bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-Mobility Inkjet-Printed Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide Thin-Film Transistors Using Sr-Doped Al2O3 Gate Dielectric
Authors: Choi Seungbeom , Kim Kyung-Tae , Park Sung Kyu , Kim Yong-Hoon
Published: March 2019

In this paper, we demonstrate high-mobility inkjet-printed indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) using a solution-processed Sr-doped Al2O3 (SAO) gate dielectric. Particularly, to enhance to the electrical properties of inkjet-printed IGZO TFTs, a linear-type printing pattern was adopted for printing the IGZO channel layer. Compared to dot array printing patterns (4 × 4 and 5 × 5 dot arrays), the linear-type pattern resulted in the formation of a relatively thin and uniform IGZO channel layer. Also, to improve the subthreshold characteristics and low-voltage operation of the device, a high-k and thin (~10 nm) SAO film was used as the gate dielectric layer. Compared to the devices with SiO2 gate dielectric, the inkjet-printed IGZO TFTs with SAO gate dielectric exhibited substantially high field-effect mobility (30.7 cm2/Vs). Moreover, the subthreshold slope and total trap density of states were also significantly reduced to 0.14 V/decade and 8.4 × 1011/cm2·eV, respectively.
Superconducting YBCO Foams as Trapped Field Magnets
Authors: Koblischka Michael R. , Naik Sugali Pavan Kumar , Koblischka-Veneva Anjela , Murakami Masato , Gokhfeld Denis , Reddy Eddula Sudhakar , Schmitz Georg J.
Published: March 2019

Superconducting foams of YBa2Cu3Oy (YBCO) are proposed as trapped field magnets or supermagnets. The foams with an open-porous structure are light-weight, mechanically strong and can be prepared in large sample sizes. The trapped field distributions were measured using a scanning Hall probe on various sides of an YBCO foam sample after field-cooling in a magnetic field of 0.5 T produced by a square Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet. The maximum trapped field (TF) measured is about 400 G (77 K) at the bottom of the sample. Several details of the TF distribution, the current flow and possible applicatons of such superconducting foam samples in space applications, e.g., as active elements in flux-pinning docking interfaces (FPDI) or as portable strong magnets to collect debris in space, are outlined.
Bioactive 2-(Methyldithio)Pyridine-3-Carbonitrile from Persian Shallot (Allium stipitatum Regel.) Exerts Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity
Authors: Karunanidhi Arunkumar , Ghaznavi-Rad Ehsanollah , Jeevajothi Nathan Jayakayatri , Joseph Narcisse , Chigurupati Sridevi , Mohd Fauzi Fazlin , Pichika Mallikarjuna Rao , Hamat Rukman Awang , Lung Leslie Than Thian , van Belkum Alex , Neela Vasanthakumari
Published: March 2019

Antibiotic resistance is a problem that continues to challenge the healthcare sector, especially in clinically significant pathogens like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Herein is described the isolation and structure elucidation of a bioactive compound from Allium stipitatum with antimicrobial activity. Crude Allium stipitatum dichloromethane extract (ASDE) was subjected to systematic purification by chromatographic procedures to afford various bioactive fractions. A fraction that exhibited anti-MRSA activity (4 µg·mL−1) was further characterized to determine the structure. The structure of the compound was elucidated as 2-(methyldithio)pyridine-3-carbonitrile (2-Medpy-3-CN). The 2-Medpy-3-CN compound, which was screened for antimicrobial activity, exhibited minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) in the range of 0.5 to >64 µg·mL−1 for tested bacterial species and 0.25 to 2 µg·mL−1 for Candida spp. Further studies are important to confirm the drug target and mechanism of action.
Diversity in Accessions of Panicum miliaceum L. Based on Agro-Morphological, Antioxidative, and Genetic Traits
Authors: Ghimire Bimal Kumar , Yu Chang Yeon , Kim Seung Hyun , Chung Ill-Min
Published: March 2019

The genetic diversity and antioxidant potential of Panicum miliaceum L. accessions collected from different geo-ecological regions of South Korea were evaluated and compared. Antioxidant potential of seeds was estimated by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging assays and total phenolic content was determined by the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Total phenolic content (TPC) in 80% methanolic extracts ranged from 16.24 ± 0.86 to 58.04 ± 1.00 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g of the sample extracts and total flavonoid content (TFC) varied from 7.19 ± 1.05 to 52.56 ± 1.50 mg quercetin equivalents (QE) mg/g of the sample extracts. DPPH radical scavenging capacity of the extracts from the 15 accessions of P. miliaceum varied from 206.44 ± 7.72 to 2490.24 ± 4.641 mg GAE/g of the sample extracts and ABTS radical scavenging capacity ranged from 624.85 ± 13.1 to 1087. 77 ± 9.58 mg GAE/g of the sample extracts. A wide range of genetic variation was observed as measured by Shannon’s information index (I), number of effective alleles (Ne), number of observed alleles (Na), expected heterozygosity (He), unbiased expected heterozygosity (uHe). The observed variation in the bioactive properties, morphological traits, and genetic diversity among the accessions may provide useful information for breeding programs seeking to improve bioactive properties of P. miliaceum.
Intestinal Anti-Inflammatory Effect of a Peptide Derived from Gastrointestinal Digestion of Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Mozzarella Cheese
Authors: Tenore Gian Carlo , Pagano Ester , Lama Stefania , Vanacore Daniela , Di Maro Salvatore , Maisto Maria , Capasso Raffaele , Merlino Francesco , Borrelli Francesca , Stiuso Paola , Novellino Ettore
Published: March 2019

