bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is God Eternal? Revisiting Mendelssohn and Rosenzweig on Reason, Revelation, and the Name of God
Authors: Sacks Elias
Published: November 2016

This essay calls for a reassessment of one of the best‐known episodes in modern Jewish thought: the debate between Moses Mendelssohn (1729‐1786) and Franz Rosenzweig (1886‐1929) about how to translate the name of God. Ostensibly writing to celebrate the two‐hundredth anniversary of Mendelssohn's birth, Rosenzweig famously criticizes his predecessor's decision in his German translation of the Pentateuch to render God's name as “the Eternal” and “the Eternal Being,” accusing Mendelssohn of privileging factors such as eighteenth‐century philosophical commitments over fidelity to the biblical text. My essay argues that we have yet to fully understand the content and significance of this canonical episode in modern Judaism. Exploring Mendelssohn's Hebrew and German writings, I develop a new reading of the central concerns animating his treatment of God's name, and I suggest that his position has much to offer broader conversations about reason and revelation. Far from simply advancing a claim about translation or privileging Enlightenment philosophy over the Bible, Mendelssohn is engaged in what we might call an ecclesiastically and biblically focused project of theological repair. He is attempting to shape the practices of his religious community so that members encounter the Bible in a way that allows for ecclesiastically vital philosophical reflection—for philosophical reflection that corrects what he sees as a long‐standing problem in the ways that Jews (and others) have spoken about God. Moreover, Mendelssohn's approach can contribute to contemporary debates about what is often termed “postliberal theology,” providing resources for theorizing the role of reason and philosophy in religious life.
Clinicopathologic heterogeneity in frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP‐17) due to microtubule‐associated protein tau (MAPT) p.P301L mutation, including a patient with globular glial tauopathy
Authors: Tacik P. , Sanchez‐Contreras M. , DeTure M. , Murray M. E. , Rademakers R. , Ross O. A. , Wszolek Z. K. , Parisi J. E. , Knopman D. S. , Petersen R. C. , Dickson D. W.
Published: November 2016

Aim

The p.P301L mutation in microtubule‐associated protein tau (MAPT) is a common cause of frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP‐17). We compare clinicopathologic features of five unrelated and three related (brother, sister and cousin) patients with FTDP‐17 due to p.P301L mutation.

Methods

Genealogical, clinical, neuropathologic and genetic data were reviewed from eight individuals.

Results

The series consisted of five men and three women with an average age of death of 58 years (52–65 years) and average disease duration of 9 years (3–14 years). The first symptoms were those of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia in seven patients and semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia in one. Three patients were homozygous for the MAPT H1 haplotype; five had H1/H2 genotype. The apolipoprotein E genotype was ϵ3/ϵ3 in seven and ϵ3/ϵ4 in one. The average brain weight was 1015 g (876–1188 g). All had frontotemporal lobar or more diffuse cortical atrophy. Except for one patient, the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus had minimal atrophy, whereas there was atrophy of middle and inferior temporal gyri. Dentate fascia neuronal dispersion was identified in three patients, two of whom had epilepsy. In one patient there was extensive white matter tau involvement with Gallyas‐positive globular glial inclusions typical of globular glial tauopathy (GGT).

Conclusions

This clinicopathologic study shows inter‐ and intra‐familial clinicopathologic heterogeneity of FTDP‐17 due to MAPT p.P301L mutation, including GGT in one patient.
Experimental evidence for negative turgor pressure in small leaf cells of Robinia pseudoacacia L versus large cells of Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et W.C. Cheng. 2. Höfler diagrams below the volume of zero turgor and the theoretical implication for pressure‐volume curves of living cells
Authors: Yang Dongmei , Li Junhui , Ding Yiting , Tyree Melvin T.
Published: November 2016

The physiological advantages of negative turgor pressure, Pt, in leaf cells are water saving and homeostasis of reactants. This paper advances methods for detecting the occurrence of negative Pt in leaves. Biomechanical models of pressure‐volume (PV) curves predict that negative Pt does not change the linearity of PV curve plots of inverse balance pressure, PB, versus relative water loss, but it does predict changes in either the y‐intercept or the x‐intercept of the plots depending on where cell collapse occurs in the PB domain because of negative Pt. PV curve analysis of Robinia leaves revealed a shift in the x‐intercept (x‐axis is relative water loss) of PV curves, caused by negative Pt of palisade cells. The low x‐intercept of the PV curve was explained by the non‐collapse of palisade cells in Robinia in the PB domain. Non‐collapse means that Pt smoothly falls from positive to negative values with decreasing cell volume without a dramatic change in slope. The magnitude of negative turgor in non‐collapsing living cells was as low as −1.3 MPa and the relative volume of the non‐collapsing cell equaled 58% of the total leaf cell volume. This study adds to the growing evidence for negative Pt.
A simple dyspnoea scale as part of the assessment to predict outcome across chronic interstitial lung disease
Authors: Khadawardi Hadeel , Mura Marco
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACT

Background and objective

The Medical Research Council dyspnoea score (MRCDS) is a simple, objective scale to assess dyspnoea, the main complaint in patients with chronic interstitial lung disease (ILD). We sought to investigate whether MRCDS is a predictor of outcome in patients with chronic ILD.

