bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human perceptions of and interactions with wild canids on cattle ranches in central Brazil
Authors: Bickley Stacie M. , Lemos Frederico G. , Gilmore Michael P. , Azevedo Fernanda C. , Freeman Elizabeth W. , Songsasen Nucharin
Published: January 2019

Local attitudes towards carnivores often reflect the degree of damage they are perceived to cause. Consequently, understanding the interactions between people and these species is essential to conservation efforts. This study investigated local perceptions of three Cerrado canid species and current chicken management practices, to identify the potential damage they cause and how this relates to peoples’ attitudes towards these species. Results from structured interviews at 50 ranches in Goiás, Brazil, highlighted that general knowledge about Cerrado canids differed significantly by species, with interviewees unable to correctly answer questions about the hoary fox Lycalopex vetulus and crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous in comparison to the maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus. Chicken coops were identified as the most effective method for preventing predation, yet only 44% of respondents employed this method. Using a perceived predation measure, interviewees reported chicken predation by all three Cerrado canids even though most of these events were stated to occur during the day, outside the species’ active periods. Reported predation events were a strong predictor of attitude. Participants who experienced predation events reported they did not like having a Cerrado canid on their property. However, 86% of the respondents agreed that Cerrado canids should nevertheless be protected. Our findings support the need to incorporate the human dimension in canid and broader carnivore conservation issues.
An extension of Rawls’s theory of justice for climate change
Authors: Kim Hyunseop
Published: January 2019

In this paper, I argue that a new principle of background justice should be added to Rawls’s Law of Peoples because climate change is an international and intergenerational problem that can destabilize the Society of Peoples and the well-ordered peoples therein. I start with explaining the nature of my project and Rawls’s conception of stability. I argue that climate change poses a realistic threat to the stability of climate-vulnerable liberal peoples and as a result undermines international peace and security. Despite the uncertainties due to the complexity of the climate system and about the resilience of liberal societies, liberal peoples’ fundamental interests in just basic institutions and national security call for the adoption of a precautionary principle. Rawls’s own principles are, I argue, inadequate to solve the stability problem from climate change. Still, his framework provides the theoretical resources to develop a new extension. I propose a new Rawlsian principle of international, intergenerational justice that guarantees the environmental background conditions under which well-ordered peoples can sustain their basic structure over generations and sketch the principle’s institutional implementation. I conclude with the theoretical and practical significance of this extension of Rawls’s theory.
Pregnancy stress, healthy pregnancy and birth outcomes – the need for early preventative approaches in pregnant Australian Indigenous women: a prospective longitudinal cohort study
Authors: Mah B. L. , Pringle K. G. , Weatherall L. , Keogh L. , Schumacher T. , Eades S. , Brown A. , Lumbers E. R. , Roberts C. T. , Diehm C. , Smith R. , Rae K. M.
Published: January 2019

Adverse pregnancy outcomes including prematurity and low birth weight (LBW) have been associated with life-long chronic disease risk for the infant. Stress during pregnancy increases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Many studies have reported the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in Indigenous populations and a smaller number of studies have measured rates of stress and depression in these populations. This study sought to examine the potential association between stress during pregnancy and the rate of adverse pregnancy outcomes in Australian Indigenous women residing in rural and remote communities in New South Wales. This study found a higher rate of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy than the general population. There was also a higher incidence of prematurity and LBW deliveries. Unfortunately, missing post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptomatology data impeded the examination of associations of interest. This was largely due to the highly sensitive nature of the issues under investigation, and the need to ensure adequate levels of trust between Indigenous women and research staff before disclosure and recording of sensitive research data. We were unable to demonstrate a significant association between the level of stress and the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes at this stage. We recommend this longitudinal study continue until complete data sets are available. Future research in this area should ensure prioritization of building trust in participants and overestimating sample size to ensure no undue pressure is placed upon an already stressed participant.
Combining Experimental Methods and Modeling to Quantify the Complex Recharge Behavior of Karst Aquifers
Authors: Mudarra M. , Hartmann A. , Andreo B.
Published: January 2019

Integration of the abundant information derived from different sources, characterizing techniques and modeling methodologies, is crucial for extending our knowledge of karst aquifers and their available water resources. In this work, a numerically based approach derived from an improved version of the lumped VarKarst model is proposed, which jointly considers spring discharge and dye test results in calibration routine, to assess independently the contribution of the allogenic and autogenic components to the total recharge of a complex karst system with proved duality in its recharge mechanisms. A newly developed parameter estimation procedure based on rather soft performance rules is employed to confine the uncertainty of the water budget previously obtained with two other independent methods (Soil Water Balance and APLIS). Unlike other methodologies that lead to semiquantitative estimations of input sources, results from our approach display reliable ranges of calibrated values for recharge rate, recharge area, and, to a lesser extent, for water runoff infiltration coming from the streamflow. The integration of all these quantitative results with data (qualitative) previously derived from other experimental methodologies has meant a significant advance in understanding the behavior of the pilot system, allowing a more realistic and robust conceptual model to be developed. We conclude by emphasizing that a continuous transfer of improvements from conceptual to numerical modeling approaches, and vice versa, is necessary to enhance knowledge of carbonate aquifer functioning and ultimately achieve better evaluation and management of water resources. During this process, frequent mutual evaluation between the modeling approaches must be performed.
The Oyashio Nutrient Stream and Its Nutrient Transport to the Mixed Water Region
Authors: Long Yu , Zhu Xiao‐Hua , Guo Xinyu
Published: January 2019

