bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process Evaluation Method in Assessing Corrosion Damage of Reinforced Concrete Bridges
Authors: Gao Zhicheng , Li Jiliang
Published: May 2018

Effective method used to deal with the corrosion damage condition of any concrete bridge superstructure will help decision makers of bridge management agencies to better choose repair material, and optimize repair method. Simplified corrosion index (SCI) is a very useful and simple index to characterize the actual corrosion damage condition of a reinforced concrete bridge superstructure. In this paper, SCI is calculated by combining the Corrosion Damage Index (CDI), Environment Change Factor (ECF) and Material Vulnerability Factor (MVF). The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is applied to decide the weight factors of CDI, ECF and MVF. The Fuzzy-AHP evaluation method is used in this study to deal with the fuzzy problem of differentiating the different levels of corrosion indicators and to determine the appropriate weight factors. The asymmetric nearness degree method is applied to re-analyze the evaluation vector from Fuzzy-AHP method to calculate the corrosion damage level based on all corrosion indicators. A numerical example was presented to demonstrate the procedure and the benefits of the AHP method, and the proposed Fuzzy-AHP approach, along with the asymmetric nearness degree method, in dealing with the fuzzy nature of SCI calculation problem.
Analysis of Design Indicators of Sustainable Buildings with an Emphasis on Efficiency of Energy Consumption (Energy Efficiency)
Authors: Damirchi Loo Leila , Mahdavinejad Mohammadjavad
Published: May 2018

Nowadays paying attention to sustainable development issues has been a priority for different countries, due to technological advances and increasing number of problems caused by neglecting the environment. Sustainable development is a new field that considers all the aspects of human life. One of important issues in this area is, considering the energy and efficient energy consumption and reducing the environmental consequences of its consumption. Sustainable design of buildings is also an example of sustainable development. The purpose of this study that has been conducted based on documents and library studies and analysis of samples that are built with the sustainable approach is to study and compare the fundamentals of investigated samples with the criteria of sustainable development. The result is that fundamentals of these buildings as architectural responses can help architectures challenges in different environmental conditions.
Analisis Faktor-faktor yang Memengaruhi Kelancaran Kredit dan Penilaian Kesehatan Keuangan pada Amartha Microfinance
Authors: Pramono Puteri Nurani Nur Syari’ati , Irwanto Abdul Kohar , Permanasari Yusrina
Published: May 2018

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengelolaan kredit, faktor-faktor sumberdaya manusia (SDM) dan nasabah yang memengaruhi kelancaran kredit serta menganalisis tingkat kesehatan dan peramalan keuangan Amartha Microfinance. Metode analisis data penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan teknik wawancara serta analisis faktor, analisis rasio, analisis tren dan peramalan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan kunci utama pengelolaan penyaluran kredit adalah proses pembentukan kelompok yang dilakukan sendiri oleh anggota, sistem tanggung renteng selalu berjalan, disiplin kehadiran dan angsuran zero tollerant. Faktor SDM yang memengaruhi kelancaran kredit adalah aspek moral hazards dan morale hazards masing-masing sebesar 75,1%, sedangkan faktor anggota kelompok nasabah yang memengaruhi kelancaran kredit adalah aspek capital sebesar 64,3%, aspek capacity 52,2% dan aspek character 50,2%. Rasio likuiditas dan solvabilitas berada pada kondisi sehat, peramalan rasio likuiditas dan solvabilitas cenderung menurun.
Analisis Tingkat Burnout Guru MTS Assa’idiyyah Ditinjau dari Tipe Kepribadian Disc
Authors: Islami Zulvy Noor , Kartika Lindawati
Published: May 2018

MTs Assa’idiyyah sebagai salah satu madrasah swasta memiliki guru sebagai penggerak utama kegiatan organisasi. Guru merupakan salah satu pekerjaan yang rentan terkena burnout atau gejala kejenuhan. Selain itu, setiap guru juga memiliki kepribadian yang berbeda sehingga memiliki respon yang berbeda juga terhadap burnout. Oleh karena itu, diperlukan penelitian sebagai bahan evaluasi kepribadian guru dan tingkat burnout yang mungkin mereka miliki. Tujuan penelitian adalah (1) Menganalisis tipe kepribadian DISC yang terdapat pada guru MTs Assa’idiyyah (2) Menganalisis tingkat burnout yang dialami oleh guru MTs Assa’idiyyah (3) Menganalisis perbedaan tingkat burnout antara beragam tipe kepribadian pada guru MTs Assa’idiyyah. Metode analisis data yang digunakan ialah Anova dengan satu arah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tipe kepribadian DISC yang mempengaruhi tingkat burnout guru ialah kepribadian yang terdapat pada graph 3 atau kepribadian sebenarnya dengan urutan Dominant, Compliance, Steady, dan Influence.
Analisis Persepsi Nilai, Kepedulian Keamanan Pangan dan Kesadaran Kesehatan yang Memengaruhi Keinginan Membeli Pangan Organik (Studi Kasus Mahasiswa S1 Institut Pertanian Bogor)
Authors: Titus Bungaran Raymond , Hubeis Musa
Published: May 2018

