bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Night on South Korea: Unraveling the Relationship between Urban Development Patterns and DMSP-OLS Night-Time Lights
Authors: Kang Mingyu , Jung Meen
Published: September 2019

Using artificial light data measured from satellites has the potential to change research methods in geography and urban planning. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Optical Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) night-time light datasets provided consistent and valuable data sources for investigating urbanization processes. This study intends to empirically investigate the relationship between night-time lights, population, and urban development patterns. A novel protocol was developed to integrate heterogeneous datasets into a standardized unit of analysis. Multivariate mixed-effects models were applied to detect correlations within and between provinces in South Korea. To capture physical variations of urban development, four landscape metrics were used and tested in the analyses. Diminishing returns of night-time lights to population were found in all models. In single landscape metric models, all coefficients of landscape metrics were positively related to night-time lights. In combination models, the aggregation index (AI) was no longer statistically significant. The protocol developed in this study provides an effective way to create analytical units for integrating heterogeneous forms of data. Creating standardized units of analyses will make it possible for researchers to compare their results with other studies. Landscape metrics used in this study for capturing the composition and configuration of urban development patterns will enrich the discussion in the future.
Deep Residual Autoencoder with Multiscaling for Semantic Segmentation of Land-Use Images
Authors: Li Lianfa
Published: September 2019

Semantic segmentation is a fundamental means of extracting information from remotely sensed images at the pixel level. Deep learning has enabled considerable improvements in efficiency and accuracy of semantic segmentation of general images. Typical models range from benchmarks such as fully convolutional networks, U-Net, Micro-Net, and dilated residual networks to the more recently developed DeepLab 3+. However, many of these models were originally developed for segmentation of general or medical images and videos, and are not directly relevant to remotely sensed images. The studies of deep learning for semantic segmentation of remotely sensed images are limited. This paper presents a novel flexible autoencoder-based architecture of deep learning that makes extensive use of residual learning and multiscaling for robust semantic segmentation of remotely sensed land-use images. In this architecture, a deep residual autoencoder is generalized to a fully convolutional network in which residual connections are implemented within and between all encoding and decoding layers. Compared with the concatenated shortcuts in U-Net, these residual connections reduce the number of trainable parameters and improve the learning efficiency by enabling extensive backpropagation of errors. In addition, resizing or atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP) can be leveraged to capture multiscale information from the input images to enhance the robustness to scale variations. The residual learning and multiscaling strategies improve the trained model’s generalizability, as demonstrated in the semantic segmentation of land-use types in two real-world datasets of remotely sensed images. Compared with U-Net, the proposed method improves the Jaccard index (JI) or the mean intersection over union (MIoU) by 4-11% in the training phase and by 3-9% in the validation and testing phases. With its flexible deep learning architecture, the proposed approach can be easily applied for and transferred to semantic segmentation of land-use variables and other surface variables of remotely sensed images.
Hyperspectral Endmember Extraction Using Spatially Weighted Simplex Strategy
Authors: Shen Xiangfei , Bao Wenxing
Published: September 2019

Spatial information is increasingly becoming a vital factor in the field of hyperspectral endmember extraction, since it takes into consideration the spatial correlation of pixels, which generally involves jointing spectral information for preprocessing and/or endmember extraction in hyperspectral imagery (HSI). Generally, simplex-based endmember extraction algorithms (EEAs) identify endmembers without considering spatial attributes, and the spatial preprocessing strategy is an independently executed module that can provide spatial information for the endmember search process. Despite this interest, to the best of our knowledge, no one has studied the integration framework of the spatial information-embedded simplex for hyperspectral endmember extraction. In this paper, we propose a spatially weighted simplex strategy, called SWSS, for hyperspectral endmember extraction that investigates a novel integration framework of the spatial information-embedded simplex for identifying endmember. Specifically, the SWSS generates the spatial weight scalar of each pixel by determining its corresponding spatial neighborhood correlations for weighting itself within the simplex framework to regularize the selection of the endmembers. The SWSS could be implemented in the traditional simplex-based EEAs, such as vertex component analysis (VCA), to introduce spatial information into the data simplex framework without the computational complexity excessively increasing or endmember extraction accuracy loss. Based on spectral angle distance (SAD) and root-mean-square-error (RMSE) evaluation criteria, experimental results on both synthetic and C u p r i t e real hyperspectral datasets indicate that the simplex-based EEA re-implemented by the SWSS has a significant improvement on endmember extraction performance over the techniques on their own and without re-implementing.
Quantitative Remote Sensing of Land Surface Variables: Progress and Perspective
Authors: Wang Dongdong , Sagan Vasit , Guillevic Pierre C.
Published: September 2019

The land is of particular importance to the human being, not only because it is our, as well as terrestrial biomes’, habitat, but the land surface also plays a unique role in the Earth system [...]
Airborne LiDAR Reveals a Vast Archaeological Landscape at the Nan Madol World Heritage Site
Authors: Comer Douglas C. , Comer Jacob A. , Dumitru Ioana A. , Ayres William S. , Levin Maureece J. , Seikel Katherine A. , White Devin A. , Harrower Michael J.
Published: September 2019

