bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Arab Spring: A Quantitative Analysis
Authors: Andrey V. Korotayev  , Leonid M. Issaev  , Sergey Yu. Malkov  , Alisa R. Shishkina
Published: June 2014

The quantitative analysis of the Arab Spring events is a rather difficult task. Respective difficulties are related to the variety of factors affecting social instability, and to individual peculiarities of historical, cultural, socio-economic, and political processes in the region. As a result of the research, we found out that the processes of social and political destabilization in the countries of Arab Spring were caused by a complex set of factors. The most significant factors that tended to reduce the scale of sociopolitical destabilization during the Arab Spring have turned out to be the following: the ability of the government to reduce social tensions and the presence of “immunity” to internal conflicts. However, such indicators as structural and demographical characteristics and external influences turned out to be less significant in the context of the Arab Spring. It should be mentioned that the significance of the external influences indicator notably increases when the model is used to account for the death toll resultant from anti-government protests. We also discuss the possibility of applying the developed model of sociopolitical destabilization to forecast sociopolitical upheavals in future.
Customer Orientation Structure for Internet-Based Business-to-Business Platform Firms
Authors: Chakravarty Anindita , Kumar Alok , Grewal Rajdeep
Published: June 2014

Internet-based business-to-business platforms involve a buyer side transacting with a seller side, both of which are customers of an intermediary platform firm. Dyadic viewpoints implicit in conventional theories of customer orientation thus must be modified to apply to a triadic relationship system (seller–platform–buyer) in platform settings. The authors propose that customer orientation of platform firms consists of total customer orientation (customer orientation toward both the buyer and seller sides) and customer orientation asymmetry (customer orientation in favor of the seller relative to the buyer side) and examine the antecedents and consequences of these orientations. Data from 109 business-to-business electronic platforms reveal that buyer- (seller-) side concentration increases total customer orientation and customer orientation asymmetry toward sellers (buyers). These positive effects are weaker when buyers and sellers interact directly (two-sided matching) versus indirectly (one-sided matching) and are stronger when the offering prices vary (dynamic price discovery) versus remain stable (static price discovery) during negotiations. Finally, total customer orientation increases platform performance by itself and in interaction with customer concentration, but orientation asymmetry increases performance only in conjunction with customer concentration.
Principles in Action: An Examination of Food and Drug Administration Letters Involving Violative Internet Promotions from 1997 to 2012
Authors: Hoy Mariea Grubbs , Park Jin Seong
Published: June 2014

Given the increasing importance of the Internet as a platform for pharmaceutical marketing, drug companies have called for guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Of key concern is how marketers can fulfill the fair balance requirement within the space constraints of most social media platforms. The agency directs marketers to its administrative letters for clarity but has made no comprehensive assessment to articulate the guidance these letters offer, especially regarding areas in which the Internet differs from traditional media. This study offers such an assessment by examining all letters addressing violative Internet promotions from 1997 to 2012. The authors identify eight “principles in action,” including insight into the so-called one-click rule. These principles reveal how the FDA's thinking on online promotion has evolved since the 1997 draft guidance for broadcast direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs and can complement the agency's first guidance regarding interactive promotion, released in 2014. The authors also identify areas the FDA has not addressed and offer suggestions.
Ultra-smooth finishing of aspheric surfaces using CAST technology
Authors: Kong John , Young Kevin
Published: June 2014

Growing applications for astronomical ground-based adaptive systems and air-born telescope systems demand complex optical surface designs combined with ultra-smooth finishing. The use of more sophisticated and accurate optics, especially aspheric ones, allows for shorter optical trains with smaller sizes and a reduced number of components. This in turn reduces fabrication and alignment time and costs. These aspheric components include the following: steep surfaces with large aspheric departures; more complex surface feature designs like stand-alone off-axis-parabola (OAP) and free form optics that combine surface complexity with a requirement for ultra-high smoothness, as well as special optic materials such as lightweight silicon carbide (SiC) for air-born systems. Various fabrication technologies for finishing ultra-smooth aspheric surfaces are progressing to meet these growing and demanding challenges, especially Magnetorheological Finishing (MRF) and ion-milling. These methods have demonstrated some good success as well as a certain level of limitations. Amongst them, computer-controlled asphere surface-finishing technology (CAST), developed by Precision Asphere Inc. (PAI), plays an important role in a cost effective manufacturing environment and has successfully delivered numerous products for the applications mentioned above. One of the most recent successes is the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), the world’s most powerful planet-hunting instrument, with critical aspheric components (seven OAPs and free form optics) made using CAST technology. GPI showed off its first images in a press release on January 7, 2014 . This paper reviews features of today’s technologies in handling the ultra-smooth aspheric optics, especially the capabilities of CAST on these challenging products. As examples, three groups of aspheres deployed in astronomical optics systems, both polished and finished using CAST, will be discussed in detail.
Deflectometric measurement of large mirrors
Authors: Olesch Evelyn , Häusler Gerd , Wörnlein André , Stinzing Friedrich , van Eldik Christopher
Published: June 2014

