bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural and Functional Properties of Heat-processed Soybean Flour: Effect of Proteolytic Modification
Authors: Radha C. , Prakash V.
Published: February 2010

Heat processing of soybeans alters its structural behavior, solubility, and in turn the functional properties. Heat-processed soy flour was prepared by autoclaving the defatted soy flour at 121 °C at 15 psi. The effect of enzymatic modification on the structural changes and functional properties of heat-processed soy flour was investigated. The combination of heat processing and enzymatic modification was carried out in two ways: (1) enzymatic modification followed by autoclaving and (2) autoclaving followed by enzymatic modification. Defatted soy flour (control), autoclaved soy flour, enzyme-modified flour, enzyme-modified and then autoclaved flour, autoclaved and then enzyme-modified flour were analyzed for physico-chemical and functional properties. Molecular weight profile of the protein was altered depending on the nature of treatments. Structural studies showed that enzymatic modification gave a porous type morphology to the particles. Enzymatic modification of autoclaved soy flour increased its surface hydrophobicity to 3136±400 units from 600±100 units of autoclaved soy flour. The results indicated that enzymatic modification of autoclaved soy flour increased its acid solubility (pH 4—4.5) from 17% to 56% over a control value of 24%. The foaming capacity of the enzyme-modified and then autoclaved soy flour was 80% while that of the autoclaved and then enzyme-modified flour was 42%. The soy flour that was autoclaved and then enzyme modified showed better emulsifying properties (174 mL oil/g flour) than the flour that was enzyme-modified and then autoclaved. The modified soy flour based on its functional and physico-chemical properties should find application in many food systems.
Shelf-life of ‘Golden Reinders’ Apples after Ultra Low Oxygen Storage: Effect on Aroma Volatile Compounds, Standard Quality Parameters, Sensory Attributes and Acceptability
Authors: Altisent R. , Echeverría G. , Lara I. , López M.L. , Graell J.
Published: February 2010

The aim of this work was to estimate shelf-life potential and understand quality characteristics of ‘Golden Reinders’ apples during ripening after storage under ultra low oxygen (ULO) atmosphere. Fruits, corresponding to two different maturity stages (147 and 155 dafb), were kept at 1 °C in ULO atmosphere (1 kPa O2: 1 kPa CO2) for seven months and subsequently kept at 1 °C in regular air for up to 28 days. Sub-batches were removed weekly and transferred to 20 °C, so that the shelf-life periods at room temperature were 28, 21, 14, 7, and 0 days. Fruit from both maturity stages showed firmness and soluble solids content (SSC) values above the minimum commercial requirements for this variety throughout the post-storage ripening period. However, only earlier harvested fruit maintained high levels of titratable acidity (TA). Production of aroma volatile compounds was low for shorter ripening periods, though it increased progressively as ripeness advanced. Principal component analysis showed the variables that positively influenced acceptability were: octyl acetate, hexyl octanoate, butyl propanoate, propyl pentanoate, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one as aroma volatile compounds; SSC, TA, firmness, and epidermis colour (Hue) as physicochemical parameters; and sourness and sensory firmness as sensory attributes. From a general overview, the optimum shelf-life period for ‘Golden Reinders’ apples would be between 7 and 14 days for both maturity stages.
Ohmic and Conventional Heating of Pomegranate Juice: Effects on Rheology, Color, and Total Phenolics
Authors: Yildiz H. , Bozkurt H. , Icier F.
Published: February 2010

Ohmic heating is an alternative fast-heating method especially for liquid foods. In this study, pomegranate juice samples, prepared by two different extraction methods, were heated ohmically by matching the same thermal history, with that of the conventional method. The ohmic heating application was conducted by changing the voltage gradient (10—40 V/cm) at 50 Hz. The samples were heated from 20 ° C to 90°C and held at 90 °C for different treatment times (0, 3, 6, 9 or 12 min). Although rheological properties, color, and total phenolic content (TPC) values changed at the initial heating up period, there were no significant changes during holding period (p < 0.05). Non-Newtonian (power law) rheology model had higher regression coefficient than Newtonian model, and the extraction method affected the consistency of pomegranate juice samples (p < 0.05). Color values of juice extracted from arils (APJ) was better than that of juice extracted from whole fruits (PPJ), as PPJ contained higher amount of TPC (p < 0.05). Since the heating method did not affect the rheological properties, color, and TPC values, it could be said that there was no electrical effect rather than thermal effects during ohmic heating of pomegranate juice. Ohmic heating could be recommended as an alternative fast-heating method for fruit juices.
Quality Changes of Marinated Tench (Tinca tinca) during Refrigerated Storage
Authors: Özogul Y. , Kuley E. , Özogul F.
Published: February 2010

