bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GENDER-MARKED VOCATIVES IN DAGESTANI LANGUAGES
Authors: Mallaeva Zulaikhat Magomedovna , Ramazanova Zalina Magomedrashidovna
Published: May 2018

The article discusses the issues of gender-marked addresses (vocatives) in Dagestani languages. The authors analyze the system of addresses focused on people and based on gender relations. The semantic relevance of the choice of the address form is revealed. The gender-conditioned use of interjections is characteristic not only for Dagestani, but for all Caucasian languages. The research has shown that for some Dagestani languages gender marking is a feature of not only vocative but also reciprocal and emotional-expressive interjections expressing surprise or indignation.
SOMEONE ELSE’S IDEA IN THE FUNCTION OF INDIRECT INFLUENCE
Authors: Pilatova Valentina Nikolaevna
Published: May 2018

For the first time the article describes one of the cognitive methods of indirect influence on people’s vital activity. We consider those situations when a person becomes accidentally aware of someone else’s idea, and this circumstance entails changes in his/her life. The method of linguistic units identification makes it possible to reveal the characteristic features of the text components under study. The author comes to the conclusion that they include harmonious combination of universal social ideas and motivating sphere of the individual’s consciousness, high explicative valence of the text, the condensed form of presentation and the dominance of inner speech in the narrative. Finally, the paper notes that we are subjected to indirect influence on the part of the people, who possess ideas valuable for us, voluntarily and selectively.
PUNCTUATION AND GRAPHICAL ARRANGEMENT OF CHECHEN-LANGUAGE INTERNET COMMUNICATION
Authors: Saidova Zareta Elesovna
Published: May 2018

The article is devoted to analyzing the peculiarities of punctuation and graphical arrangement of Chechen-language Internet communication. The author examines the most frequent for Internet communication punctuation marks, such as dots, unpaired brackets. Special attention is paid to the usage of capital letters for accentuating the statement. The paper considers emotional-expressive usage of punctuation and graphical means, their communicative potential in the Internet discourse. Summarizing the research findings the author emphasizes that changes in punctuation and graphical arrangement of the text are conditioned by communicants’ need for emotional-expressive self-expression.
STRUCTURE-COMPONENT AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MODERN ENGLISH PHRASEOLOGICAL FUND (BY THE MATERIAL OF POPULAR SCIENCE MEDICAL AND HEALTH-IMPROVING DISCOURSE)
Authors: Sardalova Luiza Ramzanovna
Published: May 2018

The article deals with the features of the representative potential of phraseological units in the framework of the modern English popular science medical and health-improving discourse. Special attention is paid to the functional-discursive and structure-component aspects of the presented phenomenon study. Two main groups of phraseological units are singled out: unmodified and modified. The latter group is divided into subgroups (addition; dissolution; substitution; contraction; conversion; dissolution + conversion; dissolution + contraction; blending + conversion). In each subgroup, the functions specific to phraseological units in the analyzed discourse are identified.
ADVERBIAL MODIFIERS WITH FACILITATIVE MEANING IN THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Authors: Chironov Sergei Vladimirovich
Published: May 2018

The article examines the basic adverbial means of expressing the ease of action in the Japanese language (facilitative) in connection with other means, with which they constitute relations of syntactic synonymy. On the basis of the corpus data of use the author shows that adverbials of the ease of action transmit a compact circle of specifying meanings (properties of the action, the subject, and also nature of resistance / obstacle overcome). Besides, in the role of intensifiers and deintensifiers they also serve the “mirror” meaning of the action difficulty.
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR INFORMAL ACADEMIC INTERACTION AS CONTROL OBJECT
Authors: Penkina Mariya Vladimirovna
Published: May 2018

The article discusses the topical issues of designing a model of intra-university control of the level of intercultural communication skills development in the context of preparing master’s degree students of linguistic specialties to participate in informal intercultural academic communication. As a result of the linguo-didactical description of the small talk as one of the genres of informal intercultural communication in academic environment, the methodological classification of necessary macro- and micro-skills is highlighted. The author gives the results of diagnosing the level of their formedness as well.
DYNAMICS OF THE KABARDIAN CHILDREN’S POETRY DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Bozieva Naima Borisovna
Published: May 2018

The article deals with a question that is little studied in the Kabardian literary criticism: children’s poetry by the example of the creativity of early, intermediate and modern authors; the dynamics of the formation and development of poetics, the genre features of literature for children, which can be considered as the main determining direction in the context of the literary process. The paper concludes that children’s literature is a subsystem of literature characterized by special formal-meaningful and functional features. It also demonstrates the correlation of the current stage in the development of the Kabardian children’s poetry with the ideological dominants of previous periods, the rearrangement of thematic emphases of poetry for children.
INTRODUCCIÓN AL DOSSIER. APORTES AL DEBATE DE ENFOQUES Y MÉTODOS DE INVESTIGACIÓN SOCIAL
Authors: Benítez María Andrea
Published: May 2018

Pese a ser un campo consolidado de estudios a nivel internacional y nacional, la discusión epistemológica y metodológica es aún un ámbito emergente en nuestra región. La problematización sobre cómo se construye conocimiento y los posicionamientos epistemológicos de los que derivan métodos, técnicas y procedimientos ha quedado subordinada a la obtención de resultados de la investigación, primando siempre la ponderación de los hallazgos. Ello puede observarse repasando las publicaciones científicas y actas de congresos realizados en la región en Ciencias Sociales, en los últimos años.
LOS PROBLEMAS DE LA INVESTIGACIÓN COMPARATIVA SOBRE LA SEGURIDAD SOCIAL EN LA ARGENTINA (2003-2015)
Authors: Hintze Susana , Danani Claudia
Published: May 2018

