bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Food Odours Direct Specific Appetite
Authors: Zoon Harriët , De Graaf Cees , Boesveldt Sanne
Published: February 2016

Olfactory food cues were found to increase appetite for products similar in taste. We aimed to replicate this phenomenon for taste (sweet/savoury), determine whether it extends to energy density (high/low) as well, and uncover whether this effect is modulated by hunger state. Twenty-nine healthy-weight females smelled four odours differing in the energy density and taste they signalled, one non-food odour, and one odourless solution (control), in random order, for three minutes each. Appetite for 15 food products was rated in the following two minutes. Mixed model analyses revealed that exposure to an odour signalling a specific taste (respectively sweet, savoury) led to a greater appetite for congruent food products (sweet/savoury) compared to incongruent food products (savoury p < 0.001; sweet p < 0.001) or neutral food products (p = 0.02; p = 0.003). A similar pattern was present for the energy-density category (respectively high-energy dense, low-energy dense) signalled by the odours (low-energy products p < 0.001; high-energy products p = 0.008). Hunger state did not have a significant impact on sensory-specific appetite. These results suggest that exposure to food odours increases appetite for congruent products, in terms of both taste and energy density, irrespective of hunger state. We speculate that food odours steer towards intake of products with a congruent macronutrient composition.
Impact of Dust from Ore Processing Facilities on Rain Water Collection Tanks in a Tropical Environment—The Obvious Source “Ain’t Necessarily So”
Authors: Gulson Brian , Korsch Michael , Bradshaw Anthony
Published: February 2016

Concerns have been expressed that dust from the minerals processing facilities at Karumba Queensland Australia have resulted in elevated lead (Pb) concentrations in rain water tanks. The ores derived from the Century mine some 304 km from the port. High precision Pb isotopic measurements on environmental samples have been undertaken to evaluate the source of Pb in rainwaters and acid digests from roof wipes and gutter wipes. There does not appear to be any relationship between sample location and the processing facility but samples from the area subject to the prevailing winds show the highest contribution of Century Pb. All gutter wipes (82 to 1270 µg Pb/wipe) have contributions of Century ore ranging from 87% to 96%. The contribution of Century ore to five roof wipes (22 to 88 µg Pb/wipe) ranges from 89% to 97% and in the other two samples there is a mix of Century and Broken Hill Pb. Three of the seven rainwater have contributions of Century ore Pb ranging from 33% to 75%. Two of the other four rainwater samples have the highest water Pb concentrations of 88 and 100 µg/L and their isotopic data show Broken Hill Pb contributions ranging from 77% to 80%. The source of the Broken Hill Pb is probably from the galvanized roofing material and/or brass fittings in the rainwater tanks. The discrimination between various sources is only detectable using high precision 204Pb-based isotopic ratios and not the now common inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS ) data presentations of the higher abundance isotopes 208Pb, 207Pb and 206Pb. Isotopic results for the waters demonstrate that apportioning blame where there is an obvious point source may not always be the correct conclusion. Nevertheless the isotopic data for the gutter wipes indicates that there was widespread contamination from the processing facilities throughout the town.
Synthesis of Oxylipin Mimics and Their Antifungal Activity against the Citrus Postharvest Pathogens
Authors: Ma Jimei , Li Yupeng , Chen Hangwei , Zeng Zhen , Li Zi-Long , Jiang Hong
Published: February 2016

Nine oxylipin mimics were designed and synthesized starting from d-mannose. Their antifungal activity against three citrus postharvest pathogens was evaluated by spore germination assay. The results indicated that all the compounds significantly inhibited the growth of Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum and Aspergillus niger. The compound (3Z,6Z,8S,9R,10R)-octadeca-3,6-diene-8,9,10-triol (3) exhibited excellent inhibitory effect on both Penicillium digitatum (IC50 = 34 ppm) and Penicillium italicum (IC50 = 94 ppm). Their in vivo antifungal activities against citrus postharvest blue mold were tested with fruit inoculated with the pathogen Penicillium italicum. The compound (3R,4S)-methyl 3,4-dihydroxy-5-octyltetrahydrofuran-2-carboxylate (9) demonstrated significant efficacy by reducing the disease severity to 60%. The antifungal mechanism of these oxylipin mimics was postulated in which both inhibition of pathogenic mycelium and stimuli of the host oxylipin-mediated defense response played important roles.
Internationality of Publications, Co-Authorship, References and Citations in Brazilian Evolutionary Biology
Authors: Santin Dirce , De Souza Vanz Samile , Caregnato Sonia
Published: February 2016

The international dimensions of contemporary science have significantly impacted production and use patterns of scientific knowledge, which, in turn, requires new insights of librarians, publishers and academic institutions. Despite the recognized importance of internationality in science, studies on the internationalization of scientific output are still limited and dedicated exclusively to analyzing of its diffusion and international collaboration. This study analyzes the national/international character of articles, international collaboration, references and citations of Brazilian scientific output in Evolutionary Biology in order to understand the contribution to the internationalization of science in Brazil. Analyses are based on data from the Science Citation Index of Web of Science and include 1450 articles, 60,454 references and 18,059 citing documents. Results reveal similar internationality patterns, with 99.6% of articles published in foreign journals, 90.5% international references, and 88.5% international citations. Despite recording the lowest value among the indicators (51.9%), international collaboration surpasses the national and international average and is an important characteristic in the field in Brazil, contributing to increasing the number of references and the impact of articles. Evolutionary Biology is considered a predominantly international field, whose internationality patterns increase the audience for the studies and provide greater visibility for Brazilian science.
Premiums for Long-Term Care Insurance Packages: Sensitivity with Respect to Biometric Assumptions
Authors: Pitacco Ermanno
Published: February 2016

