bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of induced sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on neutrophil migration in vitro
Authors: Babušytė Agnė , Jeroch Jolanta , Stakauskas Rimantas , Stravinskaitė Kristina , Malakauskas Kęstutis , Sakalauskas Raimundas
Published: June 2018

Objective. The aim of study was to investigate a chemotactic effect of induced sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid on blood neutrophils in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and healthy individuals. Material and methods. Forty-three smokers with COPD, 19 ex-smokers with COPD, 13 healthy smokers, and 17 healthy nonsmokers were recruited to the study. Neutrophils were isolated from peripheral blood of study individuals. For the same experimental conditions, pooled induced sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of 20 COPD patients were used. Neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro was performed in cell-transmigration chamber. Substances tested for chemoattraction (interleukin-8, induced sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid directly or in addition to interleukin-8) were added to lower wells. Upper wells were filled with 2.5×106/mL of neutrophil culture and incubated for 2 hours. Migration was analyzed by flow cytometry. Results. Interleukin-8 (10–100 ng/mL) induced a dose-dependant neutrophil migration in all the groups. Only 100 ng/L of interleukin-8 induced more intensive chemotaxis of neutrophils from COPD smokers as compared to ex-smokers (P<0.05). Such difference between healthy individuals was obtained using 30 ng/mL of interleukin-8 (P<0.05). Induced sputum/interleukin-8 (10–100 ng/mL), as well as induced sputum directly, induced neutrophil migration (P<0.05). Chemotaxis of neutrophils isolated from COPD patients and healthy nonsmokers did not depend on additional interleukin-8 concentration. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid/interleukin-8 (30–100 ng/mL) induced more intensive migration of neutrophils from COPD patients than bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (P<0.05) alone. Conclusions. Migration of neutrophils isolated from patients with COPD was more intensive compared to healthy individuals. Induced sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid directly and with addition of interleukin-8 stimulated chemotaxis, and it was higher in neutrophils from COPD patients. Migration of neutrophils did not depend on smoking status.
mTHPC-mediated photodynamic treatment of Lewis lung carcinoma in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Dabkevičienė Daiva , Stankevičius Vaidotas , Graželienė Gražina , Markuckas Arvydas , Didžiapetrienė Janina , Kirvelienė Vida
Published: June 2018

Background and objective. The ongoing search for the enhancement of efficacy of photodynamic therapy stimulates the interest in molecular mechanisms of the response to the treatment. Looking for the cell line suitable for investigation of cellular response both in vivo and in vitro, we evaluated phototoxicity of m-tetrakis-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-chlorin (mTHPC) on viability of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC1) cells in vitro, growth of murine transplantable tumor, and mice survival. Material and methods. LLC1 cell culture and male C57BL/6 mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma were used for the experiments. Photodynamic treatment was mediated by m-tetrakis-(3- hydroxyphenyl)-chlorin as a photosensitizer. Light emitting diode array was used for illumination. The effect of the photodynamic treatment was evaluated by comparison of viability of control and treated cells, growth of tumors, and survival of the control and treated mice. Results. In vitro, a cytotoxic dose inducing a reduction in viability of LLC1 cells by 50% was achieved at 60 mJ/cm2 and approximately 400 ng/mL of the photosensitizer, or 30 mJ/cm2 and 600 ng/mL of mTHPC. Both the concentration of the photosensitizer and duration of light exposure were significant determinants of cytotoxic effect. In vivo, an injection of 0.25 mg/kg of mTHPC to mice bearing Lewis lung tumor and illumination at 120 J/cm2 taking place after 24 h significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged mice survival. However, the tumors regained their growth potential after 9 days. Conclusions. Photodynamic treatment mediated by m-tetrakis-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-chlorin had a significant effect on LLC1 cells in vitro and growth of Lewis lung carcinoma in vivo.
Prognosis and Follow-Up of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Fernández Fabrellas Estrella , Peris Sánchez Ricardo , Sabater Abad Cristina , Juan Samper Gustavo
Published: June 2018

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a devastating progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD) with no known cause, is the most common and deadly of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. With a median survival of 3–5 years following diagnosis, IPF is characterized by a progressive decline in lung function and quality of life in most patients. Prognostic factors recognized classically that influence mortality include functional, clinical and radiological parameters. However, in recent years, there has also been progress in the knowledge of genetic factors and biomarkers that may be useful in the prognostic evaluation of these patients. On the other hand, the monitoring of the disease throughout its evolution is key to improving the prognosis of the patients, as it allows for taking therapeutic measures based on this evolution, even early remission for lung transplantation. This article reviews the main prognostic factors of the disease, as well as the most useful way to monitor the disease follow-up.
Improving the Electrical Contact Performance for Amorphous Wire Magnetic Sensor by Employing MEMS Process
Authors: Chen Yulong , Li Jianhua , Chen Jianwen , Xu Lixin
Published: June 2018