We discuss the inspection of large-sized, spherical mirror tiles by ‘Phase Measuring Deflectometry’ (PMD). About 10 000 of such mirror tiles, each satisfying strict requirements regarding the spatial extent of the point-spread-function (PSF), are planned to be installed on the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), a future ground-based instrument to observe the sky in very high energy gamma-rays. Owing to their large radii of curvature of up to 60 m, a direct PSF measurement of these mirrors with concentric geometry requires large space. We present a PMD sensor with a footprint of only 5×2×1.2 m3 that overcomes this limitation. The sensor intrinsically acquires the surface slope; the shape data are calculated by integration. In this way, the PSF can be calculated for real case scenarios, e.g., when the light source is close to infinity and off-axis. The major challenge is the calibration of the PMD sensor, specifically because the PSF data have to be reconstructed from different camera views. The calibration of the setup is described, and measurements presented and compared to results obtained with the direct approach.
Dynamic Recrystallization Behavior of AISI 420 Stainless Steel under Hot Compression
Authors: Cao Y. , Di H.S. , Misra R.D.K.
Published: June 2014

Hot deformation behavior of AISI 420 stainless steel was studied under hot compression tests in the temperature range of 950 to 1150 °C and strain rates of 0.01 s
Progress in Reactors for High-Temperature Fischer–Tropsch Process: Determination Place of Intensifier Reactor Perspective
Authors: Saeidi Samrand , Talebi Amiri Masoud , Saidina Amin Nor Aishah , Rahimpour Mohammad Reza
Published: June 2014

High-temperature Fischer–Tropsch (HTFT) process aims to produce lighter cuts such as gasoline and diesel. For many years there have been studies and improvements on HTFT process to make the existing reactors more efficient. Recent studies proposed new configurations such as dual-type membrane reactor and coupling configurations reactor, which improved the performances of this process. This achievement persuades us to update the existing knowledge about the available reactors for HTFT process. In this article, features and performances overview of two classes of reactors are reviewed. The first class consists of the reactors which are based on older studies, and the second one includes recent studies which are called product intensifier reactors. Finally, it is shown that the product intensifier reactors have higher CO conversions and lower selectivity of undesired by-products which results in higher production yield of gasoline. Furthermore, the place of product intensifier reactor among common reactors with regard to the influence of the process parameters on the product distribution has been estimated.
Die Evaluation des wissenschaftlichen Wertes elektronischer Zeitschriften nach einem Modell der California Digital Library
Authors: Rudolf Daniel
Published: June 2014

Es wird eine Methode der
The Reception of the Bible in Rabbinic Judaism: A Study in Complexity
Authors: Kraemer David
Published: June 2014

Jewish reception of scripture from Late Antiquity through recent centuries was largely defined by the rabbis of the first to sixth centuries, whose surviving literature is rich with scriptural readings. In certain matters, these readings were united by common assumptions or habits. For example, from the Mishnah (c. 200 CE) onward, the rabbis, who assumed scripture to be divinely inspired, were nevertheless willing to read against the simple meaning of scripture and to give their own agenda priority. Rabbinic readings also, universally, focused on the fine details of scripture’s formulation and almost never on units larger than a few words. At the same time, rabbinic documents reveal significant development in the rabbinic relationship to scripture, and it is fair to say that the rabbinic appropriation of scripture at the latest stage of the growth of classical rabbinic Judaism, in the Bavli, was assertive, even aggressive, and sometimes radical. In this piece, the author offers a survey of rabbinic scriptural readings from the earliest to the latest of the classical rabbinic documents, identifying some of the most significant developments in each sequential corpus.
Leakage squeezing: Optimal implementation and security evaluation
Authors: Carlet Claude , Danger Jean-Luc , Guilley Sylvain , Maghrebi Houssem
Published: June 2014

Hardware devices can be protected against side-channel attacks by introducing one random mask per sensitive variable. The computation throughout is unaltered if the shares (masked variable and mask) are processed concomitantly, in two distinct registers. Nonetheless, this setup
can still be attacked if the side-channel is squared, because this operation causes an interference between the two shares. This more sophisticated analysis is referred to as a zero-offset second-order correlation power analysis (CPA) attack. When the device leaks in Hamming distance, the countermeasure can be improved by the “leakage squeezing”. It consists in manipulating the mask through a bijection,
aimed at reducing the dependency between the shares' leakage. Thus dth-order zero-offset attacks, that consist in applying CPA on the dth power of the centered side-channel traces, can be thwarted for d ≥ 2 at no extra cost.
We denote by n the size in bits of the shares and call F the transformation function, that is, a bijection of

𝔽
2
n

$\mathbb {F}_2^n$

. In this paper, we explore the functions F that thwart zero-offset high-order CPA (HO-CPA) of maximal order d. We mathematically demonstrate that optimal choices for F relate to optimal binary codes (in the sense of communication theory). First, we exhibit optimal linear F functions. They are suitable for masking schemes where only one mask is used throughout the algorithm. Second, we note that for values of n for which non-linear codes exist with better parameters than linear ones, better protection levels can be obtained. This applies to implementations in which each mask is randomly cast independently of the previous ones. These results are exemplified in the case n = 8, where the optimal F can be identified: it is derived from the optimal rate 1/2 binary code of size

