bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Registry of Accredited Companies in the Construction Sector in Spain: An Administrative Instrument for Risk-Prevention Control
Authors: Romero-Barriuso Álvaro , MaríaVillena-Escribano Blasa , González-García María de las Nieves , Segarra-Cañamares María , Rodríguez-Sáiz Ángel
Published: August 2019

The degree of compliance with the Registro de Empresas Acreditadas (REA) (Registry of Accredited Companies) and its implementation by the Public Administrations in Spain is compared with its implementation among private construction sector firms. The Registry of Accredited Companies is a tool for risk-prevention control that is defined by Law 32/2006 in Regulation of Subcontracting in the Construction Sector in Spain. On the basis of a quantitative analysis of the data obtained from public bodies registered with the REA, the study is limited to Ayuntamientos y Diputaciones Provinciales (Municipal Town and City Councils and Provincial Councils of the Provincial Government). To do so, the registration records with the REA of both public administrations are analyzed within the 50 Provinces and the two Autonomous Cities that together constitute the 17 Autonomous Communities of the national territory of Spain. In parallel, a comparative study is performed of the registration records of private construction sector firms registered with the REA. Public digital data-management tools are used for the investigation, together with publicly available information known as the Relación de Puestos de Trabajo (RPT) (List of Employment Positions) of the corresponding public entities under analysis, with the objective of testing the information and validating its degree of reliability. Likewise, a survey is administered to gather data on the registration of private construction center firms, in addition to the use of the qualitative Focus Groups technique, so as to assure the reliability the survey data. The results revealed unequal treatment by the Labor Authority with regard to the imposition of similar administrative obligations. A clearly negative discrimination was noted with regard to private construction sector firms, in comparison with the permissive attitude and light administrative burden of the Public Administrations.
From SPARC_LAB to EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB
Authors: Pompili Riccardo , Chiadroni Enrica , Cianchi Alessandro , Ferrario Massimo , Gallo Alessandro , Shpakov Vladimir , Villa Fabio
Published: August 2019

Following the promising results obtained at the SPARC_LAB test-facility in Frascati (Italy), we have recently submitted a proposal to develop a new facility driven by a plasma accelerator module for extended and user-oriented applications. The new multi-disciplinary user-facility will be equipped with a soft X-ray Free Electron Laser (FEL) operating with energies larger than 1 GeV. This design study is performed to be fully compatible with the EuPRAXIA design study. Here, the latest layout and beam parameters are presented.
Ecophysiological Analysis of Mangrove Seedlings Kandelia obovata Exposed to Natural Low Temperature at Near 30°N
Authors: Wang Zhen , Yu Dongling , Zheng Chunfang , Wang Yaning , Cai Lu , Guo Jian , Song Wendong , Ji Lili
Published: August 2019

In this study, mangrove seedlings Kandelia obovata were firstly introduced to Zhoushan in Eastern China at 29° 93′ N from Xuwen in South China at 20° 34′ N in April 2016. In order to analyze ecophysiological differences of K. obovata seedlings domesticated in Zhoushan, the growth status and antioxidant system of K. obovata exposed to natural low temperature were studied through situ measurements. The results showed that K. obovata seedlings introduced artificially to Zhoushan grew slowly when subjected to natural cold stress. The chlorophyll contents exhibited a decreased tendency. In addition, 2-butanol and 2,3-butanediol were firstly found in K. obovata after being moved to Zhoushan, which are specific substances produced by K. obovata under low-temperature stress. Moreover, there was a synergistic competition mechanism in the antioxidant enzyme system in K. obovata, in which superoxide dismutase (SOD) would convert oxygen radicals to hydrogen peroxide, and then catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) could work together to remove hydrogen peroxide. This study provides a foundation for better understanding of the response of mangroves to natural low temperature at high latitudes.
Unravelling the Frontiers of Urban Growth: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Land-Use Change and Urban Expansion in Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana
Authors: Akubia John E. K. , Bruns Antje
Published: August 2019

This study analyzed and assessed spatio-temporal dynamics of land-use change (LUC) and urban expansion (UE) within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) of Ghana. This region serves as a case to illustrate how a major economic hub and political core area is experiencing massive spatial transformations, resulting in uneven geographies of urban land expansion. Quickbird/Worldview-2 images for the years 2008 and 2017 were segmented and classified to produce LUC maps. LUC and UE were analyzed by post-classification change detection and spatial metrics, respectively. The results revealed an intensive decrease in open-space by 83.46 km2, brushland/farmland (194.29 km2) and waterbody/wetland (3.32 km2). Conversely, forestland and urban built-up area increased by 3.45 km2 and 277.62 km2. Urban extent expanded from 411.45 km2 (27%) in 2008 to 689.07 km2 (46%) in 2017 at a rate of 5.9% and an intensity of 2.06% with an expansion coefficient of 1.5%, indicating low-density urban sprawl. The spatial pattern turned out to be an uneven and spatially differentiated outward expansion, which materialized mainly in districts located within the urban peripheries but intensely towards eastern and western directions, being the frontier and the hotspots of urbanization. Overall, the findings bear important implications for regional spatial planning and development.
Chemical Modification of Poly(1-Trimethylsylil-1-Propyne) for the Creation of Highly Efficient CO2-Selective Membrane Materials
Authors: Polevaya Viktoriya , Geiger Viktoriya , Bondarenko Galina , Shishatskiy Sergey , Khotimskiy Valeriy
Published: August 2019