The quality control of marinated tench with sauce stored at 4 °C was investigated in terms of sensory, chemical (total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), trimethylamine (TMA), thiobarbituric values (TBA), peroxide value, free fatty acids, biogenic amines, fatty acids, and pH and microbiological parameters (total aerobic count, coliform, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella) during 6 months of storage. The use of alcohol vinegar and salt in marinated tench caused the TVB-N, TMA to decrease. The maximum TVB-N and TMA values were found to be 12.77 mg/100 g and 4.68 mg/100 g after 150 days and 180 days storage period, respectively. Oxidative rancidity in marinated tench was found to be low (2.81 mg MA/kg) and rancid flavor was not detected even after a storage period of 180 days. As storage time progressed, putrescine, cadaverine, and serotonine became the dominant amines. Salmonella, coliform, E. coli, and Staphylococcus aureus were not detected during the storage period of 6 months. Total bacteria count increased to 4.3 log CFU/g at the end of the storage period. Data obtained from this study showed that marinated tench can be stored for more than 6 months.
Antioxidant Activities of the Phenolic Extracts of Seed Oils and Seed Hulls of Five Plant Species
Authors: Seneviratne K.N. , Kotuwegedara R.T.
Published: February 2010

Antioxidant activities of the phenolic extracts of seed oils and seed hulls of five plant species were compared with those of butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT) solutions at comparable phenolic concentrations in order to understand the phenolic dependence of the antioxidant activity and to evaluate the potentials of these phenolic extracts as alternatives for synthetic antioxidants. For this purpose, colorimetrically determined total phenol contents of the plant extracts were adjusted to known concentrations by suitable dilutions and the solutions of BHT with comparable concentrations were prepared by diluting a stock solution. The correlations of the total phenol contents and o-diphenol contents with the antioxidant activities of the phenolic extracts were also tested. Antioxidant activities of the phenolic extracts from different plants varied even at equal total phenol concentrations. o-Diphenol contents showed better correlations with the antioxidant activities than total phenol contents. A clear idea about the antioxidant potentials and the dependence of antioxidant activities on the quality and the quantity of phenolic substances can be obtained by comparison of the antioxidant activities of different phenolic extracts at equal total phenol concentrations.
The Jouissance of the Flâneur: Rewriting Baudelaire and Modernity
Authors: Pope Richard
Published: February 2010

One challenge for the humanities is to articulate subjectivities able to reach across national and regional divides without reestablishing the “cosmopolitan” or “ironic” sensibilities at the core of our ideological predicament. This article is such an attempt in a re-reading of Baudelaire, the writer who gave us “modernity” at the same moment he offered us a discourse on the “flâneur.” In such re-reading we answer his call to countersign his text, achieving thus the very subject position he is purportedly describing, in his, and our, search for modernity. While many commentators have suggested the flâneur aristocratically uses the masses as means to enjoyment (purportedly finding cause for this critique in the Baudelairean text itself), we will, in contrast, gesture toward a more fundamental ambiguity surrounding the figure—and modernity itself.
The Center as Cultural and Grammatical Theme in Mam (Maya)
Authors: Collins Wesley M.
Published: February 2010

This article explores the general relationship of language and culture via the notion of centeredness, which the author suggests is a recurring cultural value instantiated in how the Mam (Maya) conceive of the world, both practically and philosophically. This article specifically looks at the constructed world of the Mam (and, more generally, the Maya), their homes and towns, and the metaphysical idea of being centered in life and in relationships with others. It is further suggested that centeredness serves as a formal grammatical theme in Mam, a basis and “center stake” from which deictic spatial notions are computed, and the author shows briefly how such a center is instantiated in the lexicon, the morphosyntax, and the discourse structure of Mam. The author concludes that language and culture are “interconstitutive, through overlap and interplay between people’s cultural practices and preoccupations and the grammatical structures they habitually employ (Enfield, 2002, pp. 3-4).”
Laying Waste Together: The Shared Creation and Disposal of Refuse in a Social Context
Authors: Perry Mark , Juhlin Oskar , Normark Daniel
Published: February 2010

This article examines how a shared object—trash—is managed through a field study of its generation and disposal within a public setting. Collaboration around trash, examining ownership, accountability, shared responsibility, and social control over acceptable behavior, is investigated and discussed. An analysis to explore the production of public trash through everyday social practices rather than through reference to theory is developed, arguing that it is only through examining the material properties of the artifacts in use and their social context that the nature of refuse creation and the negotiation of social behavior around places of waste disposal can be understood. The authors extend the findings to examine their broader consequences on our understanding of, and design for, social behavior around shared objects within public spaces.
Dis/embedded Geographies of Film: Virtual Panoramas and the Touristic Consumption of Liverpool Waterfront
Authors: Roberts Les
Published: February 2010

Drawing on archive film footage of Liverpool waterfront shot by tourists and other visitors to the city in the first half of the 20th century, this article examines the touristic construction and consumption of a panoramic space of representation that was materially embedded within the everyday flux of a thriving urban—industrial landscape. The deindustrialization of the waterfront and the closing up of the river as a well-integrated social landscape (epitomized by the closure of the dockside Overhead Railway in 1956) have precipitated a certain shift in the various “ways of seeing” that have hitherto structured the tourist gaze in Liverpool. Reflecting on the increasingly disembedded nature of the waterfront in the cultural geography of the city today, the article argues that virtual reconstructions of a panoramic “mobile gaze” orientated around the river and waterfront map a spatial absence and fragmentation characteristic of Liverpool’s emergent postindustrial landscapes of “culture capital.”
Augmentation of Space: Four Dimensions of Spatial Experiences of Google Earth
Authors: Jensen Jakob Linaa
Published: February 2010

