bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alapismeretek a Diszkalkulia Pedagógiai Vizsgálatáról
Authors: Polgárdi Veronika , Láz Csabáné , Dékány Judit
Published: April 2018

A DPV koncepciója azon alapul, hogy a számolásban résztvevő numerikus rendszerek és egyéb, nem matematika-specifikus rendszerek (részképességek) különböző módokon és szinteken diszfunkcionálhatnak. A teszt feladatai adott életkorokhoz rendelt fejlődési fázisokhoz igazodnak. A vizsgálat a hibaelemzés módszerével és objektív kritériumokkal térképezi fel a diszkalkuliára utaló tipikus hibákat, majd további szempontokat ad az egyéb részképességek működésének megfigyeléséhez és a gondolkodási, kompenzáló stratégiák számbavételéhez. A hangsúlyozottan egyéni vizsgálóeljárás átfogó képet ad a gyermek matematikai és kognitív képességeinek szintjéről. Az egyéni teljesítményprofil alapján lehetővé válik a fejlődési diszkalkulia (súlyos tanulási zavar) és a tanulási nehézség elkülönítése, ezeknek megfelelően az egyénre szabott terápiás célok, feladatok és módszerek meghatározása (terápia-relevancia).
Pirandello: A Man without a Suitcase
Authors: Bartocci Gianni
Published: April 2018

If one enters the room where Pirandello's life was ended by a sudden illness on December 10, 1936, one can understand better his conception of man. The little room, the narrow bed, the simple furniture, remind us of the precariousness of our life, of that short-story Nell'albergo e morto un tale, as Professor A. Barbina, director of the Istituto di studi pirandelliani, once said. It was in that room that Pirandello ended that "reve eveille" called life.
Practical Hints for Teachers of German
Authors: Burmeister Christiane
Published: April 2018

In a comparison of five books used in Ontario high schools (Chiles & Wiehr: "First Book in German"; Creese & Green: "German, A Structural Approach; "ALM"; Schultz/Griesbach: "Deutsche Sprachlehre fur Auslander"; Braun, Nieder, Schmoe: "Deutsch als Fremdsprache"), I found about 37 points of German grammar that are necessary for a fundamental grammar course (first two years). Out of these a certain number can be- but do not have to beconsiderably simplified. The details given in this article are suggestions, radical simplifications, which the teacher might use to show his students how simple spoken German really is. In my remarks I shall advise you what to introduce but not how and when to introduce it.
Conditions for the Effective Use of the Language Laboratory
Authors: Eeppert Franz
Published: April 2018

There is no such thing as the ultimate method for teaching a foreign language. Any method is highly dependent on many determining factors, such as the language itself, the aim of the programme and especially the learning process: for learning a foreign language differs in many specific respects from any other learning process. A foreign language — as we know — is always learned or acquired on the basis of the vernacular. It has therefore proven a fallacy to assume, as many methodologists did, that a student can learn a foreign language in the same way in which he learned to speak his own language. Interference and facilitation are typical for the learning of a foreign language. The main difference, however, is that the language learning process of a child is characterized by an almost limitless redundance, a redundance in energy as well as in time. And since this redundance in energy and time obviously is not at our disposal in foreign language learning and teaching, its non-existence poses the most difficult methodological question. How can this Jack of time be overcome?
Visual Aids for the Teaching of Russian Culture
Authors: Matthews Mrs. Irene J.
Published: April 2018

J. Michael Moore, in his article “Film, Slide and Filmstrip Jungle”, in the May 1970 issue of the Modern Language Journal, is highly critical of the lack of information available to foreign language teachers about films, slides and filmstrips. He feels that little, if any, of the material has been evaluated, appraised and tabulated. The Grade 1 3 Russian syllabus (1968) issued by the Ontario Department of Education lists records and film distributors. What about filmstrips and slides, and more important, what are their characteristics and relevance? The following will be an attempt to list and evaluate those filmstrips and slides which have been used in the classroom and appear to be currently available. (For further descriptions and information check the Collet's, Budek, and Life catalogues).
The Teaching of Italian in Canada
Authors: Clivio G. P.
Published: April 2018