Long-term care insurance (LTCI) covers are rather recent products, in the framework of health insurance. It follows that specific biometric data are scanty; pricing and reserving problems then arise because of difficulties in the choice of appropriate technical bases. Different benefit structures imply different sensitivity degrees with respect to changes in biometric assumptions. Hence, an accurate sensitivity analysis can help in designing LTCI products and, in particular, in comparing stand-alone products to combined products, i.e., packages including LTCI benefits and other lifetime-related benefits. Numerical examples show, in particular, that the stand-alone cover is much riskier than all of the LTCI combined products that we have considered. As a consequence, the LTCI stand-alone cover is a highly “absorbing” product as regards capital requirements for solvency purposes.
CSRQ: Communication-Efficient Secure Range Queries in Two-Tiered Sensor Networks
Authors: Dai Hua , Ye Qingqun , Yang Geng , Xu Jia , He Ruiliang
Published: February 2016

In recent years, we have seen many applications of secure query in two-tiered wireless sensor networks. Storage nodes are responsible for storing data from nearby sensor nodes and answering queries from Sink. It is critical to protect data security from a compromised storage node. In this paper, the Communication-efficient Secure Range Query (CSRQ)—a privacy and integrity preserving range query protocol—is proposed to prevent attackers from gaining information of both data collected by sensor nodes and queries issued by Sink. To preserve privacy and integrity, in addition to employing the encoding mechanisms, a novel data structure called encrypted constraint chain is proposed, which embeds the information of integrity verification. Sink can use this encrypted constraint chain to verify the query result. The performance evaluation shows that CSRQ has lower communication cost than the current range query protocols.
Thin Film Differential Photosensor for Reduction of Temperature Effects in Lab-on-Chip Applications
Authors: De Cesare Giampiero , Carpentiero Matteo , Nascetti Augusto , Caputo Domenico
Published: February 2016

This paper presents a thin film structure suitable for low-level radiation measurements in lab-on-chip systems that are subject to thermal treatments of the analyte and/or to large temperature variations. The device is the series connection of two amorphous silicon/amorphous silicon carbide heterojunctions designed to perform differential current measurements. The two diodes experience the same temperature, while only one is exposed to the incident radiation. Under these conditions, temperature and light are the common and differential mode signals, respectively. A proper electrical connection reads the differential current of the two diodes (ideally the photocurrent) as the output signal. The experimental characterization shows the benefits of the differential structure in minimizing the temperature effects with respect to a single diode operation. In particular, when the temperature varies from 23 to 50 °C, the proposed device shows a common mode rejection ratio up to 24 dB and reduces of a factor of three the error in detecting very low-intensity light signals.
Have Changes to Unused Land in China Improved or Exacerbated Its Environmental Quality in the Past Three Decades?
Authors: Yi Ling , Zhang Zengxiang , Zhao Xiaoli , Liu Bin , Wang Xiao , Wen Qingke , Zuo Lijun , Liu Fang , Xu Jingyong , Hu Shunguang
Published: February 2016

Inappropriate land use has caused a series of environmental disasters such as floods and sand storms, and some of them involved unused land changes with highly localized distributions in arid and semi-arid regions with fragile ecosystems. As the third-rank category of first-level land use/cover in China, unused land (UL) is now playing an increasingly important role in protection of the natural environment and sustainable utilization of land resources. In this article, we assessed the effects on regional eco-environments employing a quantitative EL (ecological effect index) model, which can be used to evaluate and represent the contribution of UL changes to the eco-environmental quality. Results show that UL changes generally contributed to the deterioration of eco-environmental quality during the study period. Some major contributors to improving eco-environmental quality were transformation of sandy land and saline-alkali lands to grasslands, expansion of water bodies in UL areas, and reclamation of farmland in UL areas (except for marsh lands). In contrast, the main contributors to worsening eco-environmental quality were grassland degradation to UL (except marshes), reclamation of marsh areas, and shrinkage of water bodies to leave desert or saline-alkali land. Some suggestions are provided about UL management, utilization, and protection issues.
Intégrer les eaux pluviales dans les politiques de réduction de la vulnérabilité face aux inondations en milieu urbain. (Integrating rainwater in vulnerability reduction policies for urban floods)
Authors: Hubert Gilles , Deroubaix José-frédéric , Barroca Bruno
Published: February 2016