This article discusses and analyzes the online phenomenon of Google Earth, which poses a number of spatial ambiguities. By using a tourism perspective emphasizing the dynamics between physical, imaginary, and mediated experiences, four dimensions of Google Earth users’ practices are analyzed: a cartographic, an informational, an emotional, and a social dimension. It is argued that Google Earth facilitates an enhanced spatial and social experience, a spatial augmentation. It demonstrates that the Internet is not a space radically distinct from the space of the “real world.” Rather it is used and included as a part of the users’ social space by constant dynamics between physical, imaginary, and mediated experiences.
“Live the Way the World Does”: Imagining the Modern in the Spatial Returns of Kolkata and Calcutta
Authors: Jackson Mark
Published: February 2010

The article relates Walter Benjamin’s insights on history and eternal return to modern spaces in colonial and postcolonial Calcutta/Kolkata. Playing on the renaming of the city, the article argues that contemporary social spaces of urban development associated with “Kolkata” return through 18th and 19th century colonial consumption imperatives to dreams once heralded as Calcutta’s fabled “City of Palaces.” Today’s new developments, which claim to bring a “new world” to postcolonial Kolkata, not surprisingly, return historical commodity logics. Spatial multiplicities of contemporary Kolkata/Calcutta reveal, immanent within the claim to the modern, returned social spaces of consumptive repetition, what Benjamin called “the ever-selfsame.” As such, they evidence the dream sleep of modernity—“the newest remaining the same in all its parts”—rather than a continuity of temporal succession, “ages ending and the new stepping out from the old.” Attending to the urban modern through the contemporary (post)colonial cityscape requires that we recast how we define the modern and the modern city. But, we must address, co-terminously, both the embedded colonizing assumptions which continue to shape the ordinary prejudices of the modern, as importantly, the constitutive contradictions, layered practices, and material paradoxes fundamental to differentiating global modernities.
Planting the Nation: Tree Planting Art and the Endurance of Canadian Nationalism
Authors: Ekers Michael , Farnan Michael
Published: February 2010

Planting trees under a piece-rate wage scheme is widely recognized in Canada as a veritable national “rite of passage” for young,White, middle-class university students and travelers. Canadian artists Sarah Ann Johnson, Lorraine Gilbert, and Althea Thauberger have received popular and critical acclaim for their artistic representations of the “tree planting experience” in Canada. In this article, the authors critically examine tree planting art—and its reception—and argue that it constitutes the most recent incarnation of art that links nature and nationalism together in the Canadian context. Following Catriona Sandilands incisive reflections on nature and nationalism in Canada, it is argued that the artists in question, and their various commentators, enshrine tree planting as an obligatory passage point through which White middle-class subjects can access both the “pioneering” moments of the nation and the promised greener tomorrow of Canada’s future. The connections made by the artists between nature and the nation are by no means innocent, as the authors aim to suggest, but rather, rely on a liberal-individualist account of labor in which the social dynamics of gender, class, and race are erased.
Mill’s moral theory: Ongoing revisionism
Authors: Brown D.G.
Published: February 2010

Revisionist interpretation of Mill needs to be extended to deal with a residue of puzzles about his moral theory and its connection with his theory of liberty. The upshot shows his reinterpretation of his Benthamite tradition as a form of ‘philosophical utilitarianism’; his definition of the art of morality as collective self-defence; his ignoring of maximization in favour of ad hoc dealing in utilities; the central role of his account of the justice of punishment; the marginal role of the internal sanction in his criterion of moral wrong; his deep respect for common-sense morality; and his restriction of the scope of morality so as to claim for the utilitarian tradition the whole realm of the aesthetics of conduct as part of a general theory of practical reason.
Brown on Mill’s moral theory: A critical response
Authors: Miller Dale E.
Published: February 2010

In this article, I argue that the reading of Mill that D.G. Brown presents in ‘Mill’s Moral Theory: Ongoing Revisionism’ is inconsistent with several key passages in Mill’s writings. I also show that a rule-utilitarian interpretation that is very close to the one developed by David Lyons is able to account for these passages without difficulty.
Mill’s extraordinary utilitarian moral theory
Authors: Riley Jonathan
Published: February 2010