This paper presents a novel fabrication method for amorphous alloy wire giant magneto-impedance (GMI) magnetic sensor based on micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. In this process, negative SU-8 thick photoresist was proposed as the solder mask due to its excellent properties, such as good stability, mechanical properties, etc. The low melting temperature solder paste was used for the electrical connections with the amorphous alloy wire and the electrode pads. Compared with the conventional welding fabrication methods, the proposed micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) process in this paper showed the advantages of good impedance consistency, and can be fabricated at a low temperature of 150 °C. The amorphous alloy wire magnetic sensor made by the conventional method and by the micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) process were tested and compared, respectively. The minimum resistance value of the magnetic sensor made by the conventional welding method is 19.8 Ω and the maximum is 28.1 Ω. The variance of the resistance is 7.559 Ω2. The minimum resistance value of the magnetic sensor made by micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) process is 20.1 Ω and the maximum is 20.5 Ω. The variance of the resistance is 0.029 Ω2. The test results show that the impedance consistency by micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) process is better than that of the conventional method. The sensor sensitivity is around 150 mV/Oe and the nonlinearity is less than 0.92% F.S.
Editorial for Special Issue “Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Hydrothermal Metallic Mineral Deposits”
Authors: Bornhorst Theodore J.
Published: June 2018

The Special Issue of Minerals on Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Hydrothermal Metallic Mineral Deposits presents the results of diverse geochemical and mineralogical research from across the globe[…]
Antifungal Activity of an Abundant Thaumatin-Like Protein from Banana against Penicillium expansum, and Its Possible Mechanisms of Action
Authors: Jiao Wenxiao , Li Xiangxin , Zhao Handong , Cao Jiankang , Jiang Weibo
Published: June 2018

Thaumatin-like protein from banana (designated BanTLP) has been purified by employing a simple protocol consisting of diethylaminoethyl Sephadex (DEAE–Sephadex) chromatography, gel filtration on Sephadex G50, and reversed-phase chromatography. The purified protein was identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, with an estimated molecular weight of 22.1 kDa. BanTLP effectively inhibited in vitro spore germination of Penicillium expansum, one of the main postharvest pathogens in fruits. This study further investigated the antifungal properties and underlying mechanisms of BanTLP against P. expansum. Results demonstrated that BanTLP exhibited antifungal activity in a wide pH range (4.0–10.0) at 20–50 °C. Propidium iodide (PI) influx and potassium release confirmed that BanTLP induced membrane disruption of the test pathogen, increasing the membrane permeability and disintegration of the cell. This led to cell death, as evidenced by the assays of thiobarbituric acid-reactive species (TBARS) content, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) fluorescence integrity. Ultrastructural alterations in P. expansum conidia after BanTLP treatment revealed severe damage to the cell wall. These results suggest that BanTLP purified from banana exerts antifungal activity against P. expansum by inducing plasma membrane disturbance and cell wall disorganization.
Rapid Colorimetric Detection of Cartap Residues by AgNP Sensor with Magnetic Molecularly Imprinted Microspheres as Recognition Elements
Authors: Wu Mao , Deng Huiyun , Fan Yajun , Hu Yunchu , Guo Yaping , Xie Lianwu
Published: June 2018

The overuse of cartap in tea tree leads to hazardous residues threatening human health. A colorimetric determination was established to detect cartap residues in tea beverages by silver nanoparticles (AgNP) sensor with magnetic molecularly imprinted polymeric microspheres (Fe3O4@mSiO2@MIPs) as recognition elements. Using Fe3O4 as supporting core, mesoporous SiO2 as intermediate shell, methylacrylic acid as functional monomer, and cartap as template, Fe3O4@mSiO2@MIPs were prepared to selectively and magnetically separate cartap from tea solution before colorimetric determination by AgNP sensors. The core-shell Fe3O4@mSiO2@MIPs were also characterized by FT-IR, TEM, VSM, and experimental adsorption. The Fe3O4@mSiO2@MIPs could be rapidly separated by an external magnet in 10 s with good reusability (maintained 95.2% through 10 cycles). The adsorption process of cartap on Fe3O4@mSiO2@MIPs conformed to Langmuir adsorption isotherm with maximum adsorption capacity at 0.257 mmol/g and short equilibrium time of 30 min at 298 K. The AgNP colorimetric method semi-quantified cartap ≥5 mg/L by naked eye and quantified cartap 0.1–5 mg/L with LOD 0.01 mg/L by UV-vis spectroscopy. The AgNP colorimetric detection after pretreatment with Fe3O4@mSiO2@MIPs could be successfully utilized to recognize and detect cartap residues in tea beverages.
Alkaloids from Tetrastigma hemsleyanum and Their Anti-Inflammatory Effects on LPS-Induced RAW264.7 Cells
Authors: Wang Cai Yi , Jang Hyun-Jae , Han Yoo Kyong , Su Xiang Dong , Lee Seung Woong , Rho Mun-Chual , Wang Heng-Shan , Yang Seo Young , Kim Young Ho
Published: June 2018

