bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pressure-Stable Imprinted Polymers for Waste Water Remediation
Authors: Mann Shane , Johnson Travis , Medendorp Evie , Ocomen Robert , DeHart Luke , Bauer Adam , Li Bingbing , Tecklenburg Mary , Mueller Anja
Published: June 2018

In wastewater treatment, the removal of heavy metal ions is difficult. Ion exchange resins are ineffective since heavy metal ions cannot compete with “hard ions” in binding to the resins. Imprinting polymerization can increase the specificity of ion exchange resins to allow heavy metal ions to compete. Unfortunately, a high capacity is also needed. When high porosity and surface area are used to increase capacity, polymeric resins lose pressure stability needed for water treatment. In this research, a bulky, hydrophobic co-monomer was used to prevent Zn+2 imprinted sites from collapsing. Both the co-monomer and crosslinking density were optimized to allow for maximum pore access while maintaining pressure stability. IR and SEM studies were used to study phase separation of the hydrophobic co-monomer from the hydrophilic resin. Capacity was measured for just the imprinting ion first, and then in combination with a competing ion and compared with porosity and pore-size measurements. Capacity under pressure was also characterized. A resin with high capacity was identified that allowed for the heavy metal ion to compete while still maintaining pressure stability.
Effects of Surface Functionalization of Lignin on Synthesis and Properties of Rigid Bio-Based Polyurethanes Foams
Authors: Zhang Xuefeng , Jeremic Dragica , Kim Yunsang , Street Jason , Shmulsky Rubin
Published: June 2018

We report the preparation of lignin-based rigid polyurethane (RPU) foams from surface functionalized kraft lignin via a simple and environmentally benign process. Lignin was functionalized with polyisocyanate at 80 °C for 1 h, the resulting lignin-polyisocyanate prepolymer was confirmed by increased viscosity and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The RPU foams containing up to 30% surface functionalized lignin as a substitute for petroleum-based polyols exhibited comparable thermal and mechanical properties to conventional RPU foams. The lignin-based RPU foams prepared from surface functionalization outperformed RPU foams without the surface functionalization, showing up to 47% and 45% higher specific compressive strength and modulus, respectively, with a 40% lignin substitution ratio. Thermal insulation and temperature-stability of the two types of the foams were comparable. The results indicate that the surface functionalization of lignin increases reactivity and homogeneity of the lignin as a building block in RPU foams. The life cycle assessment for the lignin-based RPU foams shows that the surface functionalization process would have overall lesser environmental impacts when compared with the traditional manufacturing of RPU foams with synthetic polyols. These findings suggest the potential use of surface functionalized lignin as a sustainable core material replacement for synthetic polyols in building materials.
Preparation of Novel Epoxy Resins Bearing Phthalazinone Moiety and Their Application as High-Temperature Adhesives
Authors: Wang Liwei , Wang Jinyan , Qi Yu , Zhang Fengfeng , Weng Zhihuan , Jian Xigao
Published: June 2018

Most polymer-based adhesives exhibit some degree of degradation at temperatures above 200 °C, and so there is a need for the development of adhesives that can be used at high temperatures. A series of poly(phthalazinone ether nitrile sulfone ketone)s terminated with epoxy (E-PPENSK) and amine (A-PPENSK) groups have been prepared, which have been used as precursors can be applied for high-temperature resistant epoxy adhesives. The structured of these E-PPENSK (epoxy resin) and A-PPENSK (curing agent) components have been characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform–infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR) studies, with the effects of molecular weights and molar ratios on the gel content of their polymers being determined. Cured epoxy resins derived from E-PPENSK and A-PPENSK showed good thermal stability, with an optimal resin retaining 95% of its weight at 484 °C, which gave a char yield of 62%. This adhesive was found to exhibit good mechanical strength, with a single-lap adhesive joint (A-3000/E-6000) exhibiting a shear strength of 48.7 MPa. Heating this adhesive at 450 °C for 1 h afforded a polymer that still exhibited good shear strength of 17.8 MPa, indicating that these adhesives are potentially good candidates for high-temperature applications.
Investigation of the Porosity Distribution, Permeability, and Mechanical Performance of Pervious Concretes
Authors: Liu Rentai , Liu Haojie , Sha Fei , Yang Honglu , Zhang Qingsong , Shi Shaoshuai , Zheng Zhuo
Published: June 2018

