bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electromechanical Modeling of a Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvesting Microdevice Based on Multilayer Resonator for Air Conditioning Vents at Office Buildings
Authors: Elvira-Hernández Ernesto A. , Uscanga-González Luis A. , de León Arxel , López-Huerta Francisco , Herrera-May Agustín L.
Published: March 2019

Piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting (pVEH) microdevices can convert the mechanical vibrations to electrical voltages. In the future, these microdevices can provide an alternative to replace the electrochemical batteries, which cause contamination due to their toxic materials. We present the electromechanical modeling of a pVEH microdevice with a novel resonant structure for air conditioning vents at office buildings. This electromechanical modeling includes different multilayers and cross-sections of the microdevice resonator as well as the air damping. This microdevice uses a flexible substrate and it does not include toxics materials. The microdevice has a resonant structure formed by multilayer beams and U-shape proof mass of UV-resin (730 μm thickness). The multilayer beams contain flexible substrates (160 μm thickness) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), two aluminum electrodes (100 nm thickness), and a ZnO layer (2 μm thickness). An analytical model is developed to predict the first bending resonant frequency and deflections of the microdevice. This model considers the Rayleigh and Macaulay methods, and the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. In addition, the electromechanical behavior of the microdevice is determined through the finite element method (FEM) models. In these FEM models, the output power of the microdevice is obtained using different sinusoidal accelerations. The microdevice has a resonant frequency of 60.3 Hz, a maximum deflection of 2.485 mm considering an acceleration of 1.5 m/s2, an output voltage of 2.854 V and generated power of 37.45 μW with a load resistance of 217.5 kΩ. An array of pVEH microdevices connected in series could be used to convert the displacements of air conditioning vents at office buildings into voltages for electronic devices and sensors.
Magma Mixing Genesis of the Mafic Enclaves in the Qingshanbao Complex of Longshou Mountain, China: Evidence from Petrology, Geochemistry, and Zircon Chronology
Authors: Liu Wenheng , Liu Xiaodong , Pan Jiayong , Wang Kaixing , Wang Gang , Niu Yuben , Gong Wanjing
Published: March 2019

The Qingshanbao complex, part of the uranium metallogenic belt of the Longshou-Qilian mountains, is located in the center of the Longshou Mountain next to the Jiling complex that hosts a number of U deposits. However, little research has been conducted in this area. In order to investigate the origin and formation of mafic enclaves observed in the Qingshanbao body and the implications for magmatic-tectonic dynamics, we systematically studied the mineralogy, petrography, and geochemistry of these enclaves. Our results showed that the enclaves contain plagioclase enwrapped by early dark minerals. These enclaves also showed round quartz crystals and acicular apatite in association with the plagioclase. Electron probe analyses showed that the plagioclase in the host rocks (such as K-feldspar granite, adamellite, granodiorite, etc.) show normal zoning, while the plagioclase in the mafic enclaves has a discontinuous rim composition and shows instances of reverse zoning. Major elemental geochemistry revealed that the mafic enclaves belong to the calc-alkaline rocks that are rich in titanium, iron, aluminum, and depleted in silica, while the host rocks are calc-alkaline to alkaline rocks with enrichment in silica. On Harker diagrams, SiO2 contents are negatively correlated with all major oxides but K2O. Both the mafic enclaves and host rock are rich in large ion lithophile elements such as Rb and K, as well as elements such as La, Nd, and Sm, and relatively poor in high field strength elements such as Nb, Ta, P, Ti, and U. Element ratios of Nb/La, Rb/Sr, and Nb/Ta indicate that the mafic enclaves were formed by the mixing of mafic and felsic magma. In terms of rare earth elements, both the mafic enclaves and the host rock show right-inclined trends with similar weak to medium degrees of negative Eu anomaly and with no obvious Ce anomaly. Zircon LA-ICP-MS (Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) U-Pb concordant ages of the mafic enclaves and host rock were determined to be 431.8 ± 5.2 Ma (MSWD (mean standard weighted deviation) = 1.5, n = 14) and 432.8 ± 4.2 Ma (MSWD = 1.7, n = 16), respectively, consistent with that for the zircon U-Pb ages of the granite and medium-coarse grained K-feldspar granites of the Qingshanbao complex. The estimated ages coincide with the timing of the late Caledonian collision of the Alashan Block. This comprehensive analysis allowed us to conclude that the mafic enclaves in the Qingshanbao complex were formed by the mixing of crust-mantle magma with mantle-derived magma due to underplating, which caused partial melting of the ancient basement crust during the collisional orogenesis between the Alashan Block and Qilian rock mass in the early Silurian Period.
The Effect of Sodium Alginate on Chlorite and Serpentine in Chalcopyrite Flotation
Authors: Pan Guangjiu , Zhang Guofan , Shi Qing , Chen Wei
Published: March 2019