This paper, read in Rome at the Annual Meeting of the Italian Linguistic Society on June 2, 1970, discusses the recent growth and present situation of the teaching of Italian in Canada, particularly in the province of Ontario. Courses in Italian language and literature are offered at present in nineteen Canadian universities, fourteen of which are in Ontario. The University of Toronto is the largest and oldest centre of Italian Studies in Canada and the only university which offers a Ph.D. program in this field. Its library possesses one of the largest collections of Italian books and journals in North America. Two other institutions, McGill University and the University of Brjtish Columbia, have a growing M.A. program in Italian and the B.A. can be obtained at Windsor, Guelph, etc. In recent years Italian has undergone exceptional growth in the High Schools of this provmce, notably in Metropolitan Toronto. It is now taught in about fifty schools and student interest continues to be high. The Ontario Department of Education had foreseen this growth as early as 1968 and recently appointed a Program Consultant for Modern Languages with special responsibilities in Italian. Methodological courses in the teaching of Italian at the High School level are offered at the College of Education of the University of Toronto. The growing number of Italian teachers active in the province of Ontario warranted the formation of an Italian Sub-Section of the Ontario Modern Language Teachers' Association as early as 1965. The presence of a very large Italian Community gives particular importance to the Italian language, especially in view of the enlightened government policy on bilingualism favouring the maintenance of ethnic languages. The demand for university and High School teachers of Italian is strong at present and likely to increase even fmther in the future since it is expected that Italian will be introduced in a growing number of schools.
Model for Planned Change in Second Language Programs
Authors: Duhamel R. J.
Published: April 2018

This paper came about as a result of an experiment in curricular change in which Mr. Duhamel was jnvolved with several teachers over a period of months. INTRODUCTION There is much evidence that educational change is often implemented without sufficient and satisfactory care and investigation. Lockerbie 1971, p.2 ) , Miklos ( 1 969, p. l ) and Goldhammer (Carson, 1968, p.4) make this point while referring to all types of educational change. Scherer (Donoghue, 1969, p.157) makes the same accusation when he discusses second language programs. Certainly, the lack of success of many language programs can be attributed, at least in part, to this cause.
Sound and Fury!
Authors: Maurice L. J.
Published: April 2018

Two basic disciplines, psychology and linguistics, have had an influence in shaping our recent methodologies in second language teaching. Among linguists there has been a desire to apply scientific principles to the language learning process. The development of audio-lingual and audiovisual courses has been an effort in this direction. Applied linguistics has exerted its influence, not only on the linguistic content of language teaching courses, but also on the very methodology of the classroom and language laboratory. One of the scientific principles to exert the greatest influence upon methodology has been that of "conditioning" or "habit formation."
On the Teaching of Meaning
Authors: Brown T. Grant
Published: April 2018

Perhaps one of the most often criticized parts of the audiolingual method is the dialogue. It is widely claimed that students are able to recite dialogues fluently, with excellent pronunciation (frequently with more than acceptable dramatic ability) and yet are unable to respond in similar situations if the speech of the other participant in the dialogue is at variance with the memorized text. Since, in this case, it is obvious that students have failed to learn to use the foreign tongue as a true means of communications, and have, therefore, little concept of what the dialogue means, the problems present in the teaching of meaning in the dialogue will be used to illustrate the teaching of meaning in general.
Programmed Instruction
Authors: Mueller Theodore
Published: April 2018

Close to a thousand students have been taught French through PLI at the University of Kentucky. The instructors were Graduate Students for whom it was their first teaching experience, since the more experienced ones must teach the more advanced courses. The results thus obtained are therefore a good example of what a programme can do without the help of the expert teacher in the classroom. The results obtained in 1968-69 are compared with results obtained in two audio- lingual courses, one in 1967, and one in 1969, taught under the same conditions and by Graduate Students.
Television for the Moderns Classroom
Authors: Barkley George
Published: April 2018

Here is a brief description of the Modems programs that educational television (the Ontario Educational Communications Authority) offers in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian. When the O.E.C.T.A. Mini-prospectus reaches the schools in May, together with the order forms for the Teachers' Guides for 1971-72, Modems teachers should be able to handle this material more knowledgeably.
Problems of French Grammar and Usage
Authors: Jeanes R. W.
Published: April 2018

The term “apposition” has of course as its basic meaning the idea of something which is placed beside something else, and grammarians have used it to designate a wide variety of constructions involving different types of juxtaposition. The present discussion deals with those nominal structures used to throw additional light on an adjoining nominal and which are separated from it and the rest of the sentence by pauses in speech and by commas in written language, i.e. are in a relationship of open juxtaposition: M. Langevin, secretain·e du parti, prit ensuite la parole. Such nominal appositions usually involve a proper name (the name of a known reality), or somewhat less frequently the equivalent of a proper name, an identification structure: le fils du voisin, or a definition: un conférencier brillant. Two main classes of appositions can be distinguished: the juxtaposed expression 1) names; 2) classifies or defines.
Radio Plays in the Teaching of German
Authors: Jakobsh F. K.
Published: April 2018

The teacher of German, at High School as well as at the University, constantly finds himself in the position of seeking suitable materials for the various and specific needs of his students. To facilitate effective learning with general benefit to the learner, he considers texts for reading, records and tapes for listening, films, material for oral practice, and even something to enrich the appreciation and development of the students. Usually he must take into consideration that the material he selects is able to sustain the interest of those concerned in the short run as well as for a prolonged period. The result of these diverse considerations under favourable circumstances is a rather eclectic selection involving a number of different books and other materials-in other words a compromise which leaves a great deal to be desired.
Teachers, Take Advantage!
Authors: Matthews Irene J.
Published: April 2018

