bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ameliorative role of nano-ceria against amine coated Ag-NP induced toxicity in Labeo rohita
Authors: Khan Muhammad Saleem , Qureshi Naureen Aziz , Jabeen Farhat
Published: March 2018

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) and its byproducts can spread pollution in aquatic habitat. Liver and gills are key target for toxicity. Oxidative stress, tissue alterations, and hemotoxicity are assumed to be associated with Ag-NPs in target animals. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nano-ceria) show antioxidant potential in scavenging the free radicals generated in Ag-NP-induced oxidative stress. We determined ameliorated role of nano-ceria against Ag-NP-induced toxicity in fresh water Labeo rohita (L. rohita). Four groups were used in study including control, nano-ceria, Ag-NPs, and Ag-NPs + nano-ceria. Ag-NPs (30 mg l−1) and nano-ceria (50 µg kg−1) were given through water and prepared feed, respectively. The samples were taken after 28 days. Results demonstrated that pre-treatment of nano-ceria recovered L. rohita from Ag-NP-induced toxicity and oxidative stress. Nano-ceria pre-treatment actively mimics the activity of GST, GSH, CAT, and SOD. Furthermore, Ag-NPs’ treatment caused severe inflammation and necrosis in hepatic parenchyma which leaded to congestion of blood in hepatic tissues. Accumulation of a yellow pigment in hepatic tissue was also seen due to necrosis of affected cells. In nano-ceria pre-treatment, there was no congestion in hepatic tissue. Vacuolization of cells and necrosis in some area was recorded in nano-ceria pre-treated group, but the gill and hepatic tissue showed improvement against Ag-NP-induced damage. Nano-ceria pre-treatment also improved hematological parameters in Ag-NP-treated fish. This study concluded that Ag-NP-induced toxicity in treated fish and pre-treatment of nano-ceria show ameliorative role.
Showing ‘heart’ while making money: negotiating proximity in a Ugandan marketplace
Authors: Monteith William
Published: March 2018

African marketplaces have long been understood as ambivalent spaces; as sites of compliance and transgression, domination and resistance. This ambivalence comes into sharp focus in the urban marketplaces that have absorbed a large proportion of the African workforce over the past four decades. One the one hand, urban markets offer opportunities for the forging of new relationships, or ‘fictive kin’, beyond the confines of consanguinity and affinity. However, on the other hand, they are fiercely competitive places in which strangers skilfully intrude into one's life. Succeeding in the market therefore requires the striking of a skilful balance between accumulation and redistribution, disclosure and concealment. This article presents an analysis of the everyday interactions and exchanges facilitated by the movements of a waste picker in Nakasero market, the oldest marketplace in Kampala, Uganda. Amid the current emphasis on improvization and provisionality as key features of urban African life, it demonstrates the importance of long-standing cultural idioms, such asomutima(‘heart’), in providing structure and meaning to the interactions of urban African inhabitants.
Dangerous neighbours: sorcery, conspicuous exchange and proximity among urban migrants in northern Mozambique
Authors: Laheij Christian
Published: March 2018

Urban migrants in Nampula City, northern Mozambique, perceive themselves to be living in an environment where they are particularly vulnerable to sorcery attacks. Key to this sense of vulnerability are Makhuwa notions of matrilineal descent and relatedness, which work to locate sorcery fears in the interstices of two kinds of proximity, namely social and physical. Accordingly, people fear the translocal reach of the ill will of kin residing in the countryside, with whose well-being they remain connected regardless of the physical distance. Simultaneously, there are threats posed by urban neighbours who, due to their proximity in physical terms but separation in social terms, are considered dangerous. This article analyses practices of conspicuous exchange as one of the strategies urban migrants employ in coping with these anxieties. Specifically, it draws on the life histories of two women in one neighbourhood of Nampula City to explore the challenges they experience in meeting demands for material assistance from rural kin and urban neighbours. The analysis shows that their accounts of sorcery are structured by the difficulty of balancing such demands in a setting of poverty and socio-economic inequality. This finding has implications for anthropological theories of sorcery, misfortune and urban migration.
Serum metabolomics study of nutrient metabolic variations in chronic heat-stressed broilers
Authors: Lu Zhuang , He Xiaofang , Ma Bingbing , Zhang Lin , Li Jiaolong , Jiang Yun , Zhou Guanghong , Gao Feng
Published: March 2018

To investigate the effects of heat stress on broiler metabolism, we assigned 144 broilers to normal control (NC), heat stress (HS) or pair-fed (PF) groups and then monitored the effects using growth performance, carcass characteristics, biochemical assays and GC-MS-based metabolomics. The up-regulation of cloacal temperature confirmed that our experiment was successful in inducing chronic heat stress. The average daily gain and average daily feed intake of the HS group were significantly lower than those of the NC group, by 28·76 and 18·42 %, respectively (P<0·001), whereas the feed:gain ratio was significantly higher, by 14·49 % (P=0·003), and heat stress also increased leg proportion (P=0·027) and intramuscular fat proportion (P<0·001) and decreased breast proportion (P=0·009). When comparing the HS and NC groups and HS and PF groups, our metabolomics approach identified seventy-eight and thirty-four metabolites, respectively, with significantly different levels (variable importance in the projection values >1 andP<0·05). The greater feed:gain ratio of the HS group was significantly positively correlated with the leg, abdominal fat, subcutaneous fat and intramuscular fat proportions and levels of some free amino acids (proline,l-cysteine, methionine and threonine) but was negatively correlated with breast proportion and levels of some NEFA (stearic acid, arachidonic acid, palmitic acid and oleic acid). These findings indicated that the heat-stressed broilers were in negative energy balance and unable to effectively mobilise fat, thereby resulting in protein decomposition, which subsequently affected growth performance and carcass characteristics.
Major Uncertainty in Estimates of Carbon Trapped in Soil
Authors: Underwood Emily
Published: March 2018

