bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Optimal Malaria Control Strategies in Kenya
Authors: Otieno Gabriel , Koske Joseph , Mutiso John
Published: March 2016

Malaria remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity among the children under five and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa, but it is preventable and controllable provided current recommended interventions are properly implemented. Better utilization of malaria intervention strategies will ensure the gain for the value for money and producing health improvements in the most cost effective way. The purpose of the value for money drive is to develop a better understanding (and better articulation) of costs and results so that more informed, evidence-based choices could be made. Cost effectiveness analysis is carried out to inform decision makers on how to determine where to allocate resources for malaria interventions. This study carries out cost effective analysis of one or all possible combinations of the optimal malaria control strategies (Insecticide Treated Bednets—ITNs, Treatment, Indoor Residual Spray—IRS and Intermittent Preventive Treatment for Pregnant Women—IPTp) for the four different transmission settings in order to assess the extent to which the intervention strategies are beneficial and cost effective. For the four different transmission settings in Kenya the optimal solution for the 15 strategies and their associated effectiveness are computed. Cost-effective analysis using Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) was done after ranking the strategies in order of the increasing effectiveness (total infections averted). The findings shows that for the endemic regions the combination of ITNs, IRS, and IPTp was the most cost-effective of all the combined strategies developed in this study for malaria disease control and prevention; for the epidemic prone areas is the combination of the treatment and IRS; for seasonal areas is the use of ITNs plus treatment; and for the low risk areas is the use of treatment only. Malaria transmission in Kenya can be minimized through tailor-made intervention strategies for malaria control which produces health improvements in the most cost effective way for different epidemiological zones. This offers the good value for money for the public health programs and can guide in the allocation of malaria control resources for the post-2015 malaria eradication strategies and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Heterotrophic Production of Omega-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids by Trophically Converted Marine Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Authors: Hamilton Mary , Powers Stephen , Napier Johnathan , Sayanova Olga
Published: March 2016

We have created via metabolic engineering a heterotrophic strain of Phaeodactylum tricornutum that accumulates enhanced levels of the high value omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFAs) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This was achieved by generation of transgenic strains in which the Δ5-elongase from Ostreococcus tauri was co-expressed with a glucose transporter from the moss Physcomitrella patens. This double transformant has the capacity to grow in the dark in liquid medium supplemented with glucose and accumulate substantial levels of omega-3 LC-PUFAs. The effects of glucose concentrations on growth and LC-PUFA production of wild type and transformed strains cultivated in the light and dark were studied. The highest omega-3 LC-PUFAs accumulation was observed in cultures grown under mixotrophic conditions in the presence of 1% glucose (up to 32.2% of total fatty acids, TFA). Both DHA and EPA are detected at high levels in the neutral lipids of transgenic cells grown under phototrophic conditions, averaging 36.5% and 23.6% of TFA, respectively. This study demonstrates the potential for P. tricornutum to be developed as a viable commercial strain for both EPA and DHA production under mixo- and heterotrophic conditions.
Micromachines Beyond Silicon-Based Technologies: A Letter from the New Editor-in-Chief
Authors: Nguyen Nam-Trung
Published: March 2016

It is my pleasure to assume the role of the Editor-in-Chief of Micromachines from March 2016.[...]
Structure, Solubility and Stability of Orbifloxacin Crystal Forms: Hemihydrate versus Anhydrate
Authors: Santos Olimpia , Freitas Jennifer , Cazedey Edith , Araújo Magali , Doriguetto Antonio
Published: March 2016

Orbifloxacin (ORBI) is a widely used antimicrobial drug of the fluoroquinolone class. In the official pharmaceutical compendia the existence of polymorphism in this active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is reported. No crystal structure has been reported for this API and as described in the literature, its solubility is very controversial. Considering that different solid forms of the same API may have different physicochemical properties, these different solubilities may have resulted from analyses inadvertently carried out on different polymorphs. The solubility is the most critical property because it can affect the bioavailability and may compromise the quality of a drug product. The crystalline structure of ORBI determined by SCXRD is reported here for the first time. The structural analysis reveals that the ORBI molecule is zwitterionic and hemihydrated. ORBI hemihydrated form was characterized by the following techniques: TG/DTA, FTIR-ATR, and PXRD. A second crystalline ORBI form is also reported: the ORBI anhydrous form was obtained by heating the hemihydrate. These ORBI solid forms were isomorphous, since no significant change in unit cell and space group symmetry were observed. The solid-state phase transformation between these forms is discussed and the equilibrium solubility data were examined in order to check the impact of the differences observed in their crystalline structures.
Atomic Layer Deposition of Pt Nanoparticles within the Cages of MIL-101: A Mild and Recyclable Hydrogenation Catalyst
Authors: Leus Karen , Dendooven Jolien , Tahir Norini , Ramachandran Ranjith , Meledina Maria , Turner Stuart , Van Tendeloo Gustaaf , Goeman Jan , Van der Eycken Johan , Detavernier Christophe , Van Der Voort Pascal
Published: March 2016

