bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coastal California Wastewater Effluent as a Resource for Seawater Desalination Brine Commingling
Authors: Rodman Kelly , Cervania Ahron , Budig-Markin Valerie , Schermesser Cory , Rogers Oliver , Martinez Joshua , King Julia , Hassett Patrick , Burns Jacob , Gonzales Malia , Folkerts Alexandra , Duin Peter , Virgil Alyssa , Aldrete Michelle , Lagasca Amanda , Infanzon-Marin Alejandro , Aitchison John , White Drew , Boutros Brandon , Ortega Samantha , Davis Brent , Tran Vu , Achilli Andrea
Published: March 2018

California frequently experiences water scarcity, especially in high population areas. This has generated increased interest in using the Pacific Ocean as a water resource, with seawater desalination becoming a popular solution. To mitigate the environmental impacts of the high salinity brine from seawater desalination, California recommends commingling brine with wastewater effluent before ocean discharge. Results reveal that throughout the California coast, approximately 4872 MLD (1287 MGD) of treated wastewater are discharged into the ocean and might be available as dilution water. Most of this dilution water resource is produced in Southern California (3161 MLD or 835 MGD) and the San Francisco Bay Area (1503 MLD or 397 MGD), which are also the areas with the highest need for alternative water sources. With this quantity of dilution water, in principle, over 5300 MLD (1400 MGD) of potable water could be produced in California through seawater desalination. Furthermore, this study provides a survey of the treatment levels and typical discharge violations of ocean wastewater treatment facilities in California.
High-Frequency Monitoring of Suspended Sediment Variations for Water Quality Evaluation at Deep Bay, Pearl River Estuary, China: Influence Factors and Implications for Sampling Strategy
Authors: Zhou Qu , Tian Liqiao , Wai Onyx , Li Jian , Sun Zhaohua , Li Wenkai
Published: March 2018

Suspended sediment (SS) is an important water quality indicator of coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Field measurement and satellite remote sensing are the most common approaches for water quality monitoring. However, the efficiency and precision of both methods are typically affected by their sampling strategy (time and interval), especially in highly dynamic coastal and estuarine waters, because only limited measurements are available to analyze the short-term variations or the long-term trends of SS. Dramatic variations of SS were observed, with standard deviation coefficients of 48.9% and 54.1%, at two fixed stations in Deep Bay, China. Therefore, it is crucial to resolve the temporal variations of SS and its main influencing factors, and thus to develop an improved sampling strategy for estuarine ecosystems. Based on two years of continuous high-frequency measurements of SS and concurrent tidal and meteorological data, we demonstrated that the tide is the dominant factor influencing the SS variation among tide, wind (speed and direction), and rainfall in Deep Bay, China. For the monitoring of maximum suspended sediment concentration (SSC), the recommended optimum sampling time coincides with the occurrence of the ebb tides, whereas multiple sampling times are recommended for monitoring of minimum SSC. Although variations of SS are also affected by other factors, the recommended sampling strategy could capture the maximum and minimum SSC variations exactly more than 85% days in a year on average in Deep Bay. This study provides a baseline of SS variation and direct sampling strategy guidance for future SS monitoring and could be extended to other coastal or estuarine waters with similar climatological/tidal exposures.
The K2 M67 Study: A Curiously Young Star in an Eclipsing Binary in an Old Open Cluster*
Authors: Sandquist Eric L. , Mathieu Robert D. , Quinn Samuel N. , Pollack Maxwell L. , Latham David W. , Brown Timothy M. , Esselstein Rebecca , Aigrain Suzanne , Parviainen Hannu , Vanderburg Andrew , Stello Dennis , Somers Garrett , Pinsonneault Marc H. , Tayar Jamie , Orosz Jerome A. , Bedin Luigi R. , Libralato Mattia , Malavolta Luca , Nardiello Domenico
Published: March 2018

We present an analysis of a slightly eccentric (e = 0.05), partially eclipsing, long-period (P = 69.73 days) main-sequence binary system (WOCS 12009, Sanders 1247) in the benchmark old open cluster M67. Using Kepler

K2
and ground-based photometry, along with a large set of new and reanalyzed spectra, we derived highly precise masses (1.111 ± 0.015 and 0.748 ± 0.005 M
⊙) and radii (1.071 ± 0.008 ± 0.003 and 0.713 ± 0.019 ± 0.026 R
⊙, with statistical and systematic error estimates) for the stars. The radius of the secondary star is in agreement with theory. The primary, however, is approximately 15% smaller than reasonable isochrones for the cluster predict. Our best explanation is that the primary star was produced from the merger of two stars, as this can also account for the nondetection of photospheric lithium and its higher temperature relative to other cluster main-sequence stars at the same V magnitude. To understand the dynamical characteristics (low measured rotational line broadening of the primary star and low eccentricity of the current binary orbit), we believe that the most probable (but not the only) explanation is the tidal evolution of a close binary within a primordial triple system (possibly after a period of Kozai–Lidov oscillations), leading to merger approximately 1 Gyr ago. This star appears to be a future blue straggler that is being revealed as the cluster ages and the most massive main-sequence stars die out.
H− Opacity and Water Dissociation in the Dayside Atmosphere of the Very Hot Gas Giant WASP-18b
Authors: Arcangeli Jacob , Désert Jean-Michel , Line Michael R. , Bean Jacob L. , Parmentier Vivien , Stevenson Kevin B. , Kreidberg Laura , Fortney Jonathan J. , Mansfield Megan , Showman Adam P.
Published: March 2018