Les enjeux de la gestion des eaux pluviales sont de plus en plus diversifiés. Dans ce contexte, la prévention des inondations est intégrée dans un cadre plus large : celui de la mise en valeur de l'eau en ville. Potentiellement, cette situation nouvelle permet de dépasser la vision du risque assimilé au danger et finalement de mieux gérer les situations critiques. Malheureusement ce potentiel reste encore théorique. L 'objectif de l'article est de souligner les signes d'évolution mais aussi les obstacles au changement.
Mycothiol synthesis by an anomerization reaction through endocyclic cleavage
Authors: Manabe Shino , Ito Yukishige
Published: February 2016

Mycothiol is found in Gram-positive bacteria, where it helps in maintaining a reducing intracellular environment and it plays an important role in protecting the cell from toxic chemicals. The inhibition of the mycothiol biosynthesis is considered as a treatment for tuberculosis. Mycothiol contains an α-aminoglycoside, which is difficult to prepare stereoselectively by a conventional glycosylation reaction. In this study, mycothiol was synthesized by an anomerization reaction from an easily prepared β-aminoglycoside through endocyclic cleavage.
KEPLER ECLIPSING BINARY STARS. VII. THE CATALOG OF ECLIPSING BINARIES FOUND IN THE ENTIRE KEPLER DATA SET
Authors: Kirk Brian , Conroy Kyle , Prša Andrej , Abdul-Masih Michael , Kochoska Angela , Matijevič Gal , Hambleton Kelly , Barclay Thomas , Bloemen Steven , Boyajian Tabetha , Doyle Laurance R. , Fulton B. J. , Hoekstra Abe Johannes , Jek Kian , Kane Stephen R. , Kostov Veselin , Latham David , Mazeh Tsevi , Orosz Jerome A. , Pepper Joshua , Quarles Billy , Ragozzine Darin , Shporer Avi , Southworth John , Stassun Keivan , Thompson Susan E. , Welsh William F. , Agol Eric , Derekas Aliz , Devor Jonathan , Fischer Debra , Green Gregory , Gropp Jeff , Jacobs Tom , Johnston Cole , LaCourse Daryll Matthew , Saetre Kristian , Schwengeler Hans , Toczyski Jacek , Werner Griffin , Garrett Matthew , Gore Joanna , Martinez Arturo O. , Spitzer Isaac , Stevick Justin , Thomadis Pantelis C. , Vrijmoet Eliot Halley , Yenawine Mitchell , Batalha Natalie , Borucki William
Published: February 2016

The primary Kepler Mission provided nearly continuous monitoring of ∼200,000 objects with unprecedented photometric precision. We present the final catalog of eclipsing binary systems within the 105 deg2
Kepler field of view. This release incorporates the full extent of the data from the primary mission (Q0-Q17 Data Release). As a result, new systems have been added, additional false positives have been removed, ephemerides and principal parameters have been recomputed, classifications have been revised to rely on analytical models, and eclipse timing variations have been computed for each system. We identify several classes of systems including those that exhibit tertiary eclipse events, systems that show clear evidence of additional bodies, heartbeat systems, systems with changing eclipse depths, and systems exhibiting only one eclipse event over the duration of the mission. We have updated the period and galactic latitude distribution diagrams and included a catalog completeness evaluation. The total number of identified eclipsing and ellipsoidal binary systems in the Kepler field of view has increased to 2878, 1.3% of all observed Kepler targets. An online version of this catalog with downloadable content and visualization tools is maintained at http://keplerEBs.villanova.edu.
SYSTEMATIC REGULARITY OF HEMISPHERIC SUNSPOT AREAS OVER THE PAST 140 YEARS
Authors: Deng L. H. , Xiang Y. Y. , Qu Z. N. , An J. M.
Published: February 2016

Solar magnetic activity varies with time in the two hemispheres in different ways. The hemispheric interconnection of solar activity phenomena provides an important clue to understanding the dynamical behavior of solar dynamo actions. In this paper, several analysis approaches are proposed to analyze the systematic regularity of hemispheric asynchronism and amplitude asymmetry of long-term sunspot areas during solar cycles 9–24. It is found that, (1) both the hemispheric asynchronism and the amplitude asymmetry of sunspot areas are prevalent behaviors and are not anomalous, but the hemispheric asynchronism exhibits a much more regular behavior than the amplitude asymmetry; (2) the phase-leading hemisphere returns back to the identical hemisphere every 8 solar cycles, and the secular periodic pattern of hemispheric phase differences follows 3 (south leading) + 5 (north leading) solar cycles, which probably corresponds to the Gleissberg cycle; and (3) the pronounced periodicities of (absolute and normalized) asymmetry indices and lines of synchronization (LOSs) are not identical: the significant periodic oscillations are 80.65 ± 6.31, 20.91 ± 0.40, and 13.45 ± 0.16 years for the LOS values, and 51.34 ± 2.48, 8.83/8.69 ± 0.07, and 3.77 ± 0.02 years for the (absolute and normalized) asymmetry indices. The analysis results improve our knowledge on the hemispheric interrelation of solar magnetic activity and may provide valuable constraints for solar dynamo models.
MODELING OF THE ZODIACAL EMISSION FOR THE AKARI/IRC MID-INFRARED ALL-SKY DIFFUSE MAPS
Authors: Kondo Toru , Ishihara Daisuke , Kaneda Hidehiro , Nakamichi Keichiro , Takaba Sachi , Kobayashi Hiroshi , Ootsubo Takafumi , Pyo Jeonghyun , Onaka Takashi
Published: February 2016

