bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
INFLUENCE OF INDIVIDUALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT TO PERCEPTIONS OF SUCCESS IN OLD AGE
Authors: L. Garcia Laurence
Published: September 2018

Individuals and the environment influence the way humans perceive the stages of life as assumed in the Late Life Success Theory. This chapter aims to identify the different reasons behind feelings of success within the milestones of aging. This study utilized qualitative survey design. The researcher gathered data from 32 participants who are 60 years old and above, residing in Cebu City, Philippines. They are then asked to answer a survey questionnaire. They are asked to identify significant events at specific ages of their lives and identify the person influential to that event. After that, they were asked to rate how significant these events are. They are then asked to plot these on a lifeline. Data were then coded according to categories. Quantifying top layer coding results was done. Results revealed that individuals play a key role in the way a person perceives the events that happen in his/her life. Their presence at a certain period in the life of a person makes that period significant. Looking into the lifeline of a group of older adults, the research was able to identify these significant events in their lives based on the number of times they are being mentioned by the study participants. Marriage, Death, Birth of first child, Education, Illness, Accidents and reaching old age are the significant events identified. The family, spouse, and self are the influences to the perception of significance of the event. The review of the life events of older persons allows the opportunity to identify the individuals who are influential to the way humans perceive the stages of life. This also allows looking into where significant events occur in the life line of people thereby permitting for greater understanding why certain people matter most.
TO LEAVE OR TO LIVE: UNDERSTANDING THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF THE OUT OF SCHOOL YOUTHS VICTIMS OF THE TYPHOON HAIJAN IN CAPUTATAN NORTE, MEDELLIN, CEBU
Authors: C. Danoa Julius
Published: September 2018

The purpose of this research was to explore the lived experiences of the out of school youths (OSY) victims of the Typhoon Haijan in Caputatan Norte, Medellin, Cebu. A qualitative methodology using a phenomenology framework was employed, with semi-structured interview to facilitate the respondents reveal their lived experience. A convenience sample of five OSY’s who have direct experience of typhoon Haijan was needed to reach saturation. Data analysis was based on Colaizzi’s methodology. The whole process was based on the data, transcribed interviews, sorting, categorizations (cool analysis), categories as thematized (warm analysis) in a repertory grid or a dendogram that paved the way to discovering the value of the lived experiences of the out-of-school-youths victims of typhoon Haijan. The description of the lived experience revealed is the terrifying experience that emanate from the OSY internal and external environment of retreating, revealing, and regressing experience, the destructive experience that derives from the OSY’s understanding of detrimental, desuetude, and destitute observations, and the surviving experience that stems from exodus, endure, and empower experience. The themes, which emerged, suggest that the lived experience reflected a normal adaptation response of human beings siege with disasters.
STYLE OF CLOTHING AND ITS ROLE IN IMAGE-MAKING
Authors: Mykhailova Rada , Kostiuchenko Olena
Published: September 2018

The purpose of the article is to define and analyze the basic styles of clothing, their characteristic features and properties, the importance of clothing style in image-making, which has been a topical issue over the last decades but remains insufficiently lighted in Ukrainian art criticism. The purpose of the article is to reveal the role of clothing style in forming the image of a contemporary person. The research methodology consisted in the analysis and synthesis, historical and comparative approach, and typological constructions according to art critical criteria of imagery. Based on the complex analysis of notions in the theory and history of design, the concept of style was specified in relation to the basic tendencies of fashion; based on the method of parallel comparison, the realistic picture of development of modern styles of clothing as the basis of image was revealed. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the analysis of scientific data on the issue, its systematization in accordance with modern scientific art critical approaches, and final generalization; addressing the problems of forming/designing the image at the theoretical and practical levels, which, in the conditions of significant interest of various specialists in the fashion industry, does not yet require more detailed scientific art critical comprehension. The disclosure of this issue contributes to the greater effectiveness of designing the image both at the theoretical and practical levels. Conclusions. It was concluded that the image of a person is formed due to various components, where a significant place belongs to the choice of the style of clothing. Knowledge of up-to-date stylistic tendencies of fashion, in particular, couture fashion, and its modifications, is important for solving topical questions of positioning, presentation and self-realization of a person in the society.
Ilusión de presencia en vídeos 360º: Estudio de caso de las estrategias del Lab RTVE.es
Authors: Pérez-Seijo Sara
Published: September 2018

Las narrativas inmersivas se nutren de la grabación 360º y de la realidad virtual, dos recursos que permiten generar sensación de presencia en escena. Aunque la realidad virtual se caracteriza por la interacción, inmersión e imaginación, en los vídeos 360º la interacción con el entorno se limita a la rotación del receptor sobre sí mismo. Entonces, ¿en estos vídeos el usuario tiene un rol activo en la información o mantiene su posición de observador pasivo? Este estudio analiza las estrategias seguidas por el laboratorio de innovación de Radiotelevisión Española en sus contenidos para generar ilusión de presencia. El objetivo es intentar vincular, precisamente, la inmersión en escena con la conversión del receptor en un actor activo en el relato.
Learners’ models enhance the development of learners’ reading and thinking strategies
Authors: Merawati Joyce
Published: September 2018