Memasuki abad 21, kecendrungan gaya hidup sehat di kalangan masyarakat modern semakin meningkat dengan mengkonsumsi pangan organik dalam arti umum (sayur, beras, dan sejenisnya). Pangan organik adalah pangan yang diproduksi tanpa pupuk kimia atau pestisida. Tujuan penelitian adalah menganalisis pengaruh kesadaran kesehatan, persepsi nilai dan kepeduliaan keamanan pangan terhadap keinginan membeli pangan organik. Penelitian dilakukan terhadap sivitas IPB strata 1 dan teknik pengambilan contoh dengan Teknik Slovin dan Kuota. Metode analisis yang digunakan adalah regresi linear berganda dengan Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS for windows versi 16.0). Hasil penelitian menunjukan secara parsial terdapat pengaruh positif persepsi nilai tentang pangan organik dan kesadaran kesehatan terhadap keinginan membeli produk pangan organik, di samping pengaruh negatif kepedulian keamanan pangan dengan keinginan membeli pangan organik. Secara simultan, terdapat pengaruh positif persepsi nilai tentang pangan organik, kepedulian pada keamanan pangan dan kesadaran kesehatan terhadap keinginan membeli pangan organik.
Monitoring nest box use by cavity‐nesting ducks on acid‐stressed lakes in Ontario, Canada
Authors: McNicol Donald K. , Walton Russel A. , Mallory Mark L.
Published: May 2018

Nest boxes erected on 75 small lakes near Sudbury, Canada were monitored annually between 1987 and 1996 to measure the response of cavity‐nesting waterfowl to changing chemical and biological conditions of their nesting habitat from the effects of acidification. Nest boxes were used mainly by common goldeneyes Bucephala clangula and hooded mergansers Lophodytes cucullatus, although a few were occupied by common mergansers Mergus merganser and wood ducks Aix sponsa. Use by hooded mergansers and wood ducks increased from 1987 to 1996, while use by goldeneyes remained stable. Patterns in nest box use reflected general population trends observed in the area. Interspecific nest parasitism also increased to 33% of all nests in 1996, probably a consequence of more hooded merganser nests. Clutch size, nesting and hatching success of goldeneye and hooded merganser eggs were similar to values reported for conspecifics in other studies. Overall, interspecific nest parasitism did not appear to affect the nesting success of either species. Although goldeneyes nested more often on fishless lakes early in the study, overall, fish presence, pH‐value, lake area and connectivity were not related to nesting attempts or measures of nesting success for either species. Therefore, it is believed that for common goldeneyes and hooded mergansers currently breeding in the acid‐stressed Sudbury area, habitat characteristics have little influence on nest site selection, particularly when compared to their documented effects on brood‐rearing. However, monitoring of nest boxes may prove a less expensive method than aerial surveys to track population responses of cavity‐nesting species to chemical improvements.
Field test of a GPS location system for moose Alces alces under Scandinavian boreal conditions
Authors: Edenius Lars
Published: May 2018

This paper reports on field tests of an animal‐borne GPS telemetry system for moose Alces alces in northern Sweden. Tests involved accuracy of locations (standard mode GPS), percentage of successful location attempts under different canopy conditions, effect of movement, and performance of the GPS telemetry system on free‐ranging moose. Locational accuracy was better than 92 and 183 m 95% of the time, and better than 42 and 74 m 50% of the time, respectively, dependent on whether the GPS receiver recorded a 2‐ or 3‐dimensional location (3 or 4 satellites used to calculate the location). Percentage of successful location attempts ranged within 69–100%, and varied inversely with over‐storey canopy cover and basal area of stems. Thick canopy cover and high stem basal area reduced locational accuracy and the percentage of successful location attempts. A backpack trial indicated that movement rate of 3–4 km/hour may reduce the percentage of successful location attempts under forest canopy. On moose, approximately 75% of attempts resulted in a location, the success rate being highest during winter/spring and lowest during fall. It is concluded that GPS has a great potential in wildlife telemetry studies, but effects of movement and habitat selection have to be addressed further.
How do plant communities respond to an erupting bison Bison bison athabascae population?
Authors: Larter Nicholas C.
Published: May 2018

Two distinct subpopulations of wood bison Bison bison athabascae inhabit the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary and adjacent areas: the ML subpopulation which is increasing and inhabits the periphery of the bison range, and the MBS subpopulation which is stabilizing and inhabits the core area of the bison range. This system provided the unique opportunity to examine how the plant community responded to an erupting, indigenous herbivore population. The standing crop of sedges and grasses in willow savanna habitats located in the core area of the range (MBS) was consistently lower than that of willow savannas located at the periphery (ML). The difference in standing crop between areas appears to be a direct result of different grazing pressures between the two areas. Net primary production was similar between MBS and ML indicating that the vegetation in MBS showed at least some partial compensation in response to grazing. The species composition of willow savannas differed between areas. Willow savannas located in MBS showed an increase in more unpalatable or less preferred species compared to willow savannas located in ML. Forages were of similar quality between the areas.
Location and size of capercaillie Tetrao urogallus leks in relation to territories of hens
Authors: Ménoni Emmanuel
Published: May 2018

