bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal Design of Hierarchical Cloud-Fog&Edge Computing Networks with Caching
Authors: Fan Xiaoqian , Zheng Haina , Jiang Ruihong , Zhang Jinyu
Published: March 2020

This paper investigates the optimal design of a hierarchical cloud-fog&edge computing (FEC) network, which consists of three tiers, i.e., the cloud tier, the fog&edge tier, and the device tier. The device in the device tier processes its task via three computing modes, i.e., cache-assisted computing mode, cloud-assisted computing mode, and joint device-fog&edge computing mode. Specifically, the task corresponds to being completed via the content caching in the FEC tier, the computation offloading to the cloud tier, and the joint computing in the fog&edge and device tier, respectively. For such a system, an energy minimization problem is formulated by jointly optimizing the computing mode selection, the local computing ratio, the computation frequency, and the transmit power, while guaranteeing multiple system constraints, including the task completion deadline time, the achievable computation capability, and the achievable transmit power threshold. Since the problem is a mixed integer nonlinear programming problem, which is hard to solve with known standard methods, it is decomposed into three subproblems, and the optimal solution to each subproblem is derived. Then, an efficient optimal caching, cloud, and joint computing (CCJ) algorithm to solve the primary problem is proposed. Simulation results show that the system performance achieved by our proposed optimal design outperforms that achieved by the benchmark schemes. Moreover, the smaller the achievable transmit power threshold of the device, the more energy is saved. Besides, with the increment of the data size of the task, the lesser is the local computing ratio.
Flexible, Brain-Inspired Communication in Massive Wireless Networks
Authors: Bossy Bartosz , Kryszkiewicz Pawel , Bogucka Hanna
Published: March 2020

In this paper, a new perspective of using flexible, brain-inspired, analog and digital wireless transmission in massive future networks, is presented. Inspired by the nervous impulses transmission mechanisms in the human brain which is highly energy efficient, we consider flexible, wireless analog and digital transmission on very short distances approached from the energy efficiency point of view. The energy efficiency metric is compared for the available transmission modes, taking the circuit power consumption model into account. In order to compare the considered systems, we assume that the transmitted data comes from analog sensors. In the case of the digital transmission scheme, the decoded data are converted back to analog form at the receiving side. Moreover, different power consumption models from the literature and the digital transmission schemes with different performance are analyzed in order to examine if, for some applications and for some channel conditions, the analog transmission can be the energy-efficient alternative of digital communication. The simulation results show that there exist some cases when the analog or simplified digital communication is more energy efficient than digital transmission with

QAM

modulation.
Data-Driven Prediction of Vessel Propulsion Power Using Support Vector Regression with Onboard Measurement and Ocean Data
Authors: Kim Donghyun , Lee Sangbong , Lee Jihwan
Published: March 2020

The fluctuation of the oil price and the growing requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have forced ship builders and shipping companies to improve the energy efficiency of the vessels. The accurate prediction of the required propulsion power at various operating condition is essential to evaluate the energy-saving potential of a vessel. Currently, a new ship is expected to use the ISO15016 method in estimating added resistance induced by external environmental factors in power prediction. However, since ISO15016 usually assumes static water conditions, it may result in low accuracy when it is applied to various operating conditions. Moreover, it is time consuming to apply the ISO15016 method because it is computationally expensive and requires many input data. To overcome this limitation, we propose a data-driven approach to predict the propulsion power of a vessel. In this study, support vector regression (SVR) is used to learn from big data obtained from onboard measurement and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database. As a result, we show that our data-driven approach shows superior performance compared to the ISO15016 method if the big data of the solid line are secured.
Single Image De-Raining via Improved Generative Adversarial Nets
Authors: Ren Yi , Nie Mengzhen , Li Shichao , Li Chuankun
Published: March 2020

Capturing images under rainy days degrades image visual quality and affects analysis tasks, such as object detection and classification. Therefore, image de-raining has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In this paper, an improved generative adversarial network for single image de-raining is proposed. According to the principles of divide-and-conquer, we divide an image de-raining task into rain locating, rain removing, and detail refining sub-tasks. A multi-stream DenseNet, termed as Rain Estimation Network, is proposed to estimate the rain location map. A Generative Adversarial Network is proposed to remove the rain streaks. A Refinement Network is proposed to refine the details. These three models accomplish rain locating, rain removing, and detail refining sub-tasks, respectively. Experiments on two synthetic datasets and real world images demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art de-raining studies in both objective and subjective measurements.
Global Game Jam in Latin-America, a Collaborative Videogame Learning Experience
Authors: Torres-Toukoumidis Angel , Salgado Guerrero Juan Pablo , Peñalva Sheila , Carrera Paola
Published: March 2020