The zodiacal emission, which is the thermal infrared (IR) emission from the interplanetary dust (IPD) in our solar system, has been studied for a long time. Nevertheless, accurate modeling of the zodiacal emission has not been successful to reproduce the all-sky spatial distribution of the zodiacal emission, especially in the mid-IR where the zodiacal emission peaks. Therefore, we aim to improve the IPD cloud model based on Kelsall et al., using the AKARI 9 and 18 μm all-sky diffuse maps. By adopting a new fitting method based on the total brightness, we have succeeded in reducing the residual levels after subtraction of the zodiacal emission from the AKARI data and thus in improving the modeling of the zodiacal emission. Comparing the AKARI and the COBE data, we confirm that the changes from the previous model to our new model are mostly due to model improvements, but not temporal variations between the AKARI and the COBE epoch, except for the position of the Earth-trailing blob. Our results suggest that the size of the smooth cloud, a dominant component in the model, is about 10% more compact than previously thought, and that the dust sizes are not large enough to emit blackbody radiation in the mid-IR. Furthermore, we detect a significant isotropically distributed IPD component, owing to an accurate baseline measurement with AKARI.
ATOMIC CHEMISTRY IN TURBULENT ASTROPHYSICAL MEDIA. II. EFFECT OF THE REDSHIFT ZERO METAGALACTIC BACKGROUND
Authors: Gray William J. , Scannapieco Evan
Published: February 2016

We carry out direct numerical simulations of turbulent astrophysical media exposed to the redshift zero metagalactic background. The simulations assume solar composition and explicitly track ionizations, recombinations, and ion-by-ion radiative cooling for hydrogen, helium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, sodium, magnesium, silicon, sulfur, calcium, and iron. Each run reaches a global steady state that depends not only on the ionization parameter,

and mass-weighted average temperature,

but also on the one-dimensional turbulent velocity dispersion,

. We carry out runs that span a grid of models with U ranging from 0 to 10−1 and

ranging from 3.5 to 58 km s−1, and we vary the product of the mean density and the driving scale of the turbulence,

which determines the average temperature of the medium, from

to

cm−2. The turbulent Mach numbers of our simulations vary from

for the lowest velocity dispersion cases to

for the largest velocity dispersion cases. When

turbulent effects are minimal, and the species abundances are reasonably described as those of a uniform photoionized medium at a fixed temperature. On the other hand, when

dynamical simulations such as the ones carried out here are required to accurately predict the species abundances. We gather our results into a set of tables to allow future redshift zero studies of the intergalactic medium to account for turbulent effects.
HOT SUBDWARF STARS OBSERVED IN LAMOST DR1—ATMOSPHERIC PARAMETERS FROM SINGLE-LINED SPECTRA
Authors: Luo Yang-Ping , Németh Péter , Liu Chao , Deng Li-Cai , Han Zhan-Wen
Published: February 2016

We present a catalog of 166 spectroscopically identified hot subdwarf stars from LAMOST DR1, 44 of which show the characteristics of cool companions in their optical spectra. Atmospheric parameters of 122 subdwarf stars with non-composite spectra were measured by fitting the profiles of hydrogen (H) and helium (He) lines with synthetic spectra from non-LTE model atmospheres. Most of the sdB stars scatter near the Extreme Horizontal Branch in the T
eff–

diagram and two well defined groups can be outlined. A clustering of He-enriched sdO stars appears near T
eff = 45,000 K and log g = 5.8. The sdB population separates into several nearly parallel sequences in the T
eff–He abundance diagram with clumps corresponding to those in the T
eff–

diagram. Over 38,000 K (sdO) stars show abundance extremes; they are either He-rich or He-deficient and we observe only a few stars in the abundance range

. With increasing temperature these extremes become less prominent and the He abundance approaches log y ∼ −0.5. A unique property of our sample is that it covers a large range in apparent magnitude and galactic latitude, therefore it contains a mix of stars from different populations and galactic environments. Our results are consistent with the findings of Hirsch and we conclude that He-rich and He-deficient sdB stars (log y < 1) probably originate from different populations. We also find that most sdO and sdB stars lie in a narrow strip in the plane of luminosity and helium abundance, which suggests that these atmospheric parameters are correlated.
Detection of potentially creative students for informatics activity.
Authors: González Hernández Walfredo
Published: February 2016

Creativity development is one of the most important human features. It must be developed at universities. The creative development in informatics engineers for a computerization processes is very important for many countries. Forming an engineer with these qualities is important and their detection is of utmost importance.
Augmenting Mathematics Courses by Problem-Based Learning
Authors: Frank Martin , Roeckerrath C.
Published: February 2016

We describe a project that aims to motivate undergraduate engineering students to participate more in mathematics courses. Our approach shares characteristics of active, project-based and problem-based learning. We have developed interactive projects that deal with the mathematics behind real-world applications. In this paper, we describe one example project in detail, and discuss our guiding principles in designing projects. The projects are open in the sense that there are many possible solutions, and several possible follow-up questions. We use a MATLAB environment, which helps intuitive understanding of mathematical notions, lowers the barrier to programming, and provides many interfaces. Our activities are bundled in an education lab, which we also briefly describe. We conclude with an assessment of the impact of the supplementary courses.
The Creative Project: Design, Implementation, and Assessment
Authors: Larkin Teresa L
Published: February 2016