In the French Pyrenees, lek habitats of capercaillie Tetrao urogallus are spatially separated from brood‐rearing habitats, which are defended by hens before laying. Spring territories of hens thus determine the placement of leks, which are as near to the geometric centre of the locations of one or more territorial hens as lek habitat allows. The number of cocks on leks on a small and large study area was proportional to the number of territorial hens. Locations of leks were systematically influenced by proximity of brood habitats, and the number of cocks on leks was positively correlated with the total area of brood habitats. Establishment of a lek may depend on the prior presence of one or more territorial hens. Because hens influence establishment and size of leks, territoriality in hens may limit numbers of both cocks and hens. These findings support recent models emphasising the effects of hens on lek formation, and contrast with those from Norway, where behaviour and habitat requirements of cocks determine size and location of leks. This may result from brood habitats in the Pyrenees being in localised patches, whereas those in Norway are available throughout the forest. However, the regular distribution pattern of leks in both the Pyrenees and Norway, supports the aspect of the Norwegian model which attributes lek location to the spacing behaviour of cocks.
Survival of black grouseTetrao tetrixin the French Alps
Authors: Caizergues Alain , Ellison Laurence N.
Published: May 2018

Survival rates are necessary for calculating allowable harvests and for modelling population performance. Survival rates for 93 black grouseTetrao tetrixequipped with radio tags in two populations of the southern French Alps were estimated. Annual survival rates of hens (0.68, SE = 0.075, 0.84, SE = 0.105), but not of cocks (0.56, SE = 0.09, 0.66, SE = 0.122), tended to be higher than those of juveniles (0.52, SE = 0.071, sexes combined). The lower survival of juveniles was due to higher predation, mostly by raptors, in autumn and winter. Although both autumn and winter were seasons of peak mortality in juveniles, most adult deaths occurred either in spring (hens and cocks), or in early summer (cocks). Causes of mortality were as follows: raptors 51%, mammalian predators 27%, unidentified predators 11%, and hunting 11%. Principal raptors were golden eagltAquila chrysaetosand goshawkAccipiter gentilis.Mammalian predators included foxVulpes vulpes, pine martenMaries mariesand stone martenM. foina.Only males could be legally shot, and hunting was a minor mortality factor on our study areas. Nevertheless, the distorted adult sex ratio favouring hens that we observed on our study areas was probably due to hunting of males on and around the study areas. Sensitivity analysis showed that population growth is influenced more by adult survival than by either reproductive success or juvenile survival to one year of age. To prevent shooting from causing highly distorted spring sex ratios, which might compromise reproductive success, harvests should be reduced in years of poor reproduction, and shooting should be oriented towards juvenile males.
Brood movement and natal dispersal of hazel grouse Bonasa bonasia at Changbai Mountain, Jilin Province, China
Authors: Fang Yun , Sun Yue‐Hua
Published: May 2018

Brood movement and natal dispersal of hazel grouse Bonasa bonasia at Changbai Mountain were studied using radio telemetry in 1993–94. Most chicks hatched during late May to early June. Only hens accompanied three radio‐tracked broods. After wandering for 30–35 days, broods 1 and 3 became relatively sedentary in second‐growth forest, 1.6–1.7 km from their nests. Broods 1 and 3 disintegrated when chicks were 80 and 69 days old. Based on radio‐tracking, it is suggested that the impetus for one brood's disintegration was that the hen left its brood. Female 2 lost her chicks about 20 days after hatching. The hens returned to their spring home ranges after brood dissolution. Three radio‐marked chicks dispersed 4.8–5.7 km in mid‐September. It is concluded that, in general, the hazel grouse is an active disperser in natural habitats.
Los Sistemas de Apoyo entre Iguales (SAI) para el fomento de la convivencia en positivo, la mejora del clima de aula y la prevención de situaciones de bullying: La experiencia de Brasil y de España
Authors: Avilés Martínez José Mª , Petta Daud Rafael
Published: May 2018

Se analiza la influencia de los Sistemas de Apoyo entre Iguales (SAI) en la mejora de la convivencia y el maltrato entre iguales. Se comparan dos muestras diferentes de alumnado, una con presencia de estructuras de apoyo entre iguales, los Equipos de Ayuda (Avilés, 2012), y otra sin ella tanto en escuelas secundarias de España como en Brasil. La prevalencia del bullying se obtiene tras la aplicación del Insebull (Avilés y Elices, 2007). Además se miden las conexiones y desconexiones morales de los sujetos ante dos casos de bullying, uno con víctima pasiva y otro con víctima provocativa. Se encuentran mejoras significativas en las escuelas que poseen esas estructuras respecto a la mejora del clima de convivencia y la concienciación de los sujetos implicados en las situaciones de bullying. Igualmente es significativamente mejor el grado de comunicación de las víctimas del acoso. También ocurren menos desconexiones morales en los sujetos que tienen esas estructuras de apoyo entre iguales en sus escuelas tanto frente a las víctimas pasivas como provocativas. Por ello, se hace necesario implementar y generalizar estas estructuras en el marco de los Proyectos Antibullying (Avilés, 2015) de los centros escolares.
Toleration, Tolerance, or Intolerance in the Works of the Young Martin Luther
Authors: Classen Albrecht
Published: May 2018