Videogame production events, particularly the Global Game Jam (GGJ), is an activity par excellence aimed at the development of the world’s largest games, enhancing the form of personal expression, critical thinking, and appropriation of new media through collaborative work. The general objective is to explore the development process within the context of the GGJ, calculating the correlation between level of education and source of inspiration, the correlation between level of education and purpose of the game to be designed in the Global Game Jam and the correlation between level of education and skills. The main source of inspiration is defined by game genre, game mechanics, or other video game, in addition the purpose of the game is mainly due to learning a technical skill, enjoy doing it, and generate satisfaction in the players. Finally, the skills that prevail are 2D Design, Programming, and 3D Design. People with a high level of knowledge have the same passion as those who have just started in the multidisciplinary field of the development of video games motivated by creating an original game that has a good script and provides them a life experience.
From Understanding to Sustainable Use of Peatlands: The WETSCAPES Approach
Authors: Jurasinski Gerald , Ahmad Sate , Anadon-Rosell Alba , Berendt Jacqueline , Beyer Florian , Bill Ralf , Blume-Werry Gesche , Couwenberg John , Günther Anke , Joosten Hans , Koebsch Franziska , Köhn Daniel , Koldrack Nils , Kreyling Jürgen , Leinweber Peter , Lennartz Bernd , Liu Haojie , Michaelis Dierk , Mrotzek Almut , Negassa Wakene , Schenk Sandra , Schmacka Franziska , Schwieger Sarah , Smiljanić Marko , Tanneberger Franziska , Teuber Laurenz , Urich Tim , Wang Haitao , Weil Micha , Wilmking Martin , Zak Dominik , Wrage-Mönnig Nicole
Published: March 2020

Of all terrestrial ecosystems, peatlands store carbon most effectively in long-term scales of millennia. However, many peatlands have been drained for peat extraction or agricultural use. This converts peatlands from sinks to sources of carbon, causing approx. 5% of the anthropogenic greenhouse effect and additional negative effects on other ecosystem services. Rewetting peatlands can mitigate climate change and may be combined with management in the form of paludiculture. Rewetted peatlands, however, do not equal their pristine ancestors and their ecological functioning is not understood. This holds true especially for groundwater-fed fens. Their functioning results from manifold interactions and can only be understood following an integrative approach of many relevant fields of science, which we merge in the interdisciplinary project WETSCAPES. Here, we address interactions among water transport and chemistry, primary production, peat formation, matter transformation and transport, microbial community, and greenhouse gas exchange using state of the art methods. We record data on six study sites spread across three common fen types (Alder forest, percolation fen, and coastal fen), each in drained and rewetted states. First results revealed that indicators reflecting more long-term effects like vegetation and soil chemistry showed a stronger differentiation between drained and rewetted states than variables with a more immediate reaction to environmental change, like greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Variations in microbial community composition explained differences in soil chemical data as well as vegetation composition and GHG exchange. We show the importance of developing an integrative understanding of managed fen peatlands and their ecosystem functioning.
Associations Between Two Athlete Monitoring Systems Used to Quantify External Training Loads in Basketball Players
Authors: Heishman Aaron , Peak Keldon , Miller Ryan , Brown Brady , Daub Bryce , Freitas Eduardo , Bemben Michael
Published: March 2020

Monitoring external training load (eTL) has become popular for team sport for managing fatigue, optimizing performance, and guiding return-to-play protocols. During indoor sports, eTL can be measured via inertial measurement units (IMU) or indoor positioning systems (IPS). Though each device provides unique information, the relationships between devices has not been examined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the association of eTL between an IMU and IPS used to monitor eTL in team sport. Retrospective analyses were performed on 13 elite male National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I basketball players (age: 20.2 ± 1.2 years, height: 201.1 ± 7.6 cm, mass: 96.8 ± 8.8 kg) from three practices during the off-season training phase. A one-way analysis of variance was used to test differences in eTL across practices. Pearson’s correlation examined the association between the Distance traveled during practice captured by IPS compared to PlayerLoad (PL), PlayerLoad per Minute (PL/Min), 2-Dimensional PlayerLoad (PL2D), 1-Dimensional PlayerLoad Forward (PL1D-FWD), Side (PL1D-SIDE), and Up (PL1D-UP) captured from the IMU. Regression analyses were performed to predict PL from Distance traveled. The eTL characteristics during Practice 1: PL = 420.4 ± 102.9, PL/min = 5.8 ± 1.4, Distance = 1645.9 ± 377.0 m; Practice 2: PL = 472.8 ± 109.5, PL/min = 5.1 ± 1.2, Distance = 1940.0 ± 436.3 m; Practice 3: PL = 295.1 ± 57.8, PL/min = 5.3 ± 1.0, Distance = 1198.2 ± 219.2 m. Significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences were observed in PL, PL2D, PL1D-FWD, PL1D-SIDE, PL1D-UP, and Distance across practices. Significant correlations (p ≤ 0.001) existed between Distance and PL parameters (Practice 1: r = 0.799–0.891; Practice 2: r = 0.819–0.972; and Practice 3: 0.761–0.891). Predictive models using Distance traveled accounted for 73.5–89.7% of the variance in PL. Significant relationships and predictive capacities exists between systems. Nonetheless, each system also appears to capture unique information that may still be useful to performance practitioners regarding the understanding of eTL.
Multiple Comparison Procedures for the Differences of Proportion Parameters in Over-Reported Multiple-Sample Binomial Data
Authors: Rahardja Dewi
Published: March 2020