Methods

One hundred and fifteen patients (50 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and 65 non‐IPF ILD) were retrospectively studied. Baseline (time of diagnosis) MRCDS and 3–6‐month changes were considered. Endpoints were (i) 18‐month clinical progression, defined as either: ≥10% absolute reduction in forced vital capacity (FVC) percent predicted; ≥50‐m decline in 6‐min walk distance; hospitalization for respiratory causes; lung transplantation (LTx) assessment or death and (ii) 18‐month survival.

Results

At the end of the observation period, 54 subjects (47%) experienced clinical progression (including 22 deaths and 3 LTx). In patients with IPF, a longitudinal increase in MRCDS predicted clinical progression significantly (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.76, sensitivity = 62%, specificity = 91%); baseline MRCDS was a strong predictor of mortality (AUC = 0.80, sensitivity = 87%, specificity = 57%). In patients with non‐IPF ILD, longitudinal increases in MRCDS, but not baseline values, were predictive of both clinical progression (AUC = 0.81, sensitivity = 85%, specificity = 77%) and mortality (AUC = 0.76, sensitivity = 91%, specificity = 61%). Considering the whole population, MRCDS increase and FVC decline were independent predictors of mortality.

Conclusion

Longitudinal increases of MRCDS predict poor outcome in chronic ILD, with good accuracy. Baseline MRCDS remains a strong predictor of mortality in IPF. MRCDS should be included in the global assessment of the clinical course of chronic ILD.
Bilateral Tax Treaties and GDP Comovement
Authors: Sly Nicholas , Weber Caroline
Published: November 2016

Using a 30‐year panel of quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) fluctuations from of a broad set of countries, we demonstrate that the signing of a bilateral tax treaty increases the comovement of treaty partners' business cycles by half a standard deviation. This effect of fiscal policy is as large as the effect of trade linkages on comovement and stronger than the effects of several other common financial and investment linkages. We also show that bilateral tax treaties increase comovement in shocks to nations' GDP trends, demonstrating the permanent effects of coordination on fiscal policy rules. We estimate trend and business cycle components of nations' output series using an unobserved‐components model in order to measure comovement between countries and then estimate the impact of tax treaties using generalized estimating equations.
Topics and structure in preoperative nursing consultations with patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery
Authors: Pettersson Monica E. , Öhlén Joakim , Friberg Febe , Hydén Lars‐Christer , Carlsson Eva
Published: November 2016

Background

The preoperative education, which occurs in preoperative patient consultations, is an important part of the surgical nurse's profession. These consultations may be the building blocks of a partnership that facilitates communication between patient and nurse.

Aim

The aim of the study was to describe topics and structure and documentation in preoperative nursing consultations with patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer.

Method

The study was based on analysis of consultations between seven patients and nurses at a Swedish university hospital. The preplanned preoperative consultations were audio‐recorded and transcribed verbatim. The structure of the consultations was described in terms of phases and the text was analysed according to a manifest content analysis

Results

The consultations were structured on an agenda that was used variously and communicating different topics in an equally varied manner. Seven main topics were found: Health status, Preparation before surgery, Discovery, Tumour, Operation, Symptoms and Recovery after surgery. The topic structure disclosed a high number of subtopics. The main topics ‘Discovery’, ‘Tumour’ and ‘Symptoms’ were only raised by patients and occupied only 11% of the discursive space. Documentation was sparse and included mainly task‐oriented procedures rather than patients’ worries and concerns.

Conclusion

There was no clear structure regarding preoperative consultation purpose and content. Using closed questions instead of open is a hindrance of developing a dialogue and thus patient participation. Preoperative consultation practice needs to be strengthened to include explicit communication of the consultations’ purpose and agenda, with nurses actively discussing and responding to patients’ concerns and sensitive issues. The results of the study facilitate the development of methods and structure to support person‐centred communication where the patient is given space to get help with the difficult issues he/she may have when undergoing surgery.
The meaning of caring in prenatal care from Swedish women's perspectives
Authors: Larsson Åsa , Wärnå‐Furu Carola , Näsman Yvonne
Published: November 2016

Aim

To deepen understanding of the meaning of caring in prenatal care from Swedish women's perspectives.

Method

Ten women, who had given birth between 1 and 2 months previously, were interviewed. The women have taken part in the routine programme that constitutes maternity care Sweden. A hermeneutic approach inspired by Gadamer was used to analyse the data and gain a deeper understanding of the women's experiences.

Findings

Three themes were identified in the hermeneutical analysis. The themes highlight an existential and ontological aspect for caring as experienced of the women in the study: invitation and caring promise, witnessing and confirmation, and caring emerges in vulnerability.