An airborne LiDAR survey of the Nan Madol World Heritage Site and adjacent Temwen Island revealed a complex, irrigated cultivation system, the first found in the Central and Eastern Caroline Islands. This informs the goals of the sustainable conservation project, funded by the U.S. Department of State Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, that inspired the survey, and expands understanding of Nan Madol and its place in the network of Pacific island interaction and trade. Fieldwork verified the presence, across Temwen, of low, wet, cultivable areas, many of which are connected by water channels or separated by earthen berms. The berms themselves may also have been cultivated. In complexity, labor investment, and organization, the system is comparable to Nan Madol itself, the largest archaeological site in Micronesia, with structures on about 100 artificial islets built of stone and coral on a reef flat. Constructed over a millennium, Nan Madol was the seat of the Saudeleur Dynasty, which persisted from about 1200 to 1600 CE. The cultivation system appears to have been able to provide ample food for consumption, feasting, and redistribution or trade. If the landscape alteration described here proves to date to the time of the Saudeleur Dynasty, it will offer many avenues of research into the economic basis of Nan Madol’s regional dominance.
Novel Multi-Scale Filter Profile-Based Framework for VHR Remote Sensing Image Classification
Authors: Lv Zhiyong , Li Guangfei , Chen Yixiang , Atli Benediktsson Jón
Published: September 2019

Filter is a well-known tool for noise reduction of very high spatial resolution (VHR) remote sensing images. However, a single-scale filter usually demonstrates limitations in covering various targets with different sizes and shapes in a given image scene. A novel method called multi-scale filter profile (MFP)-based framework (MFPF) is introduced in this study to improve the classification performance of a remote sensing image of VHR and address the aforementioned problem. First, an adaptive filter is extended with a series of parameters for MFP construction. Then, a layer-stacking technique is used to concatenate the MPFs and all the features into a stacked vector. Afterward, principal component analysis, a classical descending dimension algorithm, is performed on the fused profiles to reduce the redundancy of the stacked vector. Finally, the spatial adaptive region of each filter in the MFPs is used for post-processing of the obtained initial classification map through a supervised classifier. This process aims to revise the initial classification map and generate a final classification map. Experimental results performed on the three real VHR remote sensing images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed MFPF in comparison with the state-of-the-art methods. Hard-tuning parameters are unnecessary in the application of the proposed approach. Thus, such a method can be conveniently applied in real applications.
Affordable Thin Lens Using Single Polarized Disparate Filter Arrays for Beyond 5G toward 6G
Authors: Yoon Inseop , Oh Seongwoog , Oh Jungsuek
Published: September 2019

This paper proposes a novel design approach for a thin lens with the aim of overcoming fineness limits in the commercial millimeter wave printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing process. The PCB manufacturing process typically does not allow the fabrication of metallic patterns with a gap and width of less than 100 μm. This hampers expanding thin lens technology to 5G commercial applications, especially when such technology is considered for 60 GHz or higher frequency, which requires a finer gap and width of metallic traces. This paper proposes that problematic process conditions can be mitigated when a lens is designed by establishing single-polarized lumped element models where larger capacitance and inductance values can be obtained for the same patch and grid unit cells. While the proposed design technique is more advantageous at higher target frequencies, a 60 GHz application and a wireless backhaul system is selected because of a limited range of frequencies that can be measured by an available vector network analyzer. The required gap or width of metallic traces can be widened significantly by using the proposed single-polarized unit cells to acquire the same in-plane capacitance or inductance. This enables the lens operating at higher-frequency under the process limits in fabricable fine traces. Finally, the effectiveness of the simulated design procedure is demonstrated by fabricating a 60 GHz thin lens that can achieve a gain enhancement of 16 dB for a 4 × 4 patch antenna array with a gain of 16.5 dBi.
A Wi-Fi-Based Wireless Indoor Position Sensing System with Multipath Interference Mitigation
Authors: Xie Tuo , Jiang Hanjun , Zhao Xijin , Zhang Chun
Published: September 2019

Wi-Fi-based indoor position sensing solutions have the advantages of easy integration in mobile phones and low cost by using existing Wi-Fi access points. The mainstream methods are commonly based on the received signal strength indicator (RSSI), which suffers from multipath interference in complicated indoor environments. Through the in-depth analysis of the multipath interference, an RSSI-assisted time difference of arrival (TDoA) method is proposed for Wi-Fi-based indoor position sensing in this work. The key idea is to compensate for the multipath interference in the received signals based on the coarse estimation using RSSI and TDoA calculation. A prototype system has been implemented to validate the proposed method. Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method, especially for handling the multipath interference with small propagation delay difference. Experimental results show that the indoor position sensing system can achieve a 90th percentile error of 0.3 m. The proposed method can also achieve moderate computational complexity and moderate real-time performance compared to other methods.
Design and Development of Photonic Biosensors for Swine Viral Diseases Detection
Authors: Griol Amadeu , Peransi Sergio , Rodrigo Manuel , Hurtado Juan , Bellieres Laurent , Ivanova Teodora , Zurita David , Sánchez Carles , Recuero Sara , Hernández Alejandro , Simón Santiago , Balka Gyula , Bossis Ioannis , Capo Alessandro , Camarca Alessandra , D’Auria Sabato , Varriale Antonio , Giusti Alessandro
Published: September 2019

