bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigation of Direct‐Fed Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Fueled by Upgraded Bio‐Oil Extracted from Olive Waste Pyrolysis: Part 2: Analysis of Electrochemical Behavior and Cell Performance
Authors: Elleuch Amal , Halouani Kamel , Li Yongdan 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIn this paper, we propose the first demonstration of the flexibility of operating directly Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (IT‐SOFC) with liquid biofuels for sustainable clean power generation. Biofuel used in this part is prepared through an upgrading process of bio‐oil obtained from olive mill wastewater sludge detailed in part 1 and demonstrated a successful improvement in physicochemical properties. Cell electrochemical polarization behavior, stability and internal decomposition of upgraded bio‐oil over the Ni‐SDC anode at different operating conditions such as temperatures and feed flow rates were deeply investigated. Results showed that IT‐SOFC is able to convert the upgraded bio‐oil to electricity at viable power densities (230 mW cm−2at 750 °C) which is majorly related to the production of reactive fuels (H2, CO, CH4) from upgraded bio‐oil cracking over Ni‐based catalyst. Several side reactions may also occur over anode. Reverse Boudouard reaction is the main reaction reducing deposits as it forms. Bio‐oil upgrading leads to a promising stability with limited carbon deposits (1.35 wt %) at 750 °C.
Site Visits: Necessary Evil or Garden of Eden?
Authors: Podems Donna R. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIn the evaluation literature, there is a dearth of guidance for conducting site visits. In 2015, Michael Patton aimed to fill that void by offering 10 standards for guiding site visits, and then invited others to contribute to this. This chapter accepts that invitation. By drawing on experiences gathered outside of the United States, the chapter suggests supplementing Patton's standards with four additional ones, namely, humor, honesty, humility, and humanity.
Training Needs of Site Visitors
Authors: Haynes Melissa Chapman , Johnson Ashley 
Published: December 2017

AbstractA recent “rumination” by Michael Quinn Patton focused on the critical role of the evaluator in the conduct of qualitative evaluation methods (Patton, 2015a). The importance of the evaluator in site visits is no less important. Although it has been proposed that site visits indeed constitute a methodology (Lawrenz, Keiser, & Lavoie, ), it is essential that the field develop expectations for training of site visitors that are appropriate to the context and purpose of the site visit. In this chapter we provide a working framework for the training needs of site visitors based on what we know from training for accreditation visits, the literature on the psychological development of expertise, and interviews with three novice site visitors. We hope future studies will be conducted that systematically examine and make explicit the need for high‐quality training of evaluators for site visits beyond the context of accreditation.
Right‐handed fossil humans
Authors: Lozano Marina , Estalrrich Almudena , Bondioli Luca , Fiore Ivana , Bermúdez de Castro José‐Maria , Arsuaga Juan Luis , Carbonell Eudald , Rosas Antonio , Frayer David W. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractFossil hominids often processed material held between their upper and lower teeth. Pulling with one hand and cutting with the other, they occasionally left impact cut marks on the lip (labial) surface of their incisors and canines. From these actions, it possible to determine the dominant hand used. The frequency of these oblique striations in an array of fossil hominins documents the typically modern pattern of 9 right‐ to 1 left‐hander. This ratio among living Homo sapiens differs from that among chimpanzees and bonobos and more distant primate relatives. Together, all studies of living people affirm that dominant right‐handedness is a uniquely modern human trait. The same pattern extends deep into our past. Thus far, the majority of inferred right‐handed fossils come from Europe, but a single maxilla from a Homo habilis, OH‐65, shows a predominance of right oblique scratches, thus extending right‐handedness into the early Pleistocene of Africa. Other studies show right‐handedness in more recent African, Chinese, and Levantine fossils, but the sample compiled for non‐European fossil specimens remains small. Fossil specimens from Sima del los Huesos and a variety of European Neandertal sites are predominately right‐handed. We argue the 9:1 handedness ratio in Neandertals and the earlier inhabitants of Europe constitutes evidence for a modern pattern of handedness well before the appearance of modern Homo sapiens.
