bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NORMAN SIMS: O “gentleman” amante da natureza e do jornalismo literário
Authors: Soares Isabel
Published: October 2018

Norman Sims foi o primeiro palestrante principal das conferências da International Association for Literary Journalism Studies. Tido como um dos maiores especialistas sobre jornalismo literário, é um nome basilar no que toca esse gênero. Porém, é também um homem multifacetado com uma paixão pela canoagem e pela escrita sobre a história da canoa no continente norte-americano. O seu legado tem influenciado várias gerações de pesquisadores e acadêmicos que se dedicam ao jornalismo literário, também denominado jornalismo narrativo.
 
PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Norman Sims; jornalismo literário, jornalismo, IALJS, Estados Unidos.
 
 
ABSTRACT
Norman Sims was the first keynote speaker of the conferences held by the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies. Renowned as one of the greatest specialists in literary journalism, his is an inescapable name when it comes to that journalistic genre. He is also a man of multiple interests with a passion for canoeing and a writer about the history of North-American canoes. His legacy has influenced many generations of researchers and academics dedicated to the study of literary journalism, also known as narrative journalism.
 
KEYWORDS: Norman Sims; literary journalism; journalism; IALJS, United States of America.
 
 
RESUMEN
Norman Sims fue el primer orador principal de las conferencias celebradas por la Asociación Internacional de Estudios de Periodismo Literario. Reconocido como uno de los mejores especialistas en periodismo literario, el suyo es un nombre ineludible en lo que respecta a ese género periodístico. También es un hombre de múltiples intereses con una pasión por el piragüismo y un escritor sobre la historia de las canoas norteamericanas. Su legado ha influido en muchas generaciones de investigadores y académicos dedicados al estudio del periodismo literario, también conocido como periodismo narrativo.
 
PALABRAS CLAVE: Norman Sims; periodismo literario; periodismo; IALJS, Estados Unidos.
A ESPETACULARIZAÇÃO E CONEXÃO DA POLÍTICA E DA CIDADANIA NO ESPAÇO PÚBLICO MIDIATIZADO
Authors: Amaral Filho Otacílio
Published: October 2018

A ideia de uma cidade midiática vem sendo discutida por vários pesquisadores e estudiosos em uma perspectiva tanto conceitual quanto aplicada, tomando a cidade pelas vias da midiatização, tendo no espaço urbano, por uma amplitude global, um modo de representação da política. O objetivo desse artigo, é discutir o conceito da cidade midiática a partir da ruptura da relação territorialidade e identidade pelos processos de comunicação na contemporaneidade, cuja essência, está na discussão política na sua feição mais avançada, quando oferece à sociedade um espaço público midiatizado e conectado onde se desenrola uma cena social típica deste ambiente em que as mediações respondem objetivamente aos processos de sociação, cidadania e política.
 
PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Cidade; Mídia; Política
 
 
ABSTRACT
The idea of ​​a media city has been discussed by several  researchers and scholars from both a conceptual and an applied perspective, taking the city through mediatization, having in urban space, by a global amplitude, a way of representing politics. The purpose of this article is to discuss the concept of the media city from the rupture of the relationship territoriality and identity by the contemporary communication processes, whose essence is in the political discussion in its most advanced feature, when it offers society a public space mediated and connected where a social scene typical of this environment takes place where mediations respond objectively to the processes of socialization, citizenship and politics.
 
KEYWORDS:  City; Media; Policy
 
 
RESUMEN
La idea de una ciudad mediática viene siendo discutida por varios investigadores y estudiosos desde una perspectiva tanto conceptual como aplicada, tomando la ciudad por las vías de la mediatización, teniendo en el espacio urbano, por una amplitud global, un modo de representación de la política. El objetivo de este artículo es discutir el concepto de la ciudad mediática a partir de la ruptura de la relación territorialidad e identidad por los procesos de comunicación en la contemporaneidad, cuya esencia, está en la discusión política en su aspecto más avanzado, cuando ofrece a la sociedad un espacio público y en el que se desarrolla una escena social típica de este ambiente en el que las mediaciones responden objetivamente a los procesos de sociedad, ciudadanía y política.
 
PALABRAS CLAVE: Ciudad; Medios de comunicación; Política.
AVALIAÇÃO INSTITUCIONAL: uma análise de indicadores de desempenho institucional em uma IFES
Authors: Erasmo Eduardo Andrea Lemus , Duarte Michelle M. Semiguen L. T. , Pires Nunes Enedina Betânia Leite de Lucena , Mendes Rayenne Neres Montelo
Published: October 2018

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar os resultados dos indicadores de desempenho institucional considerando as diretrizes estabelecidas e observando as recomendações oriundas dos mecanismos de Avaliação Institucional. Caracteriza-se como exploratória e descritiva e levantamento bibliográfico e documental, com abordagem quali-quantitativa desenvolvida a partir da análise de resultados de indicadores institucionais dos anos de 2016 e 2017, associados, especialmente, ao Eixo 3 – Políticas Acadêmicas, do Sistema Nacional de Avaliação Superior - Sinaes. Os resultados e análises apresentados têm a sua aplicabilidade e relevância institucional, no sentido de apoiar a implementação de estratégias e ações para o desenvolvimento e planejamento institucional da Universidade Federal do Tocantins.
 
PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Avaliação Institucional; Indicadores de desempenho; Sinaes.
 
 
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to analyze the results of the institutional performance indicators considering the established guidelines and observing the recommendations from the mechanisms of Institutional Evaluation. It is characterized as descriptive and exploratory, with bibliographical and documental survey, using an quali-quantitative approach developed from the analysis of the results of institutional indicators of year 2016 and 2017, associated, in particular, with the axis 3 - Políticas Acadêmicas, do Sistema Nacional de Avaliação Superior – Sinaes (Academic Policies of the National System of Higher Assessment). The analyses and results presented have the applicability and an institutional relevance, in order to support the implementation of strategies and actions for the development and institutional planning at the Federal University of Tocantins.
 
KEYWORDS: Institutional Assessment; Performance indicators; Sinaes.
 
 
RESUMEN
Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo analizar los resultados de los indicadores de desempeño institucional considerando las directrices establecidas y observando las recomendaciones oriundas de los mecanismos de Evaluación Institucional. Se caracteriza como exploratoria, descriptiva, levantamiento bibliográfico y documental, con abordaje cualitativito-cuantitativo desarrollada a partir del análisis de resultados de indicadores institucionales de los años 2016 y 2017, asociados, especialmente al Eje 3 – Políticas Académicas, del Sistema Nacional de Evaluación Superior – SINAES. Los resultados y análisis presentados tienen su aplicabilidad y relevancia institucional, en el sentido de apoyar la implementación de estrategias y acciones para el desarrollo y planeación institucional de la Universidad Federal de Tocantins.
 
PALABRAS CLAVE: Evaluación Institucional; Indicadores de desempeño; Sinaes.
A Scale-Invariant, Machian Theory of Gravitation and Electrodynamics Unified
Authors: Vishwakarma Ram Gopal
Published: October 2018

As gravitation and electromagnetism are closely analogous long-range interactions, and gravitation is formulated in terms of geometry in general relativity (GR), we expect the latter also to appear through the geometry. This unification has however remained an unfulfilled goal. The goal is achieved here in a new theory, which results from the principles of equivalence and Mach supplemented with a novel insight that the field tensors in a geometric theory of gravitation and electromagnetism must be traceless, since these long-range interactions are mediated by virtual exchange of massless particles whose mass is expected to be related to the trace of the field tensors. Hence the Riemann tensor, like the analogous electromagnetic field tensor, must be traceless. Thence emerges a scale- invariant, Machian theory of gravitation and electrodynamics unified, wherein the vanishing of the Ricci tensor appears as a boundary condition. While the field equations of the theory are given by the vanishing divergence of the respective field tensors and their duals, the matter and charge emerge from the spacetime. A quantitative formulation of the emergent fields embodied in ‘energymomentum super tensors’ follows from the respective Bianchi identities for the two fields. The resulting theory is valid at all scales and explains the observations without invoking the non-baryonic dark matter, dark energy or inflation. Moreover, it answers the questions that the GR-based standard paradigm could not address.
Accident Report Interpretation: The Power of Language
Authors: Heraghty Derek , Dekker Sidney , Rae Andrew
Published: October 2018

The language we use to describe the past can have a strong influence on the audience’s interpretation of our story. In our experiment, we explore, using 3 different conditions, how the framing and language of an accident report can affect the audience’s proposed solutions to manage the problems found. We find that the approach used to create an accident report can have a powerful influence on the audience’s decision making. Whether we are describing an accident in a similar manner to a crime, using a systems approach or we are accepting of multiple stories which are not linear or coherent, the methods we use to capture and communicate the story have a profound impact on the actions decided upon by the reader.
Genomics of Speech and Language Disorders
Authors: Guerra Joaquin , Cacabelos Ramón
Published: October 2018

There are multiple factors involved in speech and language. Investigating animal models, mainly through songbirds, have allowed a better understanding of the language process. Verbal dyspraxia, dysarthria, speech sound disorder, and stuttering are some examples of speech disorders, and specific language disorder, aphasia and, dyslexia of language disorders. More complex syndromes such as Autism-spectrum disorders, Down’s or Fragile X have more variable features. Genetic factors, such as hereditary or de novo mutations may be responsible for their development. In addition, most of them are involved in neurodevelopment with a huge range of molecular mechanisms and pathways that interact with each other, and there may be co-morbidity with other communication disorders or develop phenotypes unrelated to communication. Genes with heterogeneous functions in speech and language such as FOXP1, FOXP2, KIAA0319, ROBO1, APOE or CNTNAP2 are some examples. Epigenetic factors, especially miRNAs, influence their expressiveness. The genomics of these disorders allows us to understand language acquisition, carry out early detection strategies, genetic counseling and optimize future treatments, not only in communication disorders but also those neurological alterations that incorporate these mutations.
THz Sensing With Anomalous Extraordinary Optical Transmission Hole Arrays
Authors: Jáuregui-López Irati , Rodríguez-Ulibarri Pablo , Kuznetsov Sergei A. , Nikolaev Nazar A. , Beruete Miguel
Published: October 2018