In this paper we introduce a field diagnostic device based on the combination of advanced bio-sensing and photonics technologies, to tackle emerging and endemic viruses causing swine epidemics, and consequently significant economic damage in farms. The device is based on the use of microring resonators fabricated in silicon nitride with CMOS compatible techniques. In the paper, the designed and fabricated photonic integrated circuit (PIC) sensors are presented and characterized, showing an optimized performance in terms of optical losses (30 dB per ring) and extinction ration for ring resonances (15 dB). Furthermore, the results of an experiment for porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) detection by using the developed biosensors are presented. Positive detection for different virus concentrations has been obtained. The device is currently under development in the framework of the EU Commission co-funded project SWINOSTICS.
Continuous Finger Gesture Recognition Based on Flex Sensors
Authors: Chuang Wei-Chieh , Hwang Wen-Jyi , Tai Tsung-Ming , Huang De-Rong , Jhang Yun-Jie
Published: September 2019

The goal of this work is to present a novel continuous finger gesture recognition system based on flex sensors. The system is able to carry out accurate recognition of a sequence of gestures. Wireless smart gloves equipped with flex sensors were implemented for the collection of the training and testing sets. Given the sensory data acquired from the smart gloves, the gated recurrent unit (GRU) algorithm was then adopted for gesture spotting. During the training process for the GRU, the movements associated with different fingers and the transitions between two successive gestures were taken into consideration. On the basis of the gesture spotting results, the maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation was carried out for the final gesture classification. Because of the effectiveness of the proposed spotting scheme, accurate gesture recognition was achieved even for complicated transitions between successive gestures. From the experimental results, it can be observed that the proposed system is an effective alternative for robust recognition of a sequence of finger gestures.
A GPS Spoofing Generator Using an Open Sourced Vector Tracking-Based Receiver
Authors: Meng Qian , Hsu Li-Ta , Xu Bing , Luo Xiapu , El-Mowafy Ahmed
Published: September 2019

Spoofing can seriously threaten the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) in critical applications such as positioning and navigation of autonomous vehicles. Research into spoofing generation will contribute to assessment of the threat of possible spoofing attacks and help in the development of anti-spoofing methods. However, the recent commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) spoofing generators are expensive and the technology implementation is complicated. To address the above problem and promote the GPS safety-critical applications, a spoofing generator using a vector tracking-based software-defined receiver is proposed in this contribution. The spoofing generator aims to modify the raw signals by cancelling the actual signal component and adding the spoofing signal component. The connections between the spreading code and carrier, and the states of the victim receiver are established through vector tracking. The actual signal can be predicted effectively, and the spoofing signal will be generated with the spoofing trajectory at the same time. The experimental test results show that the spoofing attack signal can effectively mislead the victim receiver to the designed trajectory. Neither the tracking channels nor the positioning observations have abnormal changes during this processing period. The recent anti-spoofing methods cannot detect this internal spoofing easily. The proposed spoofing generator can cover all open-sky satellites with a high quality of concealment. With the superiority of programmability and diversity, it is believed that the proposed method based on an open source software-defined receiver has a great value for anti-spoofing research of different GNSS signals.
Gaining Legitimacy in Post-Qaddafi Libya: Analysing Attempts of the Muslim Brotherhood
Authors: Trauthig Inga Kristina
Published: September 2019

The Libyan Muslim Brotherhood needed to manoeuvre underground for several decades, just as most opposition groups in Libya had to—because of the repression from the Qaddafi regime. In 2012, however, the political wing of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood (LMB), the Justice and Construction Party (JCP, sometimes also called the Justice and Development Party) participated in popular elections just shortly after its inception. Seven years later, one can unanimously say that the movement was not able to take power in the country. This paper will analyse the LMB in post-revolutionary Libya by concentrating on the attempts of establishing legitimacy in the political sphere—while continuously being informed by historical influences. Methodologically, the paper examines primary sources, key academic texts but also factors in interview data from semi-structured interviews. Overall, the paper addresses the puzzle of why Libya as a predominantly Sunni, conservative country did not translate into a conservative Sunni movement like the LMB faring well; with that, derailing the impression that the whole region was “going Islamist” after the so-called Arab Spring. The LMB today is still influenced by the historical treatment it received under Qaddafi, which lead it to base itself mostly in exile, hence it struggled to entrench itself in the country. The LMB was pointed towards their opponents’ fearmongering of an alleged Islamist takeover, mostly without addressing self-inflicted wounds, such as their inability to unite or to convince major parts of the population of their political programme.
Integrating Social Scientific Perspectives on the Quantified Employee Self
Authors: Calvard Thomas
Published: September 2019

