bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Mineral Chemistry of Chlorites and Its Relationship with Uranium Mineralization from Huangsha Uranium Mining Area in the Middle Nanling Range, SE China
Authors: Wu Dehai , Pan Jiayong , Xia Fei , Huang Guangwen , Lai Jing
Published: March 2019

The Huangsha uranium mining area is located in the Qingzhangshan uranium-bearing complex granite of the Middle Nanling Range, Southeast China. This uranium mining area contains three uranium deposits (Liangsanzhai, Egongtang, and Shangjiao) and multiple uranium occurrences, showing favorable mineralization conditions and prospecting potential for uranium mineral resources. Chloritization is one of the most important alteration types and prospecting indicators in this mining area. This study aims to unravel the formation environment of chlorites and the relationship between chloritization and uranium mineralization, based on detailed field work and petrographic studies of the wallrock and ore samples from the Huangsha uranium mining area. An electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) was used in this study to analyze the paragenetic association, morphology, and chemical compositions of chlorite, to classify chemical types and to calculate formation temperatures and n(Al)/n(Al + Mg + Fe) values of chlorite. The formation mechanism and the relationship with uranium mineralization of the uranium mining area are presented. Some conclusions from this study are: (1) There are five types of chlorites, including the chlorite formed by the alteration of biotite (type-I), by the metasomatism of feldspar with Fe–Mg hydrothermal fluids (type-II), chlorite vein/veinlet filling in fissures (type-III), chlorite closely associated with uranium minerals (type-IV), and chlorite transformed from clay minerals by adsorbing Mg- and Fe-components (type-V). (2) The chlorite in the Huangsha uranium mining area belongs to iron-rich chlorite and is mainly composed of chamosite, partly clinochlore, which are the products of multiple stages of hydrothermal action. The original rocks are derived from argillite, and their formation temperatures vary from 195.7 °C to 283.0 °C, with an average of 233.2 °C, suggesting they formed under a medium to low temperature conditions. (3) The chlorites were formed under reducing conditions with low oxygen fugacity and relatively high sulfur fugacity through two formation mechanisms: dissolution–precipitation and dissolution–migration–precipitation; (4) The chloritization provided the required environment for uranium mineralization, and promoted the activation, migration, and deposition of uranium.
Enhanced Liver Targeting of Camptothecin via Conjugation with Deoxycholic Acid
Authors: Xiao Linxia , Yu Endian , Yue Hanlin , Li Qingyong
Published: March 2019

Camptothecin (CPT) shows potent anticancer activity through inhibition of topoisomerase I. However, its water insolubility and severe toxicity limit its clinical application. Coupling with bile acid moieties is a promising method for liver-targeted drug delivery, which takes advantage of the bile acid receptors on hepatocytes. In this study, we evaluated the potential liver targeting and stability of a deoxycholic acid-CPT conjugate (G2). The competitive inhibition of antitumor activity experiment based on bile acid transporters was performed using the MTT method. The effects of deoxycholic acid on uptake of G2 and CPT were assessed in 2D and 3D HepG2 cell models. The stability of G2 and CPT was evaluated in vitro (in simulated gastric fluid, simulated intestinal fluid, and fresh rat plasma). Finally, biodistribution of G2 and CPT was investigated in Kunming mice following oral administration. The results showed that deoxycholic acid pretreatment could significantly reduce the antitumor activity and cellular uptake of G2 in HepG2 cells, but had no distinct effects on CPT. Meanwhile, G2 exhibited better stability compared with CPT. More importantly, biodistribution study in mice demonstrated that the liver targeting index of G2 increased 1.67-fold than that of CPT. Overall, the study suggests that conjugation with deoxycholic acid is a feasible method to achieve liver targeting delivery of CPT.
A Critical Review of Phenolic Compounds Extracted from the Bark of Woody Vascular Plants and Their Potential Biological Activity
Authors: Tanase Corneliu , Coșarcă Sanda , Muntean Daniela-Lucia
Published: March 2019

Polyphenols are one of the largest and most widespread groups of secondary metabolites in the plants world. These compounds are of particular interest due to their occurrence and the properties they possess. The main sources of phenolic compounds are fruits and vegetables, but lately, more and more studies refer to woody vascular plants, especially to bark, as an important source of phenolic compounds with a potential biological effect. This study aims to bring together information on the phenolic compounds present in the bark of woody vascular plants by discussing extraction methods, the chemical composition of the extracts and potential biological effects. The literature data used in this paper were collected via PubMed (2004–2019). Search terms were: bark, rhytidome, woody vascular plant, polyphenols, phenolic compounds, biologic activity, antioxidant, immunostimulatory, antimutagenic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antitumoral. This paper intends to highlight the fact that the polyphenolic extracts obtained from the bark of woody vascular plants represent sources of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, immunostimulatory, antimutagenic, antibacterial properties, etc. Future research directions should be directed towards identification and isolation of bioactive compounds. Consequently, biologically active compounds obtained from the bark of woody plants could be exploited on an industrial scale.
Comparison of Volatile and Nonvolatile Compounds in Rice Fermented by Different Lactic Acid Bacteria
Authors: Lee Sang Mi , Hwang Young Rim , Kim Moon Seok , Chung Myung Sub , Kim Young-Suk
Published: March 2019