In sequential tests, typically a (pairwise) multiple comparison procedure (MCP) is performed after an omnibus test (an overall equality test). In general, when an omnibus test (e.g., overall equality of multiple proportions test) is rejected, then we further conduct a (pairwise) multiple comparisons or MCPs to determine which (e.g., proportions) pairs the significant differences came from. In this article, via likelihood-based approaches, we acquire three confidence intervals (CIs) for comparing each pairwise proportion difference in the presence of over-reported binomial data. Our closed-form algorithm is easy to implement. As a result, for multiple-sample proportions differences, we can easily apply MCP adjustment methods (e.g., Bonferroni, Šidák, and Dunn) to address the multiplicity issue, unlike previous literatures. We illustrate our procedures to a real data example.
An Experimental Approach to Understanding the Impacts of Monitoring Methods on Use Intentions for Autonomous Vehicle Services: Survey Evidence from Japan
Authors: Abe Ryosuke , Kita Yusuke , Fukuda Daisuke
Published: March 2020

Safety guidelines for autonomous vehicles (AVs) in many regions or countries require AV service providers to have the means to communicate with vehicles and the ability to stop them safely in case of emergencies. The transition to full deployment of AV services is dependent on more advanced monitoring methods. This study uses a survey of approximately 2000 residents of Japanese cities to investigate how monitoring methods affect their intentions to use these services. In particular, the survey is designed to understand how individuals react to unattended operations and remote monitoring in road passenger services including buses and taxis; the survey includes direct questions about intentions to use autonomous buses and taxis and a stated choice experiment based on the respondents’ preferences over their current mode of transportation and autonomous taxis. The results show that monitoring methods have mixed impacts. On one hand, monitoring could affect the general acceptance of AV services. The difference in the overall resistance to using these services is particularly large between the onboard human and remote monitoring options. Individuals tend to express stronger resistance to more advanced remote monitoring. On the other hand, the stated choice results show that the effects of these monitoring factors could be less significant in the actual settings of transportation mode choices; the effects of travel cost and time factors are likely to be more significant. These results suggest that when individuals consider AVs in the context of real-world decisions, their resistance to new technologies is diminished in comparison to their responses to abstract questions.
Are Cities Aware Enough? A Framework for Developing City Awareness to Climate Change
Authors: Iturriza Marta , Hernantes Josune , Abdelgawad Ahmed A. , Labaka Leire
Published: March 2020

Cities are growing and becoming more complex, and as they continue to do so, their capacity to deal with foreseen and unforeseen challenges derived from climate change has to adapt accordingly. In the last decade, an effort has been made to build city resilience and improve cities’ capacity to respond to, recover from and adapt to climate change. However, certain city stakeholders’ lack of proactive behavior has resulted in less effective city resilience-building strategies. In this sense, the importance of developing stakeholders’ awareness of climate change in order to ensure proactivity is documented in the literature. However, there is a lack of studies that define how, when and what should be done to develop stakeholders’ climate change awareness at a city scale. This paper presents a framework to develop stakeholders climate change awareness as a result of a systematic literature review and a co-creation process with the participation of 47 experts through a focus group and a Delphi study. The framework defines a four-step process and includes nine policies that seek to develop stakeholders’ climate change awareness. The framework concludes determining the responsibilities of each stakeholder by defining the policies they should implement, and the effect one policy might cause on other stakeholders and among policies.
Spatial Conflict of Production–Living–Ecological Space and Sustainable-Development Scenario Simulation in Yangtze River Delta Agglomerations
Authors: Lin Gang , Jiang Dong , Fu Jingying , Cao Chenglong , Zhang Dongwei
Published: March 2020

Production–living–ecological space (PLES) is a recent research hotspot on land planning and regional sustainable development in China. Taking the Yangtze River Delta agglomerations as a case study, this paper establishes a spatial-conflict index to identify the PLES conflicts, and then builds a cellular-automaton (CA) Markov model to simulate the PLES pattern in 2030 and to evaluate the influence on PLES conflicts under two scenarios. Results showed that the ecological space (ES) and the living–productive space (LPS) of the Yangtze River Delta agglomerations showed a descending tendency in 2010–2015, whereas ecological–productive space (EPS) and productive–ecological space (PES) reflected a small increase. EPS and PES had squeezed ES and LPS with urbanization and industrial development in this region. Meanwhile, the spatial conflicts of PLES worsened during the period, with the average of the spatial-conflict index (SCI) shifting from 0.283 to 0.522, and seemed to gain momentum. On the basis of scenario analysis for 2030, it was concluded that the “ecological red line policy”, appropriate restriction of urban expansion, and ecological management of the bank of the Yangtze River are helpful in alleviating PLES conflicts, and contribute to spatial structure and harmonizing. The results of this study are expected to provide valuable implications for spatial planning and sustainable development in the Yangtze River delta agglomerations.
Hierarchical System Decomposition Using Genetic Algorithm for Future Sustainable Computing
Authors: Huh Jun-Ho , Hwa Jimin , Seo Yeong-Seok
Published: March 2020