The work is devoted to the chemical modification of a polymer that is promising for the creation of gas separation membranes, aimed at increasing the selectivity with respect to CO2. The introduction of ionic liquids into the structure of poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) is realized by a two-step process: bromination of the initial polymer with N-bromosuccinimide and subsequent addition of tertiary amine (N-butylimidazole) to it. Depending on the process conditions, the method allows polymers with different contents of the ionic liquid to be obtained. The obtained polymers show good film-forming properties and thermal stability. Depending on the content of the ionic liquid in the polymer matrix, the resistance to aliphatic alicyclic to the majority of halogenated, as well as aromatic hydrocarbons, increases. With an increase of the ionic liquid content in the polymer, the ideal selectivities of CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 gas pairs increases while maintaining a high level of permeability.
Effects of Operational Parameters on the Characteristics of Ripples in Double-Pulsed GMAW Process
Authors: Yao Ping , Zhou Kang , Tang Heqing
Published: August 2019

This study focuses on the characteristics of the ripples of the weld bead formed during the double-pulsed gas metal arc welding (DP-GMAW) process. As a special output of the process, ripples include many useful information and can reflect the quality of the welding process. The work analyzed the operational characteristics of the DP-GMAW process based on robot operation which used the latest twinpulse XT DP control process, and then selected five key operational parameters, such as average current, welding speed, twin pulse frequency, twin pulse relation, and twin pulse current change in percent, to explore their effects on the formation and characteristics of ripples. A reliable method of measuring the distance of the ripples was used to provide convincing data. According to a series of experimental observations and analyses, the distance of ripples and appearance under different conditions were obtained. Also, curve fitting equations between each operational parameter and corresponding distances of ripples was obtained. To testify the effectiveness of the curve fitting equations, corresponding verifying experiments were conducted, and the results showed that all the errors were below 10%. In addition, the different levels of the operational parameters on the formation and characteristics of ripples were provided. This work can be a reference for the process and quality control improvement for the DP-GMAW process.
KGEARSRG: Kernel Graph Embedding on Attributed Relational SIFT-Based Regions Graph
Authors: Manzo Mario
Published: August 2019

In real world applications, binary classification is often affected by imbalanced classes. In this paper, a new methodology to solve the class imbalance problem that occurs in image classification is proposed. A digital image is described through a novel vector-based representation called Kernel Graph Embedding on Attributed Relational Scale-Invariant Feature Transform-based Regions Graph (KGEARSRG). A classification stage using a procedure based on support vector machines (SVMs) is organized. Methodology is evaluated through a series of experiments performed on art painting dataset images, affected by varying imbalance percentages. Experimental results show that the proposed approach consistently outperforms the competitors.
Large Field Alpha Irradiation Setup for Radiobiological Experiments
Authors: Roobol Stefan J. , Kouwenberg Jasper J.M. , Denkova Antonia G. , Kanaar Roland , Essers Jeroen
Published: August 2019

The use of alpha particles irradiation in clinical practice has gained interest in the past years, for example with the advance of radionuclide therapy. The lack of affordable and easily accessible irradiation systems to study the cell biological impact of alpha particles hampers broad investigation. Here we present a novel alpha particle irradiation set-up for uniform irradiation of cell cultures. By combining a small alpha emitting source and a computer-directed movement stage, we established a new alpha particle irradiation method allowing more advanced biological assays, including large-field local alpha particle irradiation and cell survival assays. In addition, this protocol uses cell culture on glass cover-slips which allows more advanced microscopy, such as super-resolution imaging, for in-depth analysis of the DNA damage caused by alpha particles. This novel irradiation set-up provides the possibility to perform reproducible, uniform and directed alpha particle irradiation to investigate the impact of alpha radiation on the cellular level.
Gene Expression and Cardiometabolic Phenotypes of Vitamin D-Deficient Overweight and Obese Black Children
Authors: Rajakumar Kumaravel , Yan Qi , Khalid Arshad T. , Feingold Eleanor , Vallejo Abbe N. , Demirci F. Yesim , Kamboh M. Ilyas
Published: August 2019

Associations between whole blood transcriptome and clinical phenotypes in vitamin D-deficient overweight and obese children can provide insight into the biological effects of vitamin D and obesity. We determined differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in relation to body mass index (BMI) in vitamin D-deficient black children with a BMI ≥ 85th percentile and ascertained the cardiometabolic phenotypes associated with the DEGs. We examined whole-blood transcriptome gene expression by RNA sequencing and cardiometabolic profiling in 41, 10- to 18-year-old children. We found 296 DEGs in association with BMI after adjusting for age, race, sex, and pubertal status. Cardiometabolic phenotypes associated with the BMI-related DEGs, after adjusting for age, sex, pubertal status, and %total body fat, were (i) flow-mediated dilation (marker of endothelial function), (ii) c-reactive protein (marker of inflammation), and (iii) leptin (adipocytokine). Canonical pathways of relevance for childhood obesity and its phenotypes that were significantly associated with the BMI-related DEGs affected immune cell function/inflammation, vascular health, metabolic function, and cell survival/death; several immune and inflammatory pathways overlapped across the three phenotypes. We have identified transcriptome-based biomarkers associated with BMI in vitamin D-deficient, overweight and obese black children. Modulating effects of vitamin D supplementation on these biomarkers and their related phenotypes need further exploration.
Iron Deficiency as a Therapeutic Target in Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Lakhal-Littleton Samira
Published: August 2019