We present the in situ synthesis of Pt nanoparticles within MIL-101-Cr (MIL = Materials Institute Lavoisier) by means of atomic layer deposition (ALD). The obtained Pt@MIL-101 materials were characterized by means of N2 adsorption and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) measurements, showing that the structure of the metal organic framework was well preserved during the ALD deposition. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis confirmed the deposition of highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles with sizes determined by the MIL-101-Cr pore sizes and with an increased Pt loading for an increasing number of ALD cycles. The Pt@MIL-101 material was examined as catalyst in the hydrogenation of different linear and cyclic olefins at room temperature, showing full conversion for each substrate. Moreover, even under solvent free conditions, full conversion of the substrate was observed. A high concentration test has been performed showing that the Pt@MIL-101 is stable for a long reaction time without loss of activity, crystallinity and with very low Pt leaching.
Carbohydrate Mouth Rinse Maintains Muscle Electromyographic Activity and Increases Time to Exhaustion during Moderate but not High-Intensity Cycling Exercise
Authors: Bastos-Silva Victor , Melo Alan , Lima-Silva Adriano , Moura Felipe , Bertuzzi Rômulo , De Araujo Gustavo
Published: March 2016

The aim was to investigate the influence of a carbohydrate (CHO) mouth rinse on the vastus lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) electromyographic activity (EMG) and time to exhaustion (TE) during moderate (MIE) and high-intensity cycling exercise (HIE). Thirteen participants cycled at 80% of their respiratory compensation point and at 110% of their peak power output to the point of exhaustion. Before the trials and every 15 min during MIE, participants rinsed with the CHO or Placebo (PLA) solutions. The root mean square was calculated. CHO had no effect on the TE during HIE (CHO: 177.3 ± 42.2 s; PLA: 163.0 ± 26.7 s, p = 0.10), but the TE was increased during MIE (CHO: 76.6 ± 19.7 min; PLA: 65.4 ± 15.2 min; p = 0.01). The EMG activity in the VL was higher than PLA at 30 min (CHO: 10.5% ± 2.6%; PLA: 7.7% ± 3.3%; p = 0.01) and before exhaustion (CHO: 10.3% ± 2.5%; PLA: 8.0% ± 2.9%; p = 0.01) with CHO rinsing. There was no CHO effect on the EMG activity of RF during MIE or for VL and RF during HIE. CHO mouth rinse maintains EMG activity and enhances performance for MIE but not for HIE.
Effectiveness of Folic Acid Fortified Flour for Prevention of Neural Tube Defects in a High Risk Region
Authors: Wang Haochen , De Steur Hans , Chen Gong , Zhang Xiaotian , Pei Lijun , Gellynck Xavier , Zheng Xiaoying
Published: March 2016

Despite efforts to tackle folate deficiency and Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) through folic acid fortification, its implementation is still lacking where it is needed most, highlighting the need for studies that evaluate the effectiveness of folic acid fortified wheat flour in a poor, rural, high-risk, NTD region of China. One of the most affected regions, Shanxi Province, was selected as a case study. A community intervention was carried out in which 16,648 women of child-bearing age received fortified flour (eight villages) and a control group received ordinary flour (three villages). NTD birth prevalence and biological indicators were measured two years after program initiation at endline only. The effect on the NTD burden was calculated using the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) method. In the intervention group, serum folate level was higher than in the control group. NTDs in the intervention group were 68.2% lower than in the control group (OR = 0.313, 95% CI = 0.207–0473, p < 0.001). In terms of DALYs, burden in intervention group was approximately 58.5% lower than in the control group. Flour fortification was associated with lower birth prevalence and burden of NTDs in economically developing regions with a high risk of NTDs. The positive findings confirm the potential of fortification when selecting an appropriate food vehicle and target region. As such, this study provides support for decision makers aiming for the implementation of (mandatory) folic acid fortification in China.
Ciprofloxacin-Induced Antibacterial Activity Is Atteneuated by Pretreatment with Antioxidant Agents
Authors: Masadeh Majed , Alzoubi Karem , Al-azzam Sayer , Khabour Omar , Al-buhairan Ahlam
Published: March 2016

Ciprofloxacin works through interfering with replication and transcription of bacterial DNA, which leads to increased oxidative stress, and death of bacterial cells. Drugs with strong antioxidant such as tempol, melatonin and pentoxifylline might interfere with the antibacterial activity of ciprofloxacin. In the current study, the effect of these drugs on the cytotoxicity of ciprofloxacin was investigated against several reference bacteria. Standard bacterial strains included Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC29213, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 17978, Proteus mirabilis ATCC 12459, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (ATCC 43300), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (ATCC 25923). The antibacterial activity of ciprofloxacin with or without treatment of bacterial cells by tempol, melatonin or pentoxifylline was assessed using the disc diffusion method and by measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and zones of inhibition of bacterial growth. All of the tested bacterial strains were sensitive to ciprofloxacin. When treated with tempol, melatonin or pentoxifylline, all bacterial strains showed significantly smaller zones of inhibition and larger MIC values compared ciprofloxacin alone. In correlation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation induced by ciprofloxacin antibacterial action was diminished by treatment of bacterial cells with tempol, melatonin or pentoxifylline. In conclusion, results indicate the possible antagonistic properties for agents with antioxidant properties such as tempol, melatonin and pentoxifylline when they are used concurrently with flouroquinolones. This could be related to the ability of these agents to inhibit oxidative stress in bacterial cells.
Analysis of Settlement Expansion and Urban Growth Modelling Using Geoinformation for Assessing Potential Impacts of Urbanization on Climate in Abuja City, Nigeria
Authors: Ibrahim Mahmoud Mahmoud , Duker Alfred , Conrad Christopher , Thiel Michael , Shaba Ahmad Halilu
Published: March 2016