Conclusion

The life‐changing gravidity and vulnerability motivates caritative care during pregnancy. Reception of caring is not just a superficial feeling, but gives a new understanding of life on an ontological level. In a genuine caring relationship, the pregnant woman not only receives something but also a power and an opportunity to go further and find her own inner strength.
Approach to the Management of Autoimmunity in Primary Immunodeficiency
Authors: Azizi G. , Ziaee V. , Tavakol M. , Alinia T. , Yazdai R. , Mohammadi H. , Abolhassani H. , Aghamohammadi A.
Published: November 2016

Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) consist of a genetically heterogeneous group of immune disorders that affect distinct elements of the immune system. PID patients are more prone to infections and non‐infectious complications, particularly autoimmunity. The concomitance of immunodeficiency and autoimmunity appears to be paradoxical and leads to difficulty in the management of autoimmune complications in PID patients. Therefore, management of autoimmunity in patients with PID requires special considerations because dysregulations and dysfunctions of the immune system along with persistent inflammation impair the process of diagnosis and treatment.
Visualization for Large‐scale Gaussian Updates
Authors: Rougier Jonathan , Zammit‐Mangion Andrew
Published: November 2016

In geostatistics and also in other applications in science and engineering, it is now common to perform updates on Gaussian process models with many thousands or even millions of components. These large‐scale inferences involve modelling, representational and computational challenges. We describe a visualization tool for large‐scale Gaussian updates, the ‘medal plot’. The medal plot shows the updated uncertainty at each observation location and also summarizes the sharing of information across observations, as a proxy for the sharing of information across the state vector (or latent process). As such, it reflects characteristics of both the observations and the statistical model. We illustrate with an application to assess mass trends in the Antarctic Ice Sheet, for which there are strong constraints from the observations and the physics.
Preparation of layered double hydroxides using boron mud and red mud industrial wastes and adsorption mechanism to phosphate
Authors: Hu Pan , Zhang Yihe , Lv Fengzhu , Tong Wangshu , Xin Hao , Meng Zilin , Wang Xinke , Chu Paul K.
Published: November 2016

Phosphate removal was important for wastewater treatment, and adsorption was an efficient treatment process. In this study, the layered double hydroxide adsorbent (BR‐LDH), which was prepared under alkali conditions using industrial residues boron mud and red mud, was used to adsorb the phosphate. The prepared BR‐LDH was characterised by X‐ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and Thermo‐gravimetric‐differential thermal analysis. Adsorption experiments were carried out as a function of dosage, contact time, temperature and initial pH of phosphate solution. The removal ratio of phosphate onto OBR‐LDH reached 93%. The adsorption data showed a good compliance with the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. In addition, the mineral composition, the functional groups, the valence of elements and zeta potentials of OBR‐LDH before and after adsorption were used to analyse the adsorption mechanism. The result of real wastewater suggested that OBR‐LDH was excellent adsorbent for phosphorus removal from actual wastewater.
THE ASSESSMENT OF THE VARIATION OF PHYSICO-CHEMICAL SOURCES FOR DRINKING WATER QUALITY USING CHEMOMETRICS: A CASE STUDY AT WATER TREATMENT PLANTS IN KLANG VALLEY
Authors: Appa Rwoo Manutha , Juahir Hafizan , Roslan Nor Malisa , Toriman Mohd Ekhwan , Endut Azizah , Azid Azman , Che Hasnam Che Noraini , Mohd Saudi Ahmad Shakir , Kamarudin Mohd Khairul Amri , Rwoo Sharmila Appa , Mustafa Ahmad Dasuki
Published: November 2016

This case study characterizes the drinking water quality by using the multivariate technique. The spatial variation of the physico-chemical and heavy metals parameters toxicity with the drinking water quality based on 28 water treatment plants in Selangor, Malaysia from 2009 to 2012 was evaluated. The objectives of this study are to analyze the physio-chemical activities and heavy metals activities in the collected drinking water samples from the treatment plants, and to detect the source of pollution for the most revealing parameters. The discriminant analysis (DA) and the principal component analysis (PCA) are the chemometric techniques used to investigate the spatial variation of the most significant physico-chemical and heavy metal parameters of the drinking water samples. The classification matrix accuracy for standard mode of DA, forward stepwise and backward stepwise for the physico-chemical and heavy metal parameters are excellent. PCA highlighted 13 significant parameters out of 18 physico-chemical water quality parameters and 14 significant parameters out of 16 heavy metal parameters. PCA was carried out to identify the origin and source of pollution of each water quality parameters. For that reason, this study proves that chemometric method is the principle way to explain the characteristic of the drinking water quality.
DYNAMIC POWER DISSIPATION FORMULATION FOR APPLICATION IN DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING BUFFER INSERTION ALGORITHM
Authors: Uttraphan Chessda , Shaikh-Husin Nasir , Khalil-Hani M.
Published: November 2016

Buffer insertion is a very effective technique to reduce propagation delay in nano-metre VLSI interconnects. There are two techniques for buffer insertion which are: (1) closed-form solution and (2) dynamic programming. Buffer insertion algorithm using dynamic programming is more useful than the closed-form solution as it allows the use of multiple buffer types and it can be used in tree structured interconnects. As design dimension shrinks, more buffers are needed to improve timing performance. However, the buffer itself consumes power and it has been shown that power dissipation of buffers is significant. Although there are many buffer insertion algorithms that were able to optimize propagation delay with power constraint, most of them used the closed-form solution. Hence, in this paper, we present a formulation to compute dynamic power dissipation of buffers for application in dynamic programming buffer insertion algorithm. The proposed formulation allows dynamic power dissipation of buffers to be computed incrementally. The technique is validated by comparing the formulation with the standard closed-form dynamic power equation. The advantage of the proposed formulation is demonstrated through a series of experiments where it is applied in van Ginneken’s algorithm. The results show that the output of the proposed formulation is consistent with the standard closed-form formulation. Furthermore, it also suggests that the proposed formulation is able to compute dynamic power dissipation for buffer insertion algorithm with multiple buffer types.
PARAMETRIC INVESTIGATION OF FIXED-TRAY, SEMI-CONTINUOUS DISTILLATION COLUMN FOR ETHANOL SEPARATION FROM WATER
Authors: Ibrahim Nur Atirah , Ahmad Zaini Muhammad Abbas
Published: November 2016