This study was conducted to find the efficient way to teach academic reading skills to non-English department students at tertiary education. Based on the previous study, it was found that the students found difficulty in reading academic texts because of their limited vocabulary. Reading experts state that “good readers are good guessers”[1].Further,He claims that the strategies of guessing meaning from context is important strategy in reading. Considering these statements, this study investigated reading class by teaching the strategies of guessing meaning from context. Since this study was conducted to solve the students’ perceived problem when reading academic texts, it applied three-cycle qualitative inductive action research together with the students. These three cycles were: Cycle 1, the lecturer provided individual model of strategies, namely identifying parts of speech, finding clues from contexts, and identifying word parts; Cycle 2, the lecturer showed various models and gave practices; and Cycle 3, some selected students demonstrated their models to the class. Throughout this study, the students were encouraged to write journals explaining the strategies applied when they were guessing the meanings of words. The data was analyzed from the students’ journals collected at the end of each cycle. The results indicated that the students’ models were more efficient than the lecturer’s. Learning and showing the strategies of guessing words from context encouraged the students to develop their deep thinking strategies when reading academic texts. The focus of this paperis on the treatments to introduce the word guessing strategies to the students in brief.
The importance of developing android-based Indonesian language dictionary for the blind (KABITUNA)
Authors: Shahrul Azzhan , Nugroho Dwi Prastyo
Published: September 2018

Indonesia is among the ranks of countries with the lowest literacy in the world. Precisely at rank 69 of 76 countries. If calculated the average Indonesian people only read one book per year. One of the reasons for the low literacy of Indonesia is the lack of understanding of Indonesian society with Indonesian vocabulary. Although Indonesian is an educational language which is also the national language and language of Indonesian unity, it can not be denied if Indonesian people do not fully master the Indonesian language. That's what causes the dictionary as a medium for discovering the meaning of words.On the other hand, until now Indonesia is not evenly able to facilitate the dictionary as a means of searching the meaning of words. Many Indonesian dictionaries only specialize for normal people only. Whereas the number of persons with disabilities in Indonesia reached 2.45% of the total population of Indonesia. Then the blind person is 29.63% of the total number of persons with disabilities. It can be concluded that people with visual impairment are the highest in persons with disabilities in Indonesia. Therefore the development of Indonesian dictionary for the blind is considered important in this era.Android is a Linux-based operating system that can be used for smart phones and tablet computers. The selection of Android as the Indonesian dictionary base for the visually impaired on the Android platforms is provided platfro open for developers to create applications. In addition to Android also features Talk Back and speech to text that was created specifically for the visually impaired. The feature works as an Android screen reader so that the blind people can enjoy the screen display with sound output. In line with these things Android is considered easier operation and maintenance because it is more practical than conventional dictionary.
The use of modality markers to perform hegemony politeness in using Balinese language: a case study on Awig-awig
Authors: Arnawa Nengah , Gunartha I Wayan , Sadwika I Nyoman
Published: September 2018

This research was aimed at expressing motivation to use modality markers in text of traditional village regulation (awig-awig). The data was obtained from some major regulations in five regencies and city in Bali province. Sampling was done based on area considering dialectical and sociocultural diversity. Based on theory of pragmatics, it could be concluded that the use of Balinese language modality in text of traditional village regulation was not merely demanded by syntax and grammatical semantics. It can be proven with deletion technic. Up on the modality deletion, it did not change the prime meaning of text, but the sentences were still grammatical instead. The use of modality was motivated with pragmatic needs, i.e. performing hegemony politeness in accordance with the sense of modality as interpersonal rhetoric.
Codes mixing between buyers and mobile phone hackers in Bekasi, West Java
Authors: Pardede Jannes Freddy
Published: September 2018

This review discusses the code mixing that occurson talks between a sales clerk and four buyers at a mobile phone shop located in a business centre in the central Bekasi, West Java. The data collection is done by recording conversations between four buyers and one the store saleswoman. Data wasanalysed qualitatively to obtain a comprehensive research result that aims to determine the type, level, nature, and causal factors of code interference. The results showed: (1) There are three types of code mixings that occur, namely external code-mixing, internal code-mixing and mixed code-mixing. The most common is external code-mixing, especially from English to Indonesian language. (2). The most common form of code-mixing is ​​in the word level. (3). The cause of code interference is caused by several factors, namely the limitation factor in the mastery of vocabulary in the source language, to show the familiarity and habit factor of the speaker.
Syntactical interference of Katigan language to Indonesian language in SMP Negeri 1 at Katingan Tengah regency at Central Kalimantan
Authors: Cahyani Irni , Agustina Lili
Published: September 2018