C. S. Kersten and V. E. Ott make a most pertinent comment at the conclusion of their interesting article "How Fal-Reaching is the Textbook in Teaching Foreign Languages" (Canadian Modern Language Review, Vol. XXVII, No. 3, March 1971, p. 21) with reference to supplementary material. "The textbook is still needed to introduce the students in an orderly progression to the structural concepts of the language. It should serve as a ready reference; but it must be expanded and reinforced by a rich variety of supplementary current materials through the inventions of the imaginative teacher." The importance of supplementary material is also the theme of Mrs. Walker's article "What is Our First Priority in Teaching?" (Slavic and East European Journal, Vol. XIV, No. 1, Spring 1970, p. 50). She states: "I concluded that something we need is a supplement for any text, which will reorganize, rework, expand, and rehearse many times the vocabulary and patterns related to specific situations." All three, Kersten, Ott and Walker believe in supplementary material for active communication, that is, material which will relate directly to one's own immediate environment, so that the student can express himself in terms of his multi-faceted surroundings. "More voluminous materials must be offered students for tackling situations beyond the entirely superficial first dialogues.
Motivation in French Teaching Outside the Classroom
Authors: Tames M.
Published: April 2018

Anatole France-a noted French novelist, once said-"The art of teaching is the art of arousing curiosity through interest, and curiosity is active only in happy minds". But how can interest and curiosity be stimulated except through proper motivation ! We know from many studies, including the recent "Plowden Repo1t" executed in England, that the parents' attitudes play a major role in the development of a child's attitude and motivation at school. It is strongly believed that if parents are motivated in a positive way towards the acceptance of the learning of French, this in turn will create a positive reaction in their children. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to communicate to the parents a thorough understanding of one's goals and aims in the teaching of French as a second language.
Les contributions de la psychologie cognitive à l’enseignement stratégique des langues secondes au niveau universitaire
Authors: Besnard Christine
Published: April 2018

This article deals with the contributions of cognitive psychology to the field of second language didactics. The author studies to what extent these principles can not only enrich our language courses at the university level, but also can encourage the creation of methodology courses to facilitate and enhance the acquisition of a second language.
La Mondialisation et l'apprentissage d'une langue de spécialité
Authors: Bélanger Charles H.
Published: April 2018

L'internationalisation des échanges et de l'économie comporte certains dangers, dont le déracinement de certaines cultures, une recrudescence de nationalisme ethnoculturel démesuré et une tendance à un protectionnisme linguistique étroit. Pour le plus grand bien de notre civilisation, les gouvemements et leurs institutions doivent promouvoir le pluralisme et le multilinguisme. L'apprentissage d'une langue de spécialité s'insère merveilleusement bien dans ce mouvement en autant que le professeur puisse utiliser, sans s'y limiter, les acquis didactiques connus pour rendre la langue vivante. L'innovation, les échanges et une grande flexibilité soot des atouts importants.
Addressing the Challenge for FSL Teachers: How to Maintain and Improve Language, Pedagogical Skills and Cultural Knowledge
Authors: Flewelling Janet
Published: April 2018

A challenge faced by French as a second language (FSL) teachers is how to maintain and improve their language ski11s, their pedagogical knowledge. and their understanding of francophone culture. This article explains why it is difficult for FSL teachers to achieve this goal, and looks at how pervasive the problem is. It suggests how teachers could be assisted in their efforts to improve their skills and knowledge, and appeals to all provinces to share information on the inservicing available to their FSL teachers so that a master list of upgrading courses could be created and distributed to FSL teachers across Canada.
The Listening Comprehension Strategies of Core French High School Students
Authors: Vandergrift Laurens
Published: April 2018

This paper reports on the first phase of a study investigating the comprehension strategies used by core French students in listening tasks. By means of interviews, students at four different course levels reported on their conscious use of listening strategies in different contexts. All students evidenced a familiarity with metacognitive, cognitive, and socio-affective strategies. Overall, the percentage of metacognitive strategies reported by students increased for each course level. A chart of identified strategies and representative examples is provided. The paper concludes with pedagogical implications for fostering the acquisition of the metacognitive strategies that can enhance success in listening.
Le français en contexte avec TACT
Authors: Elkabas Charles , Wooldridge Russon
Published: April 2018

Cette étude examine le rôle de la lecture dans l’acquisition du français en contexte et montre comment, clans le domaine de la lecture, l’ordinateur peut se transformer en un outil d’enseignement/apprentissage hautement pédagogique grâce à TACT, un logiciel de recherche de données textuelles. Les principes didactiques qui soutiennent notre approche s’inscrivent dans une pédagogie de la découverte.
Acquisition of Tense and Aspect in Second Language and Foreign Language Learning: Learner Narratives in ESL and FFL
Authors: Bardovi-Harlig Kathleen , Bergström Anna
Published: April 2018