Martin Luther=s hateful and anti-Judaic sentiments have attracted much attention especially because they have often been identified as highly influential on modern anti-Semitism. But in his early years, Luther could harbor quite different attitudes. A critical reading of his treatise ADaß Jesus Christus ein geborner Jude sei@ from 1523 will allow us to gain important insights into the delicate and yet impactful approach to toleration as it had developed throughout the Middle Ages. While Luther espoused a specific form of toleration, he cannot be identified as a defender of tolerance in the modern sense of the word. Tragically, however, despite his early attempt at reaching out to people of Jewish faith, the famous reformer quickly changed his mind and embraced a most aggressive strategy against Jews at large. This article will highlight the intricate and fragile nature of toleration as it was pursued by many medieval and early modern intellectuals and writers, and demonstrate that this ideal was highly appealing, but also subject to quick changes to the opposite.
Isolation and Quantification of Aflatoxin from Aspergillus flavus Infected Stored Peanuts
Authors: Rajarajan1 P. N. , Rajasekaran K. M. , Asha Devi N. K.
Published: May 2018

Isolates of Aspergillus infected Peanuts were separately grown on modified Czapek’s medium at 280 C and the metabolites were tested for aflatoxin by HPLC. Naturally infected peanuts collected from trader’s godown were tested for aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are considered to be one of the most dangerous contaminants in food and feeds. Aflatoxins are a special group of naturally occurring metabolites produced by the fungi aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 which contaminate a variety of agricultural food and feed products .Naturally infected peanuts from Aspergillus flavus stored at trader’s godown, after several months’ storage, were found to be contaminated with aflatoxin B1.
Method Development and Validation for Simultaneous Estimation of Ketorolac and Sparfloxacin by RP-HPLC
Authors: Singh Rahul , Pathak Ashish , Chawla Pooja
Published: May 2018

A modified simple, selective, rapid, precise reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous estimation of ketorolac and sparfloxacin. The separation was made in a Hypersil-Keystone C-18 column using a methanol: water (60:40, v/v) (pH 3.1) as mobile phase at 308 nm. The mobile-phase flow rate and the sample volume injected were 0.9 ml/min and 20 μl, respectively. Retention time of sparfloxacin and ketorolac was found to be 3.181 and 4.473 minutes respectively. The correlation coefficient of both drugs was found to be 0.999. The accuracy of ketorolac was found to be 99.82% - 100.55% whereas for sparfloxacin, it was 99.76% - 99.89%. Over all % RSD was found to be less than 2%. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness, specificity, etc. The developed method can be used for routine analysis of ketorolac and sparfloxacin in their pharmaceutical dosage forms.
Stability indicating RP HPLC method for determination of levitiracetam in pharmaceutical formulation
Authors: Chaitanya Prasad M. Krishna , Sagar G. Vidhya , Sudhakar P.
Published: May 2018

The article reports on a development of RP-HPLC method for the quantitative determination of Levetiracetam in tablet dosage forms. The chromatographic separations were performed using Phenomenex_ C18 (250 mm x 4.6 mm i.d, 5 μm particle size) column at 40 ºC temperatures. The optimum mobile phase consisted of methanol, water and acetonitrile in the ratio of 30:10:60. Auto sampler 20 μl was used and kept at 15 ºC temperature. Analysis was done with flow rate of 1.0 ml/min at 212 nm (_ max of Levetiracetam) wavelength by using photodiode array (PDA) detector. The drug was analyzed for acid, alkaline, oxidative, hydrolytic, photolytic and thermal degradation studies. The standard calibration curve was plotted for the drug and results showed that the drug was linear (r2 = 0.999) in the concentration range between 0.01 – 1.5 μg/ml. The results of stress testing undertaken according to the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines reveal that the selected method is selective and stability-indicating for determination of levitiracetam in pharmaceutical formualtion.
Developing a collaborative model in teacher education – An overview of a teacher professional development project
Authors: Kervinen Anttoni , Uitto Anna , Kaasinen Arja , Portaankorva-Koivisto Päivi , Juuti Kalle , Kesler Merike
Published: May 2018

The article discusses the development of an educational model intended to support teachers’ professional development in science education. In this research and development project, LumaLähetit, pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, and teacher educators formed teams to collaboratively plan teaching and produce material for inquiry-based and integrative science instruction in primary schools. The results are based on three design cycles of the model. Thus far, ten schools, 24 in-service teachers, 30 pre-service teachers, and 560 pupils have participated. The results, which are based on the qualitative content analysis of participants’ open answers to a questionnaire, indicate that the developed collaborative model for science education supported preservice teachers and in-service teachers’ professional development in many ways. Several processes mediating the embodiment of the designed model were identified, especially during the second or third design cycles. Participants reflected on theory and practice. They experienced increased knowledge about inquiry and integrative approaches, collaborated in teams to some extent, and found this to be supportive during the project. Also, pre-service teachers appreciated the opportunity to teach in the schools. In general, careful goal setting, collaboration between the participants, and guidance by teacher educators during the initiation of the project were found to be crucial to the further success of the project. The results highlight a need for further research in order to better meet to the challenges of team teaching, inquiry-based instruction, and integrative teaching. The designed model was developed between the cycles and must be further developed in the future, especially in terms of supporting collaboration and clarifying theoretical concepts during the project.
Public Transport Accessibility: A Literature Review
Authors: Saif Muhammad Atiullah , Zefreh Mohammad Maghrour , Torok Adam
Published: May 2018