This work was aimed to evaluate the parameters affecting the separation of model fermentation broth (7 mole% ethanol) using 10-tray, semi-continuous distillation column. Ethanol compositions in distillate and bottoms were determined at different reflux ratios and feed locations. Results show that the distillation of lower ethanol concentration is better carried out at higher reflux ratio with feed charged at the middle or bottom tray for good overall tray efficiency. The distillation unit is able to purify the feed to 78 mole% ethanol in distillate. Through trial-and-error stepping off, about 81 mole% was predicted as optimum ethanol purity at reflux ratio of 2.33, while a lower reflux ratio of 1.44 was estimated for 78 mole%.  Fixed-tray, semi-continuous distillation is a suitable option to concentrate fermentation broth with sufficient ethanol purity.
RELATIVE RISK ESTIMATION OF DENGUE DISEASE IN BANDUNG, INDONESIA, USING POISSON-GAMMA AND BYM MODELS CONSIDERING THE SEVERITY LEVEL
Authors: Kristiani Farah , Yong Benny , Irawan Robyn
Published: November 2016

Recently, dengue as one of the most dangerous diseases in the world has attracted more attention due to its soaring infection cases. One method to estimate the relative risks of dengue transmission commonly used is through the statistics approach. Dengue cases of all severity levels spread rapidly in every district in Bandung, Indonesia every month. There are two different severity levels of dengue disease: the early-stage known as Dengue Fever (DF) and the severe-stage manifested as Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS). This research investigates the early stage, the severe stage, and the combination of both stages. The non-spatial Poisson-gamma model and spatial Besag, York, and Mollie (BYM) model are applied to estimate the relative risks in each district in Bandung every month. These two models are chosen to analyze whether there is a spatial effect in dengue transmission in particular critical area. This research will use 2013’s data from St. Borromeus hospital, one of the reputable hospitals in Bandung. The results show that the implementation of non-spatial Poisson-gamma and spatial BYM models does not depict a significant difference in the result of the relative risk estimation of dengue transmission in Bandung. The Deviance Information Criterion (DIC) diagnostic indicates that non-spatial model is better than the spatial model.  Therefore, it can be concluded that there is no spatial effect in dengue transmission in Bandung. It means that dengue transmission in Bandung is not affected by neighboring areas. This analysis is also applicable to every stage estimated, both for the early-stage as well as the severe-stage.
PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION ON GAS SEPARATION ABILITY OF POLYSULFONE/PEBAX 1657 COMPOSITE MEMBRANE
Authors: Abdul Wahab M. S. , Sunarti A. R. , Farhana D. Nurul
Published: November 2016

Human activities related to coal, petroleum, natural gases and few other energy sources emit carbon dioxide (CO2) gas to environment and increase global warming. The emission of CO2 gas from human activities cannot be avoided as they are the main sources of energy. The separation and purification of these gases before they are freely escaped to the atmosphere could be a turning point for a better future. Membranes are one of the methods widely used for gas separation as they are simple mechanism and costly cheap. In this study, Polysulfone (PSf) was introduced as composite membranes with Polyether block amide (Pebax 1657) as a dense selective layer for CO2/N2 separation. For the dope preparation, 18% of PSf with 2% Polyethylene glycol (PEG) as an additive was diluted in 80% N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) meanwhile, the Pebax 1657 coating solution has been prepared by using 4% Pebax 1657 with 6% lithium chloride (LiCl) as an additive in 70/30 water/ethanol solution. Cross sectional view of the film showed a wide and long cavity with finger-like structure from 6 µm to 10 µm wide with Pebax 1657 selective layer thickness of 29.3 µm. FTIR analysis has proved that all elements present in the film belong to the Pebax 1657, PSf, PEG and LiCl. The permeance test shows a very slight improvement of uncoated and coated samples where uncoated PSf selectivity was found to be 1.17 while the coated sample was 1.23. Even though the permeance result quite low and almost no separation occurs but the slight improvement of uncoated and coated PSf is noticeable and have the potential for future improvement.
COMPARISON OF ALLERGENIC PROTEINS OF SEA SNAIL (CERITHIDEA OBTUSA) AND FRESHWATER SNAIL (POMACEA CANALICULATA)
Authors: Misnan Rosmilah , Salahudin Abdul Aziz Norazlin , Mohd Yadzir Zailatul Hani , Abdullah Noormalin , Bakhtiar Faizal , Murad Shahnaz
Published: November 2016