The production of rice-based beverages fermented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can increase the consumption of rice in the form of a dairy replacement. This study investigated volatile and nonvolatile components in rice fermented by 12 different LABs. Volatile compounds of fermented rice samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with solid-phase microextraction (SPME), while nonvolatile compounds were determined using gas chromatography-time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (GC-TOF/MS) after derivatization. The 47 identified volatile compounds included acids, aldehydes, esters, furan derivatives, ketones, alcohols, benzene and benzene derivatives, hydrocarbons, and terpenes, while the 37 identified nonvolatile components included amino acids, organic acids, and carbohydrates. The profiles of volatile and nonvolatile components generally differed significantly between obligatorily homofermentative/facultatively heterofermentative LAB and obligatorily heterofermentative LAB. The rice sample fermented by Lactobacillus sakei (RTCL16) was clearly differentiated from the other samples on principal component analysis (PCA) plots. The results of PCA revealed that the rice samples fermented by LABs could be distinguished according to microbial strains.
On the Beneficial Effect of MgCl2 as Electrolyte Additive to Improve the Electrochemical Performance of Li4Ti5O12 as Cathode in Mg Batteries
Authors: Cabello Marta , Ortiz Gregorio F. , Lavela Pedro , Tirado José L.
Published: March 2019

Magnesium batteries are a promising technology for a new generation of energy storage for portable devices. Attention should be paid to electrolyte and electrode material development in order to develop rechargeable Mg batteries. In this study, we report the use of the spinel lithium titanate or Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) as an active electrode for Mg2+-ion batteries. The theoretical capacity of LTO is 175 mA h g−1, which is equivalent to an insertion reaction with 1.5 Mg2+ ions. The ability to enhance the specific capacity of LTO is of practical importance. We have observed that it is possible to increase the capacity up to 290 mA h g−1 in first discharge, which corresponds to the reaction with 2.5 Mg2+ ions. The addition of MgCl2·6H2O to the electrolyte solutions significantly improves their electrochemical performance and enables reversible Mg deposition. Ex-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns reveal little structural changes, while X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) (XPS) measurements suggest Mg reacts with LTO. The Ti3+/Ti4+ ratio increases with the amount of inserted magnesium. The impedance spectra show the presence of a semicircle at medium-low frequencies, ascribable to Mg2+ ion diffusion between the surface film and LTO. Further experimental improvements with exhaustive control of electrodes and electrolytes are necessary to develop the Mg battery with practical application.
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes: Role of Circulating Branched-Chain Amino Acids
Authors: van den Berg Eline H. , Flores-Guerrero Jose L. , Gruppen Eke G. , de Borst Martin H. , Wolak-Dinsmore Justyna , Connelly Margery A. , Bakker Stephan J. L. , Dullaart Robin P. F.
Published: March 2019

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is likely to be associated with elevated plasma branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and may precede the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We hypothesized that BCAAs may be involved in the pathogenesis of T2D attributable to NAFLD and determined the extent to which plasma BCAAs influence T2D development in NAFLD. We evaluated cross-sectional associations of NAFLD with fasting plasma BCAAs (nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy), and prospectively determined the extent to which the influence of NAFLD on incident T2D is attributable to BCAA elevations. In the current study, 5791 Prevention of REnal and Vascular ENd-stage Disease (PREVEND) cohort participants without T2D at baseline were included. Elevated fatty liver index (FLI) ≥60, an algorithm based on triglycerides, gamma-glutamyltransferase, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, was used as proxy of NAFLD. Elevated FLI ≥ 60 was present in 1671 (28.9%) participants. Cross-sectionally, BCAAs were positively associated with FLI ≥ 60 (β = 0.208, p < 0.001). During a median follow-up of 7.3 years, 276 participants developed T2D, of which 194 (70.2%) had an FLI ≥ 60 (log-rank test, p < 0.001). Cox regression analyses revealed that both FLI ≥60 (hazard ratio (HR) 3.46, 95% CI 2.45–4.87, p < 0.001) and higher BCAA levels (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.03–1.37, p = 0.01) were positively associated with incident T2D. Mediation analysis showed that the association of FLI with incident T2D was in part attributable to elevated BCAAs (proportion mediated 19.6%). In conclusion, both elevated FLI and elevated plasma BCAA levels are associated with risk of incident T2D. The association of NAFLD with T2D development seems partly mediated by elevated BCAAs.
Pharmaceutical Vehicles for Vaginal and Rectal Administration of Anti-HIV Microbicide Nanosystems
Authors: Mesquita Letícia , Galante Joana , Nunes Rute , Sarmento Bruno , das Neves José
Published: March 2019