A Hierarchical Subsystem Decomposition (HSD) is of great help in understanding large-scale software systems from the software architecture level. However, due to the lack of software architecture management, HSD documentations are often outdated, or they disappear in the course of repeated changes of a software system. Thus, in this paper, we propose a new approach for recovering HSD according to the intended design criteria based on a genetic algorithm to find an optimal solution. Experiments are performed to evaluate the proposed approach using two open source software systems with the 14 fitness functions of the genetic algorithm (GA). The HSDs recovered by our approach have different structural characteristics according to objectives. In the analysis on our GA operators, crossover contributes to a relatively large improvement in the early phase of a search. Mutation renders small-scale improvement in the whole search. Our GA is compared with a Hill-Climbing algorithm (HC) implemented by our GA operators. Although it is still in the primitive stage, our GA leads to higher-quality HSDs than HC. The experimental results indicate that the proposed approach delivers better performance than the existing approach.
A Comparative Study Using Two SEM Techniques on Different Samples Sizes for Determining Factors of Older Employee’s Motivation and Satisfaction
Authors: Rožman Maja , Tominc Polona , Milfelner Borut
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this article is to present the relationships among older employee stress, motivation, satisfaction, and relationships in the workplace using two different approaches and different sample sizes. Research was implemented on an initial sample of 1013 older employees. In the next step, six smaller samples were calculated using the random selection of cases, namely samples with 25, 50, 100, 250, 400, and 500 older employees. This way the possible impact of sample size on relationships between latent variables using the covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) and the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) methods was assessed. The results on the larger samples have proved to be quite robust since they were confirmed with both approaches. They indicate that stress has a strong and negative impact on employee relationships and also a negative impact on employee satisfaction. Furthermore, employee relationships have a strong and positive impact on satisfaction and a positive impact on employee motivation. In addition, satisfaction has a strong and positive impact on employee motivation. The present paper helps readers to better understand the difference between the CB-SEM and the PLS-SEM methods. Researchers should be encouraged to use both techniques, even though CB-SEM methods have had a long tradition in management and marketing research since both fields heavily rely on psychometric measurement. From the organizational point of view, conclusions highlight the importance of the impact the variables of older employee stress, motivation, satisfaction and employee relations have on each other in the workplace.
Spatial and Temporal Characteristics and Driving Forces of Vegetation Changes in the Huaihe River Basin from 2003 to 2018
Authors: Liu Zhenzhen , Wang Hang , Li Ning , Zhu Jun , Pan Ziwu , Qin Fen
Published: March 2020

In this study, MODIS normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), TRMM3B43 precipitation, and MOD11A2 land-surface temperature (LST) data were used as data sources in an analysis of temporal and spatial characteristics of vegetation changes and ecological environmental quality in the Huaihe River basin, China, from 2003 to 2018. The Mann–Kendall (MK) non-parametric test and the Theil–Sen slope test were combined for this analysis; then, when combined with the results of the MK mutation test and two introduced indexes, the kurtosis coefficient (KU) and skewness (SK) and correlations between NDVI, precipitation (TRMM), and land-surface temperature (LST) in different time scales were revealed. The results illustrate that the mean NDVI in the Huaihe River basin was 0.54. The annual NDVImax curve fluctuations for different land cover types were almost the same. The main reasons for the decrease in or disappearance of vegetation cover in the Huaihe River basin were the expansion of towns and impact of human activities. Furthermore, vegetation cover around water areas was obviously degraded and wetland protections need to be strengthened urgently. On the same time scale, change trends of NDVI, TRMM, and LST after abrupt changes became consistent within a short time period. Vegetation growth was favored when the KU and SK of TRMM had a close to normal distribution within one year. Monthly TRMM and LST can better reflect NDVI fluctuations compared with seasonal and annual scales. When the precipitation (TRMM) is less than 767 mm, the average annual NDVI of different land cover types is not ideal. Compared with other land cover types, dry land has stronger adaptability to changes in the LST when the LST is between 19 and 22.6 °C. These trends can serve as scientific reference for protecting and managing the ecological environment in the Huaihe River basin.
Enhanced Cash Flow Valuation in Real Estate Management by Integrating Innovative Materials and Risk Assessment
Authors: Bergmann Patrick , Kamarás Endre , Gleißner Werner , Guenther Edeltraud
Published: March 2020