This cross-sectional study investigates the acquisition of tense and aspect by instructed learners in two populations, learners of English as a second language (ESL) and learners of French as a foreign language (FPL). Written narratives were collected from 23 ESL learners and 23 FPL learners using a film retell task. Learners exhibit similar patterns of distribution of tense/aspect morphology across target languages, revealing the effects of lexical aspect on the distribution of morphology. Comparison of classroom learners with uninstructed learners shows that environment does not influence the essential acquisitional sequence for tense/aspect. The results suggest that the development of tense/aspect systems may be part of what VanPatten (1990) has called “the core of SLA.”
Problem-solving in the Translating Processes of Japanese ESL Learners
Authors: Uzawa Kozue
Published: April 2018

This paper explores the way in which second-language learners translate a text from L1 into L2 and seeks to discover how translation tasks can serve as a method of second-language learning. Twenty-two Japanese ESL students studying at a Canadian post-secondary institution performed a translation task. The students were asked to think aloud while translating. Their translations and think-aloud protocols were then analyzed qualitatively, paying attention to their problem-solving processes in L1/L2 semantic and syntactic correspondences while translating. Contrary to general expectations, most students in this study avoided translating literally when literal translations did not make sense. They paid attention to problematic L1/L2 correspondences, and examples of problem-solving were not limited to the word or sentence level. This study suggests that translation tasks enable learners to use the target language generatively and creatively in order to make them aware of correct L1/L2 correspondences in words and structures.
Claiming Space for Literature/Culture and Academic Writing in the Foreign Language Composition Class
Authors: Godev Conceptión B.
Published: April 2018

This paper discusses the concept of academic writing and its role in Foreign Language (FL) curricula in general and in FL composition courses in particular. The discussion points out the importance of linking reading and writing assignments in the FL composition class, in order to introduce students to the type of writing they will be expected to do in subject matter courses, namely literature and culture courses. The objectives of FL composition classes are examined in light of the demands students will encounter in literature/culture courses. These objectives are further examined in contrast to the objectives of ESL composition classes. Space for literature in the FL composition class is claimed not only on grounds that literature is the subject that many FL minors and majors study the most, but also on the basis that literary texts, if appropriately chosen, are a source of authentic linguistic and cultural information, as well as a tool to generate critical thinking.
3,3′-(Arylmethylene)bis(2-hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-dione) as the Main Product of the Mannich Reaction of 2-Hydroxy-1,4-Naphthoquinone with 4H-1,2,4-Triazol-4-Amine and Various Aldehydes
Authors: Ghodsi Razieh , Safarnejad Morteza , Malayeri Sina Omid , Golmakanion Sima
Published: April 2018

The Mannich reaction of lawsone with various aldehydes and 4 H-1,2,4-triazol-4-amine gave unexpected 3,3′-(arylmethylene)bis(2-hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-dione) derivatives. With 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde under the same conditions, it led to the formation of 3-hydroxy-12-(3-hydroxy-1,4-dioxo-1,4-dihydronaphthalen-2-yl)-6 H-benzo[ b]xanthene-6,11(12 H)-dione instead of various triazolylaminonaphthoquinones.
Spatial analysis of shots in MLS: A model for expected goals and fractal dimensionality
Authors: Fairchild Alexander , Pelechrinis Konstantinos , Kokkodis Marios
Published: April 2018

One of the main statistics that is used to summarize the performance of a soccer team after a game is the number of shots (on target) taken by the team. A team with many shots is being seen as having exhibited a particularly offensive game plan and challenged the opponent. However, the number of shots is an aggregate metric that does not consider the quality of the shots taken from a team. For example, a set piece that resulted in a shot from the box is certainly of higher quality than a shot taken from the middle of the field. Hence, in this work we first introduce a model for calculating the probability of a shot resulting into a goal. For training our model we use a manually annotated set of shots from a subset of the 2016 regular season’s MLS games. Our evaluations show that the model is able to accurately estimate the probability of a shot resulting to a goal. Using this model we then calculate the expected number of goals for a team and consequently its offensive and defensive efficiency by comparing this expected number with the actual goals scored/allowed. Finally, borrowing ideas from fractal theory, we analyze the dimensionality of MLS teams based on the locations they take their shots from and show that teams that exhibit lower dimensionality on the field tend to have higher offensive efficiency.
Predicting golf scores at the shot level
Authors: Drappi Christian , Co Ting Keh Lance
Published: April 2018

We present the only model to date that predicts the discrete probability distribution of a golfer’s score for each hole of a tournament on a shot-by-shot basis. We first generalized Broadie’s technique of score-based skill estimation to allow a golfer’s skill (e.g. scoring average, driving spray, iron play, putting) to vary continuously by time-weighting data with exponential decay. Training a single-layer 50-node neural network to predict probabilities of scoring by hole resulted in an out-of-sample cross-entropy error of 0.974. We then added features of each hole (e.g. par, green size, sand area) onto the model, representing golfers and holes in an N-by-M dimensional space and achieved an error of 0.953. Adding in course features provided by ShotLink (e.g. fairway height, firmness, wind speed) dropped error to 0.9374. Finally, generalizing the model to update probabilities per shot further reduced error to 0.891.