This study analyzed the spatiotemporal pattern of settlement expansion in Abuja, Nigeria, one of West Africa’s fastest developing cities, using geoinformation and ancillary datasets. Three epochs of Land-use Land-cover (LULC) maps for 1986, 2001 and 2014 were derived from Landsat images using support vector machines (SVM). Accuracy assessment (AA) of the LULC maps based on the pixel count resulted in overall accuracy of 82%, 92% and 92%, while the AA derived from the error adjusted area (EAA) method stood at 69%, 91% and 91% for 1986, 2001 and 2014, respectively. Two major techniques for detecting changes in the LULC epochs involved the use of binary maps as well as a post-classification comparison approach. Quantitative spatiotemporal analysis was conducted to detect LULC changes with specific focus on the settlement development pattern of Abuja, the federal capital city (FCC) of Nigeria. Logical transitions to the urban category were modelled for predicting future scenarios for the year 2050 using the embedded land change modeler (LCM) in the IDRISI package. Based on the EAA, the result showed that urban areas increased by more than 11% between 1986 and 2001. In contrast, this value rose to 17% between 2001 and 2014. The LCM model projected LULC changes that showed a growing trend in settlement expansion, which might take over allotted spaces for green areas and agricultural land if stringent development policies and enforcement measures are not implemented. In conclusion, integrating geospatial technologies with ancillary datasets offered improved understanding of how urbanization processes such as increased imperviousness of such a magnitude could influence the urban microclimate through the alteration of natural land surface temperature. Urban expansion could also lead to increased surface runoff as well as changes in drainage geography leading to urban floods.
GLASS Daytime All-Wave Net Radiation Product: Algorithm Development and Preliminary Validation
Authors: Jiang Bo , Liang Shunlin , Ma Han , Zhang Xiaotong , Xiao Zhiqiang , Zhao Xiang , Jia Kun , Yao Yunjun , Jia Aolin
Published: March 2016

Mapping surface all-wave net radiation (Rn) is critically needed for various applications. Several existing Rn products from numerical models and satellite observations have coarse spatial resolutions and their accuracies may not meet the requirements of land applications. In this study, we develop the Global LAnd Surface Satellite (GLASS) daytime Rn product at a 5 km spatial resolution. Its algorithm for converting shortwave radiation to all-wave net radiation using the Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) model is determined after comparison with three other algorithms. The validation of the GLASS Rn product based on high-quality in situ measurements in the United States shows a coefficient of determination value of 0.879, an average root mean square error value of 31.61 Wm−2, and an average bias of −17.59 Wm−2. We also compare our product/algorithm with another satellite product (CERES-SYN) and two reanalysis products (MERRA and JRA55), and find that the accuracy of the much higher spatial resolution GLASS Rn product is satisfactory. The GLASS Rn product from 2000 to the present is operational and freely available to the public.
A New, Scalable and Low Cost Multi-Channel Monitoring System for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells
Authors: Calderón Antonio , González Isaías , Calderón Manuel , Segura Francisca , Andújar José
Published: March 2016

In this work a new, scalable and low cost multi-channel monitoring system for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (PEFCs) has been designed, constructed and experimentally validated. This developed monitoring system performs non-intrusive voltage measurement of each individual cell of a PEFC stack and it is scalable, in the sense that it is capable to carry out measurements in stacks from 1 to 120 cells (from watts to kilowatts). The developed system comprises two main subsystems: hardware devoted to data acquisition (DAQ) and software devoted to real-time monitoring. The DAQ subsystem is based on the low-cost open-source platform Arduino and the real-time monitoring subsystem has been developed using the high-level graphical language NI LabVIEW. Such integration can be considered a novelty in scientific literature for PEFC monitoring systems. An original amplifying and multiplexing board has been designed to increase the Arduino input port availability. Data storage and real-time monitoring have been performed with an easy-to-use interface. Graphical and numerical visualization allows a continuous tracking of cell voltage. Scalability, flexibility, easy-to-use, versatility and low cost are the main features of the proposed approach. The system is described and experimental results are presented. These results demonstrate its suitability to monitor the voltage in a PEFC at cell level.
Fast Contour-Tracing Algorithm Based on a Pixel-Following Method for Image Sensors
Authors: Seo Jonghoon , Chae Seungho , Shim Jinwook , Kim Dongchul , Cheong Cheolho , Han Tack-Don
Published: March 2016