Syntactical interference of Language of Katingan to Indonesian in Katingan Tengah School at Katingan Tengah regency has been a focus of some language research recently. The research was aimed at recognizing and identifying interference in second language acquisition. The term interference refers to two different linguistic phenomena, namely psychological interference and sociolinguistic interference. Psychological interference refers to the influence of old habits as a result of learning something against something being studied[1]. While sociolinguistic interference refers to the interaction of the language, such as loan or word change. Factors that cause interference is the factor of contact language and language skills. Interference is caused by language contact factors in bilingual societies and an unsteady language mastery factor in second language learners or foreign language learners [2]. This is in accordance with the teacher's opinion that there are still errors in the language, whether it's talking and writing activities. That's what makes researchers interested in doing this. Based on the above problems, it  can be identified some points, namely the influence of the first language habit of Katingan in using a second language, Indonesian language, language skills that have not been steady in the second language learning and errors in the language, because of the influence of the first language. The result of research on the syntactic interference aspects of Katingan language to Indonesian language was found in two types of syntactic interference which was contained in oral and written language of students of SMPN 1 Katingan Tengah, such as: (1) Interference phrase to Indonesian language and (2) Interference sentence to Indonesian language.
Editorial: Politik mit der Inneren (Un-)Sicherheit
Authors: Redaktion Prokla
Published: September 2018

Editorial: Politik mit der Inneren (Un-)Sicherheit
Editorial: Sparen und Herrschen
Authors: Redaktion Prokla
Published: September 2018

Editorial: Sparen und Herrschen
Editorial: Perspektiven der Gesellschaftskritik heute
Authors: Redaktion Prokla
Published: September 2018

Editorial: Perspektiven der Gesellschaftskritik heute
Editorial: Soziale Kämpfe in Afrika
Authors: Redaktion Prokla
Published: September 2018

Editorial: Soziale Kämpfe in Afrika
Editorial: Demokratie und Herrschaft, Parlamentarismus und Parteien
Authors: Redaktion Prokla
Published: September 2018

Editorial: Demokratie und Herrschaft, Parlamentarismus und Parteien
Editorial: Materialistischer Feminismus
Authors: Redaktion Prokla
Published: September 2018

Editorial: Materialistischer Feminismus
Abfallsammlung in Buenos Aires
Authors: Hemetsberger Regina
Published: September 2018

With the collapse of the Argentine economy in the late 1990s between 20.000 and 25.000 persons in Buenos Aires got involved with informal waste picking. When public pressure became too strong in 2001, the municipal and national government started to work on a plan for the implementation of an integrated solid waste management, in which private waste enterprises and waste pickers’ cooperatives shall collaborate in order to improve the city‘s recycling activities. With the new model, however, the waste pickers themselves were also taken into account as new social actors. Considering the importance of formality and informality, this paper analyses the design of the bonaerense model for in - tegrated solid waste management. First, economic-historical perspectives of theoretical con - cepts of formality and informality are discussed, followed by a review of the developments in the waste sector since 2001. Finally, light is thrown on the impact and scope of formality and informality for the integration of informal waste pickers.
Die Krise privatisierter ‘Entsorgbarkeit’ und die Neuverhandlung gesellschaftlicher Müllverhältnisse in Bangalore
Authors: Schlitz Nicolas
Published: September 2018

In this article, I trace the successive privatization of waste management in Bangalore throughout the last two decades. Thereby, I illustrate how the dominant mode of handling waste in capitalist societies is marked by a profound neglect of wastes’ materiality. In India, an increased production and altered materiality of waste was caused by the process of politico-economic liberalization of the 1980s, which has given rise to different and at parts contradictory modes of societal handling of waste. Inherently connected to neoliberal urban reform projects, the ‘modernization’ of public handling of waste in Bangalore enhanced the encroachment and displacement of an enormous informalized recycling sector. This has intensified specific forms of disposability in the societal handling of waste. The resulting ‘garbage crisis’, which struck Bangalore in the summer months of 2012, propelled the reconfiguration of the city ?s societal waste relations. As will be argued, these changes have been long prepared by a broad alliance of waste-related civil society organizations and revealed the possible contours of a local green economy of waste.
Autonomie in der Krise
Authors: Kronauer Martin
Published: September 2018

The article addresses the weakness of the Left to counter neo-liberalism even in times of economic crises and growing inequalities. Neo-liberalism seems to have been quite successful in discrediting the quest for equality by mobilizing ideologies of individual freedom and responsibility for oneself as values opposing equality. As any such ideology, the neo-liberal one connects itself to socially rooted desires which the power relations of capitalist societies actually betray. The article argues that the Left should take up the battle with neo-liberalism by remembering its own traditions of striving for the self-determination (“free association”) of individuals. Taking it seriously, self-determination requires social preconditions which are in utter contrast to neo-liberalism: promoting equalities, social protection against the dependence on markets, and democracy in its strict sense.
Editorial: Illusion und Macht des Geldes
Authors: Redaktion Prokla
Published: September 2018

Editorial: Illusion und Macht des Geldes
Geldreform als Weg aus der Krise?
Authors: Weber Beat
Published: September 2018