This work helps players understand which skill sets they should improve on, manage courses better (better to miss fairway right or left on hole 13 of Bethpage Black?) and select the best tournament to enter. It also revolutionizes the viewing experience of the PGA by live updating odds to win per shot (similar to WSOP) and helps sports books offer more accurate betting lines.
Effect of ventricular myocardium characteristics on the defibrillation threshold
Authors: Qian Li , Wang Jianfei , Jin Lian , Song Biao , Wu Xiaomei
Published: April 2018

Myocardium characteristics differ markedly among individuals and play an important role in defibrillation threshold. The accuracy of simulation models used in most published studies are still have room to be improved and most of them only discussed the effect of myocardial anisotropy on defibrillation threshold. In our manuscript, a rabbit ventricular finite-element (FE) volume conductor model with high precision was constructed. Ventricular myocardium characteristics include cardiomyocyte coupling and the degree of myocardial anisotropy, which are represented as the value and the ratio of anisotropic conductivity, respectively. Quantitative analysis was performed simultaneously in terms of cardiomyocyte coupling and the degree of myocardial anisotropy. Based on this, the combined effects of these two factors were further discussed. The electric field distributions of shocks and the defibrillation thresholds under different myocardial characteristics were simulated on this model. The simulation results revealed that as the degree of myocardial anisotropy increases, defibrillation threshold increases, and cardiomyocyte decoupling (decrease in electrical conductivity) can considerably increase the defibrillation threshold.
Parametric Models of Thermal Transfer Impedances within a Successive Node Reduction Based Thermal Simulation Environment
Authors: Németh Márton , Poppe András
Published: April 2018

In this paper we present a new, direct computational method for calculating thermal transfer impedances between two separate locations of a given physical structure, aimed at the implementation into a field-solver based on the SUNRED (SUccessive Node REDuction) algorithm. We tested the method symbolically with a simple 2D example with multiple combinations of Dirichlet and Neumann type boundary conditions. Also, for time domain transient analysis different types of thermal loads such as prescribed unit-step change in dissipation or temperature were assumed. A model of a typical MCPCB assembled LED was also created. With that model we studied the inverse problem of predicting the thermal conditions at the junction (the "driving point") from the transient signal measured at the thermal test point on the MCPCB (the "monitoring point") which is a typical task in simple LED thermal management designs. Results obtained by the proposed new calculation method and results obtained by conventional numerical simulations differ less than the uncertainty of the traditional solution method itself. The drawback of the accuracy is the high computational cost. This increased computational need can be mitigated by introducing the combination of the balanced model reduction and the SUNRED algorithms
Japan as Thousand Plateaus
Authors: Higaki Tatsuya
Published: April 2018

The concept of the ‘island’ constitutes a unique theme in Deleuze's thought: desert islands and perversion, continental islands and isolated islands, the connection between the emergence of life and orogeny, the relationship between imagination and islands (we can see these themes not only in the articles of Desert Islands and in the appendix of The Logic of Sense on Michel Tournier, but also in Difference and Repetition), and the sea as a rhizome. To think from this point of view on Japan, it is neither an isolated island nor an oceanic island in Deleuze's sense. Rather, it is a place where a unique stratum of thought has accumulated like a multilayered plateau. Japan has often been portrayed as a malignant kind of rhizome, as an oriental land, a land of animism. However, the Japanese islands, as part of the Pacific Rim island arc, and, on the other hand, as a place which bears the forces from the continent, can also be depicted as a manifold location, bearing the rhizome called the sea in a unique way. Not only does it have only a virtual signifier = signifiant of One-ness, but it can also be said to hold multiple strata of signifiers = signifiants within its arc between the continent and ocean. My aim in this paper is to explicate this place called ‘Japan’ as a case study of what Deleuze calls geophilosophy in his last book with Guattari, What is Philosophy?
War of Perception, Perception of Time
Authors: Uno Kuniichi
Published: April 2018

For Gilles Deleuze's two essays ‘Causes and Reasons of Desert Islands’ and ‘Michel Tournier and the World Without Others’, the crucial question is what the perception is, what its fundamental conditions are. A desert island can be a place to experiment on this question. The types of perception are described in many critical works about the history of art and aesthetical reflections by artists. So I will try to retrace some types of perception especially linked to the ‘haptic’, the importance of which was rediscovered by Deleuze. The ‘haptic’ proposes a type of perception not linked to space, but to time in its aspects of genesis. And something incorporeal has to intervene in a very original stage of perception and of perception of time. Thus we will be able to capture some links between the fundamental aspects of perception and time in its ‘out of joint’ aspects (Aion).
Archipelagic System and Deleuze's Philosophy
Authors: Gōda Masato
Published: April 2018