Under physiological conditions, the small intestine represents a barrier against harmful antigens and pathogens. Maintaining of the intestinal barrier depends largely on cell–cell interactions (adherent-junctions) and cell–matrix interactions (tight-junctions). Inflammatory bowel disease is characterized by chronic inflammation, which induces a destructuring of the architecture junctional epithelial proteins with consequent rupture of the intestinal barrier. Recently, a peptide identified by Bubalus bubalis milk-derived products (MBCP) has been able to reduce oxidative stress in intestinal epithelial cells and erythrocytes. Our aim was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of MBCP in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We studied the effect of MBCP on (i) inflamed human intestinal Caco2 cells and (ii) dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (DNBS) mice model of colitis. We have shown that MBCP, at non-cytotoxic concentrations, both in vitro and in vivo induced the adherent epithelial junctions organization, modulated the nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway and reduced the intestinal permeability. Furthermore, the MBCP reverted the atropine and tubocurarine injury effects on adherent-junctions. The data obtained showed that MBCP possesses anti-inflammatory effects both in vitro and in vivo. These results could have an important impact on the therapeutic potential of MBCP in helping to restore the intestinal epithelium integrity damaged by inflammation.
Synergistic Effects of Various Ceramic Fillers on Thermally Conductive Polyimide Composite Films and Their Model Predictions
Authors: Song Heeseok , Kim Byoung Gak , Kim Yong Seok , Bae Youn-Sang , Kim Jooheon , Yoo Youngjae
Published: March 2019

In this study, thermally conductive composite films were fabricated using an anisotropic boron nitride (BN) and hybrid filler system mixed with spherical aluminum nitride (AlN) or aluminum oxide (Al2O3) particles in a polyimide matrix. The hybrid system yielded a decrease in the through-plane thermal conductivity, however an increase in the in-plane thermal conductivity of the BN composite, resulting from the horizontal alignment and anisotropy of BN. The behavior of the in-plane thermal conductivity was theoretically treated using the Lewis–Nielsen and modified Lewis–Nielsen theoretical prediction models. A single-filler system using BN exhibited a relatively good fit with the theoretical model. Moreover, a hybrid system was developed based on two-population approaches, the additive and multiplicative. This development represented the first ever implementation of two different ceramic conducting fillers. The multiplicative-approach model yielded overestimated thermal conductivity values, whereas the additive approach exhibited better agreement for the prediction of the thermal conductivity of a binary-filler system.
Adamantane-Based Micro- and Ultra-Microporous Frameworks for Efficient Small Gas and Toxic Organic Vapor Adsorption
Authors: Jiang Wenzhao , Yue Hangbo , Shuttleworth Peter S. , Xie Pengbo , Li Shanji , Guo Jianwei
Published: March 2019

Microporous organic polymers and related porous materials have been applied in a wide range of practical applications such as adsorption, catalysis, adsorption, and sensing fields. However, some limitations, like wide pore size distribution, may limit their further applications, especially for adsorption. Here, micro- and ultra-microporous frameworks (HBPBA-D and TBBPA-D) were designed and synthesized via Sonogashira–Hagihara coupling of six/eight-arm bromophenyl adamantane-based “knots” and alkynes-type “rod” monomers. The BET surface area and pore size distribution of these frameworks were in the region of 395–488 m2 g−1, 0.9–1.1 and 0.42 nm, respectively. The as-made prepared frameworks also showed good chemical ability and high thermal stability up to 350 °C, and at 800 °C only 30% mass loss was observed. Their adsorption capacities for small gas molecules such as CO2 and CH4 was 8.9–9.0 wt % and 1.43–1.63 wt % at 273 K/1 bar, and for the toxic organic vapors n-hexane and benzene, 104–172 mg g−1 and 144–272 mg g−1 at 298 K/0.8 bar, respectively. These are comparable to many porous polymers with higher BET specific surface areas or after functionalization. These properties make the resulting frameworks efficient absorbent alternatives for small gas or toxic vapor capture, especially in harsh environments.
Wind Field Distribution of Multi-rotor UAV and Its Influence on Spectral Information Acquisition of Rice Canopies
Authors: Feng Lei , Wu Weikang , Wang Junmin , Zhang Chu , Zhao Yiying , Zhu Susu , He Yong
Published: March 2019

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are widely used as remote sensing platforms to effectively monitor agricultural conditions. The wind field generated by the rotors in low-altitude operations will cause the deformation of rice crops, and may affect the acquisition of the true spectral information. In this study, a low-altitude UAV remote sensing simulation platform and a triple-direction wind field wireless sensor network system were built to explore the wind field distribution law. Combined with the multi-spectral images of the rice canopy, the influence of wind field on the spectral information acquisition was analyzed through variance and regression analysis. The results showed that the Z-direction wind field of UAV rotors dominated along three directions (X, Y, and Z). The coefficient of determination (R2) of three linear regression models for Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI), and Canopy Coverage Rate (CCR) was 0.782, 0.749, and 0.527, respectively. Therefore, the multi-rotor UAV wind field had an impact on the spectral information acquisition of rice canopy, and this influence could eventually affect the assessment of rice growth status. The models established in this study could provide a reference for the revised model of spectral indices, and offer guidance for the actual operations of low-altitude multi-rotor UAV.
Mapping Maize Water Stress Based on UAV Multispectral Remote Sensing
Authors: Zhang Liyuan , Zhang Huihui , Niu Yaxiao , Han Wenting
Published: March 2019