Alkaloids 1–10 were isolated from the aerial parts of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum (APTH) and obtained from species of the genus Tetrastigma for the first time. The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were identified by NMR, UV, and MS analyses. Their anti-inflammatory activities were investigated by measuring nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. Among all the isolates, compounds 6, 7 and 10 showed potent inhibitory activity against LPS-stimulated NO production in RAW264.7 cells (IC50: 31.9, 25.2 and 6.3 μM, respectively). Furthermore, APTH and S-(−)-trolline (10) inhibited induction of inflammatory cytokines or mediators such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) via suppression of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) translocation into the nucleus. In addition, 10 suppressed extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. These results conclusively demonstrated that compound 10 displays anti-inflammatory activity via suppression of NF-κB activation and the ERK-MAPK signaling pathway in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.
Organic Fluorescent Compounds that Display Efficient Aggregation-Induced Emission Enhancement and Intramolecular Charge Transfer
Authors: Hou Ruibin , Zhao Baohua , Xia Yan , Li Dongfeng
Published: June 2018

A series of symmetric sulfone-linked organic fluorescent compounds (1a–c) was synthesized and characterized. V-shaped 1a–c were designed as aggregate of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) processes. The 1a–c emitted intense blue violet lights in normal solvents. A large red shift of the emission wavelength and dramatic decrease of emission efficiency occurred with increasing solvent polarity. The 1a–c will function well as electron transport and blue light-emitting materials through theoretical calculations.
In-Syringe Micro Solid-Phase Extraction Method for the Separation and Preconcentration of Parabens in Environmental Water Samples
Authors: Mashile Geaneth Pertunia , Mpupa Anele , Nomngongo Philiswa Nosizo
Published: June 2018

In this study, a simple, rapid and effective in-syringe micro-solid phase extraction (MSPE) method was developed for the separation and preconcetration of parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl paraben) in environmental water samples. The parabens were determined and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography and a photo diode array detector (HPLC-PDA). Chitosan-coated activated carbon (CAC) was used as the sorbent in the in-syringe MSPE device. A response surface methodology based on central composite design was used for the optimization of factors (eluent solvent type, eluent volume, number of elution cycles, sample volume, sample pH) affecting the extraction efficiency of the preconcentration procedure. The adsorbent used displayed excellent absorption performance and the adsorption capacity ranged from 227–256 mg g−1. Under the optimal conditions the dynamic linear ranges for the parabens were between 0.04 and 380 µg L−1. The limits of detection and quantification ranged from 6–15 ng L−1 and 20–50 ng L−1, respectively. The intraday (repeatability) and interday (reproducibility) precisions expressed as relative standard deviations (%RSD) were below 5%. Furthermore, the in-syringe MSPE/HPLC procedure was validated using spiked wastewater and tap water samples and the recoveries ranged between from 96.7 to 107%. In conclusion, CAC based in-syringe MSPE method demonstrated great potential for preconcentration of parabens in complex environmental water.
Applications of Nanomaterials Based on Magnetite and Mesoporous Silica on the Selective Detection of Zinc Ion in Live Cell Imaging
Authors: Erami Roghayeh Sadeghi , Ovejero Karina , Meghdadi Soraia , Filice Marco , Amirnasr Mehdi , Rodríguez-Diéguez Antonio , De La Orden María Ulagares , Gómez-Ruiz Santiago
Published: June 2018

Functionalized magnetite nanoparticles (FMNPs) and functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (FMSNs) were synthesized by the conjugation of magnetite and mesoporous silica with the small and fluorogenic benzothiazole ligand, that is, 2(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole (hpbtz). The synthesized fluorescent nanoparticles were characterized by FTIR, XRD, XRF, 13C CP MAS NMR, BET, and TEM. The photophysical behavior of FMNPs and FMSNs in ethanol was studied using fluorescence spectroscopy. The modification of magnetite and silica scaffolds with the highly fluorescent benzothiazole ligand enabled the nanoparticles to be used as selective and sensitive optical probes for zinc ion detection. Moreover, the presence of hpbtz in FMNPs and FMSNs induced efficient cell viability and zinc ion uptake, with desirable signaling in the normal human kidney epithelial (Hek293) cell line. The significant viability of FMNPs and FMSNs (80% and 92%, respectively) indicates a potential applicability of these nanoparticles as in vitro imaging agents. The calculated limit of detections (LODs) were found to be 2.53 × 10−6 and 2.55 × 10−6 M for Fe3O4-H@hpbtz and MSN-Et3N-IPTMS-hpbtz-f1, respectively. FMSNs showed more pronounced zinc signaling relative to FMNPs, as a result of the more efficient penetration into the cells.
Gelled Electrolyte Containing Phosphonium Ionic Liquids for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Leclère Mélody , Bernard Laurent , Livi Sébastien , Bardet Michel , Guillermo Armel , Picard Lionel , Duchet-Rumeau Jannick
Published: June 2018

