age: 23 ±5 years, body mass: 84.2 ±15.6 kg, body height: 180 ±7 cm, body mass index: 26.0 ±4.0 kg·m−2) played the games Kinect football, boxing and track & field (3 × ~10 min, ~ 2 min rest periods) in similar time sequence in two sessions. Physiological responses were measured with the portable Cosmed K4b2 pulmonary gas exchange system. Single play demands were used to match with a competitive opponent in a multiplay mode. A within-subjects crossover design was used with one-way ANOVA and a post-hoc t-test for analysis (p<0.05). Minute ventilation, oxygen uptake and the heart rate were at least 18% higher during a multiplayer mode for Kinect football and boxing but not for track & field. Energy expenditure was 21% higher during multiplay football. Single play track & field had higher metabolic equivalent than single play football (5.7 ±1.6, range: 3.2-8.6 vs 4.1 ±1.0, range: 3.0-6.1, p<0.05). Exergaming in a multiplayer mode can provide higher physiological demands but the effects are game-dependent. It seems that exergaming with low intensity in a multiplayer mode may provide a greater physical challenge for participants than in a single play mode but may not consistently provide sufficient intensity to acquire health benefits when played regularly as part of a programme to promote and maintain health in young adults.
Two-permutation-based hashing with binary mixing
Authors: Luykx Atul , Mennink Bart , Preneel Bart , Winnen Laura
Published: July 2015

We consider the generic design of compression functions based on two n-bit permutations and XOR-based mixing functions. It is known that any such function mapping

n
+
α

${n+\alpha }$

to α bits, with

1
≤
α
≤
n

${1\le \alpha \le n}$

, can achieve at most

min
{

2

α
/
2

,

2

n
/
2
-
α
/
4

}

${\min \lbrace 2^{\alpha /2},2^{n/2-\alpha /4}\rbrace }$

collision security. Using techniques similar to Mennink and Preneel [CRYPTO 2012, Lecture Notes in Comput. Sci. 7417, Springer, Heidelberg (2012), 330–347], we show that there is only one equivalence class of these functions achieving optimal collision security, and additionally

min
{

2
α

,

2

n
/
2

}

${\min \lbrace 2^{\alpha },2^{n/2}\rbrace }$

preimage security. The equivalence class compares well with existing functions based on two or three permutations, and is well-suited for wide-pipe hashing.
Two Dimensional Functionally Graded Material Finite Thick Hollow Cylinder Axisymmetric Vibration Mode Shapes Analysis Based on Exact Elasticity Theory
Authors: Asgari Masoud
Published: July 2015

A thick hollow cylinder with finite length made of two- dimensional functionally graded material (2D-FGM) is considered and its natural modes are determined, based on great importance of mode shapes information in order to understand vibration behaviour of structures. Three dimensional theory of elasticity implemented for problem formulation, since mode shapes of a thick cylinder are three dimensional even with axisymmetric conditions. The axisymmetric conditions are assumed for the 2D-FGM cylinder. The material properties of the cylinder are varied in the radial and axial directions, with power law functions. Effects of volume fraction distribution on the different types of symmetric mode shapes configuration and vibration behaviour of a simply supported cylinder are analyzed. Three dimensional equations of motion are used and the eigen value problem is developed, based on direct variation method.
Temperature Non-Homogeneieties in a Catalytic Reactor With a Periodic Change in the Direction of the Reaction Mixture Feed
Authors: Zheleva Ivanka
Published: July 2015

Temperature non-homogeneities in a catalytic reactor with periodic change in the direction of the reaction mixture feed is investigated in the present work. The temperature of the reaction mixture is described using a numerical algorithm for simulation of the work of the catalytic reactor, graphically shown and commented. The influence of the higher catalyst layer porosity in the wall area upon the temperature distribution in the reactor is studied. The existence of two different regimes is shown - a high temperature one in the middle part of the layer and a low temperature one in the high porosity area of the layer in contact with the reactor wall. This leads to not very effective usage of the catalyst in these parts of the catalyst layer in the reactor. This simulation can be used for better understanding and controlling of the examined catalytic process.
The antipassive in Bantu
Authors: Bostoen Koen , Dom Sebastian , Segerer Guillaume
Published: July 2015