Chlorite and serpentine are common magnesium-containing gangue minerals in copper sulfide flotation. In this study, sodium alginate, a natural hydrophilic polysaccharide, was introduced as a selective depressant for these gangue minerals. Micro-flotation tests were conducted on both single minerals and synthetic mixtures. The flotation results showed that sodium alginate could simultaneously depress the flotation of chlorite and serpentine effectively, but seldom influenced the floatability of chalcopyrite at pH 9. In the ternary mixture flotation, a concentrate with a Cu grade of 31% could be achieved at Cu recovery of 90%. The selective depression of chlorite and serpentine was also validated by the real ore flotation experiments. The selective depression mechanism was investigated through adsorption tests, zeta potential measurements, and FTIR analyses. The adsorption density results implied that sodium alginate selectively adsorbed on the surface of phyllosilicates, but no adsorption on the chalcopyrite surface was observed. The zeta potential results showed that the sodium alginate could selectively decrease the surface charge of chlorite and serpentine. The FTIR results revealed the chemical adsorption of sodium alginate on the chlorite and serpentine surface and no form of adsorption on chalcopyrite, agreeing well with the adsorption density results. On the basis of these results, a selective adsorption model of sodium alginate on the mineral surface was proposed.
Highly Linear Polyethylenes Achieved Using Thermo-Stable and Efficient Cobalt Precatalysts Bearing Carbocyclic-Fused NNN-Pincer Ligand
Authors: Guo Jingjing , Wang Zheng , Zhang Wenjuan , Oleynik Ivan I. , Vignesh Arumugam , Oleynik Irina V. , Hu Xinquan , Sun Yang , Sun Wen-Hua
Published: March 2019

Six examples of 2-(1-arylimino)ethyl-9-arylimino-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrocycloheptapyridine-cobalt(II) chloride complexes, [2-(1-ArN)C2H3-9-ArN-5,6,7,8-C5H8C5H3N]CoCl2, (Ar = 2-(C5H9)-6-MeC6H3 Co1, 2-(C6H11)-6-MeC6H3 Co2, 2-(C8H15)-6-MeC6H3 Co3, 2-(C5H9)-4,6-Me2C6H2 Co4, 2-(C6H11)-4,6-Me2C6H2 Co5, and 2-(C8H15)-4,6-Me2C6H2 Co6), were synthesized by the direct reaction of the corresponding ortho-cycloalkyl substituted carbocyclic-fused bis(arylimino)pyridines (L1–L6) and cobalt(II) chloride in ethanol with good yields. All the synthesized ligands (L1–L6) and their corresponding cobalt complexes (Co1–Co6) were fully characterized by FT-IR, 1H/13C-NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The crystal structure of Co2 and Co3 revealed that the ring puckering of both the ortho-cyclohexyl/cyclooctyl substituents and the one pyridine-fused seven-membered ring; a square-based pyramidal geometry is conferred around the metal center. On treatment with either methylaluminoxane (MAO) or modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO), all the six complexes showed high activities (up to 4.09 × 106 g of PE mol−1 (Co) h−1) toward ethylene polymerization at temperatures between 20 °C and 70 °C with the catalytic activities correlating with the type of ortho-cycloalkyl substituent: Cyclopentyl (Co1 and Co4) > cyclohexyl (Co2 and Co5) > cyclooctyl (Co3 and Co6) for either R = H or Me and afforded strictly linear polyethylene (Tm > 130 °C). The narrow unimodal distributions of the resulting polymers are consistent with single-site active species for the precatalyst. Furthermore, compared to the previously reported cobalt analogues, the titled precatalysts exhibited good thermo-stability (up to 70 °C) and possessed longer lifetime along with a higher molecular weight of PE (Mw: 9.2~25.3 kg mol−1).
Oligonucleotide–Palladacycle Conjugates as Splice-Correcting Agents
Authors: Hande Madhuri , Saher Osama , Lundin Karin E. , Smith C. I. Edvard , Zain Rula , Lönnberg Tuomas
Published: March 2019

2’-O-Methylribo phosphorothioate oligonucleotides incorporating cyclopalladated benzylamine conjugate groups at their 5’-termini have been prepared and their ability to hybridize with a designated target sequence was assessed by conventional UV melting experiments. The oligonucleotides were further examined in splice-switching experiments in human cervical cancer (HeLa Luc/705), human liver (HuH7_705), and human osteosarcoma (U-2 OS_705) reporter cell lines. Melting temperatures of duplexes formed by the modified oligonucleotides were approximately 5 °C lower than melting temperatures of the respective unmodified duplexes. The cyclopalladated oligonucleotides functioned as splice-correcting agents in the HeLa Luc/705 cell line somewhat more efficiently than their unmodified counterparts. Furthermore, the introduction of this chemical modification did not induce toxicity in cells. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using covalently metalated oligonucleotides as therapeutic agents.
Evaluation of Anti-Inflammatory Activities of a Triterpene β-Elemonic Acid in Frankincense In Vivo and In Vitro
Authors: Zhang Yue , Yu Ying-li , Tian Hua , Bai Ru-yu , Bi Ya-nan , Yuan Xiao-mei , Sun Li-kang , Deng Yan-ru , Zhou Kun
Published: March 2019