A key technological trend in big data science is that of the quantified self, whereby individuals can self-track their health and well-being using various sources of information. The aim of this article was to integrate multidimensional views on the positive and negative implications of the quantified self for employees and workplaces. Relevant human and social scientific literature on the quantified (employee) self and self-tracking were drawn upon and organized into three main influential perspectives. Specifically, the article identified (1) psychological perspectives on quantified attitudes and behaviors, (2) sociological perspectives on sociomaterial user construction, and (3) critical theoretical perspectives on digital power and control. This article suggests that the three perspectives are complementary and can be usefully integrated into an embodied sensemaking perspective. Embodied sensemaking views the employee as a self-conscious user of big data seeking to make sense of their embeddedness in wider digital and organizational environments. This article concludes with implications for protecting employee agency in tension with employers’ big data strategies for governing and managing the performance of quantified digital employee selves.
Effects of Protective American Football Headgear on Peripheral Vision Reaction Time and Visual Target Detection in Division I NCAA Football Players
Authors: Miller Rachel A. , Rogers Rebecca R. , Williams Tyler D. , Marshall Mallory R. , Moody Justin R. , Hensarling Robert W. , Ballmann Christopher G.
Published: September 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of protective football headgear on peripheral vision reaction time and visual target detection. Twenty-five Division I NCAA football players (age = 20.5 yrs ± 0.9, height = 185.9 cm ± 6.8, body mass = 99.2 kg ± 19.2, BMI = 29.6 ± 4.5) participated. In a crossover counterbalanced study design, subjects participated in one visit with three conditions: Baseline (BL) without headgear, helmet only (HO), helmet with an eye shield (HE). Subjects completed a 1-min peripheral vision reaction time test for each condition separated by 3-min recovery periods. Tests were administered using a 64 light Dynavision D2 Visuomotor board. Target detection (total hit score) was higher during BL than HO (p < 0.001) and HE (p < 0.001). Average (p < 0.001), peak (p < 0.001), minimum (p < 0.001), and median (p < 0.001) peripheral reaction times were faster during BL than HO and HE. No significant differences were observed for any measures between HO and HE conditions (p > 0.05). Findings indicate that protective football headgear impaired reaction time to peripheral visual stimuli. The addition of an eye shield to the helmet had a small non-significant effect on reaction time and target detection. These results may hold important implications in helmet design and player safety.
A Production Inventory Model for Deteriorating Items with Collaborative Preservation Technology Investment Under Carbon Tax
Authors: Shen YuJan , Shen KuanFu , Yang ChihTe
Published: September 2019

The increase in carbon emissions is considered one of the major causes of global warming and climate change. To reduce the potential environmental and economic threat from such greenhouse gas emissions, governments must formulate policies related to carbon emissions. Most economists favor the carbon tax as an approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This market-based approach is expected to inevitably affect enterprises’ operating activities such as production, inventory, and equipment investment. Therefore, in this study, we investigate a production inventory model for deteriorating items under a carbon tax policy and collaborative preservation technology investment from the perspective of supply chain integration. Our main purpose is to determine the optimal production, delivery, ordering, and investment policies for the buyer and vendor that maximize the joint total profit per unit time in consideration of the carbon tax policy. We present several numerical examples to demonstrate the solution procedures, and we conduct sensitivity analyses of the optimal solutions with respect to major parameters for identifying several managerial implications that provide a useful decision tool for the relevant managers. We hope that the study results assist government organizations in selecting a more appropriate carbon emissions policy for the carbon reduction trend.
Socio-Economic Impacts of Event Failure: The Case of a Cancelled International Cycling Race
Authors: Perić Marko , Vitezić Vanja
Published: September 2019

The organization of large-scale sporting events implies different benefits and costs for hosting communities. However, little effort has been devoted to studying the impacts of event failures or postponed or cancelled events from the perspective of local residents. This paper is therefore concerned with the range of local residents’ perceived impacts resulting from the cancellation of the 2019 edition of the international men’s cycling race Tour of Croatia. In addition, it also examines if any significant differences exist between local residents familiar with the race and cancelling and local residents not familiar with the race, regarding the perceived impacts of this cancelled event on the hosting community. The number of perceived impacts was reduced by Exploratory Factor Analysis. Differences between local residents familiar with and those not familiar with the race and its cancelation were examined using the two-independent-samples Mann-Whitney U test. The results suggest that local residents not familiar with the event and its cancelation, when compared with local residents familiar with the event and its cancellation, perceive the majority of negative impacts as being weaker and most of the positive impacts as being stronger.
An Agent-Based Two-Stage Trading Model for Direct Electricity Procurement of Large Consumers
Authors: Zhang Jian , Zheng Yanan , Yao Mingtao , Wang Huiji , Hu Zhaoguang
Published: September 2019