In this work, new gelled electrolytes were prepared based on a mixture containing phosphonium ionic liquid (IL) composed of trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium cation combined with bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide [TFSI] counter anions and lithium salt, confined in a host network made from an epoxy prepolymer and amine hardener. We have demonstrated that the addition of electrolyte plays a key role on the kinetics of polymerization but also on the final properties of epoxy networks, especially thermal, thermo-mechanical, transport, and electrochemical properties. Thus, polymer electrolytes with excellent thermal stability (>300 °C) combined with good thermo-mechanical properties have been prepared. In addition, an ionic conductivity of 0.13 Ms·cm−1 at 100 °C was reached. Its electrochemical stability was 3.95 V vs. Li0/Li+ and the assembled cell consisting in Li|LiFePO4 exhibited stable cycle properties even after 30 cycles. These results highlight a promising gelled electrolyte for future lithium ion batteries.
The Association between Mediterranean Diet and the Risk of Falls and Physical Function Indices in Older Type 2 Diabetic People Varies by Age
Authors: Tepper Sigal , Alter Sivashensky Amit , Rivkah Shahar Danit , Geva Diklah , Cukierman-Yaffe Tali
Published: June 2018

Background and Aims: Diabetes and dysglycemia increase the risk of frailty and decreased physical abilities. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) may reduce this risk. We hypothesized that adherence to the MD is associated with physical function in older type-2 diabetic patients and that the association is stratified by age. Methods and Results: We recruited type-2 diabetes patients aged >60 years at the Center for Successful Aging with Diabetes at Sheba Medical Center. Health status and demographic data were obtained from medical records. Food Frequency Questionnaire was used for nutritional assessment and calculation of MD score. Physical function indices were determined by a physiotherapist and included: Berg Balance test, Timed Get-Up-and-Go, 6-min walk (6 MW), 10-m walk (10 MW), Four Square Step Test, 30-s chair stand and Grip strength, and activities and instrumental activities of daily living. Among 117 participants (age 70.6 ± 6.5), high adherence to MD was associated with better score on functional tests (low vs. high MD adherence: 9.7% vs. 25%, ANOVA p = 0.02). A significant age by MD interaction was found: a higher adherence to MD was associated with a better 6 MW (low vs. high: 387 ± 35 m vs. 483 ± 26 m; p = 0.001) and higher 10 MW (low vs. high: 1.8 ± 0.16 m/s vs. 2.0 ± 0.13 m/s; p = 0.02) in participants aged >75 years. These associations remained significant after controlling for gender, age, BMI, and physical activity. Conclusion: In the current study, we showed relationships between strength, physical performance, and MD among older diabetic patients. Future studies are needed to confirm this association and establish temporal relationships.
Trimester-Specific Dietary Intakes in a Sample of French-Canadian Pregnant Women in Comparison with National Nutritional Guidelines
Authors: Savard Claudia , Lemieux Simone , Weisnagel S. John , Fontaine-Bisson Bénédicte , Gagnon Claudia , Robitaille Julie , Morisset Anne-Sophie
Published: June 2018

Diet during pregnancy greatly impacts health outcomes. This study aims to measure changes in dietary intakes throughout trimesters and to assess pregnant women’s dietary intakes in comparison with current Canadian nutritional recommendations. Seventy-nine pregnant women were recruited and completed, within each trimester, three Web-based 24-h dietary recalls and one Web questionnaire on supplement use. Dietary intakes from food, with and without supplements, were compared to nutritional recommendations throughout pregnancy. Energy and macronutrient intakes remained stable throughout pregnancy. A majority of women exceeded their energy and protein requirements in the first trimester, and fat intakes as a percentage of energy intakes were above recommendations for more than half of the women in all trimesters. Supplement use increased dietary intakes of most vitamins and minerals, but 20% of women still had inadequate total vitamin D intakes and most women had excessive folic acid intakes. This study showed that pregnant women did not increase their energy intakes throughout pregnancy as recommended. Furthermore, although prenatal supplementation reduces the risk of inadequate intake for most micronutrients, there is still a risk of excessive folic acid and insufficient vitamin D intake, which needs further investigation.
Hydrogels for Atopic Dermatitis and Wound Management: A Superior Drug Delivery Vehicle
Authors: Harrison Ian P. , Spada Fabrizio
Published: June 2018

Wound management, in addition to presenting a significant burden to patients and their families, also contributes significantly to a country’s healthcare costs. Treatment strategies are numerous, but in most cases not ideal. Hydrogels, three-dimensional polymeric materials that can withstand a great degree of swelling without losing structural integrity, are drawing great attention for their use as topical wound management solutions in the form of films and as vehicles for drug delivery, due to their unique properties of high water content, biocompatibility, and flexibility. Hydrogels, both naturally and synthetically derived, can be tuned to respond to specific stimuli such as pH, temperature and light and they are ideally suited as drug delivery vehicles. Here we provide a brief overview of the history and characteristics of hydrogels, assess their uses in wound management and drug delivery, and compare them with other types of common drug delivery vehicle.
Compression Garments for Medical Therapy and Sports
Authors: Xiong Ying , Tao Xiaoming
Published: June 2018