The purpose of this research was to extract and separate the compounds from frankincense, and then evaluate their anti-inflammatory effects. The isolated compound was a representative tetracyclic triterpenes of glycine structure according to 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectra, which is β-elemonic acid (β-EA). We determined the content of six different localities of frankincense; the average content of β-EA was 41.96 mg/g. The toxic effects of β-EA administration (400, 200, 100 mg/kg) for four weeks in Kunming (KM) mice were observed. Compared with the control group, the body weight of mice, the visceral coefficients and serum indicators in the β-EA groups showed no systematic variations. The anti-inflammatory effects of β-EA were evaluated in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells, xylene-induced induced ear inflammation in mice, carrageenin-induced paw edema in mice, and cotton pellet induced granuloma formation in rats. β-EA inhibited overproduction of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), soluble TNF receptor 1 (sTNF R1), Eotaxin-2, Interleukin 10 (IL-10) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) in the RAW264.7 cells. Intragastric administration with β-EA (300, 200, and 100 mg/kg in mice, and 210, 140, and 70 mg/kg in rats) all produced distinct anti-inflammatory effects in vivo in a dose-dependent manner. Following treatment with β-EA (300 mg/kg, i.g.), the NO level in mice ears and PGE2 in mice paws both decreased (p < 0.01). In conclusion, our study indicates that β-EA could be a potential anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
The Quality of DNA Isolated from Processed Food and Feed via Different Extraction Procedures
Authors: Piskata Zora , Servusova Eliska , Babak Vladimir , Nesvadbova Michaela , Borilova Gabriela
Published: March 2019

The extraction of DNA is a critical step for species identification by PCR analysis in processed food and feed products. In this study, eight DNA extraction procedures were compared—DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit, DNeasy mericon Food Kit, chemagic DNA Tissue 10 Kit, Food DNA Isolation Kit, UltraPrep Genomic DNA Food Mini Prep Kit, High Pure PCR Template Preparation Kit, phenol—chloroform extraction, and NucleoSpin Food—Using self-prepared samples from both raw and heat-processed and/or mechanically treated muscles and different types of meat products and pet food (pork, beef, and chicken). The yield, purity, and suitability of DNA for PCR amplification was evaluated. Additionally, comparisons between the effectiveness of various extraction methods were made with regard to price, and labor- and time-intensiveness. It was found that the DNeasy mericon Food Kit was the optimal choice for the extraction of DNA from raw muscle, heat-treated muscle, and homemade meat products from multiple and single species.
An Increase in Fat Mass Index Predicts a Deterioration of Running Speed
Authors: Genton Laurence , Mareschal Julie , Karsegard Véronique L. , Achamrah Najate , Delsoglio Marta , Pichard Claude , Graf Christophe , Herrmann François R.
Published: March 2019

A low fat mass is associated with a good running performance. This study explores whether modifications in body composition predicted changes in running speed. We included people who underwent several measurements of body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis between 1999 and 2016, at the “Course de l’Escalade”, taking place yearly in Geneva. Body composition was reported as a fat-free mass index (FFMI) and fat mass index (FMI). Running distances (men: 7.2 km; women: 4.8 km) and running times were used to calculate speed in km/h. We performed multivariate linear mixed regression models to determine whether modifications of body mass index, FFMI, FMI or the combination of FFMI and FMI predicted changes in running speed. The study population included 377 women (1419 observations) and 509 men (2161 observations). Changes in running speed were best predicted by the combination of FFMI and FMI. Running speed improved with a reduction of FMI in both sexes (women: ß −0.31; 95% CI −0.35 to −0.27, p < 0.001. men: ß −0.43; 95% CI −0.48 to −0.39, p < 0.001) and a reduction of FFMI in men (ß −0.20; 95% CI −0.26 to −0.15, p < 0.001). Adjusted for body composition, the decline in running performance occurred from 50 years onward, but appeared earlier with a body mass, FFMI or FMI above the median value at baseline. Changes of running speed are determined mostly by changes in FMI. The decline in running performance occurs from 50 years onward but appears earlier in people with a high body mass index, FFMI or FMI at baseline.
Quantitative Analysis of 4 × 4 Mueller Matrix Transformation Parameters for Biomedical Imaging
Authors: Sheng Wei , Li Weipeng , Qi Ji , Liu Teng , He Honghui , Dong Yang , Liu Shaoxiong , Wu Jian , Elson Daniel S. , Ma Hui
Published: March 2019

Mueller matrix polarimetry is a potentially powerful technique for obtaining microstructural information of biomedical specimens. Thus, it has found increasing application in both backscattering imaging of bulk tissue samples and transmission microscopic imaging of thin tissue slices. Recently, we proposed a technique to transform the 4 × 4 Mueller matrix elements into a group of parameters, which have explicit associations with specific microstructural features of samples. In this paper, we thoroughly analyze the relationships between the Mueller matrix transformation parameters and the characteristic microstructures of tissues by using experimental phantoms and Monte Carlo simulations based on different tissue mimicking models. We also adopt quantitative evaluation indicators to compare the Mueller matrix transformation parameters with the Mueller matrix polar decomposition parameters. The preliminary imaging results of bulk porcine colon tissues and thin human pathological tissue slices demonstrate the potential of Mueller matrix transformation parameters as biomedical diagnostic indicators. Also, this study provides quantitative criteria for parameter selection in biomedical Mueller matrix imaging.
A Quinacridone-Diphenylquinoxaline-Based Copolymer for Organic Field-Effect Transistors
Authors: Jeong Yong Jin , Oh Jeong Hyun , Song Ho Jun , An Tae Kyu
Published: March 2019