2
n

$2n$

, namely the Nordstrom–Robinson

(
16
,
256
,
6
)

$(16, 256, 6)$

code. This example provides explicitly with the optimal protection that limits to one mask of byte-oriented algorithms such as AES or AES-based SHA-3 candidates.
It protects against all zero-offset HO-CPA attacks of order

d
≤
5

$d \le 5$

.
Eventually, the countermeasure is shown to be resilient to imperfect leakage models,
where the registers leak differently than the sum of their toggling bits.
Cardiotocography patterns and risk of intrapartum fetal acidemia
Authors: Holzmann Malin , Wretler Stina , Cnattingius Sven , Nordström Lennart
Published: June 2014

Aim: To identify cardiotocography (CTG) patterns associated with increased risk of intrapartum fetal acidemia.

Methods: A prospective observational cohort study of 1070 women with fetal scalp blood sampling (FBS) during labor was conducted at Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Women with a nonreassuring CTG pattern underwent FBS, and lactate concentration was measured at the bedside. Lactate concentrations >4.8 mmol/L were defined as fetal acidemia. A senior obstetrician, blinded to the lactate concentration at FBS, visually interpreted the CTG tracings that had prompted FBS.

Results: There were 2134 FBSs performed on 1070 laboring women, constituting 11% of all deliveries at this labor ward. The CTG patterns with the highest frequency of lactacidemia at FBS were late or severe variable decelerations combined with tachycardia (20%–25% at first FBS and 33%–49% at last FBS). With a normal baseline fetal heart rate, normal variability, and absence of serious decelerations, the fetal scalp blood lactate concentration at the first FBS was normal in 97.5% of cases. The group with isolated reduced variability had no increased prevalence of acidemia and median lactate concentration did not differ from the normal group.

Conclusion: Isolated reduced variability is in most cases not a sign of hypoxia. If development of hypoxia is ruled out with one FBS, this pattern does not require monitoring with repetitive FBSs throughout labor. Late decelerations and severe variable decelerations increase the risk for intrapartum fetal metabolic acidemia to the same extent. The combination of these decelerations and tachycardia was associated with the highest rate of fetal metabolic acidemia.
Do polygynous males of Akodon azarae (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) vary their mating tactics at low availability of females?
Authors: Bonatto Florencia , Steinmann Andrea , Gomez Daniela , Priotto José
Published: June 2014

We examined in
Predation record of a Perote ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus perotensis) by a prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus)
Authors: García-Domínguez José Arturo , Priego-Hernández Edith
Published: June 2014

The Perote ground squirrel (
Anerkennung
Authors: Albrecht Johannes-Friedrich
Published: June 2014

Axel Honneth weist im Anschluss an Hegel der Anerkennung im Zusammenspiel verschiedener Sozialsphären die entscheidende Funktion für die Verwirklichung von Gerechtigkeit im Sinne der Ermöglichung von individueller Autonomie zu. Die Theorie der Anerkennung steht dabei in einem engen Zusammenhang mit einem biblisch-reformatorischen Verständnis von Versöhnung, Rechtfertigung und Gerechtigkeit. Dies wird insbesondere bei Hegel als wesentlichem Begründer des Anerkennungskonzeptes deutlich. Die Theorie der Anerkennung hat, herausgefordert durch die Situation des Pluralismus, neu an Aufmerksamkeit gewonnen. Dies zeigt sich im Bereich des Rechtes und der Zivilgesellschaft an der zunehmenden Sensibilität für das Recht auf Inklusion und Beteiligung und für kulturelle und religiöse Minderheitenrechte. Es zeigt sich auch daran, wie die Funktion kultureller und religiöser Gemeinschaften und die Bedeutung der Zivilgesellschaft für die Verwirklichung von Gerechtigkeit neu erkannt wird. Die Perspektive der Anerkennung verändert damit auch den Diskurs über Gerechtigkeit. Dieser wird pluraler, offener auch für religiöse Beiträge, er orientiert sich stärker an der Lebenswelt. Neu zu denken gibt die Theorie der Anerkennung auch dadurch, dass sie die spezifische und grundlegende Bedeutung der Kommunikation und Erfahrung göttlicher Anerkennung für Selbstachtung und Autonomie und damit für Gerechtigkeit wieder in den Blick rückt.
Application of TRIZ to Improve the Material Handling and Productivity in a Screw-Packaging Factory
Authors: Wang Chia-Nan , Yang Gino K. , Hsiung Wei-Ming
Published: June 2014

Although the screw is small, it is really basic and necessary in our lives. It is an integral part of almost all the industrial products. This study uses a systematic and innovative approach, TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch), to solve the layout problems of an existing screw-packaging factory. The work has modified the layout of the factory and applied a closed-loop-type rail-guided vehicle system (RGVS) with a forklift device. The automatic material handling system has replaced some forklift trucks. The advantage of this modification is an increase in production output from 48 ton/day to 96 ton/day, reducing the number of forklift trucks from six sets to three sets and increasing the throughput of material handling from 80 pallet/h to 160 pallet/h. In addition, the results also improve the industrial safety and make the environment more eco-friendly.
Evaluation of Ductile-to-Brittle Transition Temperature by Reference Temperature (T) Approach at Higher Loading Rates for a Mod.9Cr-1Mo Steel
Authors: Moitra A. , Sathyanarayanan S. , Sasikala G. , Bhaduri A. K.
Published: June 2014

