bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diogo Antônio Feijó et l’image de la pensée politique des États-Unis
Authors: Grão Velloso Damato Oliveira Leonardo
Published: October 2020

La littérature politique américaine sous-tend fortement nombre d’écrits politiques brésiliens de l’époque de la Régence. Le modèle nord-américain de construction de l’État fut considéré au moins aussi sérieusement que les modèles anglais ou français. Il s’agit ici de montrer que le regard porté sur les États-Unis a contribué à forger la définition qu’un homme d’État comme Feijó s’est donnée du Brésil. Fédéralisme, république, centralisation, décentralisation, monarchie, etc., ces thèmes étaient pensés, représentés, comparés, combinés, opposés et réduits au regard de l’expérience américaine, pour correspondre à ce que les partisans de tel ou tel courant attendaient du Brésil.
L’interprétation transactionnelle de la Constitution anglaise : le libéralisme réformiste de Sismondi
Authors: Pasquiet-Briand Tanguy
Published: October 2020

Curieusement délaissée par les juristes, l’œuvre du Genevois Sismondi contient pourtant des développements, certes disséminés, d’une rare acuité sur les évolutions institutionnelles de l’Europe du premier xix e siècle en général, et sur les transformations du parlementarisme britannique en particulier. Toutefois, dans la cohérence du libéralisme coppétien dont il est l’un des artisans majeurs aux côtés de Germaine de Staël et de Benjamin Constant, Sismondi n’échappe pas, à propos du régime politique anglais, à une tendance idéaliste qui tend à ériger ce dernier en modèle sociopolitique. La présentation qu’il dresse de ce régime épouse en effet sa philosophie de l’histoire, dont le récit se propose de joindre un conservatisme porté sur un aristocratisme historique et sur un libéralisme centré sur le développement de l’individu face à l’inéluctable démocratie.
Judíos y moros en Arando de Duero y sus contornos
Authors: Cadiñanos Bardeci Inocencio
Published: October 2020

No disponible.
El personaje de la intermediaria en la literatura hebrea medieval escrita en Sefarad
Authors: Forteza-Rey Marta Sara
Published: October 2020

Se presenta en este artículo la figura de la intermediaria (šadkanīt) en la literatura hebrea medieval escrita en la Península Ibérica. Se describe el aspecto y la conducta de tres intermediarias hebreas: 1) Kozbî, en el libro de Yehudah Ibn Šabbatay, Minḥaṯ Yĕhûdâ, ‛sône’ ha-našîm, 2) Śiṭnâ en la sexta maqama de Al-Ḥarizi, 3) La lavandera, en el libro de Yosef Ibn Zabarra, Sefer Ša‛ašu‛îm. Se las considera precedentes literarios de las intermediarias castellanas Trotaconventos y Celestina.
Apocalipsis griego de Baruc. Introducción, traducción y notas
Authors: Fernández Marcos N.
Published: October 2020

No disponible.
Considerazioni su alcuni sigilli reali ittiti
Authors: Salvini Mirjo
Published: October 2020

Se proponen algunas lecturas nuevas e integraciones en sellos reales hititas de Boğazköy. Probablemente no existió la reina * Malnigal, Malni sería más bien un término de augurio del léxico hitita-luvio. La impronta del sello SBo I 36 = HGB I 219 debe ser atribuida a Šuppiluliuma. En el sello Maṣat 75.10 el nombre de la reina que acompaña al monograma de Tudḫaliya III es Taduḫepa y no *Šatatuḫepa. Su nombre es Taduḫepa en la leyenda jeroglífica y es confirmado por los trazos cunei­formes en la corona circular.
Dos tratados de Benito Arias Montano
Authors: Fernández Tejero Emilia
Published: October 2020

No disponible.
Twitter as a Language Learning Tool
Authors: Rosell-Aguilar Fernando
Published: October 2020

Studies into the use of Twitter for language learning have mostly been small-scale evaluations undertaken by teachers researching the effectiveness of their own initiatives to use it with their students. To date, there has not been a large quantitative study of how language learners use Twitter autonomously. This paper reports on a large-scale study (n=370) of language learners who use Twitter. It provides a participant profile, their practices, and beliefs about how helpful Twitter is as a tool for language learning. The results provide the first profile of the autonomous user of Twitter as a language learning tool, show very positive attitudes towards the use of Twitter, and provide evidence that learners learn new vocabulary and culturally-relevant information about the areas where the target language is spoken. Many learners engage in production of target language output and make the most of the opportunities Twitter presents to be exposed to target language input and interaction with native speakers, making Twitter a useful tool for their autonomous language learning development.
Vocabulary Acquisition From a Virtual Street-View Context
Authors: Shih Ya-Chun
Published: October 2020