A new study reveals discrepancies between global databases and field measurements.
A Deeper Understanding of Carbon Decomposition in Arctic Soils
Authors: Cook Terri
Published: March 2018

Physical parameters may help scientists extrapolate Arctic carbon soil losses from the local to the regional scale, according to the results of a yearlong incubation experiment.
Near-infrared and mid-infrared semiconductor broadband light emitters
Authors: Hou Chun-Cai , Chen Hong-Mei , Zhang Jin-Chuan , Zhuo Ning , Huang Yuan-Qing , Hogg Richard A , Childs David TD , Ning Ji-Qiang , Wang Zhan-Guo , Liu Feng-Qi , Zhang Zi-Yang
Published: March 2018

Semiconductor broadband light emitters have emerged as ideal and vital light sources for a range of biomedical sensing/imaging applications, especially for optical coherence tomography systems. Although near-infrared broadband light emitters have found increasingly wide utilization in these imaging applications, the requirement to simultaneously achieve both a high spectral bandwidth and output power is still challenging for such devices. Owing to the relatively weak amplified spontaneous emission, as a consequence of the very short non-radiative carrier lifetime of the inter-subband transitions in quantum cascade structures, it is even more challenging to obtain desirable mid-infrared broadband light emitters. There have been great efforts in the past 20 years to pursue high-efficiency broadband optical gain and very low reflectivity in waveguide structures, which are two key factors determining the performance of broadband light emitters. Here we describe the realization of a high continuous wave light power of >20 mW and broadband width of >130 nm with near-infrared broadband light emitters and the first mid-infrared broadband light emitters operating under continuous wave mode at room temperature by employing a modulation p-doped InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot active region with a ‘J’-shape ridge waveguide structure and a quantum cascade active region with a dual-end analogous monolithic integrated tapered waveguide structure, respectively. This work is of great importance to improve the performance of existing near-infrared optical coherence tomography systems and describes a major advance toward reliable and cost-effective mid-infrared imaging and sensing systems, which do not presently exist due to the lack of appropriate low-coherence mid-infrared semiconductor broadband light sources.
Ocean convection linked to the recent ice edge retreat along east Greenland
Authors: Våge Kjetil , Papritz Lukas , Håvik Lisbeth , Spall Michael A. , Moore G. W. K.
Published: March 2018

Warm subtropical-origin Atlantic water flows northward across the Greenland-Scotland Ridge into the Nordic Seas, where it relinquishes heat to the atmosphere and gradually transforms into dense Atlantic-origin water. Returning southward along east Greenland, this water mass is situated beneath a layer of cold, fresh surface water and sea ice. Here we show, using measurements from autonomous ocean gliders, that the Atlantic-origin water was re-ventilated while transiting the western Iceland Sea during winter. This re-ventilation is a recent phenomenon made possible by the retreat of the ice edge toward Greenland. The fresh surface layer that characterises this region in summer is diverted onto the Greenland shelf by enhanced onshore Ekman transport induced by stronger northerly winds in fall and winter. Severe heat loss from the ocean offshore of the ice edge subsequently triggers convection, which further transforms the Atlantic-origin water. This re-ventilation is a counterintuitive occurrence in a warming climate, and highlights the difficulties inherent in predicting the behaviour of the complex coupled climate system.
Chemical tunnel-splitting-engineering in a dysprosium-based molecular nanomagnet
Authors: Sørensen Mikkel A. , Hansen Ursula B. , Perfetti Mauro , Pedersen Kasper S. , Bartolomé Elena , Simeoni Giovanna G. , Mutka Hannu , Rols Stéphane , Jeong Minki , Zivkovic Ivica , Retuerto Maria , Arauzo Ana , Bartolomé Juan , Piligkos Stergios , Weihe Høgni , Doerrer Linda H. , van Slageren Joris , Rønnow Henrik M. , Lefmann Kim , Bendix Jesper
Published: March 2018

Total control over the electronic spin relaxation in molecular nanomagnets is the ultimate goal in the design of new molecules with evermore realizable applications in spin-based devices. For single-ion lanthanide systems, with strong spin–orbit coupling, the potential applications are linked to the energetic structure of the crystal field levels and quantum tunneling within the ground state. Structural engineering of the timescale of these tunneling events via appropriate design of crystal fields represents a fundamental challenge for the synthetic chemist, since tunnel splittings are expected to be suppressed by crystal field environments with sufficiently high-order symmetry. Here, we report the long missing study of the effect of a non-linear (C4) to pseudo-linear (D4d) change in crystal field symmetry in an otherwise chemically unaltered dysprosium complex. From a purely experimental study of crystal field levels and electronic spin dynamics at milliKelvin temperatures, we demonstrate the ensuing threefold reduction of the tunnel splitting.
PEDOT doped with algal, mammalian and synthetic dopants: polymer properties, protein and cell interactions, and influence of electrical stimulation on neuronal cell differentiation
Authors: Molino P. J. , Garcia L. , Stewart E. M. , Lamaze M. , Zhang B. , Harris A. R. , Winberg P. , Wallace G. G.
Published: March 2018