Pervious concrete is a kind of porous and permeable material for pavements and slope protection projects, etc. In this paper, a kind of pervious concrete was prepared with Portland cement, silica fume (SF), polycarboxylate superplasticizer (SP), and limestone aggregates. The performance of concrete, such as its porosity, pore distribution, permeability coefficients, and mechanical properties, were studied through laboratory tests. The volumetric porosity was measured by the water displacement method, and the planar porosity and pore size distribution were determined using image processing technology. A permeameter with a transparent sidewall and an exact sidewall sealing method were used to measure the permeability coefficients accurately. The results show that the segregation index and flow values of pastes increased with the increase of SP and water cement ratio (W/C). The measured porosity (volumetric porosity and planar porosity) of pervious concrete with a single-size aggregate was closer to the design porosity than that with the blended aggregate. Compared with the design porosity selected in this study, aggregate size was the main factor influencing the pore distribution of pervious concrete. The standard deviation of the permeability coefficient was less than 0.03 under different hydraulic gradients. It was found that the relationships between the permeability coefficient and volumetric porosity (or effective pore size d50) approximately obey polynomial function. Based on the test results, the optimized parameters were suggested for practical engineering: W/C of 0.26–0.30; 0.5% SP content; 5% SF content; 15–21% design porosity; and aggregate sizes of 4.75–9.5 mm and 9.5–16 mm.
Almsgiving and Competing Soteriologies in Second-Century Christianity
Authors: Downs David J.
Published: June 2018

While care for the poor was widely advocated and practiced in early Christianity, charity was not universally endorsed. The Gospel of Thomas (Gos. Thom.), for example, is notable for its rejection of almsgiving, along with other practices such as fasting and prayer (Gos. Thom. 6, 14; see also Gos. Thom. 27, 104). Ignatius of Antioch accuses some of his opponents of neglecting almsgiving and Polycarp of Smyrna, Ignatius’ friend and fellow bishop, suggests that almsgiving, prayer, and fasting are practices that will help counter false teaching in Philippi. This paper explores the role of almsgiving in competing visions of soteriology in second-century Christianity, including consideration of texts such as 2 Clement (2 Clem), Ignatius’ Letter to the Smyrnaeans (Ign. Smyrn.), Polycarp’s Letter to the Philippians (Pol. Phil.), and the Gospel of Thomas.
Measurement of Diurnal Variation in Needle PRI and Shoot Photosynthesis in a Boreal Forest
Authors: Mõttus Matti , Hernández-Clemente Rocío , Perheentupa Viljami , Markiet Vincent , Aalto Juho , Bäck Jaana , Nichol Caroline J.
Published: June 2018

The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) is calculated from vegetation narrowband reflectance in two bands in the visible part of the spectrum. Variations in PRI are associated with changes in the xanthophyll cycle pigments which regulate the light use efficiency of vegetation. Correlations have been found between remotely-sensed PRI and various photosynthetic productivity parameters at the scales from leaves to landscapes. Environmental satellites can provide only an instantaneous value of this index at the time of overpass. The diurnal course of needle (leaf) PRI needs to be known in order to link the instantaneous values robustly with photosynthetic parameters at time scales exceeding one day. This information is not currently available in the scientific literature. Here we present the daily cycle of Scots pine needle and canopy PRI in a southern boreal forest zone in the presence of direct solar radiation during the peak growing season of two consecutive years. We found the PRI of the needles which are exposed to direct radiation to have a distinct diurnal cycle with constant or slightly increasing values before noon and a daily minimum in the afternoon. The cycle in needle PRI was not correlated with that in the incident photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). However, when PPFD was above 1000 μmol m−2 s−1, approximately between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., needle PRI was correlated with the light use efficiency (LUE), measured with shoot chambers. The timing of the minimum needle PRI coincided with the minimum canopy value, as measured by an independent sensor above the canopy, but the correlation between the two variables was not significant. Our field results corroborate the applicability of needle PRI in monitoring the daily variation in LUE. However, to apply this to remote sensing of seasonal photosynthetic productivity, the daily cycle of leaf PRI needs to be known for the specific vegetation type.
Detection of Cropland Change Using Multi-Harmonic Based Phenological Trajectory Similarity
Authors: Chen Jiage , Chen Jun , Liu Huiping , Peng Shu
Published: June 2018

Accurate information on cropland changes is critical for food production and security, sustainable cropland management, and global change studies. The common change detection methods bi-temporal based, using remotely sensed imagery easily generate pseudo changes due to phenological or seasonal differences. Cropland exhibits a distinctive phenological trajectory that has strong periodic characteristics and seasonal paths. This paper proposes the use of phenological trajectory similarity to search for the overall changes between two time-series images instead of single change events between two dates of imagery. Due to the complex spectral–temporal characteristic of cropland, a phenological trajectory was constructed using a multi-harmonic model for capturing intra-annual variations. Then, phenological trajectory similarity was measured using coefficient vector difference (CVD), and used for detecting change/no-change areas when considering both the amplitude and phase difference. Finally, instead of the traditional classification method based on original images, we used the coefficient ratio vector (CRV) as the input for change type discrimination. The distance between the coefficient ratio vector (CRV) of the change pixel and of the reference change type was calculated to identify the exactly changed types. The performance of this proposed approach was tested using two sets of Landsat time-series images from 2010 and 2015. Moreover, the change area detection results of three other methods, namely, the continuous change detection and classification (CCDC), change vector analysis (CVA), and post-classification comparison (PCC), were also calculated for comparison and analysis. The results indicated that the proposed approach acquired the highest accuracy with an overall accuracy of 98.58% and a kappa coefficient of 0.82, which demonstrated that the method provides the capacity to detect real changes and estimate pseudo changes caused by season differences.
Improvement of SSA Approach for Numerical Simulation of Sea Surface Scattering at High Microwave Bands
Authors: Wei Peng-Bo , Zhang Min , Nie Ding , Jiao Yong-Chang
Published: June 2018