This study incorporated Google Street View into a 3D virtual environment, known as VECAR, in which EFL learners controlled their avatars to learn vocabulary in a context of New York City. New York City's Times Square is full of real-life materials, realia, which can be used to assist situated incidental vocabulary learning and to connect vocabulary acquisition to the real world. The case study design combining both qualitative and quantitative analysis was used mainly to investigate the program's impact on vocabulary acquisition, and to track the ongoing dynamics of the vocabulary acquisition across the four research phases, learner motivation in terms of self-efficacy and attitudes toward vocabulary learning, and strategy use across learners. The results showed that all participants involved in the study acquired the target vocabulary, increased motivation, and deepened strategy use gradually over time. The program supported both contextualized and motivated vocabulary learning processes in realistic situations.
“Ecoações”
Authors: Pereira Selma Eduarda
Published: October 2020

The chapter title comes from the fusion of concepts “echo” and “equations.” “Ecoações” contains, from the traditions, the Algarve handmade textiles, the regional pottery, and the characteristic sounds of the customs associated with these activities; from the theater, scenography and costumes; from the fine arts, the sculpture (of the human figure) and the murals in low relief; from digital media art, soundscape, digital interaction, and video projection. In Ecoações, the scenic space invites spectators to immerse themselves in the theme and to visit another dimension of heritage traditions, presented here under a contemporary aesthetic. The installation as scenography space implies all the theatricality of the visual narrative, hearing and tactile, giving the public the opportunity to explore tradition through the various senses. This article discusses the characteristics of the installation “echoes” that bring it closer to post-digital aesthetics and heritage expression, and the challenges of combining the scenic space, the traditions, and the digital media art.
Image-Based Goat Breed Identification and Localization Using Deep Learning
Authors: Ghosh Pritam , Mustafi Subhranil , Mandal Satyendra Nath
Published: October 2020

In this paper an attempt has been made to identify six different goat breeds from pure breed goat images. The images of goat breeds have been captured from different organized registered goat farms in India, and almost two thousand digital images of individual goats were captured in restricted (to get similar image background) and unrestricted (natural) environments without imposing stress to animals. A pre-trained deep learning-based object detection model called Faster R-CNN has been fine-tuned by using transfer-learning on the acquired images for automatic classification and localization of goat breeds. This fine-tuned model is able to locate the goat (localize) and classify (identify) its breed in the image. The Pascal VOC object detection evaluation metrics have been used to evaluate this model. Finally, comparison has been made with prediction accuracies of different technologies used for different animal breed identification.
Multistage Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio Using Energy and Maximum Eigenvalues Detection
Authors: Mashta Faten , Wainakh Mohieddin , Altabban Wissam
Published: October 2020

Spectrum sensing in cognitive radio has difficult and complex requirements such as requiring speed and sensing accuracy at very low SNRs. In this paper, the authors propose a novel fully blind sequential multistage spectrum sensing detector to overcome the limitations of single stage detector and make use of the advantages of each detector in each stage. In first stage, energy detection is used because of its simplicity. However, its performance decreases at low SNRs. In second and third stage, the maximum eigenvalues detector is adopted with different smoothing factor in each stage. Maximum eigenvalues detection technique provide good detection performance at low SNRs, but it requires a high computational complexity. In this technique, the probability of detection improves as the smoothing factor raises at the expense of increasing the computational complexity. The simulation results illustrate that the proposed detector has better sensing accuracy than the three individual detectors and a computational complexity lies in between the three individual complexities.
Comparative Study of Neural Network-Based Approaches for QRS Segmentation
Authors: Kolokolnikov George , Borde Anna , Skuratov Victor , Gaponov Roman , Rumyantseva Anastasiya
Published: October 2020

The paper is devoted to the development of QRS segmentation system based on deep learning approach. The considered segmentation problem plays an important role in the automatic analysis of heart rhythms, which makes it possible to identify life-threatening pathologies. The main goal of the research is to choose the best segmentation pipeline in terms of accuracy and time-efficiency. Process of ECG-signal analysis is described, and the problem of QRS segmentation is discussed. State-of-the-art algorithms are analyzed in literature review section and the most prominent are chosen for further research. In the course of the research, four hypotheses about appropriate deep learning model are checked: LSTM-based model, 2-input 1-dimensional CNN model, “signal-to-picture” approach based on 2-dimensional CNN, and the simplest 1-dimensional CNN model. All the architectures are tested, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The proposed ECG segmentation pipeline is developed for Holter monitor software.
Hierarchical Interpretable Topical Embeddings for Exploratory Search and Real-Time Document Tracking
Authors: Ianina Anastasia , Vorontsov Konstantin
Published: October 2020

Real-time monitoring of scientific papers and technological news requires fast processing of complicated search demands motivated by thematically relevant information acquisition. For this case, the authors develop an exploratory search engine based on probabilistic hierarchical topic modeling. Topic model gives a low dimensional sparse interpretable vector representation (topical embedding) of a text, which is used for ranking documents by their similarity to the query. They explore several ways of comparing topical vectors including searching with thematically homogeneous text segments. Topical hierarchies are built using the regularized EM-algorithm from BigARTM project. The topic-based search achieves better precision and recall than other approaches (TF-IDF, fastText, LSTM, BERT) and even human assessors who spend up to an hour to complete the same search task. They also discover that blending hierarchical topic vectors with neural pretrained embeddings is a promising way of enriching both models that helps to get precision and recall higher than 90%.
Environmental Disclosure as a Tool for Public Sector Legitimacy
Authors: Bonsón Enrique , Perea David , Bednárová Michaela
Published: October 2020

