bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relation between blood donor recruitment and donor diversity and loyalty in the Netherlands
Authors: Piersma Tjeerd W. , Klinkenberg Elisabeth
Published: September 2018

Background and objectives. Blood donor populations have been susceptible to change, often showing a trend towards feminization while remaining ethnically homogeneous, leading to an underrepresentation of young men and ethnic minorities. The aim of our study was to examine whether recruitment strategies are related to donor diversity and loyalty of specific demographic groups in the Netherlands. Materials and methods. Analyses were conducted using the Dutch blood donor database on whole-blood donors registered between 2013 and 2017 (n = 155,054). Chi-square tests were used to study relationships between donor characteristics (i.e., sex, age, and Duffy-negative antigen as proxy for donors from African descent) and recruitment strategies; linear and Cox regressions were used to study relationships between recruitment strategies, and number of donations and length of the donor career, respectively. Results. Most donors were recruited via other donors (44.6%) or became donor on their own initiative (28.4%). Young men were often recruited by other donors and Duffy-negative donors were often recruited via missing minorities campaigns. Donor-recruits-donor was associated with the highest number of donations; telephone recruitment was associated with the lowest number of donations. Although telephone recruitment was associated with the longest donor careers, it also showed the largest proportional stopping prevalence. Student recruitment and missing minorities campaigns were associated with the shortest donor careers. Conclusions. Our results showed proportional differences in how people from different sex, age and ethnicity are recruited, and how recruitment relates to donor loyalty. We advocate for more personalized, evidence-based recruitment and retention strategies.
Rynok kriptovaliut i ego regulirovanie
Authors: Leventsov Valerii Aleksandrovich , Leventsov Aleksandr Nikolaevich , Ruban Fedor Maksimovich
Published: September 2018

In work the substance of the market of cryptocurrencies is considered. The main advantages of cryptocurrencies in comparison with traditional financial instruments are analysed. The existing problems of this market are given and need of its regulation is proved. The directions of regulation of the market of cryptocurrencies are given in our country.
WPŁYW OŚRODKA MIEJSKIEGO NA KSZTAŁTOWANIE SIĘ OBSZARÓW INWESTYCYJNYCH
Authors: Kukulska Anita , Cegielska Katarzyna , Salata Tomasz , Szylar Marta
Published: September 2018

Podmiejskie gminy ulegają silnej presji pobliskich aglomeracji. Widoczne jest to szczególnie w prowadzonej przez samorządy lokalne polityce przestrzennej. Przedstawione analizy miały na celu wskazanie wpływu odległości od dużego miasta na wielkość terenów przeznaczanych w miejscowych planach zagospodarowania przestrzennego pod zabudowę. W pracy skupiono się na wyliczeniu powierzchni istniejących obszarów inwestycyjnych oraz powierzchni terenów rezerwy budowlanej. Wykorzystano w tym celu dane geoprzestrzenne i narzędzia GIS. Interpretacja uzyskanych wyników pozwoliła stwierdzić, iż bliskość miasta wpływa znacząco na wielkość terenów inwestycyjnych. W miarę oddalania się od ośrodka aglomeracyjnego zmniejsza się zapotrzebowanie na grunty budowlane, a co za tym idzie, mniejsze powierzchnie przeznaczane są w planach miejscowych pod zabudowę.
ANALIZA CZASU TRWANIA POSTĘPOWANIA W SPRAWIE O ROZGRANICZENIE NIERUCHOMOŚCI
Authors: Bieda Agnieszka , Pęska Agnieszka , Szałajko Agnieszka
Published: September 2018

Rozgraniczenie nieruchomości jest trudnym i skomplikowanym postępowaniem administracyjnym mającym na celu ustalenie przebiegu granic. Postępowanie to ze względu na swoją wieloetapowość i złożoność zwykle jest rozciągnięte w czasie. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie problemu czasu trwania postępowań rozgraniczeniowych. Wskazano poszczególne etapy rozgraniczenia wraz z czasem ich trwania. Zwrócono również uwagę na regulacje prawne, od których w dużej mierze zależy czas przeprowadzanych rozgraniczeń. Analizę przeprowadzono na podstawie dokumentacji z rozgraniczeń nieruchomości prowadzonych w gminie Liszki, województwo małopolskie, w latach 1989–2013, zgromadzonej w Powiatowym Ośrodku Dokumentacji Geodezyjnej i Kartograficznej w Krakowie.
KSZTAŁTOWANIE ŚWIADOMOŚCI PRZESTRZENNEJ U DZIECI W WIEKU PRZEDSZKOLNYM
Authors: Wronkowski Adam
Published: September 2018

Celem artykułu jest ukazanie roli rozwoju świadomości przestrzennej u dzieci w wieku przedszkolnym na podstawie przeprowadzonych badań podczas realizacji projektu naukowo-edukacyjnego „Poznańska Akademia Przestrzeni – percepcja otoczenia i jego wpływ na nasze życie” wiosną i latem 2017 r.  W pracy wykorzystano dwie metody badawcze: swobodne wywiady ukierunkowane oraz badania ankietowe. Artykuł podzielono na dwie zasadnicze części. Poprzedza je wstęp, w którym omówiono motywy podjęcia tematu, a także przybliżono metodologię badań. Pierwszą część stanowi rozdział teoretyczny, który ma za zadanie wyjaśnić czytelnikowi kluczowe pojęcia i rozważania na temat charakterystyki dziecka w wieku przedszkolnym oraz percepcji przestrzeni. Druga część zawiera prezentację wyników badań dotyczących istoty edukacji przestrzennej dzieci w wieku przedszkolnym  w opinii respondentów.
PLANOWANIE W ZARZĄDZANIU GMINNYMI ZASOBAMI MIESZKANIOWYMI
Authors: Muczyński Andrzej
Published: September 2018