PEDOT films were electrochemically polymerised with synthetic and biological dopants, characterised, and their interactions with proteins and neuronal cells investigated.
Dietary fish oil ameliorates adipose tissue dysfunction in insulin-resistant rats fed a sucrose-rich diet improving oxidative stress, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and uncoupling protein 2
Authors: Selenscig Dante , Ferreira María del Rosario , Chicco Adriana , Lombardo Yolanda B.
Published: March 2018

Dietary fish oil exerts beneficial effects on the adipose tissue dysfunction in dyslipemic insulin-resistant rats fed a sucrose-rich diet.
Assessment of endocrine disruption potential of essential oils of culinary herbs and spices involving glucocorticoid, androgen and vitamin D receptors
Authors: Bartoňková Iveta , Dvořák Zdeněk
Published: March 2018

Essential oils of culinary herbs and species influence transcriptional activities of nuclear receptor VDR and steroid hormones receptors AR and GR.
Mechanisms for low-temperature direct bonding of Si/Si and quartz/quartz via VUV/O3 activation
Authors: Xu Jikai , Wang Chenxi , Wang Te , Wang Yuan , Kang Qiushi , Liu Yannan , Tian Yanhong
Published: March 2018

Low-temperature Si/Si and quartz/quartz direct bonding was realized via VUV/O3 activation and bonding mechanisms proposed.
Real-time and stepwise deoxidization processes to tune the photoluminescence properties of graphene oxide using EC-SPR spectroscopy
Authors: Chiu Nan-Fu , Yang Cheng-Du
Published: March 2018

The development of a stepwise deoxidized process and real-time monitoring of the large-scale mass production of electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ErGO) sheets are important issues.
Insights into the dioxygen activation and catalytic mechanism of the nickel-containing quercetinase
Authors: Li Hong , Wang Xiya , Tian Ge , Liu Yongjun
Published: March 2018

The catalytic mechanism of Ni-QueDFLA was elucidated by QM/MM calculations, and the different reactivities of nickel and iron were illuminated.
Unravelling the nucleation mechanism of bimetallic nanoparticles with composition-tunable core–shell arrangement
Authors: Liao Ting-Wei , Yadav Anupam , Hu Kuo-Juei , van der Tol Johan , Cosentino Salvatore , D'Acapito Francesco , Palmer Richard E. , Lenardi Cristina , Ferrando Riccardo , Grandjean Didier , Lievens Peter
Published: March 2018

A remarkable composition-dependent chemical ordering in AuxAg1−x nanoparticles is unravelled experimentally and explained by a four-step growth mechanism.
Unconventional two-dimensional germanium dichalcogenides
Authors: Wang Jiangjing , Ronneberger Ider , Zhou Ling , Lu Lu , Deringer Volker L. , Zhang Baiyu , Tian Lin , Du Hongchu , Jia Chunlin , Qian Xiaofeng , Wuttig Matthias , Mazzarello Riccardo , Zhang Wei
Published: March 2018

A novel 2D phase of germanium dichalcogenides (GeTe2) is achieved by engineering the composition of a GeSbTe heterostructure.
Linear dendronized polyols as a multifunctional platform for a versatile and efficient fluorophore design
Authors: Li Ying , Huth Katharina , Garcia Edzna S. , Pedretti Benjamin J. , Bai Yugang , Vincil Gretchen A. , Haag Rainer , Zimmerman Steven C.
Published: March 2018

Linear dendronized polyols (LDPs)as a modular platform for bright, stable, and biocompatible polymeric fluorophores applicable for fluorescent bioimaging studies.
Combining benzoxazine and ketene chemistries for self-healing of high performance thermoset surfaces
Authors: Arslan Mustafa , Motallebzadeh Amir , Kiskan Baris , Demirel A. Levent , Kumbaraci I. Volkan , Yagci Yusuf
Published: March 2018

The use of oxoketene chemistry for self-healable polybenzoxazines is described.
Iron encapsulated in single-walled carbon nanotubes for obtaining the evidence of improved coulombic efficiency and improving the lithium battery performance of ZnO anodes
Authors: Li Jiaxin , Zou Mingzhong , Huang Weijian , Wu Chuxin , Zhao Yi , Guan Lunhui , Huang Zhigao
Published: March 2018

Fe filler enables catalytic activation for the anode to obtain improved lithium battery performance.
Improving frictional properties of DLC films by surface energy manipulation
Authors: Wang Jia , Zhang Kan , Wang Fuguo , Zheng Weitao
Published: March 2018

Surface energy is essential to the friction properties of materials, but until now the investigating scope for DLC films has still been narrow.
Hydrogen derived from water as a sustainable solar fuel: learning from biology
Authors: Barber James
Published: March 2018

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) held in Paris in 2015 and the follow-up conferences in Marrakesh (COP22) and very recently in Bonn (COP23) have established an unprecedented international agreement that during this century human society must break from its reliance on energy from fossil fuels to energy sources, which do not release greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide.
Uncovering the reaction mechanism initiating the nucleation of lead sulfide quantum dots in a hines synthesis
Authors: Stevenson James M. , Ruttinger Andrew W. , Clancy Paulette
Published: March 2018

Using computational methods we discover a favorable synthesis pathway towards better control and understanding of quantum dot nucleation for photovoltaics.
Ultrafast synthesis of amorphous VOxembedded into 3D strutted amorphous carbon frameworks–short-range order in dual-amorphous composites boosts lithium storage
Authors: Wu Haoyang , Qin Mingli , Wang Wei , Cao Zhiqin , Liu Zhiwei , Yu Qiyao , Lao Chengyen , Zhang Deyin , Jia Baorui , He Donglin , Liu Tingting , Volinsky Alex A. , Cao Peng , Qu Xuanhui
Published: March 2018

