bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental investigation of photon attenuation parameters for different binary alloys
Authors: Sayyed Mohammed I. , Akman Ferdi , Kaçal Mustafa Recep
Published: March 2019

Recently, technologists try to develop novel gamma radiation shielding materials instead of traditional materials such as lead and concrete with improved performance in gamma radiation shielding in medical applications and nuclear reactors. For this purpose, alloys such as stainless steel (SS) and carbon steel (CS) attracted much attention, these days. Preliminary results on such alloys have shown better attenuation of γ rays as compared to traditional shielding materials. This work aimed to conduct research on different alloy samples to evaluate their radiation attenuation efficiency and their suitability for radiation shielding when utilized in nuclear facilities. The mass attenuation coefficients for eight alloy samples were measured at different photon energies ranging from 80.997 to 1332.501 keV using transmission geometry. From the mass attenuation coefficients, different photon attenuation parameters such as half value layer, mean free path, effective atomic number, and radiation protection efficiency were evaluated. In addition, the equivalent atomic number and the exposure buildup factor were calculated using G-P fitting method for photon energy ranging from 0.015 MeV to 15 MeV at different penetration depth. The results showed that the Zeff values remain almost constant for all samples except W72/Cu28 in which the Zeff for this sample tends to decrease with the energy. The lowest value of half value layer is found for the alloy sample Ta97.5/W2.5 and the highest value is found for the alloy sample In50/Sn50. The Ta97.5/W2.5, Ta90/W10, Ta95/W5 samples demonstrated good radiation attenuation properties.
Perforated Cardboards: A Support for Embroidery Used for Various Everyday Objects in the Victorian Age
Authors: Cruz António João , Barros Luciana , Loureiro Leonor
Published: March 2019

Perforated cardboards were common and economic supports for embroidery in the Victorian Era. Despite their popularity, they had a brief life and are almost forgotten today. Different types of cardboard were chosen according to the materials and techniques to be applied. This article presents nineteenth century documentary sources on perforated cardboard and its use in various objects of everyday life. The types of cardboard, commercialization, decorative techniques and motifs and applied materials will be discussed.
Behaviour of Solutions of Tetraalkylammonium Salts in Ethyl Bromide as Liquid Membranes
Authors: Dubini-Paglia E. , Mussini T. , Galli R.
Published: March 2019

Solutions of tetraheptylammonium bromide, iodide, nitrate, or perchlorate in ethyl bromide behave as anionic liquid membranes with ideality degrees close to 100%. In the cases of tetra­ heptylammonium fluoride, or chloride, the ideality degrees are about 80%. A picture of the charac­teristics and structures of this class of membranes is given
Age-Related Decreases in the Retrieval Practice Effect Directly Relate to Changes in Alpha-Beta Oscillations
Authors: Guran Catherine-Noémie Alexandrina , Herweg Nora Alicia , Bunzeck Nico
Published: March 2019

The retrieval (or testing) of information leads to better memory performance compared with reencoding. This phenomenon is known as “testing effect” or “retrieval practice effect” and has been primarily described in behavioral studies with healthy young subjects. However, possible age-related changes and their associated underlying neural processes, in particular neural oscillations, remain unclear. To address this issue, we used a previously established paradigm in healthy young (N= 27) and elderly (N= 28) male and female human adults while their brain activity was being recorded using EEG. Subjects viewed prefamiliarized scene images intermixed with new scenes and classified them as indoor versus outdoor (encoding task) or old versus new (retrieval task). Subsequently, subjects performed a recognition memory task 10 min and 24 h after encoding. Behaviorally, both age groups showed the testing effect at both time points but, importantly, it was less pronounced in the elderly. At the neural level, the retrieval compared with the encoding task was accompanied by power decreases in the alpha (9–12 Hz) and beta bands (13–30 Hz), possibly reflecting task demands, and this difference was more pronounced in the elderly. Finally, a correlation analysis revealed that those elderly who displayed a more pronounced testing effect exhibited a neural pattern that was more similar to the younger subjects. These findings provide evidence that the testing effect decreases across the life span, and they suggest that changes in alpha-beta oscillations play a direct role.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTLearning new and retrieving old information is part of everyday human life. Understanding how learning processes can be optimized therefore has direct applications in the realm of educational and rehabilitative contexts. Here, we show that retrieval practice is a strategy to optimize encoding into long-term memory in both young and elderly humans. Importantly, retrieval practice was significantly reduced in the elderly and closely related to changes in alpha (9–13 Hz) and beta band (13–30 Hz) oscillations. Our findings suggest that decreased retrieval practice effects across the life span contribute to, and may reflect, age-related declines in memory performance. They further provide new insights into the underlying neural mechanisms and point toward future avenues for neuro-modulatory interventions.
Anti-Nogo-A Antibodies As a Potential Causal Therapy for Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction after Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Schneider Marc P. , Sartori Andrea M. , Ineichen Benjamin V. , Moors Selina , Engmann Anne K. , Hofer Anna-Sophie , Weinmann Oliver , Kessler Thomas M. , Schwab Martin E.
Published: March 2019