Accessibility is one of the most important outcomes of the transportation system. Public transport can be more attractive by providing "Door to door mobility" and development of transportation services is an important factor of social quality. Public transport accessibility has gained vital importance in designing and evaluating the transit system in terms of mobility and sustainability. Apart from the transport system itself, public transport accessibility has the considerable impact on life satisfaction in the form of perceived accessibility. Moreover, researchers have revealed several impact and correlation of provision of public transport accessibility to the environment and daily life which would have a noticeable impact on public health and other aspects of public daily life. Furthermore, the correlation between public transport accessibility and job opportunities has attracted the researchers' attention in the literature. Also, public participation in social activities has been investigated based on public transport accessibility and their close connection has been revealed under the topic of social exclusion. In this paper, the available literature on public transport accessibility has been reviewed. As a conclusion, it should be highlighted that not just the performance of public transportation but its impact on other social aspects should be considered while planning the public transport facilities.
Edward Sapir and Modernist Poetry: Amy Lowell, H.D., Ezra Pound, and the Development of Sapir's Literary Theory
Authors: Dowthwaite James
Published: May 2018

In this article, I look at the connections between the eminent linguist Edward Sapir (1884–1939) and modernist poetry. In his career, Sapir provided extensive knowledge about North American languages and promoted an influential relativistic approach to language and culture. His understanding of language, particularly its cultural values, was informed by his understanding of literature. I look, in particular, at the ways that Sapir applied his theories of language to his contemporaries in modernist poetry, with specific focus on Amy Lowell and Hilda Doolittle. Sapir saw modernist poetry as being based on the same linguistic principles as his broader theories of language and culture. I argue that Sapir's theoretical writing is not simply a key by which we should read modernist approaches to language, but is made up of important literary connections which point to his influence and standing in the modernist network.
Five years! Have we not had enough of valuation studies by now?
Authors: Doganova Liliana , Giraudeau Martin , Kjellberg Hans , Helgesson Claes-Fredrik , Lee Francis , Mallard Alexandre , Mennicken Andrea , Muniesa Fabian , Sjögren Ebba , Zuiderent-Jerak Teun
Published: May 2018

Not Available.
Computing Fault-Containment Times of Self-Stabilizing Algorithms Using Lumped Markov Chains
Authors: Turau Volker
Published: May 2018

The analysis of self-stabilizing algorithms is often limited to the worst case stabilization time starting from an arbitrary state, i.e., a state resulting from a sequence of faults. Considering the fact that these algorithms are intended to provide fault tolerance in the long run, this is not the most relevant metric. A common situation is that a running system is an a legitimate state when hit by a single fault. This event has a much higher probability than multiple concurrent faults. Therefore, the worst case time to recover from a single fault is more relevant than the recovery time from a large number of faults. This paper presents techniques to derive upper bounds for the mean time to recover from a single fault for self-stabilizing algorithms based on Markov chains in combination with lumping. To illustrate the applicability of the techniques they are applied to a new self-stabilizing coloring algorithm.
Prediction of Heat Transfer in a Jet Cooled Aircraft Engine Compressor Cone Based on Statistical Methods
Authors: Bleier Fabian , Schwitzke Corina , Bauer Hans-Jörg
Published: May 2018

The paper presents the setup and analysis of an experimental study on heat transfer of a jet cooled compressor rear cone with adjacent conical housing. The main goal of the paper is to describe the systematic derivation of empirical correlations for global Nusselt numbers to be used in the design process of a jet engine secondary air system. Based on the relevant similarity parameters obtained from literature, operating points are deduced leading to a full factorial design experiment to identify all effects and interactions. The varied similarity parameters are the circumferential Reynolds number, the non-dimensional mass flow, the non-dimensional spacing between rotor and stator, and the jet incidence angle. The range of the varied similarity parameters covers engine oriented operating conditions and is therefore suitable to predict Nusselt numbers in the actual engine component. In order to estimate measurement uncertainties, a simplified model of the test specimen, consisting of a convectively cooled flat plate, has been derived. Uncertainties of the measured quantities and derived properties are discussed by means of a linear propagation of uncertainties. A sensitivity study shows the effects of the input parameters and their interactions on the global Nusselt number. Subsequently, an empirical correlation for the global Nusselt numbers is derived using a multivariate non-linear regression. The quality of the empirical correlation is assessed by means of statistical hypotheses and by a comparison between measured and predicted data. The predicted values show excellent agreement with experimental data. In a wide range, accuracies of 15% can be reached when predicting global Nusselt numbers. Furthermore, the results of the sensitivity study show that pre-swirled cooling air does not have a positive effect on heat transfer.
Special Issue on Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technologies
Authors: Hai Faisal I. , Yamamoto Kazuo , Jegatheesan Jega Veeriah
Published: May 2018

Wastewater treatment allows for the safe disposal of municipal and industrial wastewater to protect public health and the ecosystem[...]
Multi-Class Sleep Stage Analysis and Adaptive Pattern Recognition
Authors: Procházka Aleš , Kuchyňka Jiří , Vyšata Oldřich , Cejnar Pavel , Vališ Martin , Mařík Vladimír
Published: May 2018