We present one of the most precise emission spectra of an exoplanet observed so far. We combine five secondary eclipses of the hot Jupiter WASP-18b (T
day ∼ 2900 K) that we secured between 1.1 and 1.7 μm with the Wide Field Camera 3 instrument on board the Hubble Space Telescope. Our extracted spectrum (S/N = 50, R ∼ 40) does not exhibit clearly identifiable molecular features but is poorly matched by a blackbody spectrum. We complement this data with previously published Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera observations of this target and interpret the combined spectrum by computing a grid of self-consistent, 1D forward models, varying the composition and energy budget. At these high temperatures, we find there are important contributions to the overall opacity from H− ions, as well as the removal of major molecules by thermal dissociation (including water), and thermal ionization of metals. These effects were omitted in previous spectral retrievals for very hot gas giants, and we argue that they must be included to properly interpret the spectra of these objects. We infer a new metallicity and C/O ratio for WASP-18b, and find them well constrained to be solar ([M/H] = −0.01 ± 0.35, C/O < 0.85 at 3σ confidence level), unlike previous work but in line with expectations for giant planets. The best-fitting self-consistent temperature–pressure profiles are inverted, resulting in an emission feature at 4.5 μm seen in the Spitzer photometry. These results further strengthen the evidence that the family of very hot gas giant exoplanets commonly exhibit thermal inversions.
Magnetic Reconnection May Control the Ion-scale Spectral Break of Solar Wind Turbulence
Authors: Vech Daniel , Mallet Alfred , Klein Kristopher G. , Kasper Justin C.
Published: March 2018

The power spectral density of magnetic fluctuations in the solar wind exhibits several power-law-like frequency ranges with a well-defined break between approximately 0.1 and 1 Hz in the spacecraft frame. The exact dependence of this break scale on solar wind parameters has been extensively studied but is not yet fully understood. Recent studies have suggested that reconnection may induce a break in the spectrum at a “disruption scale”

, which may be larger than the fundamental ion kinetic scales, producing an unusually steep spectrum just below the break. We present a statistical investigation of the dependence of the break scale on the proton gyroradius ρ

i
, ion inertial length d

i
, ion sound radius ρ

s
, proton–cyclotron resonance scale ρ

c
, and disruption scale

as a function of

. We find that the steepest spectral indices of the dissipation range occur when β

e
is in the range of 0.1–1 and the break scale is only slightly larger than the ion sound scale (a situation occurring 41% of the time at 1 au), in qualitative agreement with the reconnection model. In this range, the break scale shows a remarkably good correlation with

. Our findings suggest that, at least at low β

e
, reconnection may play an important role in the development of the dissipation range turbulent cascade and cause unusually steep (steeper than −3) spectral indices.
Beyond the Revolution External Actors in Pre- & Post-Revolutionary Libya. Review of Current Research
Authors: Votradovcová Hana
Published: March 2018

External actors appear to be one of the key factors in post-revolutionary Libya - country divided by a civil conflict. Aim of this research review is to summarize major Western academic publications that focus on the role and interests of external actors in Libya. The review reflects on the writings dealing with the interests of Western actors -France, UK, Italy, Germany, USA - and the activities of Russia, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia or UAE, whose increasing influence in post-revolutionary Libya is related to the ongoing conflict and mutual rivalry.
Asymptomatic Coronary Artery Calcifications in Men with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Romero-Díaz Juanita , Acosta-Hernández Roberto Iván , Criales-Vera Sergio , Kimura-Hayama Erick , Domínguez-Quintana Maricruz , Morán-Contla Rocío , Núñez-Alvarez Carlos , Lara-Reyes Pilar , Aguilar-Salinas Carlos , Sánchez-Guerrero Jorge
Published: March 2018

Objective.

To determine whether the prevalence and extent of asymptomatic coronary artery atherosclerosis are increased in men with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared with age- and sex-matched controls, and to define the associated risk factors.

Methods.

Ninety-five patients with SLE (mean ± SD age, 34.7 ± 10.1 yrs) and 100 control subjects (age 34.8 ± 9.7 yrs) with no history of coronary artery disease were screened for coronary artery calcification using multidetector computed tomography. The extent of calcification was measured using the Agatston score. The frequency of risk factors for calcification was compared between patients and controls, and the relationship between clinical and immunological characteristics and the presence of coronary artery calcification was investigated.

Results.

Coronary artery calcification was more frequent in patients than controls [18% vs 7%, respectively (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.07–8.65)]. These factors were independently associated with the presence of calcifications: age (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.04–1.20), SLE diagnosis (OR 3.38, 95% CI 1.07–10.64), diabetes mellitus (OR 6.88, 95% CI 1.50–31.62), Framingham risk score (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.00–1.23), and glomerular filtration rate (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96–1.00). Among patients with SLE, coronary artery calcifications were observed starting at age 32 years, within 2.3 years of diagnosis. Increasing age (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.06–1.31), Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics score (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.21–6.73), and cumulative dose of prednisone (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.08) were independent risk factors.