In his essay on Herman Melville, Gilles Deleuze writes about an affirmation of the world as process and as archipelago. What does this mode of affirmation mean not only for the philosophy of Deleuze, but also for us all who live in this world today? This is the principal issue which I try to take up in my paper. Already in his text on David Hume, the young Deleuze was obliged to confront the problematics of the becoming-system of collection, which would accompany him throughout his life. This essay discusses the ways in which Deleuze's central concepts including ‘transcendental empiricism', ‘difference/repetition', ‘schizophrenia’, ‘chaosmos', ‘thousand plateaus', ‘and’ (et) and ‘line of flight’ are interconnected within his notion of archipelagic system.
Effect of Simulated Tillage in Combination with Post-Shattering Temperature Conditions on Senna obtusifolia and Xanthium strumarium Seed Survival, Seedling Emergence and Seedbank Potential
Authors: Bararpour Taghi , Korres Nicholas E.
Published: April 2018

Two of the most troublesome weeds in soybean, cotton, and corn in cropping systems of mid-south United States (US) are Senna obtusifolia and Xanthium strumarium. Understanding their population dynamics, particularly weed seedling emergence patterns, is important for the timely implementation and the success of weed management strategies. Identifying the sources of variation of emergence patterns could greatly improve our ability to predict emergence timing. A three-years field study was conducted to determine the effect of environmental conditions on S. obtusifolia and X. strumarium seedling emergence and seedbank potential. The experiment was conducted with two seed sources; X. strumarium burs and S. obtusifolia seeds from a single maternal plant source, and X. strumarium burs and S. obtusifolia seeds from multiple maternal plant sources, both being exposed either to 5 cm burial depth (buried) or left on the soil surface (soil surface) in the fallow or planted in spring after their storage under chilled (chill) or room temperature (no chill) conditions. X. strumarium and S. obtusifolia seedling emergence was lower from burs and seeds that were planted in the soil in September as compared with the chill and/or no chill seeds/burs stored for six months. X. strumarium seedling emergence was reduced from 37 to 1% when burs were left on the soil surface when compared to buried burs. S. obtusifolia seedling emergence was reduced from 47 to 13% when seeds were left on the soil surface as compared to buried. At the end of the experimental period, the soil seedbank of X. strumarium had been significantly depleted, whereas the remaining seeds of S. obtusifolia were viable.
Silk Route to the Acceptance and Re-Implementation of Bacteriophage Therapy—Part II
Authors:   Expert round table on acceptance and re-implementation of bacteriophage therapy, Sybesma Wilbert , Rohde Christine , Bardy Pavol , Pirnay Jean-Paul , Cooper Ian , Caplin Jonathan , Chanishvili Nina , Coffey Aidan , De Vos Daniel , Scholz Amber , McCallin Shawna , Püschner Hilke , Pantucek Roman , Aminov Rustam , Doškař Jiří , Kurtbӧke D.
Published: April 2018

This perspective paper follows up on earlier communications on bacteriophage therapy that we wrote as a multidisciplinary and intercontinental expert-panel when we first met at a bacteriophage conference hosted by the Eliava Institute in Tbilisi, Georgia in 2015. In the context of a society that is confronted with an ever-increasing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, we build on the previously made recommendations and specifically address how the Nagoya Protocol might impact the further development of bacteriophage therapy. By reviewing a number of recently conducted case studies with bacteriophages involving patients with bacterial infections that could no longer be successfully treated by regular antibiotic therapy, we again stress the urgency and significance of the development of international guidelines and frameworks that might facilitate the legal and effective application of bacteriophage therapy by physicians and the receiving patients. Additionally, we list and comment on several recently started and ongoing clinical studies, including highly desired double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials. We conclude with an outlook on how recently developed DNA editing technologies are expected to further control and enhance the efficient application of bacteriophages.
Energy Management Scheme for an EV Smart Charger V2G/G2V Application with an EV Power Allocation Technique and Voltage Regulation
Authors: Khan Saad Ullah , Mehmood Khawaja Khalid , Haider Zunaib Maqsood , Bukhari Syed Basit Ali , Lee Soon-Jeong , Rafique Muhammad Kashif , Kim Chul-Hwan
Published: April 2018

The increasing penetration of electric vehicles (EVs) in the distribution grid has established them as a prospective resource for ancillary services. These services require adequate control strategies for prompt and efficient operation. In this study, an energy management scheme (EMS) has been proposed to employ an off-board EV smart charger to support the grid during short-term variance of renewables and reactive load onset. The scheme operates by calculating power references for the charger instantaneously. The EMS incorporates a proportional power division methodology, proposed to allocate power references to the individual EVs connected to the charger DC-bus. This methodology considers the state-of-charge and battery sizes of the EVs, and it can aggregate energy from various types of EVs. The proposed scheme is compared with another power allocation method, and the entire EMS is tested under the scenarios of power mismatch and voltage sag/swell events. The results show that the proposed scheme achieves the goal of the aggregation of EVs at the charger level to support the grid. The EMS also fulfills the objectives of voltage regulation and four-quadrant operation of the smart charger.
Deflection Prediction of No-Fines Lightweight Concrete Wall Using Neural Network Caused Dynamic Loads
Authors: Bayuaji Ridho , Ruki Biyanto Totok
Published: April 2018