Environmental criteria have become a critical issue for the evaluation of projects and products, particularly for businesses with extensive life cycles. Sustainability criteria and project risk management are underexplored in real estate development, and thus endanger business survival. The aim of this article is to improve the understanding of uncertainties in the real estate industry by using a stochastic risk assessment approach and to broaden the risk assessment methodology. Thus, this article investigates the importance of material selection regarding external and project risk for real estate development. Aside from conventional projects, risks are analyzed for projects with high-quality materials (HQMs) that are characterized by environmental benefits. In following a mixed method approach, we began by conducting interviews with developers about the most important risks, and later incorporating these factors into a stochastic cash-flow model. Finally, we illustrated our findings in a case study. Overall, the highest risks were shown from resource prices and changing regulations, while the rankings of the two materials differ slightly; HQMs rank higher on the created risk index than conventional materials. The cash-flow model shows that conventional materials perform slightly better than HQMs, although uncertainties within the calculations are similar. The article contributes to risk management and decision-making for real estate projects by providing insights into the discussion and analysis of the financial performance of sustainable construction material and design that might be crucial for disruptive innovations. We present a model that integrates environmental and long-term effects in the cash-flow evaluation of real estate projects, thereby increasing managerial flexibility.
Optimizing the Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Remote Community Infrastructure
Authors: Filer Jamie E. , Delorit Justin D. , Hoisington Andrew J. , Schuldt Steven J.
Published: March 2020

Remote communities such as rural villages, post-disaster housing camps, and military forward operating bases are often located in remote and hostile areas with limited or no access to established infrastructure grids. Operating these communities with conventional assets requires constant resupply, which yields a significant logistical burden, creates negative environmental impacts, and increases costs. For example, a 2000-member isolated village in northern Canada relying on diesel generators required 8.6 million USD of fuel per year and emitted 8500 tons of carbon dioxide. Remote community planners can mitigate these negative impacts by selecting sustainable technologies that minimize resource consumption and emissions. However, the alternatives often come at a higher procurement cost and mobilization requirement. To assist planners with this challenging task, this paper presents the development of a novel infrastructure sustainability assessment model capable of generating optimal tradeoffs between minimizing environmental impacts and minimizing life-cycle costs over the community’s anticipated lifespan. Model performance was evaluated using a case study of a hypothetical 500-person remote military base with 864 feasible infrastructure portfolios and 48 procedural portfolios. The case study results demonstrated the model’s novel capability to assist planners in identifying optimal combinations of infrastructure alternatives that minimize negative sustainability impacts, leading to remote communities that are more self-sufficient with reduced emissions and costs.
Fertilizer Potential of Struvite as Affected by Nitrogen Form in the Rhizosphere
Authors: Gómez-Suárez Andrea Danaé , Nobile Cécile , Faucon Michel-Pierre , Pourret Olivier , Houben David
Published: March 2020

Struvite is increasingly considered a promising alternative to mined phosphorus (P) fertilizer. However, its solubility is very low under neutral to alkaline pH while it increases with acidification. Here, we investigated whether supplying ammonium to stimulate rhizosphere acidification might improve struvite solubility at the vicinity of roots and, ultimately, enhance P uptake by plants. Using a RHIZOtest design, we studied changes in soil pH, P availability and P uptake by ryegrass in the rhizosphere and bulk soil supplied with either ammonium or nitrate under three P treatments: no-P, triple super phosphate and struvite. We found that supplying ammonium decreased rhizosphere pH by more than three units, which in turn increased soluble P concentrations by three times compared with nitrate treatments. However, there was no difference between P treatments, which was attributed to the increase of soluble Al concentration in the rhizosphere, which subsequently controlled P availability by precipitating it under the form of variscite-like minerals (predicted using Visual MINTEQ). Moreover, although ammonium supply increased soluble P concentration, it did not improve P uptake by plants, likely due to the absence of P deficiency. Further studies, especially in low-P soils, are thus needed to elucidate the role of nitrogen form on P uptake in the presence of struvite. More generally, our results highlight the complexity of manipulating rhizosphere processes and stress the need to consider all the components of the soil-plant system.
Influences of Nutrient Sources on the Alternation of Nutrient Limitations and Phytoplankton Community in Jiaozhou Bay, Southern Yellow Sea of China
Authors: Shi Jie , Leng Qian , Zhu Junying , Gao Huiwang , Guo Xinyu , Mao Xinyan
Published: March 2020

A marine ecosystem box model was developed to reproduce the seasonal variations nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton biomasses in Jiaozhou Bay (JZB) of China. Then, by removing each of the external sources of nutrients (river input, aquaculture, wastewater discharge, and atmospheric deposition) in the model calculation, we quantitatively estimated its influences on nutrient structure and the phytoplankton community. Removing the river input of nutrients enhanced silicate (SIL) limitation to diatoms (DIA) and decreased the ratio of DIA to flagellates (FLA); removing the aquaculture input of nutrients decreased FLA biomass because it provided less dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) but more dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) as compared to the Redfield ratio; removing the wastewater input of nutrients changed the DIN concentration dramatically, but had a relatively weaker impact on the phytoplankton community than removing the aquaculture input; removing atmospheric deposition had a negligible influence on the model results. Based on these results, we suppose that the change in the external nutrients sources in the past several decades can explain the long-term variations in nutrient structure and phytoplankton community. Actually, the simulations for the 1960s, 1980s, and 2000s in JZB demonstrated the shift of limiting nutrients from DIP to SIL. A reasonable scenario for this is the decrease in riverine SIL and increase in DIP from aquaculture that has reduced DIA biomass, promoted the growth of FLA, and led to the miniaturization of the phytoplankton.
Rabies Vaccination of 6-Week-Old Puppies Born to Immunized Mothers: A Randomized Controlled Trial in a High-Mortality Population of Owned, Free-Roaming Dogs
Authors: Arega Sintayehu , Conan Anne , Sabeta Claude T. , Crafford Jan E. , Wentzel Jeanette , Reininghaus Bjorn , Biggs Louise , Leisewitz Andrew L. , Quan Melvyn , Toka Felix , Knobel Darryn L.
Published: March 2020