In this work, we characterized poly(quinacridone-diphenylquinoxaline) (PQCTQx). PQCTQx was synthesized by a Suzuki coupling reaction and the synthesized PQCTQx was used as a polymeric semiconducting material in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) to research the potential of using quinacridone derivatives. The measured field-effect mobility of the pristine PQCTQx film was 6.1 × 10−3 cm2/(V·s). A PQCTQx film heat-treated at 150 °C exhibited good field-effect performances with a hole mobility of 1.2 × 10−2 cm2/(V·s). The improved OFET behaviors resulting from the mild thermal treatment was attributed to improved packing of the molecules in the film, as determined using X-ray diffraction, and to decreased channel resistance.
Ritualization of Affection and Respect: Two Principles of Confucian Ritual
Authors: Jung Jaesang
Published: March 2019

Confucian rituals have constituted the foundation of religious practice in the traditional societies of East Asia. Paying attention to the Confucian ritual, this article explores the way Confucianism constructs its symbolic system based on people’s natural feelings, particularly in the case of three-year mourning. It intends to show how the two feelings of “affection for the family” (chinchin/qinqin, 親親) and “respect for the honorable” (chonjon/zunzun, 尊尊) are ritualized in Confucian rites, and to illuminate the religious and social dimensions of Confucianism in premodern Korea by analyzing a seventeenth-century controversy over royal mourning from the perspective of these two principles.
Determining the AMSR-E SST Footprint from Co-Located MODIS SSTs
Authors: Boussidi Brahim , Cornillon Peter , Puggioni Gavino , Gentemann Chelle
Published: March 2019

This study was undertaken to derive and analyze the advanced microwave scanning radiometer-Earth observing satellite (EOS) (AMSR-E) sea surface temperature (SST) footprint associated with the remote sensing systems (RSS) level-2 (L2) product. The footprint, in this case, is characterized by the weight attributed to each 4 × 4 km square contributing to the SST value of a given (AMSR-E) pixel. High-resolution L2 SST fields obtained from the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS), carried on the same spacecraft as AMSR-E, are used as the sub-resolution “ground truth” from which the AMSR-E footprint is determined. Mathematically, the approach is equivalent to a linear inversion problem, and its solution is pursued by means of a constrained least square approximation based on the bootstrap sampling procedure. The method yielded an elliptic-like Gaussian kernel with an aspect ratio ≈1.58, very close to the AMSR-E 6.93 GHz channel aspect ratio, ≈1.74. (The 6.93 GHz channel is the primary spectral frequency used to determine SST.) The semi-major axis of the estimated footprint is found to be aligned with the instantaneous field-of-view of the sensor as expected from the geometric characteristics of AMSR-E. Footprints were also analyzed year-by-year and as a function of latitude and found to be stable—no dependence on latitude or on time. Precise knowledge of the footprint is central for any satellite-derived product characterization and, in particular, for efforts to deconvolve the heavily oversampled AMSR-E SST fields and for studies devoted to product validation and comparison. A preliminary analysis suggests that use of the derived footprint will reduce the variance between AMSR-E and MODIS fields compared to the results obtained ignoring the shape and size of the footprint as has been the practice in such comparisons to date.
Mississippi River and Campeche Bank (Gulf of Mexico) Episodes of Cross-Shelf Export of Coastal Waters Observed with Satellites
Authors: Otis Daniel , Le Hénaff Matthieu , Kourafalou Vassiliki , McEachron Lucas , Muller-Karger Frank
Published: March 2019

The cross-shelf advection of coastal waters into the deep Gulf of Mexico is important for the transport of nutrients or potential pollutants. Twenty years of ocean color satellite imagery document such cross-shelf transport events via three export pathways in the Gulf of Mexico: from the Campeche Bank toward the central Gulf, from the Campeche Bank toward the Florida Straits, and from the Mississippi Delta to the Florida Straits. A catalog of these events was created based on the visual examination of 7280 daily satellite images. Water transport from the Campeche Bank to the central Gulf occurred frequently and with no seasonal pattern. Transport from Campeche Bank to the Florida Straits occurred episodically, when the Loop Current was retracted. Four such episodes were identified, between about December and June, in 2002, 2009, 2016, and 2017, each lasting ~3 months. Movement of Mississippi River water to the Florida Straits was more frequent and showed near seasonal occurrence, when the Loop Current was extended, while the Mississippi River discharge seems to play only a secondary role. Eight such episodes were identified—in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2011, 2014, and 2015—each lasting ~3 months during summer. The 2015 episode lasted 5 months.
Remote Sensing of Water Use Efficiency and Terrestrial Drought Recovery across the Contiguous United States
Authors: Ahmadi Behzad , Ahmadalipour Ali , Tootle Glenn , Moradkhani Hamid
Published: March 2019