D.G. Brown’s revisionist interpretation, despite its interest, misrepresents Mill’s moral theory as outlined in Utilitarianism . Mill’s utilitarianism is extraordinary because it explicitly aims to maximize general happiness both in point of quality and quantity. It encompasses spheres of life beyond morality, and its structure cannot be understood without clarification of his much-maligned doctrine that some kinds of pleasant feelings are qualitatively superior to others irrespective of quantity. This doctrine of higher pleasures establishes an order of precedence among conflicting kinds of enjoyments, including moral as well as non-moral kinds. In particular, as he indicates in Utilitarianism, Chapter V, the higher kind of pleasure associated with the moral sentiment of justice, namely, a feeling of ‘security’ for vital personal concerns that everyone has and that ought to be recognized as equal rights, is qualitatively superior to any competing kinds of pleasures regardless of quantity. Justice (more generally, morality) is conceived as a social system of rules and dispositions which has as its ultimate end the maximization of this pleasant feeling of security for everyone. The upshot is that an optimal social code that distributes and sanctions particular equal rights and correlative duties has absolute priority over competing considerations within his utilitarianism. The code seeks to prevent conduct that, in the judgment of suitably competent majorities, causes grievous kinds of harm to other people by injuring their vital personal concerns. To prevent the acts and omissions which are judged to cause such undue harm, the code assigns equal duties not to perform them, and authorizes due punishment of anyone who fails to fulfill his duties. Punishment is always expedient to condemn and deter wrongdoing. But it is properly a separate issue which particular ways of inflicting punishment are expedient in any particular situation. Given that feelings of guilt are a way of inflicting punishment, coercion is not necessary for punishment. Thus, Mill’s claim that wrongdoing always deserves to be punished in some way does not imply that coercive legal sanctions and public stigma are always expedient for the enforcement of moral duties.
Chronic cough in patients with sleep-disordered breathing
Authors: Chan K. K. Y. , Ing A. J. , Laks L. , Cossa G. , Rogers P. , Birring S. S.
Published: February 2010

Chronic cough can be the sole presenting symptom for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. We investigated the prevalence, severity and factors associated with chronic cough in patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).

We invited 108 consecutive patients who had been referred for evaluation of SDB to complete a comprehensive questionnaire on respiratory and sleep health, which included the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (cough specific quality of life; LCQ), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the Mayo Clinic gastro-oesophageal questionnaire. Chronic cough was defined as cough for a duration of >2 months.

33% of patients with SDB reported a chronic cough. Patients with a chronic cough had impaired cough related-quality of life affecting all health domains (mean±semLCQ score 17.7±0.7; normal = 21). Patients with SDB and chronic cough were predominantly females (61%versus17%; p<0.001) and reported more nocturnal heartburn (28%versus5%; p = 0.03) and rhinitis (44%versus14%; p = 0.02) compared to those without SDB. There were no significant differences in ESS, respiratory disturbance index, body mass index, or symptoms of breathlessness, wheeze, snoring, dry mouth and choking between those with cough and those without.

Chronic cough is prevalent in patients with SDB and is associated with female sex, symptoms of nocturnal heartburn and rhinitis. Further studies are required to investigate the impact of continuous positive airway pressure therapy on cough associated with SDB to explore the mechanism of this association.
Endothelial progenitors in pulmonary hypertension: new pathophysiology and therapeutic implications: Fig. 1—
Authors: Fadini G. P. , Avogaro A. , Ferraccioli G. , Agostini C.
Published: February 2010

Pulmonary hypertension is a progressive and disabling disease with as yet unclear pathogenesis, limited treatment options and poor prognosis. This is why the discovery of new pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic strategies are needed. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are bone marrow-derived cells involved in endothelial homeostasis, as well as physiological and pathological angiogenesis. Experimental and clinical studies have been conducted to understand the possible contribution of EPCs to the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension. Conflicting results have been obtained regarding the protectiveversusharmful effects of EPCs on the pulmonary vasculature. However, preliminary clinical trials using EPC-based therapies in patients with pulmonary hypertension show benefit of this approach, thus revealing EPCs as potential therapeutic targets.

This review critically summarises the complex and conflicting data on EPCs and pulmonary hypertension, in both humans and animals, putting them into the context of lung (patho)physiology.

The resulting scenario identifies EPCs as a novel and fascinating tool to study pathophysiology and therapy in the setting of pulmonary hypertension.
Evaluating the non-tuberculous mycobacteria effect in the tuberculosis infection diagnosis
Authors: Latorre I. , De Souza-Galvão M. , Ruiz-Manzano J. , Lacoma A. , Prat C. , Altet N. , Ausina V. , Domínguez J.
Published: February 2010

The aim of the present study was to determine the role of previous non-tuberculous mycobacteria sensitisation in children as a factor of discordant results between tuberculin skin test (TST) and anin vitroT-cell based assay (T-SPOT.TB; Oxford Immunotec, Oxford, UK).

We enrolled 21 non-bacille Calmette-Guérin-vaccinated paediatric patients for suspicious of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). These patients yielded a positive TST and a negative T-SPOT.TB. Cells were stimulated withMycobacterium aviumsensitin (having cross-reaction withMycobacterium intracellulareandMycobacterium scrofulaceum) and the presence of reactive T-cells was determined by anex vivoELISPOT.

From the 21 patients, in 10 cases (47.6%), we obtained a positive ELISPOT result after stimulation withM. aviumsensitin, in six (28.6%) cases, the result was negative and in the remaining five (23.8%) cases, the result was indeterminate.