Prevention strategies play a key role in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Vaginal and rectal microbicides hold great promise in tackling sexual transmission of HIV-1, but effective and safe products are yet to be approved and made available to those in need. While most efforts have been placed in finding and testing suitable active drug candidates to be used in microbicide development, the last decade also saw considerable advances in the design of adequate carrier systems and formulations that could lead to products presenting enhanced performance in protecting from infection. One strategy demonstrating great potential encompasses the use of nanosystems, either with intrinsic antiviral activity or acting as carriers for promising microbicide drug candidates. Polymeric nanoparticles, in particular, have been shown to be able to enhance mucosal distribution and retention of promising antiretroviral compounds. One important aspect in the development of nanotechnology-based microbicides relates to the design of pharmaceutical vehicles that allow not only convenient vaginal and/or rectal administration, but also preserve or even enhance the performance of nanosystems. In this manuscript, we revise relevant work concerning the selection of vaginal/rectal dosage forms and vehicle formulation development for the administration of microbicide nanosystems. We also pinpoint major gaps in the field and provide pertinent hints for future work.
Oxidative Depolymerization of Cellulolytic Enzyme Lignin over Silicotungvanadium Polyoxometalates
Authors: Xu Wenbiao , Li Xiangyu , Shi Junyou
Published: March 2019

The aim of this study was to explore the catalytic performance of the oxidative depolymerization of enzymatic hydrolysis lignin from cellulosic ethanol fermentation residue by different vanadium substituted Keggin-type polyoxometalates (K5[SiVW11O40], K6[SiV2W10O40], and K6H[SiV3W9O40]). Depolymerized products were analyzed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometer (GC/MS), and two-dimensional heteronuclear single quantum coherence nuclear magnetic resonance (2D HSQC NMR) analysis. All catalysts showed an effective catalytic activity. The best result, concerning the lignin conversion and lignin oil production, was obtained by K6[SiV2W10O40], and the highest yield of oxidative depolymerization products of 53 wt % was achieved and the main products were monomer aromatic compounds. The HSQC demonstrated that the catalysts were very effective in breaking the β-O-4 structure, the dominant linkage in lignin, and the GPC analysis demonstrated that the molecular of lignin was declined significantly. These results demonstrate the vanadium substituted silicotungstic polyoxometalates were of highly active and stable catalysts for lignin conversion, and this strategy has the potential to be applicable for production of value-added chemicals from biorefinery lignin.
Core-Shell Structured HMX@Polydopamine Energetic Microspheres: Synergistically Enhanced Mechanical, Thermal, and Safety Performances
Authors: Lin Congmei , Gong Feiyan , Yang Zhijian , Zhao Xu , Li Yubin , Zeng Chengcheng , Li Jiang , Guo Shaoyun
Published: March 2019

The solid–solid phase transition, poor mechanical properties, and high sensitivity has impeded further practical applications of 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocane (HMX) based polymer bonded explosives (PBXs). To address these issues together, a facile and effective route was employed to achieve a coating of polydopamine (PDA) on the surface of explosive crystals via in situ polymerization of dopamine. Additionally, PBXs based on HMX@PDA microcapsules were prepared with a fluoropolymer as polymer binder. Improved storage modulus, static mechanical strength and toughness, and creep resistance has been achieved in as-prepared PDA modified PBXs. The β-δ phase transition temperature of as-obtained PBXs based on conventional HMX (C-HMX)@PDA was improved by 16.3 °C. The friction sensitivity of the C-HMX based PBXs showed a dramatic drop after the PDA coating. A favorable balance proposed in this paper among thermal stability, mechanical properties, and sensitivity was achieved for C-HMX based PBXs with the incorporation of PDA.
Depression, Religiosity, and Parenting Styles among Young Latter-Day Saint Adolescents
Authors: Ogletree Mark , Dyer W. , Goodman Michael , Kinneard Courtney , McCormick Bradley
Published: March 2019

This study examines depression among Latter-day Saint teens, particularly how religiosity and the parent–child relationship are associated with depressive symptomology. Although there is an abundance of research on adolescent depression and on adolescent religiosity, there is less research addressing the connection between the two. The research questions include: Does religiosity among Latter-day Saint teens reduce their rates of depression? What aspects of religiosity affect depression most significantly? How does religious coping influence depression? How does the parent–child relationship affect depression rates among Latter-day Saint teens? Being a sexual minority and living in Utah were related to higher levels of depression. Greater depression was also associated with more anxiety and poorer physical health. Authoritative parenting by fathers was associated with lower depression for daughters but not sons. Finally, feeling abandoned by God was related to higher depression, while peer support at church was associated with lower depression.
Gulliver and the Rabbis: Counterfactual Truth in Science and the Talmud
Authors: Fisch Menachem
Published: March 2019