Loss of bladder control is common after spinal cord injury (SCI) and no causal therapies are available. Here we investigated whether function-blocking antibodies against the nerve-fiber growth inhibitory protein Nogo-A applied to rats with severe SCI could prevent development of neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction. Bladder function of rats with SCI was repeatedly assessed by urodynamic examination in fully awake animals. Four weeks after SCI, detrusor sphincter dyssynergia had developed in all untreated or control antibody-infused animals. In contrast, 2 weeks of intrathecal anti-Nogo-A antibody treatment led to significantly reduced aberrant maximum detrusor pressure during voiding and a reduction of the abnormal EMG high-frequency activity in the external urethral sphincter. Anatomically, we found higher densities of fibers originating from the pontine micturition center in the lumbosacral gray matter in the anti-Nogo-A antibody-treated animals, as well as a reduced number of inhibitory interneurons in lamina X. These results suggest that anti-Nogo-A therapy could also have positive effects on bladder function clinically.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTAfter spinal cord injury, loss of bladder control is common. Detrusor sphincter dyssynergia is a potentially life-threatening consequence. Currently, only symptomatic treatment options are available. First causal treatment options are urgently needed in humans. In this work, we show that function-blocking antibodies against the nerve-fiber growth inhibitory protein Nogo-A applied to rats with severe spinal cord injury could prevent development of neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction, in particular detrusor sphincter dyssynergia. Anti-Nogo-A therapy has entered phase II clinical trial in humans and might therefore soon be the first causal treatment option for neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction.
Stories of the New Geography
Authors: Barr Helen
Published: March 2019

The Refugee Tales project holds a distinctive place amongst 20th and 21st century responses to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The project comprises collections of tales published in textual editions alongside a politically embodied campaign to call an end to the practice of indefinite detention of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. The tales that are told take the form of an established writer giving voice to those that are caught up in this inhuman process. Some of the oral narratives come from refugees, some from care-workers and supporters, and some from from those caught up in the institutional processes of bureaucracy. These tales are heard and rehearsed on an annual walk that appropriates the pilgrimage route to a new geography that contests political space and its confinements. The project as a whole captures the spirit and purpose of Chaucer’s work. While engagement with textual detail is intermittent, but probing where it appears, this body of work, as Chaucer’s did, gives voice to those whose voices are unheard. The Refugee Tales pick up on how Chaucer integrated a narrative about England into an international geography—though with a difference. While Chaucer sets his stories chiefly outside the shores of England for literary purposes, The Refugee Tales appropriate the space of England to create a borderless nation that is hospitable to persons from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and in fact a whole international diaspora of nations whose people have become displaced. The Refugee Tales takes its inspiration from Chaucer not to produce a quaint exercise in medievalism or to update his work as a solely intellectual exercise. This project engages minds, body, creativity and political will. International in its remit, it frees the Father of English poetry to kick over the traces of borders that would separate nation from nation, children from parents, and human beings from each other. The Refugee Tales digs deep into the spirit of the medieval past to face up to a pressing and urgent global challenge.
An Ultra-Dense Haploid Genetic Map for Evaluating the Highly Fragmented Genome Assembly of Norway Spruce (Picea abies)
Authors: Bernhardsson Carolina , Vidalis Amaryllis , Wang Xi , Scofield Douglas G , Schiffthaler Bastian , Baison John , Street Nathaniel R , García-Gil M Rosario , Ingvarsson Pär K
Published: March 2019

Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) is a conifer species of substanital economic and ecological importance. In common with most conifers, the P. abies genome is very large (∼20 Gbp) and contains a high fraction of repetitive DNA. The current P. abies genome assembly (v1.0) covers approximately 60% of the total genome size but is highly fragmented, consisting of >10 million scaffolds. The genome annotation contains 66,632 gene models that are at least partially validated (www.congenie.org), however, the fragmented nature of the assembly means that there is currently little information available on how these genes are physically distributed over the 12 P. abies chromosomes. By creating an ultra-dense genetic linkage map, we anchored and ordered scaffolds into linkage groups, which complements the fine-scale information available in assembly contigs. Our ultra-dense haploid consensus genetic map consists of 21,056 markers derived from 14,336 scaffolds that contain 17,079 gene models (25.6% of the validated gene models) that we have anchored to the 12 linkage groups. We used data from three independent component maps, as well as comparisons with previously published Picea maps to evaluate the accuracy and marker ordering of the linkage groups. We demonstrate that approximately 3.8% of the anchored scaffolds and 1.6% of the gene models covered by the consensus map have likely assembly errors as they contain genetic markers that map to different regions within or between linkage groups. We further evaluate the utility of the genetic map for the conifer research community by using an independent data set of unrelated individuals to assess genome-wide variation in genetic diversity using the genomic regions anchored to linkage groups. The results show that our map is sufficiently dense to enable detailed evolutionary analyses across the P. abies genome.
Long-Term Combinatorial Exposure to Trichloroethylene and Inorganic Arsenic in Genetically Heterogeneous Mice Results in Renal Tubular Damage and Cancer-Associated Molecular Changes
Authors: Perry Amie , Lynch Rachel M , Rusyn Ivan , Threadgill David W
Published: March 2019