Compression garments are elastic clothing with an engineered compression gradient that can be worn on limbs, upper, lower, or full body to use for therapy and sports. This article presents an overview and review on the compression garments and concentrates on the design of compression garments with an appropriate pressure for specific applications. It covers the types of compression garments, fibers and yarns, knitted fabric construction, garment design, an evaluation system, and pressure measurement and modeling. The material properties, fabric properties, pressure modeling, and the garment design system presents the prediction, design, and fabrication of the compression garments. Lastly, the research status and directions are discussed.
Trithiocarbonate-Functionalized PNiPAAm-Based Nanocomposites for Antimicrobial Properties
Authors: Tan Milène , Horvàth Lenke , Brunetto Priscilla S. , Fromm Katharina M.
Published: June 2018

In this study, four trithiocarbonate-functionalized PNiPAAms with different molecular weights were synthesized and used as a matrix to form composites with silver nanoparticles. Nanocomposites with several polymer-to-silver ratios P:Ag+ were prepared in order to evaluate the influence of silver loading. UV studies showed a thermoresponsive behavior of the nanocomposites with a thermo-reversibility according to cooling-heating cycles. Release kinetics demonstrated that the release of silver ions is mainly influenced by the size of the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which themselves depend on the polymer length. Antimicrobial tests against E. coli and S. aureus showed that some of the nanocomposites are antimicrobial and even full killing could be induced.
Fused Deposition Modeling of ABS-Barium Titanate Composites: A Simple Route towards Tailored Dielectric Devices
Authors: Khatri Bilal , Lappe Karl , Habedank Mathis , Mueller Tobias , Megnin Christof , Hanemann Thomas
Published: June 2018

A process for the development, characterization and correlation of composite materials for 3D printing is presented, alongside the processing of a polymer-ceramic functional composite using fused deposition modeling (FDM). The composite was developed using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) as the matrix material filled with barium titanate (BT) micro-powder up to 35 vol % (74.2 wt %). The ABS-BT composites exhibited a shear thinning behavior with increasing ceramic content. The composite was 3D printed into structural and functional test samples using FDM by adapting and optimizing the print parameters. Structural characterization revealed increasingly brittle behavior at higher filler ratios, with the ultimate tensile strength falling from 25.5 MPa for pure ABS to 13.7 MPa for the ABS-35 vol % BT composite. Four-point flexural tests showed a similar decrease in flexural strength with increasing ceramic content. Functional characterization revealed an increase in the relative permittivity at 200 kHz from 3.08 for pure ABS to 11.5 for the composite with 35 vol % BT. These results were correlated with the Maxwell-Garnett and Jayasundere-Smith effective medium models. The process described in this work can be used for other 3D printing processes and provides a framework for the rapid prototyping of functional composites into functional parts with reliable properties. The ABS-BT composite shows promise as a functional dielectric material, with potential applications as capacitors and light-weight passive antennas.
Estimation of Burned Area in the Northeastern Siberian Boreal Forest from a Long-Term Data Record (LTDR) 1982–2015 Time Series
Authors: García-Lázaro José R. , Moreno-Ruiz José A. , Riaño David , Arbelo Manuel
Published: June 2018

A Bayesian classifier mapped the Burned Area (BA) in the Northeastern Siberian boreal forest (70°N 120°E–60°N 170°E) from 1982 to 2015. The algorithm selected the 0.05° (~5 km) Long-Term Data Record (LTDR) version 3 and 4 data sets to generate 10-day BA composites. Landsat-TM scenes of the entire study site in 2002, 2010, and 2011 assessed the spatial accuracy of this LTDR-BA product, in comparison to Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MCD45A1 and MCD64A1 BA products. The LTDR-BA algorithm proves a reliable source to quantify BA in this part of Siberia, where comprehensive BA remote sensing products since the 1980s are lacking. Once grouped by year and decade, this study explored the trends in fire activity. The LTDR-BA estimates contained a high interannual variability with a maximum of 2.42 million ha in 2002, an average of 0.78 million ha/year, and a standard deviation of 0.61 million ha. Going from 6.36 in the 1980s to 10.21 million ha BA in the 2010s, there was a positive linear BA trend of approximately 1.28 million ha/decade during these last four decades in the Northeastern Siberian boreal forest.
Mapping and Characterizing Thermal Dilation of Civil Infrastructures with Multi-Temporal X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry
Authors: Qin Xiaoqiong , Zhang Lu , Ding Xiaoli , Liao Mingsheng , Yang Mengshi
Published: June 2018