In conclusion, previous non-tuberculous mycobacteria sensitisation induces false-positive results in the TST for diagnosing LTBI and the use of γ-interferon tests could avoid unnecessary chemoprophylaxis treatment among a child population.
Application and Validation of Practical Tools for Nonlinear Soil-Foundation Interaction Analysis
Authors: Gajan Sivapalan , Raychowdhury Prishati , Hutchinson Tara C. , Kutter Bruce L. , Stewart Jonathan P.
Published: February 2010

Practical guidelines for characterization of soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects for shallow foundations are typically based on representing foundation-soil interaction in terms of viscoelastic impedance functions that describe stiffness and damping characteristics. Relatively advanced tools can describe nonlinear soil-foundation behavior, including temporary gap formation, foundation settlement and sliding, and hysteretic energy dissipation. We review two tools that describe such effects for shallow foundations and that are implemented in the computational platform OpenSees: a beam-on-nonlinear-Winkler foundation (BNWF) model and a contact interface model (CIM). We review input parameters and recommend parameter selection protocols. Model performance with the recommended protocols is evaluated through model-to-model comparisons for a hypothetical shear wall building resting on clay and model-data comparisons for several centrifuge test specimens on sand. The models describe generally consistent moment-rotation behavior, although shear-sliding and settlement behaviors deviate depending on the degree of foundation uplift. Pronounced uplift couples the moment and shear responses, often resulting in significant shear sliding and settlements. Such effects can be mitigated through the lateral connection of foundation elements with tie beams.
Procedural Assumption Comparison for Old Buildings via Pushover Analysis Including the ASCE 41 Update
Authors: Siahos Georgios , Dritsos Stephanos
Published: February 2010

The two different procedures of ASCE/SEI 41 Supplement 1 and the EC 8 based Greek Retrofitting Code (GRECO) are compared via pushover analyses for the seismic assessment of RC buildings designed to old codes. In addition, the FEMA 356 procedure is considered in order to evaluate the new provisions of ASCE/SEI 41. Results from two moderate level seismic tests performed on a four-story building are used for comparison. For the first test, all procedures overestimated the experimentally observed limited damage but GRECO was more satisfactory. For the second higher excitation test, all procedures predicted the building's high vulnerability but failed to predict the experimentally observed imminent collapse of a stiff column. In all cases, GRECO gave higher displacements. ASCE/SEI 41 and FEMA 356 predicted better the building's stiffness and gave much higher available plastic hinge rotations for beams when compared to GRECO. Concerning the columns, available plastic hinge rotations at the Life Safety performance level from the ASCE procedure were higher than GRECO, while ASCE values at the collapse prevention performance level were slightly lower than GRECO. Finally, a comparison of the above procedures with nonlinear dynamic analyses of a past earthquake is performed to identify potential pushover analysis concerns.
Seismic Risk Assessment and Mitigation of Water Supply Systems
Authors: Wang Yu , Au Siu-Kui , Fu Qiang
Published: February 2010

This paper describes a process for seismic risk assessment and identification of critical links of water supply systems subjected to earthquakes. Probabilistic performance of water supply systems is reflected by the system serviceability index (SSI), damage consequence index (DCI), and upgrade benefit index (UBI). The process is illustrated using a hypothetical water supply system subjected to a seismic damage scenario, where direct Monte Carlo simulation is used for estimating the performance indices. It is shown that probabilistic characteristics of SSI can be attributed to system characteristics (e.g., demand distribution pattern) of the water supply system. UBI is shown to be the primary index in seismic mitigation, and critical links are pipes with relatively large UBI values. It is recognized that the values of UBI corresponding to different upgrade scenarios of pipes can be estimated using conditional samples from a single run of direct Monte Carlo simulation instead of repeated runs. The concept of efficient frontier is employed to identify the system critical links. It is found that, a group of links that have the largest UBI individually do not necessarily have the largest group UBI, nor are they necessarily the group of critical links.
The Influence of Isolator Hysteresis on Equipment Performance in Seismic Isolated Buildings
Authors: Yang T. Y. , Konstantinidis Dimitrios , Kelly James M.
Published: February 2010

The seismic isolation code which must be used for all seismic isolated buildings in the United States is conservative in many of its provisions. While seismic isolation is flourishing in other countries, it is underused in the United States. For static analysis and for the selection of time histories, the spectrum is constant-velocity for periods of one second and longer, leading to large displacements for long period systems and forcing the designer to use added damping to reduce these displacements. The damping systems used are hysteretic with the characteristic that damping decreases with increasing displacement. To achieve the damping needed to reduce these large displacements, expected from very rare seismic input, means that at smaller displacements, caused by realistic levels of seismic input, the damping will be very much higher, and there may be stiffening of the isolation system, meaning that the building may not act as isolated and there may be an impact on sensitive internal equipment. This paper shows how highly damped isolation systems are counterproductive to isolation and suggests an alternative approach that will conform to code requirements but ensure that, at moderate earthquake inputs, the equipment remains protected, and the large code-mandated displacements are kept to acceptable levels.
New Seismic Hazard Maps for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Authors: Mueller Charles , Frankel Arthur , Petersen Mark , Leyendecker Edgar
Published: February 2010

The probabilistic methodology developed by the U.S. Geological Survey is applied to a new seismic hazard assessment for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Modeled seismic sources include gridded historical seismicity, subduction-interface and strike-slip faults with known slip rates, and two broad zones of crustal extension with seismicity rates constrained by GPS geodesy. We use attenuation relations from western North American and worldwide data, as well as a Caribbean-specific relation. Results are presented as maps of peak ground acceleration and 0.2- and 1.0-second spectral response acceleration for 2% and 10% probabilities of exceedance in 50 years (return periods of about 2,500 and 500 years, respectively). This paper describes the hazard model and maps that were balloted by the Building Seismic Safety Council and recommended for the 2003 NEHRP Provisions and the 2006 International Building Code.
Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Buildings Using Hierarchical Fuzzy Rule Base Modeling
Authors: Tesfamariam Solomon , Saatcioglu Murat
Published: February 2010