To achieve global elimination of human rabies from dogs by 2030, evidence-based strategies for effective dog vaccination are needed. Current guidelines recommend inclusion of dogs younger than 3 months in mass rabies vaccination campaigns, although available vaccines are only recommended for use by manufacturers in older dogs, ostensibly due to concerns over interference of maternally-acquired immunity with immune response to the vaccine. Adverse effects of vaccination in this age group of dogs have also not been adequately assessed under field conditions. In a single-site, owner-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in puppies born to mothers vaccinated within the previous 18 months in a high-mortality population of owned, free-roaming dogs in South Africa, we assessed immunogenicity and effect on survival to all causes of mortality of a single dose of rabies vaccine administered at 6 weeks of age. We found that puppies did not have appreciable levels of maternally-derived antibodies at 6 weeks of age (geometric mean titer 0.065 IU/mL, 95% CI 0.061–0.069; n = 346), and that 88% (95% CI 80.7–93.3) of puppies vaccinated at 6 weeks had titers ≥0.5 IU/mL 21 days later (n = 117). Although the average effect of vaccination on survival was not statistically significant (hazard ratio [HR] 1.35, 95% CI 0.83–2.18), this effect was modified by sex (p = 0.02), with the HR in females 3.09 (95% CI 1.24–7.69) and the HR in males 0.79 (95% CI 0.41–1.53). We speculate that this effect is related to the observed survival advantage that females had over males in the unvaccinated group (HR 0.27; 95% CI 0.11–0.70), with vaccination eroding this advantage through as-yet-unknown mechanisms.
Successful Infection of Domestic Pigs by Ingestion of the European Soft Tick O. Erraticus That Fed on African Swine Fever Virus Infected Pig
Authors: Pereira De Oliveira Rémi , Hutet Evelyne , Duhayon Maxime , Guionnet Jean-Marie , Paboeuf Frédéric , Vial Laurence , Le Potier Marie-Frédérique
Published: March 2020

African swine fever is a highly lethal hemorrhagic fever of Suidae, threatening pig production globally. Suidae can be infected by different ways like ingestion of contaminated feed, direct contact with infected animals or fomites, and biting by infected soft tick bites. As already described, European soft ticks (Ornithodoros erraticus and Ornithodoros verrucosus) were not able to transmit African swine fever virus by biting pigs although these ticks maintained the infectious virus during several months; therefore, the possibility for pigs to become infected through the ingestion of infected ticks was questioned but not already explored. To determine if such oral ingestion is an alternative pathway of transmission, O. erraticus ticks were infected by blood-feeding on a viremic pig infected with the European African swine fever virus strain Georgia2007/1, then frozen at zero and two months post-engorgement, then after, were embedded in the food to pigs. Pig infection was successful, with superior efficiency with ticks frozen just after the infectious blood meal. These results confirmed the potential role of O. erraticus ticks as an ASFV reservoir and demonstrated the efficiency of non-conventional pathways of transmission.
The Beginning of Ending Hepatitis C Virus: A Summary of the 26th International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus and Related Viruses
Authors: Shin Eui-Cheol , Han Ji Won , Kang Wonseok , Kato Takanobu , Kim Seong-Jun , Zhong Jin , Kim Seungtaek , Park Su-Hyung , Sung Pil Soo , Watashi Koichi , Park Jun Yong , Windisch Marc P. , Oh Jong-Won , Wakita Takaji , Han Kwang-Hyub , Jang Sung Key
Published: March 2020

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects ~71 million people worldwide, and 399,000 people die annually due to HCV-related liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The use of direct-acting antivirals results in a sustained virologic response in >95% of patients with chronic HCV infection. However, several issues remain to be solved to eradicate HCV. At the 26th International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus and Related Viruses (HCV2019) held in Seoul, South Korea, October 5–8, 2019, virologists, immunologists, and clinical scientists discussed these remaining issues and how we can achieve the elimination of HCV.
Special Issue “Emerging Viruses: Surveillance, Prevention, Evolution, and Control”
Authors: Abrahão Jônatas Santos , de Arruda Luciana Barros
Published: March 2020

Emerging viruses represent a major concern for public health offices [...]
Immune Pressure on Polymorphous Influenza B Populations Results in Diverse Hemagglutinin Escape Mutants and Lineage Switching
Authors: Plant Ewan P. , Manukyan Hasmik , Sanchez Jose L. , Laassri Majid , Ye Zhiping
Published: March 2020