Contour pixels distinguish objects from the background. Tracing and extracting contour pixels are widely used for smart/wearable image sensor devices, because these are simple and useful for detecting objects. In this paper, we present a novel contour-tracing algorithm for fast and accurate contour following. The proposed algorithm classifies the type of contour pixel, based on its local pattern. Then, it traces the next contour using the previous pixel’s type. Therefore, it can classify the type of contour pixels as a straight line, inner corner, outer corner and inner-outer corner, and it can extract pixels of a specific contour type. Moreover, it can trace contour pixels rapidly because it can determine the local minimal path using the contour case. In addition, the proposed algorithm is capable of the compressing data of contour pixels using the representative points and inner-outer corner points, and it can accurately restore the contour image from the data. To compare the performance of the proposed algorithm to that of conventional techniques, we measure their processing time and accuracy. In the experimental results, the proposed algorithm shows better performance compared to the others. Furthermore, it can provide the compressed data of contour pixels and restore them accurately, including the inner-outer corner, which cannot be restored using conventional algorithms.
Sustainable Development Factors in Pavement Life-Cycle: Highway/Airport Review
Authors: Babashamsi Peyman , Md Yusoff Nur , Ceylan Halil , Md Nor Nor , Salarzadeh Jenatabadi Hashem
Published: March 2016

Sustainability has gained as much importance as management in business. Sustainable pavement development as a business practice should involve making evaluations according to the triple bottom line in the pavement life-cycle. Despite the current approaches to evaluating the social as well as economic and environmental feasibility of pavement projects (involving highway and airport infrastructure), there has recently been a lack of consensus on a methodology to guarantee sustainability upon assessment and analysis during the pavement life-cycle. As sustainability is a complex issue, this study intends to further explore sustainability and elaborate on its meaning. The second step involves a general depiction of the major sustainability appraisal tools, namely cost-benefit analysis, life-cycle cost analysis, life-cycle assessment, multi-criteria decision-making, environmental impact assessment and social life-cycle assessment, and an explanation of their cons and pros. Subsequently, the article addresses the application of an organized methodology to highlight the main factors or concepts that should be applied in sustainable pavement development and, more specifically, in sustainable pavement management. In the final step, research recommendations toward sustainability are given. This study is aimed to assist decision-makers in pavement management to plan sustainability frameworks in accordance with probable boundaries and restrictions.
Indication of Importance of Including Soil Microbial Characteristics into Biotope Valuation Method
Authors: Trögl Josef , Pavlorková Jana , Packová Pavla , Seják Josef , Kuráň Pavel , Popelka Jan , Pacina Jan
Published: March 2016

Soil is a key part of a biotope and microorganisms are dominant components contributing to soil functions. Conversely, established methods for valuation of biotopes according to Natura 2000 rely predominantly on the communities living on the surface. Here, we aimed to assess soil microbial biomass and community structure on five localities with range of biotope values by means of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling. PLFA figures were affected both by sampling season (spring vs. autumn) and locality. In spring, the living microbial biomass (estimated by PLFAtot) exhibited poor correlation to biotope values. These were, on the contrary, correlated to trans/cis PLFA, an indicator of microbial stress, (i.e., lower stress in higher-rated biotopes), and fungal/bacterial PLFA (i.e., higher-rated biotopes contained more fungi). The attempt to model biotope values from microbial characteristics explained a maximum of ~50% of the variability; the best predictors were the trans/cis stress indicator, percentage of actinobacterial PLFA, and ratio of PLFA of Gram-positive to Gram-negative bacteria. These results show that soil microbial characteristics present partly new information and indicate the need to amend the procedures of biotope assessment. Soil PLFA profiling could serve as suitable methods for this purpose.
The Role of Villages and Townships in Informal Land Development in China: An Investigation on the City Fringe of Beijing
Authors: Zhao Pengjun , Zhang Mengzhu
Published: March 2016

The past decades have witnessed a number of informal land developments on the urban fringe in China although many strict state regulations have been made to control this. The dual urban rural land system is widely believed to be one major determinant of informal developments in the existing literature. However, the important role of local villages and townships are often neglected. This paper aims to shed light on this by looking at the gated informal housing communities in Beijing as a case study. It investigates the role of villages and townships in informal land development and the conflicts of interest that arise with state regulations in the context of political decentralization. The results of analysis show that township governments have an ambivalent attitude or even give tacit approval to informal land development in villages since these informal developments actually bring economic benefits to local villagers and themselves. The situation seems to be worse as townships have poor fiscal capacity and a growing administrative responsibility for improvement of local development in the context of decentralization. Villages are keen to capture economic benefits from informal land development with help from private developers. As a result, a local, informal coalition between townships, villages, and private developers emerged at the grass roots level. This presents a major challenge to the state regulations designed for sustainable urban growth management.
Le réalisme populaire au quotidien. Vers l'émergence d'un nouveau modèle de société au Pérou ?
Authors: Fourtané Nicole
Published: March 2016

Realismo popular. ¿ Hacia la emrgencia de un nuevo modelo social en el Peru ?

La década perdida, la de los 80, se caracteriza en el Peru por el fracaso del poder del Estado, la recesión, el caos adminstrativo y social, la violencia. En este contexto économico-social surgen en las barriadas de Lima, unas estrategias de subsistencia impulsadas por asociaciones de madrés de familia. Organizan el « vaso de lèche », cocinas y comedores colectivos, guarderias infantiles. Paralelamente, se expande la economia informal y se multiplican modalidades ilegales del comercio, la vivienda y el transporte.