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional disorder in the world. It is prevalent amongst patients with cardiovascular disease, in whom it is associated with worse clinical outcomes. The benefits of iron supplementation have been established in chronic heart failure, but data on their effectiveness in other cardiovascular diseases are lacking or conflicting. Realising the potential of iron therapies in cardiovascular disease requires understanding of the mechanisms through which iron deficiency affects cardiovascular function, and the cell types in which such mechanisms operate. That understanding has been enhanced by recent insights into the roles of hepcidin and iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) in cellular iron homeostasis within cardiovascular cells. These studies identify intracellular iron deficiency within the cardiovascular tissue as an important contributor to the disease process, and present novel therapeutic strategies based on targeting the machinery of cellular iron homeostasis rather than direct iron supplementation. This review discusses these new insights and their wider implications for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, focusing on two disease conditions: chronic heart failure and pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Bio-Based Epoxy Resins Based on Linseed Oil Cured with Naturally Occurring Acids
Authors: Thiele Kerstin , Eversmann Nicole , Krombholz Andreas , Pufky-Heinrich Daniela
Published: August 2019

Structural properties of resins based on epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) were investigated in reference to varying amounts of the hardener components methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride (MTHPA), pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and maleic acid (MA). This includes gel time and the Shore A and D hardness. The shortest gel time of 0.9 min and the highest Shore A and D hardness of 85 and 34 were found at a nMTHPA/nPMDA/nMA molar ratio of 8/1/8. To study the effect of the ELO mass on gel time and hardness, different masses of ELO (8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 g) were used, keeping the amount of the hardener system (4 g) (MTHPA, PMDA and MA) constant. With increased ELO mass, gel time increased while the Shore A and D hardness of the samples did not differ when up to 14 g ELO was applied. Substitution of petrol-based PMDA with biogenic compounds, specifically oxalic acid and citric acid, resulted in new bio-based epoxy resins with shorter gel times while maintaining hardness.
PLA/PHB Blends: Biocompatibilizer Effects
Authors: D’Anna Alessandra , Arrigo Rossella , Frache Alberto
Published: August 2019

The purpose of this work was to formulate a fully bio-based blend with superior properties, based on two immiscible polymers: polylactic acid (PLA) and poly-hydroxy butyrate (PHB). To improve the miscibility between the polymeric phases, two different kinds of compatibilizers with a different chemical structure were used, namely, an ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block copolymer in the form of flakes and a mixture of two liquid surfactants with a variable lipophilic–hydrophilic index. The morphology of the blends and their thermal, mechanical, and rheological behavior were evaluated, aiming at assessing the influence of the selected compatibilizers on the microstructure and final properties of the systems. Morphological analyses of the compatibilized blends indicated that the liquid surfactant is more effective than the solid copolymer in inducing morphology refinement, as also suggested by results coming from rheological measurements. Furthermore, thermal analyses demonstrated that the presence of both kinds of compatibilizers induced an enhancement of the crystallinity content of blends. Finally, a remarkable increase of the elastic modulus values was obtained for the compatibilized blends as compared to the pure counterparts, with a consequent significant enhancement of the HDT values.
Research on Ecological Efficiency for the Remanufacturing Process Considering Optimization and Evaluation
Authors: Peng Hong , Jiang Zhigang , Wang Han
Published: August 2019

The ecological efficiency (EE) of the remanufacturing process occupies an important position in the whole index system of remanufacturing because it will directly affect the economic and environmental benefits of remanufacturing. Therefore, in order to study the EE of the remanufacturing process, a method is proposed to optimize and evaluate the EE of the remanufacturing process. In this method, firstly, the original remanufacturing sub-schemes of used components are designed according to the extracted fault characteristics; secondly, a set of optional process schemes are integrated by using directed graph (DG) to reduce the process schemes; thirdly, the objective function of EE is established, and then an ant colony algorithm with elite strategy (ES-ACO) is proposed to optimize the process schemes. After obtaining the optimal value of EE, the quality coefficient of used components can be calculated, and then numerical simulations (NS) are used to analyze the correlation between the quality coefficient and the optimized EE, after that, polynomial function fitting (PFF) is applied to construct the evaluation model of EE oriented to the quality coefficient, then, the evaluation model is utilized to analyze the range of quality coefficient of used components suitable for remanufacturing under cost constraints. Finally, the feasibility of this method is verified by the example of the used lathe spindle remanufacturing; and the case study shows that in the optimization phase, ES-ACO can not only optimize the process schemes but also has better performance than ACO; in the evaluation stage, the probability of deviation of the evaluation function established by using PFF is 5%, meeting the small probability event. (i.e., the occurrence of very low-frequency events), that is, the accuracy of the evaluation meets the requirements.
Raw Material Variability and Its Impact on the Online Adaptive Control of Cohesive Powder Blend Homogeneity Using NIR Spectroscopy
Authors: Shi Guolin , Xu Bing , Zhang Zhiqiang , Yang Chan , Dai Shengyun , Lin Zhaozhou , Shi Xinyuan , Fu Jing , Qiao Yanjiang
Published: August 2019