In Malaysian and certain Asian countries, snail has high market demand and popular to the local people as food. However, snail is also frequently reported as one of the worst food allergens, dominated by severe symptoms such as asthma and anaphylactic shock. Thus, the aims of this study is to determine the allergenicity of two species of edible snails; the local sea snail, Cerithidea obtusa and the freshwater snail Pomacea canaliculata. Snail extracts were prepared from the snail flesh and analyzed using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to determine their protein profiling. Allergenic proteins were detected by immunoblotting test using sera from 10 snail-allergic patients. The snails contain 31 to 34 protein fractions between 11 to >250 kDa. The prominent bands were seen at 33, 42, 74 and 250 kDa. Immunoblotting detected 15 and 16 allergenic proteins in C. obtusa and P. canaliculata, respectively. Three protein fractions at 30, 33 and 42 kDa were identified as the major allergens of C. obtusa, while six major allergens at 30, 33, 42, 74, 124 and 218 kDa were detected in P. canaliculata. Various minor allergens were also detected in both snails. This study indicated that numerous proteins of C. obtusa and P. canaliculata were allergenic. Thus, combined allergen extracts of both snails are essential to be included in diagnosis of snail allergy among local allergic patients.
CLAMPING AND INTERLOCKING EFFECTS ON IBS BLOCK HOUSE SYSTEM IN COMPARISON WITH CONVENTIONAL HOUSE SYSTEM
Authors: Shu Chi Lee , Marsono Abdul Kadir , Md. Tap Masine
Published: November 2016

Industrialised Building System (IBS) is a unique construction technique that has been implemented in many construction fields all around the world. However, its implementation in Malaysia is still slow and not effective. Through the research on IBS, some elements are found to be important and need to be improved in order to produce better quality components. One of the important elements is the design and innovation of IBS components by applying new interlocking configuration between blocks and by using a clamping bolted connection to the system. The main objective of this research is to determine the structural behavior of IBS block works sub-system under push over cyclic loading in comparison with conventional sub-system and to verify that the IBS interlocking geometry sub-system perform better than other sub-systems via laboratory tests. In this research, a block work assembly to form building sub-frame that integrated by two beams, two columns and infill system were built and tested to failure. Two types of IBS block work sub-systems with original geometry and interlocking geometry with scaled of 1:5 were tested with Push Over Cyclic Load Test. In comparison, a control model of Conventional Sub-System was also tested and analysed using the same methods. The results showed that the IBS geometry model with interlocking configuration performed better in terms of stiffness, ductility and flexibility of the models. The IBS original geometry model is ductile but lack structural stiffness while the conventional model is stiff but not ductile.
PERFORMANCE OF SOLAR-ASSISTED ABSORPTION CYCLE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM
Authors: Jusoh Zakaria , Wan Mahmood Wan Mohd Faizal , Abu Mansor Mohd Radzi
Published: November 2016

A study of the efficiency of the cycle of solar assisted absorption air conditioning system has been carried out. The absorption cycle system has been in operation in Malaysia, but only in large buildings such as the KL International Airport, government buildings in Putrajaya and KLCC buildings. This study focuses on a small-scale lithium-bromide (LiBr) absorption cycle air conditioning system for residential application. The important component of the system has been designed with the capacity of 3.517 kW cooling load suitable for small-capacity application. Generator, condenser, evaporator and absorber have been designed, fabricated, assembled and tested in the laboratory. A total of ninety-pieces of evacuated tube solar collectors have been installed to produce hot water to be used as a heat source to separate the absorbent and refrigerant. Lithium bromide-water pair was used in this experiment. With the concentration of lithium bromide of 33%, the average coefficient of performance (COP) obtained was 0.446, 0.438 and 0.431 for category A, category B and category C respectively. This study shows that the cycle of solar absorption air conditioning system in small scale can be used in Malaysia and tropical climate countries.
HYDRODYNAMIC CAVITATION USING DOUBLE ORIFICE- PLATES FOR THE GENERATION OF HYDROXYL RADICALS
Authors: Jusoh Muhammad Noor Hazwan , Aris Azmi , Talib Juhaizah
Published: November 2016

The generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH) by hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) using single and double orifice plates was studied. Five orifice plates with different configurations (size and number of orifice, total orifice area) were tested. The formation of OH was measured by iodide dosimeter method using spectrophotometer at 355 nm wavelength. The effects of plate configurations and double plate arrangements on OH generation were investigated in 60 minutes of reaction time using an inlet pressure of 45 psi and initial potassium iodide (KI) concentration of 20 g/L. The generation of OH were expressed in terms of concentration and percentage of increase of iodine liberation. The liberated iodine for single plate ranged from 0.26 to 0.56 g/L (84 to 180% increase). The highest liberation was achieved using plate with the lowest total flow area of orifice, which had the smallest cavitation number. The double plate arrangement produced the highest iodine liberation (1.30 g/L; 420% increase) with the highest cavitational yield (2.9 x 10-1 mg/J) as compared to those of single plate arrangement. In double plate arrangement, the enhancement was dependent on the configuration and arrangement of the plates.
FORCE CHARACTERIZATION OF A TUBULAR LINEAR ELECTROMAGNETIC ACTUATOR USING FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS METHOD (FEM)
Authors: Md Ghazaly Mariam , Ahmed Yahya Tawfik , Che Amran Aliza , Abdullah Zulkeflee , Md Ali Mohd Amran , Jamaludin Ahmad Hilkam , Mohd Ali Nursabillilah
Published: November 2016