Conclusion.

Men with SLE are at an increased risk of coronary artery calcifications than age- and sex-matched controls. Among patients with SLE, the increased risk is associated to older age, increasing chronic damage, and cumulative dose of corticosteroids.
Hydroxychloroquine Inhibits the Differentiation of Th17 Cells in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Yang Ji , Yang Xue , Yang Jie , Li Ming
Published: March 2018

Objective.

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a commonly used medicine for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and Th17 cells are closely related to the pathogenesis of SLE. However, the role and mechanism of HCQ on Th17 cell differentiation in SLE is not clearly understood. Here, we investigate the effect of HCQ on Th17 cell differentiation bothin vitroand in patients with SLE.

Methods.

Twenty-five patients with SLE were divided into 2 treatment groups: prednisone alone and HCQ plus prednisone. Interleukin 17 (IL-17) expression was analyzed by ELISA and real-time (RT)-PCR. Th17 were measured in patients with SLE by flow cytometry before and after HCQ treatment.In vitro, naive T cells were cultured in Th17-inducing conditions with or without HCQ. Cell differentiation and IL-17 expression were analyzed. Finally, transcriptome sequencing identified differential gene expression between naive T cells and induced Th17 cells.

Results.

In patients, HCQ plus prednisone treatment inhibited IL-17 production, gene expression, and Th17 cell differentiation.In vitro, HCQ inhibited Th17 cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as IL-17 production. Five microRNA were significantly different in Th17 cells compared with naive T cells, and HCQ treatment reversed this effect.In vivo, microRNA-590 (miR-590) was verified and was significantly decreased in Th17 cells, compared with naive T cells from lupus-prone mice. Moreover, miR-590 was increased in patients treated with HCQ plus prednisone.

Conclusion.

HCQ inhibited Th17 cell differentiation and IL-17 production bothin vitroand in patients with SLE. Our study provides additional evidence for HCQ as a treatment for SLE.
Chapitre 2. L’embryon dans la législation relative à l’IVG
Authors: Vigneau Daniel
Published: March 2018

Pendant très longtemps, la condition juridique de l’enfant conçu, de l’embryon ou du fœtus humain pour utiliser un langage emprunté à la biomédecine, a été dominée par deux principes majeurs : l’un, remontant au droit romain, permettant de le compter, par anticipation, parmi les êtres juridiquement existants, afin de lui accorder des droits, comme s’il était déjà né (maxime Infans conceptus ) ; l’autre, protégeant sa vie in utero et donc ses chances de naître par une incrimination pénale de l’avortement. La légalisation de l’avortement par la loi « Veil » du 17 janvier 1975 a bouleversé cette approche traditionnelle du droit. L’évolution législative postérieure a accentué le phénomène. La promotion de la liberté de la femme d’obtenir une interruption de grossesse s’est ainsi accompagnée corrélativement d’un déclin de la protection de l’embryon. En même temps, l’interruption volontaire de grossesse, reposant sur des techniques médicales, est devenue un moyen d’obtention, précieux pour la recherche, de cellules ou de tissus embryonnaires ou fœtaux. Supprimé d’un côté, l’embryon est finalement devenu d’un autre côté l’objet d’un enjeu médical et scientifique.
Georges Bataille, la mort et le jeu. Souveraineté du jeu et normativité du travail
Authors: Porcher Frédéric
Published: March 2018

Cet article vise à interroger le sens et la portée de l’opposition entre le travail et le jeu chez Georges Bataille. En partant de ses deux sources, hégélienne et nietzschéenne, nous montrons que le sens de cette opposition est éminemment axiologique (souveraineté/servilité, sacré/profane) et qu’elle suppose, pour cette raison, une « mise en jeu » de soi-même à la limite de la vie et de la mort. Puis, nous cherchons à réévaluer cette axiologie bataillienne, séparant la part du travail de celle du jeu, en l’interrogeant à partir de la psychodynamique du jeu dans le travail contemporain.
En marche vers la dégradation dans les transports : une étude de cas sur le travail des chauffeurs dans le Plan Transantiago au Chili
Authors: Ansaldo Ibarra Daniela
Published: March 2018

Cette recherche prétend explorer l’organisation du travail dans les transports publics de Santiago du Chili. L’analyse se déploie à partir du suicide d’un chauffeur, lequel est interprété comme une dénonciation de la souffrance des travailleurs. Une équipe de cliniciens cherche à explorer cette interprétation en se mettant à l’écoute des chauffeurs. La méthodologie constitue une tentative exploratoire pour mettre à l’épreuve la clinique française du travail. Les résultats montrent les effets subjectifs qu’a eus l’intégration de ces travailleurs dans un modèle de gestion caractéristique du néolibéralisme qui, sous couvert d’un savoir scientifique et dans la faille de la régulation de l’État, perpétue une organisation du travail pathogène. Est en particulier observée une idéologie défensive à fort coût psychique qui conduit à la dégradation et à la détérioration subjective des travailleurs.
Pierre Mertens, genèse d’un écrivain
Authors: Orban Jean-Pierre
Published: March 2018