Multimodal signal analysis based on sophisticated sensors, efficient communication systems and fast parallel processing methods has a rapidly increasing range of multidisciplinary applications. The present paper is devoted to pattern recognition, machine learning, and the analysis of sleep stages in the detection of sleep disorders using polysomnography (PSG) data, including electroencephalography (EEG), breathing (Flow), and electro-oculogram (EOG) signals. The proposed method is based on the classification of selected features by a neural network system with sigmoidal and softmax transfer functions using Bayesian methods for the evaluation of the probabilities of the separate classes. The application is devoted to the analysis of the sleep stages of 184 individuals with different diagnoses, using EEG and further PSG signals. Data analysis points to an average increase of the length of the Wake stage by 2.7% per 10 years and a decrease of the length of the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stages by 0.8% per 10 years. The mean classification accuracy for given sets of records and single EEG and multimodal features is 88.7% ( standard deviation, STD: 2.1) and 89.6% (STD:1.9), respectively. The proposed methods enable the use of adaptive learning processes for the detection and classification of health disorders based on prior specialist experience and man–machine interaction.
Vacuum Ultraviolet Single-Photon Postionization of Amino Acids
Authors: Hsu Hsu Chen , Ni Chi-Kung
Published: May 2018

In this study, ultraviolet (UV) laser desorption and vacuum UV single-photon (VUV SP) postionization were performed to ionize and successfully analyze 20 common amino acids. The analytical merit and efficiency of the ionization was compared with those of conventional UV matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (UV-MALDI). A VUV light source (118 nm) was generated from the ninth harmonic of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, and the photon number was determined to be larger than 1012 for each laser pulse in the ionization region. In general, the detection sensitivity of VUV-SP-postionization was 10–100 times higher than that of conventional UV-MALDI. In particular, the ion signal from VUV-SP-postionization was considerably larger than that from UV-MALDI for analytes with low proton affinity such as glycine. However, some fragmentation of intact ions was observed in VUV-SP-postionization. Quantitative analysis performed using a glycine/histidine mixture and tryptophan/phenylalanine mixture revealed that the dynamic range of VUV-SP-postionization was one order of magnitude larger than that of UV-MALDI, indicating that VUV-SP-postionization is suitable for the quantitative analysis of amino acids.
User-In-The-Loop Content Delivery in Cellular Communication Networks with Heterogeneous User Behaviors
Authors: Zhang Weicheng , Li Yaodong , Lu Hai , Hong Xuemin , Shi Jianghong
Published: May 2018

User-in-the-loop (UiL) content delivery is a recently proposed scheme for personalized content retrieval over mobile communication networks. It is a promising scheme that can better manage the overall user quality-of-experience (QoE) throughout the entire content retrieval process. The performance of the scheme, however, has only been investigated in a simplified system model that assumed synchronized user behavior, inflexible delay constraint, and identical quality-of-service (QoS) requirement among users. This paper studies the performance of UiL content delivery scheme in a generalized and realistic system model with asynchronous user behavior, flexible outage delay constraint, and customized user QoS. Heuristic algorithms and theoretical bounds are investigated for the UiL content delivery problem. The proposed system is shown to be effective in managing the user QoE in generalized practical scenarios.
Optimizing Smoke and Plume Rise Modeling Approaches at Local Scales
Authors: Mallia Derek , Kochanski Adam , Urbanski Shawn , Lin John
Published: May 2018

Heating from wildfires adds buoyancy to the overlying air, often producing plumes that vertically distribute fire emissions throughout the atmospheric column over the fire. The height of the rising wildfire plume is a complex function of the size of the wildfire, fire heat flux, plume geometry, and atmospheric conditions, which can make simulating plume rises difficult with coarser-scale atmospheric models. To determine the altitude of fire emission injection, several plume rise parameterizations have been developed in an effort estimate the height of the wildfire plume rise. Previous work has indicated the performance of these plume rise parameterizations has generally been mixed when validated against satellite observations. However, it is often difficult to evaluate the performance of plume rise parameterizations due to the significant uncertainties associated with fire input parameters such as fire heat fluxes and area. In order to reduce the uncertainties of fire input parameters, we applied an atmospheric modeling framework with different plume rise parameterizations to a well constrained prescribed burn, as part of the RxCADRE field experiment. Initial results found that the model was unable to reasonably replicate downwind smoke for cases when fire emissions were emitted at the surface and released at the top of the plume. However, when fire emissions were distributed below the plume top following a Gaussian distribution, model results were significantly improved.
Clouds over East Asia Observed with Collocated CloudSat and CALIPSO Measurements: Occurrence and Macrophysical Properties
Authors: Li Xuebin , Zheng Xianming , Zhang Damao , Zhang Wenzhong , Wang Feifei , Deng Ye , Zhu Wenyue
Published: May 2018