To evaluate the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of ferritic–martensitic steels, the ASTM E1921-based reference temperature (T0) approach has now been widely recognized; however, until now, the standard restricts itself to static/quasi-static loading rates. It is well recognized that the flow stress of rate-sensitive material increases with the strain rate, and thus it is imperative that the increase in loading rate would lead to limited plasticity-induced brittleness, reflected in higher T0. There have been efforts in the literature for developing empirical correlations to derive T0 at higher loading rates from T0 at quasi-static loading rates or vice versa. However, there is a need to experimentally evaluate the T0 at higher loading rates, especially for the 9Cr-1Mo family of steels, proposed to be used as wrapper material in the upcoming commercial liquid-sodium-cooled fast breeder reactors in India. The present study is directed toward determining T0 for Mod.9Cr-1Mo steel at loading rates of 1.12, 3, and 5 m/s.
Overview on Super Strengthening Phenomenon Taking Place During Intensive Quenching of Steels
Authors: Kobasko N. I. , Aronov M. A.
Published: June 2014

This paper presents an overview on the super strengthening phenomenon that takes place during intensive quenching (IQ) of steels. It is shown that for obtaining an additional strengthening of material, one should pay special attention to whether the part cooling rate within the martensite range is high enough and whether compressive stresses are formed at the surface of steel parts. For hardening high carbon alloy steels with a low martensite start temperature, a two-step quenching procedure is recommended. At the first step of quenching, the martensite transformation is delayed, and, at the second step of quenching, the part cooling rate is accelerated within the martensite range. For hardening low and medium carbon steels, an IQ-3 quench method is recommended when a so-called direct convection cooling is applied for providing a maximal cooling rate within the martensite range and maximal compressive stresses at the surface of steel parts. To calculate a part cooling rate within the martensite range, a generalized equation is provided. Data on mechanical properties for different steels proving a presence of the super strengthening effect are provided also. A practical use of the super strengthening phenomenon is discussed in the paper.
Thyroidectomy in patients with a high BMI: a safe surgery?
Authors: Finel J B , Mucci S , Branger F , Venara A , Lenaoures P , Rodien P , Hamy A
Published: June 2014

Objective

To study and compare the specific postoperative complications of thyroidectomy in a population with a BMI ≥25 with a population having a BMI below 25.

Design

A prospective study was carried out from September 2010 to January 2013.

Methods

Postoperative calcemia, laryngeal mobility, bleeding or infectious complications, postoperative hospital stay, and operation time were studied and compared statistically by a χ2-test or Student's t-test.

Results

A total of 240 patients underwent total thyroidectomy and 126 underwent a partial thyroidectomy. Of them, 168 patients had a BMI below 25 and 198 patients had a BMI ≥25. There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of early or permanent hypoparathyroidism, recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, bleeding complications, or postoperative duration of hospital stay. There was, however, a significant operative time in patients with a BMI ≥25.

Conclusion

Despite the longer operative time, thyroidectomy (total or partial) can be performed safely in patients with a BMI ≥25.
Pests versus Crops in the Context of Climate Change
Authors: Wang Fuzhou
Published: June 2014

The pace of climate change is matched the science development. We are paying for the climate change when we are enjoying the benefits of science. The impact of the changing climate on the surrounding environments is unequal: some benefit from it, but some suffer from it. Agriculture is the very example for this. In the field of agriculture, weeds and pests are the winners of the increasing carbon dioxide, whereas the food crops failed in this competition. How to deal with these thorny problems rose from the development of science? In fact, agriculture itself also is developing, modified crops against various pests, and increased production of staple food crops. However, the advanced growing of agriculture cannot reverse the decline of nutrients of crops resulted from the climate change. What would be the solution for this problem?
Quadruple Hydrogen Bonded Nanocarbon Networks for High Performance Dispersant-Free Conducting Pastes
Authors: Han Joong Tark , Jang Jeong In , Choi Sua , Seo Seon Hee , Jeong Seung Yol , Jeong Hee Jin , Lee Geon-Woong
Published: June 2014

Colloidal dispersion of nanocarbon (NC) materials in dilute solutions or pastes is prerequisite for applications of NC-based electrodes from flexible electronics and flexible conducting fibers to electrochemical devices. Here, we show a straightforward method for fabricating NC suspensions with >10% weight concentrations in absence of organic dispersants. The method involves introducing supramolecular quadruple hydrogen bonding motifs into the NC materials without sacrificing the electrical conductivity.
Modeling dielectric-elastomer minimum-energy structures using dynamic relaxation with appropriate material behavior
Authors: Rhode-Barbarigos L. , Wagner S. , Adriaenssens S.
Published: June 2014