La investigación comparativa, su potencialidad y las restricciones que enfrenta en nuestro país son analizadas tomando como base un estudio sobre la seguridad social entre 2003 y 20015 en la Argentina. El artículo intenta reflexionar sobre tales cuestiones a partir de la comparación de la protección que el nivel nacional y los respectivos sistemas provinciales brindan a los adultos mayores y niños, niñas y adolescentes de Buenos Aires, Córdoba y Neuquén a través de dos componentes: el sistema previsional y el de asignaciones familiares. Con la finalidad de poner en contexto la reflexión, comienza presentando el objeto y objetivo del estudio, luego se centra en el encuadre conceptual y algunas decisiones metodológicas relevantes en términos de criterios básicos del análisis comparativo para concluir con los problemas metodológicos afrontados a lo largo de la investigación, destacando –pese a lo anterior– los aportes del trabajo comparativo.
CONFIGURACIONES MILITANTES CONTEMPORÁNEAS. UNA PROPUESTA METODOLÓGICA PARA PENSAR EL COMPROMISO POLÍTICO
Authors: Aiziczon Fernando
Published: May 2018

En este artículo proponemos una manera posible de pensar la militancia política en su vínculo con el problema del compromiso político y la acción. Luego de presentar estas relaciones, problematizamos la idea de configuraciones militantes, sugiriendo parámetros de referencia aplicables al caso de la militancia de izquierdas en la Argentina contemporánea e interrogando sobre los quiebres y continuidades que habilitan el despliegue de formas de militancia en determinados contextos históricos. Trabajamos sobre la hipótesis de que el debate reciente sobre la violencia revolucionaria en las organizaciones político-militares de los años sesenta-setenta, superpuesto con las discusiones emergentes tras la crisis sociopolítica de 2001, señalarían las condiciones de posibilidad para la emergencia de una nueva configuración militante de carácter transicional en la época actual.
EL LUGAR DE LA TEORÍA EN LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DEL OBJETO DE INVESTIGACIÓN. DECISIONES TEÓRICAS QUE INVOLUCRAN UN CAMBIO EPISTEMOLÓGICO
Authors: Di Matteo Demirdjian María Florencia
Published: May 2018

Este artículo analiza los cambios teóricos acontecidos en una investigación sobre la evaluación de los aprendizajes en la formación pre profesional universitaria, y focaliza en la relación entre esos cambios y la definición de las preguntas de investigación. Inicialmente, el diseño del estudio empírico partió de interrogantes centrados en aspectos técnico-estructurales de la tarea de evaluación, en su vinculación con la formación para la profesión en la universidad y en una perspectiva basada en los aspectos cognitivos del proceso de aprendizaje. A partir del proceso de lectura de antecedentes y de marcos teóricos diferentes de los contemplados hasta ese momento, se complejizó la mirada sobre el objeto de estudio tomando tres dimensiones: socio-profesional, pedagógica-didáctica y del sujeto de la formación. Desde los enfoques de la complejidad y de multirreferencialidad teórica adoptados, desarrollamos esas dimensiones en relación con la redefinición de las preguntas de investigación.
Measuring the bioactivity of phytocannabinoid cannabidiol from cannabis sources, and a novel non-cannabis source
Authors: Joseph Bomi , Cushing Donish , Shastri Ravi
Published: May 2018

Phytocannabinoid Cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to elicit a great many immunological benefits. It acts on the endocannabinoid system, namely through interactions with cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2). CBD-CB2 affinity, which we refer to as bioactivity, is rarely tested for clinical samples. We believe that uncontrolled variation in bioactivity levels have been silently confounding many CBD experiments. In our four-part study, we validate an efficient bioactivity test that can enable greater scientific control over CBD studies. We use it to compare the bioactivity of CBD obtained from different plant organs, and we also studied whether processing methods play a role in determining bioactivity. We also examine the bioactivity and processing factors of a novel non-cannabis plant capable of producing CBD in commercial quantities, named Humulus Kriya (H. Kriya, U.S. Patent No. 15/932,529, 2018). We also test the bioactivity of some CBD isolates/extracts currently sold in the market, and compare them with a CBD product called ImmunAG, which was extracted from the inflorescence of H. Kriya. We find that the CBD from the inflorescence of the plant produces the highest bioactivity, followed by the apical buds/leaves, the petioles, and finally the stalk. We find that H. Kriya has a bioactivity profile similar to Cannabis Sativa. We find that the bioactivity levels among cannabis-based commercial CBD products are quite low, and variable. We find significantly higher bioactivity levels in ImmunAG.
Naṣībīn/Nusaybin Bīmāristānı tarihine bir katkı
Authors: ACIDUMAN Ahmet , AKSU Murat
Published: May 2018