Przedstawiono ogólne zasady i metody tworzenia wieloletnich programów gospodarowania zasobami mieszkaniowymi gmin. Celem badań własnych była ocena stopnia realizacji wieloletniego programu gospodarowania zasobem mieszkaniowym miasta Olsztyna w latach 2012–2015. Zakresem badań objęto takie składniki programu, jak: wielkość zasobu mieszkaniowego, nakłady remontowe, rozmiary sprzedaży mieszkań komunalnych oraz uzyskane dochody z tego tytułu, a także koszty bieżącego utrzymania nieruchomości gminnych i wspólnych. Badania wykonano metodą analizy dokumentacji źródłowej i wywiadu bezpośredniego. Oceniono wykonanie wytypowanych planów szczegółowych w ujęciu względnym przez porównanie wielkości rzeczywistych z odpowiadającymi im wielkościami planowanymi. Wykazano w badaniach znacznie szybsze tempo – w relacji do planu – zmniejszania się wielkości analizowanego zasobu wskutek szerokiej prywatyzacji mieszkań i braku inwestycji gminnych, pomimo niedoboru lokali komunalnych i socjalnych. Stwierdzono też, że realizacja planów remontowych nie zatrzymała dekapitalizacji zasobu, gdyż stanowiły one niewielką część potrzeb remontowych obiektów gminnych. Sprzedaż lokali komunalnych nie poprawiła również gospodarki zasobem, gdyż uzyskane z niej dochody wyprowadzono ze sfery mieszkaniowej gminy.

Na bazie wyników badań i wniosków przeprowadzono krytyczną ocenę wieloletniego programu gospodarowania mieszkaniowym zasobem miasta Olsztyna.
AKTYWNOŚĆ SPOŁECZNA MIESZKAŃCÓW GMIN WOJEWÓDZTWA LUBELSKIEGO, W KTÓRYCH REALIZOWANO PRACE SCALENIOWE GRUNTÓW ROLNYCH – STUDIUM PRZYPADKU
Authors: Dudzińska Małgorzata
Published: September 2018

Scalanie gruntów rolnych wpływa na rozwój obszarów wiejskich. Według FAO [2008] wpływ scaleń gruntów rolnych ma miejsce na trzech poziomach. Pierwszym – mikro, w ramach którego scalenia gruntów skupiają się na zmianie struktury gospodarstw rolnych i ich bezpośrednim otoczeniu. Drugim – na poziomie mezo, w którym scalenia gruntów mają szersze cele dotyczące m. in. zmian sięgających wiejskiej społeczności. Na poziomie trzecim – makro, w którym proces koncentruje się na zmianach mogących pozytywnie wpłynąć na zjawiska na terenie całego kraju, poprzez m.in. zmniejszanie dysproporcji między obszarami miejskimi i wiejskimi. Dacko [2006] pisała, że „cel powinien koncentrować się na poprawie życia na wsi, a nie tylko podniesieniu wydajności produkcji rolniczej, końcowym rezultatem powinno być odnowienie wsi poprzez trwały ekonomiczny i polityczny rozwój całej społeczności.”

Upływ czasu przyniósł zmiany w szerszym postrzeganiu prac scaleniowych, nie tylko w aspekcie ściśle technicznym, ekonomicznym, ale również społecznym i przyrodniczym. Jedną z korzyści społecznych wynikających z realizacji scaleń jest aktywne włączanie społeczności lokalnej w zagadnienia kształtowania warunków przestrzennych i zwiększenie aktywności społecznej mieszkańców. Te przesłanki powodują, iż celem artykułu jest badanie poziomu aktywności społecznej mieszkańców w gminach, w których zrealizowano scalenia gruntów rolnych i porównanie do poziomu aktywności w gminach wiejskich województwa lubelskiego. Przeprowadzono analizę i syntezę literatury oraz badania z grupy podejść przestrzennostatystycznych. Obszar badań obejmował gminy wiejskie województwa lubelskiego.
Facebook como herramienta de marketing/comunicación para la atracción de estudiantes internacionales: un análisis de Chile y España
Authors: Meza Orellana José Luis
Published: September 2018

Este trabajo analiza el uso de Facebook como herramienta de marketing internacional en universidades de Chile y España. Se estudió el 93% de las universidades de ambos países mediante el método de análisis de contenido. Los resultados muestran que el uso de Páginas de Facebook corresponde, en su mayoría, a universidades con mayor matrícula internacional. Hay una relación directa entre la cantidad de estudiantes extranjeros y el uso de Fanpage como canal de comunicación de marketing. Por el contrario, los mejores desempeños corresponden a universidades con menos extranjeros. Existe una relación inversa entre el desempeño en esas páginas y la cantidad de estudiantes extranjeros, pero directa, entre el número de estudiantes y la presencia en Facebook mediante Fan Page.
Valoración de las acciones de street marketing en España
Authors: Matellanes Lazo Mónica
Published: September 2018