The Oyashio, a subarctic western boundary current in the North Pacific, transports cool, fresh, and nutrient‐rich water equatorward. The Oyashio nutrient stream was assessed using long‐term mean hydrographic observation data. Its nitrate transport (about 350 kmol/s) is comparable to that of the Kuroshio but has a much shallower subsurface core at 250‐m depth. In the layer ranging from 26.6 to 27.4 σθ, the Oyashio nitrate transport to the mixed water region is about 110 kmol/s. This corresponds to the nitrate transport of the Oyashio to the North Pacific Intermediate Water in the mixed water region. Along with this process, the subarctic gyre nitrate export to the subtropic gyre reaches 24 kmol/s. This work first quantifies the Oyashio nutrient transport and its intrusion into the mixed water region and suggests its importance in local/basin‐scale nutrient cycles.
Large Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity, and Productivity‐Preservation Changes Preceding the Onset of the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Vasiliev Iuliana , Karakitsios Vasileios , Bouloubassi Ioanna , Agiadi Konstantina , Kontakiotis George , Antonarakou Assimina , Triantaphyllou Maria , Gogou Alexandra , Kafousia Nefeli , de Rafélis Marc , Zarkogiannis Stergios , Kaczmar Fanny , Parinos Constantine , Pasadakis Nikolaos
Published: January 2019

The Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC; 5.97–5.33 Ma) is an enigmatic episode of paleoceanographic change, when kilometer‐thick evaporite units were deposited in the Mediterranean basin. Here we use geochemical (biomarker and isotope) data to reconstruct sea surface temperature, salinity, and productivity‐preservation changes in the Mediterranean basin just before the MSC. The proxy data indicate that the Mediterranean Sea was significantly saltier and colder between 6.415 and 6.151 Ma, than between 6.151 and 5.971 Ma. Salinity decrease at 6.151 Ma seems to be a relatively fast event just preceding the inception of a warming phase that lasted almost uninterrupted until the MSC onset. The water exchange with the Paratethys could have caused, along with the African rivers, an increased freshwater supply, resulting in normal marine Mediterranean waters between 6.151 and 5.971 Ma, despite the severe restriction of marine connections with the Atlantic at that time. Sea surface temperature changes determined a sharp drop in productivity and/or preservation of organic matter, marked by deposition of calcareous marls. Productivity and preservation were relatively high and constant until 6.01 Ma. Afterward, increased influx of terrestrial organic matter and probably enhanced water column stratification prevailed. Around 5.971 Ma, modifications in aquatic versus terrestrially derived biomarkers indicate changes in organic matter influx at the MSC onset.
Temporal Variability in Nitrate‐Discharge Relationships in Large Rivers as Revealed by High‐Frequency Data
Authors: Zimmer Margaret A. , Pellerin Brian , Burns Douglas A. , Petrochenkov Gregory
Published: January 2019

Little is known about temporal variability in nitrate concentration responses to changes in discharge on intraannual time scales in large rivers. To investigate this knowledge gap, we used a six‐year data set of daily surface water nitrate concentration and discharge averaged from near‐continuous monitoring at U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations on the Connecticut, Potomac, and Mississippi Rivers, three large rivers that contribute substantial nutrient pollution to important estuaries. Interannually, a comparison of nitrate concentration‐discharge (c‐Q) relationships between a traditional discrete grab sample data set and the near‐continuous data set revealed differing c‐Q slopes, which suggests that sample frequency can impact how we ultimately characterize hydrologic systems. Intraannually, we conducted correlation analyses over 30‐day windows to isolate the strength and direction of monthly c‐Q relationships. Monthly c‐Q slopes in the Potomac were positive (enrichment/mobilization response) in summer and fall and negative (dilution response) and weakly chemostatic (nonsignificant near‐zero c‐Q slope) in winter and spring, respectively. The Connecticut displayed a dilution response year‐round, except summer when it was weakly chemostatic. Mississippi c‐Q slopes were weakly chemostatic in all seasons and showed inconsistent responses to discharge fluctuations. The c‐Q dynamics in the Potomac and Connecticut were correlated (R > 0.3) to river temperature, flow percentile, and calendar day. Minimal correlation in the Mississippi suggests that the large basin area coupled with spatiotemporally variable anthropogenic forcings from substantial land use development created stochastic short‐term c‐Q relationships. Additional work using high‐frequency sensors across large river networks can improve our understanding of spatial source input dynamics in these natural‐human coupled systems.
The Role of Floodplain Topography in Deriving Basin Discharge Using Passive Microwave Remote Sensing
Authors: Kim Seokhyeon , Sharma Ashish
Published: January 2019