East African Cenozoic vegetation history
Authors: Linder Hans Peter 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe modern vegetation of East Africa is a complex mosaic of rainforest patches; small islands of tropic‐alpine vegetation; extensive savannas, ranging from almost pure grassland to wooded savannas; thickets; and montane grassland and forest. Here I trace the evolution of these vegetation types through the Cenozoic. Paleogene East Africa was most likely geomorphologically subdued and, as the few Eocene fossil sites suggest, a woodland in a seasonal climate. Woodland rather than rainforest may well have been the regional vegetation. Mountain building started with the Oligocene trap lava flows in Ethiopia, on which rainforest developed, with little evidence of grass and none of montane forests. The uplift of the East African Plateau took place during the middle Miocene. Fossil sites indicate the presence of rainforest, montane forest and thicket, and wooded grassland, often in close juxtaposition, from 17 to 10 Ma. By 10 Ma, marine deposits indicate extensive grassland in the region and isotope analysis indicates that this was a C3 grassland. In the later Miocene rifting, first of the western Albertine Rift and then of the eastern Gregory Rift, added to the complexity of the environment. The building of the high strato‐volcanos during the later Mio‐Pliocene added environments suitable for tropic‐alpine vegetation. During this time, the C3 grassland was replaced by C4 savannas, although overall the extent of grassland was reduced from the mid‐Miocene high to the current low level. Lake‐level fluctuations during the Quaternary indicate substantial variation in rainfall, presumably as a result of movements in the intertropical convergence zone and the Congo air boundary, but the impact of these fluctuations on the vegetation is still speculative. I argue that, overall, there was an increase in the complexity of East African vegetation complexity during the Neogene, largely as a result of orogeny. The impact of Quaternary climatic fluctuation is still poorly understood.
Origin of the Mesoproterozoic Jingtieshan bedded barite deposit, North Qilian Mountains, NW China: Geochemical and isotope (O, S, Sr) evidence
Authors: Yang Xiuqing , Zhang Zuoheng , Duan Shigang 
Published: December 2017

The bedded Jingtieshan barite deposit, which occurs in the western part of North Qilian, NW China, is intimately associated with banded iron formation (BIF) and is hosted in weakly metamorphosed Mesoproterozoic clastic–carbonate rocks. Although numerous studies have focused on the BIF, the origin of the barite mineralization is poorly understood. The barite orebody occurs as a lenticular/stratiform unit overlying and locally interlayered with the BIF. In this contribution, we present a comprehensive and integrated study of the geochemistry and S–O–Sr‐isotope characteristics of the Jingtieshan barite deposit, thereby constraining its origin and the depositional conditions in the Mesoproterozoic ocean. The ore is composed of barite, minor carbonate minerals, specularite, and other minerals and is characterized by low Sr concentrations (711–1469 ppm), total rare earth element concentrations (7–28 ppm), and La/Ce values, relative enrichment in light rare earth element, positive Gd anomalies, and elevated Lan/Cen, which indicate that mineralizing fluids were derived from seawater and submarine hydrothermal solutions. Barite separates yield δ34S = 19.5–29.1‰ and δ18O = 12.7–23.6‰, which are consistent with a coeval seawater origin for SO42− modified bacterial sulfate reduction. Moreover, the 87Sr/86Sr values suggest that Sr, as well as Ba, was derived from contemporaneous seawater and hydrothermal solutions, with additional radiogenic Sr derived from late‐stage hydrothermal alteration. The redox‐sensitive trace element ratios of V/(V + Ni), V/(V + Cr), and V/Cr, combined with negative Ce anomalies (0.11–0.82), indicate that the barite formed under oxic marine conditions in a redox stratified ocean. Geological, geochemical, and isotope data support a sedimentary–exhalative origin for the Jingtieshan barite deposit, where barite was deposited under oxic conditions in a shallow marine environment when ascending Ba‐bearing submarine hydrothermal solutions encountered sulfate‐rich seawater.