Subwavelength hole array (HA) metasurfaces support the so-called extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) resonance that has already been exploited for sensing. In this work, we demonstrate the superior performance of a different resonant regime of HA metasurfaces called anomalous EOT, by doing a thorough numerical and experimental study of its ability as a thin-film label-free sensor in the terahertz (THz) band. A comprehensive analysis using both the regular and anomalous EOT resonances is done by depositing thin layers of a dielectric analyte of different thicknesses on the structures in different scenarios. We carry out a detailed comparison and demonstrate that the best sensing performance is achieved when the structure operates in the anomalous EOT resonance and the analyte is deposited on the non-patterned side, improving by a factor between 2 and 3 the results of the EOT resonance in any of the considered scenarios. This can be explained by the comparatively narrower linewidth of the anomalous EOT resonance. The results presented expand the reach of subwavelength hole arrays for sensing applications by considering the anomalous EOT regime that is usually overlooked in the literature.
Emerging Role of Follicular T Helper Cells in Multiple Sclerosis and Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Authors: Quinn James , Axtell Robert
Published: October 2018

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder where both T cells and B cells are implicated in pathology. However, it remains unclear how these two distinct populations cooperate to drive disease. There is ample evidence from studies in both MS patients and mouse models that Th17, B cells, and follicular T helper (TFH) cells contribute to disease. This review article describes the literature that identifies mechanisms by which Th17, TFH, and B cells cooperatively drive disease activity in MS and EAE. The curation of this literature has identified that CNS-infiltrating TFH cells act with TH17 cell to contribute to an inflammatory B cell response in neuroinflammation. This demonstrates that TFH cells and their products are promising targets for therapies in MS.
Viral Persistence and Chronicity in Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Role of T-Cell Apoptosis, Senescence and Exhaustion
Authors: Barathan Muttiah , Mohamed Rosmawati , K. Yong Yean , Kannan Meganathan , Vadivelu Jamuna , Saeidi Alireza , Larsson Marie , Shankar Esaki Muthu
Published: October 2018

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents a challenging global health threat in ~200 million infected individuals. Clinical data suggests that only ~10-15% of acutely HCV-infected individuals will achieve spontaneous viral clearance despite exuberant virus-specific immune responses, which is largely attributed to difficulties in recognizing the pathognomonic symptoms during the initial stages of exposure to the virus. Given the paucity of a suitable small animal model, it is also equally challenging to study the early phases of viral establishment. Further, the host factors contributing to HCV chronicity in a vast majority of acutely HCV-infected individuals largely remain unexplored. The last few years have witnessed a surge in studies showing that HCV adopts a myriad mechanisms to disconcert virus-specific immune responses in the host to establish persistence that includes, but not limited to viral escape mutations, viral growth at privileged sites, and antagonism. Here, we discussed a few hitherto poorly explained mechanisms employed by HCV that are believed to lead to chronicity in infected individuals. A better understanding of these mechanisms would aid the design of improved therapeutic targets against viral establishment in susceptible individuals.
Milk Other than Breast Milk and the Development of Asthma in Children 3 Years of Age. A Birth Cohort Study (2006-2011)
Authors: Elheneidy Asmaa , Abdel-Rahman Manar , Mihala Gabor , Ross Lynda J. , Comans Tracy
Published: October 2018

Prevalence of asthma in Australian children is amongst the highest in the world. Although breastfeeding positively influences infants’ immunity, early introduction of Milk Other than Breast Milk (MOTBM) may also play an important role in the development of Asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the introduction of MOTBM in the first six months after birth and the development of reported persistent asthma in children 3-years old. As sample of 1,121 children were extracted from the Environments for Healthy Living longitudinal birth cohort study. Introduction of MOTBM during the first six months after birth increased the risk of development of persistent asthma by almost two-folds (Adjusted Relative Risk (ARR): 1.71, 95%CI: 1.03-2.83, p= 0.038). This study indicates that the introduction of MOTBM in the first six months of life is a risk factor for asthma incidence among children 3 years old or younger. This result is important in explaining the benefits of breastfeeding as part of public health interventions to encourage mothers to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration and avoid introduction of MOTBM in the first six months after childbirth.
Herbal Bio-Disinfectants: Z. zanthoxyloides and G. latifolium as Effective Antimicrobial Agents against Inherent Microbial Pathogens in Water.
Authors: Adeeyo Adeyemi Ojutalayo , Odiyo John Ogoni , Msagati Titus Alfred Makudali
Published: October 2018