Small slope approximation (SSA) is a widely accepted approach in sea surface electromagnetic (EM) scattering studies. Nevertheless, the spatial sample interval used for sea surface should be around or even smaller than one-eighth of the incident wavelength to ensure EM scattering calculation accuracy, which requires a huge amount of computation, creating an obstacle to scattering numerical simulation, especially for high microwave band incident waves and large sea surface scenes. In this paper, a novel realization approach for SSA is proposed to significantly decrease the computation demands and computer memory requirements in sea surface scattering simulation. First, the sea surface is decomposed into two scales, and each scale has its own spatial sample interval. Then, the inclination state of the large-scale sea surface is determined under a specific wind speed. After that, scattering calculations of a typical surface cell with a finely sampled structure are completed and saved in all possible situations. Finally, scattering results for all the cells of a concrete sea surface are extracted from the saved cell scattering data base. From the different kinds of scattering result comparisons, it is demonstrated that this novel SSA realization approach can attain almost similar scattering results to exact SSA. This approach can be broadly applied in composite scattering studies, and remote sense imaging simulation of large sea surfaces with multiple targets.
Single Chip-Based Nano-Optomechanical Accelerometer Based on Subwavelength Grating Pair and Rotated Serpentine Springs
Authors: Lu Qianbo , Bai Jian , Wang Kaiwei , Chen Peiwen , Fang Weidong , Wang Chen
Published: June 2018

Optical coupling between subwavelength grating pairs allows for the precise measurement of lateral or vertical displacement of grating elements and gives rise to different types of displacement and inertial sensors. In this paper, we demonstrate a design for a nano-optomechanical accelerometer based on a subwavelength grating pair that can be easily fabricated by a single Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) chip. The parameters of the subwavelength grating pair-based optical readout, including period, duty cycle, thickness of grating and metal film, and the distance of the air gap, were optimized by combining a genetic algorithm and rigorous coupled wavelength analysis (RCWA) to obtain the optimal sensitivity to the displacement of suspended grating element and the acceleration. A corresponding mechanical design was also completed to meet the highly sensitive acceleration measurement requirement while considering the mechanical cross-axis sensitivity, dynamic range, bandwidth, and fabrication feasibility. This device was verified by both RCWA and finite-different-time-domain methods, and a tolerance analysis was also completed to confirm that it is able to achieve the extremely high optical displacement sensitivity of 1.8%/nm, acceleration-displacement sensitivity of 1.56 nm/mg, and acceleration measurement sensitivity of more than 2.5%/mg, which is almost one order of magnitude higher than any reported counterparts. This work enables a single SOI-based high performance accelerometer, and provides a theoretical basis and fabrication guides for the design.
An Exception Handling Approach for Privacy-Preserving Service Recommendation Failure in a Cloud Environment
Authors: Qi Lianyong , Meng Shunmei , Zhang Xuyun , Wang Ruili , Xu Xiaolong , Zhou Zhili , Dou Wanchun
Published: June 2018

Service recommendation has become an effective way to quickly extract insightful information from massive data. However, in the cloud environment, the quality of service (QoS) data used to make recommendation decisions are often monitored by distributed sensors and stored in different cloud platforms. In this situation, integrating these distributed data (monitored by remote sensors) across different platforms while guaranteeing user privacy is an important but challenging task, for the successful service recommendation in the cloud environment. Locality-Sensitive Hashing (LSH) is a promising way to achieve the abovementioned data integration and privacy-preservation goals, while current LSH-based recommendation studies seldom consider the possible recommendation failures and hence reduce the robustness of recommender systems significantly. In view of this challenge, we develop a new LSH variant, named converse LSH, and then suggest an exception handling approach for recommendation failures based on the converse LSH technique. Finally, we conduct several simulated experiments based on the well-known dataset, i.e., Movielens to prove the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach.
The Impact of Authentic Leadership on Organizational Citizenship Behaviours and the Mediating Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Banking Sector of Pakistan
Authors: Iqbal Sadaf , Farid Tahir , Ma Jianhong , Khattak Amira , Nurunnabi Mohammad
Published: June 2018

This study was designed to examine the effect of authentic leadership on organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), as well as to examine the mediating mechanism of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the aforementioned relationship. Using the cross-sectional design method, the data were collected from 395 employees working in the banking sector of Pakistan. Drawing on social exchange theory, it was hypothesized that authentic leadership would positively predict organizational citizenship behaviour. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that CSR would positively mediate the relationship between authentic leadership and OCB. The results of the study indicate that authentic leadership positively predicts OCB. Importantly, CSR was found to positively mediate the effect of authentic leadership on OCB. Theoretical implications of the study and future research directions are also discussed.
Developing a Model of Factors Influencing the Quality of Service for Disabled Customers in the Condition s of Sustainable Development, Illustrated by an Example of the Silesian Voivodeship Public Administration
Authors: Wolniak Radosław , Skotnicka-Zasadzień Bożena
Published: June 2018