Trigger recognition of Early Cretaceous soft‐sediment deformation structures in a deep‐water slope‐failure system
Authors: Ge Yuzhu , Zhong Jianhua 
Published: December 2017

The triggers of soft‐sediment deformation structures (SSDS) that are present in the deep‐water slope‐failure system of the Early Cretaceous Lingshandao Formation on Lingshan Island have been analysed on the basis of SSDS in 5 outcrops. The sediments in these outcrops are interpreted to have been deposited on a near‐shore submarine fan. The inner and middle fans were observed in Yangjiaodong, and the outer fan outcropped in Qiancengya, Dengta, and Chuanchang. The inner and middle fans are characterized by coarse‐grained debrites, turbidites, and rare SSDS, whereas the outer fan by fine‐grained debrites, turbidites, deformed sediments, and abundant SSDS. Based on sedimentary composition, element analysis and palaeo‐geographical indication of SSDS, the source area was supposed to be uplifted Sulu Orogen in an active continental margin. Combination with sedimentary environment, tectonic setting, and the space distribution of different scaled SSDS, seismicity was proposed to be the trigger of larger scaled SSDS, and small‐scale SSDS may be triggered by gravity loading, slump‐derived shear stress, and traction effect. The seismicity may respond to active tectonism and volcanism. Besides, time consistence between the Lingshandao Formation (~131–121 Ma), cooling events, sea‐level change, stable isotope excursion, and palaeo‐seismicity events suggested a catastrophic event, which may be related to two Early‐Cretaceous Anoxic Events (Faraoni Event, ~131 Ma; OAE 1a, ~120 Ma).
The impact of aid on health outcomes in Uganda
Authors: Odokonyero Tonny , Marty Robert , Muhumuza Tony , Ijjo Alex T. , Owot Moses Godfrey 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe health sector has attracted significant foreign aid; however, evidence on the effectiveness of this support is mixed. This paper combines household panel data with geographically referenced subnational foreign aid data to investigate the contribution of health aid to health outcomes in Uganda. Using a difference‐in‐differences approach, we find that aid had a strong effect on reducing the productivity burden of disease indicated by days of productivity lost due to illness but was less effective in reducing disease prevalence. Consequently, health aid appeared to primarily quicken recovery times rather than prevent disease. In addition, we find that health aid was most beneficial to individuals who lived closest to aid projects. Apart from the impact of aid, we find that aid tended to not be targeted to localities with the worse socioeconomic conditions. Overall, the results highlight the importance of allocating aid close to subnational areas with greater need to enhance aid effectiveness.
A comparison of methods for low streamflow estimation from spot measurements
Authors: Stagnitta Timothy J. , Kroll Charles N. , Zhang Zhenxing 
Published: December 2017

AbstractLow streamflow statistic estimators at ungauged river sites generally have large errors and uncertainties. This can be due to many reasons, including lack of data, complex hydrologic processes, and the inadequate or improper characterization of watershed hydrogeology. One potential solution is to take a small number of streamflow measurements at an ungauged site to either estimate hydrogeologic indices or transfer information from a nearby site using concurrent streamflow measurements. An analysis of four low streamflow estimation techniques, regional regression, regional plus hydrogeologic indices, baseflow correlation, and scaling, was performed within the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint watershed, a U.S. Geological Survey WaterSMART region in the south‐eastern United States. The latter three methods employ a nominal number of spot measurements at the ungauged site to improve low streamflow estimation. Results indicate that baseflow correlation and scaling methods, which transfer information from a donor site, can produce improved low streamflow estimators when spot measurements are available. Estimation of hydrogeologic indices from spot measurements improves regional regression models, with the baseflow recession constant having more explanatory power than the aquifer time constant, but these models are generally outperformed by baseflow correlation and scaling.