Many electricity markets around the world are still at developmental and transitional stages. To complete the transition and achieve the key objectives of perfect market design, designers often choose direct electricity procurement of large consumers (LCs) as a pilot. The trading mechanism is critical because it lays the foundation for the exploration of formulating a trading model and the succeeding solution; however, the existing trading mechanisms of direct electricity procurement struggle to cope with new challenges that electric power systems are facing. This paper proposes a novel two-stage trading mechanism, considering both the fairness and efficiency of direct electricity procurement. Based on the proposed trading mechanism, an agent-based trading model with multiple participants is developed. The simulation results of the transactions between LCs and generation companies (GenCos) illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed mechanism. With this mechanism, LCs and GenCos will have more choices in the trading process and can benefit from the reduction of the average market price. The two-stage trading model provides a new choice for market designers and participants of direct electricity procurement.
Peasants’ Calculation Capacities and Measurement Behaviors in Rural Agricultural Markets of China and Cote d’Ivoire: Implications for Technology Adoption and Rural Development
Authors: Traore Lacina , Zhou Deyi , Ouattara N’banan , Zhang Lili , Abebe Kidane Assefa , Teng Li , Rizwan Muhammad
Published: September 2019

Peasants’ calculation capacities (PCC) and measurement behaviors can enable the development of knowledge economy and technological exchanges. This study is based on critical observations made by analysis of Chinese and Ivorian rural markets to understand measurement system as a foundation of development of economic knowledge, science, and technology. A total of 167 rural people from China and Cote d’Ivoire were interviewed using a simple random sampling method through valid and reliable means. Using the univariate statistics, we summarized the data to statistically describe Chinese and Ivorian rural traders. The multiple linear regression model was used to examine the impact of different explanatory variables on peasants’ calculating capacities. From the independent two samples t-test, we statistically examined the difference between the calculation capacities of Chinese and Ivorian rural traders. Analysis of the data from China and Cote d’Ivoire showed that 76% of Chinese rural traders were using traditional or modern weighing balance compared to only 24% in Cote d’Ivoire. Modern or traditional weighing balance was popular only with traders or wholesalers dealing with bulk commodities, or traders with expensive products in the case of Cote d’Ivoire. Our findings also depict that the calculation capacities of Chinese rural traders are higher than Ivorian (p-value < 0.001). Experience was found to be the most effective factors for the estimation of PCC among Chinese and Ivorian rural traders. Together, these results significantly expand the knowledge, economy, and technology adoption issues in the context of China and Cote d’Ivoire. Thus, our analyses provide useful insights for policymakers, rural traders, advisers, for decision making and agricultural extension services in these two countries, particularly for China–Africa cooperation.
Dynamics of Upwelling Annual Cycle in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean
Authors: Wang Li-Chiao , Yu Jia-Yuh
Published: September 2019

A recent work proposed a simple theory based on the framework of Zebiak–Cane (ZC) ocean model, and successfully characterized the equatorial Atlantic upwelling annual cycle as a combination of the local wind-driven Ekman upwelling and nonlocal wind-driven wave upwelling. In the present work, utilizing the same simple framework, we examined the fidelity of the upwelling Pacific annual cycle using observations and simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). We demonstrated that the theoretical upwelling annual cycles generally match the original upwelling annual cycles in the equatorial Pacific in both observations and CMIP5 simulations. Therefore, this simple formulation can be used to represent the upwelling annual cycle in the equatorial Pacific. Observationally, the equatorial Pacific upwelling annual cycle is dominated by the local wind-driven Ekman upwelling, while the remote wave upwelling is confined near the eastern boundary with little contribution. In CMIP5 simulations, though the theoretical-reconstructed upwelling well-reproduces the original upwelling, the contribution is totally different compared to the observation. The wave upwelling serves as the main contributor instead of the Ekman upwelling. We further demonstrated that such discrepancy is attributable to the bias of the central to eastern equatorial thermocline depth patterns. This amplified, westward-shift wave upwelling weakened the impacts of the Ekman upwelling, and contributes to the entire Pacific equatorial upwelling annual cycle substantially. This implies that a realistic simulation of the equatorial Pacific upwelling annual cycle in models is very sensitive to the careful simulation of the equatorial thermocline depth annual evolutions.
The Use of Fuzzy Estimators for the Construction of a Prediction Model Concerning an Environmental Ecosystem
Authors: Ellina Georgia , Papaschinopoulos Garyfalos , Papadopoulos Basil
Published: September 2019