Mapping maize water stress status and monitoring its spatial variability at a farm scale are a prerequisite for precision irrigation. High-resolution multispectral images acquired from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) were used to evaluate the applicability of the data in mapping water stress status of maize under different levels of deficit irrigation at the late vegetative, reproductive and maturation growth stages. Canopy temperature, field air temperature and relative humidity obtained by a handheld infrared thermometer and a portable air temperature/relative humidity meter were used to establish a crop water stress index (CWSI) empirical model under the weather conditions in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China. Nine vegetation indices (VIs) related to crop water stress were derived from the UAV multispectral imagery and used to establish CWSI inversion models. The results showed that non-water-stressed baseline had significant difference in the reproductive and maturation stages with an increase of 2.1 °C, however, the non-transpiring baseline did not change significantly with an increase of 0.1 °C. The ratio of transformed chlorophyll absorption in reflectance index (TCARI) and renormalized difference vegetation index (RDVI), and the TCARI and soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) had the best correlations with CWSI. R2 values were 0.47 and 0.50 for TCARI/RDVI and TCARI/SAVI at the reproductive and maturation stages, respectively; and 0.81 and 0.80 for TCARI/RDVI and TCARI/SAVI at the late reproductive and maturation stages, respectively. Compared to CWSI calculated by on-site measurements, CWSI values retrieved by VI-CWSI regression models established in this study had more abilities to assess the field variability of crop and soil. This study demonstrates the potentiality of using high-resolution UAV multispectral imagery to map maize water stress.
Description Generation for Remote Sensing Images Using Attribute Attention Mechanism
Authors: Zhang Xiangrong , Wang Xin , Tang Xu , Zhou Huiyu , Li Chen
Published: March 2019

Image captioning generates a semantic description of an image. It deals with image understanding and text mining, which has made great progress in recent years. However, it is still a great challenge to bridge the “semantic gap” between low-level features and high-level semantics in remote sensing images, in spite of the improvement of image resolutions. In this paper, we present a new model with an attribute attention mechanism for the description generation of remote sensing images. Therefore, we have explored the impact of the attributes extracted from remote sensing images on the attention mechanism. The results of our experiments demonstrate the validity of our proposed model. The proposed method obtains six higher scores and one slightly lower, compared against several state of the art techniques, on the Sydney Dataset and Remote Sensing Image Caption Dataset (RSICD), and receives all seven higher scores on the UCM Dataset for remote sensing image captioning, indicating that the proposed framework achieves robust performance for semantic description in high-resolution remote sensing images.
Wildfire Probability Mapping: Bivariate vs. Multivariate Statistics
Authors: Jaafari Abolfazl , Mafi-Gholami Davood , Thai Pham Binh , Tien Bui Dieu
Published: March 2019

Wildfires are one of the most common natural hazards worldwide. Here, we compared the capability of bivariate and multivariate models for the prediction of spatially explicit wildfire probability across a fire-prone landscape in the Zagros ecoregion, Iran. Dempster–Shafer-based evidential belief function (EBF) and the multivariate logistic regression (LR) were applied to a spatial dataset that represents 132 fire events from the period of 2007–2014 and twelve explanatory variables (altitude, aspect, slope degree, topographic wetness index (TWI), annual temperature, and rainfall, wind effect, land use, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and distance to roads, rivers, and residential areas). While the EBF model successfully characterized each variable class by four probability mass functions in terms of wildfire probabilities, the LR model identified the variables that have a major impact on the probability of fire occurrence. Two distribution maps of wildfire probability were developed based upon the results of each model. In an ensemble modeling perspective, we combined the two probability maps. The results were verified and compared by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. The results showed that although an improved predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.864) can be achieved via an ensemble modeling of bivariate and multivariate statistics, the models fail to individually provide a satisfactory prediction of wildfire probability (EBFAUC = 0.701; LRAUC = 0.728). From these results, we recommend the employment of ensemble modeling approaches for different wildfire-prone landscapes.
Spatial Heterogeneity and Coupling of Economy and Population Gravity Centres in the Hengduan Mountains
Authors: Luo Yong , Yu Hui , Liu Siyuan , Liang Yuting , Liu Shaoquan
Published: March 2019

The junction region of the Sichuan–Yunnan–Guizhou province (JRSYG) is a multinational community that includes the Hengduan mountainous areas, although its economy is lagging behind other regions in China. This study explored the spatial heterogeneity and coupling of economic and population gravity centres during the period 1995–2015, and determined the hotspots driving the economic development in the JRSYG region. We obtained the following results: (1) The global Moran’s I and the Moran scatter plots of the economy and population showed that the distribution of economy and population was a nature clustering. The scatter plots of the economy and population were mainly distributed in Quadrant III, with an L–L gathering. With the passage of time, the agglomeration and driving effects of the economy become stronger. (2) By the dynamic evolution process of the economy and population, the economy gravity centre (GE) and population gravity centre (GP) were approaching each other during the period 1995–2015. The equilibrium points showed an inverted U-shaped curve for the past few years. The spatial coupling of GE and GP increased every year. The balanced degree of regional development continuously improved. (3) The economic development level showed a polarisation pattern with a southwest growth pole and northeast growth pole. The point–axis spatial development pattern is presented, with two economic hotspots (Panzhihua and Luzhou) and three sub-hotspots (Xichang, Zhong shan, Zhaoyang). If further advantages from policy and infrastructure support are obtained, the hot poles can drive the social and economic development of the surrounding regions, which will alleviate regional differences in the future.
High-Speed Railway and City Tourism in China: A Quasi-Experimental Study on HSR Operation
Authors: Hou Xinshuo
Published: March 2019