Trichloroethylene (TCE) and inorganic arsenic (iAs) are environmental contaminants that can target the kidney. Chronic exposure to TCE is associated with increased incidence of renal cell carcinoma, while co-exposure to TCE and iAs likely occurs in exposed human populations, such as those near Superfund sites. In order to better understand the kidney health consequences of TCE and/or iAs exposure, a genetically heterogeneous mouse population derived from FVB/NJ and CAST/EiJ mouse strains and deficient for multidrug resistance genes (Abcb1atm1Bor, Abcb1btm1Bor) was chronically exposed for 52-weeks to varying concentrations of TCE and iAs. Although no exposure group resulted in primary renal cell tumors, kidneys from exposed mice did have significant increases in histologic and biochemical evidence of renal tubular disease with each toxicant alone and with combined exposure, with males having significantly higher levels of damage. Although no added increase in tubular disease was observed with combination exposure compared to single toxicants, molecular changes in kidneys from mice that had the combined exposure were similar to those previous observed in an embryonic stem cell assay for the P81S TCE-induced renal cell carcinoma mutation in the Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome (VHL) gene. While this model more accurately reflects human exposure conditions, development of primary renal tumors observed in humans following chronic TCE exposure was not reproduced even after inclusion of genetic heterogeneity and co-carcinogenic iAs.
An Allosteric Network for Spliceosome Activation Revealed by High-Throughput Suppressor Analysis inSaccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Brow David A
Published: March 2019

This study demonstrates the utility of a custom targeted sequencing panel for identifying spontaneous suppressors of a mutation in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae spliceosome. The panel screens 112 genes encoding known or suspected splicing factors...

Selection of suppressor mutations that correct growth defects caused by substitutions in an RNA or protein can reveal functionally important molecular structures and interactions in living cells. This approach is particularly useful for the study of complex biological pathways involving many macromolecules, such as premessenger RNA (pre-mRNA) splicing. When a sufficiently large number of suppressor mutations is obtained and structural information is available, it is possible to generate detailed models of molecular function. However, the laborious and expensive task of identifying suppressor mutations in whole-genome selections limits the utility of this approach. Here I show that a custom targeted sequencing panel can greatly accelerate the identification of suppressor mutations in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome. Using a panel that targets 112 genes encoding pre-mRNA splicing factors, I identified 27 unique mutations in six protein-coding genes that each overcome the cold-sensitive block to spliceosome activation caused by a substitution in U4 small nuclear RNA. When mapped to existing structures of spliceosomal complexes, the identified suppressors implicate specific molecular contacts between the proteins Brr2, Prp6, Prp8, Prp31, Sad1, and Snu114 as functionally important in an early step of catalytic activation of the spliceosome. This approach shows great promise for elucidating the allosteric cascade of molecular interactions that direct accurate and efficient pre-mRNA splicing and should be broadly useful for understanding the dynamics of other complex biological assemblies or pathways.
Cross Talk with the GAR-3 Receptor Contributes to Feeding Defects in Caenorhabditis elegans eat-2 Mutants
Authors: Kozlova Alena A , Lotfi Michelle , Okkema Peter G
Published: March 2019

Precise signaling at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is essential for proper muscle contraction. In the Caenorhabditis elegans pharynx, acetylcholine (ACh) released from the MC and M4 motor neurons stimulates two different types of contractions in adjacent muscle cells, termed pumping and isthmus peristalsis. MC stimulates rapid pumping through the nicotinic ACh receptor EAT-2, which is tightly localized at the MC NMJ, and eat-2 mutants exhibit a slow pump rate. Surprisingly, we found that eat-2 mutants also hyperstimulated peristaltic contractions, and that they were characterized by increased and prolonged Ca2+ transients in the isthmus muscles. This hyperstimulation depends on cross talk with the GAR-3 muscarinic ACh receptor as gar-3 mutation specifically suppressed the prolonged contraction and increased Ca2+ observed in eat-2 mutant peristalses. Similar GAR-3-dependent hyperstimulation was also observed in mutants lacking the ace-3 acetylcholinesterase, and we suggest that NMJ defects in eat-2 and ace-3 mutants result in ACh stimulation of extrasynaptic GAR-3 receptors in isthmus muscles. gar-3 mutation also suppressed slow larval growth and prolonged life span phenotypes that result from dietary restriction in eat-2 mutants, indicating that cross talk with the GAR-3 receptor has a long-term impact on feeding behavior and eat-2 mutant phenotypes.
A Democracia em questão: com a fala, as mulheres militantes de esquerda durante a ditadura militar nos anos de 1964 a 1985
Authors: Torres Mateus Gamba , Barroso Eloísa Pereira
Published: March 2019