Water and sanitation facilities in sub-Saharan Africa and Africa in general are appalling and for the most part absent. Progress continues with respect to the development of plant materials as potent adsorbents, disinfectants, coagulants, flocculants, wetland species and lots more as substitutes for the dangerous chemical disinfectants.
This research presents the potential of phyto-active components of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides and Gongronema latifolium as effective biocides against water microbial contaminants. Dry powder of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides and Gongronema latifolium were extracted and prepared into different concentrations with ethyl acetate and chloroform, ranging from 25 to 500 mg/ml. These fractions were then examined for antimicrobial activities against inherent bacterial and fungal water contaminants using disc diffusion assay. Fractions were afterwards screened for phytochemical active compounds using standard methods. Crude extracts of the different plant examined selectively comprise saponins, tannins, reducing sugars, anthraquinones, flavonoids, terpenoids, phlobatanins and alkaloids. All plant extracts showed broad spectrum antibiosis against selected gram positive and gram negative bacteria including E. coli, P. aeruginosa, Klebsiella sp, S. pneumoniae and B. cereus, as well as tested fungi, including A. niger, A. flavus, Trichoderma sp and Candida sp. While all extracts exhibited maximum antibiosis at 500 mg/ml, the chloroform extracts compared well than ethyl acetate extracts. The overall results revealed that antimicrobial activities of the plant extracts are dose dependent with comparative activity greater than that of commercial antibiotics at the concentration of extracts tested. E.coli was the most susceptible microbial isolate tested and represents the potential of the extract against a group of coliform which are important indicators of microbial pollution in water. Other microbial isolates also recorded sensitivity to extracts tested at varying degrees. The findings indicate that microbes tested were mostly susceptible to chloroform extract of Z. zanthoxyloides and G. latifolium except for the activity of ethyl acetate extract of Z. zanthoxyloide against E.coli. Results of phytochemical screening of the extract also showed the varied presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids and anthraquinones The results indicated that plant materials investigated can be developed as effective biocides against water microbial contaminants
Electrochemical Instrumentation of an Embedded Potentiostat System (EPS) for a Programmable-System-On-a-Chip
Authors: Muñoz-Martínez Adrián Iván , González Peña Omar Israel , Colomer-Farrarons Jordi , Rodríguez-Delgado José Manuel , Ávila-Ortega Alfonso , Dieck-Assad Graciano
Published: October 2018

Under the main features required on portable devices in electrochemical instrumentation is to have a small size, low power consumption, economically affordable, and precision in the measurements. This paper describes the development of a programmable Embedded Potentiostat System (EPS) capable of performing electrochemical sensing over system-on-a-chip platforms. Furthermore, the study explains a circuit design and develops some validation of the entire system. The hardware validation is performed by electrochemical experiments such as Double Step Chronoamperometry (DSC), Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV); moreover, a comparison of the experimental signals between a commercial potentiostat and the EPS was done by analysis of errors on the response signal. Results illustrate that the EPS is capable of handling currents in the range of absolute values of 86.44 to 3000 nA, and having control voltages in the range of ± 2 V. The device can support from 50 to 2000 samples per second. The EPS capabilities were compared with other compact potentiostats. The programmable EPS is an original approach which hugely reduces the hardware complexity and leads the way to create new applications for Point-of-Care or industrial developments with a reusable full electronics module.
Using Tandem-X Science Phase Observations to Extract Glacial Topography
Authors: Hong Sang-Hoon , Wdowinski Shimon , Amelung Falk , Kim Hyun-Cheol , Won Joong-Sun , Kim Sang-Wan
Published: October 2018

Space-based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) applications have been widely used to monitor the cryosphere over past decades. Because of temporal decorrelation, interferometric coherence often severely degrades on fast moving glaciers. In addition, higher sensitivity ambiguity occurs in large baseline configurations, which are needed for extracting topographic information over low relief areas such as the surface of a glacier. TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement (TanDEM-X) observations, which overcome the temporal decorrelation because of their simultaneous measurements by two satellite constellations, have used a short baseline sufficient for generation of excellent digital elevation models in most locations around the world. However, it remains difficult to estimate detailed topographic characteristics over low slope glacier surfaces because of the relatively less sensitive height ambiguity from the small baselines. In this study, we used the TanDEM-X pursuit monostatic mode with large baseline formation following a scientific phase timeline to develop highly sensitive topographic elevation models of the Petermann Glacier of Northwest Greenland. As expected, coherent interferometric phases (> 0.8) were well maintained over the glaciers despite their fast movement thanks to the nearly simultaneous TanDEM‐X measurements. The height ambiguity, which defined as the altitude difference correspondent to phase change of flattened interferogram, of the dataset was 10.63 m, which is favorable for extracting topography in a low relief region. We validated the TanDEM‐X derived glacial topography by comparing it to the SAR/Interferometric radar altimeter observations acquired by CryoSat‐2 and the IceBridge Airborne Topographic Mapper laser altimeter measurements. Both observations showed very good correlation within a few meters of the offsets (‐12.5 – ‐3.1 m) with respect to the derived glacial topography. Because of highly sensitive ambiguity, we could successfully extract detailed geomorphological features on the glaciers. Routine TanDEM-X observations will be very useful to better understand the dynamics of glacial movements and topographic change.
Label-Free Time-Gated Luminescent Detection Method for the Nucleotides with Varying Phosphate Content
Authors: Kopra Kari , Seppälä Tanja , Rabara Dana , Abreu-Blanco Maria , Kulmala Sakari , Holderfield Matthew , Härmä Harri
Published: October 2018