Form-finding describes the process of finding a stable equilibrium shape for a structure under a specific set of loading for a set of boundary conditions. Both physical (experimental) and numerical (computational) form-finding methods have been employed by structural engineers and architects for the design of shape-resistant structures: structures whose behavior depends mostly on their global spatial configuration and less on the properties of their individual components. The shape of dielectric elastomer minimum energy structures (DEMES) depends on the equilibrium between the pre-stressed elastomeric membrane and its inextensible frame. Therefore, DEMES can be modeled and analyzed using structural form-finding techniques. We applied dynamic relaxation (DR), a well-established explicit and efficient numerical form-finding and analysis method, to simulate DEMES equilibrium shapes and predict the elastic energy of DEMES. The DR-DEMES model shows generally good agreement with its physical implementation counterpart, as it captures the equilibrium shape and also the elastic energy in function of shape. However, we found that the numerical and the physical models differ in the pre-stress that is required to obtain a specific equilibrium shape. Therefore, in this study we introduce hyper-elasticity in the DR-DEMES model. With this refinement in physical parameters the DR-DEMES model approaches the pre-stress state of the physical DEMES implementation more closely, while it maintains the computational efficiency of the form-finding approach. We conclude that dynamic relaxation, with its low computational cost, is a powerful tool for the design of novel DEMES applications.
Tunneling at Organic/Metal Interfaces in Oligomer-Based Thin-Film Transistors
Authors: Garnier Francis , Kouki Fayçal , Hajlaoui Rhiad , Horowitz Gilles
Published: June 2014

Organic semiconductors have been studied since the early 1950s, and the large amount of work devoted to them has allowed a better understanding of their charge-transport properties. However owing to their very poor semiconducting characteristics, they were merely considered as exotic materials with little potential interest for applications until the late 1980s, when two significant steps simultaneously appeared in the literature. Richard Friend's group showed that light-emitting diodes could be made from a conjugated semiconducting polymer, and our laboratory showed that efficient field-effect transistors (FETs) could be realized from short-conjugated oligomers. These two results launched intensive research on these two types of organic-based devices, and the extensive work accomplished since has largely confirmed the technological pertinence of organic semiconductors, showing the promise for applications in flexible and large-area electronics. Two categories of organic semiconductors are actually under development: (1) conjugated polymer-based ones whose amorphous state is favorable to strong luminescence and (2) conjugated oligomer-based ones, in which charge-transport efficiency is directly related to the long-range packing of molecules in the semiconducting film. In fact conjugated oligomers can be said to be forming molecular polycrystals whose electrical properties are essentially controlled by molecular order. Thus performance of sexithiophene-based FETs has been improved by a factor of nearly 50 by controlling the molecular ordering in the evaporated film, from a disordered three-dimensional structure to a well-ordered two-dimensional organization where all the molecules stack along a packing axis nearly parallel to the substrate surface.
Active Implant Periapical Lesions Leading to Implant Failure: Two Case Reports
Authors: Buhara Oğuz , Uyanık Lokman Onur , Ayalı Aysa , Aydın Melek
Published: June 2014

Implant periapical lesion (IPL), an inflammatory lesion surrounding the apex of a dental implant, has been previously reported as a possible cause for implant failure. This article describes 2 successive cases of active IPL that were diagnosed early by clinical signs and radiologic findings. Lesions were treated surgically with implant removal and debridement. The etiology, findings, and treatment approaches for IPL are discussed in comparison with other reports.
Zygomatic Implants: The Impact of Zygoma Bone Support on Biomechanics
Authors: Romeed Shihab A. , Malik Raheel , Dunne Stephen M.
Published: June 2014

Maxillectomy and severely resorbed maxilla are challenging to restore with provision of removable prostheses. Dental implants are essential to restore esthetics and function and subsequently quality of life in such group of patients. Zygomatic implants reduce the complications associated with bone grafting procedures and simplify the rehabilitation of atrophic maxilla and maxillectomy. The purpose of this study was to compare, by means of 3-dimensional finite element analysis, the impact of different zygomatic bone support (10, 15, and 20 mm) on the biomechanics of zygomatic implants. Results indicated that maximum stresses within the fixture were increased by 3 times when bone support decreased from 20 to 10 mm and were concentrated at the fixture/bone interface. However, stresses within the abutment screw and the abutment itself were not significantly different regardless of the bone support level. Supporting bone at 10 mm sustained double the stresses of 15 and 20 mm. Fixture's deflection was decreased by 2 to 3 times when bone support level increased to 15 mm and 20 mm, respectively. It was concluded that zygomatic bone support should not be less than 15 mm, and abutment screw is not at risk of fracture regardless of the zygomatic bone support.
Effect of superplasticiser type on the properties of cement grouts
Authors: Anagnostopoulos Costas A.
Published: June 2014