Dual-amorphous VOx/carbon composites were synthesized by a SCS technique for superior lithium-ion batteries.
Semimetallic vanadium molybdenum sulfide for high-performance battery electrodes
Authors: Zhang Qingfeng , Wang Longlu , Wang Jue , Yu Xinzhi , Ge Junmin , Zhang Hang , Lu Bingan
Published: March 2018

The ultrathin thickness and lateral morphology of a two dimensional (2D) MoS2 nanosheet contribute to its high surface-to-volume ratio and short diffusion path, rendering it a brilliant electrode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).
In situ synthesis of hierarchical MoSe2–CoSe2 nanotubes as an efficient electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction in both acidic and alkaline media
Authors: Wang Xinqiang , Zheng Binjie , Yu Bo , Wang Bo , Hou Wenqiang , Zhang Wanli , Chen Yuanfu
Published: March 2018

Hierarchical MoSe2–CoSe2 nanotubes (MS–CS NTs) are in situ converted from the CoMoO4 nanowires (NWs) via a facile hydrothermal selenization method.
Eccentric 1-D magnetic core–shell photonic crystal balls: ingenious fabrication and distinctive optical properties
Authors: Ma Huiru , Tan Yali , Cao Jie , Lian Sheron Chuanyu , Chen Ke , Luo Wei , Guan Jianguo
Published: March 2018

Eccentric 1-D photonic crystal balls fabricated by light intensity-guided morphology-controllable polymerization demonstrate self-displaying structural colors and dynamically tunable bi-photonic band-gaps by the direction and intensity of the magnetic field.
Highly thermal-stable and transparent silver nanowire conductive filmsviamagnetic assisted electrodeposition of Ni
Authors: Zhang Liwen , Ji Yang , Qiu Yejun , Xu Caiwei , Liu Zhonggui , Guo Qiuquan
Published: March 2018

AgNW-Based TCFs derived from the electrodeposition of a metal in a magnetic field show excellent transmittance, conductivity, reliability and thermal stability.
Retrial queues with starting failure and service interruption
Authors: Ke Jau‐Chuan , Liu Tzu‐Hsin , Yang Dong‐Yuh
Published: March 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate an M/M/R retrial queue with geometric loss and Bernoulli feedback, in which all servers are subject to breakdowns and starting failures. After the completion of service, unsatisfied customers can join the retrial group with probability p or depart from the system with probability 1 − p. All servers may breakdown at any time, and the failed server undergoes repair immediately when a breakdown occurs. An arriving customer finding all servers unavailable (busy or down), will either join the orbit with probability b or leave the system with probability 1 − b. For such a queuing model, the authors apply the matrix‐geometric method to compute the stationary probabilities and develop system performance measures in the steady state. Moreover, they construct a cost model and formulate an optimisation problem of minimising the expected cost per unit time. Finally, numerical results are given for illustrative purposes.
Edge‐preserving image denoising
Authors: Guo Fenghua , Zhang Caiming , Zhang Mingli
Published: March 2018

In image denoising, high‐frequency components are more notable to the human eyes than low‐frequency components. While high‐frequency components contain more variations and represent the detailed textures, the reconstructions of these components are much harder and it is a remaining challenge in image denoising. In this study, a novel edge‐preserving image denoising algorithm is proposed, it treats the low‐ and high‐frequency components of the image separately. For restoration of high‐frequency components, a neighbourhood regression method is proposed. An energy minimisation function is developed to combine the low‐ and high‐frequency components into one model. Experiments show that the proposed method outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art methods in peak signal‐to‐noise ratio, edges preservation and visual performance.
Level set evolution with sparsity constraint for object extraction
Authors: Liu Guoqi , Zou Jian
Published: March 2018

Researchers utilised various types of information in active contour models to define new energy functionals for image segmentation. These models aim to extract all potential objects from the background, but non‐target objects and noise are also obtained. In this study, the authors aim to extract target objects with sparse representation method. The original indicator function (a binary function) with respect to the level set function is used to represent the foreground (value is 1) and background(value is 0). From another point of view, an indicator function can be represented by linear combination of a set of the basis function. Firstly, by a label operator for the indicator function in each iteration, every connected area is represented by a basis function. Secondly, the linear combination of these basis functions is used to represent objects. Finally, through the sparsity constraint of coefficients of basis functions, the object extraction is viewed as a sparse representation problem. Meanwhile, a corresponding improved orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm is designed to obtain the ideal results. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed method has superior performance in object extraction compared with state‐of‐the‐art active contour models. Furthermore, the proposed method also increases the flexibility of applications.
Learning automaton‐based self‐protection algorithm for wireless sensor networks
Authors: Mostafaei Habib , Obaidat Mohammad S.
Published: March 2018

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been widely used for many applications such as surveillance and security applications. Every simple sensor in a WSN plays a critical role and it has to be protected from any attack and failure. The self‐protection of WSNs focuses on using sensors to protect themselves to resist against attacks targeting them. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a certain level of protection to each sensor. The authors propose an irregular cellular learning automaton (ICLA)‐based algorithm, which is called SPLA, to preserve sensors protection. Learning automaton at each cell of ICLA with proper rules aims at investigating the minimum possible number of nodes in order to guarantee the self‐protection requirements of the network. To evaluate the performance of SPLA, several simulation experiments were carried out and the obtained results show that SPLA performs on average of 50% better than maximum independent set and minimum connected dominating set algorithms in terms of active node ratio and can provide two times reduction in energy consumption.
Three-lobed near-infrared Stokes V profiles in the quiet Sun
Authors: Kiess Christoph , Borrero Juan Manuel , Schmidt Wolgang
Published: March 2018

Context. The 1.5-m GREGOR solar telescope can resolve structures as small as 0.4′′ at near-infrared wavelengths on the Sun. At this spatial resolution the polarized solar spectrum shows complex patterns, such as large horizontal and/or vertical variations of the physical parameters in the solar photosphere.