Anadolu’da inşa edilen ve varlığını ancak
yazılı kaynaklardan öğrendiğimiz hastanelerden birisi Nusaybin’de tesis
edilmiştir. Aḥmed ʿĪsā Beg Tārīḫu’l-Bīmāristānāt fī’l-İslām adlı eserinde İbn
Baṭṭūta Seyahatnamesi’ni referans göstererek Bīmāristān-ı Naṣībīn başlığı
altında XIV. yüzyılda Nusaybin’de bir hastane bulunduğunu haber vermektedir ve
literatürdeki pek çok çalışmada da Nusaybin hastanesiyle ilgili olarak yalnızca
bu bilgiye atıf yapılmaktadır. Araştırmalarımız sırasında karşılaşılan bazı
yeni bilgiler ışığında Naṣībīn/Nusaybin Bīmāristānı tarihi hakkında Türk tıp
tarihi literatüründe yer alan bilgileri tamamlayıcı bir değerlendirmenin
yapılması bu çalışmanın amacıdır. Bu araştırmada Naṣībīn/Nusaybin Bīmāristānı
hakkında bilgi içeren birincil kaynaklar saptanmış, bu kaynakların incelenmesi
ile elde edilen Naṣībīn/Nusaybin Bīmāristānı ile ilgili bilgiler yazının
“bulgular” bölümünde verilmiş ve sonra literatür eşliğinde tartışılmıştır. Naṣībīn/Nusaybin
Bīmāristānı Büyük Selçuklu İmparatorluğu zamanında Musul Atabegliği Veziri
Cemālu’d-dīn tarafından yaptırılmıştır. İbn Cübeyr ve İbn Baṭṭūṭa,
seyahatnamelerinde, sırasıyla 1184 ve 1327 tarihlerinde bu hastanenin
varlığından söz etmektedirler. Evliya Çelebi’nin seyahatnamesinde ise Nusaybin
Hastanesi hakkında hiçbir bilgi bulunmamaktadır. İbnu’l-Ezrāḳ’ın Tārīḫ-i
Meyyāfāriḳīn ve Āmid adlı eserinin Vezīr Cemālu’d-dīn’in Naṣībīn Bīmāristān’ın
banisi olduğunu kaydeden halen tek eser olduğu görülmektedir.
Walter Benjamin'de Tipler, İmge ve Deneyim
Authors: Ümer Engin
Published: May 2018

Modernite,
deneyimin tehlikeye girmesidir. Bu tehlike deneyimin otantik benliği besleyen
bilme, eyleme ve tat alma yetilerinin başkalaşmasıdır. Bu başkalık toplumsal
biraradalığın kalmaması, doğa ile birey arasındaki mesafenin artması, deneyimin
araçsallaşması gibi bir dizi semptomla anlaşılabilir. Walter Benjamin bu perspektifi
güçlü bir şekilde kurmuş ve modernliğin sonuçları ve onların nasıl aşılması
gerektiği konusunda düşünmüş isimlerdendir. Bu çalışma günümüzde Benjamin’in
önerilerini düşünmeyi amaçlamıştır. Benjamin’in yaşamının izinde düşüncesinin
önemli figürlerini (çocuk, koleksiyoncu, hikâye anlatıcısı, flaneur, üretici
olarak yazar) ele alan çalışma devam eden kısımlarda fotoğraf ve sinema
deneyimine yer vermektedir. Temel sorun insanın kendi varoluşunun tehlikeye
girdiği bir rüyayı yaşamasıdır. Buna karşılık imgeler yabancılaştırıcı
teknikler kullanılarak bu rüyayı dönüştürme gücünü elinde tutmaktadır. Benjamin
bu düşünceyi savunmuş ve son dönem eserlerinde sanat yapıtının teknolojiyle
olan dönüşümünü konu edilmiştir. İmgenin deneyimde açtığı genişleme ve imkânlar
üzerine Benjamin’in olumlu bakış açısı günümüzde kimi sanat stratejilerinde
güncelliğini korumaktadır. Ancak Benjamin’in arzuladığı dönüştürücü güçlerden
de yoksundurlar. Bunun nedeninin ‘çocukluğun kaybedilmesi’, çocukluğun
deneyimden elini ayağını çekmesi olduğu bu çalışmada iddia edilmektedir.
İdeolojilerin sonu (iddiasından) sonra kültürün çocukluğu düzenlemeye devam etmesi,
deneyimin enformasyona dönüşmesi Benjaminci devrim düşüncesinden uzakta
olduğumuzu göstermektedir.
Pengaruh Bauran Pemasaran terhadap Keputusan Mengunjungi Festival Cap Go Meh di Singkawang
Authors: Rizkiyah Putri , Nursiana Adinoto , Ingkadijaya Rahmat
Published: May 2018

ABSTRAKFestival Budaya Cap Go Meh yang diselenggarakan di Kota Singkawang merupakan festival budaya tahunan yang diselenggarakan pada hari kelima belas setelah perayaan Tahun Baru Cina (Imlek). Pada tahun 2016 tingkat kunjungan wisatawan menurun dari tahun-tahun sebelumnya yang mengakibatkan tidak tercapainya target yang ditetapkan pemerintah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk (1) mengidentifikasi profil atau karakteristik wisatawan domestik maupun mancanegara yang mengunjungi festival budaya Cap Go Meh di kota Singkawang, dan (2) mengetahui sejauhmana pengaruh unsur-unsur bauran promosi terhadap keputusan wisatawan mengunjungi festival budaya tersebut. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode survei, dengan menyebarkan kuesioner kepada 200 responden. Data dianalisis dengan menggunakan regresi linier berganda. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa secara simultan, bauran pemasaran berpengaruh signifikan terhadap keputusan wisatawan mengunjungi Festival Budaya Cap Go Meh di Kota Singkawang, namun secara parsial hanya terdapat satu variabel yang berpengaruh yaitu variabel proses.Kata kunci: Bauran pemasaran, keputusan wisatawan, wisata budaya, festival cap go meh ABSTRACTThe Cap Go Meh Cultural Festival held in Singkawang City is an annual cultural festival held on the fifteenth day after the Chinese New Year celebration (Imlek).  By 2016 the level of tourist arrivals decreased from previous years which resulted in the government's failure to achieve targets. This study aims to (1) identify the profile or characteristics of domestic and foreign tourists who visit the cultural festival Cap Go Meh in Singkawang city, and (2) find out how far the influence of promotion mix elements to the decision of tourists visiting the festival culture. The method used is survey method, by distributing questionnaires to 200 respondents. Data were analyzed by using multiple linear regression. The results showed that simultaneously, the marketing mix significantly influence the decision of tourists visiting Cap Go Meh Cultural Festival in Singkawang city, but partially there is only one influential variable that is process variable.Keywords: Marketing mix, tourist decision, cultural tourism, cap go meh festival
Optimalisasi Manajemen Kenyaman Wisata di Rumah Makan Saung Sobat, Garut
Authors: Suryana Suryana
Published: May 2018