This paper presents an extensive characterising study of two novel electromagnetic actuators, each with different constructions and characteristics aiming to analyse the behaviour and output characteristics of the two designs. The two actuators are Tubular Linear Reluctance Actuator (TLRA) and Tubular Linear Permanent magnet (TLPM) with Halbach array actuator. The study covered the variation of three parameters, which are the actuator air gap, number of turns and actuator size. A comparative section was also presented for the purpose of comparison. The study concentrated extensively on the two characteristics of both actuators known as output thrust force and working range as they are considered as two main concerns of any actuator design. The simulation was used to show the differences between the two designs in many design aspects such as force, displacement and effects of parameters variations. The applied simulation was performed using 3D Finite-element Ansys software, which is capable of showing the magnetic field distribution in the whole actuator and predicting the strength and length of the output stroke.
An approach to intersection theory on singular varieties using motivic complexes
Authors: Friedlander Eric M. , Ross J.
Published: November 2016

We introduce techniques of Suslin, Voevodsky, and others into the study of singular varieties. Our approach is modeled after Goresky–MacPherson intersection homology. We provide a formulation of perversity cycle spaces leading to perversity homology theory and a companion perversity cohomology theory based on generalized cocycle spaces. These theories lead to conditions on pairs of cycles which can be intersected and a suitable equivalence relation on cocycles/cycles enabling pairings on equivalence classes. We establish suspension and splitting theorems, as well as a localization property. Some examples of intersections on singular varieties are computed.
Membrane‐associated guanylate kinase dynamics reveal regional and developmental specificity of synapse stability
Authors: Levy Jonathan M. , Nicoll Roger A.
Published: November 2016

Key points

The membrane‐associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family of synaptic scaffolding proteins anchor glutamate receptors at CNS synapses.

MAGUK removal via RNAi‐mediated knockdown in the CA1 hippocampal region in immature animals causes rapid and lasting reductions in glutamatergic transmission. In mature animals, the same manipulation has little acute effect.

The hippocampal dentate gyrus, a region with ongoing adult neurogenesis, is sensitive to MAGUK loss in mature animals, behaving like an immature CA1.

Over long time courses, removal of MAGUKs in CA1 causes reductions in glutamatergic transmission, indicating that synapses in mature animals require MAGUKs for anchoring glutamate receptors, but are much more stable.

These results demonstrate regional and developmental control of synapse stability and suggest the existence of a sensitive period of heightened hippocampal plasticity in CA1 of pre‐adolescent rodents, and in dentate gyrus throughout maturity.

Fast excitatory transmission in the brain requires localization of glutamate receptors to synapses. The membrane‐associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family of synaptic scaffolding proteins is critical for localization of glutamate receptors to synapses. Although the MAGUKs are well‐studied in reduced preparations and young animals, few data exist on their role in adult animals. Here, we present a detailed developmental study of the role of the MAGUKs during rat development. We first confirmed by knockdown experiments that MAGUKs are essential for glutamatergic transmission in young animals and cultured slices, and an increase in postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD‐95) by overexpression caused correlated increases in glutamatergic transmission. We found that CA1 synapses in adults, in contrast, were largely unaffected by overexpression of MAGUKs, and although adult CA1 synapses required MAGUKs to the same degree as synapses in young animals, this was only apparent over long time scales of knockdown. We additionally showed that overexpression of MAGUKs is likely to function to accelerate the developmental strengthening of excitatory transmission. Finally, we showed that adult dentate gyrus appears similar to immature CA1, demonstrating regional and developmental control of MAGUK dynamics. Together, these results demonstrate a period of juvenile instability at CA1 synapses, followed by a period of adult stability in which synapses are acutely unaffected by changes in MAGUK abundance.
Effects of postural change from supine to head‐up tilt on the skin sympathetic nerve activity component synchronised with the cardiac cycle in warmed men
Authors: Ogawa Yu , Kamijo Yoshi‐ichiro , Ikegawa Shigeki , Masuki Shizue , Nose Hiroshi
Published: November 2016

Key points

Humans are unique in controlling body temperature in a hot environment by a large amount of skin blood flow; however, the decrease in total peripheral resistance due to systemic cutaneous vasodilatation and the reduction of venous return to the heart due to blood pooling in the cutaneous vein threatens blood pressure maintenance in the upright position, and occasionally causes heat syncope.

Against this condition, cutaneous vasodilatation is reportedly suppressed to maintain arterial pressure; however, the nerve activity responsible for this phenomenon has not been identified.

In the present study, we found that the skin sympathetic nerve activity component that was synchronised with the cardiac cycle increased in hyperthermia, but the increase was suppressed when the posture was changed from supine to head‐up tilt.

The profile of the component agreed with that of cutaneous vasodilatation.

Thus, the component might contribute to the prevention of heat syncope in humans.