The purpose of this study is to measure the extent of Twitter environmental reporting by Andalusian municipalities (Spain) and identify the determinant factors of such a disclosure. Thus, factors such as population, geolocation, political signs, and sustainable commitments were analyzed under the legitimacy theory approach. The sample consisted of the official Twitter accounts of the 153 biggest local governments in Andalusia. The classification of the environmental tweets was based on a dictionary based on the GRI reporting standards for environmental disclosure, and a Twitter environmental disclosure index (TEDI) was developed. The results show that most of the local governments in Andalusia (77.78%) have an official Twitter account with different levels of audience, penetration, and activity. On the other hand, it was found that environmental disclosure is very low. However, municipalities with more surplus budget and municipalities with a greater number of sustainable commitments networks tend to report more on environmental issues through Twitter.
Towards Rank-Aware Data Mashups
Authors: Malki Abdelhamid , Benslimane Sidi Mohammed , Malki Mimoun
Published: October 2020

Data mashups are web applications that combine complementary (raw) data pieces from different data services or web data APIs to provide value added information to users. They became so popular over the last few years; their applications are numerous and vary from addressing transient business needs in modern enterprises. Even though data mashups have been the focus of many research works, they still face many challenging issues that have never been explored. The ranking of the data returned by a data mashup is one of the key issues that have received little consideration. Top-k query model ranks the pertinent answers according to a given ranking function and returns only the best results. This paper proposes two algorithms that optimize the evaluation of top-k queries over data mashups. These algorithms are built based on the web data APIs' access methods: bind probe and indexed probe.
Governança corporativa dos bancos e sua relação com indicadores de desempenho e risco
Authors: Korontai Jéssika Nassif , Fonseca Marcos Wagner da
Published: October 2020

O tema Governança Corporativa (GC) é um dos mais evidenciados nos últimos anos na área contábil. A pesquisa analisa o nível de GC das instituições financeiras brasileiras, pela sua importância frente a estabilidade do sistema econômico e financeiro nacional. O objetivo principal é verificar se a regulamentação bancária é substituta ou complementar à Governança e se pode influenciar o desempenho e risco dos bancos. Para tanto, o estudo propôs um índice de governança específico para bancos (IGOV-Bancos), visto que os mencionados na literatura não atendem ao enforcement do setor. Na sequência, as variáveis de desempenho e risco identificadas tiveram como base a metodologia americana utilizada pelo Fundo Monetário Internacional (FMI). A metodologia econométrica utilizada foi Análise em Painel. A amostra contou com os 50 maiores bancos do relatório Top50Bacen no período de 2010 à 2014. Os resultados da pesquisa apontam que a regulamentação bancária é a própria governança corporativa, aliás, muitos bancos não atendem nem a legislação bancária. Os resultados revelam que o IGOV-Bancos influenciou positivamente o desempenho e negativamente o risco das instituições, tendo pelo menos uma variável com resultado esperado encontrado. Em relação às sub-hipóteses de risco, as regressões demonstraram que tanto o Risco de Mercado quanto o Risco de Crédito não foram significantes. O Risco Operacional e Risco de Liquidez foram significativos. Ao concluir o presente estudo, espera-se ter apontado que a governança corporativa em bancos tem que evoluir para além do que se exige a regulamentação, mas que mesmo assim, quanto maior o IGOVBancos, maior o desempenho e menor o risco.
Endoscopic and clinical correlation with dose to sigmoid colon in carcinoma cervix patients treated with radical radiotherapy
Authors: Elagandula Jyosthna , Arulponni T. R.
Published: October 2020

Context:

Sigmoid colon, due to its close proximity to central tandem in intracavitary brachytherapy (BT), is at risk of receiving high dose, the clinical significance of which is not documented.

Aim:

This study was designed to assess the dose received by sigmoid colon following radical treatment and to correlate clinically with the sigmoid mucosal changes seen on sigmoidoscopy.

Settings and Design:

This is a prospective study.

Subjects and Methods:

Thirty histologically proven carcinoma cervix patients treated with radical radiotherapy were accrued. A baseline sigmoidoscopy was done and repeated at 6 months following completion of BT. The dose–volume parameters (DVP) were used to calculate the dose received by the sigmoid colon and correlate with symptoms along with the sigmoid mucosal changes.

Statistics:

The following were the statistical methods used: frequency; percentages; and descriptive statistics such as mean ± standard deviation, Chi-square test, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, and independent sample t-test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

The dose of the sigmoid colon in patients with a sigmoidoscopy score of ≥2 was significantly high compared to that of patients with a score of <2 for DVP such as D0.1cc, D1cc, D2cc, D5cc, and mean dose, whereas max dose was not significantly high.