A reliable building vulnerability assessment is required for developing a risk-based assessment and retrofit prioritization. Tesfamariam and Saatcioglu (2008) proposed a simple building vulnerability module where the building performance modifiers are in congruence with FEMA 154. This paper is an extension of the building vulnerability assessment that include detailed performance modifier in congruence with FEMA 310 that is represented in a heuristic based hierarchical structure. Some of the input parameters are obtained through a walk down survey and are subject to vagueness uncertainty that is modelled through fuzzy set theory. A knowledge base fuzzy rule base modeling is developed and illustrated for reinforced concrete buildings damaged in the 1 May 2003 Bingöl, Turkey earthquake.
Building Seismic Loss Model for Tehran
Authors: Mansouri Babak , Ghafory-Ashtiany Mohsen , Amini-Hosseini Kambod , Nourjou Reza , Mousavi Mehdi
Published: February 2010

In order to model the building seismic loss for Tehran, urban databases have been compiled and processed considering different census zones, city blocks, and parcel records. Aerial photos, together with stereo image processing and ground survey data, have provided parcel level geospatial information. These data sets include urban features, land uses, and building inventory with height information. This research also focuses on the selection and the development of structural vulnerability functions and risk algorithms. The damage curves are selected or modified according to some regional data, the ATC-13 report, and the functions obtained for Costa Rica. Also, analytical fragility curves are derived and adopted for the area of study after the HAZUS-FEMA methodology. Finally, an upgradeable seismic risk model is developed in GIS using all compiled input data and structural vulnerability functions.
Ground Motion Prediction Equation (“Attenuation Relationship”) for Inelastic Response Spectra
Authors: Bozorgnia Yousef , Hachem Mahmoud M. , Campbell Kenneth W.
Published: February 2010

This paper presents the process and fundamental results of a comprehensive ground motion prediction equation (GMPE, or “attenuation” relationship) developed for inelastic response spectra. We used over 3,100 horizontal ground motions recorded in 64 earthquakes with moment magnitudes ranging from 4.3–7.9 and rupture distances ranging from 0.1–199 km. For each record, we computed inelastic spectra for ductility ranging from one (elastic response) to eight. Our GMPE correlates inelastic spectral ordinates to earthquake magnitude, site-to-source distance, fault mechanism, local soil properties, and basin effects. The developed GMPE is used in both deterministic and probabilistic hazard analyses to directly generate inelastic spectra. This is in contrast to developing “attenuation” relationships for elastic response spectra, carrying out a hazard analysis, and subsequently adopting approximate rules to derive inelastic response from elastic spectra.
Deterministic and Probabilistic Predictions of Yield Strength and Inelastic Displacement Spectra
Authors: Bozorgnia Yousef , Hachem Mahmoud M. , Campbell Kenneth W.
Published: February 2010

This paper presents deterministic and probabilistic predictions of inelastic response spectra based on a comprehensive ground motion prediction equation (GMPE). Our analysis reveals that over a wide structural period range, the magnitude scaling for an inelastic system is higher than that for an elastic system, especially for ductility levels greater than 2 and magnitude greater than 6.5. Both deterministic and probabilistic hazard analyses show that the “equal displacement rule,” to estimate inelastic displacement, is valid for small to moderate magnitudes and/or for low ductility levels. However, it underestimates inelastic deformation even for long period structures if the earthquake magnitude is large and the structure needs to sustain a large ductility. Our study shows that an inelastic GMPE can easily be implemented as part of standard probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) packages to directly generate probabilistic hazard for inelastic response, avoiding possible over- or under-conservatism in approximating inelastic deformation from an elastic system.
Epistemic Uncertainties in Component Fragility Functions
Authors: Bradley Brendon A.
Published: February 2010

This paper is concerned with the inclusion of epistemic uncertainties in component fragility functions used in performance-based earthquake engineering. Conventionally fragility functions, defining the probability of incurring at least a specified level of damage for a given level of seismic demand, are defined by a mean and standard deviation and assumed to have a lognormal distribution. However, there exist many uncertainties in the development of such fragility functions. The sources of epistemic uncertainty in fragility functions, their consideration, combination, and propagation are presented and discussed. Two empirical fragility functions presented in literature are used to illustrate the epistemic uncertainty in the fragility function parameters due to the finite size of the datasets. These examples and the associated discussions illustrate that the magnitude of epistemic uncertainties are significant and there are clear benefits of the consideration of epistemic uncertainties pertaining to the documentation, quality assurance, implementation, and updating of fragility functions. Epistemic uncertainties should therefore always be addressed in future fragility functions developed for use in seismic performance assessment.
Computational Tool for Post-Earthquake Evaluation of Damage in Buildings
Authors: Carreño Martha L. , Cardona Omar D. , Barbat Alex H.
Published: February 2010