Los consumidores están sometidos diariamente a la saturación de mensajes publicitarios; resulta necesario despertar un interés especial, sorprender, generar emociones a través de nuevos canales que logren involucrarle con la marca y que le hagan sentirse parte activa de una experiencia inolvidable. El objetivo de esta investigación es concienciar a la sociedad sobre la importancia de utilizar acciones no convencionales de publicidad que pueden ser más eficientes. Como metodología, se desarrolla una investigación de tipo cuantitativo, concretamente se utiliza la encuesta con cuestionario autoadministrado y la aplicación de un estudio de neuromarketing para conocer el grado de notoriedad de estas acciones entre los públicos. También se utilizó una breve entrevista cualitativa a dos expertos del área. Entre los resultados más relevantes destacan: valoración de la cercanía, la música y viralización a través de redes sociales del street.
40 años de televisión infantil en España (1970-2010)
Authors: Feijoo Fernández Beatriz , García González Aurora
Published: September 2018

Dado que la televisión, desde su nacimiento, siempre ha sido un medio cercano a los niños, surgió el interés por analizar el grado de atención que la TV dedicó a su audiencia infantil en los principales 40 años de su historia en España. Así, se estudió la evolución del contenido infantil en las parrillas de las cadenas generalistas en abierto desde 1970 a 2010 empleando para ello la técnica del análisis de contenido. Entre las conclusiones destaca el trato poco favorable que las cadenas brindaron a la programación infantil, traducido en un descenso en las horas de emisión hasta su completa desaparición de la oferta generalista, además de reposiciones de contenidos y modificaciones constantes que condicionaban su estabilidad en la parrilla televisiva nacional.
Análisis de los géneros periodísticos utilizados en los suplementos culturales españoles para comunicar la música clásica
Authors: Martín Sánchez Ballesteros Esther
Published: September 2018

En esta nota de investigación se analizan los géneros periodísticos más utilizados por los suplementos culturales Babelia, ABC Cultural y El Cultural para comunicar los contenidos de música clásica entre 1991 y 2010. El objetivo es investigar la evolución de los estilos y géneros más comunes de esta sección al pasar de la última década del siglo XX a la primera del XXI. A través de un análisis cuantitativo se han obtenido unos resultados y líneas de tendencia en los que se observa una clara inclinación hacia el uso de los géneros interpretativos con la reseña como principal protagonista. Sin embargo, el uso generalizado del artículo de opinión en los últimos años indica un posible cambio en las prácticas periodísticas.
Penggunaan Simple Additive Weighting Dalam Pengembangan Sistem Penunjang Keputusan Penentuan Bonus Karyawan
Authors: Dewi Meta Amalya
Published: September 2018

Employees are the important aspect to determine company progress. PT. Adiperkasa Anugrah Pratama is a company which engaged in manufacturing by giving bonuses to employees as appreciation action, in determining the employees bonuses they have no precise calculation and potential subjectivity to describe employees dissatisfaction. This research is conducted by using simple additive weighting (SAW) method. This method can find the best alternative to determine the amount of employees bonus by finding job period, job position, departmental function and performance value. This method can determine the solution and the optimal alternative. The application designed by Unified Modeing Language (UML) that implemented in PHP programming language with sublime text 3 and MySQL database type. The result of this study is a supportive system that can assist the management in determining the bonus amount of the employees.

Index Terms—employee, position, bonuses, performance.
Rancang Bangun Aplikasi Chatbot Sebagai Media Pencarian Informasi Anime Menggunakan Regular Expression Pattern Matching
Authors: Domarco David , Iswari Ni Made Satvika
Published: September 2018

Technology development has affected many areas of life, especially the entertainment field. One of the fastest growing entertainment industry is anime. Anime has evolved as a trend and a hobby, especially for the population in the regions of Asia. The number of anime fans grow every year and trying to dig up as much information about their favorite anime. Therefore, a chatbot application was developed in this study as anime information retrieval media using regular expression pattern matching method. This application is intended to facilitate the anime fans in searching for information about the anime they like. By using this application, user can gain a convenience and interactive anime data retrieval that can’t be found when searching for information via search engines. Chatbot application has successfully met the standards of information retrieval engine with a very good results, the value of 72% precision and 100% recall showing the harmonic mean of 83.7%. As the application of hedonic, chatbot already influencing Behavioral Intention to Use by 83% and Immersion by 82%.

Index Terms—anime, chatbot, information retrieval, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Regular Expression Pattern Matching
Sistem Kriptografi Citra Digital Pada Jaringan Intranet Menggunakan Metode Kombinasi Chaos Map Dan Teknik Selektif
Authors: Hidayat Arinten Dewi , Afrianto Irawan
Published: September 2018

Many organizations use design applications to draw the products they create. The drawings are digital files that have various formats of type and size. The images sometimes have to be protected because they are secret designs, such as the design of military vehicles, weapons and other designs. In order to secure digital data, cryptography is one of the solution, including if the data to be secured in the form of digital images. Algorithms that can be used to perform cryptography in digital image one of them is chaos map using Arnold cat map, logistics map and application of selective technique. Chaos was chosen for three reasons: sensitivity to initial conditions, random behavior, and no repetitive periods. While the application of selective technique means only encrypt some elements in the image but the effect of the whole image is encrypted. Cryptography in the image is also implemented because the organization using an intranet network to deliver its design drawings from one division to another. This allows for data tapping or exploitation of digital images while inside the intranet network. So it is necessary to develop a cryptographic system on the intranet network that has the ability to secure digital images that are in the network. The results obtained from black box testing, white box and network security testing show that the built system has been able to secure digital images when sent over the organization's intranet network.