Conclusions:

The dose received by the sigmoid colon is directly proportional to the mucosal changes and hence possibly a higher morbidity. Tighter dose–volume constraints, better optimization techniques, and close follow-up sigmoidoscopy will help in the prevention and early treatment of long-term morbidity.
Association between Serum Homocysteine Levels and Methylene-Tetrahydrofolate-Reductase Gene Polymorphism in Patients with Stroke
Authors: Chouksey Dinesh , Ishar Hashash Singh , Jain Rahul , Athale Sunil , Sodani Ajoy
Published: October 2020

Background:

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is a well-established risk factor for vascular thrombosis leading to stroke. Homocysteine (Hcy) is mainly synthesized in the methionine cycle, and it is an intermediate during the conversion of methionine to cysteine. HHcy can develop by polymorphism of several enzymes like methylene-tetrahydrofolate-reductase (MTHFR) mutation and due to deficiency of co-factor Vitamins such as B12, B6, and folic acid. This study was planned to see the association between HHcy and MTHFR gene polymorphism in patients with stroke in populations from central India.

Methods:

Seventy-two patients diagnosed with stroke aged 18 years and above who met the inclusion criteria were selected. Hcy level and MTHFR mutation were identified among patients of stroke.

Results:

Forty-two patients (58.33%) were diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke as compared to cerebral venous thrombosis (30, 41.66%) from a total of 72 patients. The statistical analysis projected that the HHcy diagnosed among more (45, 62.5.0%) cases with stroke who had aged ≤45 years as compared to cases who had aged >45 years (17, 23.6%). None of our patients tested positive for either CT (Heterozygous) or TT(Homozygous) genotypes.

Conclusions:

HHcy is not associated with MTHFR gene mutation in our study group, and this possibly is related to the deficiency of co-factors in Hcy metabolism. Young age group stroke patients have higher Hcy levels.
Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3
Authors: Dilek Burcu , Ayhan Çiğdem , Yakut Yavuz
Published: October 2020

Objective:

Motor imagery (MI) is the mental representation of a movement without any body movement, and it has been recently used as a therapeutic intervention in rehabilitation. The Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3 (MIQ-3) is the most recent, modified version of the MIQ-revised, second edition, which is commonly used to measure the imagery ability of patients with movement dysfunction. The purpose of the study was to translate the MIQ-3 into Turkish and evaluate its test and retest reliability and validity for the Turkish-speaking population.

Methods:

Among 185 healthy participants, 181 completed the procedures. The questionnaire was applied to 86 participants with 1-week interval to evaluate internal consistency and test–retest reliability. The construct validity of the MIQ-3 was tested by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Results:

The internal consistency of the Turkish MIQ-3 was satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha was 0.87 for test and 0.86 for retest reliability). The internal consistency of subscales for test–retest reliability (internal visual items, external visual items, and kinesthetic items) was 0.73–0.68, 0.74–0.72, and 0.79–0.73, respectively. Test–retest reliabilities of each item ranged from 0.84 to 0.95. In terms of criterion validity, there was an excellent correlation between subscales and total scale correlations, which ranged from 0.50 to 0.90 (P < 0.001). The validity of the MIQ-3 was examined with CFA, and the results supported a three-factor model of movement imagery ability.

Conclusion:

The Turkish MIQ-3 has an excellent reliability and good-to-excellent validity in evaluating MI ability.
Long Non-coding RNA CASC15 Promotes Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Possibly through Inducing PRDX2/PI3K/AKT Axis
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Zhang Lufei , Lu Sinan , Xiang Yucheng , Zeng Cheng , He Tianyu , Ding Yuan , Wang Weilin
Published: October 2020

PurposeIntrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is one of the most common liver primary tumors but its treatments are limited. Bioinformatics showed that the expression level of long non-coding RNA cancer-associated susceptibility 15 gene (CASC15) is correlated with ICC progression, but its functional mechanism remains unclear. Materials and MethodsTissues from ICC patients, tumor and adjacent tissue, were used for detection of the expression of CASC15. Clinical data were also collected for clinicopathologic and survival analysis. Short interfering RNA and lentiviral short hairpin RNA were used to knock down CASC15 and PRDX2 expression in ICC cell lines, for the analysis of changes of cell function and xenografts. RNA-pulldown and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were used to detect RNA-binding protein, PRDX2. Male nude mice were used for ICC xenografts, and livers were collected after 4 weeks for immunohistochemistry.ResultsCASC15 is highly expressed in ICC tissues and is related to higher TNM stage. Knockdown of CASC15 in ICC cells reduced cell proliferation, migration, invasiveness and increased apoptosis, and G1/S block. PRDX2 bound to CASC15. Knockdown of CASC15 decreased PRDX2 expression which was rescued by the inhibition of proteasome formation. Downregulation of PRDX2 resulted in G1/S block, reduced ICC cell invasion. Downregulation of CASC15 inhibited phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/c-Myc pathway through downregulating of PRDX2 and overexpressed PRDX2 rescued the block. CASC15 knockout in ICC xenografts suppressed tumor development in vivo, decreased the expression of PRDX2 and Ki67 and inhibited PI3K/AKT pathway.ConclusionCASC15 promotes ICC possibly by targeting PRDX2 via the PI3K/AKT pathway, indicating poor prognosis and high degree of malignancy of ICC.
Trends in Chemotherapy Patterns and Survival of Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer over a 16-Year Period: Impact of Anti-HER2–Targeted Agent in the Real-World Setting
Authors: Koo Dong-Hoe , Ryu Min-Hee , Lee Mi-Yeon , Chae Heejung , Kim Eo Jin , Moon Mee-Sun , Kang Yoon-Koo
Published: October 2020