Ecosystem water-use efficiency (WUE) is defined as the ratio of carbon gain (i.e., gross primary productivity; GPP) to water consumption (i.e., evapotranspiration; ET). WUE is markedly influential on carbon and water cycles, both of which are fundamental for ecosystem state, climate and the environment. Drought can affect WUE, subsequently disturbing the composition and functionality of terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, the impacts of drought on WUE and its components (i.e., GPP and ET) are assessed across the Contiguous US (CONUS) at fine spatial and temporal resolutions. Soil moisture simulations from land surface modeling are utilized to detect and characterize agricultural drought episodes and remotely sensed GPP and ET are retrieved from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS). GPP, as the biome vitality indicator against drought stress, is employed to investigate drought recovery and the ecosystems’ required time to revert to pre-drought condition. Results show that drought recovery duration indicates a positive correlation with drought severity and duration, meaning that a protracted drought recovery is more likely to happen following severe droughts with prolonged duration. WUE is found to almost always increase in response to severe (or worse) drought episodes. Additionally, ET anomalies are negatively correlated with drought severity and ET is expected to decrease during severe (or worse) drought episodes. Lastly, the changes of WUE are decomposed in relation to its components and the cross-relation among the variables is revealed and a consistent changing pattern is detected.
Pre-launch Radiometric Characterization of JPSS-2 VIIRS Thermal Emissive Bands
Authors: McIntire Jeff , Moyer David , Oudrari Hassan , Xiong Xiaoxiong
Published: March 2019

The Joint Polar Satellite System 2 (JPSS-2) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is the third in its series of sensors designed to produce high quality data products for environmental and climate data records once launched. To meet this goal, the VIIRS instrument must be calibrated and characterized prior to launch. A comprehensive test program was conducted at the Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems facility in 2016–2017, including extensive environmental testing. The pre-launch thermal band radiometric performance and stability is the focus of this work including: the evaluation of a number of sensor performance metrics, comparison to the design requirements, and the estimation of uncertainties. Comparisons of the thermal band performance to the earlier Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) and JPSS-1 VIIRS instruments as well as the design specifications have shown that JPSS-2 VIIRS exhibits similar performance to its predecessors. The differences of note (decreased blackbody uniformity, reduced dynamic range for bands M15 and M16, and improved performance with respect to striping) are small and not expected to have a significant impact on the science products.
Power-Frequency Electric Field Sensing Utilizing a Twin-FBG Fabry–Perot Interferometer and Polyimide Tubing with Space Charge as Field Sensing Element
Authors: Wang Lutang , Fang Nian
Published: March 2019

A novel fiber-optic sensor based on the alternating electric field force actions on polyimide tubing with space charge for power-frequency electric field sensing is presented. In structure, the sensor consists of a lightweight fiber cantilever beam covered with a length of electrically charged polyimide tubing as the field sensing element. A twin-FBG based Fabry–Perot interferometer is embedded in this fiber beam to detect the beam vibrations excited by the force of power-frequency electric field to be sensed. Space charge in polyimide tubing is formed through a dielectric charging process. The basic concept, structure, fabrication and operation principle of the sensor are introduced with detailed theoretical analyses. The comprehensive experiments with two sensor prototypes are carried out, in which a sensor exhibits a high sensitivity of 173.65 μV/(V/m) with a minimal detectable field strength of 0.162 V/m, and another has a durability of continuous operation for over a year.
Development and Control of a Pneumatic-Actuator 3-DOF Translational Parallel Manipulator with Robot Vision
Authors: Lee Lian-Wang , Chiang Hsin-Han , Li I-Hsum
Published: March 2019

A vision-based three degree-of-freedom translational parallel manipulator (TPM) was developed. The developed TPM has the following characteristics. First, the TPM is driven by three rodless pneumatic actuators and is designed as a horizontal structure to enlarge its horizontal working space to cover a conveyor. Then, a robot-vision system (including a webcam mounted on the TPM) collects images of objects on the conveyor and transfers them through the LabVIEW application programming interface for image processing. Since it is very difficult to achieve precise position control of the TPM due to the nonlinear couplings among the robot axes, feedback linearization is utilized to design an adaptive interval type-2 fuzzy controller with self-tuning fuzzy sliding-mode compensation (AIT2FC-STFSMC) for each rodless pneumatic actuator to attenuate nonlinearities, function approximation errors, and external disturbances. Finally, experiments proved that the vision-based three degree-of-freedom TPM was capable of accurately tracking desired trajectories and precisely executing pick-and-place movement in real time.
Environmental and Sensor Integration Influences on Temperature Measurements by Rotary-Wing Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Authors: Greene Brian R. , Segales Antonio R. , Bell Tyler M. , Pillar-Little Elizabeth A. , Chilson Phillip B.
Published: March 2019

Obtaining thermodynamic measurements using rotary-wing unmanned aircraft systems (rwUAS) requires several considerations for mitigating biases from the aircraft and its environment. In this study, we focus on how the method of temperature sensor integration can impact the quality of its measurements. To minimize non-environmental heat sources and prevent any contamination coming from the rwUAS body, two configurations with different sensor placements are proposed for comparison. The first configuration consists of a custom quadcopter with temperature and humidity sensors placed below the propellers for aspiration. The second configuration incorporates the same quadcopter design with sensors instead shielded inside of an L-duct and aspirated by a ducted fan. Additionally, an autopilot algorithm was developed for these platforms to face them into the wind during flight for kinematic wind estimations. This study will utilize in situ rwUAS observations validated against tower-mounted reference instruments to examine how measurements are influenced both by the different configurations as well as the ambient environment. Results indicate that both methods of integration are valid but the below-propeller configuration is more susceptible to errors from solar radiation and heat from the body of the rwUAS.
Nyquist Zone Index and Chirp Rate Estimation of LFM Signal Intercepted by Nyquist Folding Receiver Based on Random Sample Consensus and Fractional Fourier Transform
Authors: Liu Xinqun , Li Tao , Fan Xiaolei , Chen Zengping
Published: March 2019