It is significant to analyze the blend homogeneity of cohesive powders during pharmaceutical manufacturing in order to provide the exact content of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for each individual dose unit. In this paper, an online monitoring platform using an MEMS near infrared (NIR) sensor was designed to control the bin blending process of cohesive powders. The state of blend homogeneity was detected by an adaptive algorithm, which was calibration free. The online control procedures and algorithm’s parameters were fine-tuned through six pilot experiments and were successfully transferred to the industrial production. The reliability of homogeneity detection results was validated by 16 commercial scale experiments using 16 kinds of natural product powders (NPPs), respectively. Furthermore, 19 physical quality attributes of all NPPs and the excipient were fully characterized. The blending end time was used to denote the degree of difficulty of blending. The empirical relationships between variability of NPPs and the blending end time were captured by latent variable modeling. The critical material attributes (CMAs) affecting the blending process were identified as the particle shape and flowability descriptors of cohesive powders. Under the framework of quality by design (QbD) and process analytical technology (PAT), the online NIR spectroscopy together with the powder characterization facilitated a deeper understanding of the mixing process.
Monitoring and Analysis of Wave Characteristics during Pipeline End Termination Installation
Authors: Han Duanfeng , Cui Ting , Yuan Lihao , Zan Yingfei , Wu Zhaohui
Published: August 2019

Pipeline end termination (PLET) installation is an essential part of offshore pipe-laying operation. Pipe-laying operations are sensitive to pipe-laying barge motion and marine environmental conditions. Monitoring the field environment can provide a reasonable basis for planning pipe-laying. Therefore, the measurement and analysis of sea wave motion is helpful for the control and operational safety of the pipeline and vessels. In this study, an environmental monitoring system was established to measure wave motion during PLET operation. Fourier transforms were used to process images that were acquired by ultra-high-frequency X-band marine radar to extract wave parameters. The resulting wave spectra, as measured each minute, were used to simulate real-time wave data and calculate wave characteristics and regressed wave frequency and direction spectrum throughout the PLET operation. The regressed frequency, spectral density, and direction spectra were compared with the theoretical spectra to evaluate their similarity and find the most similar spreading function in the operational area (the South China Sea). Gaussian fitting of real-time wave data was tested while using a classical method. The marginal distribution and joint density of the wave characteristics were estimated and then compared with theoretical distributions to find the most suitable model for improving marine environmental forecasting.
Ground Deformation Revealed by Sentinel-1 MSBAS-InSAR Time-Series over Karamay Oilfield, China
Authors: Yang Chengsheng , Zhang Dongxiao , Zhao Chaoying , Han Bingquan , Sun Ruiqi , Du Jiantao , Chen Liquan
Published: August 2019

Fluid extraction or injection into underground reservoirs may cause ground deformation, manifested as subsidence or uplift. Excessive deformation may threaten the infrastructure of the oilfield and its surroundings and may even induce earthquakes. Therefore, the monitoring of surface deformation caused by oil production activities is important for the safe production of oilfields and safety assessments of surrounding infrastructure. Karamay oilfield is one of the major oil and gas fields in China. In this study, we take the Karamay oilfield in Xinjiang as a case study to detect surface deformation caused by subsurface fluid injection. Sentinel-1A images of 32 ascending (Path 114) and 34 descending (Path 165) tracks spanning March 2017 to August 2018, were used to derive vertical and horizontal deformation over Karamay oilfield using the MSBAS-InSAR method. The observed two-dimensional deformation exhibited significant vertical and east-west deformation in this region. The maximum uplift and horizontal velocity was approximately 160 mm/year and 65 mm/year, respectively. We also modeled one of the typical deformation zones using a dislocation model in a homogenous elastic half-space.
Recognition of Dorsal Hand Vein Based Bit Planes and Block Mutual Information
Authors: Wang Yiding , Cao Heng , Jiang Xiaochen , Tang Yuanyan
Published: August 2019

The dorsal hand vein images captured by cross-device may have great differences in brightness, displacement, rotation angle and size. These deviations must influence greatly the results of dorsal hand vein recognition. To solve these problems, the method of dorsal hand vein recognition was put forward based on bit plane and block mutual information in this paper. Firstly, the input gray image of dorsal hand vein was converted to eight-bit planes to overcome the interference of brightness inside the higher bit planes and the interference of noise inside the lower bit planes. Secondly, the texture of each bit plane of dorsal hand vein was described by a block method and the mutual information between blocks was calculated as texture features by three kinds of modes to solve the problem of rotation and size. Finally, the experiments cross-device were carried out. One device was used to be registered, the other was used to recognize. Compared with the SIFT (Scale-invariant feature transform, SIFT) algorithm, the new algorithm can increase the recognition rate of dorsal hand vein from 86.60% to 93.33%.
Detection of Human Fall Using Floor Vibration and Multi-Features Semi-Supervised SVM
Authors: Liu Chengyin , Jiang Zhaoshuo , Su Xiangxiang , Benzoni Samuel , Maxwell Alec
Published: August 2019