Index Terms—Cryptography, Image, Chaos Map Algorithm, Selective Technique, Intranet.
Smoothness Metrics in Complex Movement Tasks
Authors: Gulde Philipp , Hermsdörfer Joachim
Published: September 2018

Smoothness is a main characteristic of goal-directed human movements. The suitability of approaches quantifying movement smoothness is dependent on the analyzed signal's structure. Recently, activities of daily living (ADL) received strong interest in research on aging and neurorehabilitation. Such tasks have complex signal structures and kinematic parameters need to be adapted. In the present study we examined four different approaches to quantify movement smoothness in ADL. We tested the appropriateness of these approaches, namely the number of velocity peaks per meter (NoP), the spectral arc length (SAL), the speed metric (SM) and the log dimensionless jerk (LDJ), by comparing movement signals from eight healthy elderly (67.1a ± 7.1a) with eight healthy young (26.9a ± 2.1a) participants performing an activity of daily living (making a cup of tea). All approaches were able to identify group differences in smoothness (Cohen's d NoP = 2.53, SAL = 1.95, SM = 1.69, LDJ = 4.19), three revealed high to very high sensitivity (z-scores: NoP = 1.96 ± 0.55, SAL = 1.60 ± 0.64, SM = 3.41 ± 3.03, LDJ = 5.28 ± 1.52), three showed low within-group variance (NoP = 0.72, SAL = 0.60, SM = 0.11, LDJ = 0.71), two showed strong correlations between the first and the second half of the task execution (intra-trial R2s: NoP = 0.22 n.s., SAL = 0.33, SM = 0.36, LDJ = 0.91), and one was independent of other kinematic parameters (SM), while three showed strong models of multiple linear regression (R2s: NoP = 0.61, SAL = 0.48, LDJ = 0.70). Based on our results we make suggestion toward use examined smoothness measures. In total the log dimensionless jerk proved to be the most appropriate in ADL, as long as trial durations are controlled.
Determination of Relative Ionization Cross Sections for Resonance Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Authors: Gehm Christian , Streibel Thorsten , Passig Johannes , Zimmermann Ralf
Published: September 2018

Resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) is a powerful method for the sensitive determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in gaseous mixtures via mass spectrometry (MS). In REMPI, ions are produced by the absorption of at least two photons including defined electronic intermediate states. As a result—unlike other laser-based ionization techniques—spectroscopic selectivity is involved into the ionization process. Nevertheless, these wavelength-dependent ionization rates impede the quantification using REMPI. For this purpose, relative photoionization cross sections (relPICS) give an easy-to-use approach to quantify REMPI-MS measurements. Hereby, the ionization behavior of a single compound was compared to that of a reference substance of a given concentration. In this study, relPICS of selected single-core aromatics and PAHs at wavelengths of 266 nm and 248 nm were determined using two different time-of-flight mass spectrometric systems (TOFMS). For PAHs, relPICS were obtained which showed a strong dependence on the applied laser intensity. In contrast, for single-core aromatics, constant values of relPICS were determined. Deviations of relPICS between both TOFMS systems were found for small aromatics (e.g., benzene), which can be assigned to the differences in UV generation in the particular system. However, the relPICS of this study were found to be in good agreement with previous results and can be used for system-independent quantification.
Effects of El-Niño, Indian Ocean Dipole, and Madden-Julian Oscillation on Surface Air Temperature and Rainfall Anomalies over Southeast Asia in 2015
Authors: Islam M. , Chan Andy , Ashfold Matthew , Ooi Chel , Azari Majid
Published: September 2018

The Maritime Continent (MC) is positioned between the Asian and Australian summer monsoons zone. The complex topography and shallow seas around it are major challenges for the climate researchers to model and understand it. It is also the centre of the tropical warm pool of Southeast Asia (SEA) and therefore the MC gets extra attention of the researchers. The monsoon in this area is affected by inter-scale ocean-atmospheric interactions such as the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). Monsoon rainfall in the MC (especially in Indonesia and Malaysia) profoundly exhibits its variability dependence on ocean-atmospheric phenomena in this region. This monsoon shift often introduces to dreadful events like biomass burning (BB) in Southeast Asia (SEA) in which some led to severe trans-boundary haze pollution events in the past. In this study, the BB episode of 2015 in the MC is highlighted and discussed. Observational satellite datasets are tested by performing simulations with the numerical weather prediction (NWP) model WRF-ARW (Weather Research and Forecast—Advanced research WRF). Observed and model datasets are compared to study the surface air temperature and precipitation (rainfall) anomalies influenced by ENSO, IOD, and MJO. Links amongst these influences have been recognised and the delayed precipitation of the regular monsoon in the MC due to their influence during the 2015 BB episode is explained and accounted for, which eventually led to the intensification of fire and a severe haze.
Consumer-Based Evaluation of Commercially Available Protected 18650 Cells
Authors: Baksa Steven , Yourey William
Published: September 2018