Pierre Mertens, né à Bruxelles en 1939, entre autres Prix Médicis 1987 pour Les Éblouissements (Paris, Le Seuil, 1987), est un écrivain francophone majeur, tant par l’ampleur et la variété de son œuvre que par sa place d’intellectuel en Belgique et son rapport à l’histoire mondiale du xxe siècle. Dans des extraits – remodelés pour Continents manuscrits – d’une biographie à paraître en octobre 2018 aux Impressions nouvelles, Jean-Pierre Orban décrit ici la genèse de l’écrivain, du creux de sa vie familiale à la publication de son premier roman aux Éditions du Seuil, en s’appuyant sur les archives personnelles de Pierre Mertens.
Dix ans dans la vie de Kateb Yacine, de Soliloques à Nedjma
Authors: Dugas Guy
Published: March 2018

Entre absence de documents et mythes, parfois véhiculés par l’auteur lui-même, les conditions de la genèse de Nedjma (1956), roman majeur de la littérature maghrébine de langue française, demeurent obscures, plus de soixante ans après sa publication aux éditions du Seuil. Cet article, fondé sur des correspondances inédites des années 1946-1952, vise à faire le point sur cette énigme éditoriale – elle marque l’entrée en littérature de Kateb Yacine – et démontre notamment pourquoi cet écrivain du Seuil, souvent présenté comme un des auteurs phares de la collection « Méditerranée », ne publia pourtant jamais dans cette collection.
Corporate Sustainability in Bogotanian Small and Medium Enterprises
Authors: Diaz-Caceres Nelson , Salcedo-Perez Carlos
Published: March 2018

Nowadays, sustainability is a key issue for companies, governments and societies. However, for many small and medium entrepreneurs, the concept is still unknown, difficult to understand and/or considered irrelevant. Sustainability is composed by three dimensions: economic, social and environmental. This chapter will concentrate on the economic dimension, and in order to find out the real state of sustainability in Bogotanian small and medium enterprises, the authors applied the sustainability matrix, a research tool designed to determine the state of planning, implementation and impact of sustainability in enterprises. Results show small and medium Bogotanian enterprises perform fine as long as they follow their own planning, however they do not perform as well when implementing what they plan, attempting to achieve economic sustainability.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Authors: Naranjo-Valencia Julia Clemencia , Calderón-Hernández Gregorio , Jiménez-Jiménez Daniel , Sanz-Valle Raquel
Published: March 2018

In the current economic landscape, the importance of innovation for the competitiveness of companies is increasingly recognized. The literature points to entrepreneurship as an important source of innovation. Although it is considered that the entrepreneurial orientation affects the results of the innovation, the empirical evidence in a country like Colombia, which today has as policy priority to stimulate both entrepreneurship and innovation, is practically null. In this chapter, the authors study this relationship in the context of a sample of SMEs through a linear regression analysis. The results indicate, as predicted, that to the extent that there is greater innovation, proactivity, and risk orientation, the better the results of innovation.
Corporate Entrepreneurship as a Tool for Organizational Improvement
Authors: Prada-Ospina Ricardo
Published: March 2018

Auto parts companies are an integral part of the automobile sector, which constitutes an important economic item within the metalworking industry. Its goal is to carry out productive work by integrating the largest possible number of automotive parts and national added value pieces. Corporate entrepreneurship, studied at both the academic and business levels, tries to generate new business schemes or the creation of new companies from the efficient use of available resources and the recognition of opportunities for the improvement and innovation of companies. This chapter shows how corporate entrepreneurship should be a key tool in auto parts organizational improvement. In order to deepen the understanding of the relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and auto parts companies, the study is complemented by the results obtained in the report of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) of Colombia.
Bluetooth Low-Energy-Based Applications
Authors: Ambarkar Smita Sanjay , Akhare Rakhi Dattatraya
Published: March 2018

This chapter focuses on the comprehensive contents of various applications and principles related to Bluetooth low energy (BLE). The internet of things (IoT) applications like indoor localization, proximity detection problem by using Bluetooth low energy, and enhancing the sales in the commercial market by using BLE have the same database requirement and common implementation idea. The real-world applications are complex and require intensive computation. These computations should take less time, cost, and battery power. The chapter mainly focuses on the usage of BLE beacons for indoor localization. The motive behind the study of BLE devices is that it is supported by mobile smart devices that augment its application exponentially.
Across the Four Domains
Authors: Velliaris Donna M.
Published: March 2018

In many Asian countries, tertiary education remains a much desired but seemingly unattainable goal for high school graduates, due to rigorous unified national examinations. With that in mind, international students invest millions of dollars annually attempting to enter Australian higher education (HE). Students arrive with high expectations, but in the early stages of their study abroad experience, they face a range of transitional difficulties centered around ‘academic English'. An author-developed semi-structured questionnaire included the open-ended question: In your own words, how would you describe your English language ability in terms of (1) listening, (2) speaking, (3) reading, and (4) writing? The data set collected the ‘voice' of 209 pathway students attending the Eynesbury Institute of Business and Technology (EIBT). Their self-reported narratives share personal perceptions of their own English language proficiency across the four domains largely within the context of their enrolment at the institute.
Experiential Learning Opportunities
Authors: Yang Ping
Published: March 2018