Human falls are the premier cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults. The health outcome of a fall event is largely dependent on rapid response and rescue of the fallen elder. Being able to provide an accurate and fast fall detection will dramatically improve the health outcomes of the older population and reduce the associated healthcare cost after a fall. To achieve the goal, a multi-features semi-supervised support vector machines (MFSS-SVM) algorithm utilizing measurements from structural floor vibration obtained through accelerometers is proposed in this study to detect falling events with limited labeled samples. In this MFSS-SVM algorithm, the peak value, energy, and correlation coefficient of the accelerometer signal are used as classification features. The performance of the proposed algorithm was validated with laboratory experiments among activities including falling, walking, free jumping, rhythmic jumping, bag dropping, and ball dropping. To further illustrate the performance of the algorithm, a benchmark database was adopted and expanded to test its ability to accurately identify falling, compared with the algorithm used in the benchmark study. Results show that by using the proposed algorithm, the falling events can be identified with high accuracy and confidence, even with small training datasets and test nodes.
Using A Low-Cost Sensor Array and Machine Learning Techniques to Detect Complex Pollutant Mixtures and Identify Likely Sources
Authors: Thorson Jacob , Collier-Oxandale Ashley , Hannigan Michael
Published: August 2019

An array of low-cost sensors was assembled and tested in a chamber environment wherein several pollutant mixtures were generated. The four classes of sources that were simulated were mobile emissions, biomass burning, natural gas emissions, and gasoline vapors. A two-step regression and classification method was developed and applied to the sensor data from this array. We first applied regression models to estimate the concentrations of several compounds and then classification models trained to use those estimates to identify the presence of each of those sources. The regression models that were used included forms of multiple linear regression, random forests, Gaussian process regression, and neural networks. The regression models with human-interpretable outputs were investigated to understand the utility of each sensor signal. The classification models that were trained included logistic regression, random forests, support vector machines, and neural networks. The best combination of models was determined by maximizing the F1 score on ten-fold cross-validation data. The highest F1 score, as calculated on testing data, was 0.72 and was produced by the combination of a multiple linear regression model utilizing the full array of sensors and a random forest classification model.
Electromagnetic Energy Absorption in a Head Approaching a Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) Reader Operating at 13.56 MHz in Users of Hearing Implants Versus Non-Users
Authors: Zradziński Patryk , Karpowicz Jolanta , Gryz Krzysztof
Published: August 2019

The aim of this study was to model the absorption in the head of an electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by a radiofrequency identification reader operating at a frequency of 13.56 MHz (recognized as an RFID HF reader), with respect to the direct biophysical effects evaluated by the specific absorption rate (SAR), averaged over the entire head or locally, over any 10 g of tissues. The exposure effects were compared between the head of a user of a hearing implant with an acoustic sensor and a person without such an implant, used as a referenced case. The RFID HF reader, such as is used in shops or libraries, was modeled as a loop antenna (35 × 35 cm). SAR was calculated in a multi-layer ellipsoidal model of the head—with or without models of hearing implants of two types: Bonebridge (MED-EL, Austria) or bone anchored hearing aid attract (BAHA) (Cochlear, Sweden). Relative SAR values were calculated as the ratio between the SAR in the head of the implant user and the non-user. It was found that the use of BAHA hearing implants increased the effects of 13.56 MHz EMF exposure in the head in comparison to non-user—up to 2.1 times higher localized SAR in the worst case exposure scenario, and it is statistically significant higher than when Bonebridge implants are used (Kruscal–Wallis test with Bonferroni correction, p < 0.017). The evaluation of EMF exposure from an RFID reader with respect to limits established for the implant non-user population may be insufficient to protect an implant user when exposure approaches these limits, but the significant difference between exposure effects in users of various types of implants need to be considered.
Deep Visible and Thermal Image Fusion for Enhanced Pedestrian Visibility
Authors: Shopovska Ivana , Jovanov Ljubomir , Philips Wilfried
Published: August 2019

Reliable vision in challenging illumination conditions is one of the crucial requirements of future autonomous automotive systems. In the last decade, thermal cameras have become more easily accessible to a larger number of researchers. This has resulted in numerous studies which confirmed the benefits of the thermal cameras in limited visibility conditions. In this paper, we propose a learning-based method for visible and thermal image fusion that focuses on generating fused images with high visual similarity to regular truecolor (red-green-blue or RGB) images, while introducing new informative details in pedestrian regions. The goal is to create natural, intuitive images that would be more informative than a regular RGB camera to a human driver in challenging visibility conditions. The main novelty of this paper is the idea to rely on two types of objective functions for optimization: a similarity metric between the RGB input and the fused output to achieve natural image appearance; and an auxiliary pedestrian detection error to help defining relevant features of the human appearance and blending them into the output. We train a convolutional neural network using image samples from variable conditions (day and night) so that the network learns the appearance of humans in the different modalities and creates more robust results applicable in realistic situations. Our experiments show that the visibility of pedestrians is noticeably improved especially in dark regions and at night. Compared to existing methods we can better learn context and define fusion rules that focus on the pedestrian appearance, while that is not guaranteed with methods that focus on low-level image quality metrics.
Making Change towards Inclusive Societies: The Soft Power of Community Archaeology in Building Cultural Heritage in Mozan, Syria
Authors: Moualla Yara , McPherson Gayle
Published: August 2019