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the survivals of patients with metastatic or recurrent gastric cancer (MRGC) over a period of 16 years and to investigate the recent changes in chemotherapy patterns.Materials and MethodsA total of 5,384 patients who received chemotherapy for MRGC between 2000 and 2015 were analyzed. The analysis focused on a comparison of the first-line chemotherapy between four periods: 2000–2003 (period 1), 2004–2007 (period 2), 2008–2011 (period 3), and 2012–2015 (period 4).ResultsThere were 880 patients (16%) in period 1, 1,573 (29%) in period 2, 1,435 (27%) in period 3, and 1,496 (28%) in period 4. Cytotoxic doublet-based therapy was the most commonly used (78%) first-line chemotherapy, and the combination of trastuzumab and doublet chemotherapy was provided to 288 patients. The OS rates at 12 and 24 months were steadily improved as follows: 39.2% and 14.6% in period 1, 43.5% and 17.6% in period 2, 50.3% and 20.6% in period 3, and 51.7% and 24.1% in period 4, respectively (p < 0.001). Among the patients who received the doublet-based chemotherapy, the median OS of those who received trastuzumab was 18.0 months (95% CI, 15.5–20.6), while that of those who received other doublet therapies was 11.2 months (95% CI, 10.8–11.6). ConclusionThe OS was improved over time with advancements in chemotherapy, particularly the introduction of the anti-HER2–targeted agent, which contributed to the increase in the number of long-term survivors and established the superiority of OS for the treatment of MRGC.
Active Treatment Improves Overall Survival in Extremely Older Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Lee Su Yeon , Hong Yoon-Ki , Ji Wonjun , Lee Jae Cheol , Choi Chang Min ,   Korean Association for Lung Cancer,   Korea Central Cancer Registry
Published: October 2020

PurposeAs the aging of society progresses, the proportion of extremely older lung cancer patients has also increased; However, studies of these patients with non–small cell lung cancer are limited. Therefore, we investigated the initial treatment modalities and survival outcomes for patients aged 80 years or over.Materials and MethodsWe included a multicenter retrospective cohort from the Korean Association for Lung Cancer Registry, which surveys 10% of the newly diagnosed lung cancer patients across 52 hospitals in Korea. We analyzed and compared the 2014–2016 data of the non–small cell lung cancer patients aged ≥ 80 years and those aged < 80 years. ResultsOf the 6,576 patients reviewed, 780 patients were aged ≥ 80 years, and 5,796 patients were aged < 80 years. In the patients aged ≥ 80 years, surgery and radiation therapy resulted in longer patient survival among those with a resectable tumor (stage I–II) than the best supportive care (median survival, not reached [surgery] vs. 32.2 months [radiation therapy] vs. 11.43 months [best supportive care]). The duration of survival in patients with advanced-stage (IV) lung cancers was higher after chemotherapy than after the best supportive care (median survival, 8.63 months vs. 2.5 months). Patients with stage IV adenocarcinoma who received targeted therapy had better survival than those who did not (median survival, 9.0 months vs. 4.3 months).ConclusionEven in extremely older patients, active treatments, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, can result in better survival outcomes than the best supportive care.
Investigation of Influences on Brake Pad Wear
Authors: Kijanski Jacek , Otto Johannes , Stebner Frank , Weber Jürgen , Franke René , Ostermeyer Georg-Peter
Published: October 2020

To date, no generally valid statements can be made about the service life of brake pads, which may be due to factors such as driving style, the friction material used or the varying vehicle weight. While dynamic friction models including friction history are already established [1], the investigation of wear and wear dust behavior is currently in the focus of many research projects. One example is the investigation of calculation models for brake pad wear while neglecting the temperature development in the brake [2].

In cars, temperatures of up to 800°C occur in the brake under high loads, which leads to a significant increase in wear. Accordingly, the question arises how an estimation of brake pad wear can be applied to highly dynamic load cases. To do this, however, the processes taking place in the boundary layer between pad and disc must first be comprehensively understood and described. For this purpose, high-precision measurement technology is necessary, which was developed and optimized over several years at the Institute of Dynamics and Vibrations (IDS) in the form of the Automated Universal Tribotester (AUT).

In cooperation with Volkswagen AG, several test procedures have therefore been developed for the AUT, which provide information about the factors influencing the wear of brake pads under non-stationary conditions. For example, a previously developed stationary test procedure is carried out with four different temperature levels, which demonstrates a different temperature sensitivity depending on the pad material. In addition, decreasing velocity profiles with equivalent idle work to the stationary test procedure have been investigated in order to be able to analyze the influence of the dynamics of braking on wear more precisely. Depending on the friction pairing used, both the tendency and the absolute generated wear show differences with respect to the stationary reference measurement. The obtained results therefore represent a starting point for the better understanding of the influencing factors on brake pad wear.
Real-World Application of Variable Pedal Feeling Using an Electric Brake Booster with Two Motors
Authors: Kakizoe Kenta , Bull Marshall
Published: October 2020