Over the past few years, the use of 18650 form factor lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells have transitioned from primarily commercial applications to consumer/residential use. An evaluation of eight commercially available, circuit protected, 18650 form factor Li-ion cells were performed, with analysis focusing on a residential consumer evaluation of performance. As typical consumer cell usage occurs at a relatively low discharge rate, cells were evaluated between 4.2 V and 2.7 V at C/10, C/5, and C/2 discharge rates. The evaluated cells ranged from “high-cost” Panasonic, Hixon, Orbtronic, and EastValley cells to “low-cost” UltraFire (UF) and Eilong cells. Initial discharge comparisons revealed that no cells delivered their nameplate capacity, with a large overstatement of cell capacity occurring for low-cost cells. On average, high-cost cells delivered 92.5% of their advertised capacity, with low-cost cells delivering 20.6% at a C/10 rate. Basing consumer evaluation on a cost per unit capacity and/or cost per unit energy, even with this large overstatement in capacity, low-cost cells still offer an advantage over higher-cost alternatives. The average cost per amp-hour for each cell group ranged from $1.65 to $3.38 for the low-cost and high-cost cell groupings, respectively. Analysis of voltage profiles highlighted two chemistries used in cell production, coinciding with each cell grouping.
No Increase in Colon Cancer Risk Following Induction with Neu5Gc-Bearing Rabbit Anti-T Cell IgG (ATG) in Recipients of Kidney Transplants
Authors: Soulillou Jean-Paul , Süsal Caner , Döhler Bernd , Opelz Gerhard
Published: September 2018

Because of a mutation of the gene allowing the synthesis of the Neu5Gc form of neuraminidic acid, humans lack the Neu5Gc present in other mammals and develop anti-Neu5Gc. However, humans can absorb dietary Neu5Gc and normal colon epithelium displays minute amounts of Neu5Gc. The potential “physiological” formation of in situ immune complexes has been proposed as a risk factor for colon cancer and as the link between red meat-rich diet and colon carcinoma. In this article, we took advantage of evidence that polyclonal rabbit IgG (ATG) elicits an immune response against Neu5Gc and we consulted a large data base of allograft recipients treated or not with animal-derived IgG to discuss this hypothesis. Based on data from 173,960 and 38,505 patients without and with ATG induction, respectively, we found no evidence that exposure to higher levels of anti-Neu5Gc is associated with a higher incidence of colon carcinoma.
PV Microgrid Design for Rural Electrification
Authors: Mothilal Bhagavathy Sivapriya , Pillai Gobind
Published: September 2018

There are high numbers of remote villages that still need electrification in some countries. Extension of the central electrical power network to these villages is not viable owing to the high costs and power losses involved. Isolated power systems such as rural microgrids based on renewables could be a potential solution. Photovoltaics (PV) technology is particularly suited for countries like India due to factors such as the available solar resource, the modularity of the technology and low technology costs. It was identified that unlike larger isolated power systems, rural microgrids have a low energy demand as the loads are mainly residential and street lighting. Hence, these microgrids could be of a single-phase configuration. At present, the typical procedure followed by planners of rural networks does not consider the importance of PV source siting and optimisation of network structure. An improved design procedure is introduced in this work based on the use of centres of moments for central PV system sizing, simulated annealing for network structure optimisation and load flow based parametric analysis for confirming the PV microgrid structure before detailed software-based PV design. Case studies of two remote villages are used to inform and illustrate the design procedure.
Combining Entropy Measures for Anomaly Detection
Authors: Muñoz Alberto , Hernández Nicolás , Moguerza Javier M. , Martos Gabriel
Published: September 2018

The combination of different sources of information is a problem that arises in several situations, for instance, when data are analysed using different similarity measures. Often, each source of information is given as a similarity, distance, or a kernel matrix. In this paper, we propose a new class of methods which consists of producing, for anomaly detection purposes, a single Mercer kernel (that acts as a similarity measure) from a set of local entropy kernels and, at the same time, avoids the task of model selection. This kernel is used to build an embedding of data in a variety that will allow the use of a (modified) one-class Support Vector Machine to detect outliers. We study several information combination schemes and their limiting behaviour when the data sample size increases within an Information Geometry context. In particular, we study the variety of the given positive definite kernel matrices to obtain the desired kernel combination as belonging to that variety. The proposed methodology has been evaluated on several real and artificial problems.
A Simplified Minimum DC-Link Voltage Control Strategy for Shunt Active Power Filters
Authors: Wang Yu , Wang Yuewu , Chen Si-Zhe , Zhang Guidong , Zhang Yun
Published: September 2018

The active power filter (APF) is a popular electrical device to eliminate harmonics in power systems. The rational design and effective control of DC-link capacitor voltage are important for implementing APF functions. In this study, the influences from the DC-link voltage on the APF compensating current characteristic and compensation performance are analyzed, and the reason to maintain DC-link voltage at a minimum value is investigated. On this basis, a simplified minimum DC-link voltage control strategy for APF is proposed. Compared with the existing DC-link voltage control strategies, the minimum DC-link voltage value in proposed strategy is only determined by the grid voltage and modulation ratio, reducing the calculation burden and the implementation difficulty in application, avoiding the interference from external parameters on the compensation effect. Additionally, the reference DC-link voltage varies at different values according to the grid voltage and modulation ratio. A shunt APF prototype is established and the experimental results verify the correctness and effectiveness of the analysis and proposed strategy.
Heat Transfer Behaviors in Horizontal Wells Considering the Effects of Drill Pipe Rotation, and Hydraulic and Mechanical Frictions during Drilling Procedures
Authors: Chang Xin , Zhou Jun , Guo Yintong , He Shiming , Wang Lei , Chen Yulin , Tang Ming , Jian Rui
Published: September 2018