The paper presents Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels as the first systematic attempt to claim that the normal methods of testing belief and opinion for clarity, consistence, coherence, and how they stand to the facts are powerless when applied to deep-seated normative commitments, or what Wittgenstein dubbed “framework truths.” To subject our norms to normative critique requires a measure of self-alienation that cannot be achieved merely by looking hard at or thinking hard about our world and ourselves. However, by closely examining the contrived counterfactual scenarios (or, as I have shown in former work, by exposure to the normative critique of significant others), that Swift is shown to claim, such normative framework assumptions can be challenged to great effect! The standard epistemologies of his day—Baconian empiricism and Cartesian rationalism—fiercely ridiculed in the course of Gulliver’s third voyage are cruelly dismissed as powerless to change the course of science and keep it in normative check. The transformative effect of the clever thought experiments presented in the three other voyages (of imagining London shrunk to a twelfth of its size and enlarged to giant proportions, and a more responsible and intelligent race of beings inserted above (normally sized) humans) enable Swift to obtain critical normative distance from several major assumptions about politics, religion, aesthetics, ethics, and much more, including the limits of the thought experiment itself. The paper then goes to show how the same kind of counterfactual scenarios are put to impressive use in the Talmudic literature, with special reference to foundational questions of ethics and law.
Correction: Luo, Y.P. et al., Using Near-Infrared Enabled Digital Repeat Photography to Track Structural and Physiological Phenology in Mediterranean Tree-Grass Ecosystems. Remote Sens. 2018, 10, 1293.
Authors: Luo Yunpeng , El-Madany Tarek , Filippa Gianluca , Ma Xuanlong , Ahrens Bernhard , Carrara Arnaud , Gonzalez-Cascon Rosario , Cremonese Edoardo , Galvagno Marta , Hammer Tiana , Pacheco-Labrador Javier , Martín M. , Moreno Gerardo , Perez-Priego Oscar , Reichstein Markus , Richardson Andrew , Römermann Christine , Migliavacca Mirco
Published: March 2019

The authors modify the schematic plots in their article [...]
Determination of Primary and Secondary Lahar Flow Paths of the Fuego Volcano (Guatemala) Using Morphometric Parameters
Authors: Cando-Jácome Marcelo , Martínez-Graña Antonio
Published: March 2019

On 3 June 2018, a strong eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala produced a dense cloud of 10-km-high volcanic ash and destructive pyroclastic flows that caused nearly 200 deaths and huge economic losses in the region. Subsequently, due to heavy rains, destructive secondary lahars were produced, which were not plotted on the hazard maps using the LAHAR Z software. In this work we propose to complement the mapping of this type of lahars using remote-sensing (Differential Interferometry, DINSAR) in Sentinel images 1A and 2A, to locate areas of deformation of the relief on the flanks of the volcano, areas that are possibly origin of these lahars. To determine the trajectory of the lahars, parameters and morphological indices were analyzed with the software System for Automated Geoscientific Analysis (SAGA). The parameters and morphological indices used were the accumulation of flow (FCC), the topographic wetness index (TWI), the length-magnitude factor of the slope (LS). Finally, a slope stability analysis was performed using the Shallow Landslide Susceptibility software (SHALSTAB) based on the Mohr–Coulomb theory and its parameters: internal soil saturation degree and effective precipitation, parameters required to destabilize a hillside. In this case, the application of this complementary methodology provided a more accurate response of the areas destroyed by primary and secondary lahars in the vicinity of the volcano.
A Posture Recognition Method Based on Indoor Positioning Technology
Authors: Huang Xiaoping , Wang Fei , Zhang Jian , Hu Zelin , Jin Jian
Published: March 2019

Posture recognition has been widely applied in fields such as physical training, environmental awareness, human-computer-interaction, surveillance system and elderly health care. The traditional methods consist of two main variations: machine vision methods and acceleration sensor methods. The former has the disadvantages of privacy invasion, high cost and complex implementation processes, while the latter has low recognition rate for still postures. A new body posture recognition scheme based on indoor positioning technology is presented in this paper. A single deployed indoor positioning system is constructed by installing wearable receiving tags at key points of the human body. The distance measurement method with ultra-wide band (UWB) radio is applied to position the key points of human body. Posture recognition is implemented by positioning. In the posture recognition algorithm, least square estimation (LSE) method and the improved extended Kalman filtering (iEKF) algorithm are respectively adopted to suppress the noise of the distances measurement and to improve the accuracy of positioning and recognition. The comparison of simulation results with the two methods shows that the improved extended Kalman filtering algorithm is more effective in error performance.
An IoT Surveillance System Based on a Decentralised Architecture
Authors: Santamaria Amilcare Francesco , Raimondo Pierfrancesco , Tropea Mauro , De Rango Floriano , Aiello Carmine
Published: March 2019