Este artigo, através da História Oral, busca estabelecer uma análise das representações das mulheres militantes de esquerda sobre a democracia como direito humano após o golpe militar de 1964. A intenção é fazer reverberar, através de suas vozes, como foram configuradas e reconfiguradas as experiências vividas como militantes de esquerda em um regime ditatorial. Procurar-se-á aqui debater, a partir de suas narrativas, como essas mulheres perceberam e percebem a democracia como parte constitutiva dos direitos humanos pela qual lutaram nas organizações de esquerda. Para tanto, foram abordadas algumas perspectivas de democracia que, como demonstram as narradoras por meio de seus depoimentos, fizeram parte da trajetória de cada uma delas.
Notas sobre uma história do antiperonismo
Authors: Santos Rodolpho Gauthier Cardoso dos
Published: March 2019

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No capítulo dos direitos humanos: direito, política e história na “Coluna do Castello” (1969-1973)
Authors: Grinberg Lucia
Published: March 2019

De 1962 a 1993, o Jornal do Brasil publicou a “Coluna do Castello” que, assinada pelo jornalista Carlos Castello Branco, era uma das referências mais prestigiosas do jornalismo político no País. Os textos eram lidos por intelectuais, políticos e militares, assim como por agentes de informação e segurança. Neste artigo procuro mostrar como o jornalista Carlos Castello Branco participou do debate sobre direitos humanos nos primeiros anos após o AI-5, de 1969 a 1973. A partir da interseção entre direito, política e história, o jornalista buscou maneiras de divulgar as violações de direitos humanos na ditadura. Como intelectual mediador, Castello se engajou na divulgação de fundamentos do Estado de direito e procurou dar inteligibilidade aos princípios político-jurídicos que garantem os direitos humanos. A partir do desafio comum de resistência à ditadura através da circulação de denúncias de violações de direitos humanos na imprensa, é possível observar a existência de relações de solidariedade e de distinção entre jornalistas liberais e militantes de esquerda.
O corpo que se manifesta na imagem
Authors: Azevedo Dúnya Pinto
Published: March 2019

O presente artigo propõe uma reflexão sobre as fotografias produzidas pelo coletivo Mídia Ninja das manifestações em protesto contra o assassinato de Marielle Franco – vereadora do Rio de Janeiro pelo PSOL – no dia 14 de março de 2018, na região central da cidade. Em momentos de luto como esse, os corpos se colocam nas manifestações como barreiras para o avanço de abusos e como defesa de seus direitos. Tendo como base as investigações do filósofo e historiador da arte Georges Didi-Huberman a respeito das imagens e gestos dos levantes, interrogo sobre a potência dos corpos que aparecem nas imagens fotojornalísticas. Também, partindo da proposição de W. J. T. Mitchell, procuro pensar as fotografias do levante que pedem justiça por Marielle Franco a partir de um deslocamento do poder para o desejo.
Terrorismo de Estado, Direitos Humanos e Justiça de Transição (Argentina e Brasil) – entrevista com Carlos Artur Gallo
Authors: Maia Tatyana De Amaral
Published: March 2019

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DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE AND LARGE-SCALE VIETNAMESE AUTOMATIC SPEECH RECOGNITION SYSTEMS
Authors: Truong Do Quoc , Phuong Pham Ngoc , Tung Tran Hoang , Mai Luong Chi
Published: March 2019

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems convert human speech into the corresponding transcription automatically. They have a wide range of applications such as controlling robots, call center analytics, voice chatbot. Recent studies on ASR for English have achieved the performance that surpasses human ability. The systems were trained on a large amount of training data and performed well under many environments. With regards to Vietnamese, there have been many studies on improving the performance of existing ASR systems, however, many of them are conducted on a small-scaled data, which does not reflect realistic scenarios. Although the corpora used to train the system were carefully design to maintain phonetic balance properties, efforts in collecting them at a large-scale are still limited. Specifically, only a certain accent of Vietnam was evaluated in existing works. In this paper, we first describe our efforts in collecting a large data set that covers all 3 major accents of Vietnam located in the Northern, Center, and Southern regions. Then, we detail our ASR system development procedure utilizing the collected data set and evaluating different model architectures to find the best structure for Vietnamese. In the VLSP 2018 challenge, our system achieved the best performance with 6.5% WER and on our internal test set with more than 10 hours of speech collected real environments, the system also performs well with 11% WER
Microbiological Characterization of Grilled Meat “Tchatchanga” in Cotonou (Southern Benin): Enumeration, Isolation and Resistance Profile of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli
Authors: ASSIM Ousmane , DOUGNON Victorien T. , CHABI Nicodème W. , AGBANKPE Jerrold A. , ANIAMBOSSOU Alidah V. , FABIYI Kafayath A. , BABA-MOUSSA Lamine
Published: March 2019