This paper aims to provide an examination of the general and heterogeneous allowed treatment effects of high-speed rail (HSR) on tourism in cities in China. Based on the implementation of a generalized difference-in-differences (GDID) model and a dose–response (DR) assessment under a quasi-experimental background, this study found significant evidence of a positive average effect of HSR operation on tourism development for both domestic and international tourism. The event study indicates that the counterfactual method implied in this paper is valid, since the parallel trend assumption is confirmed, and the treatment effect of HSR on city tourism has an upwardly increasing trend over time. The heterogeneity test, which separates large cities from medium-sized and small cities, shows that the effect is quite different for the two city types; the effect is not optimistic for large cities, but it is consistently positive for medium-sized and small cities. As an original contribution, this paper conducts a DR study, allowing heterogeneous treatment effects to be captured when cities have different HSR development statuses. This novel method relaxes the strong assumption that there is only one effect level on average for all cities. The results argue that cities with higher HSR development will enjoy more benefits in terms of arrivals and revenues both from home and abroad; however, there are significant differences for the two city groups, as well as for domestic and international tourism. Thus, the findings can offer important information for policy decision making and serve as a valuable reference for research, especially regarding the conclusion drawn from the heterogeneity effect based on city size and HSR development status.
Container Sea Ports and Dry Ports: Future CO2 Emission Reduction Potential in China
Authors: Li Weidong , Hilmola Olli-Pekka , Panova Yulia
Published: March 2019

Nowadays, China dominates logistics volumes, and its container logistics is associated with the largest sea ports, such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Ningbo. However, China’s coastal line is long and contains numerous million-container-handling sea ports. Current leading sea ports are located mostly in the south or at the middle point of the coastal line. Volumes are rather concentrated in these few areas. Despite the fact that China’s vast population is well-spread throughout the coastal line, major cities are also located in the hinterlands. Apart from some regions (e.g., the Pearl and the Yangtze River Delta) where there are many cities that are very close to each other, distances between cities are rather long in general. Therefore, this research examines the CO2 emission reduction potential of using a larger number of sea ports (such as distribution hubs), as well as the interaction of these with analytically chosen dry ports. Results of the hypothetical country level container transportation model, using linear integer programming concerning 51 cities (largest hinterland and container sea port cities), showed that better and more equal use of sea ports serving the major cities will result in considerable emission reductions. This is the case, even if hinterland transport is completely based on road transports. However, in a situation where the dry port structure with railways is further applied, the results showed that it should be concentrated on a few hinterland points first, but also assure that most remote, million-people city locations get priority for the railway.
Spatial and Temporal Variations of Forest Cover in Developing Countries
Authors: Duan Qianwen , Tan Minghong
Published: March 2019

An understanding of changes in forest cover and the drivers of forest transition (FT) contributes to the sustainable management of global forests. In this paper, we used the latest global land cover data published by the European Space Agency (ESA) to investigate spatiotemporal variation characteristics of forest cover in developing countries from 1992 to 2015, and then analyzed causal factors of this variation using a binary logistic regression model. Existing studies on FT are mostly based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); this study improves our understanding of FT mechanisms through the use of a new dataset. The results indicate that the forest area in developing countries decreased from 21.8 to 21.3 million km2 from 1992–2015, and the rate of decline slowed after 2004. South America suffered the largest reduction in forest area (505,100 km2), whereas forest area in Africa increased slightly. By 2015, more than 80% of African countries had experienced FT, whereas only half of developing countries experienced forest expansion in South America. The variables affecting FT occurrence differed among continents. On the global scale, the remaining forest coverage and the proportion of forest exports negatively affected the likelihood of FT occurrence, whereas urbanization level had a positive effect.
Internal and External Influential Factors on Waste Disposal Behavior in Public Open Spaces in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Authors: Srun Pagnarith , Kurisu Kiyo
Published: March 2019

Over the last decade, municipal solid waste generation in Phnom Penh has increased noticeably; however, the waste management system is far from satisfactory. Considerable amount of waste is left uncollected, as well as intentionally disposed of in public open spaces. External and internal factors can trigger these problems. Possible external factors are low collection frequency, low cleaning services, and insufficient facilities such as small dumpsters. Possible internal factors, which also play an important role in this issue, include low awareness, insufficient knowledge, and low responsibility for personal waste. To examine the influences of these internal and external factors on people’s waste disposal behaviors, we selected and conducted a questionnaire survey at four sites in Phnom Penh that differ in waste collection frequency and population density. A total of 413 valid responses were obtained. We developed a structural equation model to explain people’s intentions not to dispose of waste in public open spaces. The results showed that personal and social norms, such as perception of social pressure from friends and family and from the government, had significant influences on intention, whereas the influence of external factors was much smaller.
Multilevel Coordination and Cooperation during Implementing Supranational Environmental Legislation: A Case Study on Invasive Alien Species
Authors: Roman A. Iasmina , Mauerhofer Volker
Published: March 2019