In the last few years, we witnessed numerous episodes of terrorist attacks and menaces in public crowded places. The necessity of better surveillance in these places pushed the development of new automated solutions to spot and notify possible menaces as fast as possible. In this work, we propose a novel approach to create a decentralized architecture to manage patrolling drones and cameras exploiting lightweight protocols used in the internet of things (IoT) domain. Through the adoption of the mist computing paradigm it is possible to give to all the object of the smart ecosystem a cognitive intelligence to speed up the recognition and analysis tasks. Distributing the intelligence among all the objects of the surveillance ecosystem allows a faster recognition and reaction to possible warning situations. The recognition of unusual objects in certain areas, e.g., airports, train stations and bus stations, has been made using computer vision algorithms. The adoption of the IoT protocols in a hierarchical architecture provides high scalability allowing an easy and painless join of other smart objects. Also a study on the soft real-time feasibility has been conducted and is herein presented.
Dynamic Multi-LiDAR Based Multiple Object Detection and Tracking
Authors: Sualeh Muhammad , Kim Gon-Woo
Published: March 2019

Environmental perception plays an essential role in autonomous driving tasks and demands robustness in cluttered dynamic environments such as complex urban scenarios. In this paper, a robust Multiple Object Detection and Tracking (MODT) algorithm for a non-stationary base is presented, using multiple 3D LiDARs for perception. The merged LiDAR data is treated with an efficient MODT framework, considering the limitations of the vehicle-embedded computing environment. The ground classification is obtained through a grid-based method while considering a non-planar ground. Furthermore, unlike prior works, 3D grid-based clustering technique is developed to detect objects under elevated structures. The centroid measurements obtained from the object detection are tracked using Interactive Multiple Model-Unscented Kalman Filter-Joint Probabilistic Data Association Filter (IMM-UKF-JPDAF). IMM captures different motion patterns, UKF handles the nonlinearities of motion models, and JPDAF associates the measurements in the presence of clutter. The proposed algorithm is implemented on two slightly dissimilar platforms, giving real-time performance on embedded computers. The performance evaluation metrics by MOT16 and ground truths provided by KITTI Datasets are used for evaluations and comparison with the state-of-the-art. The experimentation on platforms and comparisons with state-of-the-art techniques suggest that the proposed framework is a feasible solution for MODT tasks.
Drone Detection and Pose Estimation Using Relational Graph Networks
Authors: Jin Ren , Jiang Jiaqi , Qi Yuhua , Lin Defu , Song Tao
Published: March 2019

With the upsurge in use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), drone detection and pose estimation by using optical sensors becomes an important research subject in cooperative flight and low-altitude security. The existing technology only obtains the position of the target UAV based on object detection methods. To achieve better adaptability and enhanced cooperative performance, the attitude information of the target drone becomes a key message to understand its state and intention, e.g., the acceleration of quadrotors. At present, most of the object 6D pose estimation algorithms depend on accurate pose annotation or a 3D target model, which costs a lot of human resource and is difficult to apply to non-cooperative targets. To overcome these problems, a quadrotor 6D pose estimation algorithm was proposed in this paper. It was based on keypoints detection (only need keypoints annotation), relational graph network and perspective-n-point (PnP) algorithm, which achieves state-of-the-art performance both in simulation and real scenario. In addition, the inference ability of our relational graph network to the keypoints of four motors was also evaluated. The accuracy and speed were improved significantly compared with the state-of-the-art keypoints detection algorithm.
Continuous Analysis of Running Mechanics by Means of an Integrated INS/GPS Device
Authors: Davidson Pavel , Virekunnas Heikki , Sharma Dharmendra , Piché Robert , Cronin Neil
Published: March 2019

This paper describes a single body-mounted sensor that integrates accelerometers, gyroscopes, compasses, barometers, a GPS receiver, and a methodology to process the data for biomechanical studies. The sensor and its data processing system can accurately compute the speed, acceleration, angular velocity, and angular orientation at an output rate of 400 Hz and has the ability to collect large volumes of ecologically-valid data. The system also segments steps and computes metrics for each step. We analyzed the sensitivity of these metrics to changing the start time of the gait cycle. Along with traditional metrics, such as cadence, speed, step length, and vertical oscillation, this system estimates ground contact time and ground reaction forces using machine learning techniques. This equipment is less expensive and cumbersome than the currently used alternatives: Optical tracking systems, in-shoe pressure measurement systems, and force plates. Another advantage, compared to existing methods, is that natural movement is not impeded at the expense of measurement accuracy. The proposed technology could be applied to different sports and activities, including walking, running, motion disorder diagnosis, and geriatric studies. In this paper, we present the results of tests in which the system performed real-time estimation of some parameters of walking and running which are relevant to biomechanical research. Contact time and ground reaction forces computed by the neural network were found to be as accurate as those obtained by an in-shoe pressure measurement system.
Dissolution Testing of Single- and Dual-Component Thyroid Hormone Supplements
Authors: Bowerbank Samantha L. , Carlin Michelle G. , Dean John R.
Published: March 2019

A method for the analysis of thyroid hormones by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used for the dissolution testing of single- and dual-component thyroid hormone supplements via a two-stage biorelevant dissolution procedure. The biorelevant media consisted of fasted-state simulated gastric fluid and fasted state simulated intestinal fluid at 37 °C, and was investigated using an internationally recognized protocol. The dissolution profiles showed consistent solubilization for both single- and dual-component batches at pH 6.5 in the fasted-state simulated intestinal fluid.
Could 79 People Solarize the U.S. Electric Grid?
Authors: Pearce Joshua M. , Prehoda Emily
Published: March 2019