Collective food-borne diseases are the reason for a considerable number of deaths in developing countries. The contamination of meat is often noticed. The purpose of the present study was to enumerate, isolate and evaluate the resistance profile of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in grilled meat consumed in Southern Benin. To achieve this goal, 30 thirty samples of grilled meat “Tchatchanga” were collected in three districts of the city of Cotonou. After collection, the samples were identified, stored in a cooler containing cold accumulator’s and sent to the laboratory for analysis. The resistance profile of the different isolated strains was then sought: 30% of the samples were contaminated with Escherichia coli and 100% with Staphylococci. In terms of hygienic quality, 70% of the samples were of unsatisfactory. Of the 30 staphylococcal strains, 11 were identified as Staphylococcus aureus. Regarding the strain resistance profile, 88.89% of the Escherichia coli strains were multi-resistant compared to 72.72% of Staphylococcus aureus. This study revealed the necessity of urgent actions to ensure food safety in Benin.
Peste des Petits Ruminants: Aetiology, Pathology, Immunology, Disease Status in Africa, Diagnosis, Control, Prevention and Treatment: A Review
Authors: UGOCHUKWU Iniobong C. I. , EZEASOR Chukwunonso K. , AGINA Onyinyechukwu A. , ANYOGU Davinson C. , CHUKWUDI Ijeoma C. , IDOKO Sunday I. , UGOCHUKWU Emmanuel I.
Published: March 2019

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a disease of economic and veterinary importance leading to considerable economic losses. PPR affects small domestic and wild ruminants. Sheep and goats are the natural hosts of PPR but cattle, pigs, African buffaloes and camels are also affected by the PPR virus. Clinical signs seen are mainly fever, mucopurulent nasal and ocular discharges, cough, dyspnoea, gastroenteritis leading to severe diarrhoea. The post mortem lesions seen are congested lungs, congestion of gastrointestinal tract, especially the discontinuous streaks of congestion, which is referred to as Zebra stripes or Zebra markings, oedematous and congested retropharyngeal and mesenteric lymph nodes, linear haemorrhages in the intestinal mucosa and splenomegaly. PPR infection is characterized by a rise in packed cell volume (PCV), increase in haemoglobin concentration (HbC), leukopenia with lymphopenia. The serum alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities are elevated, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations are also elevated. The disease is also characterized by disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) evidenced by prolonged prothrombin time (PT), prolonged activated thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombocytopenia, and hypofibrinogenemia. In PPR infection, serum biomarkers of oxidative stress such as vitamins A, C, E and glutathione activity decreases while serum catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase and xanthine oxidase increase. Diagnostic techniques include histopathology, virus isolation, immunocapture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA), Competitive Enzyme Linked Imunnosorbent Assay (cELISA) and Combined Indirect ELISA (CI-ELISA) agar gel immunodiffusion, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), reverse transcription-loop mediated isothermal amplification assay (RT-LAMP), Luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS) and immunohistochemistry. Therefore, this review focused on the aetiology, epidemiology, pathology, immunology, and disease status in Africa, diagnosis, control, prevention, treatment and control of this disease.
Hypoglycaemic and Hypolipidemic Effects of Black Brand of Lipton Tea (Camellia sinensis) on Normal Male Albino Rats
Authors: ANORUE E. C. , MBEGBU E. C. , NGWU G. I. , IBEMENUGA K. N. , EYO J. E.
Published: March 2019

Recently, considerable attention has been focused on dietary supplements that possess hypoglycaemic and hypolipidemic properties in lieu of the synergistically synthesized drugs like statins and metiform which have been proven to have adverse effects. This present work was carried out to study the potential effects of Lipton tea aqueous extract (LTAE) on normal male albino rats. 36 six male Wistar rats weighing 115-150 g were assigned into four main groups; each group was divided into three subgroups, consisting of three replicates namely R1, R2 and R3 making a total of nine rats in each of the main groups. Group 1 served as the control and received only water, Group 2 received 200 mg/kg of LTAE, Group 3 received 400 mg/kg of the LTAE, while Group 4 received 800 mg/kg of LTAE. All treatment was given orally on daily basis for 28 consecutive days, but the parameters were assessed on weekly basis. The result revealed that, weight gain, fasting blood sugar and serum (total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c and VLDL-c) significantly (p < 0.05) decrease in all the treated groups while HDL-c significantly (p < 0.05) increased when compared to the control group. The Lipton tea aqueous extract induced both a dose-dependent and a time-dependent effect in the parameters measured, apart from the total cholesterol which did not show a dose-dependent effect. This led to an overall decrease in the antherogenic index and coronary risk index, suggesting that LTAE possesses hypoglycaemic and hypoglycaemic activities in normal male rats.
Inhibition effect and mechanism of mesoporous silica hollow nanospheres on asphalt VOCs
Authors: Shu Benan , Wu Shaopeng , Li Chao , Long Yongshuang , Liu Quantao
Published: March 2019

In this study, mesoporous silica hollow nanospheres (MSHSs) with continuously distributed pore diameters were simply synthesized through the hydrothermal method. Then, the effect of MSHSs on inhibition of asphalt volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was studied by using pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method were conducted to analyze the inhibition mechanism. GC-MS results showed that the addition of MSHSs could significantly reduce the emission of asphalt VOCs. Temperature influenced the emission amount of asphalt VOCs. The adsorption efficiencies of MSHSs for alkanes, hydrocarbon derivatives and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are different. The inhibition mechanism indicated that the reduction of emissions of asphalt VOCs is a result of physical adsorption, rarefied concentration adsorption and chemical adsorption caused by MSHSs.
Evaluating Student Mentoring As an Intervention to Support Modern Foreign Language Learning in Secondary Schools in Wales
Authors: Blake Sally , Gorrara Claire
Published: March 2019