Cloud occurrences, vertical structures, and along-track horizontal scales over East Asia are studied using four years (2007–2010) of CloudSat 2B-CLDCLASS-LIDAR data. The CloudSat 2B-CLDCLASS-LIDAR data employs combined CloudSat radar and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) measurements to provide by far the most accurate detections of cloud boundaries and their vertical structures. The mean cloud occurrence frequency over East Asia is 66.3%, which is 13.8% and 21.6% higher than that from the Cloud–Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) level 2 5-km cloud layer product and the CloudSat 2B-GEOPROF product, respectively. Cloud-top heights over East Asia show three local peaks at approximately 1.5 km, 10 km, and 15 km above ground level (AGL), indicating different mid-altitude cloud formation mechanisms from those over the tropics. Significant fractions of low-level cloud, mid-level cloud, and high-level cloud have thicknesses smaller than 0.5 km, indicating that models with vertical resolutions lower than 0.5 km have difficulties resolving those clouds. The average cloud along-track horizontal scale over East Asia is 82.0 km. Probability distribution functions (PDFs) of cloud along-track horizontal scales suggest that approximately 81.2% of the clouds over East Asia cannot be resolved by climate models with a grid resolution of 1°. The results from this study can be used to improve cloud parameterizations in climate models and validate model simulations of clouds over East Asia.
Evaluation of Fog and Low Stratus Cloud Microphysical Properties Derived from In Situ Sensor, Cloud Radar and SYRSOC Algorithm
Authors: Dupont Jean-Charles , Haeffelin Martial , Wærsted Eivind , Delanoe Julien , Renard Jean-Baptiste , Preissler Jana , O’Dowd Colin
Published: May 2018

The microphysical properties of low stratus and fog are analyzed here based on simultaneous measurement of an in situ sensor installed on board a tethered balloon and active remote-sensing instruments deployed at the Instrumented Site for Atmospheric Remote Sensing Research (SIRTA) observatory (south of Paris, France). The study focuses on the analysis of 3 case studies where the tethered balloon is deployed for several hours in order to derive the relationship between liquid water content (LWC), effective radius (Re) and cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) measured by a light optical aerosol counter (LOAC) in situ granulometer and Bistatic Radar System for Atmospheric Studies (BASTA) cloud radar reflectivity. The well-known relationship Z = α × (LWC)β has been optimized with α ϵ [0.02, 0.097] and β ϵ [1.91, 2.51]. Similar analysis is done to optimize the relationship Re = f(Z) and CDNC = f(Z). Two methodologies have been applied to normalize the particle-size distribution measured by the LOAC granulometer with a visible extinction closure (R² ϵ [0.73, 0.93]) and to validate the LWC profile with a liquid water closure using the Humidity and Temperature Profiler (HATPRO) microwave radiometer (R² ϵ [0.83, 0.91]). In a second step, these relationships are used to derive spatial and temporal variability of the vertical profile of LWC, Re and CDNC starting from BASTA measurement. Finally, the synergistic remote sensing of clouds (SYRSOC) algorithm has been tested on three tethered balloon flights. Generally, SYRSOC CDNC and Re profiles agreed well with LOAC in situ and BASTA profiles for the studied fog layers. A systematic overestimation of LWC by SYRSOC in the top half of the fog layer was found due to fog processes that are not accounted for in the cloud algorithm SYRSOC.
Event-Based Climatology of Tropical Cyclone Rainfall in Houston, Texas and Miami, Florida
Authors: Trepanier Jill C. , Tucker Clay S.
Published: May 2018

Tropical cyclone (TC) rainfall amounts are compared from 1950–2017 for Houston, Texas and Miami, Florida to estimate the risk of TC rain in both cities. Following the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017, concern has risen over the future of raininess in these locations. Per-event rainfall amounts are aggregated using tracks taken from HURDAT, time-of-rain gathered from National Weather Service daily weather maps, and rainfall totals taken from airport monitoring stations. Risk analysis tools include descriptive statistics, time series, and return frequencies for Houston and Miami, and spatially interpolated surfaces for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The season duration is longer in Miami than in Houston. The uppermost rainfall events in the distribution for Houston show a significant increase through time, suggesting the most intense rainfall events are becoming worse for Houston. The expected return frequency for a Harvey-like event (940 mm) in Houston is every 230 years, on average, and the 90th percentile rain of 286 mm is expected once every 17 years (11–29; 90% significance). The expected return frequency for an Irene-like event (261 mm—maximum for location) in Miami is every 173 years, on average, and the 90th percentile rain of 167 mm is expected once every 11 years (7–17; 90% significance). Results show a substantial difference between Houston and Miami TC rainfall climatologies similar to the differences of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Though emergency management must be tailored for each TC, management for inland TC rainfall may be more applicable in Houston than in Miami.
Systematic Observation of EUV Spectra from Highly Charged Lanthanide Ions in the Large Helical Device
Authors: Suzuki Chihiro , Koike Fumihiro , Murakami Izumi , Tamura Naoki , Sudo Shigeru
Published: May 2018

We have systematically observed extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectra from highly charged ions of nine lanthanide elements with atomic numbers from 60–70 in optically thin plasmas produced in the Large Helical Device (LHD). Discrete spectral features with isolated lines from relatively higher charge states around Cu-like ions are observed under high temperature conditions around 2 keV, while narrowed quasicontinuum features from charge states around Ag-like ions are observed under low temperature conditions below 1 keV. The positions of the lines and the quasicontinuum features systematically move to shorter wavelengths as the atomic number increases. The wavelengths of the main peaks in the quasicontinuum features agree well with those of singlet transitions of Pd-like ions reported previously. We have easily identified discrete spectral lines from Cu-like and Ag-like ions, some of which are experimentally identified for the first time in the LHD. Their wavelengths are compared with theoretical calculations using a GRASP family of atomic codes. The theoretical values are synthesized to the LHD experimental data for the cases of Ag- and Pd-like ions.
Local Study of Lithiation and Degradation Paths in LiMn2O4 Battery Cathodes: Confocal Raman Microscopy Approach
Authors: Slautin Boris , Alikin Denis , Rosato Daniele , Pelegov Dmitry , Shur Vladimir , Kholkin Andrei
Published: May 2018