A method and a computational tool oriented to assist the damage and safety evaluation of buildings after strong earthquakes is described in this article. The input of the model is the subjective and incomplete information on the building state, obtained by inspectors which are possibly not expert professionals of the field of building safety. The damage levels of the structural components are usually described by linguistic qualifications which can be adequately processed by computational intelligence techniques based on neuro-fuzzy systems what facilitate the complex and urgent tasks of engineering decision-making on the building occupancy after a seismic disaster. The hybrid neuro-fuzzy system used is based on a special three-layer feedforward artificial neural network and fuzzy rule bases and is an effective tool during the emergency response phase providing decisions about safety, habitability, and reparability of the buildings. Examples of application of the computer program are given for two different building classes.
Probabilistic Urban Structural Damage Classification Using Bitemporal Satellite Images
Authors: Chen ZhiQiang , Hutchinson Tara C.
Published: February 2010

Recent research endeavors in civil engineering have attempted to apply remote sensing technology to urban damage assessment as an aid for post-disaster reconnaissance and recovery. In these attempts, urban structural damage is identified based on pre- and post-disaster satellite images with the use of a pattern classification approach. The result is usually presented in a damage map wherein categorical damage levels, such as “fully collapsed,” “partially collapsed,” or “intact,” are assigned to urban subregions or individual structures in images. However, a major limitation in past attempts is the use of deterministic approaches to classify damage levels. In general, these approaches are not able to capture the inherent uncertainties of structural damage and lack scalability when analyzing damage to built urban subregions of different sizes. To address this, a probabilistic classification framework by means of a multiclass classifier is proposed. By applying this probabilistic approach, classification of urban damage provides posterior probabilities, which can be used to quantify decision uncertainties and to obtain regional urban damage classification. Numerical experiments are conducted using satellite images acquired from a recent earthquake and a tsunami event, namely the 2003 Bam, Iran Earthquake, and the 2004 India Ocean Tsunami.
Experimental Investigation on the Seismic Behavior of Palletized Merchandise in Steel Storage Racks
Authors: Sideris Petros , Filiatrault Andre , Leclerc Martin , Tremblay Robert
Published: February 2010

The seismic hazard associated with failure of storage racks in retail facilities open to public depends on the behavior of the rack frames and the response of stored merchandise. In this study, the seismic behavior of palletized merchandise stored on shelves of pallet-type steel storage racks is investigated and the concept of incorporating slightly inclined shelving is proposed as a measure for mitigating merchandise shedding. Pull tests and shake table tests are conducted. The main objective of the pull tests is to investigate the frictional behavior at the interface between loaded pallets and rack shelves. The major objective of the shake table tests is to characterize the dynamic response of the palletized merchandise under earthquake excitation imposed at the base of rack structures, and determine experimentally the pallet shedding fragility under an ensemble of ground excitations representative of the seismicity of the Western United States. The combination of wooden pallets and shelves with wire decking of waterfall type, typical of many rack installations, is considered. The results of the pull tests indicate that the frictional coefficient at the pallet-to-shelf interface varies between 0.37 and 0.45 for a range of loads between 0.55 kN and 13.00 kN. From the results of the shake table tests, the concept of inclined shelving appears to be very effective. An inclination of only 3.5° reduced the observed seismic merchandise shedding fragility to zero for the ground excitations considered.
Seismic Analysis of Hydrodynamic Sloshing Force on Storage Tank Roofs
Authors: Goudarzi M. A. , Sabbagh-Yazdi S. R. , Marx W.
Published: February 2010

Large-amplitude sloshing caused by earthquakes may result in liquid impact on the roof of liquid storage tanks. The motivation for this study is better understanding of the sloshing-induced impact via experimental investigations and establishing an analytical approach for evaluation of the maximum impact force on tank roofs. The experimental tests are carried out using a rectangular liquid tank excited by harmonic oscillations. The effects of geometric parameters such as the tank aspect ratio, excitation amplitude and freeboard on maximum liquid impact force are investigated by conducting 140 tests. Based on the conservation of fluid momentum, an analytical solution is developed to model sloshing impact force on tank roofs. The analytical solution parameters are calibrated using the experimental measurements. Finally, the analytical scheme is extended for a systematic process to evaluate the hydrodynamic and hydrostatic components of impact forces for earthquake engineering application.
RISe: Illustrating Georeferenced Data of Seismic Risk and Loss Assessment Studies Using Google Earth
Authors: Lang Dominik H. , Corea F. Vladimir Gutiérrez
Published: February 2010

Predicting the consequences of large earthquakes to the built environment is of high importance for disaster control, civil protection and emergency planning. A number of software tools are now available to estimate physical building damage and associated losses in terms of casualties and economic losses. In recent years, SELENA, a seismic risk and loss assessment software which makes use of the capacity spectrum method (CSM), has been developed into a widely applicable tool. Since SELENA functions independently from a Geographic Information System, we developed RISe ( Risk Illustrator for Selena), a stand-alone tool that illustrates SELENA files in Google™ Earth. RISe is customized to the SELENA file structure and allows easy conversion of all geographically referenced files such as building inventory data, soil conditions, ground motion values, as well as final risk and loss results. RISe is distributed as public domain open-source software that allows the user to take full advantage of Google™ Earth's features including high-resolution satellite images from nearly every built environment worldwide.
Ratiometric Fluorescent Sensor for 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene Designed Based on Energy Transfer between Size-different Quantum Dots
Authors: Shiraki Tomohiro , Tsuchiya Youichi , Shinkai Seiji
Published: February 2010