One of the primary objectives in most STEM classrooms is to provide educational experiences that will build and enhance students’ ability to think critically and to solve a wide set of different types of problems. To be competitive in the increasingly global society of the twenty-first century, scientists and engineers must often be able to innovate and “think outside the box” when solving a problem or designing a new tool or product. Within a typical STEM classroom, however, assignments often focus primarily on solving textbook-type problems that allow little room for innovation and creative thinking. While these textbook-type problems help students develop their critical thinking skills, they do little for helping them learn to think creatively and innovatively. There is a need for pedagogical activities that include a creative component that would all students to become creative and innovative thinkers. The objective of this paper is to showcase some examples of assessment activities that can be used to facilitate the creative component of student learning in a physics course. The course is entitled Changing Views of the Universe and is often taken by students to satisfy the university’s general education requirements towards graduation. The activities assessed in the course include reading quizzes, free-writing assignments, a short paper activity, a creative project, and a final exam. Emphasis will be placed on the design, implementation and assessment of the creative project activity which was first piloted in spring 2014. A discussion related to student perceptions of the activity will be included. In addition, a summary of some of the lessons learned during the implementation phase will be shared.
Deriving Habitat Models for Northern Long-Eared Bats from Historical Detection Data: A Case Study Using the Fernow Experimental Forest
Authors: Ford W. Mark , Silvis Alexander , Rodrigue Jane L. , Kniowski Andrew B. , Johnson Joshua B.
Published: February 2016

The listing of the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) as federally threatened under the Endangered Species Act following severe population declines from white-nose syndrome presents considerable challenges to natural resource managers. Because the northern long-eared bat is a forest habitat generalist, development of effective conservation measures will depend on appropriate understanding of its habitat relationships at individual locations. However, severely reduced population sizes make gathering data for such models difficult. As a result, historical data may be essential in development of habitat models. To date, there has been little evaluation of how effective historical bat presence data, such as data derived from mist-net captures, acoustic detection, and day-roost locations, may be in developing habitat models, nor is it clear how models created using different data sources may differ. We explored this issue by creating presence probability models for the northern long-eared bat on the Fernow Experimental Forest in the central Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia using a historical, presence-only data set. Each presence data type produced outputs that were dissimilar but that still corresponded with known traits of the northern long-eared bat or are easily explained in the context of the particular data collection protocol. However, our results also highlight potential limitations of individual data types. For example, models from mist-net capture data only showed high probability of presence along the dendritic network of riparian areas, an obvious artifact of sampling methodology. Development of ecological niche and presence models for northern long-eared bat populations could be highly valuable for resource managers going forward with this species. We caution, however, that efforts to create such models should consider the substantial limitations of models derived from historical data, and address model assumptions.
SOC Prediction Research of VRB Based on Elman Neural Network
Authors: Han Hang Xing , Wang Jin Quan , Chen Kai , Yan Hao Jie
Published: February 2016

As an important part of the micro-grid, the energy storage devices are playing an important role to stabilize power and energy fluctuations of micro-grid system, improve the stability and schedulability of the system and the quality of electricity. All-Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRB) has been more and more used because of its advantages on environmentally friendly, long cycle life, safety and reliability, achieving economies of scale energy storage and so on. State of Charge (SOC) prediction is an important part to the Power Control System (PCS) and Energy Management System (EMS) of the energy storage devices. This paper established a SOC prediction model of VRB based on Elman Neural Network because Neural Network has the characteristics of non-linear and self-learning to simulate external characteristic of VRB which is a highly non-linear system. Then we trained the Elman Neural Network with the experimental data. The result shows that this method has a high accuracy. By contrast with the BP neural network, the prediction is better than Back Propagation (BP)Neural Network.
Rethinking the Design of Embedded Control Circuit for 4 DOF Bilateral Arm Prosthesis
Authors: Khan Hana Amin , Fatima Urooj
Published: February 2016

Prosthetics has always been an area of interest for the researchers due to its rewarding outcomes for the amputees. The solutions are still under experimentation so that the dexterity could be improved, the efficiency could be increased and the price of prosthetics could be decreased. The prosthetic control of upper limb is quite effective in myoelectric category. The electromyographic (EMG) signals can easily be processed for movement of prosthetic upper limb. The work is done in myoelectric domain with embedded design of control circuit. The EMG signals from residual muscles are acquired using disposable electrodes and these signals are then fed into the amplifier. After amplification, controller differentiates between the signals for operating end motors resulting in prosthetic arm movements. With the simplified circuit consisting of minimum electronic components and smaller size, two degrees of freedom can also be effortlessly employed instead of four degrees of freedom which is sufficient for an amputee to do daily chores.
Research of Local Constraint for Simplified Half-Rotating Mechanism
Authors: Wang Xiao Yi , Zhang Yong Qiang , Wang Hui Xing , Dong Yin Ping , Qiu Zhi Zhen , Chen Fu Qiang
Published: February 2016