This paper investigates the soft power of community archaeology in transforming isolated and diverse communities into a more inclusive society, by reviewing community archaeology as a concept, and as a process, through the case of inclusive cultural heritage in Mozan, Syria. A theory of change underpinned key interventions in Mozan to track shifts in the social behaviour of locals from cultural isolation towards participation, partnership and inclusion, while investigating the process of establishing understanding, acceptance and mutual trust within communities. The research adopted an ethnographic study and used qualitative research methods. These relied primarily on direct observations and open ended, semi-structured and in-depth interviews with local communities, an archaeological mission and governmental and civic stakeholders involved in the area. The fieldwork research was informed by conducting a review of literature on the impact of culture and heritage in social contexts, social inclusion and cultural diplomacy. The paper demonstrates how the contribution of community archaeology in soft power change has assisted personal and community empowerment through inclusive cultural heritage on an individual level while strengthening social networks to mobilise the impact on the community as a whole. It reveals how such a project enhanced dialogue, increased awareness, and built and contributed to mutual understanding in order to support a shift in the harder area of symbolic community thinking and attitude, against a backdrop of conflict, war and isolation and builds the basis for inclusive cultural heritage tourism.
Examining Drivers of Brand Community Engagement: The Moderation of Product, Brand and Consumer Characteristics
Authors: Wang Jintang , Liao Junyun , Zheng Shiyong , Li Biqing
Published: August 2019

Numerous firms operate online brand communities (OBCs) in order to build a close consumer–brand relationship. To succeed in realizing this aim, firms must first sustain members’ brand community engagement. While prior studies have examined a series of drivers of brand community engagement, most of them focused on psychological and social motivations. Limited information is available about the role of product, brand and consumer characteristics in driving brand community engagement. Building on the uses and gratifications (UG) theory, the authors investigate the moderation of product complexity, brand symbolism, and extraversion in the relationship between brand community gratification and brand community engagement. With the collaboration of an online shopping site, 462 validated survey responses were collected to test our hypotheses. The results indicate that product complexity positively moderates the impact of information value on brand community engagement and brand symbolism positively moderates the effect of social value on brand community engagement. Finally, the results show that extraversion positively interacts with social value in enhancing brand community engagement. This study advances the understanding of brand community engagement.
MILDMS: Multiple Instance Learning via DD Constraint and Multiple Part Similarity
Authors: Wen Chao , Li Zhan , Qu Jian , Fan Qingchen , Li Aiping
Published: August 2019

As a subject area of symmetry, multiple instance learning (MIL) is a special form of a weakly supervised learning problem where the label is related to the bag, not the instances contained in it. The difficulty of MIL lies in the incomplete label information of instances. To resolve this problem, in this paper, we propose a novel diverse density (DD) and multiple part similarity combination method for multiple instance learning, named MILDMS. First, we model the target concepts optimization with a DD function constraint on positive and negative instance space, which can greatly improve the robustness to label noise problem. Next, we combine the positive and negative instances in the bag (generated by hand-crafted and convolutional neural network features) with multiple part similarities to construct an MIL kernel. We evaluate the proposed approach on the MUSK dataset, whose results MUSK1 (91.9%) and MUSK2 (92.2%) show our method is comparable to other MIL algorithms. To further demonstrate generality, we also present experimental results on the PASCAL VOC 2007 and 2012 (46.5% and 42.2%) and COREL (78.6%) that significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms including deep MIL and other non-deep MIL algorithms.
Metagenomic Analysis of Virus Diversity and Relative Abundance in a Eutrophic Freshwater Harbour
Authors: Palermo Christine N. , Fulthorpe Roberta R. , Saati Rosemary , Short Steven M.
Published: August 2019

Aquatic viruses have been extensively studied over the past decade, yet fundamental aspects of freshwater virus communities remain poorly described. Our goal was to characterize virus communities captured in the >0.22 µm size-fraction seasonally and spatially in a freshwater harbour. Community DNA was extracted from water samples and sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq platform. Assembled contigs were annotated as belonging to the virus groups (i.e., order or family) Caudovirales, Mimiviridae, Phycodnaviridae, and virophages (Lavidaviridae), or to other groups of undefined viruses. Virophages were often the most abundant group, and discrete virophage taxa were remarkably stable across sites and dates despite fluctuations in Mimiviridae community composition. Diverse Mimiviridae contigs were detected in the samples and the two sites contained distinct Mimiviridae communities, suggesting that Mimiviridae are important algal viruses in this system. Caudovirales and Phycodnaviridae were present at low abundances in most samples. Of the 18 environmental parameters tested, only chlorophyll a explained the variation in the data at the order or family level of classification. Overall, our findings provide insight into freshwater virus community assemblages by expanding the documented diversity of freshwater virus communities, highlighting the potential ecological importance of virophages, and revealing distinct communities over small spatial scales.
Reading and Misleading: Changes in Head and Eye Movements Reveal Attentional Orienting in a Social Context
Authors: Foulsham Tom , Gejdosova Monika , Caunt Laura
Published: August 2019