The use of superplasticisers in microfine or regular cement-based grouts has become of vital importance in advanced professional grouting practices. These superplasticisers play an important role in the production of more durable grouts with improved rheological characteristics. This paper presents a laboratory study of the effects of a new-generation polycarboxylate superplasticiser on the rheological properties, mechanical strength, final setting time and bleeding of cement grouts in comparison to that of a polynaphthalene superplasticiser. The experiments are conducted using different superplasticiser dosages with cement grouts proportioned with a water-to-cement ratio of 0·33, 0·4 or 0·5. The results show that grouts with polycarboxylate superplasticiser have higher viscosity, slightly increased bleeding and longer setting times compared with the polynaphthalene superplasticiser admixture. However, the polycarboxylate superplasticiser improves the final strength, especially for grouts with a water-to-cement ratio of 0·4 and 0·5, and decreases the yield stress.
A parametric study of geosynthetic-reinforced column-supported embankments
Authors: Yapage N.N.S. , Liyanapathirana D.S.
Published: June 2014

ABSTRACT: This paper presents an extensive parametric study for geosynthetic-reinforced column-supported (GRCS) embankments. The analysis was carried out using the finite-element method based on the coupled-hydraulic modelling, incorporating the full geometry of the embankment and strain-softening behaviour of deep cement mixed (DCM) columns. The influencing factors considered in the parametric study were elastic modulus of DCM columns, area replacement ratio (ARR) based on spacing and diameter of DCM columns, elastic modulus and permeability of soft foundation soil, stiffness of the geosynthetic reinforcement, thickness of the platform layer and friction angle of the fill material. Embankment behaviour during the parametric study was investigated by comparing maximum total and differential settlements, maximum tension in the geosynthetic, maximum lateral deformation of columns, efficiency coefficient of columns and arching ratio. The influencing factors were ranked based on their degree of influence on the behaviour of the embankment. Results show that column spacing and diameter, which control the ARR, and elastic modulus of soft soil were the most important design parameters to be considered in GRCS design procedures. In comparison with an unreinforced column-supported embankment, by using a geosynthetic layer, lateral deformations can be reduced by about 10 times and differential settlements at the base of the embankment can be reduced by about three times. In addition, numerical results show that a thin platform layer was more efficient in transferring the embankment load to columns than a thick platform layer.
Multiattribute Seismic Analysis With Fractal Dimension and 2D and 3D Continuous Wavelet Transform
Authors: Saraswat Puneet , Raj Vijay , Sen Mrinal K. , Narayanan Arun
Published: June 2014

The 3D post-stack seismic attributes provide an intuitive and effective way of using seismic volumes for reservoir characterization and development, and further identification of exploration targets. Some of the seismic attributes can aid in the precise prediction of the geometry and heterogeneity of subsurface geological settings. These also can provide useful information on petrophysical and lithological properties when combined with well-log information. There exist numerous seismic attributes that provide a unique interpretation on some aspects of subsurface geology. Of these, the proper demarcation of structural features— such as location and edges of faults and salt domes, and their throw and extent—always has been of primary concern. In this paper, we propose new multiattribute seismic algorithms by using fractal dimension and 2D/3D continuous wavelet transform (CWT). The use of higher-dimensional wavelets incorporates information from the ensemble of traces and can correlate information between neighboring traces in seismic data. The spectral decomposition that is based on the CWT aids in resolving various features of geological interest at a particular scale or frequency, which, when rendered with fractal attribute, demarcates the boundaries between those. We apply these two algorithms separately to a seismic amplitude volume and co-render output volumes together with some weights to yield a final attribute volume incorporating information from the aforementioned algorithms. We demonstrate the efficacy of these two algorithms in terms of the resolution and proper demarcation of various geological structures on real seismic data. The application of these algorithms results in better illumination and proper demarcation of various geological features such as salt domes, channels, and faults, and it illustrates how these simple tools can help to extract detailed information from seismic data.
Effect of Reservoir Heterogeneity on Primary Recovery and CO2 Huff ‘n’ Puff Recovery in Shale-Oil Reservoirs
Authors: Chen Cheng , Balhoff Matthew , Mohanty Kishore K.
Published: June 2014

An equation-of-state (EOS) -based compositional reservoir simulator, UT-COMP, is used to simulate both primary recovery and carbon dioxide (CO2) huff ‘n’ puff recovery in a shale matrix typical of the Bakken formation, to investigate the effect of reservoir heterogeneity on hydrocarbon recovery. Nonaqueous components are carefully lumped into seven pseudocomponents. Permeability fields with various heterogeneity and correlation lengths are generated. UT-COMP is able to solve the compositional model, despite the permeability difference between the fracture and matrix being six orders of magnitude. The effects of both primary recovery and CO2 huff ‘n’ puff recovery depend significantly on reservoir heterogeneity. In primary recovery, the recovery factor can be fit by a two-parameter exponential formula; higher heterogeneity reduces the rate coefficient in the formula. Permeability fields with identical or similar heterogeneity have similar rate coefficients, even if the correlation lengths are different, which implies that the recovery depends primarily on heterogeneity and is insensitive to correlation length. Multiple-cycle CO2 huff ‘n’ puff processes are simulated in both homogeneous and heterogeneous reservoirs. Recovery rate in the production stage rises to a peak value much higher than that in the primary recovery, and then declines dramatically. The peak recovery rate decreases with increasing huff ‘n’ puff cycles, resulting from depleted reservoir pressure and hydrocarbons. The final recovery factor in the huff ‘n’ puff recovery is lower than that in the primary recovery, because the incremental recovery in the production stage is unable to compensate the loss in the injection and shut-in stages. Use of a longer shut-in time does not help increase the recovery rate in the production stage, because CO2 migration into the shale matrix is very limited because of the low matrix permeability. Reservoir heterogeneity leads to a faster decline of recovery rate in the production stage.
Vascular Access Calcification and Arteriovenous Fistula Maturation
Authors: Lee Timmy
Published: June 2014