Aims. We investigate a region of the quiet solar photosphere exhibiting three-lobed Stokes V profiles in the Fe I spectral line at 15 648 Å. The data were acquired with the GRIS spectropolarimeter attached to the GREGOR telescope. We aim at investigating the thermal, kinematic and magnetic properties of the atmosphere responsible for these measured complex signals.

Methods. The SIR inversion code is employed to retrieve the physical parameters of the lower solar photosphere from the observed polarization signals. We follow two different approaches. On the one hand, we consider that the multi-lobe circular polarization signals are only produced by the line-of-sight variation of the physical parameters. We therefore invert the data assuming a single atmospheric component that occupies the entire resolution element in the horizontal plane and where the physical parameters vary with optical depth τ (i.e., line-of-sight). On the other hand, we consider that the multi-lobe circular polarization signals are produced not by the optical depth variations of the physical parameters but instead by their horizontal variations. Here we invert the data assuming that the resolution element is occupied by two different atmospheric components where the kinematic and magnetic properties are constant along the line-of-sight.

Results. Both approaches reveal some common features about the topology responsible for the observed three-lobed Stokes V signals: both a strong (>1000 Gauss) and a very weak (<10 Gauss) magnetic field with opposite polarities and harboring flows directed in opposite directions must co-exist (either vertically or horizontally interlaced) within the resolution element.

Conclusions.
Construction of Shale Gas Well
Authors: Sapińska-Śliwa Aneta , Wiśniowski Rafał , Skrzypaszek Krzysztof
Published: March 2018

The paper describes shale gas borehole axes trajectories (vertical, horizontal, multilateral). The methodology of trajectory design in a two-and three-dimensional space has been developed. The selection of the profile type of the trajectory axes of the directional borehole depends on the technical and technological possibilities of its implementation and the results of a comprehensive economic analysis of the availability and development of the field. The work assumes the possibility of a multivariate design of trajectories depending on the accepted (available or imposed) input data.
Comparison of Methane Control Methods in Polish and Vietnamese Coal Mines
Authors: Borowski Marek , Kuczera Zbigniew
Published: March 2018

Methane hazard often occurs in hard coal mines and causes very serious accidents and can be the reason of methane or methane and coal dust explosions. History of coal mining shows that methane released from the rock mass to the longwall area was responsible for numerous mining disasters. The main source of methane are coal deposits because it is autochthonous gas and is closely related with carbonification and forming of coal deposits. Degree of methane saturation in coal deposits depends on numerous factors; mainly on presence or lack of insulating layers in cover deposit that allow or do not on degasification and easily methane outflow into surroundings. Hence in coal mining there are coal deposits that contain only low degree of methane saturation in places where is lack of insulating layers till high in methane coal deposits occurring in insulating claystones or in shales. Conducting mining works in coal deposits of high methane hazard without using of special measures to combat (ventilation, methane drainage) could be impossible. Control of methane hazard depends also on other co-occuring natural dangers for which used preventive actions eliminate methane hazard. Safety in mines excavating coal deposits saturated with methane depends on the correct estimation of methane hazard, drawn up forecasts, conducted observations, hazard control as well as undertaken prevention measures. Methane risk prevention includes identification and control methods of methane hazards as well as means of combating the explosive accumulation of methane in longwall workings. The main preventive actions in underground coal mines are: effective ventilation that prevents forming of methane fuses or placed methane accumulation in headings ventilated by airflow created by main fans and in headings with auxiliary ventilation, methane drainage using drain holes that are drilled from underground headings or from the surface, methanometry control of methane concentration in the air; location of the sensors is defined by law, additional ventilation equipment used in places of lower intensity of ventilation and places where methane is concentrated.
Mine Water Treatment in Hongai Coal Mines
Authors: Dang Phuong Thao , Dang Vu Chi
Published: March 2018

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is recognized as one of the most serious environmental problem associated with mining industry. Acid water, also known as acid mine drainage forms when iron sulfide minerals found in the rock of coal seams are exposed to oxidizing conditions in coal mining. Until 2009, mine drainage in Hongai coal mines was not treated, leading to harmful effects on humans, animals and aquatic ecosystem. This report has examined acid mine drainage problem and techniques for acid mine drainage treatment in Hongai coal mines. In addition, selection and criteria for the design of the treatment systems have been presented.
Modern Geodetic Measurement Techniques in Gravimetric Studies on the Example of Gypsum Karst in the Siesławice Region
Authors: Porzucek Sławomir , Łój Monika , Matwij Karolina , Matwij Wojciech
Published: March 2018