En todas estas actividades impera una nueva solidaridad social cuya explication puede encontrarse en una tradición cultural específica de los migrantes de la sierra adaptados rápidamente a su entorno nuevo urbano. Han sido una manera de responder a la degradación de las condicones del campesino y de la familia y de construir una accion pacifica que contrarreste la presión de Sendero Luminoso hacia la violencia. Los miembros de estas asociaciones han venido a ser actores sociales importantes ; su funcionamiento colectivo modifica la sociedad peruana, proyecto alternativo que se construye desde abajo, accion concreta por la que se define otra cultura de la pobreza.
RQ 950, "La música de la patria". La oralidad radiofónica y la nueva visión social
Authors: Almoina de Carrera Pilar
Published: March 2016

RQ 950, 'La musique de la patrie', oralité radiophonique et nouvelle vision de la société.

La décennie 1980-90 a vu apparaître une nouvelle forme de l'oralité dans la culture vénézuélienne, en particulier le corrido à thème politique, fortement contestataire.

La tradition épique du corrido ne manquait pas de portée sociale, mais véhiculé par la radio, il rencontre une audience plus large et plus fréquente à partir de 1983, non sans rapport avec la décision officielle de donner de l'éclat à la commémoration du bicentenaire de la naissance de Simon Bolivar. Le héros national sert de référence et la chanson montre la réalité politique contemporaine comme une trahison de ses idéaux.

Une autre des grandes voies d'expression des réalités contemporaines est l'attitude de dénonciation de la condition de la femme, rébellion, revendication d'égalité sexuelle autant que sociale. Ces deux axes d'une nouvelle forme de la chanson donnent naissance à une génération de chanteurs, souvent compositeurs- interprètes, où les femmes ont une grande place.

L'étude est fondée sur l'écoute et les enregistrements d'une radio de Caracas : RQ 950, qui transmet en permanence la musique traditionnelle du pays et ses recompositions, en réponse aux demandes des auditeurs. Cela permet de démontrer l'existence d'une nouvelle forme appelée oralité radiophonique, puissant moyen d'accéder à l'environnement social et politique et mettant en cause audacieusement les réalités nouvelles de la politique latino-américaine et la place de la femme dans la société.
Lo real fronterizo en La frontera de cristal de Carlos Fuentes
Authors: Boldy Steven
Published: March 2016

A la frontière du réel : Lafrontera de cristal, de Carlos Fuentes.

Les neuf récits de Lafrontera de cristal ( 1995) traitent de thèmes sociaux de la frontière entre le Mexique et les Etats-Unis (les usines de montage délocalisées appelées maquiladoras, l'immigration clandestine, le racisme, etc.). Ce livre contraste avec d'autres œuvres de C. Fuentes par l'importance accordée au contenu, forme aparremment naïve de réalisme, messages idéologiques et culturels transparents, personnages typiques. Pourtant le livre, que l'on peut voir comme un roman fragmenté, offre avec insistance des énigmes : voix de l'auteur, usage de l'ironie, signes d'appartenance à un genre littéraire.
La novela policíaca mexicana reciente, ¿ propuesta de un nuevo realismo ? Apropiación de realidad en La bicicleta de Leonardo, de Paco Ignacio Taibo II
Authors: Vital Alberto
Published: March 2016

Le roman policier mexicain récent. Appropriation de la réalité dans La bicicleta de Leonardo de Paco Ignacio Taibo II.

Un des problèmes intéressants posés par le récit de Paco Ignacio Taiblo II est la capacité de son écriture de s'approprier aussi bien les éléments de la réalité immédiate, contemporaine, que des moyens et procédés qui proviennent de la littérature du boom et aussi du cinéma noir des Etats-Unis, de la bande dessinée, du reportage policier. En somme, il est pétri de certains discours qui ont des prétentions esthétiques et d'autres qui en sont dépourvus, et il en fait une synthèse bien particulière.

Cette analyse conduit à une nouvelle définition du réalisme — peut-être même à définir un nouveau réalisme — d'autant mieux que les textes de Paco Ignacio Taibo II jouissent d'une réception massive. Au passage, il est tenu compte des préoccupations et de l'horizon d'attente du public. Du point de vue del 'esthétique littéraire et de l'histoire de la littérature, on est tenter de classer ce roman dans la ligne néo-réaliste.
Children with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder Fitted with Hearing Aids Applying the American Academy of Audiology Pediatric Amplification Guideline: Current Practice and Outcomes
Authors: Walker Elizabeth , McCreery Ryan , Spratford Meredith , Roush Patricia
Published: March 2016