Monetary reform proposals can be characterized by their position taking on two fundamental debates within monetary theory: What is the nature of money (credit or asset)? Who should issue money (the state or private entities)? In opting for a radical departure from the hybrid nature of the current monetary system, reform proposals suffer from a gap between far reaching legitimacy claims and neglected functionality problems in monetary governance.
Growth and Physiological Responses of Adenophora triphylla (Thunb.) A.DC. Plug Seedlings to Day and Night Temperature Regimes
Authors: Liu Ya , Ren Xiuxia , Jeong Hai , Wei Hao , Jeong Byoung
Published: September 2018

Adenophora triphylla (Thunb.) A.DC., three-leaf lady bell, is an important medicinal plant used against cancers and obesity. It has been well-established that the temperature regime affects plant growth and development in many ways. However, there is no study available correlating the growth of A. triphylla seedlings with different day and night temperature regimes. In order to find an optimal temperature regime, growth and physiology were investigated in A. triphylla plug seedlings grown in environment-controlled chambers at different day and night temperatures: 20/20 °C (day/night) (TA), 25/15 °C (TB), and 20/15 °C (TC). The seedlings in plug trays were grown under a light intensity of 150 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density) provided by white LEDs, a 70% relative humidity, and a 16 h (day)/8 h (night) photoperiod for six weeks. The results showed that the stem diameter, number of roots, and biomass were significantly larger for seedlings in TB than those in TA or TC. Moreover, the contents of total flavonoid, total phenol, and soluble sugar in seedlings grown in TB were markedly higher than those in seedlings in the other two treatments. Soluble protein content was the lowest in seedlings in TC, while starch content was the lowest in seedlings grown in TA. Furthermore, seedlings grown in TB showed significantly lower activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and guaiacol peroxidase. Native PAGE (polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) analysis further proved low activities of antioxidant isozymes in TB treatment. Meanwhile, the lowest content of hydrogen peroxide was observed in seedlings grown in TB. In conclusion, the results suggested that the 25/15 °C (day/night) temperature regime is the most suitable for the growth and physiological development of A. triphylla seedlings.
Removal of Algae, and Taste and Odor Compounds by a Combination of Plant-Mineral Composite (PMC) Coagulant with UV-AOPs: Laboratory and Pilot Scale Studies
Authors: Abrha Yirga Weldu , Kye Homin , Kwon Minhwan , Lee Doorae , Kim Kiho , Jung Youmi , Ahn Yongtae , Kang Joon-Wun
Published: September 2018

The seasonal occurrence of algae blooms in surface waters remains a common problem, such as taste and odor (T&Os), the risk of disinfection by-products (DBPs), and disturbance to water treatment systems. The coagulation efficiency of plant-mineral composite (PMC) coagulant followed by UV-based advanced oxidation processes (UV-AOPs; UV/H2O2 and UV/Cl2) was evaluated for removal of algae, turbidity, dissolved organic matters, and taste and odor compounds in lab-scale and pilot-scale tests. In the lab-scale test, coagulation process with 20 mg/L of PMC shows high removal efficiency of turbidity (94%) and algae (99%) and moderate removal efficiency of UV254 (51%) and geosmin (46%). The pilot test results also show good removal efficiency of turbidity (64%), chlorophyll-a (96%). After PMC coagulation process, the major water factors, which affected the performance of UV-AOPs (i.e., UV transmittance (85–94%), and scavenging factor (64,998–28,516 s−1)), were notably improved, and further degradation of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) was achieved in both lab-and pilot-scale tests of the UV-AOPs. The UV/H2O2 process shows higher removal efficiency of geosmin and 2-MIB than the UV/Cl2 process because of the pH effect. The results confirmed that the PMC-based coagulation followed by UV/H2O2 process could be an effective process for the removal of algae, geosmin, and 2-MIB.
A Patient-Specific Study Investigating the Relation between Coronary Hemodynamics and Neo-Intimal Thickening after Bifurcation Stenting with a Polymeric Bioresorbable Scaffold
Authors: Migliori Susanna , Rampat Rajiv , Bologna Marco , Montin Eros , Burzotta Francesco , Hildick-Smith David , Dubini Gabriele , Mainardi Luca , Migliavacca Francesco , Cockburn James , Chiastra Claudio
Published: September 2018

We present an application of a validated reconstruction methodology for the comparison between patient-specific hemodynamics and neo-intimal thickening at nine months from the intervention. (1) Background: Coronary bifurcation stenting alters the vessel geometry, influencing the local hemodynamics. The evaluation of wall shear stress (WSS) relies on the application of computational fluid dynamics to model its distribution along the coronary tree. The endothelium actively responds to WSS, which triggers eventual cell proliferation to cover the stent struts. (2) Methods: Baseline optical coherence tomography and angiographic data were combined to reconstruct a patient-specific coronary bifurcation with an implanted bioresorbable scaffold and to simulate the hemodynamics. Results were linked with the neo-intimal thickening after nine months from the intervention. (3) Results: Blood velocity patterns were disrupted at the bifurcation due to the presence of the stent. It was observed that 55.6% of the scaffolded lumen surface was exposed to values of time-averaged WSS lower than 0.4 Pa. Follow-up images showed a luminal narrowing of 19% in the main branch. There was also a complete coverage in 99% of struts. (4) Conclusions: This approach provided valuable complementary information that might improve the clinical outcomes in this subset of coronary diseases.
An Automatic Analysis System for High-Throughput Clostridium Difficile Toxin Activity Screening
Authors: Garland Megan , Jaworek-Korjakowska Joanna , Libal Urszula , Bogyo Matthew , Sieńczyk Marcin
Published: September 2018