ABSTRAK Optimalisasi Manajemen Kenyamanan Wisata di rumah makan Saung Sobat merupakan hasil penelitian bidang manajemen pariwisata dalam paparan kualitatif deskriptif. Manajemen Kenyamanan Wisata adalah salahsatu hal yang utama dalam pelayanan pariwisata. Rumah makan Saung Sobat berusaha melakukan optimalisasi manajemen kenyamanan wisata dalam pelayannannya yang sudah berjalan selama beberapa tahun. Hal ini dibuktikan dengan penyajian pelayanan dengan optimalisasi manajemen kenyamanan wisata bahkan keamanan bagi para pengunjung yang direalisasikan dalam berbagai hal seperti letak restauran yang strategis, tata letak area parkir, ruang makan indoor dan outdoor yang berupa saung-saung yang terletak diatas kolam dan dekat dengan area parkir yang membuat para tamu merasakan kenyamanan dan juga disajikan sisi lain yaitu live music sebagi hiburan dan penambah kenyamanan berada didalam rumah makan beserta keramahan khas daerah Prahyangan. Itulah wujud dari implementasi optimalisasi manajemen kenyamanan wisata dalam pelayanan sebuah restauran, Rumah Makan Saung Sobat, Garut. Kata Kunci : Optimalisasi, Kenyamanan Wisata, Kualitas Pelayanan ABSTRACT The Optimal Tourism Comfortability Management at Rumah Makan Saung Sobat is the result of a tourism management research in qualitative-descrptive method. The management of tourism comfortability is a prime point in tourism service. Rumah makan Saung Sobat tries to optimize the management of tourism comfortability in it services having been operated in years. It is proved in serviec operation by optimizing mangement of tourism comforability plus safety service for the customers realizing in variuos such as the strategic restaurant location, parking area position, indoor dinningroom and outdoor denoting samll bamboo houses located on ponds near parking area that can make the customers feel comfortable and the other side is live music as amusement adding comfortability being in the restaurant with the regional cordiality of Parahyangan. It is the realization of the tourism comfortability management optimizing in the service of a Restaurant, Rumah Makan Saung Sobat. Key Words : Optimizing, Tourism Comfortability, Service Quality
Planar waveguides produced by implanting Si and C ions in rutile
Authors: Mejía Morales Julián , Flores-Romero Erick , Trejo Luna Rebeca , Rickards Jorge
Published: May 2018

Planar waveguides were generated in samples of rutile crystal (TiO2) by bombarding with two typesof ion: silicon and carbon. Rutile is used because of its anisotropic properties, particularly its birefrin-gence. The guide is generated due to damage caused by the ions in the crystal which change its index ofrefraction. Three parameters were used: the implantation ion energy, the implantation uence, and theorientation of the crystallographic planes. The refractive index prole of the irradiated sample was cal-culated and together with the value of the optical barrier the comparison was made between the dierentwaveguides generated.
Teaching Tip: A Method for Evaluating Learning Evidence when Using Cumulative Final Examinations
Authors: Royal Kenneth
Published: May 2018

Cumulative final examinations create a unique opportunity to investigate repeated-measures of an examinee's performance. This article outlines a framework for evaluating authentic learning evidence when presented with repeated measurement opportunities. The article explains how to apply the framework, including how to conduct the procedure using Microsoft Excel. Others are encouraged to adopt this framework when appropriate to evaluate authentic learning evidence.
Foule d’hier et populisme d’aujourd’hui
Authors: Bosc Olivier
Published: May 2018

L’émergence de la question des foules, au tournant du XIXe siècle, et plus spécifiquement la contribution de l’école italienne de criminologie et les travaux de Scipio Sighele (1868-1913), forment un moment clé de l’émergence de la modernité politique. La foule criminelle devient, contre toute attente, protagoniste social et politique dans des modalités aussi distinctes et divergentes que l’irrédentisme politique ou le syndicalisme révolutionnaire en Italie, l’élitisme républicain ou le mouvement des intellectuels en France. Mais ce moment « foule » n’appartient plus simplement à l’histoire. Confronté aux populismes historiques et situés, mais surtout relié à l’émergence contemporaine des néo-populismes, il éclaire d’un jour nouveau ces phénomènes. Car c’est bien sous ces auspices que s’opère aujourd’hui le retour des foules, c’est-à-dire du peuple, du populisme. Et c’est une percée dans un domaine où les travaux théorétiques, à l’exception notable de ceux d’Ernesto Laclau, achoppent sur la notion toujours floue et fuyante de populisme.
Histoire et mémoire
Authors: Burguière André
Published: May 2018

L’effacement de l’Avenir dû à la crise de l’idée de Progrès et la requalification du passé en patrimoine depuis les années 1980 ont accompagné l’ascension d’une nouvelle valeur : la Mémoire. L’histoire positiviste se méfiait de la mémoire collective. Sa réhabilitation comme source de la connaissance historique est venue de « minorités » (peuples colonisés, classes populaires, etc..) désireuses d’échapper à la domination idéologique des classes dirigeantes. Le succès des Lieux de Mémoire de Pierre Nora marque l’adhésion du monde savant ainsi que du grand public à cette vision à la fois patrimoniale et critique de notre relation au passé. Car cette adhésion est ambivalente. Le grand public parcourt l’ouvrage avec émotion comme un album de photos de famille. Les historiens y voient un biais pour remplacer l’ambition de construire un savoir objectif par celle d’un exercice personnel d’écriture.