This chapter examines how international students use experiential learning to improve their Chinese language skills through cultural immersion in China. This experiential learning mobilizes them to practice their Chinese communication skills in authentic context and in real use. Furthermore, they immerse themselves in the cultural context, reflecting on language and cultural differences, appreciating cultural diversities, and improving communicative competence. Using a qualitative method, the researcher collected data from various sources about six international students from five countries. The subjects' real-life experiences mirror their daily activities. Using Nvivo 11 as a tool, the researcher critically analyzed data, categorized contents into emerging themes. The project outcomes are useful for international students currently studying in China to reflect on their past experiences and are also beneficial to those who want to join study abroad and mobility programs, better prepare themselves for language learning and cultural immersion in China in the future.
E-Nose Pattern Recognition and Drift Compensation Methods
Authors: Al Maskari Sanad , Li Xue
Published: March 2018

With new developments and upcoming technologies, new sensing techniques are becoming available. Unfortunately, none of these techniques provides output interpreted the way human perception works. An inability to improve the effectiveness of these technologies limits their use in dedicated applications and increases their complexity. The growing adoption of this technology makes it critical to create a system capable of handling e-nose challenging issues such as noise, drift, imbalanced data, dynamic environment, and high uncertainties. Without appropriate pattern recognition methods that allow inferences to be derived based on patterns observed within these data sets, it will not be possible to improve the performance of current e-nose systems. In this chapter, e-nose drift issue is introduced and the available drift counteraction methods is discussed.
Towards Odor-Sensitive Mobile Robots
Authors: Monroy Javier , Gonzalez-Jimenez Javier
Published: March 2018

Out of all the components of a mobile robot, its sensorial system is undoubtedly among the most critical ones when operating in real environments. Until now, these sensorial systems mostly relied on range sensors (laser scanner, sonar, active triangulation) and cameras. While electronic noses have barely been employed, they can provide a complementary sensory information, vital for some applications, as with humans. This chapter analyzes the motivation of providing a robot with gas-sensing capabilities and also reviews some of the hurdles that are preventing smell from achieving the importance of other sensing modalities in robotics. The achievements made so far are reviewed to illustrate the current status on the three main fields within robotics olfaction: the classification of volatile substances, the spatial estimation of the gas dispersion from sparse measurements, and the localization of the gas source within a known environment.
A Decentralized Control Architecture to Achieve Synchronized Task Behaviors in Autonomous Cooperative Multi-Robot Systems
Authors: Yasuda Gen'ichi
Published: March 2018

This chapter describes a method for designing decentralized simulation and control architecture for multiple robot systems based on the discrete event net models. Extended Petri nets are adopted as an effective tool to describe, design, and control cooperative behavior of multiple robots based on asynchronous, concurrent processes. By hierarchical decomposition of the net model of the overall system, global and local Petri net models are assigned to the upper level and the lower level controllers, respectively. For the lower level control, individual net models of robots are executed on separate local controllers. The unified net representation for cooperative control is also proposed. Overall control software is implemented and executed on a general hierarchical and distributed control architecture corresponding to the hardware structure of multiple robot systems.
Analysis and Control of a Dynamical Model for HIV Infection With One or Two Inputs
Authors: Moysis Lazaros , Kafetzis Ioannis , Politis Marios
Published: March 2018

A dynamical model that describes the interaction between the HIV virus and the human immune system is presented. This model is used to investigate the effect of antiretroviral therapy, consisting of RTI and PI drugs, along with the result of undesired treatment interruption. Furthermore, the effect of both drugs can be combined into a single parameter that further simplifies the model into a single input system. The value of the drug inputs can be adjusted so that the system has the desired equilibrium. Drug administration can also be adjusted by a feedback control law, which although it linearizes the system, may have issues in its implementation. Furthermore, the system is linearized around the equilibrium, leading to a system of linear differential equations of first order that can be integrated into courses of control systems engineering, linear and nonlinear systems in higher education.
Numerical Analysis for Vehicle Collision Mitigation and Safety Using Dynamics Control Systems
Authors: Elkady Mustafa , Sheikh Muhammad , Burn Kevin
Published: March 2018

The aim of this chapter is to investigate the effect of vehicle dynamics control systems (VDCS) on both the collision of the vehicle body and the kinematic behaviour of the vehicle's occupant in case of offset frontal vehicle-to-vehicle collision. The study also investigates the full-frontal vehicle-to-barrier crash scenario. A unique 6-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) vehicle dynamics/crash mathematical model and a simplified lumped mass occupant model are developed. The first model is used to define the vehicle body crash parameters and it integrates a vehicle dynamics model with a vehicle front-end structure model. The second model aims to predict the effect of VDCS on the kinematics of the occupant. It is shown from the numerical simulations that the vehicle dynamics/crash response and occupant behaviour can be captured and analysed quickly and accurately. Furthermore, it is shown that the VDCS can affect the crash characteristics positively and the occupant behaviour is improved in the full and offset crash scenarios.
A Study on the Transportation Mode Choice Behaviour of Individuals With Different Socio-Economic Status
Authors: Bajracharya Arun
Published: March 2018