Mutations arise in the genomes of progeny viruses during infection. Mutations that occur in epitopes targeted by host antibodies allow the progeny virus to escape the host adaptive, B-cell mediated antibody immune response. Major epitopes have been identified in influenza B virus (IBV) hemagglutinin (HA) protein. However, IBV strains maintain a seasonal presence in the human population and changes in IBV genomes in response to immune pressure are not well characterized. There are two lineages of IBV that have circulated in the human population since the 1980s, B-Victoria and B-Yamagata. It is hypothesized that early exposure to one influenza subtype leads to immunodominance. Subsequent seasonal vaccination or exposure to new subtypes may modify subsequent immune responses, which, in turn, results in selection of escape mutations in the viral genome. Here we show that while some mutations do occur in known epitopes suggesting antibody escape, many mutations occur in other parts of the HA protein. Analysis of mutations outside of the known epitopes revealed that these mutations occurred at the same amino acid position in viruses from each of the two IBV lineages. Interestingly, where the amino acid sequence differed between viruses from each lineage, reciprocal amino acid changes were observed. That is, the virus from the Yamagata lineage become more like the Victoria lineage virus and vice versa. Our results suggest that some IBV HA sequences are constrained to specific amino acid codons when viruses are cultured in the presence of antibodies. Some changes to the known antigenic regions may also be restricted in a lineage-dependent manner. Questions remain regarding the mechanisms underlying these results. The presence of amino acid residues that are constrained within the HA may provide a new target for universal vaccines for IBV.
The Influence of Typography on Algorithms that Predict the Speed and Comfort of Reading
Authors: Wilkins Arnold , Smith Katie , Penacchio Olivier
Published: March 2020

1. The speed with which text can be read is determined in part by the spatial regularity and similarity of vertical letter strokes as assessed by the height of the first peak in the horizontal autocorrelation of the text. The height of this peak was determined for two passages in 20 fonts. The peak was unaffected by the size of the text or its content but was influenced by the font design. Sans serif fonts usually had a lower peak than serif fonts because the presence of serifs usually (but not invariably) resulted in a more even spacing of letter strokes. There were small effects of justification and font-dependent effects of font expansion and compression. 2. The visual comfort of images can be estimated from the extent to which the Fourier amplitude spectrum conforms to 1/f. Students were asked to adjust iBooks to obtain their preferred settings of font and layout. The preference was predicted by the extent to which the Fourier amplitude spectrum approximated 1/f, which in turn was jointly affected by the design of the font, its weight and the ratio of x-height to line separation. Two algorithms based on the autocorrelation and Fourier transformation of text can be usefully applied to any orthography to estimate likely speed and comfort of reading.
The Dominant Eye: Dominant for Parvo- But Not for Magno-Biased Stimuli?
Authors: Foutch Brian K. , Bassi Carl J.
Published: March 2020

Eye dominance is often defined as a preference for the visual input of one eye to the other. Implicit in this definition is the dominant eye has better visual function. Several studies have investigated the effect of visual direction or defocus on ocular dominance, but there is less evidence connecting ocular dominance and monocular visual thresholds. We used the classic “hole in card” method to determine the dominant eye for 28 adult observers (11 males and 17 females). We then compared contrast thresholds between the dominant and non-dominant eyes using grating stimuli biased to be processed more strongly either by the magnocellular (MC) or parvocellular (PC) pathway. Using non-parametric mean rank tests, the dominant eye was more sensitive overall than the non-dominant eye to both stimuli (z = −2.54, p = 0.01). The dominant eye was also more sensitive to the PC-biased stimulus (z = −2.22, p = 0.03) but not the MC-biased stimulus (z = −1.16, p = 0.25). We discuss the clinical relevance of these results as well as the implications for parallel visual pathways.
Review on the State of Charge Estimation Methods for Electric Vehicle Battery
Authors: Zhang Mingyue , Fan Xiaobin
Published: March 2020

Battery technology has been one of the bottlenecks in electric cars. Whether it is in theory or in practice, the research on battery management is extremely important, especially for battery state-of-charge estimation. In fact, the battery has a strong time-varying and non-linear properties, which are extremely complex. Therefore, accurately estimating the state of charge is a challenging task. This paper reviews various representative patents and papers related to the state of charge estimation methods for an electric vehicle battery. According to their theoretical and experimental characteristics, the estimation methods were classified into three groups: the traditional methods based on the battery experiments, the modern methods based on control theory, and other methods based on the innovative ideas, especially focusing on the algorithms based on control theory. The results imply that the algorithms based on control theory, especially intelligent algorithms, are the focus of research in this field. The future development direction is to establish a rich database, improve hardware technology, come up with a much better battery model, and give full play to the advantages of each algorithm.
Identification of Shortcomings in the Method of Application of Probes and Improvement of the Parachute-Jet System
Authors: Adamov Yu. I.
Published: March 2020