Coordination and cooperation are necessary topics to strengthen international environmental agreements that improve action against worldwide challenges towards sustainable development and environmental protection, such as invasive alien species (IAS). This study aims to assess to what extent national and transnational cooperation and coordination influences the implementation of a supranational regulation against IAS based on an example from the European Union (EU). Data is used from a broader study, including 47 responses to an online questionnaire and 22 interviews completed by experts from two countries (Austria and Romania), together with in depth literature. Additionally, the IAS-Regulation is analyzed from the perspective of cooperation and coordination. The terms “cooperation” and “coordination” were found within the text of the IAS-Regulation 11 and nine times respectively, whereas their context was transnational and national levels mainly, and transnational, respectively. It was further acknowledged from the majority of the answers from the survey respondents that the national coordination and cooperation is weaker than the transnational level due to the influence of the national competence distribution. Results from the interviews are separated into ‘transnational’ and ‘national’ cooperation and coordination. They show that the majority of the 47 responses indicate that the distribution of competence is one of the main influencing factors on the implementation. It is concluded that the current situation of cooperation and coordination in Austria and Romania renders it difficult for the European Commission to receive a realistic view about IAS and the implementation of the IAS Regulation in the two countries; hence, it is difficult to offer helpful support especially due to poor national cooperation. The current study can serve as a blueprint for further studies. Even in regional integration contexts beyond the EU, it can prove helpful to assess the impact of different kinds of competence distribution on the implementation of common norms. Thus, this research can path the way innovatively and serve as a comparative example for similar future studies.
The Mediating Role of CSR on the Market Orientation and Strategic Performance Relationship—A Study of the Public Housing Companies in Sweden
Authors: Sundström Agneta , Ahmadi Zahra
Published: March 2019

This article serves to analyze the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on (1) the market orientation and strategic performance relationship related to public housing companies’ choice of construction strategies and (2) the companies’ responsiveness to gathered and disseminated customer information. The quantitative method is applied, with data analyzed by the PROCESS analysis. The result is based on a survey sent to 289 public housing companies in Sweden. Previous research suggests a positive relationship between market orientation and strategic performance, which was not confirmed by this study. When testing the mediation effects of CSR on the market orientation and construction strategies relationship, these hypotheses were confirmed related to social and environmental dimensions—not economic ones. This study was limited to public housing companies, a sector that radically differs from the situation of companies in the open market. The study increases public housing companies’ knowledge of CSR effects on the market orientation and strategic performance relationship. This result contributes useful information for companies implementing CSR in their activities. The study highlights the importance of integrating CSR into an organization’s market orientation work and shows how CSR improves the companies’ ability to meet customers’ strategic needs.
New Similarity and Entropy Measures of Interval Neutrosophic Sets with Applications in Multi-Attribute Decision-Making
Authors: Yang Han , Wang Xiaoman , Qin Keyun
Published: March 2019

Information measures play an important role in the interval neutrosophic sets (INS) theory. The main purpose of this paper is to study the similarity and entropy of INS and its application in multi-attribute decision-making. We propose a new inclusion relation between interval neutrosophic sets where the importance of the three membership functions may be different. Then, we propose the axiomatic definitions of the similarity measure and entropy of the interval neutrosophic set (INS) based on the new inclusion relation. Based on the Hamming distance, cosine function and cotangent function, some new similarity measures and entropies of INS are constructed. Finally, based on the new similarity and entropy, we propose a multi-attribute decision-making method and illustrate that these new similarities and entropies are reasonable and effective.
A Note on the Sequence Related to Catalan Numbers
Authors: Zhang Jin , Chen Zhuoyu
Published: March 2019

The main purpose of this paper is to find explicit expressions for two sequences and to solve two related conjectures arising from the recent study of sums of finite products of Catalan numbers by Zhang and Chen.
Efficacy of Bacillus subtilis ANSB060 Biodegradation Product for the Reduction of the Milk Aflatoxin M1 Content of Dairy Cows Exposed to Aflatoxin B1
Authors: Guo Yongpeng , Zhang Yong , Wei Chen , Ma Qiugang , Ji Cheng , Zhang Jianyun , Zhao Lihong
Published: March 2019

This study was conducted to determine the effect of Bacillus subtilis ANSB060 biodegradation product (BDP) in reducing the milk aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) content of dairy cows fed a diet contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Twenty-four Chinese Holstein cows (254 ± 19 d in milk; milk production 19.0 ± 1.2 kg d−1) were assigned to three dietary treatments, as follows: (1) control diet (CON), consisting of a basal total mixed ration (TMR); (2) aflatoxin diet (AF), containing CON plus 63 μg of AFB1 kg−1 of diet dry matter; and (3) aflatoxin diet plus BDP (AF + BDP), containing AF plus BDP at 0.2% of diet dry matter. The experiment lasted 12 days, including an AFB1-dosing period from days one to eight, followed by a clearance period from days nine to twelve. Milk samples were collected on days 2, 4, 6, and 8–12, and the plasma was sampled on day 9, before morning feeding. Short-term AFB1 exposure did not affect the milk production and composition. The plasma biochemical indices, except for lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), were also not changed by the AFB1 intake. The plasma LDH level was significantly elevated (p < 0.05) following dietary treatment with AFB1, while no significant difference was observed between the AF + BDP and CON treatments. Adding BDP to the AFB1-contaminaed diet resulted in a significant reduction in AFM1 concentration (483 vs. 665 ng L−1) in the milk, AFM1 excretion (9.14 vs. 12.71 μg d−1), and transfer rate of dietary AFB1 to milk AFM1 (0.76 vs. 1.06%). In conclusion, the addition of BDP could be an alternative method for reducing the dietary AFB1 bioavailability in dairy cows.
The First Complete Genome Sequence of a Novel Tetrastichus brontispae RNA Virus-1 (TbRV-1)
Authors: Meng E , Tang Baozhen , Sanchez-Garcia Francisco Javier , Qiao Ting , Fu Lang , Wang Yu , Hou You-Ming , Wu Jiang-Lin , Chen Zhi-Ming
Published: March 2019