As a variable system, the Lake of Kastoria is a good example regarding the pattern of the Mediterranean shallow lakes. The focus of this study is on the investigation of this lake’s eutrophication, analyzing the relation of the basic factors that affect this phenomenon using fuzzy logic. In the method we suggest, while there are many fuzzy implications that can be used since the proposition can take values in the close interval [0,1], we investigate the most appropriate implication for the studied water body. We propose a method evaluating fuzzy implications by constructing triangular non-asymptotic fuzzy numbers for each of the studied parameters coming from experimental data. This is achieved with the use of fuzzy estimators and fuzzy linear regression. In this way, we achieve a better understanding of the mechanisms and functions that regulate this ecosystem.
Alien Plants in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa: Perceptions of Their Contributions to Livelihoods of Local Communities
Authors: Atyosi Zizipho , Ramarumo Luambo Jeffrey , Maroyi Alfred
Published: September 2019

Invasive alien plant species are plant species that establish themselves outside their native distributional range. The current study documented utilization of alien plant species in the Eastern Cape province in South Africa. Information about utilization of alien plant species was gathered through interviews conducted with 120 participants, which included 13 traditional healers, 27 herbalists, ten farmers and 70 laypeople. Ethnobotanical importance of documented species was assessed through evaluation of use value (UV), fidelity level (FL) and relative frequency citation (RFC). A third of the participants (33.3%) perceived alien plant species as undesirable, while 71.1% of the participants argued that alien plant species had beneficial effects. A total of 26 alien plant species were recorded, seven species being fruit trees, followed by ornamental plants (five species), fodder and herbal medicines (four species each), construction materials, erosion control and vegetables (two species each). The popular alien plant species with UV > 0.1, RFC > 0.4 and FL > 4.0% included Amaranthus spinosus, Cannabis sativa, Cereus jamaracu, Harrisia balansae, Opuntia engelmannii, Opuntia ficus-indica, Opuntia monocantha and Prunus persica. Information on perceptions of local communities in the Eastern Cape province on the contributions of alien plant species to livelihood needs is an important stage of initiating a management protocol that incorporates public perceptions and values associated with alien plant species.
Cow Milk versus Plant-Based Milk Substitutes: A Comparison of Product Image and Motivational Structure of Consumption
Authors: Haas Rainer , Schnepps Alina , Pichler Anni , Meixner Oliver
Published: September 2019

Cow milk is under increased scrutiny due to its environmental impact and ethical considerations concerning animal welfare. At the same time, a rising share of consumers is switching to plant-based milk substitutes (abbreviated “plant milk”). The objective of this study was (1) to analyze the product image of plant milk and cow milk and (2) to compare the motivational structure behind the consumption of both product categories. For this purpose, a quantitative survey with Austrian consumers was carried out to analyze the product image of plant milk in comparison to cow milk (n = 1001). The product image analysis revealed that the product image of cow milk is still much better than that of plant milk. Amongst others, cow milk is considered to be healthier, more natural, and better for bones. Product image valuation was dependent on the (non-)consumption of plant milk. Plant milk consumers evaluated plant milk significantly better; they considered plant milk to be much better digestible and allergy-free. The qualitative study using means-end-chain analysis, with two sub-samples of interviewees (plant milk consumers, n = 30, and cow milk consumers, n = 30), identified different motives for the consumption of cow milk and plant milk. Motives that were only reported from cow milk consumers are the origin of milk and the support of small-scale dairy production of farmers. Motives of plant milk consumers were much more diverse and included animal welfare and sustainability aspects.
Covering Graphs, Magnetic Spectral Gaps and Applications to Polymers and Nanoribbons
Authors: Fabila-Carrasco John Stewart , Lledó Fernando
Published: September 2019

In this article, we analyze the spectrum of discrete magnetic Laplacians (DML) on an infinite covering graph G ˜ → G = G ˜ / Γ with (Abelian) lattice group Γ and periodic magnetic potential β ˜ . We give sufficient conditions for the existence of spectral gaps in the spectrum of the DML and study how these depend on β ˜ . The magnetic potential can be interpreted as a control parameter for the spectral bands and gaps. We apply these results to describe the spectral band/gap structure of polymers (polyacetylene) and nanoribbons in the presence of a constant magnetic field.
On the Secure Total Domination Number of Graphs
Authors: Cabrera Martínez Abel , Montejano Luis P. , Rodríguez-Velázquez Juan A.
Published: September 2019

A total dominating set D of a graph G is said to be a secure total dominating set if for every vertex u ∈ V ( G ) \ D , there exists a vertex v ∈ D , which is adjacent to u, such that ( D \ { v } ) ∪ { u } is a total dominating set as well. The secure total domination number of G is the minimum cardinality among all secure total dominating sets of G. In this article, we obtain new relationships between the secure total domination number and other graph parameters: namely the independence number, the matching number and other domination parameters. Some of our results are tight bounds that improve some well-known results.
Fast Finger Vein Recognition Based on Sparse Matching Algorithm under a Multicore Platform for Real-Time Individuals Identification
Authors: Hernández-García Ruber , Barrientos Ricardo J. , Rojas Cristofher , Soto-Silva Wladimir E. , Mora Marco , Gonzalez Paulo , Frati Fernando Emmanuel
Published: September 2019