Pierre Nora avait remis à l’honneur les idées de Maurice Halbwachs sur la mémoire collective pour penser les représentations politiques. Chaque époque remanie son imaginaire national. Ce qu’on appelle l’histoire nationale n’est que l’addition de ces remaniements successifs. Mais si l’historien aspire à être plus qu’un simple fabuliste, il doit s’interroger sur les processus sociaux qui ont produit nos récits nationaux. Il doit questionner cette mémoire accumulée, non se borner à la réciter.
Quelle relance pour l’Europe ? ou comment dés-enliser le phénix européen
Authors: Ferry Jean-Marc
Published: May 2018

« Relancer le projet européen », « refonder l’Union européenne », ces mots d’ordre traduisent l’actualité du malaise. La crise technique de gouvernance économique s’analyse aussi bien comme une crise éthique de coresponsabilité et de solidarité politiques, et l’on en vient à redouter une crise de légitimation du projet européen lui-même. Est au cœur du problème le verrouillage du système mis en place avec la zone euro. Seule une révision de ses présupposés semble pouvoir libérer la perspective d’une véritable union politique.
Introduction
Authors: Goldhammer Arthur , Sawyer Stephen W.
Published: May 2018

Should the institutional structure of the EU be altered to create a European state? People often think of the sovereign states of Europe in opposition to the European Union. However, if we think of Europe not as a on the model of a Weberian, Liberal or Fiscal-military nation-state but rather as a “democratic state” of a new kind, it may be possible to write a more satisfying history of the European project.
Morphologic Properties, Texture Transformations and Optical Refracting Properties: Aqueous Bicomponent Amphiphilic Lyotropic Systems
Authors: Nesrullajev Arif , Altınay Yasemin
Published: May 2018

The mesomorphic, morphologic and optical refracting properties of the bicomponent amphiphilic lyotropic systems have been investigated. Five amphiphiles with various concentration combinations as cationic – cationic, anionic – anionic and cationic – anionic lyotropic mixtures have been used for preparation of lyotropic systems. The mixtures were prepared with a constant (amphiphile1 + amphiphile2)/water concentration ratio. Isotropic lyotropic phase and hexagonal and lamellar lyotropic mesophases have been found in lyotropic systems under investigations. Dynamics of change of the magneto-morphologic properties vs. time, character of the heterophase regions of the mesophase – isotropic liquid phase transitions and temperature dependencies of the optical refracting properties of these bicomponent amphiphilic lyotropic systems have been investigated.
Variation of Agronomic Traits of Ravenna Grass and Its Potential as a Biomass Crop
Authors: Springer Tim L.
Published: May 2018

Ravenna grass (Tripidium ravennae) is a tall robust bunchgrass with potential as an energy crop. The aim was to investigate the variation of agronomic traits of Ravenna grass. Univariate analyses of traits were conducted on 95 plants from 2013 to 2017. The traits were: biomass yield per plant; C, N, and ash concentrations; leaf and culm sap sucrose concentrations; percentage seed set, and the number of caryopses per panicle. In 2013, the biomass yield averaged 0.21 ± 0.09 kg per plant (mean ± the standard deviation). In 2014 to 2017, the yield averaged from 3.9 ± 0.8 kg per plant to 7.5 ± 1.8 kg per plant. Carbon concentration was generally higher than other energy crops, while N and ash concentrations were generally lower. Leaf sap sucrose ranged from 24.4 ± 4.6 g kg−1 in 2016 to 41.6 ± 7.6 g kg−1 in 2013. Culm sap sucrose varied from approximately 1.6 to 2.1 times that of leaf sap depending upon the harvest year. The percentage seed set varied between years ranging from 37.2 ± 12.4% to 56.6 ± 9.8%, and the mean number of caryopses per panicle varied from 4,770 ± 2,000 to 11,470 ± 3,075.
Preparation of Macroporous PEK-C Powders with Chemically Linked Ionic Liquids as Catalyst and Kinetics Study of Biomass
Authors: Lu Peng , Cao Yong , Wang Xiaolan
Published: May 2018

Macroporous cardo polyetherketone (PEK-C) powder catalyst bearing covalently ionic liquids (PEK-C-ILs) was prepared, it exhibited a high catalytic performance for biomass hydrolysis. A hydrolysis mechanism of inulin over this new catalyst was proposed as well. The influences of degree of chloromethylation of PEK-C, catalyst dosage, reaction temperature, pore size of PEK-C-ILs and inulin concentration were investigated. A high conversion of inulin of 99.7% was obtained under the optimal reaction conditions. Meanwhile, the hydrolysis kinetics was studied under different conditions. The proposed kinetic model of inulin hydrolysis catalyzed by PEK-C-ILs was established and it successfully predicted the inulin hydrolysis in wider ranges of experimental conditions. The results demonstrated that the catalytic inulin hydrolysis performance of PEK-C-ILs is better than that of homogenous ILs due to that there was a high-density spatial distribution of active sites on the surface and inner pore wall of PEK-C after the ILs was immobilized. Furthermore, the stability including chemical structure and physical appearance and reusability tests showed that PEK-C-ILs catalyst could be effectively separated and recovered from hydrolysates and has excellent reusability. Importantly, using the PEK-C-ILs as catalyst makes the recycling of ILs simplified, efficient and the hydrolysis process more economical. At the same time, it avoided the potential hazards of homogenous ILs to the environment. Therefore, it is a kind of green catalyst with potential application prospect in many catalysis fields.
Recent Developments in Mechanical Engineering
Authors: Berto Filippo
Published: May 2018