The vascular access serves as the “lifeline” for the hemodialysis patient, but in recent years has become the “Achilles Heel” of the hemodialysis procedure. The vascular health of the vessels used to create arteriovenous accesses is paramount to vascular access maturation and successful outcomes. Vascular calcification is widely present in the vessels of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, and may also potentially impact the vascular access remodeling process. Few studies have been published to date evaluating vascular calcification as it relates to vascular access outcomes. However, an improved understanding of how vascular calcification plays a pathophysiological role in hemodialysis vascular access dysfunction may improve therapies to treat arteriovenous fistula (AVF) non-maturation and the health of the vessels prior to vascular access creation.
Does Vascular Elasticity Affect Arteriovenous Fistula Maturation?
Authors: Paulson William D.
Published: June 2014

The vasculopathy of ESRD affects both arteries and veins. The arteries develop arteriosclerosis, which is largely a disease of the media characterized by increased collagen content, calcification, and both hypertrophy and hyperplasia of vascular smooth muscle cells. Veins may exhibit increased width of the intimal and medial layers, and may develop neointimal hyperplasia and calcification. Successful fistula maturation depends upon dilatation and remodeling of the artery and vein, but the stiff and thickened vessels of ESRD patients may respond poorly to signals that promote these adaptations. There is intense interest in accurately predicting fistula maturation outcome and preventing maturation failure. However, definitive criteria for preoperative testing of vessel elasticity have not yet been established. Tests that are adopted for widespread clinical use will need to be easy to apply - a standard that many of these tests may not meet. Finally, effective treatments are needed that prevent or reduce the stiffness of vessels. In conclusion, although there are many promising developments in this emerging field, effective methods of predicting fistula maturation outcome and preventing maturation failure remain to be established.
Novel Therapeutic Paradigms to Treat Hemodialysis Access Dysfunction
Authors: Kumbar Lalathaksha , Li Jian , Alsmaan Hafeez , Besarab Anatole
Published: June 2014

Vascular access dysfunction continues to be a major factor contributor to the morbidity and mortality of hemodialysis patient. Percutaneous intervention has been the central therapeutic modality used to treat dialysis vascular access dysfunction with limited success. Vascular biology research has shed considerable light on the pathophysiologic processes that lead to the development of neointimal hyperplasia, the culprit lesion for vascular access dysfunction, suggesting possible newer novel therapeutic interventions. In this review we discuss; (1) recent advances in the utilization of image based predictive medicine in improving access type selection prior to access creation; (2) current and promising treatment modalities including brachytherapy, gene therapy and pharmacotherapy for prevention of neointimal hyperplasia; (3) alternate imaging modalities during percutaneous endovascular interventions. Though novel therapeutic interventions are evolving, robust clinical studies to identify optimal therapeutic method are needed. A combination of evidenced based interventions from pre access creation up until final abandonment of vascular access is worthy of exploration.
HPLC method with monolithic column for simultaneous determination of irbesartan and hydrochlorothiazide in tablets
Authors: Alanazi Amer M. , Abdelhameed Ali S. , Khalil Nasr Y. , Khan Azmat A. , Darwish Ibrahim A.
Published: June 2014

A simple, sensitive and accurate HPLC method with high throughput has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of irbesartan (IRB) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) in combined pharmaceutical dosage forms. The proposed method employed, for the first time, a monolithic column in the analysis. Optimal chromatographic separation of the analytes was achieved on Chromolith® Performance RP-18e column using a mobile phase consisting of phosphate buffer (pH 4)/acetonitrile (50:50, V/V) pumped isocratically at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min-1. The eluted analytes were monitored with a UV detector set at 270 nm. Under the optimum chromatographic conditions, linear relationship with a good correlation coefficient (R ≥ 0.9997) was found between the peak area and the corresponding concentrations of both IRB and HCT in the ranges of 10-200 and 1-20 ng mL-1. The limits of detection were 2.34 and 0.03 ng mL-1 for IRB and HCT, respectively. The intra- and inter-assay precisions were satisfactory as the RSD values did not exceed 3 %. The accuracy of the proposed method was > 97 %. The proposed method had high throughput as the analysis involved a simple procedure and a very short run- -time of < 3 min. The results demonstrated that the method is applicable in the quality control of combined pharmaceutical tablets containing IRB and HCT
Effect of selected catechins on doxorubicin antiproliferative efficacy and hepatotoxicity in vitro
Authors: Rudolfová Petra , Hanušová Veronika , Skálová Lenka , Bártíková Hana , Matoušková Petra , Boušová Iva
Published: June 2014