The complete sequence of a novel RNA virus isolated from Tetrastichus brontispae (TbRV-1) was determined to be 12,239 nucleotides in length with five non-overlapping, linearly arranged coding sequences (CDS), potentially encoding nucleoproteins, hypothetical proteins, matrix proteins, glycoproteins, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerases. Sequence analysis indicated that the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of TbRV-1 shares a 65% nucleotide and 67% amino acid sequence identity with Hubei dimarhabdovirus 2, suggesting that TbRV-1 is a member of the dimarhabdovirus supergroup. This corresponded to the result of the phylogenetic analysis. The affiliation of TbRV-1 with members of the family Rhabdoviridae was further validated by similar transcription termination motifs (GGAACUUUUUUU) to the Drosophila sigmavirus. The prevalence of TbRV-1 in all tissues suggested that the virus was constitutive of, and not specific to, any wasp tissue. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the complete genome sequence of a dimarhabdovirus in parasitoids.
Crucian Carp (Carassius carassius) Strongly Affect C/N/P Stoichiometry of Suspended Particulate Matter in Shallow Warm Water Eutrophic Lakes
Authors: He Hu , Han Yanqing , Li Qisheng , Jeppesen Erik , Li Kuanyi , Yu Jinlei , Liu Zhengwen
Published: March 2019

Crucian carp (Carassius carassius) is a key fish species in most Chinese subtropical and tropical shallow lakes. Through sediment feeding, crucian carp could greatly change water turbidity and nutrient levels, as well as the abundance of herbivorous consumers, which may have important influences on seston element stoichiometry. However, so far, experimental studies on this topic are lacking. We conducted a 36-day mesocosm experiment to explore the effects of crucian carp on water physicochemical and biological properties, and C/N/P ratios in suspended particulate matter (SPM) under eutrophic conditions. Our results provided three major findings: (1) Crucian carp resuspended sediments and along with them, reduced light penetration and lower light/total phosphorus (TP) ratios. (2) Crucian carp reduced biomasses of both zooplankton and macrozoobenthos, whereas their effect on phytoplankton was weak, potentially because of resuspension-induced light limitation. (3) Both C/P and N/P ratios in SPM were significant lower in mesocosms with crucian carp than in fish-free controls, which may be attributed to the high contribution of P-rich sediments and low light to nutrient supply caused by fish-induced resuspension. Our results suggest that besides planktivorous fish, benthivore (e.g., crucian carp) in warm shallow waters could also affect pelagic C/N/P stoichiometry via sediment feeding, which may further influence energy transfer efficiency in lake food chain.
PECULARITIES OF CALCULATION AND STRENGTHENING OF GLULAM TIMBER BEAMS
Authors: Čechavičius Rimantas
Published: March 2019

This paper deals with analysis of pecularities of design and strengthening of tapered, curved and pitched cambered glulam beams under action of lateral tension. The formulas and drawings presented give the possibility for addition and clarification of existed design methods of such beams in our country. For strengthening the apex zone of pitched cambered beams the author offers the way of precompression of the member according to the patent of Lithuanian Republic No 2045.

By the use of this method it is possible to increase bearing capacity, fire resistance and durability of glulam bearing elements.

The given method allows to simplify manufacturing of alike elements and to improve their technology. Another method (according to the patent of Lithuanian Republic No 2046) also gives the solution of the problem of setting inserts of any size and shape made of different materials. The inserts are used for joint constructions as well as for strengthening dangerous places.

The method is carried out in the following way.

The most strained parts of wooden bearing element are set and inserts are installed where needed. Corresponding grooves, usually longitudinal, are made before glueing separate planks. The planks having been glued into one piece, grooves of wanted size and shape are made. Inserts of different shape are set into package during its assemblage. In such cases inserts serve as additional plank package fixers. After that by means of pneumatic or hydraulic presses pressurization and final element treatment follows. Alongside of flat inserts another method of insert setting may be used: planks after corresponding grooves have been made are stowed into package and by means of diaphragm made of steel or any other like material are fixed into a position. Then pressurization by pneumatic or hydraulic presses, extraction of diaphragms out of grooves, setting of flat glued inserts into grooves follows.

The given method may be applied at any glulam bearing elements plant.

The usage of this glulam bearing element strengthening method assures the following advantages: the possibility of making grooves of any size and shape, as well as setting corresponding inserts into grooves which help to strengthen and connect the elements. It allows not only to increase the bearing capacity and durability, but also the fire resistance of the given element.