Although wealth inequality has many established negatives, this study investigates a potential positive, unprecedented wealth concentration makes it possible for solutions to large and seemingly intractable problems to be deployed by convincing a relatively small number of individuals to invest. In order to probe this potential outcome of inequality, this study quantifies the number of people necessary to radically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global climate destabilization from the U.S. electric grid, which is one of the largest sources of emissions. Specifically, this study determined that 1544 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology must be deployed to eliminate the use of fossil fuels on the U.S. electric grid, if PV is conservatively deployed as a function of population density. The results showed that only 79 American multi-billionaires would need to invest in PV. This investment would still leave each investor with a billion dollars of liquid assets as well as substantial long-term profits from PV. The analysis also concluded that 79 people is a conservative upper estimate of those that would need to be convinced of the usefulness of moving to a solar U.S. grid and that this estimate is likely to decrease further in the future.
Comparative Study of Two Intervention Programmes for Teaching Soccer to School-Age Students
Authors: García-Ceberino Juan , Feu Sebastián , Ibáñez Sergio
Published: March 2019

The objective of this study was to design and analyse the differences and/or similarities of two homogeneous intervention programmes (didactic units) based on two different teaching methods, Direct Instruction (DI) and Tactical Games Approach (TGA), for teaching school-age soccer. The sample was composed of 58 tasks, 29 for each intervention programme. The pedagogical and external Training Load (eTL) variables recorded in the Integral System for Training Tasks Analysis (SIATE) were studied. The two intervention programmes were compared using Chi-Square, Mann-Whitney U and the Adjusted Standardized Residuals statistical tests. Likewise, the strength of association of the variables under study was calculated using Cramer’s Phi and Cramer’s V coefficients. Both intervention programmes had the same number of tasks (n = 29), sessions (n = 12), game phases (x2 = 0.000; p = 1.000), specific contents (x2 = 5.311; p = 0.968) and didactic objectives, as well as different levels of eTL (U = 145.000; p = 0.000; d = 1.357); which are necessary requirements to be considered similar. The differences and/or similarities between both intervention programmes will offer teachers guidelines to develop different didactic units using the specific DI and TGA methodologies.
Spatial Justice of a Chinese Metropolis: A Perspective on Housing Price-to-Income Ratios in Nanjing, China
Authors: Yin Shanggang , Ma Zhifei , Song Weixuan , Liu Chunhui
Published: March 2019

The housing price-to-income ratio is an important index for measuring the health of real estate, as well as detecting residents’ housing affordability and regional spatial justice. This paper considers 1833 residential districts in one main urban area and three secondary urban areas in Nanjing during the period 2009–2017 as research units. It also simulates and estimates the spatial distribution of the housing price-to-income ratio with the kriging interpolation method of geographic information system (GIS) geostatistical analysis and constructs a housing spatial justice model by using housing price, income, and housing price-to-income ratio. The research results prove that in the one main urban area and the three secondary urban areas considered, the housing price-to-income ratio tended on the whole to rise, presenting a core edge model of a progressive decrease from the Main Urban Area to the secondary urban areas spatially, with high-value areas centered around famous school districts and new town centers. The housing spatial justice degree presented a trend opposite to that of the housing price-to-income ratio pattern; it progressively decreased from the secondary urban areas to the Main Urban Area. Furthermore, the spatial justice degree tended to decrease in the new towns, in the periphery of the Main Urban Area, and in the secondary urban areas, and it tended to rise, relatively, in the inner urban areas. The enhancement of the housing price-to-income ratio has caused the urban housing spatial justice degree to become gradually imbalanced, gradually squeezing out the poor and vulnerable groups to urban fringe areas and leading to a phenomenon of middle class stratification. This has thus aroused social problems such as housing differentiation and class solidification, etc., and has caused inequality in social spaces. Tt is therefore urgently necessary to reflect on urban space production with the value and principle of spatial justice, which is also the only way to obtain urban sustainable development, in mind.
Sustainable Reuse of Military Facilities with a Carbon Inventory: Kinmen, Taiwan
Authors: Liu Hua-Yueh
Published: March 2019