The article deals with the issues of improvement of the parachute-jet system (ORS) with the use of modern radio altimeters in order to increase the percentage of soft landings and to allow adjusting the position of the landing object in the horizontal plane depending on the angle of inclination of the surface of the intersection. The experience gained in heavy-duty aircraft landing illuminates the problem of calculating the probe length required for successful lan­ding. The main disadvantage of the method of using probes is that their length is rigidly fixed long before the landing (before loading), which does not allow to adjust it to account for changes in para­meters. The main disadvantages of the technique of using OPS probes are the inability to accurately predict the temperature of the landing site, the high probability of error in determining the full mass of the object before the landing, the inability to account for the pre­sence, power of upward airflows and does not allow to adjust it to account for changes in parameters.
Therefore, there is the question of improving the method of determining the optimum height for the inclusion of the powder bra­king system, which would at least improve the consideration of the above parameters to ensure a minimum landing speed of heavy machinery. This is especially true of the real rate of descent of the ORS, which mainly depends on the flight mass of the object, the tempe­rature and pressure of the atmospheric air, the temperature of the powder charge of the ORS engine, the presence and power of upward airflows that are difficult to predict accurately, and the wind speeds near the landing site, which in general Improvement of the parachute-jet system in the direction of increasing the reliability, accuracy and safety of the landing of the object by the use of radar system will allow casting safely carry heavy objects dropping from airplanes.
Pressing Questions of Improvement of an Organizational Basis of System of the Metrological Control and Management of Reference Signals of Time and Frequency Which are Used in Armed Forces of Ukraine
Authors: Bojko V. M.
Published: March 2020

In article on the basis of the analysis of the state is standard-legal documents, including standard documents in the field of time-and-frequency maintenance of Armed forces of Ukraine, the mo­dern condition of an organizational basis of system of metrological maintenance of the control and management of reference signals of time and frequency which are used in Armed forces of Ukraine is defined. The basic tasks which are assigned to metrological services of the Ministry of Defense and Armed forces of Ukraine in the field of time-and-frequency maintenance of arms and the military (special) techniques are systematized. Offers on organizational-technical realization of continuous functioning of the initial standard of time and frequency, and also working standards of regional points of the metrological control of signals of time and frequency are developed. Organizational questions of construction and designing of networks of synchronization of current time in the automated control systems with the distributed architecture are defined at an optimum choice of parameters of servers of time, and also their proved territorial distribution. Organizational questions of carrying out of pre-production operation of the mobile standard of time and frequency (executors — the Metrological centre of military standards of Armed forces of Ukraine, the National centre of science «Metrology Institute») are defined.
Offers on an organizational basis of metrological maintenance of the ground measuring computer complex are developed; a significant amount of measuring apparatuses which are realized on objects of tests, are integrated into uniform measuring information system by means of equipment of system of uniform time, means of systems of gathering and transfer of the time-and-frequency information, including control and management questions by reference signals of time and frequency. Offers under the decision of problems of organizational character — creation of structural divisions for the decision of tasks of the operative control and management of transfer of reference signals in the Metrological centre of military stan­dards of Armed forces of Ukraine and in regional metrological military parts are defined. Also offers on interaction in the given branch of the Metrological centre of military standards and the National centre of science «Metrology Institute» are developed. Offers on prepa­ration of experts of the centre of the metrological control and regional points of the metrological control in modern conditions are defined. Complex realization of the developed offers on improvement of an organizational basis of system of the metrological control and management of reference signals of time and frequency will allow to provide efficiency of the control and management, unity and accuracy of measurements in the field of time-and-frequency maintenance of Armed forces of Ukraine.
OPTIMIZATION ATRIOVENTRICULAR DELAY USING ECHOGRAPHY FOR CARDIAC RESYNCHRONIZATION THERAPY PATIENTS
Authors: Nguyen Tri Thuc , Nguyen Cuu Long
Published: March 2020

Objective: To determine correlation of echo-doppler optimization of atrioventricular delay in cardiac resynchronization therapy with left ventricular invasive hemodynamics optimization.
Methods: Intervention prospective study.
Result: In 25 patients (48% female, mean age 6.1±10.6, had diagnosis heart failure NYHA IIIV with LVEF= 26.9±5.7%, sinus rhythm, QRS wide is 170±22.1 ms) who underwent CRT. AVsense optimization were determined by invasive LV dP/dtmax, and the Doppler echocardiographic methods evaluated were the velocity–time integral (VTI) of the transmitralflow (EA VTI), the VTI of the LV outflow tractor aorta (LV VTI). The result are 117.8±15.2ms; 117.2±14.5ms and 120.8 ± 12.8ms, prospectively. The optimal AVsense delay with the EA VTI method was most concordant with LV dP/dtmax(r=0,953), LV VTI was less concordant (r=0.568). The result of AVpace optimization by three methods are 159.6±17.9ms; 159±16.2ms và 165±13.8ms, prospectively. The optimal AVpace delay with the EA VTI method was most concordant with LV dP/dtmax (r=0.964), LV VTI was less concordant (r=0.734).
Conclusions: Comparing with invasive LV dP/dtmax, measurement of the maximal VTI of mitral inflow is more concordant than LV VTI in AVsense and AVpace optimization. If we optimize AVsense and AVpace, for replacing invasive LV dP/dtmax, EA VTI method was better option.

Key words: Dyssychronization, CRT, optimization, dP/dtmax