The Nyquist folding receiver (NYFR) can achieve a high-probability interception of an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal with fewer devices, while the output of the NYFR is converted into a hybrid modulated signal of the local oscillator (LO) and the received signal, which requires the matching parameter estimation methods. The linear frequency modulation (LFM) signal is a typical low probability of intercept (LPI) radar signal. In this paper, an estimation method of both the Nyquist Zone (NZ) index and the chirp rate for the LFM signal intercepted by NYFR was proposed. First, according to the time-frequency characteristics of the LFM signal, the accurate NZ and the rough chirp rate was estimated based on least squares (LS) and random sample consensus (RANSAC). Then, the information of the LO was removed from the hybrid modulated signal by the known NZ, and the precise chirp rate was obtained by using the fractional Fourier transform (FrFT). Moreover, a fast search method of FrFT optimal order was presented, which could obviously reduce the computational complexity. The simulation demonstrated that the proposed method could precisely estimate the parameters of the hybrid modulated output signal of the NYFR.
A Hybrid Approach for Multi-Step Wind Speed Forecasting Based on Multi-Scale Dominant Ingredient Chaotic Analysis, KELM and Synchronous Optimization Strategy
Authors: Fu Wenlong , Wang Kai , Zhou Jianzhong , Xu Yanhe , Tan Jiawen , Chen Tie
Published: March 2019

Accurate wind speed prediction plays a significant role in reasonable scheduling and the safe operation of the power system. However, due to the non-linear and non-stationary traits of the wind speed time series, the construction of an accuracy forecasting model is difficult to achieve. To this end, a novel synchronous optimization strategy-based hybrid model combining multi-scale dominant ingredient chaotic analysis and a kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) is proposed, for which the multi-scale dominant ingredient chaotic analysis integrates variational mode decomposition (VMD), singular spectrum analysis (SSA) and phase-space reconstruction (PSR). For such a hybrid structure, the parameters in VMD, SSA, PSR and KELM that would affect the predictive performance are optimized by the proposed improved hybrid grey wolf optimizer-sine cosine algorithm (IHGWOSCA) synchronously. To begin with, VMD is employed to decompose the raw wind speed data into a set of sub-series with various frequency scales. Later, the extraction of dominant and residuary ingredients for each sub-series is implemented by SSA, after which, all of the residuary ingredients are accumulated with the residual of VMD, to generate an additional forecasting component. Subsequently, the inputs and outputs of KELM for each component are deduced by PSR, with which the forecasting model could be constructed. Finally, the ultimate forecasting values of the raw wind speed are calculated by accumulating the predicted results of all the components. Additionally, four datasets from Sotavento Galicia (SG) wind farm have been selected, to achieve the performance assessment of the proposed model. Furthermore, six relevant models are carried out for comparative analysis. The results illustrate that the proposed hybrid framework, VMD-SSA-PSR-KELM could achieve a better performance compared with other combined models, while the proposed synchronous parameter optimization strategy-based model could achieve an average improvement of 25% compared to the separated optimized VMD-SSA-PSR-KELM model.
Does Remanufacturing Always Benefit the Manufacturer and Hurt the Supplier?
Authors: Deng Weisheng
Published: March 2019

Traditional wisdom claims that remanufacturing operations always benefit the manufacturer in monopolistic cases and hurt the supplier in a supply chain system. However, we show that this claim does not hold when firms face a mature market. In particular, we consider a case in which some consumers in the market possess old products before the selling season, i.e., some consumers are holders. A monopolistic manufacturer collects used products from holders and then sells the products to non-holders after furbishing and remanufacturing. In the integrated case, the manufacturer performs manufacturing and remanufacturing together. We find that remanufacturing may hurt the manufacturer when the fraction of non-holders in the market and the production cost are both low. In the separated case, in which an upstream supplier provides the core component to a downstream manufacturer, the downstream manufacturer undertakes the remanufacturing operation as well as manufacturing. We find that the supplier can benefit from the manufacturer’s remanufacturing operation under a specific condition, even if the manufacturer always receives a higher profit.
A Framework for Implementing and Tracking Circular Economy in Cities: The Case of Porto
Authors: Cavaleiro de Ferreira António , Fuso-Nerini Francesco
Published: March 2019

Circular economy (CE) is an emerging concept that contrasts the linear economic system. This concept is particularly relevant for cities, currently hosting approximately 50% of the world’s population. Research gaps in the analysis and implementation of circular economy in cities are a significant barrier to its implementation. This paper presents a multi-sectorial and macro-meso level framework to monitor (and set goals for) circular economy implementation in cities. Based on literature and case studies, it encompasses CE key concepts, such as flexibility, modularity, and transparency. It is structured to include all sectors in which circular economy could be adopted in a city. The framework is then tested in Porto, Portugal, monitoring the circularity of the city and considering its different sectors.
Using the Markov Chain to Analyze Precipitation and Groundwater Drought Characteristics and Linkage with Atmospheric Circulation
Authors: Yeh Hsin-Fu , Hsu Hsin-Li
Published: March 2019