The role telecentres play in providing e‐government services in rural areas
Authors: Furuholt Bjørn , Sæbø Øystein 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIn this paper, we explore the role played by telecentres for providing e‐government services in rural areas. We do so by reporting from a longitudinal multiple case from Tanzania, one of the least urbanised African countries with only 23% of the population living in urban areas. Telecentres are proposed to operate as multipurpose community information and communication technology access centres offering e‐government services (as well as other services), providing information, transactions, and entitlements. The supply and use of e‐government services is in our cases found to remain almost unchanged over the last 5–10 years, and there is still a long way to go to fully use the advantages and strengths of e‐governments, due to infrastructure (lack of computers and lack of, or slow and unstable, connections), management (lack of marketing and lack of relevant information and services), and human factors (lack of awareness and knowledge among the citizens). Based on our findings, we argue that telecentres still have a role to play, in combination with personal mobile phones, where simple tasks may be performed by mobile phones, with more complex tasks may be done via Internet from telecentres. This combination will still be the best alternative into the future.
An empirical investigation of factors influencing integrated e‐Government implementation in Nigeria: A case of housing and urban development agency
Authors: Olumoye Mosud Y. , Govender Irene 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMany electronic government (e‐Government) initiatives in Sub‐Saharan Africa, of which Nigeria is a part, have proven to be largely unsuccessful. However, the need for effective e‐Government initiatives still remains obligatory. Lagos State in Nigeria is no different to other states where e‐Government is necessary. The purpose of this study is to investigate factors that influence the successful implementation of integrated e‐Government in a specific sector, in particular the housing and urban development sector (HUDA) in Nigeria. To accomplish this, a quantitative research approach was adopted based on a conceptual framework, which is grounded in the technology‐organisation‐environment framework and drivers‐barriers model. Questionnaires were administered to the officials of the 5 public sector organisations involved in issuing building permits to the citizens to elicit their views. The analysis revealed that the factors that influence integrated e‐Government implementation in Lagos, Nigeria, relate to technological, organisational, and environmental factors, including benefits and barriers identified. The regression analysis showed that these constructs account for a significant 23.1% f variance on the acceptance of e‐Government integration in HUDA. The study highlights implications for practice and research, as well as future research directions.
Effect of connective tissue growth factor delivered via porous sutures on the proliferative stage of intrasynovial tendon repair
Authors: Linderman Stephen W. , Shen Hua , Yoneda Susumu , Jayaram Rohith , Tanes Michael L. , Sakiyama‐Elbert Shelly E. , Xia Younan , Thomopoulos Stavros , Gelberman Richard H. 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACTRecent growth factor, cell, and scaffold‐based experimental interventions for intrasynovial flexor tendon repair have demonstrated therapeutic potential in rodent models. However, these approaches have not achieved consistent functional improvements in large animal trials due to deleterious inflammatory reactions to delivery materials and insufficient induction of targeted biological healing responses. In this study, we achieved porous suture‐based sustained delivery of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) into flexor tendons in a clinically relevant canine model. Repairs with CTGF‐laden sutures were mechanically competent and did not show any evidence of adhesions or other negative inflammatory reactions based on histology, gene expression, or proteomics analyses at 14 days following repair. CTGF‐laden sutures induced local cellular infiltration and a significant biological response immediately adjacent to the suture, including histological signs of angiogenesis and collagen deposition. There were no evident widespread biological effects throughout the tendon substance. There were significant differences in gene expression of the macrophage marker CD163 and anti‐apoptotic factor BCL2L1; however, these differences were not corroborated by proteomics analysis. In summary, this study provided encouraging evidence of sustained delivery of biologically active CTGF from porous sutures without signs of a negative inflammatory reaction. With the development of a safe and effective method for generating a positive local biological response, future studies can explore additional methods for enhancing intrasynovial tendon repair. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:2052–2063, 2018.