Nowadays, individual identification is a problem in many private companies, but also in governmental and public order entities. Currently, there are multiple biometric methods, each with different advantages. Finger vein recognition is a modern biometric technique, which has several advantages, especially in terms of security and accuracy. However, image deformations and time efficiency are two of the major limitations of state-of-the-art contributions. In spite of affine transformations produced during the acquisition process, the geometric structure of finger vein images remains invariant. This consideration of the symmetry phenomena presented in finger vein images is exploited in the present work. We combine an image enhancement procedure, the DAISY descriptor, and an optimized Coarse-to-fine PatchMatch (CPM) algorithm under a multicore parallel platform, to develop a fast finger vein recognition method for real-time individuals identification. Our proposal provides an effective and efficient technique to obtain the displacement between finger vein images and considering it as discriminatory information. Experimental results on two well-known databases, PolyU and SDUMLA, show that our proposed approach achieves results comparable to deformation-based techniques of the state-of-the-art, finding statistical differences respect to non-deformation-based approaches. Moreover, our method highly outperforms the baseline method in time efficiency.
Evaluation of Wirelessly Transmitted Video Quality Using a Modular Fuzzy Logic System
Authors: Salama Abdussalam , Saatchi Reza
Published: September 2019

Video transmission over wireless computer networks is increasingly popular as new applications emerge and wireless networks become more widespread and reliable. An ability to quantify the quality of a video transmitted using a wireless computer network is important for determining network performance and its improvement. The process requires analysing the images making up the video from the point of view of noise and associated distortion as well as traffic parameters represented by packet delay, jitter and loss. In this study a modular fuzzy logic based system was developed to quantify the quality of video transmission over a wireless computer network. Peak signal to noise ratio, structural similarity index and image difference were used to represent the user’s quality of experience (QoE) while packet delay, jitter and percentage packet loss ratio were used to represent traffic related quality of service (QoS). An overall measure of the video quality was obtained by combining QoE and QoS values. Systematic sampling was used to reduce the number of images processed and a novel scheme was devised whereby the images were partitioned to more sensitively localize distortions. To further validate the developed system, a subjective test involving 25 participants graded the quality of the received video. The image partitioning significantly improved the video quality evaluation. The subjective test results correlated with the developed fuzzy logic approach. The video quality assessment developed in this study was compared against a method that uses spatial efficient entropic differencing and consistent results were observed. The study indicated that the developed fuzzy logic approaches could accurately determine the quality of a wirelessly transmitted video.
Molecular Characterization of Equine Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Exhibiting Reduced Oxacillin Susceptibility
Authors: Scholtzek Anissa D. , Hanke Dennis , Walther Birgit , Eichhorn Inga , Stöckle Sabita D. , Klein Katja-Sophia , Gehlen Heidrun , Lübke-Becker Antina , Schwarz Stefan , Feßler Andrea T.
Published: September 2019

The detection of borderline oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (BORSA) represents a challenge to both, veterinary and human laboratories. Between 2015 and 2017, 19 equine S. aureus with elevated minimal inhibitory concentrations for oxacillin were detected in routine diagnostics. The aim of this study was to characterize these isolates to identify factors possibly associated with the BORSA phenotype. All S. aureus were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole genome sequencing (WGS). A quantifiable β-lactamase activity assay was performed for a representative subset of 13 isolates. The WGS data analysis of the 19 BORSA isolates identified two different genomic lineages, sequence type (ST) 1 and ST1660. The core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) revealed a close relatedness of all isolates belonging to either ST1 or ST1660. The WGS analysis identified the resistance genes aadD, dfrG, tet(L), and/or blaZ and aacA-aphD. Phenotypic resistance to penicillins, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim was observed in the respective isolates. For the penicillin-binding proteins 1–4, amino acid substitutions were predicted using WGS data. Since neither transglycosylase nor transpeptidase domains were affected, these alterations might not explain the BORSA phenotype. Moreover, β-lactamase activity was found to be associated with an inducible blaZ gene. Lineage-specific differences regarding the expression profiles were noted.
Twenty-Eight Fungal Secondary Metabolites Detected in Pig Feed Samples: Their Occurrence, Relevance and Cytotoxic Effects In Vitro
Authors: Novak Barbara , Rainer Valentina , Sulyok Michael , Haltrich Dietmar , Schatzmayr Gerd , Mayer Elisabeth
Published: September 2019