A new label-free molecular probe for luminescent nucleotide detection in neutral aqueous solution is presented. Phosphate-containing molecules such as nucleotides possess vital role in cell metabolism, energy economy, and signaling. Thus the monitoring of nucleotide concentration and nucleotide related enzymatic reactions is of high importance. Two component lanthanide complex formed from Tb(III) ion carrier and light harvesting antenna, readily distinguishes nucleotides containing different number of phosphates and enable direct detection of enzymatic reactions converting nucleotide triphosphate (NTP) to nucleotide di/monophosphate or the opposite. Developed sensor enables the detection of enzymatic activity with a low nanomolar sensitivity, as highlighted with K-Ras and apyrase enzymes in there hydrolysis assays performed in high throughput screening compatible 384-well plate format.
The Economical and Environmental Analysis of Optimum Insulation Thickness Within the Process of Heating and Cooling
Authors: Kallioğlu Mehmet Ali , Ercan Umut , Avcı Ali Serkan , Fidan Cihad , Karakaya Hakan
Published: October 2018

Insulating is the most effective method coming, that is used to gain energy in buildings. In this work, the analysis of optimum insulating thickness in heating and cooling, by using different fuels (natural gas, coal, fuel-oil and electric) and types of insulation (XPS and EPS), total cost, repaying span, saving energy, and environmental was made. By fixing of average optimum point belonging to İzmir, Bursa, Konya and Erzurum; insulating thickness is respectively, 0.065 m, 0.083 m, 0.099 m and 0.126 m, in heating and 0.028 m, 0.016 m, 0.013 m and 0.006 m in cooling The annual earnings, occurred in heating respectively, 20.53 $/m2, 32.85 $/m2, 49.92 $/m2 and 75.64 $/m2, while in cooling 3.76 $/m2, 1.19 $/m2, 0.77 $/m2 and 0.24 $/m2. The repaying span took the value of; in heating respectively 1.67 years, 1.52 years, 1.42 years and 1.32 years, while in cooling 2.70 years, 4.6 years, 5.88 years and 12.48 years. CO2 and SO2 emissions released to the environment have been observed to decrease by about 81 % at the optimum point compared to the uninsulated state, and a significant amount of benefit has been achieved.
Development of Rotational Fixity Factors for Vibration Design of Cross-Laminated Timber Floors
Authors: Zhang Sigong , Zhou Jianhui , Niederwestberg Jan , Chui Ying Hei
Published: October 2018

As an emerging building solution, cross-laminated timber (CLT) floors have been increasingly used in mass timber construction. The current vibration design of CLT floors is conservative due to the assumption of simple support conditions in the floor-to-wall connections. It is noted that end fixity occurs as a result of clamping action at the ends, arising from the gravity load applied by the structure above the floor and by the mechanical fasteners. In this paper, the semi-rigid floor-to-wall connections are treated as elastically restrained edges against rotations to account for the effect of partial constraint. A rotational end-fixity factor was first defined to reflect the relative bending stiffness between CLT floors and elastic restraints at the edges. Then, for the design of vibration serviceability of CLT floors as per the Canadian Standard for Engineering Design in Wood (CSA O86), restraint coefficients were defined and their analytical expressions were derived for natural frequencies and the mid-span deflection under a concentrated load, respectively. In particular, a simplified formula of the restraint coefficient for the fundamental frequency was developed to assist engineers in practical design. At last, by comparing with reported experimental data, the proposed design formula showed excellent agreement with test results. In the end, the proposed end fixity factor with their corresponding restraint coefficients is recommended as an effective mechanics-based approach to account for the effect of end support conditions of CLT floors.
Classification for Liver Diseases Based on Ultrasound Image Texture Features
Authors: Xu Sendren Sheng-Dong , Su Chien-Tien , Chang Chun-Chao , Phu Pham Quoc
Published: October 2018

This paper discusses the computer-aided (CAD) classification between Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), i.e., the most common type of liver cancer, and Liver Abscess, based on ultrasound image texture features and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. Among 79 cases of liver diseases, with 44 cases of HCC and 35 cases of liver abscess, this research extracts 96 features of Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) and Gray-Level Run-Length Matrix (GLRLM) from the region of interests (ROIs) in ultrasound images. Three feature selection models, i) Sequential Forward Selection, ii) Sequential Backward Selection, and iii) F-score, are adopted to determine the identification of these liver diseases. Finally, the developed system can classify HCC and liver abscess by SVM with the accuracy of 88.875%. The proposed methods can provide diagnostic assistance while distinguishing two kinds of liver diseases by using a CAD system.
Aircraft Ground Handling Operations: A Literary Review
Authors: El Asri Hayat , Fakhrulddin Ali , Al-Humairi Ali , Almhanna Najah
Published: October 2018