The article discusses the issue of disabled persons in the perspective of sustainable development and presents barriers that persons with disabilities encounter while being served in local government offices such as town halls. The research was done on the example of 33 Silesian towns. Random selection was applied to choose disabled people who use services of particular municipal cities. The paper is based on the 2846 correctly completed questionnaires. The research has been done in 2014. To data analysis we use qualitative methods and statistical methods. In statistical methods we used particularly: Significance testing and confirmation factor analysis. In the research process we formulated four research questions: What is the impact of the degree of disability on the evaluation level of quality with regard to architectonical barriers? What is the impact of the types of disability on the evaluation level of quality with regard to architectonical barriers? What is the impact of the age of disabled on the evaluation level of quality with regard to architectonical barriers? What hidden factors we can identify in the case of architectural barriers in municipal offices services for peoples with disability? In addition, we formulated two hypotheses as following: H1. The type of disability has a significant impact on the evaluation of architectural barriers in municipal offices by the disabled client. H2. The age of a disabled person influences the evaluation of architectural barriers in municipal offices by the disabled client. We found in the paper statistically significant impact of degree of disability, type of disability and the age of disable person on their assessment of quality level of services in the municipal offices. We found that persons with higher level of disability assess problems with architectural barriers worse comparing person with low level of disability. Problems with architectural barriers also have impact particularly on the persons with motor impediments. From the age point of view the problems with architectural barriers an important for disables persons at the age 40 or higher. Another very important finding of the present paper is the identification of hidden factors affecting persons with disability needs in the case of municipal offices service.
Study on the Availability of 4T-APS as a Video Monitor and Radiation Detector in Nuclear Accidents
Authors: Xu Shoulong , Zou Shuliang , Han Yongchao , Qu Yantao
Published: June 2018

In this paper, we present the availability of an active pixel sensor (APS) with four transistors (4T) as a video monitor and radiation detector. Analyzing radiation damage must be one of the first steps in recovering from nuclear accidents, and the radiation response characteristic is the basis for the use of 4T-APS to detect radiation. The goal of this work is to suggest the use of cameras with 4T-APS in widely distributed irradiation detectors. The total ionizing dose (TID) of radiation damage on 4T-APS provided a threshold. Radiation tolerance was improved with the help of a radiation shielding structure. The radiation response showed integration time dependence and pixel information dependence, and greater radiation response was observed from the pixels with lower grayscale values. Two methods are suggested based on different monitoring scenes. This study can help to greatly improve nuclear accident emergency response and the safety of nuclear facilities.
Multi-Port High Voltage Gain Modular Power Converter for Offshore Wind Farms
Authors: Song Sen , Hu Yihua , Ni Kai , Yan Joseph , Chen Guipeng , Wen Huiqing , Ye Xianming
Published: June 2018

In high voltage direct current (HVDC) power transmission of offshore wind power systems, DC/DC converters are applied to transfer power from wind generators to HVDC terminals, and they play a crucial role in providing a high voltage gain, high efficiency, and high fault tolerance. This paper introduces an innovative multi-port DC/DC converter with multiple modules connected in a scalable matrix configuration, presenting an ultra-high voltage step-up ratio and low voltage/current rating of components simultaneously. Additionally, thanks to the adoption of active clamping current-fed push–pull (CFPP) converters as sub-modules (SMs), soft-switching is obtained for all power switches, and the currents of series-connected CFPP converters are auto-balanced, which significantly reduce switching losses and control complexity. Furthermore, owing to the expandable matrix structure, the output voltage and power of a modular converter can be controlled by those of a single SM, or by adjusting the column and row numbers of the matrix. High control flexibility improves fault tolerance. Moreover, due to the flexible control, the proposed converter can transfer power directly from multiple ports to HVDC terminals without bus cable. In this paper, the design of the proposed converter is introduced, and its functions are illustrated by simulation results.
Gaining and Maintaining a Competitive Edge: Evidence from CSA Members and Farmers on Local Food Marketing Strategies
Authors: Morgan Emily H. , Severs Michelle M. , Hanson Karla L. , McGuirt Jared , Becot Florence , Wang Weiwei , Kolodinsky Jane , Sitaker Marilyn , Jilcott Pitts Stephanie B. , Ammerman Alice , Seguin Rebecca A.
Published: June 2018

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a widely-used approach for farmers to sell directly to consumers. We used the product, place, price, and promotion (4P) marketing mix framework to examine characteristics that help farms offering CSA maintain member satisfaction and thus competitiveness. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 CSA members and 24 CSA farmers in four states. CSA members additionally completed a modified choice experiment. Qualitative data were coded iteratively, and choice experiment data were summarized and compared across scenarios. CSA members and farmers were motivated by a range of personal, social, environmental, and economic objectives. Members favored high-quality staple vegetables (e.g., lettuce, green beans), ideally produced organically. Trust and a sense of personal connection with the farmer comprised part of the “value added” of CSA participation. Time and location of share pick-up were very important; thus, farmers tried to offer convenient sites or an enriched pick-up experience. Small changes in price appeared unlikely to impact participation among current members. Social networks and word-of-mouth were powerful for marketing, but may limit the ability to reach diverse populations. Future research should examine the ability of CSAs to meet the needs of those who do not currently participate.
Assessing High- and Low-Temperature Properties of Asphalt Pavements Incorporating Waste Oil Shale as an Alternative Material in Jilin Province, China
Authors: Cheng Yongchun , Wang Wensheng , Tan Guojin , Shi Chenglin
Published: June 2018