Discharge measurements are essential for a range of hydrologic applications. In situ observations, however, are seldom available. Whereas satellite remote sensing offers a fascinating possibility of deriving discharge data for ungauged catchments, it comes with significant uncertainty and has had limited adoption until recently. A satellite‐derived flood signal, referred to as the Measurement‐Calibration (MC) ratio, is being increasingly used but suffers from significant uncertainty and inaccuracy, partly because ground geomorphic attributes are ignored in its estimation. We present here an approach for enhancing the MC ratio by accounting for local topography and its impact on flow creation within a catchment. The Topographic Wetness Index is used for extracting the MC ratio from 179 hydrologic reference stations across Australia representing different climates, watershed sizes, and elevations. Results indicate clear improvements in flow estimates using the proposed method as compared to the options currently in place.
A Comprehensive Distributed Hydrological Modeling Intercomparison to Support Process Representation and Data Collection Strategies
Authors: Baroni Gabriele , Schalge Bernd , Rakovec Oldrich , Kumar Rohini , Schüler Lennart , Samaniego Luis , Simmer Clemens , Attinger Sabine
Published: January 2019

The improvement of process representations in hydrological models is often only driven by the modelers' knowledge and data availability. We present a comprehensive comparison between two hydrological models of different complexity that is developed to support (1) the understanding of the differences between model structures and (2) the identification of the observations needed for model assessment and improvement. The comparison is conducted on both space and time and by aggregating the outputs at different spatiotemporal scales. In the present study, mHM, a process‐based hydrological model, and ParFlow‐CLM, an integrated subsurface‐surface hydrological model, are used. The models are applied in a mesoscale catchment in Germany. Both models agree in the simulated river discharge at the outlet and the surface soil moisture dynamics, lending their supports for some model applications (drought monitoring). Different model sensitivities are, however, found when comparing evapotranspiration and soil moisture at different soil depths. The analysis supports the need of observations within the catchment for model assessment, but it indicates that different strategies should be considered for the different variables. Evapotranspiration measurements are needed at daily resolution across several locations, while highly resolved spatially distributed observations with lower temporal frequency are required for soil moisture. Finally, the results show the impact of the shallow groundwater system simulated by ParFlow‐CLM and the need to account for the related soil moisture redistribution. Our comparison strategy can be applied to other models types and environmental conditions to strengthen the dialog between modelers and experimentalists for improving process representations in Earth system models.
Investigating the predictive value of different resting-state functional MRI parameters in obsessive-compulsive disorder
Authors: Bu Xuan , Hu Xinyu , Zhang Lianqing , Li Bin , Zhou Ming , Lu Lu , Hu Xiaoxiao , Li Hailong , Yang Yanchun , Tang Wanjie , Gong Qiyong , Huang Xiaoqi
Published: January 2019

Previous resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have facilitated our understanding of OCD pathophysiology based on its intrinsic activity. However, whether the group difference derived from univariate analysis could be useful for informing the diagnosis of individual OCD patients remains unclear. We aimed to apply multivariate pattern analysis of different rs-fMRI parameters to distinguish drug-naive patients with OCD from healthy control subjects (HCS). Fifty-four drug-naive OCD patients and 54 well-matched HCS were recruited. Four different rs-fMRI parameter maps, including the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity strength (FCS), were calculated. Training of a support vector machine (SVM) classifier using rs-fMRI maps produced voxelwise discrimination maps. Overall, the classification accuracies were acceptable for the four rs-fMRI parameters. Excellent performance was achieved when ALFF maps were employed (accuracy, 95.37%, p < 0.01), good performance was achieved by using ReHo maps, weaker performance was achieved by using fALFF maps, and fair performance was achieved by using FCS maps. The brain regions showing the greatest discriminative power included the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, precentral gyrus, and occipital lobes. The application of SVM to rs-fMRI features may provide potential power for OCD classification.
Author Correction: Factors of the bone marrow microniche that support human plasma cell survival and immunoglobulin secretion
Authors: Nguyen Doan C. , Garimalla Swetha , Xiao Haopeng , Kyu Shuya , Albizua Igor , Galipeau Jacques , Chiang Kuang-Yueh , Waller Edmund K. , Wu Ronghu , Gibson Greg , Roberson James , Lund Frances E. , Randall Troy D. , Sanz Iñaki , Lee F. Eun-Hyung
Published: January 2019

The original version of this Article omitted a declaration from the Competing Interests statement, which should have included the following: ‘A patent has been applied for by Emory University with F.E.L, I.S. and D.C. N. as named inventors. The patent application number is PCT/US2016/036650’. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Construction of a novel xanthine biosensor using zinc oxide (ZnO) and the biotemplate method for detection of fish freshness
Authors: Xue Gao , Yu Wang , Yutong Liu , Qiang Zhang , Xiuying Liu , Yiwei Tang , Jianrong Li
Published: January 2019

In the food industry, fish is a product that has a short shelf life, and xanthine has attracted significant attention as an indicator of the freshness of fish.
Controlled Ni-catalyzed mono- and double-decarbonylations of α-ketothioesters
Authors: Zheng Zhao-Jing , Jiang Cheng , Shao Peng-Cheng , Liu Wen-Fei , Zhao Tian-Tian , Xu Peng-Fei , Wei Hao
Published: January 2019