Horizontal wells are increasingly being utilized in the exploration and development of oil and gas resources. However, the high temperature that occurs during drilling processes leads to a number of problems, such as the deterioration of drilling fluid properties and borehole instability. Therefore, the insight into heat transfer behaviors in horizontal wells is certainly advantageous. This study presents an integrated numerical model for predicting the temperature distribution during horizontal wells drilling considering the effects of drill pipe rotations, and hydraulic (i.e., circulating pressure losses) and mechanical frictions. A full implicit finite difference method was applied to solve this model. The results revealed that the mechanical frictions affect more on wellbore temperature variation than the effects of heat transfer intensification and circulating pressure losses; Moreover, the drilling fluid temperature was found higher than the stratum temperature at horizontal section, the temperature difference at the bottom hole reached up to 16 °C if pressure drops, heat transfer strengthened by rotations and mechanical frictions were all taken into account. This research could be utilized as a theoretical reference for predicting temperature distributions and estimating risks in horizontal wells drilling.
How Inter-Basin Transfer of Water Alters Basin Water Stress Used for Water Footprint Characterization
Authors: Yano Shinjiro , Okazumi Toshio , Iwasaki Yoshihisa , Yamaguchi Masahiro , Nakamura Kenichi , Kanayama Takuhiro , Ogawada Daikichi , Matsumura Akiko , Gomez-Garcia Martin , Oki Taikan
Published: September 2018

Water footprint assessments contribute to a better understanding of potential environmental impacts related to water and have become essential in water management. The methodologies for characterizing such assessments, however, usually fail to reflect temporal and spatial variations at local scales. In this paper, we employ four widely-used characterization factors, which were originally developed with global estimates of water demand and availability, to evaluate the impact that inter-basin transfer (IBT) of water has on water risk assessments and, consequently, on the evaluation of the soundness of water cycle. The study was conducted for two major river basins in Japan, where diversion channels were built to move water from the Tone river basin to the Arakawa river basin. Considering IBT, the available water in the Arakawa river basin increases a 45%, reducing the characterization factors a 44% on average and denoting their tendency to overestimate the risk in this basin, while the Tone river basin increased the characterization factors a 28% on average by IBT. Moreover, with a simple example we show how ambiguity in the definition of some characterization factors may cause significant changes in the result of the assessments. Finally, we concluded that local water footprint characterization can be more helpful in local assessment of water resources if the results are unanimous, Targetable, Replicable, Ameliorable, Comparable, and Engageable (uTRACE).
Effect of Species Complementarity on Financial Return in Mixed Stands of European Beech and Scots Pine in Northern Spain
Authors: García-Robredo Fernando
Published: September 2018

The research on mixed-species forestry has rapidly increased in recent decades because there is a growing interest in these types of stands for environmental reasons. Their positive influence on ecosystem biodiversity, stability and resilience, as well as their role in the new challenge brought up by the adaptation to global change, have been the object of many research works. However, the economic implications of mixed-species forest management have not deserved the same attention. The objective of this work is to study the effect of species interactions on productivity, and to economically assess this effect. This research is focused on the analysis of financial return and risk in even aged mixed stands of Pinus sylvestris and Fagus sylvatica in Northern Spain. Growth and yield projections for monospecific and mixed stands of Scots pine and European beech were made by means of a previous model developed from a set of the Spanish National Forest Inventory plots in the region of Navarre. Data from yield tables for both species were used. The effect of species proportion on total stand yield was assessed and transgressive overyielding was found for some mixing ratios. A data series on average stumpage price for both species in Spain over a 29-year period was compiled and the joint probability distribution of price data was used to generate 500 price scenarios. Different management alternatives based on species proportion and rotation age were considered and evaluated in terms of profitability and risk. Some management recommendations can be derived from the results obtained, which point at an optimum mixing ratio from 30% to 40% Scots pine and 70% to 60% European beech.
Underwater Soundscape Monitoring and Fish Bioacoustics: A Review
Authors: Lindseth Adelaide V. , Lobel Phillip S.
Published: September 2018

Soundscape ecology is a rapidly growing field with approximately 93% of all scientific articles on this topic having been published since 2010 (total about 610 publications since 1985). Current acoustic technology is also advancing rapidly, enabling new devices with voluminous data storage and automatic signal detection to define sounds. Future uses of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) include biodiversity assessments, monitoring habitat health, and locating spawning fishes. This paper provides a review of ambient sound and soundscape ecology, fish acoustic monitoring, current recording and sampling methods used in long-term PAM, and parameters/metrics used in acoustic data analysis.
Spousal Dictator Game: Household Decisions and Other-Regarding Preferences
Authors: Gnagey Matthew K. , Grijalva Therese C. , Rong Rong
Published: September 2018

Using a laboratory experiment, we collected data on dictator giving among student strangers and married couples in a suburban area in the United States. Confirming common belief and prior empirical evidence, we find that giving among spouses is greater than giving among anonymous students. We further investigated factors associated with spousal giving which may provide insight for the development of future theories, or into explaining other-regarding preferences. Our data shows that giving is positively associated with who manages household money and controls household income. This result is robust after controlling for each spouse’s personal income and using various econometric specifications. The results suggest that spousal giving may be due to household economic roles in addition to other-regarding preferences.
Food Services Using Energy- and Protein-Fortified Meals to Assist Vulnerable Community-Residing Older Adults Meet Their Dietary Requirements and Maintain Good Health and Quality of Life: Findings from a Pilot Study
Authors: Arjuna Tony , Miller Michelle , Ueno Tomoko , Visvanathan Renuka , Lange Kylie , Soenen Stijn , Chapman Ian , Luscombe-Marsh Natalie
Published: September 2018