Lithium manganese-based cathodes are widely used in rechargeable batteries due to their low cost, safety, and ecological stability. On the other hand, fast capacity fade occurs in LiMn2O4 mainly because of the induced manganese dissolution and formation of additional phases. Confocal Raman microscopy provides many opportunities for sensitive and spatially resolved structural studies of micro- and nanoscale phenomena. Here, we demonstrate advantages of confocal Raman spectroscopy approach for uncovering the mechanisms of lithiation/delithiation and degradation in LiMn2O4 commercial cathodes. The analysis of Raman spectra for inspecting local lithiation state and phase composition is proposed and exploited for the visualization of the inhomogeneous distribution of lithium ions. The cycling of cathodes is shown to be followed by the formation and dissolution of the Mn3O4 phase and local disturbance of the lithiation state. These processes are believed to be responsible for the capacity fade in the commercial batteries.
Nontrivial Effects of “Trivial” Parameters on the Performance of Lithium–Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Liao Junbin , Ye Zhibin
Published: May 2018

A robust lithium-sulfur (Li–S) battery is constituted by a wide range of optimized fundamental parameters (e.g., amount of electrolyte, electrolyte additive, sulfur loading density, and the size of sulfur particles). In this paper, some other often-neglected “trivial” parameters (including assembly pressure of the coil cells, thickness of spring/lithium foil in coin cells, sheet number of separator, and cut-off voltage) of Li–S batteries have been demonstrated to show pronounced effects on the battery performance. Our results indicate that the coin cell assembly pressure and sheet number of the separator play the important roles in suppressing polysulfide shuttling over battery cycling, which improves significantly the cycling life of Li–S batteries. The thickness of springs/lithium foils also affects the battery performance greatly. When switching the cut-off voltage of 1.5–3.0 V to narrower ones (1.7–2.5 V or 1.8–2.6 V), the cycling life of batteries at 0.2 C can be further enhanced to >300 cycles while with no drastic polysulfide shuttling. Adjusting these trivial parameters can thus synergistically improve the cycling performance of Li–S batteries.
Microbial and Chemical Diversity of Traditional Non-Cereal Based Alcoholic Beverages of Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Motlhanka Koketso , Zhou Nerve , Lebani Kebaneilwe
Published: May 2018

Fermentation remains an important food preparation technique of health, cultural and economic importance throughout the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa, traditional alcoholic fermentation of cereal and non-cereal based substrates into alcoholic beverages is deeply rooted in the society. Although a multitude of traditional alcoholic beverages from cereal substrates are well researched and documented, their non-cereal based counterparts, mostly produced from indigenous, inexpensive substrates, remain less well studied. In addition, reports of health problems associated with non-cereal based alcoholic beverages produced from spontaneous fermentation are a major cause of concern. This review aims to highlight the microbiological and chemical profiles of these non-cereal based alcoholic beverages with a focus on the Sub-Saharan region. Here, we underscore the importance of the microbial repertoire and the substrates thereof in attaining aromatic complexity and a characteristic taste in these beverages. These aspects are an important starting point towards the potential commercialization of these complex aromatic non-cereal based traditional beverages.
Neural Oscillatory Correlates for Conditioning and Extinction of Fear
Authors: Trenado Carlos , Pedroarena-Leal Nicole , Cif Laura , Nitsche Michael , Ruge Diane
Published: May 2018

The extinction of conditioned-fear represents a hallmark of current exposure therapies as it has been found to be impaired in people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety. A large body of knowledge focusing on psychophysiological animal and human studies suggests the involvement of key brain structures that interact via neural oscillations during the acquisition and extinction of fear. Consequently, neural oscillatory correlates of such mechanisms appear relevant regarding the development of novel therapeutic approaches to counterbalance abnormal activity in fear-related brain circuits, which, in turn, could alleviate fear and anxiety symptoms. Here, we provide an account of state-of-the-art neural oscillatory correlates for the conditioning and extinction of fear, and also deal with recent translational efforts aimed at fear extinction by neural oscillatory modulation.
Autonomous Building Detection Using Edge Properties and Image Color Invariants
Authors: Ghandour Ali J. , Jezzini Abedelkarim A.
Published: May 2018

Automated building extraction from high-resolution satellite imagery is a challenging research problem, and several issues remain with respect to the variety of variables to be accounted for. In this paper we present an approach for building detection using multiple cues. We use the shadow, shape, and color features of buildings to propose our approach, known as Building Detection with Shadow Verification (BDSV). BDSV has three main pillars, which are: (1) tile building detection (TBD) to detect roof tile buildings; (2) flat building detection (FBD) to detect non-tile flat buildings according to shape features; and (3) results fusion used to fuse and aggregate results from previous blocks. Analyses performed over different study areas reveal high quality percentage and precision metrics, exceeding 95%. Performance analysis over the SztaKi–Inria and Istanbul datasets shows that BDSV outperforms benchmark algorithms.