A new type of electric brake booster, which can control brake pedal feeling completely with software, has been developed to explore how a brake system can be used to differentiate and personalize vehicles. In the future, vehicles may share an increasing amount of hardware and rely more heavily on software to differentiate between models. Car sharing, vehicle subscriptions, and other new business models may create a new emphasis on the personalization of vehicles that may be achieved most cost effectively by using software. This new brake booster controls the brake pedal force and brake pressure independently based on the brake pedal stroke so that the pedal feeling is completely defined by software. The booster uses two electric motors and one master cylinder. One electric motor controls the pedal force and provides an assist force that amplifies the force that the driver applies to the brake pedal. The second electric motor moves the master cylinder piston independently of the brake pedal stroke and is used to control the brake pressure. To confirm the real-world feasibility of this concept, the booster was installed in an actual vehicle. The evaluation of this vehicle confirmed that software-defined pedal feeling is feasible to implement in a real vehicle. Pedal feeling as good as that of a mass produced vehicle could be achieved, and the pedal feeling could be quickly and easily changed without the time and expense required to change brake hardware. Additionally, using this new booster, new types of pedal feeling that are not possible to achieve on a conventional vacuum booster vehicle could be easily implemented with software.
Safflower genotype by plant density on yield and phenological characteristics
Authors: Moatshe O.G. , Emongor V.E. , Balole T.V. , Tshwenyane S.O.
Published: October 2020

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a temperate plant grown in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, and is the most drought tolerant oilseed crop. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of genotype and plant density on growth, phenology and yield of safflower. Treatments included five safflower genotypes and six plant densities laid out in a randomised block design. Increasing plant density from 62,500 to 100,000 plants ha-1 significantly (P < 0.05) increased leaf area index (LAI), leaf area duration (LAD), total leaf chlorophyll content (Tchl) and net assimilation rate (NAR) at all phenological stages in both winter and summer. For all genotypes, the highest LAI, LAD, Tchl, NAR, total dry matter accumulation (TDM) and seed yield resulted at a plant density of 100,000 plants ha-1. Maximum LAI, LAD, NAR and Tchl were observed at 50% flowering, compared to other phenological stages in all genotypes and plant densities. In general, genotype ‘Sina’ at 100,000 plants ha-1 significantly (P < 0.05) had the highest LAI, LAD, Tchl, TDM and seed yield compared to other genotypes and plant densities in both summer and winter.
Farmer-preferred learning methods and utilised teaching approaches by Egerton University, Kenya
Authors: Ondiege E.O. , Mutuku M. , Mungai N.W.
Published: October 2020

Universities are centres of frontier knowledge and skills, with the capacity to transform communities,when appropriately and adequately transmitted to users. The aim of this paper was to compare farmer-preferred learning methods and those utilised in teaching during Egerton University’s outreach activities, with a view to drawing useful insights for more effective community future engagements. A cross sectional survey was conducted in 2017, using researcher-administered questionnaires, on a sample of 84 farmers purposefully selected from communities where Egerton University implemented extension outreach programmes. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were also conducted for community leaders and extension officers in the selected Wards, to supplement data collection. Results showed that the decision to participate in the outreach activities implemented by Egerton University was personal, with nearly all the respondents (99%) citing acquisition of new knowledge and skills as the major reason. Demonstrations were the most preferred and utilised methods (90 and 92%, respectively); while the use of group discussions were preferred by 51% of the respondents and utilised in 86% of the outreach activities. Results also showed significant relations for demonstration (c2 = 17.21, P<.001), touring university model farms (c2 = 68.11, P<.001) and use of training videos (c2 = 40.98, P<.001) between farmer-preferred learning methods and utilised teaching methods. This explains the popularity of demonstrations as a teaching and learning method of Egerton University in connecting theoretical and scientific aspects, to practice. Learner centred teaching methods, with the capacity to facilitate collaborative or cooperative learning, should be enhanced.
Analyse de la gouvernance des petites et moyennes entreprises familiales de la ville de Bukavu en République démocratique du Congo
Authors: Mmenge A. , Binwa B. , Gahungu D.
Published: October 2020

Les PME évoluent dans un environnement en perpétuelle évolution, celui-ci oblige les dirigeants de mettre en œuvre des plans d’actions susceptibles d’orienter les actions vers les objectifs visés, de manière à être compétitif et créer de la richesse. L’objectif decette étude était d’analyser et mesurer la gouvernance des PMEF de la ville de Bukavu en République Démocratique du Congo. L’échelle utilisée montre les bonnes propriétés psychométriques(X2=19.42 ; P=0.6766 ; X2/ddl= 0.84 CFI=0.99; IFI=0.99; RMSEA=0.000; NFI=0.92; GFI=0.97 et AGFI=0.94).Cette étude a analysé les données primaires collectées sur 132PMEFde la ville de Bukavu. Le traitement des données a été obtenu en recourant à l’analyse factorielle exploratoire et confirmatoire et au tri à plat. Les résultats indiquent que la gouvernance est un construit à neuf items regroupés en quatre dimensions (la parcimonie, leparticularisme, la personnification et le système de gestion)qui expliquent 68.394 pourcent de la variance totale. Ils montrent que les validités convergente et discriminante sont assurées (CR=0.826 et AVE=0.6 ; et AVE supérieure au coefficient de corrélation partielle entre les variables). Ils révèlent aussi que les PMEF disposent les avis partagés sur l’importance de la gouvernance et leurs dirigeants disposent la difficulté de mettre en place une bonne gouvernance.
Potential for crown diameter as a predictor of canopy cover under National Park conditions
Authors: Angombe S.T. , Shikangalah R.N. , E.G.  Kwembeya E.G. , Kanime N.
Published: October 2020