Military government was lifted from Kinmen in 1992. The opening-up of cross-strait relations transformed the island into a tourist destination. This transformation led to electricity and water shortages in Kinmen. With the reduction in the number of troops, military facilities fell into disuse and are now being released for local government use. The aim of this project was to monitor the carbon footprint of a reused military facility during renovation of the facility. The LCBA-Neuma system, a local carbon survey software developed by the Low Carbon Building Alliance (LCBA) and National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, was used in this project. The system analyzes the carbon footprint of the various phases of the building life cycle (LC) during renovation and carbon compensation strategies were employed to achieve the low carbon target. This project has pioneered the transformation of a disused military facility using this approach. The carbon footprint of energy uses during post-construction operation (CFeu) accounted for the majority of carbon emissions among all stages, at 1,088,632.19 kgCO2e/60y, while the carbon footprint of the new building materials (CFm) was the second highest, at 214,983.66 kgCO2e/60y. Installation of a solar cell system of 25.2 kWp on the rooftop as a carbon offset measure compensated for an estimated 66.1% of the total life-cycle carbon emissions. The findings of this study show that the process of reusing old military facilities can achieve the ultimate goal of zero carbon construction and sustainable development.
Testing the Influence of Purity-Based Interventions on Pro-environmental Behavior
Authors: Sachdeva Sonya , Boghrati Reihane , Dehghani Morteza
Published: March 2019

Environmental issues are often discussed in purity-related terms. For instance, pollution, contamination, toxicity, and degradation are all concepts that can evoke notions of (im)purity in an environmental context. In this paper, we assess the efficacy of purity-based norms as drivers of environmentally sustainable behavior. First, using a social media-based environmental cleanup campaign as a test case, we find that purity-based norms increase participation in the campaign. We then replicate and extend these findings in three behavioral experiments, finding that purity-based interventions do increase environmental behavior (Study 1), but that these effects are strongest for people who are more deeply connected with an in-group (Studies 2 and 3). Using an integrative approach to combine computational linguistics with behavioral experiments, we find that purity-based norms can be powerful motivators of environmental behavior, particularly if they emphasize the relation to one’s in-group.
The Suitability of the Ecosystem Services Framework for Guiding Benefit Assessments in Human-Modified Landscapes Exemplified by Regulated Watersheds—Implications for a Sustainable Approach
Authors: Nesheim Ingrid , Barkved Line
Published: March 2019

To support decision-making, benefit assessments have become an obligatory part of natural resource management. In this context, the ecosystem services (ES) framework has been widely adopted for identifying and assessing the values at stake, yet the concept ignores benefits from water and land use functions as important contributions for societal welfare. This paper aims to contribute knowledge for improved benefit assessments in human-modified landscapes, exemplified by watersheds regulated for the production of hydropower. Through a case study approach in two regulated watersheds in Norway, beneficiaries’ perceptions of the benefits associated with key watershed activities, i.e., hydropower production, kayaking, angling, and hiking, are presented. Considering the beneficiaries’ perspectives, we discuss the relative ability of economic, quantitative, and qualitative assessment methods to present benefits. The study shows that benefit assessments must be carried out on different scales of governance, as benefits are context and scale dependent. We argue for an approach which considers a balance of benefits obtained from ecosystem services, and from water and land use functions within ecological limits. The suitability of the ES framework for guiding benefit assessments in a human-modified landscape and its complementarity with the sustainability concept for informing local-level decision-making are discussed.
Evidence for Naturally Produced Beauvericins Containing N-Methyl-Tyrosine in Hypocreales Fungi
Authors: Urbaniak Monika , Stępień Łukasz , Uhlig Silvio
Published: March 2019

Beauvericin is a depsipeptide mycotoxin. The production of several beauvericin analogues has previously been shown among various genera among Hypocreales fungi. This includes so-called beauvenniatins, in which one or more N-methyl-phenylalanine residues is exchanged with other amino acids. In addition, a range of “unnatural” beauvericins has been prepared by a precursor addition to growth medium. Our aim was to get insight into the natural production of beauvericin analogues among different Hypocreales fungi, such as Fusarium and Isaria spp. In addition to beauvericin, we tentatively identified six earlier described analogues in the extracts; these were beauvericin A and/or its structural isomer beauvericin F, beauvericin C, beauvericin J, beauvericin D, and beauvenniatin A. Other analogues contained at least one additional oxygen atom. We show that the additional oxygen atom(s) were due to the presence of one to three N-methyl-tyrosine moieties in the depsipeptide molecules by using different liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry-based approaches. In addition, we also tentatively identified a beauvenniatin that contained N-methyl-leucine, which we named beauvenniatin L. This compound has not been reported before. Our data show that N-methyl-tyrosine containing beauvericins may be among the major naturally produced analogues in certain fungal strains.
Assessing Climate Change Impacts on River Flows in the Tonle Sap Lake Basin, Cambodia
Authors: Oeurng Chantha , Cochrane Thomas A. , Chung Sarit , Kondolf Mathias G. , Piman Thanapon , Arias Mauricio E.
Published: March 2019