Background:Up to 15% of children with permanent hearing loss (HL) have auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD), which involves normal outer hair cell function and disordered afferent neural activity in the auditory nerve or brainstem. Given the varying presentations of ANSD
in children, there is a need for more evidence-based research on appropriate clinical interventions for this population.Purpose:This study compared the speech production, speech perception, and language outcomes of children with ANSD, who are hard of hearing, to children with similar
degrees of mild-to-moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), all of whom were fitted with bilateral hearing aids (HAs) based on the American Academy of Audiology pediatric amplification guidelines.Research Design:Speech perception and communication outcomes data were gathered
in a prospective accelerated longitudinal design, with entry into the study between six mo and seven yr of age. Three sites were involved in participant recruitment: Boys Town National Research Hospital, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Iowa.Study Sample:The
sample consisted of 12 children with ANSD and 22 children with SNHL. The groups were matched based on better-ear pure-tone average, better-ear aided speech intelligibility index, gender, maternal education level, and newborn hearing screening result (i.e., pass or refer).Data Collection
and Analysis:Children and their families participated in an initial baseline visit, followed by visits twice a year for children <2 yr of age and once a yr for children >2 yr of age. Paired-sample t-tests were used to compare children with ANSD to children with SNHL.Results:Paired
t-tests indicated no significant differences between the ANSD and SNHL groups on language and articulation measures. Children with ANSD displayed functional speech perception skills in quiet. Although the number of participants was too small to conduct statistical analyses for speech
perception testing, there appeared to be a trend in which the ANSD group performed more poorly in background noise with HAs, compared to the SNHL group.Conclusions:The American Academy of Audiology Pediatric Amplification Guidelines recommend that children with ANSD receive an HA trial
if their behavioral thresholds are sufficiently high enough to impede speech perception at conversational levels. For children with ANSD in the mild-to-severe HL range, the current results support this recommendation, as children with ANSD can achieve functional outcomes similar to peers with
SNHL.
Theoretical and Experimental Study of Integration Between Different Lingual Activities
Authors: Velička Aleksandras
Published: March 2016

The main requirement for a foreign language teaching in a technical higher school in the development of the ability of students to read and comprehend speciality literature and at the same time to express one’s ideas on speciality and everyday topics. The success of teaching mostly depends on meeting the requirements of optimal teaching curriculum. It also depends on teaching efficiency, on a particular linguistic activity type and its influence on the teaching process, the grounding of its main parameters and interrelation of integration variants by a methodical experiment. The data of experimental research is presented in the article, including the problems of optimal linguistic activity types and their interrelation in a teaching process.
Ratings of Business, Economic and Transport Borrowed Lexis
Authors: Petrėtienė Angelika , Masiulionis Jonas
Published: March 2016

In 2005, a book “Language Advice (4). Lexis. Usage of Loanwords” was published. It contains a list of loanwords of different fields discussed by the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language. In addition to each loanword, a rating is indicated. The article discusses how the loanwords of business, economic and transport fields are treated in this publication. The study showed that the majority of new business and economical loanwords are derived from the English language. The majority of them are assessed as non-recommendable barbarisms. The majority of international words of this field consist of the Latin origin words. In the transport field there is a great number of Slavic origin loanwords. They are also included into the list discussed and are assessed as non-recommendable barbarisms. Here, there are much less new loanwords than in the business and economic fields. International terms of the transport field are more diverse origin-wise than the terms used in business and economic field. The majority of international words of this field derive from the French and English languages.
Language of Educational Books is One of the Factors of the Correct Language of Students
Authors: Kaulakienė Angelė
Published: March 2016

Good knowledge of one‘s mother tongue is the feature of a cultured man. However, to introduce language into the process of cultural development of the future engineer efficiently will be possible only if this connection is grasped by those who organize and determine the system of training and education of students. As one may notice the language of educational or teaching publications under discussion is not always good enough: there are inaccurate uses of terms, vocabulary, grammar; style mistakes occur. The language of these publications would improve, if: a) authors and editors used standardized and unified terms given in Lithuanian dictionaries of terms; b) did not use translations of meaning or words as well as word combinations in improper meaning; c) avoided verb adverbial or substantival structures which darken the meaning.
Main Principles of Teaching Foreign Languages and their Theoretical Interpretation
Authors: Mickonis Jonas
Published: March 2016

Proper choice of the whole complex of principles of teaching a foreign language, being both pure didactic or those of methods of teaching foreign languages, enables the creation and improvement of efficient teaching strategies. Both principles play their own role in a teaching practice. In their turn, though significant, the didactic principles should not be regarded as being of optimal importance. The most important in this field are the principles of methods of teaching foreign languages which can be divided into general and separate, the latter being related to the teaching of diverse phenomena of the language taught.
A MULTI-INSTRUMENT ANALYSIS OF A C4.1 FLARE OCCURRING IN A δ SUNSPOT
Authors: Guglielmino S. L. , Zuccarello F. , Romano P. , Cristaldi A. , Ermolli I. , Criscuoli S. , Falco M. , Zuccarello F. P.
Published: March 2016

We present an analysis of multi-instrument space- and ground-based observations relevant to a C4.1 solar flare that occurred in the active region (AR) NOAA 11267 on 2011 August 6. Solar Dynamics Observatory observations indicate that at the flare’s beginning, it was localized in the preceding sunspot of the AR, which exhibits a δ configuration. Along the polarity inversion line between its opposite polarities we find a large shear angle of about 80°. The helicity accumulation shows that the AR does not obey the general hemispheric helicity rule. At the flare peak, unique observations taken with the X-Ray Telescope aboard Hinode reveal that the bulk of the X-ray emission takes place in the δ-spot region, where the plasma heats up to