In humans, the cutaneous vasodilatation response to hyperthermia has been suggested to be suppressed by baroreflexes to maintain arterial pressure when the posture is changed from supine to upright, and if the reflexes do not function sufficiently, it can cause heat syncope. However, the efferent signals of the reflexes have not been identified. To identify the signals, we continuously measured skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA; microneurography), right atrial volume (RAV; echocardiography, the baroreceptors for the reflexes are reportedly located in the right atrium), cutaneous vascular conductance on the chest (CVCchest; laser Doppler flowmetry), and oesophageal temperature (Toes; thermocouple) in young men before and after passive warming with a perfusion suit, during which periods the posture was changed from supine to 30 deg head‐up tilt positions. During these periods, we also simultaneously measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) to distinguish the SSNA from MSNA. We found that an increase in Toes by ∼0.7°C (P < 0.0001) increased the total SSNA (P < 0.005); however, the head‐up tilt in hyperthermia did not change the total SSNA (P > 0.26) although an increase in CVCchest (P < 0.019) was suppressed and RAV was reduced (P < 0.008). In contrast, the SSNA component synchronised with the cardiac cycle increased in hyperthermia (P < 0.015), but decreased with the postural change (P < 0.017). The SSNA component during the postural change before and after warming was highly correlated with the CVCchest (r = 0.817, P < 0.0001), but the MSNA component was not (r = 0.359, P = 0.085). Thus, the SSNA component synchronised with the cardiac cycle appeared to be involved in suppressing cutaneous vasodilatation during postural changes.
Design and Calibration of a Full Scale Active Magnetic Bearing Based Test Facility for Investigating Rotordynamic Properties of Turbomachinery Seals in Multiphase Flow
Authors: Voigt Andreas Jauernik , Mandrup-Poulsen Christian , Nielsen Kenny Krogh , Santos Ilmar F.
Published: November 2016

The recent move toward subsea oil and gas production brings about a requirement to locate process equipment in deepwater installations. Furthermore, there is a drive toward omitting well stream separation functionality, as this adds complexity and cost to the subsea installation. This in turn leads to technical challenges for the subsea installed pumps and compressors that are now required to handle multiphase flow of varying gas to liquid ratios. This highlights the necessity for a strong research focus on multiphase flow impact on rotordynamic properties and thereby operational stability of the subsea installed rotating machinery. It is well known that careful design of turbomachinery seals, such as interstage and balance piston seals, is pivotal for the performance of pumps and compressors. Consequently, the ability to predict the complex interaction between fluid dynamics and rotordynamics within these seals is key. Numerical tools offering predictive capabilities for turbomachinery seals in multiphase flow are currently being developed and refined, however the lack of experimental data for multiphase seals renders benchmarking and validation impossible. To this end, the Technical University of Denmark and Lloyd's Register Consulting are currently establishing a purpose built state of the art multiphase seal test facility, which is divided into three modules. Module I consists of a full scale active magnetic bearing (AMB) based rotordynamic test bench. The internally designed custom AMBs are equipped with an embedded Hall sensor system enabling high-precision noncontact seal force quantification. Module II is a fully automatized calibration facility for the Hall sensor based force quantification system. Module III consists of the test seal housing assembly. This paper provides details on the design of the novel test facility and the calibration of the Hall sensor system employed to measure AMB forces. Calibration and validation results are presented, along with an uncertainty analysis on the force quantification capabilities.
Maximum Resolution of a Probe-Based, Steady-State Thermal Interface Material Characterization Instrument
Authors: Warzoha Ronald J. , Smith Andrew N. , Harris Maurice
Published: November 2016

Thermal interface materials (TIMs) constitute a critical component for heat dissipation in electronic packaging systems. However, the extent to which a conventional steady-state thermal characterization apparatus can resolve the interfacial thermal resistance across current high-performance interfaces (RT < 1 mm2⋅K/W) is not clear. In this work, we quantify the minimum value of RT that can be measured with this instrument. We find that in order to increase the resolution of the measurement, the thermal resistance through the instrument's reference bars must be minimized relative to RT. This is practically achieved by reducing reference bar length. However, we purport that the minimization of reference bar length is limited by the effects of thermal probe intrusion along the primary measurement pathway. Using numerical simulations, we find that the characteristics of the probes and surrounding filler material can significantly impact the measurement of temperature along each reference bar. Moreover, we find that probes must be spaced 15 diameters apart to maintain a uniform heat flux at the interface, which limits the number of thermal probes that can be used for a given reference bar length. Within practical constraints, the minimum thermal resistance that can be measured with an ideal instrument is found to be 3 mm2⋅K/W. To verify these results, the thermal resistance across an indium heat spring material with an expected thermal contact resistance of ∼1 mm2⋅K/W is experimentally measured and found to differ by more than 100% when compared to manufacturer-reported values.
Minimax Optimization Strategy for Process Parameters Planning: Toward Interference-Free Between Tool and Flexible Workpiece in Milling Process
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Ming , Zhang Dong , Cao Le , Huang Tao , Leopold Jürgen , Ding Han
Published: November 2016