This study investigates the feasibility of recycling waste oil shale as an alternative material into asphalt pavements in Jilin province, China. The high- and low-temperature properties of asphalt materials play important roles for asphalt pavements in seasonal frozen regions. Laboratory experiments were conducted to analyze the high- and low-temperature properties of asphalt mastics and mixtures. Results indicated that adding oil shale ash (OSA) may lead asphalt to a softer consistency and less temperature susceptibility. Also, OSA could improve high-temperature stability and enhance rutting resistance of asphalt materials, whereas the effect of OSA on low-temperature properties is insignificant by comparison. Moreover, the high- and low-temperature performances of asphalt mixtures were evaluated based on testing roads through rutting depth index, riding quality index, and indirect tensile strength test. It can be proved that the sustainable asphalt materials have better high-temperature stability and rutting resistance and also fulfill the requirements of low-temperature cracking resistance.
An Improved Two-Step Floating Catchment Area Method for Evaluating Spatial Accessibility to Urban Emergency Shelters
Authors: Zhu Xiaomeng , Tong Zhijun , Liu Xingpeng , Li Xiangqian , Lin Pengda , Wang Tong
Published: June 2018

As an important component of urban disaster prevention and mitigation systems, the balance and equity of emergency shelter distribution can be measured based on spatial accessibility utilizing the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method. However, there are some issues in previous studies on emergency shelter accessibility evaluated by the 2SFCA method: (1) the high discretization of population distribution data and the travel cost being measured base on Euclidean distance; (2) ignoring the difference between shelter and population catchment sizes. To address these issues, we propose an improved 2SFCA method that computes the shelter and population catchments respectively to evaluate the emergency shelter accessibility in Changchun, China. We compare the proposed improved 2SFCA method to the original 2SFCA method. The results indicate that the catchment size and shelter accessibility calculated by the proposed method are more realistic and objective. The improved 2SFCA method is applicable method for evaluating the shelter accessibility and can provide advice for the planning and management of emergency shelters in the future.
Implementation of Observed Sky-View Factor in a Mesoscale Model for Sensitivity Studies of the Urban Meteorology
Authors: Morais Marcos Vinicius Bueno de , Freitas Edmilson Dias de , Marciotto Edson R. , Urbina Guerrero Viviana Vanesa , Martins Leila Droprinchinski , Martins Jorge Alberto
Published: June 2018

The sky view factor (SVF) is an important radiometric parameter for assessing the canopy energy budget of urban areas. There are several methods to determine the SVF observationally. The most common is taking a photo with a digital camera equipped with a fish-eye lens and then converting ratio of sky area to canopy area into SVF. However, most urban canopy models use this variable as derived from idealized canopy geometry. To evaluate the effect of inputting observed SVFs in numerical models, we evaluated a mesoscale model’s performance in reproducing surface wind and surface temperature when subjected to different ways of SVF prescription. The studied area was the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) in Brazil. Observed SVFs were obtained for 37 sites scattered all over the MASP. Three simulations, A, B, and C, with different SVF and aspect-ratio prescriptions, were performed to analyze the effect of SVF on the urban canopy parameterization: Simulation A (standard) used the original formulation of the Town Energy Budget (TEB) model, computing the SVFs from the aspect-ratios; Simulation B used the observed SVFs, but keeps aspect-ratios as original; and Simulation C used the aspect-ratios computed from observed SVFs. The results show that in general inputting observed SVFs improves the model capability of reproducing temperature at surface level. The comparison of model outputs with data of regular meteorological stations shows that the inclusion of observed values of SVFs enhances model performance, reducing the RMSE index by up to 3 ∘C. In this case, the model is able to better reproduce the expected effects in the wind field, and consequently the temperature advection, of the urban boundary layer to a large urban area. The result of Simulation C shows that the surface wind and temperature intensity for all urban types is higher than those of Simulation A, because of the lower values of the aspect ratio. The urban type with high density of tall buildings increase up to 1 ms-1 in the wind speed, and approximately 1 ∘C in temperature, showing the importance of a better representation of the urban structure and the SVF database improvement.
A Holistic Sustainability Framework for Waste Management in European Cities: Concept Development
Authors: Taelman Sue , Tonini Davide , Wandl Alexander , Dewulf Jo
Published: June 2018