The global loss of biodiversity has led to relentless calls from conservationists to protect the environment and natural habitats. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of crown diameter for prediction of canopy cover under national park conditions. The study was conducted in Etosha National Park, Namibia in 2015. Three tree species, namely Combretum imberbe, Colophospermum mopane and Terminalia prunioides were considered as representative members of the park species based on their relative population density. The study employed regression analysis to examine the nature of relationships between tree crown diameter (the dependent variable) and tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH) and distance from watering holes as independent variables. The regression coefficients for Combretum imberbe were not significant (P = 0.116; P = 0.431; P = 0.884, respectively), suggesting that crown diameter was not well estimated by these explanatory variables. On the other hand, there were significant relationships between DBH and crown diameter, as well as between crown diameter and tree height. Tree height emerged as the stronger predictor of crown diameter for both Terminalia prunioides and Colophospermum mopane. Therefore, the relationship between tree height and crown diameter as explained by cubic function can further be used to evaluate and estimate canopy cover under national park conditions.
Genotype and plant density effects on oil content and fatty acid composition of safflower
Authors: Moatshe O.G. , Emongor V.E. , Balole T.V. , Tshwenyane S.O.
Published: October 2020

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a multipurpose oilseed crop that is tolerant to drought, saline, heat and cold conditions; and yields high quality edible seed oil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of plant density and genotypes on oil content and fatty acid composition of safflower. A field experiment was conducted in the years 2015 and 2016, during winter and summer seasons. Treatments included five safflower genotypes and six plant densities. Genotype and plant density significantly interacted (P < 0.05) to influence oil content and fatty acid composition of safflower. Increasing plant density from 62,500 to 100,000 plants ha-1 significantly (P < 0.05) increased the oil concentration from 16 to 54%, depending on the interaction between genotype and plant density and genotype by environment (winter and summer seasons). However, as plant density increased from 100,000 to 200,000 plants ha-1, safflower oil content significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in all genotypes. The lowest and highest oil contents was produced by genotype ‘Gila’ planted at density 62,500 or 200,000; and ‘Sina’, ‘Pi 537 636’ at 100 000 or 125, 000 plants ha-1 in winter or summer, respectively. Fatty acid composition was significantly influenced by genotype and plant density interactions during the two growing seasons. The main fatty acids identified included linoleic, oleic, stearic and palmatic. There was a significant (P < 0.05) increase in linoleic acid content and a decrease in oleic, palmatic and stearic as plant density increased from 62,500 to 100,000 plants ha-1, depending on genotype or growing season. Genotype ‘Sina’ at 100,000 plants ha-1 produced the highest oil content and with high unsaturated fatty acid concentrations.
Factors influencing the choice of marketing strategies among cassava microenterprises in Kenya
Authors: Ngenoh G.C. , Kariuki I.M. , Gathungu E.W. , Kiprop S.K.
Published: October 2020

Cassava (Manihot esculenta L.) production and utilisation in Kenya face stiff competition from other major starchy food crops mainly maize, potatoes and wheat. This is due to the cyanide content in cassava which is lethal when roots are mishandled, leading to avoidance of the crop by potential consumers. This has affected the marketing of the crop and its products.The objective of this study was to analyse factors that influence the choice of marketing strategies among agripreneurs in cassava microenterprises in Kenya. A studywas conducted in Migori County (Kuria West, Suna East, Suna West and Uriri Sub-counties) in Kenya, using a semi-structured questionnaire, administered to a sample of 267 cassava micro enterprises. Results showed that the most used marketing strategies were pricing, product promotion, value addition and formation of a marketing alliance mostly in their combination. Multivariate Probit results showed that age, gender, education level, household size, major occupation (trading), marketing experience, seed money, entrepreneurial training, marketing information, market distance, group membership, farm gate and open-air marketing outlets significantly (P<0.05) influenced the choice of marketing strategies among cassava microenterprises. Therefore, cassava agripreneurs of microenterprises need to combine viable product lines and the marketing strategies that give maximum performance in order to increase their marketing shares and profits.
Portable PCR field-based detection of sweetpotato viruses
Authors: Ssengo J. , Wasswa P. , Mukasa S.B. , Okiror A. , Kyamanywa S.
Published: October 2020