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is an increasing global health threat and major worldwide cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea. The development of novel therapies to effectively treat this bacterial pathogen is an unmet clinical need. Here, we describe an image processing and classification algorithm that automatically identifies toxin-induced cytotoxicity to host cells based on characteristic morphological changes. This efficient and automatic algorithm can be incorporated into a screening platform to identify novel anti-toxin inhibitors of the C. difficile major virulence factors TcdA and TcdB, and contains the following steps: image enhancement, cell segmentation, and classification. We tested the algorithm on 504 images (containing 5096 cells) and achieved 93% sensitivity and 91% specificity, indicating that the proposed computational approach correctly classified most of the cells and provided reliable information for an effective screening platform. This algorithm achieved higher classification results compared to existing cell counter and analysis programs, scoring 92.6% accuracy. Compared to visual examination by a researcher, the algorithm significantly decreased classification time and identified toxin-induced cytotoxicity in an unbiased manner. Availability: Examples are available at home.agh.edu.pl/jaworek/CDI.
Integrated High-Performance Platform for Fast Query Response in Big Data with Hive, Impala, and SparkSQL: A Performance Evaluation
Authors: Chang Bao Rong , Tsai Hsiu-Fen , Lee Yun-Da
Published: September 2018

This paper first integrates big data tools—Hive, Impala, and SparkSQL—which support SQL-like queries for rapid data retrieval in big data. The three introduced tools are not only suitable for operating in business intelligence to serve high-performance data retrieval, but they are also an open-source software solution with low cost for small-to-medium enterprise use. In practice, the proposed approach provides an in-memory cache and an in-disk cache to achieve a very fast response to a query if a cache hit occurs. Moreover, this paper develops so-called platform selection that is able to select the appropriate tool dealing with input query with effectiveness and efficiency. As a result, the speed of job execution of proposed approach using platform selection is 2.63 times faster than Hive in the Case 1 experiment, and 4.57 times faster in the Case 2 experiment.
Energy Storage Coordination in Energy Internet Based on Multi-Agent Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Liu Jicheng , He Dandan , Wei Qiushuang , Yan Suli
Published: September 2018

With the rapid development of energy Internet (EI), energy storage (ES), which is the key technology of EI, has attracted widespread attention. EI is composed of multiple energy networks that provide energy support for each other, so it has a great demand for diverse energy storages (ESs). All of this may result in energy redundancy throughout the whole EI system. Hence, coordinating ESs among various energy networks is of great importance. First of all, we put forward the necessity and principles of energy storage coordination (ESC) in EI. Then, the ESC model is constructed with the aim of economic efficiency (EE) and energy utilization efficiency (EUE) respectively. Finally, a multi-agent particle swarm optimization (MAPSO) algorithm is proposed to solve this problem. The calculation results are compared with that of PSO, and results show that MAPSO has good convergence and computational accuracy. In addition, the simulation results prove that EE plays the most important role when coordinating various ESs in EI, and an ES configuration with the multi-objective optimization of EE and EUE is concluded at last.
Swarm Intelligence Algorithms for Feature Selection: A Review
Authors: Brezočnik Lucija , Fister Iztok , Podgorelec Vili
Published: September 2018

The increasingly rapid creation, sharing and exchange of information nowadays put researchers and data scientists ahead of a challenging task of data analysis and extracting relevant information out of data. To be able to learn from data, the dimensionality of the data should be reduced first. Feature selection (FS) can help to reduce the amount of data, but it is a very complex and computationally demanding task, especially in the case of high-dimensional datasets. Swarm intelligence (SI) has been proved as a technique which can solve NP-hard (Non-deterministic Polynomial time) computational problems. It is gaining popularity in solving different optimization problems and has been used successfully for FS in some applications. With the lack of comprehensive surveys in this field, it was our objective to fill the gap in coverage of SI algorithms for FS. We performed a comprehensive literature review of SI algorithms and provide a detailed overview of 64 different SI algorithms for FS, organized into eight major taxonomic categories. We propose a unified SI framework and use it to explain different approaches to FS. Different methods, techniques, and their settings are explained, which have been used for various FS aspects. The datasets used most frequently for the evaluation of SI algorithms for FS are presented, as well as the most common application areas. The guidelines on how to develop SI approaches for FS are provided to support researchers and analysts in their data mining tasks and endeavors while existing issues and open questions are being discussed. In this manner, using the proposed framework and the provided explanations, one should be able to design an SI approach to be used for a specific FS problem.
An Analysis of Land-Use and Land-Cover Change in the Zhujiang–Xijiang Economic Belt, China, from 1990 to 2017
Authors: Hu Yunfeng , Batunacun
Published: September 2018