Commissioned annually by the British Council, the third Language Trends Wales report (2017) paints a worrying picture for non- indigenous languages in schools in Wales. Between 2002 and 2016, entries for modern foreign language qualifications at age sixteen (GCSE) dropped by
48%. Entries for advanced qualifications (A Level) at age eighteen have seen a similar drop, with the number today now half that of 2005. Funded by the Welsh Government, a student mentoring project is working in Wales to improve the uptake of modern foreign languages at GCSE in schools where
uptake is low or in decline. This article evaluates the outcomes of this mentoring project over its first two phases (2015 16 and 2016 17). It analyses this mentoring initiative from two perspectives. Firstly, it examines the project as a strategic policy intervention, targeted at increasing
uptake of modern foreign languages at GCSE and supporting curriculum reform in Wales. Secondly, the article assesses mentoring as a personal and professional intervention, supporting the lifelong learning of university students who were trained as mentors to work in secondary schools. By reviewing
the impact of the project on both mentees and mentors, the article makes a case for mentoring as an intervention with capacity to build partnerships, broaden horizons and improve attitudes to language learning at a time of uncertainty about the UK's and Wales's place in the world.
The Collaborative Institute for Education Research, Evidence and Impact: a Case Study in Developing Regional Research Capacity in Wales
Authors: Tyler Emily J. , Watkins Richard C. , Roberts Sarah E. , Hoerger Marguerite , Hastings Richard P. , Hulson- Jones Amy , Hughes Carl J.
Published: March 2019

In this case study, we describe the work undertaken since 2004 in the journey to develop a collaborative model of working aimed at building the capacity and relevance of education research and evaluation across the North Wales region. The work has culminated in 2017 with the creation
of a collaborative research institute, the Collaborative Institute for Education Research, Evidence and Impact (CIEREI). CIEREI is a formal strategic collaboration between GwE (the Regional School Effectiveness and Improvement Service for North Wales), Bangor University, schools, and
other bodies and institutions interested in education outcomes. The primary aim of CIEREI is to support improving outcomes for children through schools, and to contribute to teacher education and building regional capacity in school- led, co- constructed close- to- practice impact research.
CIEREI's establishment is the third phase in the development of a regional research and evaluation collaboration across North Wales.
“Inherently Bad, and Bad Only”: A History of State-Level Regulation of Cigarettes and Smoking in the United States Since the 1880s. Volume 1
Authors: Linder Marc
Published: March 2019

This book lays out empirical and methodological underpinnings for studying the early period of anti-cigarette legislation in the United States by overcoming the lack of primary source-based historical scholarship. Constantly repeating wildly erroneous claims at second, third, and more remote hand, anti-smoking academics and pro-tobacco apologists have fundamentally distorted history, on the one hand by dismissing the early anti-cigarette movement as merely religiously and morally motivated and the legislation it secured as unenforced exercises bereft of historical relevance, and, on the other by absurdly magnifying its achievements. Reconstruction of the national scope of the real course of the passage and repeal of statewide legislative bans on cigarette sales to adults from the late 1880s until 1927 pays special attention to the non-governmental driving forces of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union’s health-based support of and the monopolistic American Tobacco Company’s opposition to such interference with consumer freedom. In this panoramic analysis is embedded ultra-thick description of the enactment, enforcement, and repeal processes in Iowa as a representative state. In order to present the full sweep of tobacco control regulation, the narrative continues into the present, under the new circumstances of a mass movement and monolithic scientific warnings of secondhand smoke exposure’s lethality, by capturing the shift in focus to anti-public smoking legislation—which had, ironically, originated just as sales ban repeals were spreading in the wake of World War I—again using developments in Iowa, interpretively enriched by interviews with numerous legislative, executive, administrative, and nongovernmental actors, as a sequence of microcosms.
Flora and Botanic Tourism Potential of Yaralıgöz (Kastamonu) Education and Observation Forest
Authors: KARAKÖSE Mustafa , TERZİOĞLU Salih
Published: March 2019