Waste management represents a challenge for public authorities due to many reasons such as increased waste generation following urban population growth, economic burdens imposed on the municipal budget, and nuisances inevitably caused to the environment and local inhabitants. To optimize the system from a sustainability perspective, moving the transition towards a more circular economy, a better understanding of the different stages of waste management is necessary. A review of recently developed sustainability frameworks for waste management showed that no single framework captures all the instruments needed to ultimately provide a solid basis for comprehensive analyses of the potential burdens associated with urban waste management. Bearing this limitation in mind, the objective of this research is to propose a conceptual and comprehensive sustainability framework to support decision-making in waste management of European cities. The framework comprises a combination of methods capable of identifying future strategies and scenarios, to assess different types of impacts based on a life cycle perspective, and considers the value of waste streams, the actors involved, and possible constraints of implementing scenarios. The social, economic, environmental, technical and political domains are covered, and special attention is paid to impacts affecting foremost the local population.
Weak Fault Detection for Gearboxes Using Majorization–Minimization and Asymmetric Convex Penalty Regularization
Authors: Li Qing , Liang Steven Y.
Published: June 2018

It is a primary challenge in the fault diagnosis community of the gearbox to extract the weak fault features under heavy background noise and nonstationary conditions. For this purpose, a novel weak fault detection approach based on majorization–minimization (MM) and asymmetric convex penalty regularization (ACPR) is proposed in this paper. The proposed objective cost function (OCF) consisting of a signal-fidelity term, and two parameterized penalty terms (i.e., one is an asymmetric nonconvex penalty regularization term, and another is a symmetric nonconvex penalty regularization term).To begin with, the asymmetric and symmetric penalty functions are established on the basis of an L1-norm model, then, according to the splitting idea, the majorizer of the symmetric function and the majorizer of the asymmetric function are respectively calculated via the MM algorithm. Finally, the MM is re-introduced to solve the proposed OCF. As examples, the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed method is verified through simulated data and gearbox experimental real data. Meanwhile, a comparison with the state of-the-art methods is illustrated, including nonconvex penalty regularization (NCPR) and L1-norm fused lasso optimization (LFLO) techniques, the results indicate that the gear chipping characteristic frequency 13.22 Hz and its harmonic (2f, 3f, 4f and 5f) can be identified clearly, which highlights the superiority of the proposed approach.
Carbonate Apatite Nanoparticles-Facilitated Intracellular Delivery of siRNA(s) Targeting Calcium Ion Channels Efficiently Kills Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Uddin Mohammad Borhan , Balaravi Pillai Balakavitha , Tha Kyi Kyi , Ashaie Maeirah , Karim Md. Emranul , Chowdhury Ezharul Hoque
Published: June 2018

Specific gene knockdown facilitated by short interfering RNA (siRNA) is a potential approach for suppressing the expression of ion channels and transporter proteins to kill breast cancer cells. The overexpression of calcium ion channels and transporter genes is seen in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Since naked siRNA is anionic and prone to nuclease-mediated degradation, it has limited permeability across the cationic cell membrane and short systemic half-life, respectively. Carbonate apatite (CA) nanoparticles were formulated, characterized, loaded with a series of siRNAs, and delivered into MCF-7 and 4T1 breast cancer cells to selectively knockdown the respective calcium and magnesium ion channels and transporters. Individual knockdown of TRPC6, TRPM7, TRPM8, SLC41A1, SLC41A2, ORAI1, ORAI3, and ATP2C1 genes showed significant reduction (p < 0.001) in cell viability depending on the cancer cell type. From a variety of combinations of siRNAs, the combination of TRPC6, TRPM8, SLC41A2, and MAGT1 siRNAs delivered via CA produced the greatest cell viability reduction, resulting in a cytotoxicity effect of 57.06 ± 3.72% (p < 0.05) and 59.83 ± 2.309% (p = 0.09) in 4T1 and MCF-7 cell lines, respectively. Some of the combinations were shown to suppress the Akt pathway in Western Blot analysis when compared to the controls. Therefore, CA-siRNA-facilitated gene knockdown in vitro holds a high prospect for deregulating cell proliferation and survival pathways through the modulation of Ca2+ signaling in breast cancer cells.
A 12-Year Retrospective Study of Invasive Amoebiasis in Western Sydney: Evidence of Local Acquisition
Authors: Domazetovska Ana , Lee Rogan , Adhikari Chandra , Watts Matthew , Gilroy Nicole , Stark Damien , Sivagnanam Shobini
Published: June 2018

In Australia, amoebiasis is thought to occur in travellers, immigrants from endemic areas, and among men who have sex with men. Prevalence of amoebiasis in communities with immigrants from Entamoeba histolytica-endemic countries is unknown. The present study is a retrospective case series analysis of patients with laboratory-confirmed amoebiasis from Western Sydney Local Health District, Australia, between years 2005 and 2016. Forty-nine patients with amoebiasis were identified, resulting in an estimated annual incidence of up to 1.1 cases per 100,000 adults. Many were born in Australia (15/47) and India (12/47). Three patients (3/37) had no history of overseas travel, two others had not travelled to an endemic country, and an additional two had a very remote history of overseas travel; one died of fulminant amoebic colitis. Three patients (3/16) were employed in the food industry and one had a history of colonic irrigation in an Australian ‘wellness clinic’. Patients had invasive amoebiasis with either liver abscess (41/48) or colitis (7/48), diagnosed most commonly by serology. Invasive procedures were common, including aspiration of liver abscess (28/41), colonoscopy (11/49), and partial hepatectomy (1/49). Although rare, local acquisition of amoebiasis occurs in Western Sydney and contributes to significant morbidity and hospital admissions.
High Risk Blueberry Viruses by Region in North America; Implications for Certification, Nurseries, and Fruit Production
Authors: Martin Robert R. , Tzanetakis Ioannis E.
Published: June 2018