Catechins may influence both desirable and undesirable effects of many drugs. In this study, the in vitro effect of (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate, and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on the efficacy of anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was studied in HCT-8 cancer cells. Rat hepatocytes were used to study the influence of EGCG on DOX hepatotoxicity. Cell proliferation and viability were studied by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol- 2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and neutral red uptake test assays. Formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was determined using the dichlorofluorescein assay. All of the studied catechins (1-25 μmol L-1) had no effect on the proliferation of intestinal cancer cells and did not affect the antiproliferative effect of DOX (1-8 μmol L-1) in these cells. Moreover, EGCG at 25 μmol L-1 increased the viability of isolated hepatocytes and significantly protected these cells against DOX-induced toxicity and ROS production. Consumption of EGCG during DOX therapy seems to be safe and beneficial, since EGCG does not decrease DOX anticancer efficacy and could ameliorate DOX hepatotoxicity
Antibacterial and quorum sensing regulatory activities of some traditional Eastern-European medicinal plants
Authors: Tolmacheva Anna A. , Rogozhin Eugene A. , Deryabin Dmitry G.
Published: June 2014

The objective of this study was to screen extracts of twenty Eastern European medicinal plants, using wild-type and reporter Chromobacterium violaceum bioassays, for novel components that target bacterial cells and their quorum sensing (QS) communication systems. Three types of activity and their combinations were revealed: (i) direct antimicrobial growth-inhibitory activity, (ii) non-specific and specific pro-QS activities, (iii) anti-QS activity. Among seven plant extracts showing direct growth-inhibitory activity, the strongest effect was shown by Arctostaphylos uva- -ursi (bearberry) leaves. Many plants stimulated violacein production by wild-type C. violaceum ATCC 31532 in a non-specific manner, and only the herb Bidens tripartita (three-lobe beggarticks) contained compounds that mimic acyl-homoserine lactone and operated as a QS agonist. Anti-QS activity was found in eleven plants including Quercus robur (oak) cortex, Betula verrucosa (birch) buds and Eucalyptus viminalis (Manna Gum) leaves. Subsequent statistical analysis showed differences between antimicrobial and anti-QS activities, whereas both activities were defined by phylogenetic position of medical resource plant. Finally, extract from Quercus robur cortex revealed at least two fractions, showing different anti-QS mechanisms. These data confirm that multicomponent anti-infectious mechanisms are used by plants, which may be useful for drug development
Galois covering and smash product of skew categories
Authors: Horobeţ¸ Emil
Published: June 2014

In this paper we give a new proof of the famous result of E. L. Green [3], that gradings of a finite, path connected quiver are in one-to-one correspondence with Galois coverings. Namely we prove that the inverse construction to the skew group construction has as many solutions as the number of different gradings on the starting quiver.
About a condition for starlikeness
Authors: Szász Róbert
Published: June 2014

A result concerning the starlikeness of the image of the Alexander operator is improved in this paper. The techniques of differential subordinations are used.
Existence and uniqueness of a periodic solution to certain third order nonlinear delay differential equation with multiple deviating arguments
Authors: Ademola Adeleke Timothy
Published: June 2014

In this paper, we use Lyapunov’s second method, by constructing a complete Lyapunov functional, sufficient conditions which guarantee existence and uniqueness of a periodic solution, uniform asymptotic stability of the trivial solution and uniform ultimate boundedness of solutions of Eq. (2). New results are obtained and proved, an example is given to illustrate the theoretical analysis in the work and to test the effectiveness of the method employed. The results obtained in this investigation extend many existing and exciting results on nonlinear third order delay differential equations.
Global annual average temperature – a precise modelling
Authors: Pal Satyabrata , Ghosh Arunava
Published: June 2014

Global annual average temperature (GAAT) is regarded as a precise indicator of the warming of the globe over the centuries, and its spectre is looming large with the passage of time and with the advancement of civilization. Global warming, caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, has become the worst environmental threat to mankind. The phase 1981 to 2012 was the most crucial phase, and the impact of global warming in that phase indeed points to a disaster if not controlled now. Work on the building of appropriate models to represent the GAAT data can be found in the literature, although the precision levels (in terms of R2 values) of such models do not exceed 0.86. In this paper, six models are developed by using different combinations of mathematical functions. The developed models are superior to existing models in terms of their precision. In fact, to generate such models, extensive simulation work has been carried out not only with respect to the types of mathematical functions, but also with respect to the choices of initial values of the coefficients involved in each model. The models developed here have attained R2 values as high as 0.896.
The Mobility and/or Fixity of Urban and Planning Policies – The Role of Divergent Urban Planning Cultures
Authors: Hamedinger Alexander
Published: June 2014

Cities and regions are increasingly interconnected on a global scale. In the process of the making of cities and regions policy actors increasingly rely on globally flowing and very mobile urban policy models, which have been originally developed in different socio-spatial contexts. Simultaneously the search for these policies and their implementation is refracted by local/regional factors, which are relatively fixed as they are rooted in historically produced planning cultures. In this conceptual paper governance change is discussed through looking at the interplay between fixity and motion in urban development. For this purpose approaches to planning cultures and policy mobilities are related to each other theoretically.