Temperature variation plays a significant role in the long-term structural behaviour of civil infrastructures, but very few quantitative studies have measured and analysed the infrastructures’ global thermal dilation because of their large sizes and geometric complexities. The modern Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR) technique has great potential in applications of their thermal dilation mapping and characterization due to the techniques’ unique capabilities for use in large areas, with high-resolution, and at low-costs for deformation measurements. However, the practical application of DInSAR in thermal dilation estimation is limited by difficulty in the precise separation from the residual topographic phase and the trend deformation phase. Moreover, due to a lack of thermal dilation characteristics analyses in previous studies, the thermal dilation mechanisms are still unclear to users, which restricts the accurate understanding of the thermal dilation evolution process. Given the above challenges, an advanced multi-temporal DInSAR approach is proposed in this study, and the effectiveness of this approach was presented using three cases studies concerning different infrastructure types. In this method, the coherent, incoherent, and semantic information of structures were combined in order to refine the detection of point-like targets (PTs). Interferometric subsets with small temporal baselines and temperature differences were used for high-resolution topography estimation. A pre-analysis was adopted to determine the transmission direction, spatial pattern, and temporal variation of the thermal dilation. Then, both the traditional least squares estimation and our robust coherence-weighted least squares regression analysis were performed between the time series displacements and the corresponding temperatures to quantitatively estimate the thermal dilation model. The results were verified in terms of the estimated linear thermal dilation coefficient, which indicates the greater reliability of our method. Furthermore, the thermal dilation characteristics of different civil infrastructure types were analysed, which facilitates a greater understanding of the thermal dilation evolution process of civil infrastructures.
InSAR-Constrained Interseismic Deformation and Potential Seismogenic Asperities on the Altyn Tagh Fault at 91.5–95°E, Northern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Liu Chuanjin , Ji Lingyun , Zhu Liangyu , Zhao Chaoying
Published: June 2018

The present-day kinematic features of the different segments of the Altyn Tagh Fault (ATF) have been well-studied using geodetic data. However, on the eastern segment of the ATF at 91.5–95°E, high spatial resolution deformation has not been previously reported. Here, we processed 185 interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) images from three descending tracks of the C band ERS-1/2 and Envisat satellites spanning 1995–2011 and obtained the average deformation velocity field. Results show a left-lateral motion of ~4 mm/year along the fault-parallel direction across the ATF at 91.5–95°E, which is consistent with Global Positioning System (GPS) observations. The slip deficit rate distribution at shallow depths was resolved through the InSAR deformation velocity using a discretized fault plane. The slip deficit is capable of an Mw 7.9 earthquake, considering the elapsed time of the latest M 7.0 event. Two potential asperities that could be nucleation sites or rupture areas of future earthquakes were delineated based on the coupling coefficient and seismicity distributions along the fault plane. The larger asperity extends more than 100 km along the ATF at depths of 8–12 km. Our InSAR observations support the undeformed blocks model of the Indo-Eurasian collisional mechanism at the northern margin of the Tibetan plateau.
Multi-Scale Residual Convolutional Neural Network for Haze Removal of Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Jiang Hou , Lu Ning
Published: June 2018

Haze removal is a pre-processing step that operates on at-sensor radiance data prior to the physically based image correction step to enhance hazy imagery visually. Most current haze removal methods focus on point-to-point operations and utilize information in the spectral domain, without taking consideration of the multi-scale spatial information of haze. In this paper, we propose a multi-scale residual convolutional neural network (MRCNN) for haze removal of remote sensing images. MRCNN utilizes 3D convolutional kernels to extract spatial–spectral correlation information and abstract features from surrounding neighborhoods for haze transmission estimation. It takes advantage of dilated convolution to aggregate multi-scale contextual information for the purpose of improving its prediction accuracy. Meanwhile, residual learning is utilized to avoid the loss of weak information while deepening the network. Our experiments indicate that MRCNN performs accurately, achieving an extremely low validation error and testing error. The haze removal results of several scenes of Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data show that the visibility of the dehazed images is significantly improved, and the color of recovered surface is consistent with the actual scene. Quantitative analysis proves that the dehazed results of MRCNN are superior to the traditional methods and other networks. Additionally, a comparison to haze-free data illustrates the spectral consistency after haze removal and reveals the changes in the vegetation index.
A Distributed Model for Stressors Monitoring Based on Environmental Smart Sensors
Authors: De Ramón-Fernández Alberto , Ruiz-Fernández Daniel , Marcos-Jorquera Diego , Gilart-Iglesias Virgilio
Published: June 2018

Nowadays, in many countries, stress is becoming a problem that increasingly affects the health of people. Suffering stress continuously can lead to serious behavioral disorders such as anxiety or depression. Every person, in his daily routine, can face many factors which can contribute to increase his stress level. This paper describes a flexible and distributed model to monitor environmental variables associated with stress, which provides adaptability to any environment in an agile way. This model was designed to transform stress environmental variables in value added information (key stress indicator) and to provide it to external systems, in both proactive and reactive mode. Thus, this value-added information will assist organizations and users in a personalized way helping in the detection and prevention of acute stress cases. Our proposed model is supported by an architecture that achieves the features above mentioned, in addition to interoperability, robustness, scalability, autonomy, efficient, low cost and consumption, and information availability in real time. Finally, a prototype of the system was implemented, allowing the validation of the proposal in different environments at the University of Alicante.
Business Organisational Structures of Global Companies: Use of the Territorial Model to Ensure Long-Term Growth
Authors: Stverkova Hana , Pohludka Michal
Published: June 2018

In today’s turbulently expanding business environment, during the fourth industrial revolution, it is necessary to respond to market trends and to adapt strategy and organisational structure appropriately. The article is focused on the reorganisation and optimisation of the business organisation structure of global companies. The purpose of this paper is to analyse and evaluate the use of the territorial business structure, within the framework of a global company, based on experimental research. Experiences with the introduction of a territorial organisational structure in a corporate enterprise have proven to be highly effective long-term, with productivity and sales volumes increasing. This territorial setting can be considered as a competitive advantage, which matches predicted market trends and is suitable for global businesses.
Diversified Agglomeration, Specialized Agglomeration, and Emission Reduction Effect—A Nonlinear Test Based on Chinese City Data
Authors: Shen Neng , Zhao Yuqing , Wang Qunwei
Published: June 2018