Aim of Study: In this study, it was aimed to identify the flora of Yaralıgöz Education and Observation Forest and revealing its potential in terms of botanic tourism.Area of study: The study area is the Yaralıgöz Education and Observation Forest, which is within the boundaries of four forest planning units (Devrekani, Tezcan, Şeyhşaban and Karacakaya) belonging to the Kastamonu Regional Directorate. Yaralıgöz Education and Observation Forest is located in the transitional zone between the Euxine province of Euro-Siberian and Irano-Turanian floristic areas in terms of plant geography.Material and Methods: This research is a flora study and the materials of this stııdy included plant specimens collected from Yaralıgöz Mountainbetween 2011 and 2012.Main Results: With this study, 374 vascular plant taxa were identified. Pteridophyta section were represented by 6 taxa, Pinidae sub-class by 7 taxa, and Magnoliidae subclass by 361 taxa. The largest family was Asteraceae (45; 12.1%), followed by Lamiaceae (35; 9.3%), Rosaceae and Fabaceae (27; 7.2%). The phytogeographic regions of 190 taxa represented in the study area are as follows: Euro-Siberian 144 (38.7%), Irano-Turanian 24 (6.4%) and Mediterranean 22 (5.9%). Raunkiaer’s life forms showed that Hemicryptophytes with 50.7% Phanerophytes with 15.7% and Cryptophytes with 14.9% were the most frequent life forms.Highlights: Twenty-three endemic and one rare plant taxa were identified. In addition, new distribution areas were determined for the endemic taxon Acer hyrcanum subsp. keckianum and European spruce. Because of the presence of many characteristic plant species, Yaralıgöz Education and Observation Forest has been identified to have an important botanic tourism potential.
Measuring CN content in leaf samples using Elementar Vario MICRO Cube v1
Authors: Ayotte Jocelyne , Guilbeault-Mayers Xavier , Laliberté Etienne
Published: March 2019

Here we describe the standardised protocol used by the Canadian Airborne Biodiversity Observatory (CABO) to measure CN content in leaf samples, using the Elementar Vario MICRO Cube.
Removal of genomic DNA from RNA preparations (Thermo Scientific )- (M4455 Version) v1
Authors: Dietsch Maximilian
Published: March 2019

Removal of genomic DNA from RNA preparations
First strand cDNA synthesis (ThermoScientific RevertAid) v1
Authors: ST Triesch Sebastian , Dietsch Maximilian
Published: March 2019

The following protocol is optimized to generate first-strand cDNA for use in two step-PCR.
Abeoforma whisleri transient transfection protocol v1
Authors: Casacuberta Elena , Kozyczkowska Aleksandra , R R Najle Sebastian
Published: March 2019

This is a protocol for transient transfection of the Icthyosporean Abeoforma whisleri. This protocol has an efficiency of 1-2% calculated from fluorescent positive cell from Flow Cytometry data, using the amount of cells and DNA described in the protocol. Increasing DNA from above 1 microgram/microliter does not increase transfection.
Tests of hail simulation and research of the resulting impact on the structural reliability of solar cells
Authors: Kilikevičienė Kristina , Matijošius Jonas , Fursenko Antanas , Kilikevičius Artūras
Published: March 2019

The mandatory tests of resistance to hail is carried out in order to qualify solar cell modules according to standards (IEC 61215
and IEC 61646). The efficiency of modern photovoltaic systems decreases significantly, when the crystalline structure of solar cells
is damaged as a result of climatic factors, such as wind, hail, etc., which are similar to mechanical-dynamic effects. This work
presents a conducted research of efficiency and reliability of solar cells, simulating hail effects. A testbed was created specifically
for carrying out experimental research. During the research, solar elements were exposed to impact, cyclic dynamic loads, with
the frequency of revolutions of the balls simulating hail ranging from 5 to 20 Hz, the amplitude of the impact excitation acceleration of the solar cell - up to 986 m / s2 and the force amplitude - up to 1129 N. Experimental research results revealed the reliability
of photovoltaic modules of different sizes during the simulation of hail. The proposed assessment methodology of hail effects can
be successfully applied in studies of the influence of mechanical-dynamic effects of solar cells of different structures.
Maintenance management balanced scorecard approach for urban transport fleets
Authors: Macián Vicente , Tormos Bernardo , Herrero Jesús
Published: March 2019

Attending the important role of maintenance function in any production or service provider company, the measurement and assessment of maintenance performance is crucial for competitiveness and future survival. That situation is even more critical in
urban transport fleets where some specific boundary conditions and special characteristics will affect maintenance policy and
implementation. This paper presents a deep review of different studies worldwide to define the most proper and effective maintenance performance indicators, selecting and refining the most important ones to obtain a reduced maintenance management
balanced scorecard. That balanced scorecard is proposed as a main tool for urban transport fleet maintenance managers to assess
efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance processes and will be used as a basis for a future benchmarking process for this type
of companies.
Accelerated degradation analysis based on a random-effect Wiener process with one-order autoregressive errors
Authors: Li Junxing , Wang Zhihua , Liu Chengrui , Qiu Ming
Published: March 2019

For highly reliable and long-life products, accelerated degradation test (ADT) is often an effective and attractive way to assess
the reliability. To analyze the accelerated degradation data, it has been well recognized that it is necessary to incorporate three
sources of variability including the temporal variability, the unit-to-unit variability and measurement errors into the ADT model.
The temporal variability can be properly described by the Wiener process. However, the randomness of the initial degradation
level, which is an important part of the unit-to-unit variability, has been often neglected. In addition, regarding the measurement
errors, current ADT models often assumed them to follow a mutually independent normal distribution and ignored the autocorrelation that may probably exist in them. These problems lead to a poor accuracy for reliability evaluation in some situation.
Thus, a random-effect Wiener process-based ADT model considering one-order autoregressive (AR(1)) errors is proposed. Then
closed-form expressions for the failure time distribution (FTD) is derived based on the concept of first hitting time (FHT). A statistical inference method is adopted to estimate unknown parameters. Finally, a comprehensive simulation study and a practical
application are given to demonstrate the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed model
The Dislocation of News Journalism: A Conceptual Framework for the Study of Epistemologies of Digital Journalism
Authors: Ekström Mats , Westlund Oscar
Published: March 2019