In order to meet the requirements of the bionic flying, traditional Half-Rotating Mechanism (HRM) should be simplified because its structure was too complex and heavy. The design idea of simplified HRM was firstly introduced in this paper. Simplified HRM could be achieved by adding a local constraint made of positioning slider and shaft with groove in the slider-crank mechanism. To make sure the movement of simplified HRM was smooth and reliable, relative motion characteristics of positioning slider in groove of shaft had been analyzed and the curve of shaft with groove had been designed. The key parameters, such as radius and center position of inner and outer arc, had been calculated. A case study based on Unigraphics software was finally given and different states of positioning slider in one running cycle had been shown. The study results indicated that the method of simplifying HRM was effective and design of local constraint was accurate. The above research would provide some helpful advices for HRM application.
Preliminary Analysis on Gas Economy of Hohhot Hybrid Bus
Authors: Dong Xue Qing , Zhang Shu Cheng , Gao Zhi Ying , Tian Rui , Ji Wei Dong , Gong Ya Qing , Yang Chao , Guan Fei
Published: February 2016

Hohhot is a typical high altitude and cold city. This paper combines the running condition of Hohhot bus, through contrasting the running data of the invested 200 hybrid buses and conventional bus in different running conditions, in order to find the different factors and change law which influence the gas economy of hybrid bus, and provide reference data for the further development on the new energy vehicles which is suitable for the high altitude and cold city.
A Preliminary Analysis of Reliability on the Operation of Hohhot Hybrid Bus
Authors: Gao Zhi Ying , Yang Chao , Tian Rui , Ji Wei Dong , Gong Ya Qing , Zhang Shu Cheng , Guan Fei
Published: February 2016

This paper analyzes the bus operation condition under the cold and high altitude city such as Hohhot in Inner Mongolia. According to the exist problems for 5 kinds of move buses, 4 different brands hybrid buses and a conventional bus, the reliability of the whole bus was analyzed. It wants to find the various factors impact on the bus reliability under different conditions. Thus, the properties of the hybrid bus can be improved, the fundamental data and experience for the large-scale production has been accumulated.
Effect of Zinc Pot Designs on Flow and Temperature Distribution in Hot-Dip Galvanizing Process
Authors: Jiang Guang Rui , Liu Li Bin , Teng Huang Xiang , Kong Fang Qing
Published: February 2016

s In this study, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to simulate the flow and temperature distribution in zinc pot of hot-dip galvanizing process. The flow and temperature distribution in a base-case zinc pot was compared to that in other two optimized zinc pots, one of which had a dam between ingot and snout and another one had a reduced heating power. The simulation shows that the dam impedes the flow of low temperature liquid zinc around zinc ingot to strip and increases the fluctuation of zinc level. By reducing the heating power, however, the fluctuation of zinc level could be suppressed.
X-Ray Diffraction and Barkhausen Noise Diagnostics of Thick Welds Prepared by Metal Active Gas and Laser Welding
Authors: Kolařík Kamil , Ganev Nikolaj , Trojan Karel , Řídký Ondřej , Zuzánek Lukáš , Čapek Jiří
Published: February 2016

Non-destructive methods for detection and measurement of residual stresses (RS) have been increasingly used in the last few years. The paper outlines the capability of Barkhausen noise analysis (BNA) for evaluation of real structure changes and RS on cross-section of welds due to welding of ferromagnetic plates compared with X-ray diffraction (XRD). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the RS distribution of specimens joined using by high power diode laser and metal active gas (MAG) welding that can be used for quantitative analysis of macro and micro level RS separately. The principal advantages of BNA over XRD as a tool for RS analysis and real structure characterisation are that it is mobile, faster with more facile carrying out and hence BNA is frequently used for continuous monitoring of RS in industrial processes.
Residual Stress Analysis of Austenitic Steel Designed for Nuclear Energetics in Surface Layers
Authors: Czan Andrej , Šajgalík Michal , Martikan Anton , Kuzdak Viktor
Published: February 2016

Monitoring of residual stresses in components can be useful in predicting damage incidences caused by workload over lifetime of components. Non-destructive measuring and evaluation of residual stresses and chemical properties of stainless steel sample and its possibility to affect functional properties of the material by using the X-ray diffraction has some advantages. Measured sample or part does not require special preparation or destruction and so it is capable to operate after measuring. This method also determines orientation of residual stress, so it is possible to identify absolute values of shear and normal stress with high accuracy.
Computer Aided Evaluation of the Stress Tensor in the Two-Dimensional Photoelasticity
Authors: Fojtík František , Ferfecki Petr , Paška Zbyněk
Published: February 2016

Photoelasticity is a whole field experimental technique for the measurement and visualizing of the stress and strains in the loaded members. This work is intended to create a unique procedure that allows the use of a computer aided technique in the evaluation of the measurement results. The specimens of the thin annular disk, the thin disk and the shaped beam were tested. The PATRAN program is used for the finite element solution of stress analysis in the investigated specimens. The excellent agreement is established between the results of experimental technique based on the created computer procedure and the results of numerical computations.
The Environment Influence on Bladed Steel during Operational Conditions
Authors: Janoušek Jaromír , Strejcius Josef , Hřeben Stanislav
Published: February 2016