In the region of Siesławice (near Busko-Zdrój, Poland) there are unique phenomena of gypsum karst. Atmospheric factors caused numerous gypsum outcrops, canals and underground voids. The article presents the possibility of using non-invasive gravimetric surveys supplemented with geodetic measurements to illustrate karst changes occurring around the void. The use of modern geodetic measurement techniques including terrestrial and airborne laser scanning enables to generate a digital terrain model and a three-dimensional model of voids. Gravimetric field studies allowed to map the anomalies of the gravitational field of the near-surface zone. Geodetic measurement results have made it possible to accurately determine the terrain correction that supplemented the gravimetric anomaly information. Geophysical interpretation indicate the presence of weathered rocks in the near surface zone and fractures and loosened zones located surround the karst cave.
Was macht den Einzelnen aus?
Authors: Vater Ingmar
Published: March 2018

Das Adaptionsmodell nach Roy Sein Gegenüber ganzheitlich zu verstehen, ist eine wichtige Grundlage pflegerischer Arbeit 1.
Hier erfahren Sie, wie Sie mithilfe des Adaptionsmodells Krisensituationen im Krankheits- und Lebensverlauf Ihrer Patienten nachvollziehen können, um
individuelle Bewältigungsstrategien zu erarbeiten.
Vom traumatisierten Kind zur anerkannten Künstlerin
Authors: Schulz Heike , Weiße Dagmar
Published: March 2018

Interview Um ein Kriegstrauma zu bewältigen, kommunizierte die Malerin Hildegard Wohlgemuth (1933 bis 2003) seit ihrer frühesten Jugend mit Stimmen, die
sie in ihrem Inneren hörte. Im Gespräch mit der PPH erläutert die Psychotherapeutin Dr. Heike Schulz vom Wohlgemuth-Archiv Bayreuth, welche Bedeutung die
Stimmen für Hildegard Wohlgemuth hatten und wie die Malerei zu einer wichtigen Ressource in ihrem Leben wurde.
Development and validation of the SIMPLE endoscopic classification of diminutive and small colorectal polyps
Authors: Iacucci Marietta , Trovato Cristina , Daperno Marco , Akinola Oluseyi , Greenwald David , Gross Seth , Hoffman Arthur , Lee Jeffrey , Lethebe Brendan , Lowerison Mark , Nayor Jennifer , Neumann Helmut , Rath Timo , Sanduleanu Silvia , Sharma Prateek , Kiesslich Ralf , Ghosh Subrata , Saltzman John ,   and the SIMPLE classification investigator team
Published: March 2018

Background Prediction of histology of small polyps facilitates colonoscopic treatment. The aims of this study were: 1) to develop a simplified polyp classification, 2) to evaluate its performance in predicting polyp histology, and 3) to evaluate the reproducibility of the classification by trainees using multiplatform endoscopic systems.

Methods In phase 1, a new simplified endoscopic classification for polyps – Simplified Identification Method for Polyp Labeling during Endoscopy (SIMPLE) – was created, using the new I-SCAN OE system (Pentax, Tokyo, Japan), by eight international experts. In phase 2, the accuracy, level of confidence, and interobserver agreement to predict polyp histology before and after training, and univariable/multivariable analysis of the endoscopic features, were performed. In phase 3, the reproducibility of SIMPLE by trainees using different endoscopy platforms was evaluated.

Results Using the SIMPLE classification, the accuracy of experts in predicting polyps was 83 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 77 % – 88 %) before and 94 % (95 %CI 89 % – 97 %) after training (P  = 0.002). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value after training were 97 %, 88 %, 95 %, and 91 %. The interobserver agreement of polyp diagnosis improved from 0.46 (95 %CI 0.30 – 0.64) before to 0.66 (95 %CI 0.48 – 0.82) after training. The trainees demonstrated that the SIMPLE classification is applicable across endoscopy platforms, with similar post-training accuracies for narrow-band imaging NBI classification (0.69; 95 %CI 0.64 – 0.73) and SIMPLE (0.71; 95 %CI 0.67 – 0.75).

Conclusions Using the I-SCAN OE system, the new SIMPLE classification demonstrated a high degree of accuracy for adenoma diagnosis, meeting the ASGE PIVI recommendations. We demonstrated that SIMPLE may be used with either I-SCAN OE or NBI.
Entwicklung und Validierung des Essener Transidentität Lebensqualitäts-Inventars anhand einer Stichprobe von Mann-zu-Frau transidenten
Personen
Authors: Tagay Sefik , Breidenstein Anja , Friederich Hans-Christoph , Rübben Herbert , Teufel Martin , Hess Jochen
Published: March 2018

Einleitung: Die spezifische Lebensqualität (LQ) transidenter Menschen ist bislang unzureichend untersucht worden, zudem existiert bislang kein
Messverfahren zur Erfassung der transidentitätsspezifischen LQ.

Forschungsziele: Ziel der Studie war es, das Essener Transidentität Lebensqualitäts-Inventar (ETLI), bestehend aus 30 Items, zu entwickeln und zu
validieren.

Methoden: Bei 158 Mann-zu-Frau (MzF) transidenten Personen wurden neben dem ETLI Instrumente zur Erfassung von LQ, sozialer Unterstützung, individueller
Ressourcen und psychischer Belastung eingesetzt. Es wurde eine explorative Faktorenanalyse durchgeführt.

Ergebnisse: Mittels der explorativen Faktorenanalyse wurden die vier Dimensionen psychische, körperliche und soziale LQ sowie LQ durch Offenheit
identifiziert. Die Subskalen zeigten eine gute Reliabilität mit Werten von Cronbachs α zwischen α = .75 und α = .89, die Gesamtreliabilität betrug α = .89.
Positive Korrelationen des ETLI mit generischer LQ und Ressourcen sowie negative Korrelationen mit psychischer Belastung weisen auf eine sehr gute
Konstruktvalidität hin.