Social attention describes how observers orient to social information and exhibit behaviors such as gaze following. These behaviors are examples of how attentional orienting may differ when in the presence of other people, although they have typically been studied without actual social presence. In the present study we ask whether orienting, as measured by head and eye movements, will change when participants are trying to mislead or hide their attention from a bystander. In two experiments, observers performed a preference task while being video-recorded, and subsequent participants were asked to guess the response of the participant based on a video of the head and upper body. In a second condition, observers were told to try to mislead the “guesser”. The results showed that participants’ preference responses could be guessed from videos of the head and, critically, that participants spontaneously changed their orienting behavior in order to mislead by reducing the rate at which they made large head movements. Masking the eyes with sunglasses suggested that head movements were most important in our setup. This indicates that head and eye movements can be used flexibly according to the socio-communicative context.
Using chronic kidney disease trigger tools for safety and learning: a qualitative evaluation in East London primary care
Authors: Thomas Nicola , Rajabzadeh Vian , Hull Sally
Published: August 2019

Background

An innovative programme to improve identification and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in primary care was implemented across three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in 2016. This included a falling estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) trigger tool built from data in the electronic health record (EHR). This tool notifies GP practices of falling eGFR values. By alerting clinicians to patients with possible CKD progression the tool invites clinical review, a referral option, and written reflection on management.

Aim

To identify practitioner perceptions of trigger tool use from interviews, and compare these with reflections on clinical management recorded within the tools.

Design and setting

A qualitative analysis set in 136 practices across East London during 2016–2018.

Method

Eight semi-structured interviews with GPs and practice staff were recorded, and thematic analysis was undertaken using framework analysis. The reflective comments recorded in the trigger tools of 1921 cases were categorised by age group, referral status, and by the drop in eGFR (>15 or >25 ml/min).

Results

Three themes emerged from the interviews: getting started, patient safety, and trigger tools for learning. Well-organised practices found the tool was readily embedded into workflow and expressed greater motivation for using it. The tool was seen to support patient safety, and was used for learning about CKD management, both individually and as a practice. Reflective comments from 1921 trigger tools were reviewed. These supported the theme of patient safety. The free-text data, stratified by age, challenged the expectation that younger cases, at higher risk of progressive CKD, would have higher referral rates.

Conclusion

Building electronic trigger tools from the EHR can identify patients with a falling eGFR, prompting review of the eGFR trajectory and management plan. Interview and reflective data illustrated that practice use of the tool supports the patient safety agenda and encourages learning about CKD management.
Pengaruh Model Pembelajaran Quantum Learning Dengan Media Piranti Lunak Presentasi Terhadap Hasil Belajar Pada Materi Perkalian Bilangan Bulat Di Kelas V SDN 5 Simpangkatis
Authors: Yessy Andiani, Vika Martahayu, Ayen Arsisari
Published: August 2019

Penelitianinitentang Pengaruh Model Pembelajaran Quantum Learning dengan Media Piranti Lunak Presentasi Terhadap Hasil Belajar Pada Materi Perkalian Bilangan Bulat di Kelas V SDN 5 Simpangkatis yang bertujuan untuk mengetahui ada atau tidaknya pengaruh model pembelajaran Quantum Learning dengan media piranti lunak presentasi terhadap hasil belajar pada materi perkalian bilangan bulat di Kelas V SDN 5 Simpangkatis. Penelitianinidilakukandi kelas V SDN 5 Simpangkatis padatahunajaran 2018/2019.Penelitianinimenggunakan pendekatan kuantitatifdenganmetode“PreExperimentaldesign”, dan menggunakan desain One-Group Pretest-PosttestDesign.Teknikpengambilansampelpadapenelitianinimenggunakanpurposive sampling.Populasi dalam penelitian ini yaitu seluruh peserta didik kelas V, sedangkan sampelpenelitianiniberjumlah 24 peserta didik. Teknikpengumpulan data yang digunakanberupatesyang terdiridari 5 soal uraian. Ujiprasyarat yang digunakanadalahujiLillifors dengan tujuan untukuji normalitas data.BerdasarkanhasilujiLillifors diperolehbahwa data berdistribusi normal.Berdasarkananalisisujihipotesisdarihasilperhitunganuji-T dengan>(18,06>2,05), makadapatdiartikanbahwaditerima. Jadi dari hasilpenelitianmenunjukkanbahwa ada pengaruhpositifmodel pembelajaran Quantum Learning dengan media piranti lunak presentasi terhadap hasil belajar pada materi perkalian bilangan bulat di kelas V SDN 5 Simpangkatis.
Pengaruh Teori Van Hiele Terhadap Pemahaman Konsep Matematika Materi Bangun Ruang Kubus Pada Siswa Kelas V SD Negeri 46 Pangkalpinang
Authors: Eka Oktavianti, Feri Ardiansah, Yudi Yunika Putra
Published: August 2019