The paper deals with a problem of stress crack initialization on surface of low pressure steam turbine blade during operational regime. The mention stress analysis together with described environment indicate procedure of experimental works. The other goals of research should lead to a concept of assessment methodology of resistance of moving blades against corrosion and technology increasing fatigue strength of blade steels using surface strengthening. A prototype of the moving blade of the low pressure stages of steam turbine with the increased corrosion resistance should be an output of developed efforts.
Load Capacity of Dynamically Loaded Gears with Different Case-Hardened Depth
Authors: Petr Karel
Published: February 2016

This article describes load capacity of dynamically loaded gears, more precisely describes the mechanical pulsation tests of carburized gears with different thickness of case-hardened depth and case-hardening technology, i.e. addition or removal of certain steps during the case-hardening process of the tooth flank and foot root. The comparison was made on six different process chemical-heat treatment, in two thicknesses of case-hardened depth and two pressure angles. Results are shown and compared in a Wöhler’s curve.
Mechanical Concepts for Simulation of Nonlinear Attachment of Engine on Aeroelastic Demonstrator
Authors: Čečrdle Jiří , Maleček Jaromír , Hlavatý Václav , Malínek Petr
Published: February 2016

The article is focused on the design and development of the system simulating nonlinear attachment of the engine on the aeroelastic demonstrator. The aim is at obtaining the nonlinear (i.e., amplitude dependent) modal characteristics of the engine pitch vibration mode. Three mechanical concepts were tested to simulate the incremental stiffness characteristic of the engine pitch attachment. The nonlinear demonstrator is utilized for research and development of the advanced methods for the identification of nonlinear modal parameters.
Stability of Glass Structural Elements Subjected to Bending
Authors: Horčičková Iva , Eliášová Martina
Published: February 2016

Glass has got important role in modern architecture not only because of its transparency, interior lighting and for aesthetical function but nowadays also more often for its load bearing function. Design of structural glass elements is limited by the lack of knowledge and standards, especially in case of stability problems of beams or columns. Slender glass beams with rectangular cross-section tend to fail because of instability.
Creep of GLT Beams during Four-Point Bending Test
Authors: Melzerová Lenka , Šejnoha Michal , Klapálek Pavel
Published: February 2016

The present work is concerned with the evaluation of creep deformation developed during the four-point bending test of glued laminated timber beams. In particular, three deflections (at the mid-span of the beam, and below the points of load application) were recorded for each tested beam. The time variation of deflections at 110 loading levels was examined in details for the set of five beams. It can be seen that the effect of creep covers about 10 – 20% of the overall strain. To proceed with numerical simulations requires, however, building first a reliable computational model that agrees well with purely elastic response of the beam. Thus additional measurements were carried out assuming a rather short hold period to eliminate the creep effects. The results were then compared with numerical simulations promoting the computational model to be used in more advanced simulations incorporating a suitable rheological model.
Critical Force Analysis of Thin-Walled Symmetrical Open-Section Beams
Authors: Šimić Penava Diana , Baniček Maja
Published: February 2016

This paper analyzes critical forces and stability of steel thin-walled C-cross-section beams without lateral restraints. Mechanical properties of the rods material are determined by testing standard specimens in a laboratory. Based on the obtained data, the stability analysis of rods is carried out and critical forces are determined: analytically by using the theory of thin-walled rods, numerically by using the finite element method (FEM), and experimentally by testing the C-cross-section beams. The analysis of critical forces and stability shows that the calculation according to the theory of thin-walled rods does not take the effect of local buckling into account, and that the resulting critical global forces do not correspond to the actual behaviour of the rod. The FEM analysis and experimental test show that the simplifications, which have been introduced into the theory of thin-walled rods with open cross-sections, significantly affect final results of the level of the critical force.
Sandwich Roof of the Bus – Fatigue and Strength Tests
Authors: Doubrava Karel , Novotný Ctirad
Published: February 2016

Lightweight and safe roof of the bus was solved within the MIT CR: FR-TI4/349 project. Several variants of sandwich roof were tested on samples in a prior period. Several errors of adhesive joints occurred during the production of the bus roof. Methyl methacrylate adhesive was tested with respect to the declared adhesive ability for arbitrary surfaces. Standardised shear test of the adhesive joints were made for tuning of the numerical model. The obtained parameters are used forthe numerical model of sandwich roof segment. Roof segments were loaded by four points bending and experimentally obtained data were compared with the results of numerical simulations. Several specimens were subjected to cyclic loading in order to get approximate fatigue life of tested variants.
Mechanical and Durability Properties of Selected Types of Sandstones
Authors: Reiterman Pavel , Holčapek Ondřej
Published: February 2016

Present paper is focused on the experimental assessment of three sandstones from different quarries. Mechanical testing was carried out besides water absorption test and determination of frost resistance what is the crucial material parameter for all types of porous rocks. Gradual deterioration due to action of frost was monitored using non-destructive testing – ultrasonic pulse method. Obtained results well describe failure mechanism of studied sandstones of different basic physical properties. It was conducted that main part of deterioration was performed at the beginning of the freeze-thaw cycling.
The Identification of Cracks Formed during the Spontaneous Drying and Hardening of Alkali-Activated Slag for Different Curing Times
Authors: Topolář Libor , Šimonová Hana , Pazdera Lubos
Published: February 2016