Over the past few decades, aircraft Ground Handling Operations (GHO) have been investigated by numerous researchers. Some aspects of GHO have been more focused on than others due to their importance in the GH processes. For instance, GHO performance has been tackled from different perspectives while workers and vehicles allocation suffer from the lack of research in the area. This paper is a literary review of the research that has been conducted in different areas of GHO. It sheds light on GHO performance, resource allocation and scheduling, operations scheduling, vehicle routing, and workers and vehicles allocation.
Principles and Applications of the Global Human Settlement Layer as Baseline for the Land Use Efficiency Indicator –SDG 11.3.1
Authors: Melchiorri Michele , Pesaresi Martino , Florczyk Aneta J. , Corbane Christina , Kemper Thomas
Published: October 2018

The Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) produces new global spatial information, evidence-based analytics and knowledge describing the human presence on the planet based mainly on two quantitative factors: i) the spatial distribution (density) of built-up structures and ii) the spatial distribution (density) of resident people. Both factors are observed in the long-term temporal domain and per uniform surface units in order to support trends and indicators for monitoring the implementation of international framework agreements. The GHSL uses various input data including global, multi-temporal archives of fine-scale satellite imagery, census data, and volunteered geographic information. In this paper, we present the characteristics of GHSL information to demonstrate how original frameworks of data and tools rooted on Earth Observation could support Sustainable Development Goals monitoring. In particular, we demonstrate the reach of gridded, open and free, local yet globally consistent, multi-temporal data in filling the data gap for the Sustainable Development Goal 11. Our experiments produce a global estimate for the Land Use Efficiency indicator (SDG 11.3.1) for 10,000 urban centers, calculating the ratio of land consumption to population growth rate that took place between 1990 and 2015. The results of our research demonstrate that there is a potential to lift SDG 11.3.1 from a tier 2 as GHSL provides a global baseline for the essential variables called by the SDG 11.3.1 metadata.
Low Field, Benchtop NMR Spectroscopy as a Potential Tool for Point-of-Care Diagnostics of Metabolic Conditions: Validation and Protocols
Authors: Percival Benita , Osman Yasan , Grootveld Martin , Gibson Miles , Molinari Marco , Jafari Fereshteh , Martin Mark , Casanova Federico , Mather Melissa , Edgar Mark , Wilson Philippe
Published: October 2018

Novel sensing technologies for liquid biopsies offer a promising prospect for the early detection of metabolic conditions through -omics techniques. Indeed, high-field NMR facilities are routinely used for metabolomics investigations on a range of biofluids in order to rapidly recognize unusual metabolic patterns in patients suffering from a range of diseases. However, these techniques are restricted by the prohibitively large size and cost of such facilities, suggesting a possible role for smaller, low-field NMR instruments in biofluid analysis. Herein we describe selected biomolecule validation on a low-field benchtop NMR spectrometer (60 MHz), and present an associated protocol for the analysis of biofluids on compact NMR instruments. We successfully detect common markers of diabetic control at low-to-medium concentrations through optimized experiments, including glucose (≤ 2.6 mmol./L) and acetone (25 μmol./L), and additionally in readily-accessible biofluids. We present a combined protocol for the analysis of these biofluids with low-field NMR spectrometers for metabolomics, and offer a perspective on the future of this technique appealing to point-of-care applications.
Late Quaternary Variations in the South American Monsoon System as Inferred by Speleothems – New Perspectives Using the SISAL Database
Authors: Deininger Michael , Ward Brittany Marie , Novello Valdir F. , Cruz Francisco W.
Published: October 2018

Here we present an overview of speleothem δ18O records from South America, which mostly are available in the Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and Analysis (SISAL_v1) database. South American tropical and subtropical δ18O time series are primarily interpreted as being driven by the amount effect and, consequently show the past history of the convection intensity of convergence zones such as the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the South America Monsoon System. We investigate past hydroclimate scenarios in South America related to the South American Monsoon System in three different time scales: Late Pleistocene, Holocene and the last two millennia. The precession driven insolation is the main driver of convective variability over the continent during the last 250 kyrs, including the Holocene period. However a dipole is observed between the west and east portions of the continent. Records located in the central region of Brazil appear to be weakly affected by insolation driven variability and more susceptible to the South Atlantic Convergence Zone. Cold episodic events in Northern Hemisphere increase the activity of the South American Monsoon System on all time scales, in turn increasing rainfall amounts in South America, as was documented during Heinrich events in the late Pleistocene and Bond events in the Holocene, as well as during the Little Ice Age.
The Hardness of Additively Manufactured Alloys
Authors: DebRoy Tarasankar , Zuback James
Published: October 2018

The rapidly evolving field of additive manufacturing requires a periodic assessment of the progress made in understanding the properties of metallic components. Although extensive research has been undertaken by many investigators, the data on properties such as hardness from individual publications are often fragmented. When these published data are critically reviewed, several important insights that cannot be obtained from individual papers become apparent. We examine the role of cooling rate, microstructure, alloy composition, and post process heat treatment on the hardness of additively manufactured components. Hardness data for steels and aluminum alloys processed by additive manufacturing and welding are compared to understand the relative roles of manufacturing processes. Furthermore, the findings are useful to determine if a target hardness is easily attainable either by adjusting AM process variables or through appropriate alloy selection.
Flood Prediction Using Machine Learning, Literature Review
Authors: Mosavi Amir , Ozturk Pinar , Kwok-wing Chau
Published: October 2018