The usage of nonmetallic inserts increase dielectricity or “ratio transparency” of structures.
WATER RESISTANCE OF CERAMZITE CONTAINING GALVANOTECIINICAL SLIME/KERAMZITO, TURINČIO GALVANOTECHNINIO ŠLAMO, ATSPARUMAS VANDENIUI
Authors: Kazragis Algimantas , Zalieckienė Elena , Kulinič Halina , Milčiūnienė Violeta
Published: March 2019

In the Lithuanian metal working plants galvanotechnical slime is formed during the manufacturing process. It consists of Fe, Ca, Mg and combinations of microelements Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb such as hydroxide, sulphide etc.

To prevent contamination of the environment by metal combinations contained in the galvanotechnical slime it has to be utilized for ceramic products during the manufacturing process.

In Lithuania the galvanotechnical slime is utilized for ceramzite produced in the Palemonas factory.

The aim of this work is to find out whether the microelements contained in galvanotechnical slime are emitted from ceramzite into the environment while ceramzite is affected by water.

There is hydromical clay in Lithuania. Cremate clay contains 70—95% of hydromicas, 5—30% kaolinite, and up to 5% of chlorite and traces of montmorillonite. It contains quartz, feldspars, calcite and limonite as well. Oxidical structure (%) is: SiO2 48–51, Al2O3 + TiO2 14—19, Fe2O3 5—8, CaO 7–11, MgO ∼ 3, K2O ∼ 3, Na2O ∼ 1, SO3 up to 0.4, loss by roasting 10—13.

In producing ceramzite (1050—125°C) mullite, quartz, hematite, magnetite, anorthite, spinel, forsterite etc. are formed from clay components.

If ceramzite contains galvanotechnical slime, the microelements along with ceramzite components compounds thermodynamically a few of Ca, Mg, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn silicates and aluminates and Ca, Mg, Ni, Cu ferrites.

The amount of microelements transferring from ceramzite into water has been defined with the atomicabsorption spectroscopy by keeping ceramzite granules in distilled water for 3,6 and 12 months.

The results of the investigation demonstrate that the compounds of Cr, Ni, Cd, Pb, Mn, and Co do not transfer from ceramzite into water.

The amounts of metallic compounds in the water C H 2 O are limited by the values of their solubility product L:

C H 2 O = 5,62 Cmax L0,087,

The amount of metallic compounds in the water C H 2 O depends on the extraction length according to the satiation curve.

The results of the investigation show that ceramzite containing galvanotechnical slime is an ecologically clean heat insulating substance.
APPLICATION OF COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN SYSTEMS IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING/AUTOMATIZUOTO PROJEKTAVIMO SISTEMŲ NAUDOJIMAS GEOTECHNIKOJE
Authors: Amšiejus Jonas , Gabrielaitis Linas , Gruodis Rimantas
Published: March 2019

Kuriant automatizuoto projektavimo sistemas ypač svarbu atkreipti dėmesį į tą. duomenų bei informacijos dalį, kuri dėl jai būdingų savitumų negali būti unifikuota. Ryškiausias pavyzdys šiuo požiūriu galėtų būti inžinerinėsgeologinės sąlygos, kurios įvairiuose pasaulio regionuose yra gana skirtingos. Pasitaiko ir taip, kad dėl to gali skirtis net pati gruntų klasifikacija. Panaši situacija yra ir Lietuvos teritorijoje, kur kai kurių grunto tipų spektras pasirodė platesnis, negu numato kitų valstybių gruntų klasifikacijos sistemos. Jau vien dėl šios priežasties kitose šalyse sukurtos programinės priemonės čia negali būti naudojamos neatlikus tam tikrų pakeitimų bei papildymų. Ne mažiau reikšminga ir kita aplinkybė, apimanti tradiciškai Lietuvoje susiklosčiusius pagrindų ir pamatų projektavimo principus, kurų neturi kitos šalys, kalbant, pavyzdžiui, apie gręžininių pamatų projektavimą ir statybą.

Formuluojant patį automatizuoto projektavimo uždavinį, autorių nuomone, pirmiausia reikėtų sujungti iki šiol visiškai atskirtas inžinerinių tyrinėjimų, pagrindų ir pamatų projektavimo, statybos bei eksploatacijos sritis. Kitaip sakant, reikėtų orientuotis į tai, kad ateityje visus tyrinėjimų, projektavimo bei statybos darbus turėtų atlikti viena organizacija, išskiriant nebent inžinerinių tyrinėjimų dalį projekto techninio-ekonominio pagrindimo stadijoje, kai galėtų dirbti šioje srityje besispecializuojančios organizacijos. Tyrinėjimų apimtis šioje stadijoje turėtų būti bent jau tokia, kad iš gautos medžiagos matytųsi, koks pamatų tipas labiausiai tinka konkrečioms gruntinėms sąlygoms. Tada projekto darbo brėžinių stadijoje tyrinėti turėtų jau pati pamatų statybos darbus atliekanti organizacija. Šitaip nulinio ciklo projektavimo bei statybos darbai vyktų kompleksiškai ir vienu metu, pagal principą “nuo stalo į gamybą”.