A method for Ni-catalyzed controlled decarbonylation of α-ketothioesters via changing the ligand was achieved.
Hexagonal perovskite derivatives: a new direction in the design of oxide ion conducting materials
Authors: Fop Sacha , McCombie Kirstie S. , Wildman Eve J. , Skakle Janet M. S. , Mclaughlin Abbie C.
Published: January 2019

A structural rearrangement is observed in Ba3MM′O8.5hexagonal perovskites above 300 °C, which enhances the oxide ionic conductivity.
Significantly enhanced phonon mean free path and thermal conductivity by percolation of silver nanoflowers
Authors: Suh Daewoo , Lee Sanghoon , Xu Chenchen , Jan Agha Aamir , Baik Seunghyun
Published: January 2019

A percolation network of silver nanoflowers dramatically increased the thermal conductivity (42.4 W m−1K−1) in soft polyurethane-matrix thermal interface materials.
Tetranuclear dysprosium single-molecule magnets: tunable magnetic interactions and magnetization dynamics through modifying coordination number
Authors: Zhang Kun , Li Gao-Peng , Montigaud Vincent , Cador Olivier , Le Guennic Boris , Tang Jinkui , Wang Yao-Yu
Published: January 2019

The magnetic interactions and relaxation dynamics are modulated in two polynuclear dysprosium(iii) SMMs through a fine control of the coordination environment on the changeable coordination sites.
Towards state selective recombination of H3+ under astrophysically relevant conditions
Authors: Dohnal Petr , Shapko Dmytro , Kálosi Ábel , Kassayová Miroslava , Roučka Štěpán , Rednyk Serhiy , Plašil Radek , Hejduk Michal , Glosík Juraj
Published: January 2019

We present studies on the thermalisation of H3+ ions in a cold He/Ar/H2 plasma at temperatures 30–70 K.
Analysis and simulation of multiphase hydrodynamics in capillary microseparators
Authors: Yang Lu , Ładosz Agnieszka , Jensen Klavs F.
Published: January 2019

The capillary microseparator is an important microfluidic device for achieving the inline separation of biphasic segmented flows.
A self-healing hydrogel with pressure sensitive photoluminescence for remote force measurement and healing assessment
Authors: Li Ming , Li Weijun , Cai Wei , Zhang Xiaojie , Wang Zhihang , Street Jason , Ong Wee-Jun , Xia Zhenhai , Xu Quan
Published: January 2019

A self-healing hydrogel with a triple network structure and pressure sensitive photoluminescence for remote force measurement and healing assessment was successfully fabricated.
Structure–redox reactivity relationships in Co1−xZnxFe2O4: the role of stoichiometry
Authors: Tatarchuk Tetiana , Paliychuk Natalia , Pacia Michał , Kaspera Wojciech , Macyk Wojciech , Kotarba Andrzej , Bogacz Bogdan F. , Pędziwiatr Antoni T. , Mironyuk Ivan , Gargula Renata , Kurzydło Piotr , Shyichuk Alexander
Published: January 2019

The strong relation between the cationic distribution and catalytic properties of Co–Zn ferrite nanoparticles was studied and the new antistructure modeling approach has been proposed for identification of the active centers in the redox reaction.
A tetranuclear nickel/lead complex with a salen type Schiff base: synthesis, structure and exploration of photosensitive Schottky barrier diode behaviour
Authors: Roy Sourav , Dey Arka , Drew Michael G. B. , Ray Partha Pratim , Chattopadhyay Shouvik
Published: January 2019

A tetranuclear nickel(ii)/lead(ii) complex has been synthesized and characterized. The complex based device behaves as a Schottky diode. The charge transfer kinetics of the complex is enhanced after light soaking.
Study on the performance and mechanism of aerobic oxidative desulfurization based on a dual-functional material possessing catalytic and adsorptive properties
Authors: Dou Shuai-yong , Wang Rui
Published: January 2019

Herein, three polyoxometalates, namely K3PW12O40·10H2O, K6[α-P2W18O62]·14H2O, and K8H[P2W15V3O62]·9H2O, were successfully prepared and used in the air/n-octanaloxidative desulfurization (ODS) system.
Conformational analysis and potential anticancer activity of [Pt(phen)(L1-κS)2] studied by single crystal X-ray diffraction and variable temperature1H and195Pt NMR spectroscopy
Authors: Kangara Edmore F. , Peega Tebogo , Harmse Leonie , van Wyk Juanita L. , Levendis Demetrius C. , Kotzé Izak A.
Published: January 2019

Conformers of [Pt(phen)(L1-κS)2] observed in solution as a result of π-stacking interactions between the unusual κS-coordinatedN,N-diethyl-N′-1-naphthoylthioureato ligands and 1,10-phenanthroline.
Copper-catalyzed, ceric ammonium nitrate mediated N-arylation of amines
Authors: Gonela Uma Maheshwar , Ablordeppey Seth Y.
Published: January 2019

Cu-Catalyzed, ligand- and base-free cross-coupling of aryl boronic acids with primary and secondary amines has been reported.
A responsive porous hydrogel particle-based delivery system for oncotherapy
Authors: Wen Yuanyuan , Liu Yuxiao , Zhang Han , Zou Minhan , Yan Dan , Chen Dingding , Zhao Yuanjin
Published: January 2019