Industrialization and urbanization has rapidly advanced in China. Therefore, clarifying the relationship between industrial agglomeration and environmental pollution resolves questions if intensive or dispersed development should be adopted for the future Chinese industry or not. By distinguishing between specialized and diversified agglomeration, this paper adopts the threshold regression method to investigate the differentiated influence of industrial agglomeration stages on pollution emission reduction. This was based on panel data from 2003 to 2016 on 285 prefecture-level cities in China. The result indicates that moderate degrees of industrial agglomeration and suitable agglomeration modes are conducive for the reduction of pollution emission. From a perspective of environmental protection, the development of diversified agglomeration is superior to that of specialized agglomeration. Specifically, a “U-shaped” relationship was found between specialized agglomeration and environmental pollution, suggesting that the former first mitigated and then worsened environmental pollution. This staged evolution of diversified agglomeration exerts a more-complex influence on environmental pollution. The following policy implications have been proposed: The currently implemented industrial growth pole strategy in China should fully utilize the “self-purification” effect of agglomeration to achieve energy conservation and emission reduction. Furthermore, differentiated agglomeration policies should be formulated in response to various growth poles according to different stages of industrial agglomeration. In addition, efforts should be made towards creating an interactive early warning mechanism for the spatial distribution of both economic activities and pollution.
The Impact of Green Lending on Credit Risk in China
Authors: Cui Yujun , Geobey Sean , Weber Olaf , Lin Haiying
Published: June 2018

This study explores China’s green credit policy from a credit risk perspective. Green finance has been growing rapidly in China since the government issued its Green Credit Policy. The objective of this study is to explore whether green loans are less risky than non-green loans. Based on a five-year dataset of 24 Chinese banks, we used panel regression techniques, including two-stage least square regression analysis and random-effect panel regression to examine whether a higher green credit ratio reduces a bank’s non-performing loan ratio (NPL ratio). The results suggest that allocating more green loans to the total loan portfolio does reduce a bank’s NPL ratio. We conclude that institutional pressure by the Chinese Green Credit Policy has a positive effect on both the environmental and the financial performance of banks. The study contributes to the literature on the correlation between green lending and credit risks, as well as to the literature on the impact of institutional pressure on environmental and financial risks.
Roadmap to Rebound: How to Address Rebound Effects from Resource Efficiency Policy
Authors: Font Vivanco David , Sala Serenella , McDowall Will
Published: June 2018

Increasing demand for resources has been met with a new wave of resource efficiency policies worldwide. Such policies are, however, vulnerable to rebound effects when increased resource efficiency leads to additional resource use via behavioural and systemic responses. Yet, the implications of policy-induced rebounds are mostly unknown since most studies have focused on costless and exogenous efficiency improvements that are not linked to any specific policy intervention. After reviewing the literature, we provide guidance for the analysis of policy-induced rebounds. With regards to scope and method design, we highlight the untapped potential of life cycle assessment (to capture trade-offs between life cycle stages and environmental pressures) and macro-economic modelling (to reveal economic consequences beyond supply chain effects). We also find striking asymmetries in research efforts, leaving knowledge gaps for key resource efficiency strategies targeting, among others, materials, water, land, biodiversity, and waste. Lastly, rebound effects generally focus on a single resource, usually energy, and much is ignored about their implications in the context of resource interlinkages. A better understanding of such cross-resource rebounds is key to design and to assess the effectiveness of emerging policy paradigms such as the resource nexus and the sustainable development goals.
Addressing Climate Change in Responsible Research and Innovation: Recommendations for Its Operationalization
Authors: Ligardo-Herrera Ivan , Gómez-Navarro Tomás , Inigo Edurne A. , Blok Vincent
Published: June 2018

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) has only lately included environmental sustainability as a key area for the social desirability of research and innovation. That is one of the reasons why just a few RRI projects and proposals include environmental sustainability, and Climate Change (CC) in particular. CC is one of the grand challenges of our time and, thus, this paper contributes to the operationalization of CC prevention in RRI. To this end, the tools employed against CC were identified. Tools originated in corporate social responsibility and sustainable innovation which help to operationalize strategies against CC in RRI practice. Complementarily, the latest proposals by RRI projects and actors related to CC were reviewed. The findings of the document analysis and the web review were arranged in a framework intended for research and innovation that has an indirect but relevant negative impact due to CC. Thus, four main strategies for CC prevention in RRI were determined: a voluntary integration of the aims, a life cycle perspective, open access databases and key performance indicators, and stakeholder management. The article is finished acknowledging diverse barriers hindering the operationalization of CC prevention in RRI, and we introduce future avenues for research in this area.
Effects of Infrastructure on Land Use and Land Cover Change (LUCC): The Case of Hangzhou International Airport, China
Authors: Xiong Changsheng , Beckmann Volker , Tan Rong
Published: June 2018