Schlussfolgerung: Das ETLI als Instrument zur Erfassung der transidentitätsspezifischen LQ stellt eine wichtige Ergänzung zu Messinstrumenten der
generischen LQ dar. Es kann im Forschungs- und Versorgungskontext sowie bei der retrospektiven Evaluation von Veränderungen der LQ und bei der Therapieplanung
zum Einsatz kommen.
Schädliche Moralpolitik – das neue Prostituiertenschutzgesetz
Authors: Zimmermann-Schwartz Claudia
Published: March 2018

Die Autorin hat in Nordrhein-Westfalen einen vom Kabinett 2010 eingesetzten Runden Tisch Prostitution geleitet. Ziel war insbesondere die Definition legislativen Handlungsbedarfs. Als zentraler Hinderungsgrund für eine Verbesserung der Arbeitsbedingungen von Prostituierten wurde die gesellschaftliche Stigmatisierung identifiziert. Eine Fokussierung auf repressive Ansätze wurde abgelehnt. Dringlich seien Maßnahmen mit dem Ziel einer Professionalisierung der Tätigkeit von Menschen in der Prostitution, insbesondere freiwillige, auf die Zielgruppen zugeschnittene Beratungs- und Unterstützungsangebote. Obwohl das Gremium bundesweit Aufmerksamkeit erhielt, fanden die Ergebnisse nur wenig Niederschlag im Prostituiertenschutzgesetz, das zum 1. Juli 2017 in Kraft getreten ist. Anstelle der geforderten gesetzgeberischen Zurückhaltung wird durch eine umfassende Regulierung versucht, Prostitution unter Kontrolle zu bringen. Statt sich auf gewerberechtliche Regelungen zur Konzessionierung von Bordellen und bordellähnlichen Betrieben zu beschränken, wird für Prostituierte völlig neues Recht geschaffen, das ihnen einzigartige und mit Bußgeld bewehrte Pflichten auferlegt. Sie sind geeignet, das vorhandene Stigma zu verstärken, anstatt es abzubauen. Das Gesetz erweist sich nach Auffassung der Autorin als ein Beispiel für restriktive Moralpolitik und damit als Rückschlag.
From associations to action: mental health and the patient politics of subsidiarity in Scotland
Authors: Gallagher Mark
Published: March 2018

In times of economic hardship public mental healthcare suffers a double disservice. On the one hand, it faces a diminution of existing resource, and on the other, it is met with vastly increased demand. The damage done to already hard-pressed public services during economic crises is often most keenly felt by those at the receiving end of statutory health and welfare provisions. When public services are deemed by its principal recipients to be no longer fit for purpose, it is unsurprising that they, along with others, look to agencies other than the state to meet their needs. In the final year of the 1970s, a decade in which Great Britain became the ‘sick man of Europe’, while Margaret Thatcher moved into 10 Downing Street, a new mental health organisation came into being in Scotland. Glasgow Association for Mental Health (GAMH) and a group of patients’ social clubs called LINK clubs joined to form LINK/GAMH. In a climate of great social and economic upheaval during the 1980s, LINK/GAMH received substantial Urban Aid funding to support those suffering from mental illness. Motivated by principles of voluntary association, self-help and mutual aid, LINK/GAMH sought to ‘cater for needs, and encourage aspirations, which are not and perhaps should not be met, or promoted by Statutory Welfare Agencies’. This article examines how the relationship between socioeconomic factors and mental health was understood by LINK/GAMH and how this informed the development of a resource centre, a rehabilitation programme and political campaigning by psychiatric patients. By focusing upon the activities of LINK/GAMH in the 1970s and 1980s, drawing on archival evidence and oral testimony, it will be argued that the concepts of solidarity and subsidiarity were embedded in the practices of patient associations. This study will show that through the development of relationships of solidarity and subsidiarity, across local, national and international boundaries, patient associations such as LINK/GAMH and their allies redefined a normative conception of the ‘sick role’, reclaiming civic selfhood and political agency for psychiatric patients.
Relaxation calorimetry at very low temperatures for systems with internal relaxation
Authors: Matsumoto Yosuke , Nakatsuji Satoru
Published: March 2018

We present the detailed introduction of our relaxation calorimetry designed for tiny samples down to very low temperatures of 0.03 K. In particular, we discuss how to analyze the data that are modified by an internal thermal relaxation in the sample or in the sample stage of the specific heat cell. We demonstrate that the correct heat capacity is obtained even when the relaxation curve has a triple exponential decay, rather than a double exponential decay which has usually been discussed. As an example, we discuss the measurements performed for α-YbAlB4 in a magnetic field of 5 T, where we found the triple exponential decay due to a thermal relaxation between electron and nuclear contributions at relatively high temperature well above 0.1 K. Our modified analysis provides the best solution in such a case.
The past is prologue
Authors: Johnson David Cassels , Stephens Crissa , Lynch Stephanie Gugliemo
Published: March 2018

This article examines reactions to the changing linguistic ecology in the U.S. state of Iowa, which is experiencing a demographic phenomenon often referred to as the New Latino Diaspora (NLD) (Hamann et al., 2002). We first examine the historical processes and social structures that link current language policy initiatives within Iowa to local and national nativism. We then analyze public policies and texts to reveal how language ideologies circulate across diverse texts and contexts, forming discourses that shape the experiences of Latin@s in Iowa.
Superiors’ directives in the Japanese workplace
Authors: Cook Haruko Minegishi
Published: March 2018