Welcome to the section Mechanical Engineering in Applied Sciences.[...]
A Review of Community Smoke Exposure from Wildfire Compared to Prescribed Fire in the United States
Authors: Navarro Kathleen M. , Schweizer Don , Balmes John R. , Cisneros Ricardo
Published: May 2018

Prescribed fire, intentionally ignited low-intensity fires, and managed wildfires—wildfires that are allowed to burn for land management benefit—could be used as a land management tool to create forests that are resilient to wildland fire. This could lead to fewer large catastrophic wildfires in the future. However, we must consider the public health impacts of the smoke that is emitted from wildland and prescribed fire. The objective of this synthesis is to examine the differences in ambient community-level exposures to particulate matter (PM2.5) from smoke in the United States in relation to two smoke exposure scenarios—wildfire fire and prescribed fire. A systematic search was conducted to identify scientific papers to be included in this review. The Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed, for scientific papers, and Google Scholar were used to identify any grey literature or reports to be included in this review. Sixteen studies that examined particulate matter exposure from smoke were identified for this synthesis—nine wildland fire studies and seven prescribed fire studies. PM2.5 concentrations from wildfire smoke were found to be significantly lower than reported PM2.5 concentrations from prescribed fire smoke. Wildfire studies focused on assessing air quality impacts to communities that were nearby fires and urban centers that were far from wildfires. However, the prescribed fire studies used air monitoring methods that focused on characterizing exposures and emissions directly from, and next to, the burns. This review highlights a need for a better understanding of wildfire smoke impact over the landscape. It is essential for properly assessing population exposure to smoke from different fire types.
Comparative Analysis of Zearalenone Effects on Thyroid Receptor Alpha (TRα) and Beta (TRβ) Expression in Rat Primary Cerebellar Cell Cultures
Authors: Kiss David , Ioja Eniko , Toth Istvan , Barany Zoltan , Jocsak Gergely , Bartha Tibor , Horvath Tamas , Zsarnovszky Attila
Published: May 2018

Thyroid receptors play an important role in postnatal brain development. Zearalenone (ZEN), a major mycotoxin of Fusarium fungi, is well known to cause serious health problems in animals and humans through various mechanisms, including the physiological pathways of thyroid hormone (TH). In the present study, we aimed to investigate the expression of thyroid receptors α (TRα) and β (TRβ) in primary cerebellar neurons in the presence or absence of glia and following ZEN treatment, using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. Primary cerebellar granule cells were treated with low doses of ZEN (0.1 nM) in combination with physiologically relevant concentrations of l-thyroxine (T4), 3,3′,5-triiodo-l-thyronine (T3) and 17β-estradiol (E2). Expression levels of TRα and TRβ at mRNA and protein levels were slightly modified by ZEN administered alone; however, along with thyroid and steroid hormones, modelling the physiological conditions, expression levels of TRs varied highly depending on the given treatment. Gene expression levels were also highly modulated by the presence or absence of glial cells, with mostly contrasting effects. Our results demonstrate divergent transcriptional and translational mechanisms involved in the expression of TRs implied by ZEN and hormonal milieu, as well as culturing conditions.
Role of Venous Sampling in the Diagnosis of Endocrine Disorders
Authors: England Ryan , Geer Eliza , Deipolyi Amy
Published: May 2018

Venous sampling is the gold standard for localizing abnormal hormone secretion in several endocrine disorders. The most common indication for venous sampling is in the workup of primary aldosteronism, adrenocorticotropic hormone-dependent Cushing’s syndrome, and hyperparathyroidism. In experienced hands, venous sampling is safe and accurate. This review discusses the role of venous sampling in the workup of endocrine disease, describing the underlying anatomy and pathophysiology, as an understanding of these concepts is essential for technical and clinical success.
Applications of Laboratory-Based Phase-Contrast Imaging Using Speckle Tracking Technique towards High Energy X-Rays
Authors: Zhou Tunhe , Yang Fei , Kaufmann Rolf , Wang Hongchang
Published: May 2018

The recently developed speckle-based technique is a promising candidate for laboratory-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging due to its compatibility with polychromatic X-rays, multi-modality and flexibility. Previously, successful implementations of the method on laboratory systems have been shown mostly with energies less than 20 keV on samples with materials like soft tissues or polymer. Higher energy X-rays are needed for penetrating materials with a higher atomic number or that are thicker in size. A first demonstration using high energy X-rays was recently given. Here, we present more potential application examples, i.e., a multi-contrast imaging of an IC chip and a phase tomography of a mortar sample, at an average photon energy of 40 keV using a laboratory X-ray tube. We believe the results demonstrate the applicability of this technique in a wide range of fields for non-destructive examination in industry and material science.
An Effective Modelling Approach to Support Probabilistic Flood Forecasting in Coastal Cities—Case Study: Can Tho, Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Authors: Ngo Hieu , Pathirana Assela , Zevenbergen Chris , Ranasinghe Roshanka
Published: May 2018