K. During the gradual phase, we observe the development of a Y-shaped structure in the corona and in the high chromosphere. An extruding structure forms, being directed from the emitting region above the δ spot toward the following sunspot. This structure cools down in a few tens of minutes while moving eastward along a direction opposite to the flare ribbon expansion. Finally, remote brightenings are found at the easternmost footpoint of this structure, appearing as a third flare ribbon in the chromosphere. After some minutes, RHESSI measurements show that the X-ray emission is localized in the region close to the crossing point of the coronal Y-shaped structure. Simultaneously, high-resolution (0.″15) observations performed at the Swedish 1 m Solar Telescope indicate a decreasing trend of the Ca ii H intensity in the flare ribbons with some transient enhancements. All these findings suggest that this event is a manifestation of magnetic reconnection, likely induced by an asymmetric magnetic configuration in a highly sheared region.
MASKED AREAS IN SHEAR PEAK STATISTICS: A FORWARD MODELING APPROACH
Authors: Bard D. , Kratochvil J. M. , Dawson W.
Published: March 2016

The statistics of shear peaks have been shown to provide valuable cosmological information beyond the power spectrum, and will be an important constraint of models of cosmology in forthcoming astronomical surveys. Surveys include masked areas due to bright stars, bad pixels etc., which must be accounted for in producing constraints on cosmology from shear maps. We advocate a forward-modeling approach, where the impacts of masking and other survey artifacts are accounted for in the theoretical prediction of cosmological parameters, rather than correcting survey data to remove them. We use masks based on the Deep Lens Survey, and explore the impact of up to 37% of the survey area being masked on LSST and DES-scale surveys. By reconstructing maps of aperture mass the masking effect is smoothed out, resulting in up to 14% smaller statistical uncertainties compared to simply reducing the survey area by the masked area. We show that, even in the presence of large survey masks, the bias in cosmological parameter estimation produced in the forward-modeling process is ≈1%, dominated by bias caused by limited simulation volume. We also explore how this potential bias scales with survey area and evaluate how much small survey areas are impacted by the differences in cosmological structure in the data and simulated volumes, due to cosmic variance.
HELICAL MAGNETIC FIELDS IN THE NGC 1333 IRAS 4A PROTOSTELLAR OUTFLOWS
Authors: Ching (慶道沖) Tao-Chung , Lai (賴詩萍) Shih-Ping , Zhang Qizhou , Yang (楊智軒) Louis , Girart Josep M. , Rao Ramprasad
Published: March 2016

We present Submillimeter Array polarization observations of the CO J = 3–2 line toward NGC 1333 IRAS 4A. The CO Stokes I maps at an angular resolution of ∼1″ reveal two bipolar outflows from the binary sources of NGC 1333 IRAS 4A. The kinematic features of the CO emission can be modeled by wind-driven outflows at ∼20° inclined from the plane of the sky. Close to the protostars the CO polarization, at an angular resolution of ∼2.″3, has a position angle approximately parallel to the magnetic field direction inferred from the dust polarizations. The CO polarization direction appears to vary smoothly from an hourglass field around the core to an arc-like morphology wrapping around the outflow, suggesting a helical structure of magnetic fields that inherits the poloidal fields at the launching point and consists of toroidal fields at a farther distance of outflow. The helical magnetic field is consistent with the theoretical expectations for launching and collimating outflows from a magnetized rotating disk. Considering that the CO polarized emission is mainly contributed from the low-velocity and low-resolution data, the helical magnetic field is likely a product of the wind–envelope interaction in the wind-driven outflows. The CO data reveal a PA of ∼30° deflection in the outflows. The variation in the CO polarization angle seems to correlate with the deflections. We speculate that the helical magnetic field contributes to ∼10° deflection of the outflows by means of Lorentz force.
HOW DENSE IS YOUR GAS? ON THE RECOVERABILITY OF LVG MODEL PARAMETERS
Authors: Tunnard R. , Greve T. R.
Published: March 2016

We explore the recoverability of gas physical conditions with the Large Velocity Gradient (LVG) model, using the public code RADEX and the molecules HCN and CO. Examining a wide parameter range with a series of models of increasing complexity, we use both grid and Monte Carlo Markov Chain methods to recover the input conditions, and quantify the inherent and noise-induced uncertainties in the model results. We find that even with the benefit of generous assumptions, the LVG models struggle to recover any parameter better than to within half a dex, although we find no evidence of systemic offsets. Examining isotopologue lines, we demonstrate that it is always preferable to model the isotopologue abundance ratio as a free parameter due to large biases introduced in all other parameters when an incorrect ratio is assumed. Finally, we explore the effects of the background radiation temperature on CO and HCN line ratios, with an emphasis on the effect of the CMB at

, and show that while the effect on the line ratios is minor, the effect on the spectral line energy distribution peak is significant and that the CO(1–0) line luminosity to H2 mass conversion factor (α
CO) needs to be altered to account for the loss of contrast against the hotter CMB as redshift increases.
A COMPREHENSIVE ARCHIVAL CHANDRA SEARCH FOR X-RAY EMISSION FROM ULTRACOMPACT DWARF GALAXIES
Authors: Pandya Viraj , Mulchaey John , Greene Jenny E.
Published: March 2016