The effects of “standard (STD)” vs. “protein- and energy-enriched (HEHP)” food-service meals on the nutrient intake, nutritional status, functional capacity, and wellbeing of older adults was investigated using a 12 week, double-blinded, parallel group design. All participants received dietetics counseling and either an STD (2.3 MJ and 30 g protein per meal) or a HEHP (4.6 MJ and 60 g protein) hot lunchtime meal for at least 3 days/week; those who did not want food-service meals were included in the control group (CON). Twenty-nine participants completed the study (STD = 7; HEHP = 12; CON = 10). From baseline to week 12, the HEHP subjects increased their mean daily energy intake from 6151 ± 376 kJ to 8228 ± 642 kJ (p = 0.002 for effect of time) and protein intake from 67 ± 4 g to 86 ± 8 g (p = 0.014 for effect of time). The MNA (Mini Nutritional Assessment) score was increased significantly in HEHP by 4.0 ± 1.1 points (p = 0.001), but not in the STD and CON groups (2.8 ± 2.1 points and 1.8 ± 1.1 points, p > 0.05). No difference was found for other clinical outcomes between the groups. The findings indicate that provision of HEHP-fortified food-service meals can increase energy and protein intake and improve the nutritional status of nutritionally at-risk older people.
Water Use Efficiency in Urban Food Gardens: Insights from a Systematic Review and Case Study
Authors: Pollard Georgia , Ward James , Roetman Philip
Published: September 2018

Water use and the cost of water are key factors when considering the net value of urban agriculture (UA). This systematic review critically evaluates past and recent UA yield research from the perspective of water use efficiency. A systematic literature search was conducted using the databases Scopus, ProQuest Agriculture and Environment, and Web of Science for references from 1975 to 2018, with 25 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Of these, only five articles had actively collected UA water use data, all on purpose-built experimental gardens. Considering the scarcity of UA water use efficiency and water measurement literature, South Australia is presented as a case study to demonstrate the considerable diversity of water pricing, water sources and irrigation methods available to urban food growers. The practical challenges of garden placement and the wide variety of cultivation techniques, water sources and irrigation methods are reviewed. Four equations to calculate the water use efficiency (WUE) of UA are proposed and demonstrated. Collection of additional UA water use data would support more robust evaluations of the water use efficiency and economic implications of different cultivation techniques. Further work in this field will enable a realistic understanding of the current and future contribution of UA to our society.
Competition among Supply Chains and Governmental Policy: Considering Consumers’ Low-Carbon Preference
Authors: Pu Xujin , Song Zhiping , Han Guanghua
Published: September 2018

Many manufacturers and retailers have cooperated for low-carbon production in various industries. This study examines the role of consumers’ low-carbon preference in this cooperation. We construct four scenarios to investigate the effects of consumers’ low-carbon preference on the market equilibrium of supply chains’ product selection strategy. Based on the game theoretic models, optimal solutions for the two supply chains are derived with different consumers’ preference for low-carbon products. Through the discussion, we uncovered the influence of consumers’ preference on price and demand and the relationship between the influence coefficient of retailers’ promotional effort on consumers’ utility and retailer profits. In addition, given the increase of government’s low-carbon production subsidy, two supply chains will both more likely choose low-carbon production. Interestingly, under the government subsidy, the profit of manufacturer will increase or decrease more than its retailer and the market structure will not change if the two supply chains have chosen low-carbon production.
Effects of Mining Activities on the Release of Heavy Metals (HMs) in a Typical Mountain Headwater Region, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China
Authors: Wei Wenhao , Ma Rui , Sun Ziyong , Zhou Aiguo , Bu Jianwei , Long Xiang , Liu Yunde
Published: September 2018

Understanding the heavy metal (HM) contamination in alpine mountain headwaters regions is important to maintaining the ecosystem stability of the basin. A total of 119 water samples and 104 sediment samples were collected along tributaries and the main course of Heihe River. The concentrations of eight heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in water and sediment were measured to describe their spatial variability and to assess water quality. To identify the origins and pathways of HMs, anions, cations, and trace elements, as well as δD/δ18O stable isotopes in water samples were also measured. The results of water quality assessment suggested that tributaries were affected by local mining activity. Factor analysis in sediments showed that all HMs in sediments were inherited from the parent bedrock. Both natural weathering and mining contribute HMs. Cr and Ni were homologous with a source from the weathering of basic gabbro and serpentine at Yushigou. Mn appeared to be influenced more by artificial activities such as agriculture and grazing. Depending on the mining technique involved, two pathways for the release of HMs were distinguished in this area. For open-pit mining, mining promoted the release of HMs primarily via enhanced weathering. For underground mining, HMs might have contributed to greater acid mine discharge at high elevations due to the weak weathering processes. As the elevation decreases, precipitation increases, and a series of complex hydrological factor significantly affect leaching and runoff. The study results can be applied to improve water management efficiency.
Martial Arts as a Form of Undertaking Physical Activity in Leisure Time Analysis of Factors Determining Participation of Poles
Authors: Biernat Elżbieta , Krzepota Justyna , Sadowska Dorota
Published: September 2018