Pamatų automatizuoto projektavimo diegimo būdai gali būti labai įvairūs ir pirmiausia priklauso nuo to, kokios projektavimo sistemos bus laikomasi kiekvienu konkrečiu atveju. Atsižvelgiant į mūsų dabarties galimybes, šiam tikslui visai neblogai gali būti naudojami plačiai žinomi ir labiausiai prieinami CAD sistemoje bei jos terpėje dirbantys programų paketai. Antra vertus, nemažai projektavimo uždavinių galima išspręsti ir savo jėgomis. Darbe parodyta, kaip remiantis matematinės statistikos dėsniais gali būti analitiškai nustatomos pagrindo sluoksnių ribos. Be šio klausimo, yra išspręstas, tik netilpęs į šio straipsnio rėmus, ir vienas svarbiausių projektavimo uždavinių—pagrindo normuotam patikimumui skaičiuoti. Dabartiniu metu dirbama ties pagrindo skaitmeninio modelio sukūrimo problema. Visi šie, o ir kiti panašūs geotechnikos problemų sprendimo būdai, vadovaujantis išdėstytais automatizuotos projektavimo sistemos kūrimo principais, neabejotinai gali sudaryti atskiras šios sistemos grandis.
Steel structures in the new millennium/plieno konstrukcijos naujajame tūstantmetyje
Authors: Dowling Patrick J. , Burgan Bassam A.
Published: March 2019

Nuo to laiko, kai daugiau nei prieš 100 metų buvo įdiegtas plienas, jis tapo viena iš svarbiausių statybos medžiagų. Šis straipsnis apžvelgia jo naudojimo raidos išdavas; apžvelgia pažangą, kuri padaryta kuriant plieno skerspjūvius ir konstrukcijų sistemas bei plieno naudojimą sausumoje ir jūroje. Taip pat aptariama gaisrosaugos, aplinkosaugos ir apsaugos nuo korozijos sistemų strategijų raida. Straipsnyje atskleidžiamas plieno konstrukcijų sektoriaus finansinis įsipareigojimas nuolat tobulinti rinkos kelrą, kur procesų ir produkcijos technologijų pažanga visuomet bus skatinama klientų reikmių turėti kokybiškesnes medžiagas ir sistemas. Be praeities pasiekimų ir dabarties krypčių ir raidos apžvalgos, straipsnis nukreipia žvilgsnį į būsimojo tūkstantmečio plieno konstrukcijas.

Plienas yra moderniosios statybos sinonimas. Nuo praėjusio šimtmečio galo jis teikė galimybes ir įkvėpimą daugeliui projektuotojų kartų. Šiandien, architektūros pliuralizmo ir inžinerinių naujovių eroje, jis naudojamas naujais išraiškos ir techninio moderno lygiais. Tai tikriausiai iš dalies susiję su metalurgijos pasiekimais ir laimėjimais išsiaiškinant medžiagų konstrukcines savybes bei tobulinant gamybos technologiją; bet svarbiausia tai yra testamentas tolesniam architektų ir inžinierių įsipareigojimui kurti naudojantis išskirtinėmis projektavimo galimybėmis, kurias siūlo plienas.

Plienas taip pat yra dinamiška medžiaga; 70% plieno, kuris naudojamas dabar, nebuvo prieš 10 metų. Vartojimo instrukcijos nuolatos tobulinamos, nes kinta gamybos technologijos raida ir rinkos poreikiai. Plieno pramonė, nuolatos investuoja dideles lėšas į naujas technologijas, tyrimus ir naujovių kūrimą, keldama reikalavimus mažinti masę ir gerinti tokias savybes kaip tvirtumą, takumą ir virinamumą.

Plieno pramonė veikia struktūruotoje sistemoje standartų, kurie apima tūkstančius vartojimo instrukcijų. Naujaip taikyti plieną tampa įmanoma tik sukūrus naujas jo rūšis, kurioms savo ruožtu rašomos naujos vartojimo instrukcijos, skirtos pagrindiniam ir daug utilitaresniam taikymui. Plieno lydiniai, kurie suteikė galimybę Britanijos lėktuvų variklių pramonei užimti deramą vietą pasaulio oro erdvės rinkose, dabar randa naujo taikymo galimybes įvairiose kitose technikos srityse, o nerūdijantis plienas tapo sparčiai plintančiu statybos gaminiu.
EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES/EKSPERTINĖS SISTEMOS, NAUDOJAMOS STATYBOS PROCESUOSE
Authors: Kapliński Oleg , Zavadskas Edmundas K.
Published: March 2019

Šiame straipsnyje analizuojamos ekspertinės sistemos. Pirmoje straipsnio dalyje nagrinėjamas ekspertinių sistemų naudojimas projektuojant statybos procesus. Dvi žinių rūšys yra būdingos ekspertinės sistemos struktūrai: mikrožinios ir makrožinios. Mikrožinios remiasi statybos technologijos principais, makrožinios—projektavimo menu. Straipsnyje ekspertinių sistemių, naudojamų statybos procesuose, analizė atliekama ekspertinės sistemos, panaudotos monolitinės statybos technologijoje, pavyzdžiu.

Antra straipsnio dalis remiasi teze, kad “grynų ekspertinių sistemių taikymų apimtis, ypatingai naudojamų statybos pramonėje, bus ribota. Todėl praktikoje naudoti siūloma vadinamąsias hibridines ekspertines sistemas. Straipsnyje šioms problemoms spręsti siūlomi trys problemų sprendimų lygiai: klasikinių metodų lygis, kombinuotų metodų lygis ir hibridinių ekspertinių sistemų lygis. Kombinuoti metodai yra dviejų arba daugiau klasikinių metodų lydinys. Hibridinė ekspertinė sistema turi mažiausiai vieno kombinuoto metodo elementus.