The relatively higher temperature of the tumor site and the temperature responsive shape transition of pNIPAM hydrogel make the controllable drug release possible for oncotherapy.
Tandem synthesis of 4-aminoxanthones is controlled by a water-assisted tautomerization: a general straightforward reaction
Authors: Bornadiego Ana , Díaz Jesús , Marcos Carlos F.
Published: January 2019

Iminolactone-aminofuran tautomerization is the rate-determining step in the multicomponent synthesis of xanthones from 3-carbonylchromones, isocyanides and dienophiles.
Enantiomeric NMR discrimination of carboxylic acids using actinomycin D as a chiral solvating agent
Authors: Bai Liwen , Chen Pian , Xiang Jiangxia , Sun Jiarui , Lei Xinxiang
Published: January 2019

We extended actinomycin D as a practical CSA for rapid enantiomeric determination of chiral carboxylic acids by1H NMR spectroscopy.
Trends in polymeric shape memory hydrogels and hydrogel actuators
Authors: Shang Jiaojiao , Le Xiaoxia , Zhang Jiawei , Chen Tao , Theato Patrick
Published: January 2019

Recently, “smart” hydrogels with either shape memory behavior or reversible actuation have received particular attention and have been further developed into sensors, actuators, or artificial muscles.
Cross-conjugated poly(selenylene vinylene)s
Authors: Zhang Zhen , Qin Yang
Published: January 2019

Poly(selenylene vinylene) (PSV) is a close analog to the extensively studied poly(thienylene vinylene) (PTV) polymers, and possesses unique properties originating from the larger, more polarizable Se atoms.
Modelling and control of the microstructure of comb-like poly(MAA-co-PEGMA) water-soluble copolymers
Authors: Emaldi Iñaki , Hamzehlou Shaghayegh , Erkizia Edurne , Sanchez Dolado Jorge , Etxeberria Agustin , Leiza Jose Ramon
Published: January 2019

Modelling and controlling the cumulative copolymer composition of the copolymerisation of water soluble monomers MAA and PEGMAS.
Continuous flow synthesis of diaryl ketones by coupling of aryl Grignard reagents with acyl chlorides under mild conditions in the ecofriendly solvent 2-methyltetrahydrofuran
Authors: Zhang Chuan-Tao , Zhu Rui , Wang Zheng , Ma Bing , Zajac Adrian , Smiglak Marcin , Xia Chun-Nian , Castle Steven L. , Wang Wen-Long
Published: January 2019

Continuous flow method for parallel synthesis of diaryl ketones using commercially available reagents.
Platinum free thermally curable siloxanes for optoelectronic application – synthesis and properties
Authors: Steinbrück Nils , Pohl Svenja , Kickelbick Guido
Published: January 2019

One component thermally curable polysiloxanes with tailorable properties were developed and investigated for their use as LED encapsulation materials.
Simulations of 3-arm polyelectrolyte star brushes under external electric fields
Authors: Zhang Fen , Wang Shaoyun , Ding Huanda , Tong Chaohui
Published: January 2019

Langevin dynamics (LD) simulations have been performed to study the conformations and stratification of grafted three-arm polyelectrolyte (PE) stars in response to external electric fields.
Enhancement of photocatalytic H2 production by metal complex electrostatic adsorption on TiO2 (B) nanosheets
Authors: Kong Xiangchen , Gao Zhonghui , Gong Yue , Huang Huiming , Wang Haifeng , Liu Porun , Yin Huajie , Cui Zhenduo , Li Zhaoyang , Liang Yanqin , Zhu Shengli , Huang Yunhui , Yang Xianjin
Published: January 2019

The assembly of cocatalysts on a semiconductor is a key way to promote the activity in solar hydrogen production.
A computational study on Pt and Ru dimers supported on graphene for the hydrogen evolution reaction: new insight into the alkaline mechanism
Authors: Liu Xin , Jiao Yan , Zheng Yao , Davey Kenneth , Qiao Shi-Zhang
Published: January 2019

The dissociative chemisorption energy of water was proposed to address both thermodynamics and kinetics of alkaline hydrogen evolution.
A dendrite- and oxygen-proof protective layer for lithium metal in lithium–oxygen batteries
Authors: Kwak Won-Jin , Park Jiwon , Nguyen Trung Thien , Kim Hun , Byon Hye Ryung , Jang Minchul , Sun Yang-Kook
Published: January 2019

NCL is rationally designed as the stable protective layer on Li metal for dendrite- and oxygen-proof in Li–O2 batteries.
Polydiacetylene-based sensors to detect food spoilage at low temperatures
Authors: Nguyen Long H. , Naficy Sina , McConchie Robyn , Dehghani Fariba , Chandrawati Rona
Published: January 2019

Polydiacetylene-based ammonia sensors as an indicator for meat spoilage at a wide range of food storage temperatures (RT, 4 °C, and −20 °C).
Correlations of IL-17 and NF-κB gene polymorphisms with susceptibility and prognosis in acute respiratory distress syndrome in a chinese population
Authors: Xie Meimei , Cheng Bihuan , Ding Yueping , Wang Changliang , Chen Jianshi
Published: January 2019