Land-use and land-cover change (LUCC) are currently contested topics in the research of global environment change and sustainable change. Identifying the historic land-use change process is important for the new economic development belt (the Zhujiang–Xijiang Economic Belt, ZXEB). During this research, based on long-time-series land-use and land-cover data, while using a combination of a transition matrix method and Markov chain model, the authors derive the patterns, processes, and spatial autocorrelations of land-use and land-cover changes in the ZXEB for the periods 1990–2000 and 2000–2017. Additionally, the authors discuss the spatial autocorrelation of land-use in the ZXEB and the major drivers of urbanization. The results indicate the following: (1) The area of cropland reduces during the two periods, and woodland decreases after the year 2000. The woodland is the most stable land-use type in both periods. (2) Built-up land expansion is the most important land-use conversion process; the major drivers of built-up land expansion are policy intervention, GDP (gross domestic product), population growth, and rural population migration. (3) Transition possibilities indicate that after 2000, most land-use activities become stronger, the global and local Moran’s I of all land-use types show that the spatial autocorrelations have become more closely related, and the spatial autocorrelation of built-up land has become stronger. Policies focus on migration from rural to urban, and peri-urban development is crucial for future sustainable urbanization.
Assessment of Turbulence Modelling in the Wake of an Actuator Disk with a Decaying Turbulence Inflow
Authors: Olivares-Espinosa Hugo , Breton Simon-Philippe , Nilsson Karl , Masson Christian , Dufresne Louis , Ivanell Stefan
Published: September 2018

The characteristics of the turbulence field in the wake produced by a wind turbine model are studied. To this aim, a methodology is developed and applied to replicate wake measurements obtained in a decaying homogeneous turbulence inflow produced by a wind tunnel. In this method, a synthetic turbulence field is generated to be employed as an inflow of Large-Eddy Simulations performed to model the flow development of the decaying turbulence as well as the wake flow behind an actuator disk. The implementation is carried out on the OpenFOAM platform, resembling a well-documented procedure used for wake flow simulations. The proposed methodology is validated by comparing with experimental results, for two levels of turbulence at inflow and disks with two different porosities. It is found that mean velocities and turbulent kinetic energy behind the disk are well estimated. The development of turbulence lengthscales behind the disk resembles what is observed in the free flow, predicting the ambient turbulence lengthscales to dominate across the wake, with little effect of shear from the wake envelope. However, observations of the power spectra confirm that shear yields a boost to the turbulence energy within the wake noticeable only in the low turbulence case. The results obtained show that the present implementation can successfully be used in the modelling and analysis of turbulence in wake flows.
Start-Up Current Spike Mitigation of High-Power Laser Diode Driving Controller for Vehicle Headlamp Applications
Authors: Pai Kai-Jun , Qin Lin-De , Lin Chang-Hua , Tang Sheng-Yi
Published: September 2018

A high-power laser diode driving controller (HPLDDC), which incorporates the power converter with the feedback controller, was developed and implemented in this paper. The synchronous buck–boost converter (SBBC) was the topology of the power converter; the SBBC could be operated in step-up or step-down mode in accordance with variable on-board battery voltage inputs into the HPLDDC. Moreover, the feedback controllers were equipped with a current-loop controller (CLC) and a voltage-loop controller (VLC); the VLC was employed to regulate the SBBC output voltage to drive and start-up the high-power laser diode (HPLD). The CLC was used to regulate the SBBC output current to supply a constant-current driving the HPLDs. During the start-up transient phase, when the SBBC output mode is changed from the constant-voltage to the constant-current, a start-up current spike occurs that can destroy the semiconductor material of the laser diode. However, few studies have discussed methods of coping with this problem. Therefore, this study proposed a proportional-integral associating proportional (PIAP) control technology, which can be applied to the CLC for the start-up current spike mitigation. Complete designs and analyses are presented in this paper. Simulations and experiments validate that the PIAP control method is effectual to solve the start-up current spike.
Compressive Strength Characteristics of Cemented Tailings Backfill with Alkali-Activated Slag
Authors: Xue Gaili , Yilmaz Erol , Song Weidong , Cao Shuai
Published: September 2018

With the use of glauberite mineral (GM) and sodium hydroxide (SH) alkaline catalysts to stimulate slag powder’s internal cementation activity and incorporate the two fine-grained solid wastes, such as quicklime (Q) and desulfurized ash (DA), a new cementitious material suitable for mine tailings was developed to replace traditional ordinary Portland cement (OPC) for reducing cement-related costs. A series of uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) tests were carried out on cemented tailings backfill (CTB) samples containing different activators. The results showed that (1) the highest UCS values of 14-day and 28-day cured CTB samples were 1.259 MPa and 2.429 MPa, respectively, and the effect of different activator types was in the order of SH > GM > DA > Q and SH > GM > Q > DA; (2) the relationship between UCS and activator dosages followed the function y = ax3 − bx2 + cx − d. Compared with the OPC 32.5 R cemented samples, the minimum strength growth factor was 1.45, and the maximum reached 2.03; (3) the optimal proportion of DA slag formula was 4.5% or 5.0% Q, 19% DA, 2.5% GM, and 0.7% SH. The aforesaid new cementitious materials met the mine’s UCS requirements with a relatively low cost (17.04–17.20 €/ton) and solved the stacking problem of solid wastes on the surface well. Ultimately, this study provides a useful reference for the development of mineral binders.
The Effect of Sulfuric Acid Concentration on the Physical and Electrochemical Properties of Vanadyl Solutions
Authors: Lawton Jamie S. , Tiano Sophia M. , Donnelly Daniel J. , Flanagan Sean P. , Arruda Thomas M.
Published: September 2018