There is limited information on the distribution of blueberry viruses in the U.S. or around the world other than where the viruses were first discovered and characterized. A survey for blueberry viruses was carried out in the U.S. in 2015–2017. Most blueberry viruses have been characterized to the point that sensitive diagnostic assays have been developed. These assays are based on ELISA or variations of PCR, which were employed here to determine the presence of blueberry viruses in major blueberry production and nursery areas of the U.S. The viruses included in this study were: blueberry fruit drop (BFDaV), blueberry latent (BlLV), blueberry leaf mottle (BLMoV), blueberry mosaic (BlMaV), blueberry red ringspot (BRRV), blueberry scorch (BlScV), blueberry shock (BlShV), blueberry shoestring (BlSSV), blueberry virus A (BVA), peach rosette mosaic (PRMV), tobacco ringspot (TRSV), and tomato ringspot (ToRSV). In the Pacific Northwest BlShV was the most widespread virus, with BlScV and ToRSV detected in a limited number of fields in Oregon and Washington, but BlScV was widespread in British Columbia. In the upper midwest, the nematode-borne (ToRSV, TRSV), aphid-transmitted (BlSSV and BVA) and pollen-borne (BLMoV) viruses were most widespread. In the northeast, TRSV, ToRSV, and BlScV, were detected most frequently. In the southeast, BRRV and BNRBV were the most widespread viruses. BlLV, a cryptic virus with no known symptoms or effect on plant growth or yield was present in all regions. There are other viruses present at low levels in each of the areas, but with the lower incidence they pose minimal threat to nursery systems or fruit production. These results indicate that there are hotspots for individual virus groups that normally coincide with the presence of the vectors. The information presented highlights the high risk viruses for nursery and fruit production each pose a different challenge for control.
Neutralizing Anti-Hemagglutinin Monoclonal Antibodies Induced by Gene-Based Transfer Have Prophylactic and Therapeutic Effects on Influenza Virus Infection
Authors: Yamazaki Tatsuya , Chiba Joe , Akashi-Takamura Sachiko
Published: June 2018

Hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza virus is a major target for vaccines. HA initiates the internalization of the virus into the host cell by binding to host sialic acid receptors; therefore, inhibition of HA can significantly prevent influenza virus infection. However, the high diversity of HA permits the influenza virus to escape from host immunity. Moreover, the vaccine efficacy is poor in some high-risk populations (e.g., elderly or immunocompromised patients). Passive immunization with anti-HA monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is an attractive therapy; however, this method has high production costs and requires repeated inoculations. To address these issues, several methods for long-term expression of mAb against influenza virus have been developed. Here, we provide an overview of methods using plasmid and viral adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors that have been modified for higher expression of neutralizing antibodies in the host. We also examine two methods of injection, electro-transfer and hydrodynamic injection. Our results show that antibody gene transfer is effective against influenza virus infection even in immunocompromised mice, and antibody expression was detected in the serum and upper respiratory tract. We also demonstrate this method to be effective following influenza virus infection. Finally, we discuss the perspective of passive immunization with antibody gene transfer for future clinical trials.
Water and Suspended Sediment Budgets in the Lower Mekong from High-Frequency Measurements (2009–2016)
Authors: Thi Ha Dang , Ouillon Sylvain , Van Vinh Giap
Published: June 2018

Based on a new dataset of high temporal resolution of water discharge (hourly frequency) and suspended sediment concentration (twice daily frequency at ebb and flood tides) at Can Tho and My Thuan stations during the 2009–2016 period, monthly and annual flow and suspended sediment flux of the lower Mekong River were calculated. The present water discharge of the Mekong River to the sea can be estimated to be 400 km3 yr−1, +/− 100 km3 yr−1 depending on El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the present sediment supply to the sea can be estimated to be 40 Mt yr−1, +/− 20 Mt yr−1 depending on ENSO. The ENSO influence (proxied by the Southern Oscillation Index—SOI) on Q (water discharge) and Qs (sediment flux) is at maximum at a time lag of 8–9 months. The 2010–2011 La Niña event increased the water supply by almost 30% and the sediment supply by 55% in 2011. The 2015–2016 El Niño event decreased the water supply by 20% and the sediment supply by 50% in 2015–2016. The average net water discharge was 12,550 m3 s−1 in neutral years. The Tien River at My Thuan accounted for ~52%, and the Hau River at Can Tho for ~48% of the total Mekong River discharge, with small variations (of the order 1%) amongst years. In terms of suspended sediment delivery to the sea, the Tien River accounted for a more variable portion of 55% in neutral years, 57.3% in 2015–2016 (El Niño) and 62% in 2011 (La Niña). 80% of water discharge occurred during the flood season (July–December) and 20% occurred in the low flow season (January–June), the proportion being 91% and 9% for the sediment supply. Previous estimates of annual sediment supplies to the sea (145–160 Mt yr−1) had been established before 2003. Possible origins of the recent reduction by ~75% of sediment supply are presented and discussed.
Membrane Fouling for Produced Water Treatment: A Review Study From a Process Control Perspective
Authors: Jepsen Kasper L. , Bram Mads Valentin , Pedersen Simon , Yang Zhenyu
Published: June 2018