The Tonle Sap is the most fertile and diverse freshwater ecosystem in Southeast Asia, receiving nurturing water flows from the Mekong and its immediate basin. In addition to rapid development in the Tonle Sap basin, climate change may threaten natural flow patterns that sustain its diversity. The impacts of climate change on river flows in 11 sub-basins contributing to the Tonle Sap Lake were assessed using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to quantify the potential magnitude of future hydrological alterations. Projected river flows from three General Circulation Models (GFDL-CM3, GISS-E2-R-CC and IPSL-CM5A-MR) for three time horizons (2030s, 2060s and 2090s) indicate a likely decrease in both the wet and dry season flows. The mean annual projected flow reductions range from 9 to 29%, 10 to 35% and 7 to 41% for the 2030s, 2060s and 2090s projections, respectively. Moreover, a decrease in extreme river flows (Q5 and Q95) was also found, which implies there could be a decline in flood magnitudes and an increase in drought occurrences throughout the basin. The results of this study provide insight for water resources planning and adaptation strategies for the river ecosystems during the dry season, when water flows are projected to decrease.
NON-ACADEMIC EDUCATION – A NEW PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY
Authors: Zhukova Galіna
Published: March 2019

The main principles of non- academic education, respectively, of research of domestic and foreign scientists and Ukrainian state programs are: orientation of training to meet the actual needs of its subjects; communication with practice is manifested in the focus on learning life skills and preparation for active participation in society; availability of mobile flexible programs, individual educational strategies aimed at expressing, accepting and respecting individual characteristics. The foundation of non-academic education is an activity paradigm, which protests as a main goal the development of the student's personality through the development of universal ways of working, overcoming conservative relations in education, and creativity-oriented innovation.
PREPARING FUTURE EDUCATORS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TASKS OF THE ECOLOGICAL AND NATURAL EDUCATION OF PRESCHOOLERS IN THE CONTEXT OF UPDATING HIGHER EDUCATION STANDARDS
Authors: Prisyazhnyuk Larisa , Groshovenko Olga
Published: March 2019

The change of reference points in the ecological and natural education of preschool-age children actualizes the need for training teachers who are able to build the educational process in accordance with contemporary tasks and updated approaches. The list of special competencies that should be formed by the future educator for the successful implementation of the tasks of the ecological and natural education for preschoolers requires clarification. These competencies include: the ability of children to form primary ideas about the environment, the properties and relations of objects; development of self- awareness; the ability to form a value attitude to nature in preschool children, which is manifested in environmentally friendly behavior and activities in the environment. The results of student learning are also specified. Clarification of special competences and the results of preparing future educators allowed to design mechanisms for mastering the content.
THE SPEECH LOGIC LAWS AS A THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL BASIS FOR THE FORMATION OF STAGE SPEECH AS A VERBAL IMPACT
Authors: Kolenko Anfisa
Published: March 2019

The main thing in the actor`s work is to identify the essence of the work (the most important task) and to translate it into a role (through action). The law of verbal exposure requires the performer to regard communication with partners with the help of the word as a conscious activity aimed at performing a certain creative task. Based on the study of the structure of speech communication, K. S. Stanislavsky formulated the law of context, the law of subtext. The speech logic laws dictate the rules for placing pauses, logical stress, intonation of speech in a sentence and help the future actor to find the right solution to work on the role. Knowledge of the laws and rules helps to determine the place of the logical stress: the genitive case, the comparison, the opposition, the match, the emphasis on the pronoun, the adjective, the verb, the rule of the new concept, the homogeneous parts of the sentence.
BORIS GRINCHENKO'S ENLIGHTENMENT ACTIVITY
Authors: Rodinova Nataliya
Published: March 2019

B. Grinchenko, as a good expert in Ukrainian history, defended the right of Ukraine and its people to their own lives, the right to receive education and read books in their native language. His scientific interests included such humanitarian disciplines as: pedagogy, linguistics, journalism, ethnography, history, literary criticism, bibliography, museology. If you compile a list of figures of history and culture, whose lives and activities he investigated, to whom he devoted an article, review or obituary, then a galaxy of advanced people of that time will appear. In scientific and publicistic studies B. Grinchenko primarily concerned the issues of oral folk art, as well as pedagogy, literature, history, social and political life. It was noted that the cheap book's publication of popular science, folklore, biographical, applied and entertainment content, embodied the idea of B. Grinchenko for the creation of the Ukrainian library, the introduction of readers to the Ukrainian book and the development of their education.
Discursive Construction of Genuine LGBT Refugees
Authors: Akin Deniz
Published: March 2019

This article discusses the ways in which different discourses construct a genuine LGBT refugee subject in Norway. In doing so, it problematizes the notion of a predetermined/ahistorical/context-free LGBT refugee subject who can be discovered at the national borders as the true claimant of the refugee status. Benefiting from queer theory, the discussion revolves around the performative aspects of refugeeness, arguing that refugeeness is discursively constructed in a particular legal, political, and cultural context and that there is no genuine refugee prior to its recognition. The article also draws on the notion of precarity as a constitutive of the so-called genuine refugee subject, and discusses how precarity for sexual minorities has been constituted within the contemporary cultural politics of immigration and sexual politics in Norway. It concludes by arguing for the need for increasing attentiveness to the reproduction and circulation of discourses around issues such as deserving immigrants, precarity, worthy asylum seekers, healthy sexualities, and good citizens within the field of refugee policies and practices.