The effects of sulfuric acid concentration in VO2+ solutions were investigated via electrochemical methods and electron paramagnetic resonance. The viscosity of solutions containing 0.01 M VOSO4 in 0.1–7.0 M H2SO4 was measured. Diffusion coefficients were independently measured via electrochemical methods and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), with excellent agreement between the techniques employed and literature values. Analysis of cyclic voltammograms suggest the oxidation of VO2+ to VO2+ is quasi-reversible at high H2SO4 concentrations (>5 mol/L), and approaching irreversible at lower H2SO4 concentrations. Further analysis reveals a likely electrochemical/chemical (EC) mechanism where the H2SO4 facilitates the electrochemical step but hinders the chemical step. Fundamental insights of VO2+/H2SO4 solutions can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the concentration effects in electrolyte solutions.
A New Glass-Forming Electrolyte Based on Lithium Glycerolate
Authors: Pagot Gioele , Tonello Sara , Vezzù Keti , Di Noto Vito
Published: September 2018

The detailed study of the interplay between the physicochemical properties and the long-range charge migration mechanism of polymer electrolytes able to carry lithium ions is crucial in the development of next-generation lithium batteries. Glycerol exhibits a number of features (e.g., glass-forming behavior, low glass transition temperature, high flexibility of the backbone, and efficient coordination of lithium ions) that make it an appealing ion-conducting medium and a challenging building block in the preparation of new inorganic–organic polymer electrolytes. This work reports the preparation and the extensive investigation of a family of 11 electrolytes based on lithium glycerolate. The electrolytes have the formula C3H5(OH)3−x(OLi)x, where 0 ≤ x ≤ 1. The elemental composition is evaluated by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The structure and interactions are studied by vibrational spectroscopies (FT-IR and micro-Raman). The thermal properties are gauged by modulated differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. Finally, insights on the long-range charge migration mechanism and glycerol relaxation events are investigated via broadband electrical spectroscopy. Results show that in these electrolytes, glycerolate acts as a large and flexible macro-anion, bestowing to the material single-ion conductivity (1.99 × 10−4 at 30 °C and 1.55 × 10−2 S∙cm−1 at 150 °C for x = 0.250).
Detection of Organochlorine Pesticide (OCPs) Residues and Trace Metals in Some Selected Malt Drinks in Nigeria
Authors: Olutona Godwin , Livingstone Sophia
Published: September 2018

In this study we evaluated the trace metals and toxic residues of pesticides in commercial malta drinks sold in Nigeria markets. Residual concentrations of seventeen (17) chlorinated hydrocarbons and trace metals were determined in fifteen samples of three batches each of five selected brands of Malta drink sold in Nigeria markets. Gas Chromatograph-Electron Capture Detector (GC-ECD) and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) were employed in quantitative analysis. The results revealed that all the malt drink analyzed have one or more OCPs detected. The presence of eleven (11) OCPs residue were detected at varying concentrations. The total burden of OCPs in the samples was in the following order: AMS > DUB > MAG > HIM > MLT. Trace metals results revealed that Cd was below detection limit in all the samples while Pb; Ni and Cr were above World Health Organization and United State Environmental Protection Agency (WHO/USEPA) limits for drinking water.
Carbonated Dairy Beverages: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Newbold Daniel , Koppel Kadri
Published: September 2018

Yogurt drinks have seen a 66% increase in consumption in the United States over the last five years. Even though there has been an increase in yogurt drink consumption, the market share of drinkable dairy beverages remains small. Carbonated dairy beverages have become increasingly popular in recent years, and innovations in this area could help drive increased consumption of these beverages. Currently traditionally carbonated dairy beverages, like kefir, are the most popular carbonated dairy beverages on the market. Carbonation at appropriate levels in dairy products, especially dairy beverages, has been shown to improve the sensory attributes, quality, and shelf life of these products. Probiotics, which are added to yogurt drinks for their health benefits, are not harmed or negatively affected by carbonation. Several methods have been developed to carbonate dairy beverages in a manufacturing setting, although these methods have not been widely applied to commercially available products. The increased consumption of dairy beverages and the benefits of carbonation upon these beverages means that there are opportunities to develop widely accepted and popular carbonated dairy beverages. The objective of this article was to review available literature on carbonated dairy beverages and to discuss the challenges and opportunities in this area.
Early Influence of Musical Abilities and Working Memory on Speech Imitation Abilities: Study with Pre-School Children
Authors: Christiner Markus , Reiterer Susanne Maria
Published: September 2018