The offshore oil and gas industry is experiencing increasing water cuts as the reservoirs mature. The increase in produced water stresses the currently deployed deoiling technologies, resulting in more oil in the discharged water. Deploying membrane filtration to reduce the hydrocarbon concentration inherits additional complications related to fouling of the membranes: A process where the accumulation of material within and on the membrane surface adds additional flow resistance. This paper reviews and analyses the fouling detection, removal, prevention, dynamical and static modeling, with emphasis on how the membrane process can be manipulated from a process control perspective. The majority of the models rely on static descriptions or are limited to a narrow range of operating conditions which limits the usability of the models. This paper concludes that although the membrane filtration has been successfully applied and matured in many other industrial areas, challenges regarding cost-effective mitigation of fouling in the offshore deoiling applications, still exist. Fouling-based modeling combined with online parameter identification could potentially expand the operating range of the models and facilitate advanced control design to address transient performance and scheduling of fouling removal methods, resulting in cost-effective operation of membrane filtration systems. With the benefits of membrane filtration, it is predicted that membrane technology will be incorporated in produced water treatment, if the zero-discharge policies are enforced globally.
Optimal Frequency Ranges for Submicrosecond Precision Pulsar Timing
Authors: Lam M. T. , McLaughlin M. A. , Cordes J. M. , Chatterjee S. , Lazio T. J. W.
Published: June 2018

Precision pulsar timing requires optimization against measurement errors and astrophysical variance from the neutron stars themselves and the interstellar medium. We investigate optimization of arrival-time precision as a function of radio frequency and bandwidth. We find that increases in bandwidth that reduce the contribution from receiver noise are countered by the strong chromatic dependence of interstellar effects and intrinsic pulse-profile evolution. The resulting optimal frequency range is therefore telescope and pulsar dependent. We demonstrate the results for five pulsars included in current pulsar timing arrays and determine that they are not optimally observed at current center frequencies. For those objects, we find that better choices of total bandwidth as well as center frequency can improve the arrival-time precision. Wideband receivers centered at somewhat higher frequencies with respect to the currently adopted receivers can reduce required overall integration times and provide significant improvements in arrival-time uncertainty by a factor of

in most cases, assuming a fixed integration time. We also discuss how timing programs can be extended to pulsars with larger dispersion measures through the use of higher-frequency observations.
The Ensemble Photometric Variability of Over 105 Quasars in the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
Authors: Li Zefeng , McGreer Ian D. , Wu Xue-Bing , Fan Xiaohui , Yang Qian
Published: June 2018

We present the ensemble variability analysis results of quasars using the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar catalogs. Our data set includes 119,305 quasars with redshifts up to 4.89. Combining the two data sets provides a 15 year baseline and permits the analysis of the long timescale variability. Adopting a power-law form for the variability structure function,

, we use the multidimensional parametric fitting to explore the relationships between the quasar variability amplitude and a wide variety of quasar properties, including redshift (positive), bolometric luminosity (negative), rest-frame wavelength (negative), and black hole mass (uncertain). We also find that γ can be also expressed as a function of redshift (negative), bolometric luminosity (positive), rest-frame wavelength (positive), and black hole mass (positive). Tests of the fitting significance with the bootstrap method show that, even with such a large quasar sample, some correlations are marginally significant. The typical value of γ for the entire data set is ≳0.25, consistent with the results in previous studies on both the quasar ensemble variability and the structure function. A significantly negative correlation between the variability amplitude and the Eddington ratio is found, which may be explained as an effect of accretion disk instability.
An Upper Limit on the Strength of the Extragalactic Magnetic Field from Ultra-high-energy Cosmic-Ray Anisotropy
Authors: Bray J. D. , Scaife A. M. M.
Published: June 2018

If ultra-high-energy cosmic rays originate from extragalactic sources, the offsets of their arrival directions from these sources imply an upper limit on the strength of the extragalactic magnetic field (EGMF). The Pierre Auger Collaboration has recently reported that anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays is correlated with several types of extragalactic objects. If these cosmic rays originate from these objects, they imply a limit on the EGMF strength of B < 0.7–

G for coherence lengths λ

B
 < 100 Mpc and B < 0.7–2.2 × 10−10 G at larger scales. This is comparable to existing upper limits at λ

B
 = 1 Mpc, and improves on them by a factor of 4–12 at larger scales. The principal source of uncertainty in our results is the unknown cosmic-ray composition.