In milling of flexible workpieces, like axial-flow compressor impellers with thin-wall blades and deep channels, interference occurrence between workpiece and tool shaft is a great adverse issue. Even though interference avoidance plays a mandatory role in tool path generation stage, the generated tool path remains just a nominally interference-free one. This challenge is attributed to the fact that workpiece flexibility and dynamic response cannot be considered in tool path generation stage. This paper presents a strategy in process parameters planning stage, aiming to avoid the interference between tool shaft and flexible workpiece with dynamic response in milling process. The interference problem is formulated as that to evaluate the approaching extent of two surfaces, i.e., the vibrating workpiece and the swept envelope surface generated by the tool undergoing spatial motions. A metric is defined to evaluate quantitatively the approaching extent. Then, a minimax optimization model is developed, in which the optimization objective is to maximize the metric, so as the interference-free can be guaranteed while constraints require the milling process to be stable and process parameters to fall into preferred intervals in which material removal rate is satisfactory. Finish milling of impeller using a conical cutter governed by a nominally interference-free tool path is numerically simulated to illustrate the dynamics responses of the spatially distributed nodal points on the thin-wall blade and approaching extent of the time-varying vibrating blades to the tool swept envelope surface. Furthermore, the present model results suggest to use an optimal process parameters set in finish milling, as a result improving machining efficiency in addition to ensuring the interference-free requirement. The model results are verified against milling experiments.
An Instability Discriminant Model of a Composite Metal Plate Under a Nonlinear Load
Authors: Wang Dongcheng , Zhang Wei , Wang Zhijie
Published: November 2016

Composite plates have the advantages of high strength and light weight and are widely used in the field of aerospace engineering. Instability is their most common failure mode. Considerable research on the instability of composite plates under linear loads has been conducted, but there is less research on the instability of composite plates under nonlinear loads. Therefore, an instability discriminant model for a metal composite plate under a nonlinear load is established using a metal composite plate as the object of study. The influence of width, thickness, thickness ratio, and material properties on the discrimination factor of instability is analyzed. Analysis results show that, for common metal composite plates with aspect ratios four, under the same load, larger ratios of width to thickness, smaller elastic moduli, and larger Poisson's ratios of each layer of the plate make the plate more prone to instability. Under the premise of the same total load, compared with the linear uniform load, the composite plate is more and more prone to instability with the increase of the nonlinear load. These conclusions serve to supplement theoretical results.
Kinematic Design Method for Rail-Guided Robotic Arms
Authors: Borgerink Dian J. , Brouwer Dannis M. , Stegenga Jan , Stramigioli Stefano
Published: November 2016

For special purpose robotic arms, such as a rail mounted ballast-water tank inspection arm, specific needs require special designs. Currently, there is no method to efficiently design robotic arms that can handle not quantifiable requirements. In this paper, an efficient method for the design and evaluation of the kinematics of manipulator arms on mobile platforms, with certain reach requirements within a limited space, is presented. First, the design space for kinematic arm structures is analyzed and narrowed down by a set of design rules. Second, key test locations in the workspace are determined and reduced based on, for example, relative positions and symmetry. Third, an algorithm is made to solve the inverse kinematics problem in an iterative way, using a virtual elastic wrench on the end effector to control the candidate structure toward its desired pose. The algorithm evaluates the remaining candidate manipulator structures for every required end-effector positions in the reduced set. This method strongly reduces the search space with respect to brute force methods and yields a design that is guaranteed to meet specifications. This method is applied to the use case of a rail-guided robot for ballast-water tank inspection. The resulting manipulator design has been built and the proof of concept has been successfully evaluated in a ballast-water tank replica.
Additions to the oribatid mite fauna of Venezuela, with description of two new species of the family Achipteriidae (Acari, Oribatida)
Authors: Ermilov Sergey G.
Published: November 2016

The present study is based on oribatid mite material collected in 1936, 1964 and 1968 in Venezuela. A list of identified taxa, including 18 species from 18 genera and 15 families is presented; of these, eight species, eight genera and two families are recorded in this country for the first time, and one species is recorded in the Neotropical region for the first time. Two new species of the family Achipteriidae (Acari, Oribatida) are described. Campachipteria hummelincki sp. nov. differs from C. neotropicalis (Mahunka, 1983) by the smaller body size, long and similar in length notogastral setae and well dilated bothridial heads. Cubachipteria maxsellnicki sp. nov. differs from C. gaoligongensis Tang, Yang & Liang, 2015 and C. pianmaensis Tang, Yang & Liang, 2015 by the short, distally ciliate bothridial setae and the position of the lamellar setae.
Effects of GaSb surface preparation on the characteristics of HfO2/Al2O3/GaSb metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors prepared by atomic layer deposition
Authors: Hsueh Wei-Jen , Chen Cheng-Yu , Chang Chao-Min , Chyi Jen-Inn , Huang Mao-Lin
Published: November 2016

The electrical, structural, and chemical properties of HfO2/Al2O3/GaSb metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) fabricated on Sb-rich (2 × 5) and Sb-stabilized (1 × 3) surfaces by atomic layer deposition are characterized. A combination of the transmission electron microscopic, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic, and atomic force microscopic observations shows that the Sb-rich surface, with its excessive Sb atoms and clusters, leads to island deposition of the dielectric materials and results in the high leakage current of the MOSCAPs. For the MOSCAPs fabricated on the Sb-stabilized (1 × 3) surface, a density of interface traps as low as 8.03 × 1011 cm−2 eV−1 near the valence band and 1.86 × 1012 cm−2 eV−1 at the midgap is obtained as estimated by the conductance method.