The antipassive, an object-demoting diathesis commonly associated with ergative languages, has so far largely gone unnoticed in Bantu languages, which are of the accusative type. In this article, comparative evidence is raised to demonstrate that the antipassive is a voice construction to be reckoned with in Bantu. A robust typology of Bantu voice constructions is developed on the basis of the scarce data available in the literature. This evidence is reinterpreted in the light of original data from a number of Bantu languages, such as Cilubà and Kirundi, which were the subject of a more in-depth analysis. It is shown how the antipassive generally developed as a specific reading of the highly polysemous verbal suffix
How multiple past tenses divide the labor: The case of South Baffin Inuktitut
Authors: Hayashi Midori , Oshima David Y.
Published: July 2015

It is a common perception that in languages having multiple past tenses with different remoteness specifications, the past tenses cover the entire past without a gap or overlap. This paper demonstrates that this way of looking at multiple-past tense systems is not appropriate for the system in South Baffin Inuktitut (a variety of the Inuit language). The dialect has at least four past tenses: recent, hodiernal, pre-hodiernal, and distant. We argue that the relation between the four tenses cannot be represented by a simple linear scheme for two reasons. First, the pre-hodiernal past has a special status as the “conventionally designated alternative”, which is chosen in cases of remoteness indeterminacy, analogous to, for example, the Russian masculine gender being used in cases of gender indeterminacy. Second, there is overlap in their coverage. The pre-hodiernal and hodiernal past tenses collectively cover the entire past and thus any past situation can be described with one of them. The other two provide means to make more fine-grained and subjective temporal specifications. Comparison will be made between the system in South Baffin Inuktitut and those in some Bantoid languages which have been pointed out in the literature to have a comparable layered system of tenses.
Seismic Design Of Low-Rise Office Buildings According To Romanian Seismic Codes. Case Study.
Authors: Ghiţă Ana-Maria
Published: July 2015

The paper presents a study case and highlights the changes made by the new, in force, seismic Code P100-1/2013 in comparison with the former P100-1/2006, concerning the reinforced concrete frame structural systems design. Different seismic designed RC frames systems, compatible with modern office requirements, were studied. The influence of the earthquake codes provisions on design of regular buildings, having openings fitted for open spaces, with a story height of 3.50m, was assessed. The benefits of tubular structures, with rigid frames made of closely spaced columns on the building perimeter, were analyzed as well. The results of the study case are presented emphasizing the consequences of the application of the new seismic Code on the computation of the reinforced concrete frame structures.
The Experimental Analysis Of An Innovative Yielding Metallic Damper
Authors: Venghiac Vasile-Mircea , Budescu Mihai
Published: July 2015

One of the most destructive natural phenomena is the earthquake. These events destroy lives, goods and disrupt human activities. For this reason the anti-seismic protection of buildings is a very important and of interest subject in Civil Engineering. In the case of structures with a low seismic energy dissipation capacity (for example steel frame structures with Slimdek composite floors), this problem becomes more complicated due to the requirement of dampers. In this paper an experimental study is presented regarding an innovative yielding metallic energy dissipation device, proposed by the author. An experiment is carried out on a shake table. By studying the results from the experiments and from the previous carried out numerical analysis we can conclude that this device provides a high anti-seismic protection for this type of structures.
Synthesis and photocatalytic performance of spongy ZnO microstructures
Authors: Zou Y.L. , Li Y. , Wang Q. , An D.M. , Lian X.X. , Lv T.
Published: July 2015

Spongy ZnO microstructures were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method using zinc nitrate hexahydrate and oxalic acid as raw materials. The as-obtained ZnO were characterized by powder X-ray diffractometry (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM), respectively. The BET surface area and average pore size of the samples were determined by nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis. Effects of precursor and hydrothermal temperature on the morphology and photocatalytic activity of the products were investigated. SEM and TEM analysis indicated that the as-obtained spongy ZnO microstructures consisted of a large amount of ZnO particles with the average size of about 100 to 150 nm. The photocatalytic activities of the spongy ZnO microstructures were evaluated by photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV light radiation. The results indicated that the ZnO synthesized at 150 °C for 10 h showed the highest photocatalytic activity and the degradation ratio of MB reached 99.5 % for 60 min of UV light irradiation with the light intensity of 10 mW · cm-2.
Improved efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells by doping of strontium aluminate phosphor in TiO2 photoelectrode
Authors: Hwangbo Seung , Kim Jin-Tae , Hwang Kyu-Seog
Published: July 2015

SrAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ phosphor was synthesized by chemical solution route to use as a dopant in TiO2 layer employed as a photoelectrode for down conversion of ultraviolet and near-ultraviolet to visible and near-infrared light in a dye-sensitized solar cell. Nano-crystalline structure of the SrAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ powder was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Monitored at 520 nm, SrAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ phosphor showed emission peaks at 460 to 610 nm due to 4f6 4f7 transitions of Eu2+ ions. For the study, SrAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ phosphor-doped TiO2 layer was deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide coated glass by electrostatic spray deposition. The short circuit current, open circuit voltage, fill factor, and conversion efficiency of the cells were measured. Experimental results revealed that the device efficiency for the SrAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ phosphor-doped TiO2 layer increased to 7.20 %, whereas that of the pure-TiO2 photoelectrode was 4.13 %.
Two-extremum electrostatic potential of metal-lattice plasma and the work function of an electron
Authors: Surma S.A. , Brona J. , Ciszewski A.
Published: July 2015

Metal-lattice plasma is treated as a neutral two-component two-phase system of 2D surface and 3D bulk. Free electron density and bulk chemical potential are used as intensive parameters of the system with the phase boundary position determined in the crystalline lattice. A semiempirical expression for the electron screened electrostatic potential is constructed using the lattice-plasma polarization concept. It comprises an image term and three repulsion/attraction terms of second and fourth orders. The novel curve has two extremes and agrees with certain theoretical forms of potential. A practical formula for the electron work function of metals and a simplified schema of electronic structure at the metal/vacuum interface are proposed. This yields 10.44 eV for the Fermi energy of free electron gas; -5.817 eV for the Fermi energy level; 4.509 eV for the average work function of bcc tungsten. Selected data are also given for fcc Cu and hcp Re. For harmonic frequencies ~ 10E16 per s of the self-excited metal-lattice plasma, energy gaps of 14.54 and 8.02 eV are found, which correspond to the bulk and surface plasmons, respectively. Further extension of this thermodynamics and metal-lattice theory based approach may contribute to a better understanding of theoretical models which are employed in chemical physics, catalysis and materials science of nanostructures.
Synthesis and modification of reduced graphene oxide aerogels for biofuel cell applications
Authors: Kondratowicz Izabela , Żelechowska Kamila , Majdecka Dominika , Bilewicz Renata
Published: July 2015

We have carried out the preparation of reduced graphene oxide aerogels using eco-friendly method that is based on the Hummers method of graphite oxidation without the use of NaNO3 that produces toxic gases. To obtain a porous 3D structure of reduced graphene oxide, we performed the hydrothermal reduction at elevated temperature. We also prepared the rGO aerogel/CNT composite using multiwalled carbon nanotubes as linkers. The rGO aerogels are promising materials as they possess good electrical conductivity (up to 100 S/m) and high surface area and porous structure (~500 m2/g). The main goal was to obtain the material for electrodes in enzymatic biofuel cells. Thus, the proper modification was performed using free radical functionalization. It was shown that in order to synthesize rGO aerogels modified with anthracene, the proper order of reactions needs to be provided. The morphology of anthracene modified electrodes was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, which confirmed their porous structure with non-uniform pore size distribution that ranged between few nanometers to microns. Data obtained by Raman spectroscopy confirmed the successful oxidation and reduction of analyzed materials. UV-Vis spectra revealed the presence of anthracene moieties in examined materials. We also recorded preliminary cyclic voltammograms that confirm an electric conductivity of the obtained structures.
Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of polycrystalline gadolinium aluminum perovskite (GdAlO3, GAP)
Authors: N. Girish H. , B. Basavalingu , G.-Q. Shao , P. Sajan C. , Verma S. K.
Published: July 2015

Gadolinium aluminum perovskite (GdAlO3, GAP) is a promising high temperature ceramic material, known for its wide applications in phosphors. Polycrystalline gadolinium aluminum perovskites were synthesized using a precursor of co-precipitate gel of GdAlO3 by employing hydrothermal supercritical fluid technique under pressure and temperature ranging from 150 to 200 MPa and 600 to 700 °C, respectively. The resulted products of GAP were studied using the characterization techniques, such as powder X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDX). The X-ray diffraction pattern matched well with the reported orthorhombic GAP pattern (JCPDS-46-0395).