Probabilistic flood forecasting requires flood models that are simple and fast. Many of the modelling applications in the literature tend to be complex and slow, making them unsuitable for probabilistic applications which require thousands of individual simulations. This article focusses on the development of such a modelling approach to support probabilistic assessment of flood hazards, while accounting for forcing and system uncertainty. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of using the open-source SWMM (Storm Water Management Model), focussing on Can Tho city, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. SWMM is a dynamic rainfall-runoff simulation model which is generally used for single event or long-term (continuous) simulation of runoff quantity and quality and its application for probabilistic riverflow modelling is atypical. In this study, a detailed SWMM model of the entire Mekong Delta was built based on an existing ISIS model containing 575 nodes and 592 links of the same study area. The detailed SWMM model was then systematically reduced by strategically removing nodes and links to eventually arrive at a level of detail that provides sufficiently accurate predictions of water levels for Can Tho for the purpose of simulating urban flooding, which is the target diagnostic of this study. After a comprehensive assessment (based on trials with the varying levels of complexity), a much reduced SWMM model comprising 37 nodes and 40 links was determined to be able to provide a sufficiently accurate result while being fast enough to support probabilistic future flood forecasting and, further, to support flood risk reduction management.
Enrichment and Purification of Total Ginkgo Flavonoid O-Glycosides from Ginkgo Biloba Extract with Macroporous Resin and Evaluation of Anti-Inflammation Activities In Vitro
Authors: Zhang Lihu , Wu Tingting , Xiao Wei , Wang Zhenzhong , Ding Gang , Zhao Linguo
Published: May 2018

In the present study, the performance and separation characteristics of six macroporous resins for the enrichment and purification of total ginkgo flavonoid O-glycosides (TGFs) (quercetin (I), kaempferol (II), isorhamnetin (III)) from Ginkgo Biloba extracts (EGB) are evaluated. The adsorption and desorption properties of TGFs are studied on macroporous resins, including D101, D201, AB-8, HPD400, D301, and D311. Along with the results, AB-8 resin exhibits the best adsorption and desorption capacity for these three ginkgo flavonoid O-glycosides among the six resins. Adsorption isotherms are created on AB-8 resin and fit well to the Langmuir (R2 > 0.96) and Freundlich (R2 > 0.92, 0.3 < 1/n < 0.7) models. After the treatment with gradient elution on AB-8 resin packed chromatography column, the contents of the three main ginkgo flavonoid O-glycosides (I, II, and III) increase from 8.93%, 9.88%, and 6.11% in the extracts to 30.12%, 35.21%, and 14.14%, respectively, in the product. The recoveries of compounds I, II, and III are 88.76%, 93.78%, and 60.90%, respectively. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory effects of TGFs are evaluated in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages, and the result demonstrates that TGFs could significantly inhibit LPS-induced NO release in vitro in a dose-dependent manner compared with the control group. These findings suggest that TGFs could potentially be natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients that could be used in pharmaceutical products and functional food additives.
Biomedical Potential of Ultrafine Ag Nanoparticles Coated on Poly (Gamma-Glutamic Acid) Hydrogel with Special Reference to Wound Healing
Authors: Wang Yu , Dou Chunyan , He Guidong , Ban Litong , Huang Liang , Li Zheng , Gong Jixian , Zhang Jianfei , Yu Peng
Published: May 2018

In wound care management, the prevention of wound infection and the retention of an appropriate level of moisture are two major challenges. Therefore, designing an excellent antibacterial hydrogel with a suitable water-adsorbing capacity is very important to improve the development of wound dressings. In this paper, a novel silver nanoparticles/poly (gamma-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) composite dressing was prepared for biomedical applications. The promoted wound-healing ability of the hydrogels were systematically evaluated with the aim of attaining a novel and effective wound dressing. A diffusion study showed that hydrogels can continuously release antibacterial factors (Ag). Hydrogels contain a high percentage of water, providing an ideal moist environment for tissue regeneration, while also preventing contraction of the wound. Moreover, an in vivo, wound-healing model evaluation of artificial wounds in mice indicated that silver/γ-PGA hydrogels could significantly promote wound healing. Histological examination revealed that hydrogels can successfully help to reconstruct intact epidermis and collagen deposition during 14 days of impaired wound healing. Overall, this research could shed new light on the design of antibacterial silver/γ-PGA hydrogels with potential applications in wound dressing.
Long Non-Coding RNAs in Multifactorial Diseases: Another Layer of Complexity
Authors: Cipolla Gabriel , De Oliveira Jaqueline , Salviano-Silva Amanda , Lobo-Alves Sara , Lemos Debora , Oliveira Luana , Jucoski Tayana , Mathias Carolina , Pedroso Gabrielle , Zambalde Erika , Gradia Daniela
Published: May 2018

Multifactorial diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular conditions and neurological, immunological and metabolic disorders are a group of diseases caused by the combination of genetic and environmental factors. High-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technologies have revealed that less than 2% of the genome corresponds to protein-coding genes, although most of the human genome is transcribed. The other transcripts include a large variety of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), and the continuous generation of RNA-seq data shows that ncRNAs are strongly deregulated and may be important players in pathological processes. A specific class of ncRNAs, the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), has been intensively studied in human diseases. For clinical purposes, lncRNAs may have advantages mainly because of their specificity and differential expression patterns, as well as their ideal qualities for diagnosis and therapeutics. Multifactorial diseases are the major cause of death worldwide and many aspects of their development are not fully understood. Recent data about lncRNAs has improved our knowledge and helped risk assessment and prognosis of these pathologies. This review summarizes the involvement of some lncRNAs in the most common multifactorial diseases, with a focus on those with published functional data.
Factors Associated with Maternal Wellbeing at Four Months Post-Partum in Ireland
Authors: Bennett Annemarie , Kearney John
Published: May 2018