We present the first comprehensive archival study of the X-ray properties of ultracompact dwarf (UCD) galaxies, with the goal of identifying weakly accreting central black holes in UCDs. Our study spans 578 UCDs distributed across 13 different host systems, including clusters, groups, fossil groups, and isolated galaxies. Of the 336 spectroscopically confirmed UCDs with usable archival Chandra imaging observations, 21 are X-ray-detected. Imposing a completeness limit of

erg s−1, the global X-ray detection fraction for the UCD population is

. Of the 21 X-ray-detected UCDs, seven show evidence of long-term X-ray time variability on the order of months to years. X-ray-detected UCDs tend to be more compact than non-X-ray-detected UCDs, and we find tentative evidence that the X-ray detection fraction increases with surface luminosity density and global stellar velocity dispersion. The X-ray emission of UCDs is fully consistent with arising from a population of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). In fact, there are fewer X-ray sources than expected using a naive extrapolation from globular clusters. Invoking the fundamental plane of black hole activity for SUCD1 near the Sombrero galaxy, for which archival Jansky Very Large Array imaging at 5 GHz is publicly available, we set an upper limit on the mass of a hypothetical central black hole in that UCD to be

. While the majority of our sources are likely LMXBs, we cannot rule out central black holes in some UCDs based on X-rays alone, and so we address the utility of follow-up radio observations to find weakly accreting central black holes.
COSMIC VARIANCE IN THE NANOHERTZ GRAVITATIONAL WAVE BACKGROUND
Authors: Roebber Elinore , Holder Gilbert , Holz Daniel E. , Warren Michael
Published: March 2016

We use large N-body simulations and empirical scaling relations between dark matter halos, galaxies, and supermassive black holes (SMBBHs) to estimate the formation rates of SMBBH binaries and the resulting low-frequency stochastic gravitational wave background (GWB). We find this GWB to be relatively insensitive (

) to cosmological parameters, with only slight variation between wmap5 and Planck cosmologies. We find that uncertainty in the astrophysical scaling relations changes the amplitude of the GWB by a factor of ∼2. Current observational limits are already constraining this predicted range of models. We investigate the Poisson variance in the amplitude of the GWB for randomly generated populations of SMBBHs, finding a scatter of order unity per frequency bin below 10 nHz, and increasing to a factor of ∼10 near 100 nHz. This variance is a result of the rarity of the most massive binaries, which dominate the signal, and acts as a fundamental uncertainty on the amplitude of the underlying power law spectrum. This Poisson uncertainty dominates at

nHz, while at lower frequencies the dominant uncertainty is related to our poor understanding of the astrophysical scaling relations, although very low frequencies may be dominated by uncertainties related to the final parsec problem and the processes which drive binaries to the gravitational wave dominated regime. Cosmological effects are negligible at all frequencies.
CHANDRA DETECTION OF X-RAY EMISSION FROM ULTRACOMPACT DWARF GALAXIES AND EXTENDED STAR CLUSTERS
Authors: Hou Meicun , Li Zhiyuan
Published: March 2016

We have conducted a systematic study of X-ray emission from ultracompact dwarf (UCD) galaxies and extended star clusters (ESCs), based on archival Chandra observations. Among a sample of 511 UCDs and ESCs complied from the literature, 17 X-ray counterparts with 0.5–8 keV luminosities above ∼5 × 1036 erg s−1 are identified, which are distributed in eight early-type host galaxies. To facilitate comparison, we also identify X-ray counterparts of 360 globular clusters (GCs) distributed in four of the eight galaxies. The X-ray properties of the UCDs and ESCs are found to be broadly similar to those of the GCs. The incidence rate of X-ray-detected UCDs and ESCs, 3.3% ± 0.8%, while lower than that of the X-ray-detected GCs (7.0% ± 0.4%), is substantially higher than expected from the field populations of external galaxies. A stacking analysis of the individually undetected UCDs/ESCs further reveals significant X-ray signals, which corresponds to an equivalent 0.5–8 keV luminosity of ∼4 × 1035 erg s−1 per source. Taken together, these provide strong evidence that the X-ray emission from UCDs and ESCs is dominated by low-mass X-ray binaries having formed from stellar dynamical interactions, consistent with the stellar populations in these dense systems being predominantly old. For the most massive UCDs, there remains the possibility that a putative central massive black hole gives rise to the observed X-ray emission.
MUSE-INGS ON AM1354-250: COLLISIONS, SHOCKS, AND RINGS
Authors: Conn Blair C. , Fogarty L. M. R. , Smith Rory , Candlish Graeme N.
Published: March 2016

We present Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer observations of AM1354-250, confirming its status as a collisional ring galaxy that has recently undergone an interaction, creating its distinctive shape. We analyze the stellar and gaseous emission throughout the galaxy finding direct evidence that the gaseous ring is expanding with a velocity of ∼70 km s−1 and that star formation is occurring primarily in H ii regions associated with the ring. This star formation activity is likely triggered by this interaction. We find evidence for several excitation mechanisms in the gas, including emission consistent with shocked gas in the expanding ring and a region of LINER-like emission in the central core of the galaxy. Evidence of kinematic disturbance in both the stars and gas, possibly also triggered by the interaction, can be seen in all of the velocity maps. The ring galaxy retains a weak spiral structure, strongly suggesting the progenitor galaxy was a massive spiral prior to the collision with its companion an estimated 140 ± 12 Myr ago.