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas Lam.) production is greatly constrained by viral infections, especially Sweet potato feathery mottle virus and Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus that synergistically cause a severe sweetpotato virus disease. The impact of viruses is aggravated by the vegetative nature of the crop and inaccessibility to dependable diagnostic tools in rural areas where sweetpotato production is done. This makes it hard for seed inspectors to perform quality checks prior to use of vines for planting. The objective of this study was to develop a procedure that allows for detection of sweetpotato viruses on-site. This involved modification of the Lodhi et al. (1994) nucleic acid extraction procedure, by omitting some of the laboratory specific steps and varying the incubation time in liquid nitrogen, instead of the freezer. Incubation in liquid nitrogen for only 1.5 hours yielded as high quality RNA compared to that of the original protocol, when incubation was done at 4°C overnight in a freezer. Reverse transcriptase (RT) was run using a portable miniPCR thermocycler; and the resulting cDNA was amplified using this miniPCR machine instead of using a laboratory stationed conventional PCR thermocycler. The cDNA was efficiently amplified and amplicons were similar to those obtained with the original extraction protocol and subsequent amplification by the conventional RT-PCR. Our protocol reduced extraction time from about 16 hours for the original protocol, to about 2 hours and 45 minutes. If this tool is utilised by the crop protection departments, we believe it will contribute greatly towards sustainable sweetpotato production through making timely recommendations.
Implications of farmer perceived production constraints and varietal preferences to pearl millet breeding in Senegal.
Authors: Kanfany G. , Diack O. , Kane N.A. , Gangashetty P. I. , Sy O. , Fofana A. , Cisse N.
Published: October 2020

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) plays a critical role in smallholder food security in sub-Saharan Africa. The production of pearl millet has, however, stagnated or even declined due to several factors. The objective of this study was to assess farmer perceptions on production constraints and varietal preferences in Senegal. A survey was conducted involving 150 randomly selected farmers from 15 villages, in five representative rural communities of Senegal. A semi-structured questionnaire was used, supplemented by focus group discussions. Results revealed that parasitic Striga weed was the most constraining factor to pearl millet production across the rural communes. This was followed by low soil fertility and insect pests in that order. Other constraints included lack of machinery for sowing, plant diseases, drought, seed-eating birds, limited access to land for pearl millet cultivation and limited seed availability. Among the traits for varietal preference, farmers unanimously considered grain yield as the most important trait. Other important traits mentioned were adaptation to drought, adaptation to low soil fertility and earliness. These production constraints and varietal preference should be integrated in the profile of the national pearl millet breeding programmes in order to improve the productivity and adoption of bred-cultivars.
Efficiency and possibilities for Arabica coffee-banana management systems switching in the Mt. Elgon landscape of Uganda
Authors: Sebatta C. , Mugisha J. , Bagamba F. , Nuppenau E.A. , Domptail S.E. , Ijala A. , Karungi J.
Published: October 2020

Sustainably intensifying rural agricultural systems is now a development goal that has gained momentum in the recent decades due to a rapidly growing population and feeds directly into the Sustainable Development Goals of ending poverty and hunger. By 2050, the world will be inhabited by 10 billion people, 68% of whom will be city dwellers which will pose serious food and livelihoods security threats to millions of people, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to analyse technical efficiency of four production systems in Arabica coffee-banana farming system of the Mt. Elgon in Uganda and assesses possibilities for switching from one system to another. The study was motivated by the notion that smallholder farmers do not easily adopt new systems because of opportunity costs related to input substitution, input and/or efficiency reduction and systems redesigning. We estimated a production function to measure technical efficiency and ordered the intensification pathways to create a Technical Efficiency (TE) gradient. An ordered logit model was then estimated to determine the factors influencing farmers to switch among systems, by adopting one or more following a TE gradient. Results showed that farmers produced 50% of the maximum possible Arabica coffee output, indicating huge gaps between actual and potential yields. Use of fertiliser for the lowest efficiency. Low-input-low-output pathway and improved coffee genotypes, manure and labour intensification for the higher technical efficiency clusters such as conventional and mild agroecological would also significantly increase the chances of switching from low to highly efficient and sustainable Arabica coffee production systems in the Mt. Elgon watershed of Uganda.
Occurrence of cowpea viruses in the forest and savannah agro-ecological zones of Ghana
Authors: Adams F.K. , Kumar L. , Kwoseh C. , Akromah R.
Published: October 2020

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) is a major grain legume in Sub Saharan Africa whose production is heavily affected by viral diseases. A disease survey and antigen-coated plate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ACP-ELISA) were used to determine the incidence, severity and occurrence of viruses infecting cowpea in some major growing areas in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana. The survey revealed the highest virus incidence (81.6%) and severity (3.01) in Ejura, and the least incidence (46.7%) and severity (2.38) in Nkoranza. The ACP-ELISA results indicated that Blackeye cowpea mosaic virus (BICMV) was the most prevalent virus, with occurrence ranging from 32% in Mampong to 60% in Atebubu. Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) was the least detected, occurring only in samples from Nkoranza (4%). Cowpea mild mottle virus (CPMMV), Cowpea mottle virus (CPMoV), Southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV), Cowpea aphid borne mosaic virus (CABMV) and Cowpea yellow mottle virus (CYMV) were also detected in the samples. The prevalence of these viruses suggest the need for continuous monitoring of cowpea fields in the country to ensure effective disease management.