This paper reports the results of measurements during hardening and drying of specimens made of alkali activated slag mortars. The aim of this paper is introduce the effect of curing method and time on the microstructure of alkali activated slag mortars. An understanding of microstructure−performance relationships is the key to true understanding of material behaviour. The results obtained in the laboratory are useful to understand the various stages of micro-cracking activity during the hardening process in quasi-brittle materials such as alkali activated slag mortars and extend them for field applications.
Optical Fiber Sensor for Timber Structure Monitoring
Authors: Včelák Jan , Kuklík Petr , Zelený Richard , Velebil Lukas , Dvořák Milan , Demuth Jaroslav
Published: February 2016

The paper deals with the experimental analysis focused on the determination of strain in wooden building structures using optical fibers with FBG sensors. Firstly, optical fibers were used to measure displacements of layers and surface strain of the lower surface of the ceiling panels made from mechanically jointed cross laminated timber (CLT). The measured displacement values of the optical fibers were compared with the results obtained from the inductive displacement sensors. Secondly, optical fibers were used for long-term monitoring of the roof structure of the sports hall. The fibers were mounted on chords of timber trusses and their correct function was verified by a load test.
Effect of Reinforcement on Flexural Strength and Ductility of Gypsum-Based Composites with Recycled Wires from Automobile Tires
Authors: Tesárek Pavel , Trejbal Jan , Topič Jaroslav , Prošek Zdeněk , Nežerka Václav , Lidmila Martin
Published: February 2016

Gypsum, as well as cementitious materials, attains after hardening relatively high compressive strength, however its tensile (or flexural) strength is low. Therefore, it is often necessary to improve the tensile properties, such as strength and ductility, via suitable modifications or by adding reinforcement. Dispersed reinforcement appears to be quite suitable for most of the application, allowing to utilize waste products such as recycled wires from automobile tires or metal textiles etc. The presented study was focused on the influence of such reinforcement on the behavior of gypsum specimens, in particular on the flexural strength and ductility of the reinforced material.
3-D ESPI Measurements Applied to Selected Engineering Problems
Authors: Halama Radim , Horňáček Lukáš , Pečenka Luboš , Krejsa Martin , Šmach Jiří
Published: February 2016

The presented paper introduces the application of the Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) technique for measurements of contours of strains and stresses on 3-D surfaces. The paper focuses on three selected applications. Firstly, the methodology for determining the Poisson ratio of a material from tensile tests is described. Secondly, results of calibration verification of a biaxial extensometer used for measurements of shear strain in comparison with the ESPI measurements are presented. Finally, the experimental analysis of stresses in welds is discussed. As mentioned in the paper, the method is very useful for material testing, as well as for measurements on structural parts in service.
Testing Equipment Location on Springing Base Plate
Authors: Kohl Ondřej , Pešík Lubomír
Published: February 2016

When is the hydropulser running, is a source of broad-band vibrations. Removing these unfavourable influences, which act negatively on environment and especially on human beings, is by an elastic support possible. Rubber or air springs are inserted between the frame of the hydropulser and the floor. Under these conditions, the transmission of vibration transferred to the floor declines according to values of natural frequencies. In this paper are discussed two possibilities of base plate (base) support. Especially using of air springs shows high efficiency of vibration insulation springing base
Detecting uterine glandular lesions: Role of cervical cytology
Authors: Bansal Baneet , Gupta Parikshaa , Gupta Nalini , Rajwanshi Arvind , Suri Vanita
Published: February 2016

Background:

The sensitivity of cervical cytology for detection of glandular lesions is reported to be low. We conducted this study to assess the diagnostic accuracy of cervical Papanicolaou (Pap) smears for uterine glandular lesions and to compare the diagnostic utility of conventional and liquid-based cytology (LBC) smears for glandular lesions.

Materials and Methods:

Archived histopathology records of all cases reported as endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinoma in the study period were identified and the available corresponding Pap smears (in preceding 1 year) were retrieved. In addition, the Pap smears reported as glandular cell abnormalities (GCA) during the same study period were retrieved. The overall prevalence of GCA, sensitivity, and specificity of Pap smears for the detection of GCA was calculated. The diagnostic accuracy of conventional and LBC smears for the diagnosis of GCA was also compared.

Results:

The prevalence of GCA in our study was 0.32%. The overall specificity of Pap smears for the diagnosis of GCA was 60.8%, this was not significantly different between conventional and LBC smears (P= 0.4). The overall sensitivity of Pap smears for the detection of GCA was 41.8%; LBC smears had significantly better sensitivity as compared to conventional smears for the detection of endometrial as compared to endocervical adenocarcinoma (P< 0.05).

Conclusions:

The prevalence of GCA in Pap smears is low. The specificity of Pap smears, for diagnosis of GCA, was found to be moderate. However, the overall sensitivity of Pap smears for the detection of GCA was low, though better for LBC as compared to conventional smears.