The present study was performed to investigate the association between interleukin-17 (IL-17) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) gene polymorphisms and the risk and prognosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in a Chinese population. A total of 210 Chinese patients with ARDS were selected as the study group, 210 individuals who were identified as at-risk patients but did not meet criteria for ARDS were recruited as the control group. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-17, including rs763780 (A>G), rs2275913 (G>A), rs8193036 (C>T) and NF-κB1 gene rs3774934 (G>A) loci were examined by Sanger sequencing technique in the peripheral blood of all subjects. Patients were followed for 30-day survival. The IL-17 rs763780 and NF-κB1 rs3774934 SNPs had no impact on ARDS risk and prognosis of ARDS (P>0.05). Compared with individuals carrying the wild-type GG genotype of rs2275913 at IL-17, the AA-homozygous and GA- heterozygous individuals were protected from the development of ARDS. Consistently, a decreased 30-day mortality risk was found among A-allele carriers of rs2275913 at IL-17 (p<0.05). For IL-17 rs8193036 SNP, the homozygote TT genotype and heterozygote CT genotypes were associated with increased ARDS susceptibility and 30-day mortality risk (P<0.05). Besides, decreased IL-17 levels were found in A-allele carriers of IL-17 rs2275913, whereas individuals carrying T-allele of IL-17 rs8193036 were found to have significantly increased levels of IL-17 (P<0.05). Our results suggested that two functional polymorphisms of IL-17, rs2275913 and rs8193036 were associated with ARDS risk and prognosis, indicating that the two genetic variants might act as possible markers for the prediction of ARDS risk and development.
Regulation of cholinergic basal forebrain development, connectivity, and function by neurotrophin receptors
Authors: Boskovic Zoran , Meier Sonja , Wang Yunpeng , Milne Michael R. , Onraet Tessa , Tedoldi Angelo , Coulson Elizabeth J.
Published: January 2019

Cholinergic basal forebrain (cBF) neurons are defined by their expression of the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) and tropomyosin-related kinase (Trk) neurotrophin receptors in addition to cholinergic markers. It is known that the neurotrophins, particularly nerve growth factor (NGF), mediate cholinergic neuronal development and maintenance. However, the role of neurotrophin signalling in regulating adult cBF function is less clear, although in dementia, trophic signalling is reduced and p75NTR mediates neurodegeneration of cBF neurons. Here we review the current understanding of how cBF neurons are regulated by neurotrophins which activate p75NTR and TrkA, B or C to influence the critical role that these neurons play in normal cortical function, particularly higher order cognition. Specifically, we describe the current evidence that neurotrophins regulate the development of basal forebrain neurons and their role in maintaining and modifying mature basal forebrain synaptic and cortical microcircuit connectivity. Understanding the role neurotrophin signalling plays in regulating the precision of cholinergic connectivity will contribute to the understanding of normal cognitive processes and will likely provide additional ideas for designing improved therapies for the treatment of neurological disease in which cholinergic dysfunction has been demonstrated.
Allophony in English Language Learners: The Case of Tap in English and Spanish
Authors: Burrows Lauren , Jarmulowicz Linda , Oller D. Kimbrough
Published: January 2019

Purpose

The objective of this study was to examine tap production by English language learners (ELLs) in kindergarten whose 1st language is Spanish. The conflicting status of tap in Spanish and English could present challenges for allophonic learning in 2nd language for ELLs. Prior research has evaluated acquisition of other allophone pairs, but none has focused exclusively on tap.

Method

Thirty ELLs, 30 English monolinguals, and 29 Spanish monolinguals participated in the study. Participants completed a single-word repetition task in which numerous opportunities to produce tap were provided. Productions were phonetically transcribed and analyzed.

Results

The great majority of taps were pronounced correctly in both languages. The allophonic status of tap in English and phonemic status in Spanish suggest ELLs could experience negative transfer in learning; however, this was not observed. A significant interaction indicated more t/d substitutions in English and more semivowel/liquid substitutions in Spanish, contradicting the expectation of negative transfer. ELLs were also significantly more accurate at producing tap in Spanish than English.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that, at early kindergarten, ELL children rapidly adapted to English patterns of tap production even though Spanish and English conflict in phonemic/allophonic status of tap. This study was preliminary, and further investigation is warranted.
What Clinicians Need to Know About Early Literacy Development in Children With Hearing Loss
Authors: Runnion Elizabeth , Gray Shelley
Published: January 2019

Purpose

Children with hearing loss may not reach the same level of reading proficiency as their peers with typical development. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have important roles to play in preventing this problem early in children's development. In this tutorial, we aim to communicate how the habilitation practices of audiologists and intervention services of SLPs can support early literacy skill development in children with hearing loss.

Method

We describe key findings from peer-reviewed research articles to provide a review of early literacy skill development, to explain the relationship between early literacy skills and conventional reading skills, and to highlight findings from early literacy skill intervention studies that included children with hearing loss who use spoken language. We conclude with a hypothetical case study to illustrate how audiologists and SLPs can support early literacy acquisition in children with hearing loss.