No-fines lightweight concrete wall with horizontal reinforcement refers to an alternative material for wall construction with an aim of improving the wall quality towards horizontal loads. This study is focused on artificial neural network (ANN) application to predicting the deflection deformation caused by dynamic loads. The ANN method is able to capture the complex interactions among input/output variables in a system without any knowledge of interaction nature and without any explicit assumption to model form. This paper explains the existing data research, data selection and process of ANN modelling training process and validation. The results of this research show that the deformation can be predicted more accurately, simply and quickly due to the alternating horizontal loads.
CDK5RAP2 Is an Essential Scaffolding Protein of the Corona of the Dictyostelium Centrosome
Authors: Pitzen Valentin , Askarzada Sophie , Gräf Ralph , Meyer Irene
Published: April 2018

Dictyostelium centrosomes consist of a nucleus-associated cylindrical, three-layered core structure surrounded by a corona consisting of microtubule-nucleation complexes embedded in a scaffold of large coiled-coil proteins. One of them is the conserved CDK5RAP2 protein. Here we focus on the role of Dictyostelium CDK5RAP2 for maintenance of centrosome integrity, its interaction partners and its dynamic behavior during interphase and mitosis. GFP-CDK5RAP2 is present at the centrosome during the entire cell cycle except from a short period during prophase, correlating with the normal dissociation of the corona at this stage. RNAi depletion of CDK5RAP2 results in complete disorganization of centrosomes and microtubules suggesting that CDK5RAP2 is required for organization of the corona and its association to the core structure. This is in line with the observation that overexpressed GFP-CDK5RAP2 elicited supernumerary cytosolic MTOCs. The phenotype of CDK5RAP2 depletion was very reminiscent of that observed upon depletion of CP148, another scaffolding protein of the corona. BioID interaction assays revealed an interaction of CDK5RAP2 not only with the corona markers CP148, γ-tubulin, and CP248, but also with the core components Cep192, CP75, and CP91. Furthermore, protein localization studies in both depletion strains revealed that CP148 and CDK5RAP2 cooperate in corona organization.
Projected Changes in Precipitation, Temperature, and Drought across California’s Hydrologic Regions in the 21st Century
Authors: He Minxue , Schwarz Andrew , Lynn Elissa , Anderson Michael
Published: April 2018

This study investigated potential changes in future precipitation, temperature, and drought across 10 hydrologic regions in California. The latest climate model projections on these variables through 2099 representing the current state of the climate science were applied for this purpose. Changes were explored in terms of differences from a historical baseline as well as the changing trend. The results indicate that warming is expected across all regions in all temperature projections, particularly in late-century. There is no such consensus on precipitation, with projections mostly ranging from −25% to +50% different from the historical baseline. There is no statistically significant increasing or decreasing trend in historical precipitation and in the majority of the projections on precipitation. However, on average, precipitation is expected to increase slightly for most regions. The increases in late-century are expected to be more pronounced than the increases in mid-century. The study also shows that warming in summer and fall is more significant than warming in winter and spring. The study further illustrates that, compared to wet regions, dry regions are projected to become more arid. The inland eastern regions are expecting higher increases in temperature than other regions. Particularly, the coolest region, North Lahontan, tends to have the highest increases in both minimum and maximum temperature and a significant amount of increase in wet season precipitation, indicative of increasing flood risks in this region. Overall, these findings are meaningful from both scientific and practical perspectives. From a scientific perspective, these findings provide useful information that can be utilized to improve the current flood and water supply forecasting models or develop new predictive models. From a practical perspective, these findings can help decision-makers in making different adaptive strategies for different regions to address adverse impacts posed by those potential changes.
Levels of Soluble Endothelium Adhesion Molecules and Complications among Sickle Cell Disease Patients in Ghana
Authors: Antwi-Boasiako Charles , Donkor Eric S. , Sey Fredericka , Dzudzor Bartholomew , Dankwah Gifty B. , Otu Kate H. , Doku Alfred , Dale Campbell A. , Ekem Ivy
Published: April 2018