Recent advances in linear and non‐linear Raman spectroscopy. Part XI
Authors: Nafie Laurence A. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis review, published annually, provides an overview of advances in the field of Raman spectroscopy as found in papers published in the preceding calendar year in the Journal of Raman Spectroscopy (JRS), as well as in trends over the past decade across journals that have published papers important to the field of Raman spectroscopy. This information is obtained from statistical data on article counts obtained from Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science Core Collection by year and by subfield of Raman spectroscopy. Additional information is gleaned from presentations at the IX International Conference on Advanced Vibrational Spectroscopy (ICAVS‐9) in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, in June 2017 and those featuring Raman scattering at SCIX 2017 organized by the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS) in Reno, Nevada, USA, in October 2017. Coverage is also provided for topics from the European Conference on Non‐linear Optical Spectroscopy (ECONOS 2017) held in April 2017 in Jena, Germany, and the Ninth Congress on the Application of Raman in Art and Archaeology (RAA 2017) in October 2017 in Evora, Portugal. Finally, papers published in JRS in 2016 are highlighted and arranged by topics at the frontier of Raman spectroscopy. Based on this survey information, it is clear that Raman spectroscopy maintains a rapidly expanding influence across a wide range of novel disciplines and applications that provide sensitive photonic information of matter at the molecular level.
Macromolecular Coating Enables Tunable Selectivity in a Porous PDMS Matrix
Authors: Winkeljann Benjamin , Käsdorf Benjamin T. , Boekhoven Job , Lieleg Oliver 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWhether for laboratory use or clinical practice, many fields in Life Sciences require selective filtering. However, most existing filter systems lack the ability to easily tune their filtration behavior. Two key elements for efficient filtering are a high surface‐to‐volume ratio and the presence of suitable chemical groups which establish selectivity. In this study, an artificial PDMS‐based capillary system with highly tunable selectivity properties is presented. The high surface‐to‐volume ratio of this filter system is generated by first embedding sugar fibers into a synthetic polymer matrix and then dissolving these fibers from the cured polymer. To functionalize this filter, the inner surface of the capillaries is coated with purified or synthetic macromolecules. Depending on the type of macromolecule used for filter functionalization, selective sieving is observed based on steric hindrance, electrostatic binding, electrostatic repulsion, or specific binding interactions. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that enzymes can be immobilized in the capillary system which allows for performing multiple cycles of enzymatic reactions with the same batch of enzymes and without the need to separate the enzymes from their reaction products. In addition to lab‐scale filtration and enzyme immobilization applications demonstrated here, the functionalized porous PDMS matrix may also be used to test binding interactions between different molecules.
Mediterranean Tomato‐Based Sofrito Sauce Improves Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF21) Signaling in White Adipose Tissue of Obese ZUCKER Rats
Authors: Sandoval Viviana , Rodríguez‐Rodríguez Rosalía , Martínez‐Garza Úrsula , Rosell‐Cardona Cristina , Lamuela‐Raventós Rosa M. , Marrero Pedro F. , Haro Diego , Relat Joana 
Published: December 2017

ScopeObesity is a fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21)‐resistant state. Since FGF21 production and signaling are regulated by some bioactive dietary compounds, we analyze the impact of Mediterranean tomato‐based sofrito sauce on: (i) the FGF21 expression and signaling in visceral white adipose tissue (vWAT), and (ii) the insulin sensitivity of obese Zucker rats (OZR).Methods and resultsOZR are fed with a sofrito‐supplemented diet or control diet. Insulin sensitivity and FGF21 signaling are determined. We observed that sofrito is able to improve the responsiveness to both hormones in obese rats. Sofrito‐supplemented diet increases FGF21 signaling in vWAT by inducing the expression of the FGF receptors (FGFR1 and FGFR4) that promotes the expression of canonical target genes, like Egr‐1, c‐Fos and uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1).ConclusionsA sofrito‐supplemented diet improves insulin and FGF21 sensitivity in OZR, explaining part of sofrito’s healthy effects on glucose metabolism. In addition, induction of UCP1 and the unchanged body weight despite the hyperphagic behavior of the sofrito‐fed rats suggests that the increase in FGF21 signaling correlates with an increase in energy expenditure (EE). Further studies in humans may help to understand whether sofrito consumption increases the EE in obese individuals.