In recent years, Taiwan has been facing water shortages due to the impact of climate change, which has resulted in many serious drought events, especially in southern Taiwan. Long-term records from 25 rainfall stations and 17 groundwater stations in the southern Taiwan basin were used in this study. We used the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Groundwater Level Index (SGI) and employed the first-order Markov chain model and wavelet transform to determine the drought characteristics and propagation, including the steady-state probabilities of drought events and the mean duration for each station. The Drought Index (DI) was also used to investigate the effects of rainfall on groundwater drought. The results show that the steady-state probability of the meteorological drought in the Yanshui River basin in southern Taiwan is higher than that in other basins. The area with the longer mean duration is located in the Yanshui River basin and the Erren River basin, and overall, the mean duration ranges from 3 to 7 months. In addition, the results from the drought proneness analysis indicated that when rainfall causes a longer drought duration, there will be a higher degree of proneness to groundwater drought in the future. Finally, the results show that the mean duration of groundwater droughts are longer than those of meteorological droughts. The results of the wavelet analysis revealed a positive correlation at long-term scales, which may be related to large-scale atmospheric circulation. The information from this research could be used as a reference for water resource management in the future.
How Resilient is Growth? Resilience Assessment of Austrian Municipalities on the Basis of Census Data from 1971 to 2011
Authors: Hat Kinga , Stöglehner Gernot
Published: March 2019

Living conditions and development perspectives are influenced by territorial inequalities. In this study, an assessment of long-term local and regional resilience was conducted in order to understand the structural strengths and weaknesses in spatial development in Austria. To gain new insights into the known development patterns, a new resilience-oriented assessment was conducted. A growth-oriented assessment was carried out in parallel to provide a reference for interpreting the results. A set of criteria corresponding with each of the two assessment approaches was applied to obtain quantitative results. To determine the spatial dependency of the values’ characteristics, spatial statistics was applied. The reinterpretation of existing data and comparison of the results revealed a new level of insight into regional development and made it possible to determine the level of resilience of a region or municipality. The resilience could be evaluated relatively, by comparing the resilience of different spatial units within the study area. Similarities and differences between the results of the two approaches were revealed and discussed. The outcomes confirmed that the growth-oriented perspective is too narrow and further approaches are necessary in order to assess the sustainability and resilience of the local and regional spatial structures and development.
Mapping and Assessing Green Infrastructure Connectivity in European City Regions
Authors: Rusche Karsten , Reimer Mario , Stichmann Rico
Published: March 2019

Urban green infrastructure is becoming an increasingly important concept for sustainable urban planning. In the past, planning practice and research have worked on defining principles and suggesting relevant indicators to promote the concept. While there has been a focus on multifunctionality of green infrastructure elements, the connectivity principle is underrepresented, especially in urban research. Therefore, this paper suggests land use indicators to map and assess the degree of connectivity of open spaces within the urban realm. Empirical results are presented for three European case studies. The relevance of connectivity indicators for urban green infrastructure planning is highlighted and linked to future needs for improving strategic urban planning.
The Sustainability of Ohanami Cherry Blossom Festivals as a Cultural Icon
Authors: Moriuchi Emi , Basil Michael
Published: March 2019

Background: One important form of sustainability is the continuation of culture and cultural practices. This study examined the case of Japanese Ohanami or cherry blossom festivals. Historically, Ohanami focused on the cherry blossom as a symbol of spring’s arrival, where communal aspects, consumption of sake and seasonal foods, painting or photography, and pilgrimages to sacred sites were used to celebrate the ephemeral aspects of blossoms, spring, and life. Methods: This study examines how cherry blossom festivals are celebrated and understood and how these celebrations are changing. Results: Current celebrations demonstrate several forces are changing this celebration. The changes in cherry blossom festivals are seen in four areas (bonding, cultural continuity, marketing exploitation, and cultural symbolism). Cherry blossom festivals are also observed overseas—at first glance this suggests its continuity, however, the ways in which Ohanami is observed raise concerns about the accuracy of this cultural practice. Conclusion: Ohanami celebrations are celebrated both in Japan and overseas, and although their practice continues, the nature of the cultural celebrations are changing.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in the Food Chain: Trade, One Health and Codex
Authors: George Anna
Published: March 2019

Strategies that take on a One Health approach to addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) focused on reducing human use of antimicrobials, but policy-makers now have to grapple with a different set of political, economic, and highly sensitive trade interests less amenable to government direction, to tackle AMR in the food chain. Understanding the importance and influence of the intergovernmental Codex negotiations underway on AMR in the Food Chain is very weak but essential for AMR public policy experts. National and global food producing industries are already under pressure as consumers learn about the use of antimicrobials in food production and more so when the full impact of AMR microorganisms in the food chain and on the human microbiome is better understood. Governments will be expected to respond. Trade-related negotiations on access and use made of antimicrobials is political: the relevance of AMR ‘evidence’ is already contested and not all food producers or users of antimicrobials in the food chain are prepared to, or capable of, moving at the same pace. In trade negotiations governments defend their interpretation of national interest. Given AMR in the global food chain threatens national interest, both AMR One Health and zoonotic disease experts should understand and participate in all trade-related AMR negotiations to protect One Health priorities. To help facilitate this an overview and analysis of Codex negotiations is provided.
Glacier Changes in the Qilian Mountains, Northwest China, between the 1960s and 2015
Authors: He Jing , Wang Ninglian , Chen An’an , Yang Xuewen , Hua Ting
Published: March 2019