Conclusion

Findings from studies of young children with hearing loss suggest that a promising approach to improving reading outcomes is to provide explicit early literacy instruction and intervention.
Relationship between wear behaviour of ultra‐high‐molecular‐weight polyethylene and surface profile of Co–Cr–Mo alloy in artificial joint
Authors: Motojima Nana , Nakashima Yuta , Fujiwara Yukio , Komohara Yoshihiro , Takeya Motohiro , Miura Hiromasa , Hino Kazunori , Higaki Hidehiko , Hata Hidehiro , Nakanishi Yoshitaka
Published: January 2019

The relationship between the wear behaviour of an ultra‐high‐molecular‐weight polyethylene (GUR1050) pin and surface profile of a Co‐28Cr‐6Mo alloy (ASTM F‐75) disc was investigated. Tribological tests have been performed by pin‐on‐disc wear testing machine with multi‐directional pathways, obtaining the influence of micro slurry‐jet erosion (MSE) processed Co–Cr–Mo alloy. The specific wear and the wear particles have been investigated. It was elucidated that the Co–Cr–Mo alloy surface processed by MSE influenced the specific wear rate of polyethylene; however, the morphological aspect of polyethylene wear particles was not drastically changed. The wear particles isolated from the lubricating liquid were added to a culture medium, and human monocyte‐derived macrophages were incubated by using an upright/inverted method. The production of TNF‐α and IL‐6 seemed to have a correlation with the amount of wear particles added, however, the influence of particle size on the production of TNF‐α and IL‐6 was not obvious. This means that the improvements for the incubation method, i.e. upright/inverted method, need further investigation for the accurate analysis.
Generalised vertical projection histograms using multi‐plane homology
Authors: Yan Yuyao , Xu Ming , Smith Jeremy S.
Published: January 2019

Vertical projection histograms are an efficient shape representation for 2D binary silhouettes and have been widely used in pedestrian localisation for video surveillance. The weakness of this method is that it is not invariant to rotation. In this Letter, a generalised vertical projection histogram is proposed to solve this problem, in which the homology transformations of the foreground silhouettes, for a set of parallel planes, are warped to, and accumulated, in the original foreground map. Then a method, similar to the vertical projection histogram, is carried out to localise the pedestrians in the foreground silhouettes. The algorithm applies an integrated approach using both image projection and geometric projection. Its value is demonstrated in a case study on pedestrian localisation with cast shadows.
Strategically incorporation of RES and DSTATCOM for techno‐economic‐environmental benefits using search space reduction‐based ICSA
Authors: Sannigrahi Surajit , Roy Ghatak Sriparna , Acharjee Parimal
Published: January 2019

In this study, an improved crow search algorithm (ICSA) is proposed for the optimal allocation of renewable energy sources (RESs) and distributed static compensator in a practical distribution network (PDN) to improve system voltage, reduce line losses, maximise economic benefit, and decrease pollutants’ emission. To improve the performances, the control parameters of ICSA are logically tuned to make them adaptive with the iteration. Voltage stability index is used to identify healthier and weaker buses (HBs and WBs) of the system and comparative performance analysis is conducted after placing the devices at the identified HBs and WBs. The proposed technique is applied for both the cases of reduced search space (only WBs) and full search space (all the load buses) to establish that the optimal placement is always obtained at the WBs of the network. The optimal allocation for each type of device is conducted considering the time‐varying characteristics of load demand and RES's power output, and their optimal performances are analysed in details, which will be helpful for the distribution companies to identify the most suitable device for incorporating in PDN. Furthermore, to show the effectiveness, the proposed algorithm is also compared with other algorithms.
Distributed coordination control for suppressing circulating current in parallel inverters of islanded microgrid
Authors: Wu Ying , Guerrero Josep M. , Wu Yanpeng
Published: January 2019

This study proposes a distributed hierarchical coordination control paradigm for parallel inverters, which not only enhances the flexibility of plug and play architecture but also strengthens the accuracy of current sharing with low sensitivity to the different line impedances and with fast response to the transient current change in islanded microgrid. Two kinds of distributed coordinated controller are designed to remove the voltage and frequency deviation from primary control. One is proportional–integral–derivative‐based control, which detects the error between the segmented reference current and the actual measured current of the local inverter to calculate the compensating control input of the primary controller. The other is consensus‐based control, which uses distributed control actions to spread local information among neighbouring distributed units. To improve the robustness of consensus algorithm, the authors take a relative value instead of absolute value from the primary control as the consensus variable to achieve accurate current sharing among different nominal power rating inverters. Then, a detailed small‐signal state‐space model is developed with the proposed secondary cooperated controller to achieve the stability analysis and parameters design purpose. Finally, an islanded MG test system is built in MATLAB/Simulink and control performances of two strategies are verified and compared.
Network allocation of BESS with voltage support capability for improving the stability of power systems
Authors: Cifuentes Nicolás , Rahmann Claudia , Valencia Felipe , Alvarez Ricardo
Published: January 2019