This chapter presents a study on the transportation mode choice behaviour of individuals with different socio-economic status. A previously developed system dynamics model has been adopted by differentiating the population mass into upper, middle, and lower classes. The simulation experiments with the model revealed that generally the upper class individuals would be more inclined to use a private car (PC) instead of public transportation (PT) when their tendency is compared to middle and lower class individuals. It was also observed that lower class individuals would be more willing to use PT instead of PC when their tendency is compared to middle and upper class individuals. As such, it would be difficult to encourage the upper class individuals to use PT instead of PC, and it would be successively easier to do so in the case of middle and lower class individuals. However, the results also indicated that under certain different circumstances, the upper class individuals would also prefer to go for PT, and the lower class ones could prefer to own and use PC instead of PT.
A Multi-Faceted Global Virtual Team Project Linking Tech Comm Education in the U.S. and France
Authors: Brewer Pam Estes , Minacori Patricia
Published: March 2018

The authors of this chapter report on a multi-faceted, technical communication project and what U.S. and French professors learned about designing similar projects and about what students find most important. The project challenged students to write in unfamiliar genres, to collaborate with students in another culture, to better understand the field of technical communication in another country (practice and education), to edit the writing of non-native speakers of English, and to increase understanding of international technical communication. Students provided reflections that explored their return on experience. This chapter includes pedagogical foundations, challenges, and recommendations as well as instructional materials for designing such a project.
Reigniting GIS's Application in Ecotourism
Authors: Mukherjee Sovik
Published: March 2018

The chapter brings out a brief note on the tourist attractions, hotels and lodges, NGOs/travel agencies operating in that region, railway/bus stations, land use profile, etc. in the Sundarban area of West Bengal in conjunction with exploring the potential of ecotourism using GIS and some secondary source data. Moving onto the analysis part, by making use of geo-spatial data, the attributes of ecotourism potential in the Sundarbans has been explored. The author makes use of the Euclidean distance mechanism and principal component analysis to rank the ecotourism sites in Sunderbans (i.e., based on the construction of ecotourism potential index [EPI]). The novelty of the chapter lies in comparing the ranks obtained by constructing the EPI following the principal component analysis and the Euclidean distance function. It needs to be mentioned here that these tourist spots have been selected based on the information collected on the inflow of both domestic and foreign tourists to these spots. The chapter concludes by discussing the future scope of research in this regard.
The Value and Scope of GIS in Marketing and Tourism Management
Authors: Taşçıoğlu Mertcan , Yener Dursun
Published: March 2018

Geographical information systems (GIS) are the systems that store location-based data and analyze them. GIS originated from the conventional cartographic techniques of simply drawing maps with a pencil and board. Following the adoption of computer technology, GIS further evolved as a geo-referenced dynamic information system, which can today be considered as a multi-disciplinary instrument that links different disciplines like geography, computer science, remote sensing, civil engineering, statistics, marketing, and other social and behavioral sciences. In this chapter, GIS is defined and its importance and functions are described in detail. Usage of GIS in marketing is explained, especially its development in marketing theory. Also, the value and scope of GIS in tourism management with a view to understand the spread of GIS applications in tourism is explored.
GIS-Based Decision Support System for Village Level
Authors: Pandian Subbu Lakshmi Esakki , Yarrakula Kiran , Chaudhury Probal
Published: March 2018

Decision support system (DSS) plays a vital role especially in rural areas to develop rural sector for sustainable development and socio-economic uplifting of the country. To make appropriate decisions and to develop village economy, decision support system is useful for the mandal revenue officer, collector, Surpanch, and different administrators. It deals both spatial and non-spatial data at village level and comprises various ancillary information including mandal maps and village-wise information of Anantapur and Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh such as number of houses, male and female, SC/ST/OBC/general (or) OC population, literate and illiterate population, total working and non-working population. Datasets are collected from district collector office, mandal revenue officer (MRO) and inserted in GIS database. This chapter makes an attempt to build features of various decisions at Anantapur and Kadapa districts by integrating various layers of information at village level.
Cyber-Bullies as Cyborg-Bullies
Authors: Bertolotti Tommaso , Arfini Selene , Magnani Lorenzo
Published: March 2018

This chapter advocates a re-introduction of the notion of cyborg in order to acquire a new perspective on studies concerning the development of human cognition in highly technological environments. In particular, it shows how the notion of cyborg properly engages cognitive issues that have a powerful resonance especially as far as social cognition is concerned, and may consequently provide a new tool for tackling the emergent safety issues concerning sociality mediated by the internet, and the moral panic occasionally surrounding it. The conclusion suggests how the notion of cyborg accounts for a better understanding and recognition of the victims of cyberbullying.
Ethical Dimensions of NBIC-Convergence
Authors: Grebenshchikova Elena
Published: March 2018