One of the criticisms against Brown and Levinson’s universal theory of politeness (1987) is the assertion that discernment politeness is more important than volitional politeness in Japanese society (e.g., Ide 1989; Hill et al. 1986). Contrary to this claim, studies that have analyzed actual discourse in the Japanese workplace report abundant volitional politeness strategies. These opposing views raise a question as to where and to what extent Japanese speakers use volitional strategies or observe discernment in the workplace. To answer this question, this chapter investigates superiors’ directives in new employee orientation sessions in a Japanese company. It finds a tendency among superiors to observe discernment when issuing procedural directives and to use negative and positive politeness strategies when issuing non-procedural directives.
Ne as an “impoliteness” (“detachment”) marker?
Authors: Hudson Mutsuko Endo
Published: March 2018

The sentence-final/interactional particle ne in Japanese is typically used when the speaker assumes the information in the sentence is shared with the hearer, expressing request for confirmation or agreement. Although such ne is obligatory, there are “optional” types of ne as well (e.g., Kamio 1994, 1998). This chapter examines one type, used when the speaker has full information and the hearer has none. It is pronounced short and crisp in low pitch, often followed by a glottal stop, and indicates “self-confirmation” (Takubo and Kinsui 1996a). The present data show that this type of ne carries a detached or even impolite tone. Although a one-to-one mapping between a linguistic form and politeness (or impoliteness) is untenable, we must not ignore connections completely.
New performance measurements.
Authors: Moutinho L. , Vargas-Sánchez A.
Published: March 2018

The purpose of this chapter is to outline the importance of managing the implementation of strategy as well as the stage of strategic control; that is, the process of measuring and monitoring the performance of strategy, with its corresponding targets, results, undesirable deviations (if they occur), reasons for these gaps and corrective feedback with appropriate actions. To this end, the chapter initially examines four barriers that can explain why many companies fail to implement their business strategies: vision barrier, management barrier, resources barrier and people barrier. Afterwards, metrics for performance measurement are offered, based on tools such as the 'balanced scorecard'. Specific tourism metrics are incorporated, as well as illustrative cases.
International strategies in tourism.
Authors: Parra-López E. , Yanes-Estévez V. , Melchior-Navarro M. , Martínez-González J. A.
Published: March 2018

This chapter highlights the importance of an international strategic approach in tourism and evaluates the strategic internationalization strategies followed by tourism companies in practice, including the use of management contracts, franchising, and joint ventures. The chapter covers topics such as international tourism competitiveness, strategic analysis of the environment, sustainability, and environmental scanning. External and internal factors that influence the entry mode into a foreign country are identified, and various tools for conducting external and internal strategic analysis are described.
Ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection in Haji Adam Malik Hospital, Medan
Authors: Dharmajaya R
Published: March 2018

Installation of ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VP) represented a substantial progress in the neurosurgical management of hydrocephalus in children. However, infection is the most commonpostoperative complication of aventriculoperitoneal shunt. It is important because it is related to substantial morbidity and mortality, and exerts a negative impact on the quality of life of patients. We retrospectively analyzed all 20 cases of shunt infection from 2013 to 2016. The types of infections found were exposed shunts15 cases (75%), and 5 cases of ventriculitis (25%). Length of infection time which calculated from the beginning of surgery was 350.20 days or 11 months. The most common pathogen types are S. epidermidis followed by P. aeruginosa, E. coli, and A. baumanii. There were many risk factors for shunt infection, but the interesting fact was the level of pre-operative albumin. There was a significant difference between low albumin levels (<3.0) and normal albumin (≥3.0) levels against the risk of exposure shunt, p = 0.015. It means there is asignificant difference between low pre-operative albumin and normal level for the risk of theexposed shunt.
GENEASE: real time bioinformatics tool for multi-omics and disease ontology exploration, analysis and visualization
Authors: Ghandikota Sudhir , Hershey Gurjit K Khurana , Mersha Tesfaye B
Published: March 2018

Motivation

Advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies have made it possible to generate multiple omics data at an unprecedented rate and scale. The accumulation of these omics data far outpaces the rate at which biologists can mine and generate new hypothesis to test experimentally. There is an urgent need to develop a myriad of powerful tools to efficiently and effectively search and filter these resources to address specific post-GWAS functional genomics questions. However, to date, these resources are scattered across several databases and often lack a unified portal for data annotation and analytics. In addition, existing tools to analyze and visualize these databases are highly fragmented, resulting researchers to access multiple applications and manual interventions for each gene or variant in an ad hoc fashion until all the questions are answered.

Results

In this study, we present GENEASE, a web-based one-stop bioinformatics tool designed to not only query and explore multi-omics and phenotype databases (e.g. GTEx, ClinVar, dbGaP, GWAS Catalog, ENCODE, Roadmap Epigenomics, KEGG, Reactome, Gene and Phenotype Ontology) in a single web interface but also to perform seamless post genome-wide association downstream functional and overlap analysis for non-coding regulatory variants. GENEASE accesses over 50 different databases in public domain including model organism-specific databases to facilitate gene/variant and disease exploration, enrichment and overlap analysis in real time. It is a user-friendly tool with point-and-click interface containing links for support information including user manual and examples.

Availability and implementation

GENEASE can be accessed freely at http://research.cchmc.org/mershalab/GENEASE/login.html.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.