The stability of future power systems will be challenged by high shares of converter‐based generation technologies (CBGTs). To prevent instability problems, it is essential to explore new technologies and control strategies able to counteract the negative effects that CBGTs may have. In this regard, promising technologies are battery energy storage systems (BESSs), which can provide a wide range of benefits from a stability viewpoint. Current methodologies that quantify and allocate BESSs in electrical networks have been developed from an economic perspective considering a steady‐state formulation of the system. Accordingly, these allocation approaches do not exploit all the benefits that BESSs can offer to system stability. This study proposes a novel optimisation methodology for efficient BESS allocation in systems with high levels of CBGTs. The model improves system stability by considering BESSs with voltage support capability during contingencies. The allocation is solved by a genetic algorithm considering transient voltages throughout the network busbars and their short circuit levels. The methodology was implemented in the 39‐busbar New England system. Compared to traditional approaches, the proposed BESS allocation method enables significant improvements in the stability of the system during critical contingencies.
Lung tumour detection by fusing extended local binary patterns and weighted orientation of difference from computed tomography
Authors: Shakoor Mohammad Hossein
Published: January 2019

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Although early detection of lung tumours (nodules) can remarkably diminish the mortal rate, precise detection of them is not always possible by visual inspection of the computerised tomography images. Since nodules with different sizes have non‐uniform shape and brightness, texture attributes and also the gradient of orientation can be good candidate features, which have been used for this purpose. They determined the co‐occurrence matrix of the extended local binary pattern (ELBP) along with weighted orientation difference (WOD) for each sub‐region of the lung area. Local binary pattern is a texture descriptor that can extract the discriminative features efficiently. The proposed ELBP is rotation invariant and suitable to describe non‐uniform patterns. Moreover, WOD as a structural feature uses the magnitude of each edge as the weight of its orientation difference. After constructing the co‐occurrence matrix, discriminative features were extracted from this matrix and fed into a support vector machine in order to classify each sub‐region as a cancerous (nodule) or normal tissue. The proposed method was compared to some of state‐of‐the‐art nodule detection methods and was assessed over several real datasets in terms of specificity, sensitivity and accuracy.
Robust correlation filter tracking with deep semantic supervision
Authors: Wang Wei , Chen Zhaoming , Douadji Lyes , Shi Mingquan
Published: January 2019

Traditional correlation filter (CF) tracking has achieved high tracking performance and speed. However, it easily falls into tracking failures in some cases of target occlusion, deformation, rotation etc. Tracking failure also contaminates the CF model and makes it less discriminative. To tackle these problems, the authors propose a deep semantic supervision tracking framework. This framework integrates the advantages of multiple features and tracking methods into an evaluation and redetection tracking mechanism. In this work, customised deep convolutional neural network (CNN) with particle filtering (PF) resampling was employed to alleviate the contamination of the CF model and improve tracking performance. The authors also adopted a mixed decision mechanism for CF tracking results evaluation. Furthermore, based on the observation that most tracking frames can be easily tracked by a CF tracker using handcrafted features, authors’ tracking method achieves real‐time performance. It should be noted that the proposed framework is flexible and extensible to improve other existing trackers. In authors’ extensive experiments on large benchmark datasets including OTB2013 and OTB2015, the proposed tracker performed favourably compared to the state‐of‐the‐art methods.
Multi‐label automatic image annotation approach based on multiple improvement strategies
Authors: Jin Cong , Jin Shu‐Wei
Published: January 2019

Currently, multi‐label automatic image annotation (MAIA) approach based on machine learning has been widely applied and developed. Since extreme learning machine (ELM) has the advantages of simple structure, fast learning speed, better generalisation ability and so on, it is used for MAIA in this study. In order to enhance the annotation performance and generalisation ability of MAIA, some work is designed and implemented. First of all, a novel distance metric learning method based on cost‐sensitive learning for MAIA task is proposed to reduce the impact of class imbalance of samples. Second, an improved ELM approach based on singular value decomposition is proposed for implementing MAIA task. Finally, the selection of training samples (STS) strategy based on error correlation is also proposed to improve the generalisation ability and annotation performance of MAIA. Based on the above work, a novel MAIA approach is implemented. The experimental results confirm that the proposed cost‐sensitive DLM, improved cost‐sensitive ELM and STS can obtain the good generalisation ability, and achieve better annotation performance than the existing MAIA approaches.
The bioclimatic approach in developing smart urban isles for sustainable cities
Authors: Serghides Despina Kyprianou , Dimitriou Stella , Kyprianou Ioanna , Papanicolas Costas
Published: January 2019

The rapid trends of urbanization have catastrophic consequences on the ecology of our cities. The large amounts of energy consumption and the reckless exploitation of natural resources is leading to increased emissions of ozone depleting gases and carbon dioxide emissions, which are polluting our planet and enhancing the effects of global warming. This paper will present the bioclimatic approach in achieving a smart urban isle as a basic unit for the development of sustainable cities of the EU ERANET project “Smart bioclimatic low-carbon urban areas as innovative energy isles in the sustainable city” (SUI). It will outline the project and demonstrate the approach of achieving bioclimatic urban isles through the Cyprus case study. The main aim of the SUI project is to develop sustainable cities through balancing locally the energy systems. Thus, the project aspires to move forward with the urban energy and CO2 reduction. The study will focus on the bioclimatic approach, which is one of the three cornerstone procedures (Bioclimatic design, Smart Grids and Management Platform) on which the project is based. It will exemplify how the various aspects of the bioclimatic design and the utilization of the beneficial aspects of the surrounding environment are exploited and applied on defined urban isles, as a basic unit of the city.