Floods are among the most destructive natural disasters, which are highly complex to model. The research on the advancement of flood prediction models has been contributing to risk reduction, policy suggestion, minimizing loss of human life and reducing the property damage associated with floods. To mimic the complex mathematical expressions of physical processes of floods, during the past two decades, machine learning (ML) methods have highly contributed in the advancement of prediction systems providing better performance and cost effective solutions. Due to the vast benefits and potential of ML, its popularity has dramatically increased among hydrologists. Researchers through introducing the novel ML methods and hybridization of the existing ones have been aiming at discovering more accurate and efficient prediction models. The main contribution is to demonstrate the state of the art of ML models in flood prediction and give an insight over the most suitable models. The literature where ML models are benchmarked through a qualitative analysis of robustness, accuracy, effectiveness, and speed have been particularly investigated to provide an extensive overview on various ML algorithms usage in the field. The performance comparison of ML models presents an in-depth understanding about the different techniques within the framework of a comprehensive evaluation and discussion. As the result, the paper introduces the most promising prediction methods for both long-term and short-term floods. Furthermore, the major trends in improving the quality of the flood prediction models are investigated. Among them, hybridization, data decomposition, algorithm ensemble, and model optimization are reported the most effective strategy in improvement of the ML methods. This survey can be used as a guideline for the hydrologists as well as climate scientists to assist them choosing the proper ML method according to the prediction task conclusions.
Tougher Targets for China’s Clean Air Cities? Implications from Air Quality Assessment in Shenzhen
Authors: Huang Dian , Li Qinglan , Li Guangxin , Wang Xiaoxue , Sun Liqun
Published: October 2018

Shenzhen is China’s top ten clean air city and the cleanest air megacity. Even so, epidemiologic studies have shown ambient air pollution had significant adverse impacts on human health in this less polluted city. In this study, the concentrations of six criteria air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, SO2, and CO) from 2014 to 2017 were analyzed and compared to thresholds of both national and international air quality standards. The results showed concentrations of all air pollutants were below target values of current national air quality standard, but levels of particulate matter (PM) and O3 were still much higher than the recommended levels by the World Health Organization. Within national air quality standards, the number of over-limit days was rare with few variations between highly polluted and low pollution areas. The air quality improvement was slowing down recently. Our results suggest annual and daily thresholds for PM are too loose for air quality improvement in Shenzhen. Hence, we call for evaluation and establishment of tougher air quality standard.
On the Optimal Design of Doppler Scatterometers
Authors: Rodriguez Ernesto
Published: October 2018

Pencil-beam Doppler scatterometers are a promising remote sensing tool for measuring ocean vector winds and currents from space. While several point designs exist in the literature, these designs have been constrained by the hardware they inherited, and the design is sub-optimal. Here, I present guidelines to optimize the design of these instruments starting from the basic sensitivity equations. Unlike conventional scatterometers or pencil-beam imagers, appropriate sampling of the Doppler spectrum and optimizing the radial velocity error lead naturally to a design that incorporates a pulse-to-pulse separation and pulse length that vary with scan angle. Including this variation can improve radial velocity performance significantly and the optimal selection of system timing and bandwidth is derived. Following this, optimization of the performance based on frequency, incidence angle, antenna length, and spatial sampling strategy are considered. It is shown that antenna length influences the performance most strongly, while the errors depend only on the square root of the transmit transmit power. Finally, a set of example designs and associated performance are presented.
Epilepsy in Children: From Diagnosis to Treatment
Authors: Minardi Carmelo , Minacapelli Roberta , Valastro Pietro , Vasile Francesco , Pitino Sofia , Pavone Piero , Astuto Marinella , Murabito Paolo
Published: October 2018

Seizures are defined as a transient occurrence of signs and symptoms due to the abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain characterized by an abrupt and involuntary skeletal muscles activity. An early diagnosis, treatment and specific medical support must be performed to prevent Status Epilepticus (SE). Seizures’ onset, especially in children population, is related to specific risk factors like positive family history, fever, infections, neurological comorbidity, premature birth, mother’s alcohol abuse and smoke in pregnancy. Early death risk in children without neurological comorbidity is similar to the general population. Diagnosis is generally based on the identification of continuous or recurrent seizures but EEG evaluation could be useful if SE condition in suspected. The main goal of therapy is to contrast pathological mechanism which occurs in SE before neural cells are irreversibly damaged. According to latest International Guidelines and Recommendations of seizures’ related diseases, it is proposed a schematic and multi-stage pharmacological and diagnostic approach especially in the management of SE and its related causes in children. First measures should focus on early and appropriate drugs administration at adequate dosage, airway management, monitoring vital signs, PICU admission and management of parents’ anxiety.
Science Pipelines for the Square Kilometre Array
Authors: Farnes Jamie , Mort Ben , Dulwich Fred , Salvini Stef , Armour Wes
Published: October 2018