This paper presents an analysis of the land use and land cover change (LUCC) of major infrastructure construction as exemplified by the case of Hangzhou International Airport (HIA, Hangzhou, China), which is one of the busiest airports in Eastern China. The airport’s effect on LUCC is evaluated by comparing the actual pattern from 1996 to 2001 with a counterfactual simulated land use pattern that would have occurred without the intervention of airport construction. This research is based on land use maps from Landsat images that were analyzed by supervised classification and visual interpretation. To simulate the land use pattern occurring without airport construction, the counterfactual, we applied a cellular automata (CA)–Markov model. Through before and after comparison, we found that cultivated land has decreased and that constructed land has increased because of airport construction. However, according to the counterfactual scenario, airport construction to some extent prevented a decrease in cultivated land and decelerated the expansion of constructed land at a small scale and in the short term. We discuss several reasons for this result, including governmental regulations, such as the setting of the airport clearance area for the safety of plane take-off and landing, the adverse effects of aviation noise or pollution, which may limit the construction activities in the surrounding areas of the airport, and, importantly, the unique land use and land management system in China, mainly the cultivated land requisition-compensation balance policy. We conclude that (1) the counterfactual CA–Markov model simulation is a suitable and unbiased way of evaluating the effect of infrastructure on LUCC that can solve the deficiency in the previous literature relying on before and after comparisons and (2) regulatory, economic, and institutional factors should be considered when explaining and assessing the LUCC due to large infrastructure projects, such as airports, in China and in other countries.
Two-Stage Coordinate Optimal Scheduling of Seawater Pumped Storage in Active Distribution Networks
Authors: Liang Ning , Deng Changhong , Chen Yahong , Yao Weiwei , Li Dinglin , Chen Man , Peng Peng
Published: June 2018

The percentage of penetration in renewable energy generation (REG) in distribution networks has dramatically increased. Variable speed seawater pumped storage, which has a large power controllable range and flexible modes of operation, is an important tool to be applied in distribution networks to realize peak shaving and valley filling, and to mitigate the negative effects of REG. This paper presents a two-stage coordinated optimal scheduling model for the day-ahead and real-time operation of active distribution networks containing seawater pumped storage, REG, and flexible loads. In the model, seawater pumped storage and flexible loads are dispatched in the first day-ahead stage based on short-term forecast information of REG and load demands to minimize total operational costs. Then in the second real-time stage, the operation schedule of seawater pumped storage is adjusted to mitigate the negative effects of forecast errors of REG on the operation of active distribution networks. Network nodes power quality is improved and power loss is reduced. Applying the model, disadvantages of low accuracy short-term forecast are minimized whereas advantages of high accuracy ultra-short term forecast are fully taken. This model is tested using a modified Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 33-bus system. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
The Principal–Agent Leasing Model of “Company + n Farmers” under Two Division Modes
Authors: Yu Jianjun , Zheng Xiaohuan , Zhou Yongwu , Zhang Qiongzhi
Published: June 2018

The principal–agent leasing model consisting of one risk-neutral company and n risk-averse farmers is proposed by taking into consideration the characteristics of contract-farming and the fulfilment issues existing in the production process of agricultural products. We also discuss the optimal incentive coefficients and rents for n farmers under the two strategies of decentralization and concentration. The analysis suggests that the two division modes have no influence on the determination of the optimal effort level and the incentive coefficient of each party, and under the n farmers, the incentive coefficient given by the company to a single farmer household is not affected by the conditions of other farmer households. In terms of rent, land rent in the decentralized mode is strictly higher than land rent under the centralized mode. In the two modes of division, the total income of the company and the farmers is equal. Taking into account the randomness of the production process of agricultural products, the company will prefer to choose the centralized mode, and the farmers will tend to choose the decentralized mode in cooperation.
Monitoring and Modelling Coastal Vulnerability and Mitigation Proposal for an Archaeological Site (Kaulonia, Southern Italy)
Authors: Di Luccio Diana , Benassai Guido , Di Paola Gianluigi , Rosskopf Carmen Maria , Mucerino Luigi , Montella Raffaele , Contestabile Pasquale
Published: June 2018

This paper presents a Coastal Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) of a microtidal beach located on the Ionian Sea in Calabria region (southern Italy) in order to examine the influence of the different run-up equations on CVA score and propose mitigation measures for the most vulnerable parts of the beach. The coastal area has been severely eroded by extreme wave storms, which have also damaged important archaeological structures located on a nearby cliff. A typical 1 year return period (Tr) storm, associated with the recent criticalities, was chosen to test the different run-up formulas (Holman (1986), Mase (1989) Stockdon et al. (2006) and Poate et al. (2016)) on a number of beach profiles in order to check the sensitivity of the CVA calculation with regard to the different run-up equations. The obtained results provide evidence that different run-up levels often give rise to different CVA scores. Based on vulnerability results, some mitigation measures have been proposed for the beach in front of the archaeological area, based on submerged detached breakwater and an adherent gabion wall for the cliff defence.