Background: Soluble adhesion molecules are involved in the gathering and joining of inflammatory cells to vascular endothelium. Therefore, they serve as potential markers of endothelial dysfunction in vascular diseases including sickle cell disease (SCD). In Ghana, there are scarcely any report on the levels of adhesion molecules among SCD patients. The current study aimed to determine plasma levels of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-Selectin as markers of endothelial dysfunction in SCD patients in steady state, complications and controls. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study involving 60 HbAA controls, 46 HbSS steady state, 57 HbSS VOC, 18 HbSC VOC, 21 HbSS with leg ulcer and 11 HbSS with priapism. Blood samples were collected from all the study subjects (n = 213) and processed into plasma. The plasma levels of VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and E-Selectin concentrations of SCD patients and controls were measured using a double sandwich ELISA technique. Demographic information was also collected from the study subjects. Results: Levels of all soluble proteins (ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-Selectin) were significantly higher in HbSS steady-state patients compared to non-SCD controls (p < 0.001). Generally, SCD patients with complications had relatively higher levels of the soluble proteins compared to those in the steady-state. Of the SCD patients with complications, those with vaso-occlusion crisis (HbSS VOC) had relatively higher levels of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-Selectin at (62.42 ng/mL ± 26.09), (634.99 ng/mL ± 324.31) and (236.77 ng/mL ± 114.40) respectively; Conclusion: Although levels of adhesion molecules were high in all the SCD patients with complications, those with vaso-occlusive crisis had higher levels. This might reflect an ongoing endothelial dysfunction in these patients. SCD patients with vaso-occlusive crisis presents with a more severe pathophysiology condition.
One Dimensional Model for Droplet Ejection Process in Inkjet Devices
Authors: Jiang Huicong , Tan Hua
Published: April 2018

In recent years, physics-based computer models have been increasingly applied to design the drop-on-demand (DOD) inkjet devices. The initial design stage for these devices often requires a fast turnaround time of computer models, because it usually involves a massive screening of a large number of design parameters. Thus, in the present study, a 1D model is developed to achieve the fast prediction of droplet ejection process from DOD devices, including the droplet breakup and coalescence. A popular 1D slender-jet method (Egger, 1994) is adopted in this study. The fluid dynamics in the nozzle region is described by a 2D axisymmetric unsteady Poiseuille flow model. Droplet formation and nozzle fluid dynamics are coupled, and hence solved together, to simulate the inkjet droplet ejection. The arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method is employed to solve the governing equations. Numerical methods have been proposed to handle the breakup and coalescence of droplets. The proposed methods are implemented in an in-house developed MATLAB code. A series of validation examples have been carried out to evaluate the accuracy and the robustness of the proposed 1D model. Finally, a case study of the inkjet droplet ejection with different Ohnesorge number (Oh) is presented to demonstrate the capability of the proposed 1D model for DOD inkjet process. Our study has shown that 1D model can significantly reduce the computational time (usually less than one minute) yet with acceptable accuracy, which makes it very useful to explore the large parameter space of inkjet devices in a short amount of time.
Were Neanderthals Rational? A Stoic Approach
Authors: Whiting Kai , Konstantakos Leonidas , Sadler Greg , Gill Christopher
Published: April 2018

This paper adopts the philosophical approach of Stoicism as the basis for re-examining the cognitive and ethical relationship between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Stoicism sets out a clear criterion for the special moral status of human beings, namely rationality. We explore to what extent Neanderthals were sufficiently rational to be considered “human”. Recent findings in the fields of palaeoanthropology and palaeogenetics show that Neanderthals possessed high-level cognitive abilities and produced viable offspring with anatomically modern humans. Our discussion offers insights for reflecting on the relationship between humans and other forms of natural life and any moral obligations that result.
Depressive Symptoms Increase the Risk of Mortality for White but Not Black Older Adults
Authors: Assari Shervin
Published: April 2018

Introduction. Long-term studies have shown that depressive symptoms predict the risk of mortality. However, it is unknown if this effect is present in shorter time intervals. In addition, recent research suggests that the salience of the negative affect on the risk of mortality is not similar across racial groups. The current study uses data from a national study of Black and White older adults to examine racial differences in the effect of baseline depressive symptoms on mortality risk over three years in the United States. Methods. This study used a longitudinal prospective design and followed 1493 older adults who were either White (n = 759) or Black (n = 734) for three years from 2001 to 2004. Depressive symptoms measured at baseline was the independent variable. Demographic factors, socio-economic characteristics (education, income, marital status), health behaviors (smoking and drinking), and health (self-rated health) measured at baseline in 2001 were covariates. The dependent variable was all-cause mortality between 2001 and 2004. Race was the moderator. Logistic regressions were used for data analysis. Results. In the pooled sample, high depressive symptoms at baseline were not associated with the three-year risk of mortality. In the pooled sample, we found a significant interaction between race and depressive symptoms on mortality, suggesting a stronger effect for Whites in comparison to Blacks. In race stratified models, depressive symptoms at baseline were predictive of mortality risk for Whites, but not Blacks. Conclusions. In the United States, Black-White differences exist in the effects of depressive symptoms on mortality risk in older adults. White older adults may be more vulnerable to the effects of depressive symptoms on mortality risk.