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh teori Van Hiele terhadap pemahaman konsep Matematika materi bangun ruang kubus pada siswa kelas V SD Negeri 46 Pangkalpinang. Jenis penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kuantitatif dengan menggunakan metode penelitian eksperimen “Pre-experimental design” (The one-Group Pretes-Posttes Design). Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh siswa kelas V SD Negeri 46 Pangkalpinang. Teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan sampling jenuh. Sampel penelitian yang digunakan kelas V SD yang terdiri dari 36 orang. Teknik pengumpulan data dalam penelitian berupa soal tes, dokumentasi dan wawancara. Teknik analisis data menggunakan uji normalitas yaitu uji liliefors, serta uji hipotesis menggunakan uji relatedsample berpasangan dengan rumus t-test.Hasil pada penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa teori Van Hiele berpengaruh terhadap pemahaman konsep matematika materi bangun ruang kubus pada siswa kelas V SD Negeri 46 Pangkalpinang. Hal ini berdasarkan pada hasil posttes yang meningkat dibandingkan dengan hasil pretest. Selain itu, hasil uji Hipotesis dengan diperoleh nilai dengan hasil thitung: -4,275 dan ttabel: 2,028 berdasarkan kriteria, thitung> ttabelmaka Haditerima thitung< ttabelH0ditolak . Demikian juga berdasarkan kriteria pada kurva uji hipotesis Relateduntuk sampel berpasangan yaitu jika thitung berada pada daerah penerimaan Ha, maka H0 ditolak, Haditerima. Jika thitung berada pada daerah penolakan Ha, maka H0 diterima, Ha pada ditolak. Hasilnya adalah terdapat pengaruh teori Van Hiele terhadap pemahaman konsep matematika materi bangun ruang kubus pada siswa kelas V SD Negeri 46 Pangkalpinang
Upaya Peningkatkan Kemampuan Pemecahan Masalah Matematik Melalui Metode Discovery Pada Siswa SMP
Authors: Hesti Noviyana Aty Nurdiana,
Published: August 2019

Penelitian tindakan kelas ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis peningkatan kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematik siswa kelas VIII-A SMP IT Baitul Jannah melalui metode Discovery. Permasalahan penelitian berupa rendahnya minat dan ketertarikan siswa dalam pelajaran matematika sehingga berpengaruh pada rendahnya kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematik. Penelitian ini merupakan Penelitian Tindakan Kelas (PTK) yang dilaksanakan sebanyak dua siklus. Subjek penelitian yaitu siswa-siswi kelas VIII-A Semester Ganjil SMP IT Baitul Janah yang terdiri dari 12 siswa laki-laki dan 19 siswa perempuan, sedangkan objek dalam penelitian adalah kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematik. Pengumpulan data setiap siklus menggunakan teknik tes dan teknik observasi. Teknik analisis data terdiri atas: 1) analisis hasil observasi, 2) analisis hasil tes kemampuan pemecahan masalah. Untuk pengecekan derajat kepercayaan data, penelitian ini menggunakan triangulasi sumber peneliti yang lain, yaitu kepala sekolah, guru matematika, dan siswa. Berdasarkan hasil analisis data dapat disimpulkan bahwa ada peningkatan kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematika siswa. Peningkatan tersebut yaitu dari prasiklus yang lulus hanya 9 orang atau (29,03%) dan tidak lulus 22 orang (70,97%) meningkat pada siklus I menjadi 20 orang (64,52%) yang lulus 11 orang (35,48%) tidak lulus, kemudian pada siklus II menjadi 26 orang (83,87%) yang lulus dan 5 orang (16,13%) yang tidak lulus.
Pengaruh Model Pembelajaran Problem Based Intruction (PBI) Terhadap Kemampuan Pemecahan Masalah Matematis
Authors: Nora Surmilasari Futri Hikma Fatona, Yusuf Hartono,
Published: August 2019

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh model pembelajran Problem BasedIntruction (PBI) terhadap kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematis siswa kelas VIII di SMP N 1 Rantau Panjang. Metode penelitian yang akan digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode True Eksperimental Design.populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh siswa kelas VIII SMP N 1 Rantau Panjang yang berjumlah 106 siswa. Sampel yang diambil dalam penelitian ini sebanyak 52 siswa yang terdiri dari 25 siswa kelas VIII.1 sebagai kelas eksperimen dan 27 siswa kelas VIII.3 sebagai kelas kontrol. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan tes. Data penelitian dianalisis dengan menggunakan uji Mann-Whitneypada taraf  Dari hasil analisis dan pembahasan, disimpulkan bahwa terdapat pengaruh yang signifikan antara model pembelajaran Problem Based Intruction (PBI) terhadap kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematis siswa kelas VIII di SMP N 1 Rantau Panjang.