This study aimed to examine factors associated with maternal wellbeing at four months post-partum in the Irish context. Socio-demographic, health behaviour and infant feeding data were collected in pregnancy, at birth and at 17 weeks post-partum. Maternal distress, body image and resilience were measured at 17 weeks post-partum. Binary logistic regression predicted maternal distress and statistical significance was taken at p < 0.05. One hundred and seventy-two women were followed-up in pregnancy, at birth and at 17 weeks post-partum. Three in five (61.6%, n106) initiated breastfeeding. At 17 weeks post-partum, 23.8% (n41) were exclusively or partially breastfeeding and over a third (36.0%, n62) of all mothers were at risk of distress. In multivariate analyses, independent predictors of distress included: low maternal resilience (p < 0.01, odds ratio (OR): 7.22 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.49–20.95)); unsatisfactory partner support (p = 0.02, OR: 3.89 (95% CI: 1.20–12.65)); older age (p = 0.02, OR: 1.11 (95% CI: 1.02–1.21)); and breastfeeding (p = 0.01, OR: 2.89 (95% CI: 1.29–6.47)). Routine assessment of emotional wellbeing and targeted interventions are needed to promote a more healthful transition to motherhood among women in Ireland.
Synthesis and Characterization of Ampholytic Flocculant CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) and Its Flocculation Properties for Microcystis Aeruginosa Removal
Authors: Chen Lei , Liu Cuiyun , Sun Yongjun , Sun Wenquan , Xu Yanhua , Zheng Huaili
Published: May 2018

The ampholytic chitosan based flocculant carboxylated chitosan graft-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) trimethylammonium chloride-dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC)) was synthesized by photo polymerization using carboxylated chitosan (CPCTS), 3-chloro-2-chloropropyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTA) and dimethyldiallylammonium chloride (DMDAAC) as the cationic co-monomers. The effects of monomer concentration, the ratio of CPCTS and cationic monomers, cationic degree, initiator time, photoinitiator concentration, and pH value on the properties of CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) were studied. The microcystis aeruginosa that was cultured in laboratory was used for CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) flocculation tests. The effects of CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) dosage, pH value and G value on flocculation performance were investigated. The maximum removal rate of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) that were obtained by CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) were 98.8% and 96.5% under the conditions of dosage 4 mg/L, pH 7 and G value 200 s−1, respectively. The flocculation experiments showed that chitosan-based flocculant CPCTS-g-P (CTA-DMDAAC) had better flocculation performance than commercially available flocculants cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM), Polyferric Sulfate (PFS), and polymeric aluminium (PAC).
A Descriptor-less Well-Distributed Feature Matching Method Using Geometrical Constraints and Template Matching
Authors: Mohammed Hani Mahmoud , El-Sheimy Naser
Published: May 2018

The problem of feature matching comprises detection, description, and the preliminary matching of features. Commonly, these steps are followed by Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) or one of its variants in order to filter the matches and find a correct model, which is usually the fundamental matrix. Unfortunately, this scheme may encounter some problems, such as mismatches of some of the features, which can be rejected later by RANSAC. Hence, important features might be discarded permanently. Another issue facing the matching scheme, especially in three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, is the degeneracy of the fundamental matrix. In such a case, RANSAC tends to select matches that are concentrated over a particular area of the images and rejects other correct matches. This leads to a fundamental matrix that differs from the correct one, which can be obtained using the camera parameters. In this paper, these problems are tackled by providing a descriptor-less method for matching features. The proposed method utilises the geometric as well as the radiometric properties of the image pair. Starting with an initial set of roughly matched features, we can compute the homography and the fundamental matrix. These two entities are then used to find other corresponding features. Then, template matching is used to enhance the predicted locations of the correspondences. The method is a tradeoff between the number and distribution of matches, and the matching accuracy. Moreover, the number of outliers is usually small, which encourages the use of least squares to estimate the fundamental matrix, instead of RANSAC. As a result, the problem of degeneracy is targeted at the matching level, rather than at the RANSAC level. The method was tested on images taken by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), with a focus on applications of 3D reconstruction, and on images taken by the camera of a smartphone for an indoor environment. The results emphasise that the proposed method is more deterministic rather than probabilistic and is also robust to the difference in orientation and scale. It also achieves a higher number of accurate and well-distributed matches compared with state-of-the-art methods.
A New Algorithm for MLS-Based DBH Mensuration and Its Preliminary Validation in an Urban Boreal Forest: Aiming at One Cornerstone of Allometry-Based Forest Biometrics
Authors: Lin Yi , Jiang Miao
Published: May 2018

This study aimed to improve one basic circle of allometry-based forest biometrics—diameter at breast height (DBH) mensuration. To address its common shortage of low efficiency in field measurement, this study attempted mobile laser scanning (MLS) as an efficient alternative and proposed a new MLS-based DBH mensuration algorithm to further exclude the effect of stem bending. That is, prior to the procedure of cone-based geometric modeling of a tree stem, an operation of Aligning the local stem axis series that is calculated by the Successive Cone-based Fitting of those continuously equi-height-layered laser points on the stem (ASCF) is appended. In the case of an urban boreal forest, tests showed that the proposed algorithm worked better (the coefficient of determination, R2 = 0.81 and root mean square error, RMSE = 52.1 mm) than the circle- (0.16 and 189.4 mm), cylinder- (0.77 and 58.7 mm), and cone-based (0.77 and 56.7 mm) geometric modeling algorithms. From a methodological viewpoint, the new ASCF algorithm was preliminarily validated for MLS-based tree DBH mensuration, with the “cornerstone-rebuilding” significance for allometry-based forest biometrics. With the development of MLS variants available for complex forest environments, this study will contribute fundamental implications for advancements in forestry.