Aggregation of two different sizes of semiconductor quantum dots is successfully applied to a novel ratiometric fluorescent sensor, in which Förster type energy transfer between quantum dots is induced by the interaction with 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) as a binder of quantum dots. The detection limit for TNT achieved is 5 pM, and the system shows relatively high sensitivity against TNT in comparison to 2,4-dinitrotoluene and 2-nitrotoluene at 5 pM–500 nM range.
Quinone–Hydroquinone π-Conjugated Redox Reaction Involving Proton-coupled Electron Transfer Plays an Important Role in Scavenging Superoxide by Polyphenolic Antioxidants
Authors: Nakayama Tatsushi , Uno Bunji
Published: February 2010

The proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) from p-, o-, and m-dihydroxybenzenes (PQH2, OQH2, and MQH2, respectively) to the hydroperoxy radical (HO2●) derived from superoxide (O2●−) is investigated. It is demonstrated that quinone–hydroquinone π-conjugated redox systems characterized by electron transfer in PQH2 and OQH2 moieties play an important role in scavenging O2●− by polyphenolic antioxidants.
Halochromic Chiroptical Response of Novel Bis(9-acridinyl)-type Fluorophores with a Helical π Framework
Authors: Nehira Tatsuo , Yoshimoto Yasuyo , Wada Kazuhisa , Kawai Hidetoshi , Fujiwara Kenshu , Suzuki Takanori
Published: February 2010

Acridine-based novel fluorophores 1/2 with a helical dihydrodibenzoxepin/azepine skeleton exhibit halochromic response upon addition of Brønsted acid in CH2Cl2, thus giving UV–vis and fluorescence spectral changes. By using the optically resolved species [(M)-1/2], circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence detected-CD (FDCD) signals were also changed drastically, thus demonstrating four-way-output response thanks to configurational stability of helicity and efficient exciton coupling.
Chiral T-shaped Semiflexible Compound Exhibiting a Wide Temperature Range Blue Phase III
Authors: Iwamochi Hirotoshi , Hirose Tetsu , Kogawa Yutaro , Yoshizawa Atsushi
Published: February 2010

We have designed a chiral T-shaped compound possessing a flexible spacer, which was found to exhibit a blue phase III with a temperature range of about 30 K including room temperature on cooling. Furthermore, the BPIII changed to a glass phase. Electrooptical switching was observed at all temperatures of the BPIII.
A Cembranoid, Trocheliophorol, from the Cultured Soft Coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum
Authors: Su Jui-Hsin , Lu Yi , Lin Wan-Yu , Wang Wei-Hsien , Sung Ping-Jyun , Sheu Jyh-Horng
Published: February 2010

A new cembranoid, trocheliophorol (1), and a known cembranoid sarcophine have been isolated from the cultured soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum. The structure of 1 was determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis. Compound 1 is the first α,β-unsaturated-γ-lactone cembrane that was found to possess a tetrahydrofuran moiety with an 8,11-ether linkage in a 14-membered ring.
Effects of Redox Potential of Metallophthalocyanine Dye on Photocatalytic Activity of KTa(Zr)O3 for Water Splitting
Authors: Hagiwara Hidehisa , Ono Naoko , Ishihara Tatsumi
Published: February 2010

Photocatalytic activity of dye-modified KTaO3 correlated with the first redox potential of phthalocyanines. It was found that the most effective dye for improving water-spritting activity was Cr–phthalocyanine (Cr–Pc) with a redox potential of −0.8 V vs. SCE.
A Straightforward and Efficient Catalyst-free One-pot Synthesis of N-Acyl-1,3-diaryl-2-azaphenalene Derivatives via Multicomponent Reactions
Authors: Foroughifar Naser , Mobinikhaledi Akbar , Moghanian Hassan
Published: February 2010

A novel, one-pot multicomponent reaction of two molecules of aldehydes with 2,7-naphthalenediol and ammonium carboxylates is described as an efficient and direct procedure for the preparation of N-acyl-1,3-diaryl-2-azaphenalene derivatives in EtOH under reflux conditions. N-Acyl-1,3-diaryl-2-azaphenalene derivatives were obtained in good to high yields without any catalyst or activation.
Novel Tube-like Y2Sn2O7:Tb3+ Crystals: Hydrothermal Synthesis and Photoluminescence Properties
Authors: Yang Jinyu , Su Yuchang , Li Lijian
Published: February 2010

Novel tube-like Y2Sn2O7:Tb3+ crystals with pyrochlore structure have been successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal route. The experimental results show that ammonia plays a key role in the fabrication of Y2Sn2O7:Tb3+ with tube-like morphology. The photoluminescence spectra indicate that the tube-like Y2Sn2O7:Tb3+ crystals emit strong green light at 543 nm under UV excitation. The growth mechanism of tube-like Y2Sn2O7:Tb3+ crystals is proposed.