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be both the largest radio telescope ever constructed and the largest Big Data project in the known Universe. The first phase of the project will generate on the order of 5 zettabytes of data per year. A critical task for the SKA will be its ability to process data for science, which will need to be conducted by science pipelines. Together with polarization data from the LOFAR Multifrequency Snapshot Sky Survey (MSSS), we have been developing a realistic SKA-like science pipeline that can handle the large data volumes generated by LOFAR at 150 MHz. The pipeline uses task-based parallelism to image, detect sources, and perform Faraday Tomography across the entire LOFAR sky. The project thereby provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the technological development of the SKA telescope, while simultaneously enabling cutting-edge scientific results. In this paper, we provide an update on current efforts to develop a science pipeline that can enable tight constraints on the magnetised large-scale structure of the Universe.
Strength analysis of banded roll for asymmetric rolling of few-leaf springs
Authors: Isaevich L. A. , Kritsky A. D. , Ivanickij D. M. , Sidorenko M. I.
Published: October 2018

The nominal rotational torque on the rolls during asymmetric rolling of a strip of few-leaf springs was calculated. To stabilize the rolling process it was proposed to use a front tension and a minimum value of such tension was computed. Misalignment of the circumferential speeds of the driving and driven rolls are calculated. The design of a composite banded roll with two tabs on the bandage and the two grooves on the shaft are proposed. In addition, the mating surfaces of the shaft and the shroud are made in the form of a Morse cone, which facilitates the repair of the roll and provides a tight contact between the mating surfaces. The test for bearing stress and shear of the tabs on the bandage. The structural strength of banded roll is provided.
Modes of hardening of a high-strength (α+β)-titanium alloy VT23 for use in aeronautical engineering
Authors: Fedulov V. N.
Published: October 2018

New modes of thermal hardening of various semi-finished products made from high-strength titanium alloy VT23 are recommended, and the mechanical and special properties obtained as a result of their research are given.
Improvement of efficiency of use of liquid-glass mixtures Part 3. Nanodispersed materials
Authors: Krutilin A. N. , Huminski Yu. Yu. , Rusevich O. A. , Kulbitskaya L. V.
Published: October 2018

The mechanisms of interaction of various ultradisperse substances with molding materials, as well as their influence on physical and technological properties, are considered. Examples of using of ultrafine nano-sized additives in foundry are given. The possibilities of increasing level of technological properties (initial strength, gas permeability and non-stick properties) of mixtures due to additives of UPC, which contributes the improvement of the surface quality of castings and to the reduction laboriousness of finishing operations are described.
Argentina’s Shale Play is Beginning To Live up to Expectations
Authors: Rassenfoss Stephen
Published: October 2018

The Vaca Muerta has gone “from a great opportunity to a fact.” The fact is that the giant shale formation is beginning to deliver on high expectations, according to GermÁn Macchi, Argentine country manager for PlusPetrol. 

Recent test wells the company drilled there “were better than the upper case,” producing more and richer gas. He was one of nine operators who reported equally strong results at a recent update meeting on the Vaca Muerta in Houston put on by the IAGP—the Spanish acronym for the Argentine Institute of Gas and Oil.

Two years ago when the group representing Argentina’s oil and gas industry held a similar day-long gathering, the talks focused on the formation’s huge potential because production was sparse. This time it distributed a map showing a number of blocks with pilot projects in progress and a growing number with commercial development. The fact is the rock is productive.

Now operators have moved on to worrying about the need for more rigs, roads, pipelines, water, and sand. With promising results and high prices paid for oil and gas—which sells for a subsidized price—they see problems ahead.

The equipment available for drilling and completions “needs to improve significantly,” said Javier Gutierrez, global operations manager for Tecpetrol. If not, “new operators coming into the Vaca Muerta will stretch those resources to the breaking point.”

Those in the packed room heard a message over and over, the rock is really productive, but: “It will take many other ingredients than the rock to make it a global super basin,” said Ed Kruijs, Shell technical manager, Argentina.

They were speaking to service companies who were asked to be ready to expand and government officials who will need to support the regulations and construction needed to sustain a decades-long effort to develop the formation. The cost of drilling a well there is down by 50% or more, but it is lagging behind the costs of the Permian Basin, where there have been similar reductions from a lower base cost.

“We are in a position within our company where we are competing for capital,” said James Blaine, project executive for international projects for ExxonMobil, adding that while the cost of the Argentine operations run by its XTO Energy division are high compared with the Permian, “these are early days.” 

“We do see a path to success. The question is, how fast will we get there?” Blaine said.

A big reason for the hopeful tone has been government policy changes loosening regulations on money and equipment flowing in and out of Argentina.

For example, the country eliminated a rule discouraging imports of used equipment by charging the same import duty it would on higher-value new machinery. An executive with an oil tools rental company asked about changing a rule that prevents it from exporting worn tools back to its shops in the US for repairs it cannot do in Argentina.