One of the key trends in the development of technoscience is associated with the NBIC-convergence projects, which create not only unprecedented means for transformation of society and human but also raise the risks that require integrated approaches to ethical assessment and examination. Today, the foundations of the “NBIC-tetrahedron” have ethical projections in the form of nanoethics, bioethics, ICT-ethics, and neuroethics. However, their ability to discuss and resolve complex problems is limited. Technoethics can be considered a relevant way of combining different approaches to the ethical issues of converging technologies and science to discuss and solve not only actual situations but prospects as well.
Product and Space Analysis Using the Product Perception Method
Authors: Moreno Mario Osmar , Hernández Arellano Juan Luis
Published: March 2018

In this chapter, the data collection is presented, where the base is the study of a group of elderly people in eight nursery houses and two hospitals in Bogota, Colombia. The objective of this research is to look through industrial design and the analysis of existing products, in which way the designer could offer an improvement to the products and with that how to increase the life expectancy. The user perception method is applied, therefore, and the interview was performed as a sequence of questions, where the perception of an elder of existing personal hygiene products is analyzed through a collection of data. The necessity of designing an ergonomic chair that allows performing activities of personal hygiene in the shower was identified, and the requirements for the designing of the product were identified. Finally, the designer will dedicate to find products that best fit their daily needs.
Selection of Prototyping Process and Part Orientation for Virtually Manufactured Gears
Authors: Zindani Divya , Kumar Kaushik
Published: March 2018

This chapter explores transformation of a virtually produced gear to a physical product using rapid prototyping technique. The same can be segregated into two parts. The first being selection of the best possible rapid prototyping technique using dynamic mechanical analysis and the next was optimization of the process parameters of the selected rapid prototyping technique considering tensile strength as the criteria. The results indicated that fused deposition modeling process provides the best solution amongst the techniques studied. Moreover, as orientation of the product in rapid prototyping techniques plays an important role in providing the strength and also accuracy of the product profile, from results it was also ascertained that strength and profile accuracy of the product was optimized with horizontal position.
Pressure distribution within a vacuum arc furnace
Authors: Suiter J W
Published: March 2018

The pressure distribution within a continuously evacuated, consumable electrode arc furnace was determined when a variable leak was placed in the melting region of the furnace. This pressure distribution agreed both with that obtained from a simplified
calculation based on the kinetic theory of gases and with that obtained during the melting of mild steel electrodes.
Some analytical applications of solvent extraction from sulphate solution with long chain alkyl amines
Authors: Guest R J , Bouvier J A F
Published: March 2018

A study has been made of the extraction of a number of Ions from sulphate solution, using the tertiary alkyl amine tri-isooctyl amine, and the secondary alkyl amines, amine 9D-178 and di(tridecyl P) amine, in various diluents. The purpose of this work was to
investigate the use of these amines as an analytical tool in the separation and determination of thorium and the rare earths. Extraction coefficients have been determined for uranium, thorium and a number of other ions, using amine 9D-178 in Varsol, and a comparison has been made of the effect of
various diluents on uranium and thorium extraction. Extraction coefficients were also- determined for uranium, thorium, zirconium and the rare earths with tri-isooctyl amine in Varsol, and for thorium, titanium and the rare earths with di(tridecyl P) amine in Varsol and carbon tetrachloride. The
effect of pH and high sulphate content on extraction of various ions with tri-isooctyl amine and di(tridecyl P) amine was determined.
The alum-amine process for the recovery of alumina from shale
Authors: Thomas G , Ingraham T R
Published: March 2018

This report describes laboratory experiments done to recover cell-grade alumina from aluminiferous shale. The shale was baked with concentrated sulphuric acid to sulphate the aluminum, iron and potassium constituents and to render the silica insoluble. The
sulphated shale was then leached with hot mother liquor which contained potassium sulphate. When the hot liquor was cooled, potassium alum was precipitated, thus bringing about an initial separation of the aluminum from the iron. The potassium alum precipitate ums purified either by
recrystallization or by a treatment with a kerosene solution of Primene. Both of these treatments effectively reduced the level of iron contamination to the point that, when the purified alum was thermally decomposed and leached, the level of impurities in the alumina was sufficiently low for the
material to meet the specifications for cell-grade alumina. During the leaching of the decomposed alum, the potassium sulphate added initially to the circuit was recovered, together with the potassium originally present in the shale. As a result, by-product potassium sulphate should be recoverable
from this type of processing. The iron originally present in the shale was not recovered in a usable form. However, a major part of the sulphuric acid used initially in sulphating the shale should be recoverable from the off-gases produced during the decomposition of the
alum.
Slopes of working curves in emission spectrometric analysis of certain silicates
Authors: Hurwitz J K
Published: March 2018

In the emission spectrometric analysis of silicates, Strock recently reported large deviations from unity of the working curve slopes. He suggested that these abnormal slopes resulted from collisions of the second kind occurring in the direct-current arc
discharge. These experiments were repeated, and data were treated statistically. Deviations from a slope of unity in nearly every case were satisfactorily explained by the experimental errors inherent in the method or by self-absorption.
Control of pollutant emission and sulphuric acid corrosion from combustion of residual fuel oil part i: low-pressure heating boilers with mechanical atomizing burners
Authors: Lee G K , Friedrich F D , Mitchell E R
Published: March 2018