Musical aptitude and language talent are highly intertwined when it comes to phonetic language ability. Research on pre-school children’s musical abilities and foreign language abilities are rare but give further insights into the relationship between language and musical aptitude. We tested pre-school children’s abilities to imitate unknown languages, to remember strings of digits, to sing, to discriminate musical statements and their intrinsic (spontaneous) singing behavior (“singing-lovers versus singing nerds”). The findings revealed that having an ear for music is linked to phonetic language abilities. The results of this investigation show that a working memory capacity and phonetic aptitude are linked to high musical perception and production ability already at around the age of 5. This suggests that music and (foreign) language learning capacity may be linked from childhood on. Furthermore, the findings put emphasis on the possibility that early developed abilities may be responsible for individual differences in both linguistic and musical performances.
Heated Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in the Management of Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Jewell Andrea , McMahon Megan , Khabele Dineo
Published: September 2018

Heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has several potential benefits. Higher doses of chemotherapy can be used with HIPEC because the plasma-peritoneal barrier results in little absorption into the blood stream. HIPEC offers higher peritoneal penetration in comparison to an intravenous (IV) regimen and does not have the traditional normothermic intraperitoneal (IP) regimen limitation of post-operative adhesions. Hyperthermia itself has cytotoxic effects and can potentiate antineoplastic effects of chemotherapy in part by increasing the depth of tumor penetration by up to 3 mm. For the treatment of ovarian cancer, HIPEC has been evaluated in the recurrent setting with secondary cytoreduction. Recent studies, including a prospective trial, have evaluated its role in primary management of ovarian cancer. This review summarizes previous and ongoing studies regarding the use of HIPEC in the management of ovarian cancer.
Genetic Renal Diseases: The Emerging Role of Zebrafish Models
Authors: Elmonem Mohamed A. , Berlingerio Sante Princiero , Van den Heuvel Lambertus P. , De Witte Peter A. , Lowe Martin , Levtchenko Elena N.
Published: September 2018

The structural and functional similarity of the larval zebrafish pronephros to the human nephron, together with the recent development of easier and more precise techniques to manipulate the zebrafish genome have motivated many researchers to model human renal diseases in the zebrafish. Over the last few years, great advances have been made, not only in the modeling techniques of genetic diseases in the zebrafish, but also in how to validate and exploit these models, crossing the bridge towards more informative explanations of disease pathophysiology and better designed therapeutic interventions in a cost-effective in vivo system. Here, we review the significant progress in these areas giving special attention to the renal phenotype evaluation techniques. We further discuss the future applications of such models, particularly their role in revealing new genetic diseases of the kidney and their potential use in personalized medicine.
Implementation, Design and Cost Assessment of a Membrane-Based Process for Selectively Enriching Desalinated Water with Divalent Seawater Ions
Authors: Birnhack Liat , Tang Samuel C. N. , Lahav Ori
Published: September 2018

The paper describes results from operating a new 3-step membrane-based process targeted at separating Mg2+ from seawater in an inexpensive way, with the purpose of using it to enrich desalinated water with magnesium, with as little as possible Cl− and Na+ addition. To this end, seawater undergoes a series of processes aimed at increasing the Mg2+ concentration from ~1350 to ~4000 mg/L through nanofiltration while the monovalent ion concentrations are reduced by a nanofiltration-diananofiltration sequence, in which the diluent is RO produced water from a desalination plant. A dense ultrafiltration (UF) step precedes the nanofiltration-diananofiltration (NF-DiaNF) cycles. In this step sulfate in seawater is rejected better than divalent cations hence the retentate of this step has a ratio of total hardness to sulfate (([Ca2+] + [Mg2+])/[SO42−] → 1) which enables attaining an almost complete washout of monovalent ions in the DiaNF step. The paper is concluded with presentation of general design of the process steps and a cost assessment, which shows the process to be both flexible in the quality of the rich Mg solution generated, and cost competitive, relative to other alternatives.
Improved Solubility of Vortioxetine Using C2-C4 Straight-Chain Dicarboxylic Acid Salt Hydrates
Authors: Gao Lei , Zhang Xian-Rui , Yang Shao-Ping , Liu Juan-Juan , Chen Chao-Jie
Published: September 2018

The purpose of this study was to improve the solubility of vortioxetine by crystal engineering principles. In this paper, three C2-C4 straight-chain dicarboxylic acid salt hydrates of vortioxetine (VOT-OA, VOT-MA-H2O, and VOT-SUA-H2O, VOT = vortioxetine, OA = Oxalic acid, MA = malonic acid, SUA = succinic acid) were synthesized and characterized by single X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry. The single crystal structure of three salts reveals that vortioxetine has torsional flexibility, which can encourage VOT to allow combination with aliphatic dicarboxylic acids through N+-H···O hydrogen bonds. The solubility of all salts exhibits a dramatic increase in distilled water, especially for VOT-MA-H2O salt, where it shows the highest solubility, by 96-fold higher compared with pure vortioxetine.