Glaciers in the Qilian Mountains are important sources of fresh-water for sustainable development in the Hexi Corridor in the arid northwest China. Over the last few decades, glaciers have generally shrunk across the globe due to climate warming. In order to understand the current state of glaciers in the Qilian Mountains, we compiled a new inventory of glaciers in the region using Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI) images acquired in 2015, and identified 2748 glaciers that covered an area of 1539.30 ± 49.50 km2 with an ice volume of 81.69 ± 7.40 km3, among which the Shule River basin occupied the largest portion of glaciers (24.8% in number, 32.3% in area, and 35.6% in ice volume). In comparison to previous inventories, glacier area was found to shrink by 396.89 km2 (20.5%) in total, and 109 glaciers with an area of 8.94 km2 disappeared over the period from the 1960s to 2015. This situation was primarily caused by the increase in air temperature, and also related with the size of glacier and some local topographic parameters. In addition, the change of glaciers in the Qilian Mountains showed a distinct spatial pattern, i.e., their shrinking rate was large in the east and small in the west.
Effectiveness of Nitrification and Denitrification Processes in Biofilters Treating Wastewater from De-Icing Airport Runways
Authors: Rodziewicz Joanna , Ostrowska Kamila , Janczukowicz Wojciech , Mielcarek Artur
Published: March 2019

The basic factors determining the efficiency of the removal of nitrogen and carbon compounds from airport wastewater containing de-icing agents are low temperature and the C/N ratio (carbon to nitrogen ratio). Biofilm reactors (biofilters) create better conditions for nitrification and denitrification than suspended biomass reactors. The scope of the study included determination of the influence of the C/N ratio in the wastewater on nitrification, denitrification and organic compound removal in biofilm reactors depending on the temperature. The experiment was performed in 24 circular laboratory biofilters with LECA (Light Expanded Clay Aggregates) filling. The study was divided into three series differing in organic carbon loading. In each series, carried out at the same hydraulic retention time, biofilters were operated at 25, 8, 4 or 0 °C. The study showed the effective removal of nitrogen compounds across a very wide temperature range. The applied filling and properly selected operating parameters of the reactors resulted in effective simultaneous nitrification and denitrification. The highest efficiency of nitrogen removal at 0 °C (34.57 ± 4.54%) was obtained at the C/N ratio of 0.5 gC/gN. The efficiency of denitrification (the lowest at the temperature of 0 °C) increased as the temperature and C/N ratio increased in the wastewater.
Is the Disintegration of Christianity a Problem—or Even a Surprise?
Authors: Eller Jack David
Published: March 2019

This article argues that if Kenneth Howard’s prediction of a “religion singularity” is true, it should not be a worry for social scientists, who must remain neutral on religious matters. Further, the deinstitutionalization, fragmentation, atomization, and even extinction of religion should come as no surprise to scholars who have observed these processes repeatedly. This process occurs not only in the realm of religion but in all social domains, from family and marriage to government—and indeed not only in social domains but in the natural world, as well. Contemporary forces of mediatization and neoliberalism are only the latest threats to institutional membership, creating a crisis among established authorities and encouraging “irregular” religion just as much as they encourage “irregular” employment. While the “religious economy” model suggests an adaptation of religion to the tastes and preferences of today’s religious consumer, ethnographic evidence illustrates the difference between religious institutions and religiosity, the rise of multiple small religious movements, and the struggle for survival between sects, denominations, and churches. Ultimately it may be the case that the institutional phase of Christianity was only one moment in its religious evolution, which evolved from small, local, independent congregations and may return to—or end in—that form.
THE CREATIVE MODEL OF EDUCATION AS A FACTOR IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INNOVATION-NOOSPHERE SOCIETY
Authors: Voronkova Valentina , Kyvliuk Olga , Nikitenko Vìtalina
Published: March 2019

We have analyzed the models of innovative and technological education in foreign countries, revealed the accents of the creative model of the innovative-technological model of education; formation directions of creative ethos in the context of the development of the creative education models. We have identified the role of creative education as a defining characteristic of progress and prosperity in times of high technology.
PRACTICAL VECTORS OF LEGAL EDUCATION AS THE BASIS FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF LEGAL CONSCIOUSNESS
Authors: Dergachov Evgeniy
Published: March 2019

In the article considered modern understanding of legal education and its theoretical bases, namely, – investigated legal education as a component of the general process of socialization of the person which is carried out in the forms of education and upbringing. Have been analyzed the leading Ukrainian normative legal acts in the field of legal education and upbringing. Have been put certain recommendations about forward concerning practical vectors for the development of legal education in Ukraine. It is noted that the ability to design norms for each specific situation, the ability to think through the prism of the legal norm is a unique ability that arises during law enforcement and is based on a special type of thinking – legalreasonable.