The paper, first of a series, deals with the burning of residual fuel oil containing 2.5 per cent sulphur under conditions prevalent in heating boilers to assess the effects of (a) boiler load, (b) excess combustion air, (c) mean residence time, and (d) a
magnesia-alumina fuel oil additive, on the formation of noxious and corrosive products of combustion. Results show that the additive can be used as an effective substitute for low excess combustion air in reducing the emission of NOx and S03. Furthermore, the additive neutralizes condensed H2SO4 and
improves the electrical resistivity of soot particles to the point where electrostatic precipitation of soot is technically feasible. Detailed analyses of particulate matter samples taken from flames with untreated oil and oil treated with three different amounts of additive are described to
elucidate the mechanism of acid soot neutralization and to obtain data on soot constituents that may contribute to atmospheric pollution. It is shown that the standard methods for measuring S 03 concentrations in flue gas can give misleading results when soot or particulate matter is present.
Subsequent papers of the series will describe experiments of a broad research programme carried out in the same pilot-scale research boiler that provides control of boiler metal temperature (operating steam pressure) both below and above sulphuric acid dewpoint and provides flexibility in the
selection of burner systems.
Theoretical calculation of the dendrite non-homogeneity in magnesium-zinc alloys
Authors: Ryszard C
Published: March 2018

The distribution of zinc in magnesium-zinc solid solution, and the maximum amount of Mg 7 Zn3 compound due to the non-equilibrium freezing of the Mg-6 wt% Zn, were calculated. The calculation was carried out according to Krupkowski's equations which assume
complete diffusion in the liquid state and no diffusion in the solid state and take into account the changes of the distribution coefficient during the solidification, The results of calculation indicate that: - there is a large region inside the grains containing approximately 0.74 wt% Zn,
which increases significantly only near the Mg-Mg7 Zn3 eutectic., - out of the original 6 wt% Zn in the alloy, 4.077 wt% Zn may form Mg7Zn3 compound and only 1.923 wt% Zn will be in solid solution.
A re-examination of calcium di-ferric aluminate in the system CaO-iron oxide-Al2 O3
Authors: Jongejan A
Published: March 2018

A calcium di-ferric aluminate type of compound has been prepared by several different methods. Its crystal structure appears to be very sensitive to the presence of small quantities of FeO. Since the FeO content varies during the heating and cooling of samples,
it was difficult to rely on the customary quench technique to study the phase relationships in the high-iron part of the system CaO-Iron oxide-Al z 03 . An attempt has been made to determine the locations of phase-field boundaries by the use of the "cone-softening" method.
Low-field magnetic susceptibility of asbestos
Authors: Winer A A , Karpoff D , Symons D T A
Published: March 2018

An instrument developed at the Geological Survey of Canada has been used for measuring the amount of magnetite present in chrysotile asbestos and for measuring the low-field susceptibility of asbestiform minerals such as amosite and brucite. The instrument has
been found to be sensitive, accurate, and reliable for these purposes.
Artificial support of rock slopes
Authors: Barron K , Coates D F , Gyenge M
Published: March 2018

Part I of this research report gives some simple analyses and establishes some guidelines for designing support for hard rock slopes. Part II describes the installation of a trial support system and gives a breakdown of construction costs. Part III considers the
design and costing of support systems for some hypothetical rock slopes. It is shown that the potential profits per linear foot of pit wall, obtained by using artificial supports to safely increase the slope angle, may be optimized.
The hydrocracking of residual oils and tars i: the effect of feed dilution on the thermal hydrocracking of Athabasca bitumen
Authors: McColgan E C , Draper R G , Parsons B I
Published: March 2018

The paper describes recent work at the Fuels Research Centre on the development of a hydrocracking process for upgrading heavy fuel oils and tars. Elements of hydrogenation and thermal cracking processes have been combined in a continuous flow system to pretreat
the residuum and generate distillable streams more amenable to secondary catalytic hydrogen refining. The oil is heated slowly in the presence of hydrogen at 1000 psi, pumped once through a pipe reactor (without benefit of conventional catalysts), then separated into distillable and undistillable
fractions. If properly regulated, sufficient hydrogenation occurs to prevent coke formation and substantially more distillate hydrocarbon is produced than in purely thermal coking. There is evidence to indicate that specific hydrocarbon fractions are acting as hydrogen transfer agents or homogeneous
catalysts. A marked improvement in conversion and operability can be attained by diluting the feed material with relatively small quantities of low-boiling gas oils. Conversely, any factor which reduces the concentration of low-boiling hydrocarbon species in the pipe reactor (such as topping the
feed or using a high gas flow rate) reduces conversion and enhances coking. The results of experiments made with bitumen from the Athabasca Tar Sands deposits are used to illustrate the numerous factors involved in attaining a balance of the conditions required to promote cracking and to minimize
the accumulation of pitch deposits in the reaction system