Background: The aim of this paper was to analyze selected sociodemographic and economic factors that determine practicing martial arts (MA) in Poland. Our hypothesis states that MA constitute a niche sport, which is a result of conditions shaping the decision to undertake them: perception through the lens of the media/entertainment business (rather than primary values), insufficient space for practicing, as well as high costs. Methods: The study was based on a survey conducted on a representative sample of Poles (n = 12,183). Results for 470 participants declaring some level of proficiency in MA were presented (including 124 declaring active participation). In order to verify statistically significant differences, a Chi-Square test, single-agent logistic regression analysis, and adds ratio were applied. Results: 3.0% of respondents declared basic skills in MA, while advanced skills were declared by 0.9% participants. Only 1% were active practitioners. The leading motivation was “pleasure” (62.1%), followed by “keeping fit and maintaining healthy body shape” (21.8%) and “health” (7.3%). The probability of participation in MA decreased with age (40 years of age being the turning point). As for young people, there is a 15 times lower chance of married individuals undertaking MA, while possessing advanced skills doubles the probability. School provides a place to practice MA during school years, but there is a problem with continuation at a later age (18.8% declaring classes organized at school vs. 5.4% organized at work). Conclusions: Reversing the trend of decreasing popularity of MA requires promotion on each level of education and creating opportunities to continue participation after graduation. There is a need to increase the availability of cheap sport facilities in the vicinity of the place of residence or work. In case of adults, it is important to build platforms facilitating contact with MA centers.
Transcriptomic Signature of Right Ventricular Failure in Experimental Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Deep Sequencing Demonstrates Mitochondrial, Fibrotic, Inflammatory and Angiogenic Abnormalities
Authors: Potus Francois , Hindmarch Charles Colin Thomas , Dunham-Snary Kimberly J. , Stafford Jeff , Archer Stephen L.
Published: September 2018

Right ventricular failure (RVF) remains the leading cause of death in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We investigated the transcriptomic signature of RVF in hemodynamically well-phenotyped monocrotaline (MCT)-treated, male, Sprague-Dawley rats with severe PAH and decompensated RVF (increased right ventricular (RV) end diastolic volume (EDV), decreased cardiac output (CO), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and ventricular-arterial decoupling). RNA sequencing revealed 2547 differentially regulated transcripts in MCT-RVF RVs. Multiple enriched gene ontology (GO) terms converged on mitochondria/metabolism, fibrosis, inflammation, and angiogenesis. The mitochondrial transcriptomic pathway is the most affected in RVF, with 413 dysregulated genes. Downregulated genes included TFAM (−0.45-fold), suggesting impaired mitochondrial biogenesis, CYP2E1 (−3.8-fold), a monooxygenase which when downregulated increases oxidative stress, dehydrogenase/reductase 7C (DHRS7C) (−2.8-fold), consistent with excessive autonomic activation, and polypeptide N-acetyl-galactose-aminyl-transferase 13 (GALNT13), a known pulmonary hypertension (PH) biomarker (−2.7-fold). The most up-regulated gene encodes Periostin (POSTN; 4.5-fold), a matricellular protein relevant to fibrosis. Other dysregulated genes relevant to fibrosis include latent-transforming growth factor beta-binding protein 2 (LTBP2), thrombospondin4 (THBS4). We also identified one dysregulated gene relevant to all disordered transcriptomic pathways, ANNEXIN A1. This anti-inflammatory, phospholipid-binding mediator, is a putative target for therapy in RVF-PAH. Comparison of expression profiles in the MCT-RV with published microarray data from the RV of pulmonary artery-banded mice and humans with bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 (BMPR2)-mutations PAH reveals substantial conservation of gene dysregulation, which may facilitate clinical translation of preclinical therapeutic and biomarkers studies. Transcriptomics reveals the molecular fingerprint of RVF to be heavily characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction, fibrosis and inflammation.
Synthesis of NiFe2O4-LDH Composites with High Adsorption and Photocatalytic Activity for Methyl Orange Degradation
Authors: Valencia-Lopez Cristian D. , Zafra-Calvo Mario , Martín de Vidales María José , Blanco-Gutierrez Verónica , Atanes-Sanchez Evangelina , Merayo Noemí , Fernandez-Martinez Francisco , Nieto-Marquez Antonio , Dos santos-Garcia Antonio J.
Published: September 2018

The presence of hazardous chemicals in wastewater produced by industrial activities and human metropoles is threating the availability of safe drinking water. The development of a multifunctional material coupling adsorption and photocatalytic activity is hereby particularly promising for the removal of pollutants. We have proved the adsorption and catalytic activity of NiFe2O4-layered double hydroxide (LDH) composite through the degradation of methyl orange (MO) at room temperature under visible light. This degradation is enhanced by using a set of small light-emitting diodes (LEDs) providing a uniform 405 nm UV light. The remediation process is based on a first-step rapid adsorption of MO molecules by the LDH structures followed by the photocatalytic oxidation of the pollutant by the (·OH) radicals produced by the NiFe2O4 semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs). The magnetic properties of the ferrite NPs allow a facile separation of the composite from the liquid media via a simple magnet. NiFe2O4-LDH composite could find wide application as a highly effective adsorbent/oxidizing catalyst operating under visible or near UV light.