Feed samples are frequently contaminated by a wide range of chemically diverse natural products, which can be determined using highly sensitive analytical techniques. Next to already well-investigated mycotoxins, unknown or unregulated fungal secondary metabolites have also been found, some of which at significant concentrations. In our study, 1141 pig feed samples were analyzed for more than 800 secondary fungal metabolites using the same LC-MS/MS method and ranked according to their prevalence. Effects on the viability of the 28 most relevant were tested on an intestinal porcine epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2). The most frequently occurring compounds were determined as being cyclo-(L-Pro-L-Tyr), moniliformin, and enniatin B, followed by enniatin B1, aurofusarin, culmorin, and enniatin A1. The main mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol and zearalenone, were found only at ranks 8 and 10. Regarding cytotoxicity, apicidin, gliotoxin, bikaverin, and beauvericin led to lower IC50 values, between 0.52 and 2.43 µM, compared to deoxynivalenol (IC50 = 2.55 µM). Significant cytotoxic effects were also seen for the group of enniatins, which occurred in up to 82.2% of the feed samples. Our study gives an overall insight into the amount of fungal secondary metabolites found in pig feed samples compared to their cytotoxic effects in vitro.
The Cadherin Cry1Ac Binding-Region is Necessary for the Cooperative Effect with ABCC2 Transporter Enhancing Insecticidal Activity of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac Toxin
Authors: Ma Yuemin , Zhang Jianfeng , Xiao Yutao , Yang Yanchao , Liu Chenxi , Peng Rong , Yang Yongbo , Bravo Alejandra , Soberón Mario , Liu Kaiyu
Published: September 2019

Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac toxin binds to midgut proteins, as cadherin (CAD) and ABCC2 transporter, to form pores leading to larval death. In cell lines, co-expression of CAD and ABCC2 enhance Cry1Ac toxicity significantly, but the mechanism remains elusive. Here, we show that the expression of Helicoverpa armigera CAD (HaCAD-GFP) in Hi5 cells induces susceptibility to Cry1Ac and enhanced Cry1Ac toxicity when co-expressed with H. armigera ABCC2 (HaABCC2-GFP), since Cry1Ac toxicity increased 735-fold compared to Hi5 cells expressing HaCAD-GFP alone or 28-fold compared to HaABCC2-GFP alone. In contrast, the expression of the Spodoptera litura CAD (SlCAD-GFP) in Hi5 cells did not induce susceptibility to Cry1Ac nor it potentiated Cry1Ac toxicity with HaABCC2-GFP. To identify the CAD regions involved in the enhancement of Cry1Ac toxicity with ABCC2, the different CAD domains were replaced between SlCAD-GFP and HaCad-GFP proteins, and cytotoxicity assays were performed in Hi5 cells in the absence or presence of HaABCC2-GFP. The HaCAD toxin-binding region (TB), specifically the CAD repeat-11, was necessary to enhance Cry1Ac toxicity with ABCC2. We propose that CAD TB is involved in recruiting Cry1Ac to localize it in a good position for its interaction with the ABCC2, resulting in efficient toxin membrane insertion enhancing Cry1Ac toxicity.
Gauss–Bonnet Inflation and the String Swampland
Authors: Yi Zhu , Gong Yungui
Published: September 2019

The swampland criteria are generically in tension with single-field slow-roll inflation because the first swampland criterion requires small tensor-to-scalar ratio while the second swampland criterion requires either large tensor-to-scalar ratio or large scalar spectral tilt. The challenge to single-field slow-roll inflation imposed by the swampland criteria can be avoided by modifying the relationship between the tensor-to-scalar ratio and the slow-roll parameter. We show that the Gauss–Bonnet inflation with the coupling function inversely proportional to the potential overcomes the challenge by adding a constant factor in the relationship between the tensor-to-scalar ratio and the slow-roll parameter. For the Gauss–Bonnet inflation, while the swampland criteria are satisfied, the slow-roll conditions are also fulfilled, so the scalar spectral tilt and the tensor-to-scalar ratio are consistent with the observations. We use the potentials for chaotic inflation and the E-model as examples to show that the models pass all the constraints. The Gauss–Bonnet coupling seems a way out of the swampland issue for single-field inflationary models.
African Swine Fever: Disease Dynamics in Wild Boar Experimentally Infected with ASFV Isolates Belonging to Genotype I and II
Authors: Sánchez-Cordón Pedro J. , Nunez Alejandro , Neimanis Aleksija , Wikström-Lassa Emil , Montoya María , Crooke Helen , Gavier-Widén Dolores
Published: September 2019

After the re-introduction of African swine fever virus (ASFV) genotype II isolates into Georgia in 2007, the disease spread from Eastern to Western Europe and then jumped first up to Mongolian borders and later into China in August 2018, spreading out of control and reaching different countries of Southeast Asia in 2019. From the initial incursion, along with domestic pigs, wild boar displayed a high susceptibility to ASFV and disease development. The disease established self-sustaining cycles within the wild boar population, a key fact that helped its spread and that pointed to the wild boar population as a substantial reservoir in Europe and probably also in Asia, which may hinder eradication and serve as the source for further geographic expansion. The present review gathers the most relevant information available regarding infection dynamics, disease pathogenesis and immune response that experimental infections with different ASFV isolates belonging to genotype I and II in wild boar and feral pigs have generated. Knowledge gaps in areas such as disease pathogenesis and immune response highlights the importance of focusing future studies on unravelling the early mechanisms of virus-cell interaction and innate and/or adaptive immune responses, knowledge that will contribute to the development of efficacious treatments/vaccines against ASFV.