This article focuses on news journalism, social media platforms and power, and key implications for epistemology. The conceptual framework presented is intended to inspire and guide future studies relating to the emerging sub-field of journalism research that we refer to as “Epistemologies of Digital Journalism”. The article discusses the dependencies between news media and social media platforms (non-proprietary to the news media). The authority and democratic role of news journalism pivot on claims that it regularly provides accurate and verified public knowledge. However, how are the epistemic claims of news journalism and the practices of justifications affected by news journalism’s increased dependency on social media platforms? This is the overall question discussed in this article. It focuses on the intricate power dependencies between news media and social media platforms and proceeds to discuss implications for epistemology. It presents a three-fold approach differentiating between (1) articulated knowledge and truth claims, (2) justification in the journalism practices and (3) the acceptance/rejections of knowledge claims in audience activities. This approach facilitates a systematic analysis of how diverse aspects of epistemology interrelate with, and are sometimes conditioned by, the transformations of news and social media.
Mapping Political Discussions on Twitter: Where the Elites Remain Elites
Authors: Dagoula Chrysi
Published: March 2019

This article compares digital arenas such as Twitter with the principles prescribed by the bourgeois public sphere, to examine how close or far these arenas are from Habermas’ original concept. By focusing on one of the criteria, the current influence of elites on political debate, it discusses the Habermasian principles of general accessibility and non-dominance of the elites as prerequisites for a functioning public sphere. This study finds that even though there are few access restrictions on Twitter and despite the fact that no one, in principle, is excluded from the platform, there is no apparent elimination of privileges and the elites maintain their elite status within its borders. Methodologically, the article relies on empirical research of hashtagged exchanges on Twitter during the General Elections in the United Kingdom in 2015. Through the mapping of Twitter as a synthesis of dialogic arenas, it explores the elite-focused discourse and the vocal actors in the stream, underscoring that the presence of the elites, even in an indirect way. Drawing on these elements, the article argues for a reconceptualization of the normative perception of the public sphere, suggesting the notion of exclusion is a complex issue that includes expanding notions of publics to also include those topics being discussed. Finally, it focuses on the significance of journalism in relation to political dialogue and argues that the move towards less elite-centered arenas largely depends on journalism.
Exploring Political Journalism Homophily on Twitter: A Comparative Analysis of US and UK Elections in 2016 and 2017
Authors: Fincham Kelly
Published: March 2019

The tendency of political journalists to form insular groups or packs, chasing the same angles and quoting the same sources, is a well-documented issue in journalism studies and has long been criticized for its role in groupthink and homogenous news coverage. This groupthink attracted renewed criticism after the unexpected victory of Republican candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election as the campaign coverage had indicated a likely win by the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. This pattern was repeated in the 2017 UK election when the Conservative party lost their majority after a campaign in which the news coverage had pointed to an overall Tory victory. Such groupthink is often attributed to homophily, the tendency of individuals to interact with those most like them, and while homophily in the legacy media system is well-studied, there is little research around homophily in the hybrid media system, even as social media platforms like Twitter facilitate the development—and analysis—of virtual political journalism packs. This study, which compares Twitter interactions among US and UK political reporters in the 2016 and 2017 national elections, shows that political journalists are overwhelmingly more likely to use Twitter to interact with other journalists, particularly political journalists, and that their offline tendencies to form homogenous networks have transferred online. There are some exceptions around factors such as gender, news organizations and types of news organization—and important distinctions between types of interactions—but overall the study provides evidence of sustained homophily as journalists continue to normalize Twitter.
Journalism and Social Media: Redistribution of Power?
Authors: Broersma Marcel , Eldridge II Scott A.
Published: March 2019

This thematic issue sets out to explore the power relationships between journalism and social media. The articles here examine these relationships as intersections between journalistic actors and their audiences, and between news media, their content, and the functions of social media platforms. As the articles in this issue show, the emergence of social media and their adoption by news media and other social actors have brought about a series of changes which have had an impact on how news is produced, how information is shared, how audiences consume news, and how publics are formed. In this introduction, we highlight the work in this issue in order to reflect on the emergence of social media as one which has been accompanied by shifts in power in journalism and its ancillary fields, shifts which have in turn surfaced new questions for scholars to confront.
GLOBALIZATION AND CONTEMPORARY GEOPOLITICAL VALUES
Authors: Boiko I.
Published: March 2019

Author investigates the essential characteristics, manifestations of globalization as a determinative law of world development and the planetary tendency for the integration of mankind. The relationship between globalization and geopolitical values and processes is clarified. It is noted that globalization reflects the geopolitical heterogeneity of the world, which gives a certain direction the international relations development. The unity of geopolitical processes with the approval of the new world order is analyzed.