bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Field Testing of a Spatial Decision Support System to Control Populations of the European Cherry Fruit Fly, Rhagoletis cerasi, in Commercial Orchards
Authors: Ioannou Charalampos S. , Papanastasiou Stella A. , Zarpas Kostas D. , Miranda Miguel Angel , Sciarretta Andrea , Nestel David , Papadopoulos Nikos T.
Published: September 2019

The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a key pest for the cherry production industry in Europe and west Asia that has recently invaded North America. Insecticide applications are frequently employed to control this devastating pest, often without considering its population trends. We developed a novel decision support system (DSS), and field tested it in commercial sweet cherry orchards in central Greece. The DSS includes two algorithms that predict the timing of adult activity in the wild and support pest management decisions, based on R. cerasi population trends and pesticide properties, respectively. Preparatory monitoring of the testing area during 2014, using adult traps, revealed high population densities of R. cerasi in non-managed sweet cherry orchards and low densities in commercial ones. Implementation of the DSS during 2015 resulted in low R. cerasi adult population densities and zero fruit infestation rates in commercial cherry orchards. Similar population and infestation rates were recorded in conventionally treated plots that received on average two insecticide applications compared to the one-half that the DSS treated plots received. Simultaneously, high population densities and fruit infestation rates were recorded in non-managed cherry orchards. Apparently, the implementation of the simple DSS we developed reduces the cost of R. cerasi management and minimizes the chemical footprint on both the harvested fruit and the environment.
Salivary Antioxidants Status Following Progressive Aerobic Exercise: What Are the Differences between Waterpipe Smokers and Non-Smokers?
Authors: Arazi Hamid , Taati Behzad , Rafati Sajedi Forough , Suzuki Katsuhiko
Published: September 2019

Waterpipe tobacco (WPT) smoking is a public health problem with similar or even stronger effects than cigarette smoking. Although it appears to be associated with extensive oxidative stress, there is a limited number of studies on the oxidative effects of WPT smoking in stressful conditions. We, therefore, compared the responses of salivary flow rate (SFR), uric acid (UA) concentration, and peroxidase (POX) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) activities between WPT smokers and non-smokers following a bout of exhaustive aerobic exercise (AE). Twenty-three sedentary young women (age: 22.95 ± 2.83 years) participated in this study, including 11 smokers (7.00 ± 1.41 uses/week) and 12 non-smokers. All participants were required to perform the Bruce protocol treadmill test at an initial gradient of 10% at 1.7 mph, with increases of these parameters every 3 min until exhaustion. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected before, immediately after, and 1 hour after AE. WPT smokers showed lower SFR compared with non-smokers at all time points (p < 0.05). In comparison to WPT smokers, a larger increase in POX activity (approximately 23% vs. 14%; p = 0.009) and a smaller decline in DPPH activity (approximately −8% vs. −15%; p = 0.004) were found in non-smokers compared with WPT smokers. While these changes were slowly compensated within 1 hour after exhaustion, the activity of both markers was different from the pre-exercise values (p < 0.001). There was also a trend for UA concentration in non-smokers to be higher during the recovery period, with no significant difference between the groups (p > 0.05). It seems that WPT smoking is associated with negative effects on important human antioxidants and a diminished antioxidative response following acute exercise.
Fabrication of Agglomerates from Secondary Raw Materials Reinforced with Paper Fibres by Stamp Pressing Process
Authors: Echterhof Thomas , Willms Thomas , Preiss Stefan , Aula Matti , Abdelrahim Ahmed , Fabritius Timo , Mombelli Davide , Mapelli Carlo , Steinlechner Stefan , Unamuno Iñigo
Published: September 2019

The use of secondary raw materials in metallurgical processes such as steelmaking is an important contribution to the circular economy aspired to by EU members and many other countries. The agglomeration of dusts, fines and sludges is an important pretreatment step to enable the use of these materials in subsequent melting processes, such as steelmaking in electric arc furnaces (EAFs). It also reduces the amount of by-products and waste materials that are currently waste for disposal and are landfilled. The presented research is part of the Fines2EAF project, which aims to increase the value of steelmaking residues by internal recycling and use or reuse in the form of agglomerates. The approach followed in this project is the use of a hydraulic stamp press and alternative binder systems to produce cement-free agglomerates. The first results of lab-scale agglomeration tests of six different recipes with varying pressing forces are presented in this paper. It is shown that the addition of fibres from paper recycling has a strong effect on the cold compression stability of the agglomerates, by far exceeding other effects such as increased pressing force. Overall, the agglomerates produced in the lab show promising characteristics, for example, cold compression stability and abrasion resistance, which should allow for use in EAF steelmaking.
A Novel Modular Multiport Converter for Enhancing the Performance of Photovoltaic-Battery Based Power Systems
Authors: Fares Ahmed M , Klumpner Christian , Sumner Mark
Published: September 2019

This paper introduces a novel multiport power converter with modular architecture for photovoltaic (PV)-battery based power systems. Compared to conventional centralized multiport converters, the proposed converter significantly improves the utilization of PV available energy and battery capacity as it does not require a high number of series-connected PV and battery modules. The proposed converter also eliminates the need for additional battery cell/module equalizer circuitry by being able to implement directly energy management strategies that consider the different capabilities of battery modules to ensure charge/stress balancing. This makes it a promising solution for interfacing second-life batteries or for systems that utilize batteries with a high degree of mismatch. The modularity of the proposed converter enhances system reliability and fault tolerance and reduces the power/voltage ratings of the power electronic devices. The converter modes of operation, control strategy and design considerations are discussed. A 75 V/1 kW integrated PV-battery power system prototype is built and tested to validate the concept.
Abstractive Sentence Compression with Event Attention
Authors: Choi Su Jeong , Jung Ian , Park Seyoung , Park Seong-Bae
Published: September 2019

Sentence compression aims at generating a shorter sentence from a long and complex source sentence while preserving the important content of the source sentence. Since it provides enhanced comprehensibility and readability to readers, sentence compression is required for summarizing news articles in which event words play a key role in delivering the meaning of the source sentence. Therefore, this paper proposes an abstractive sentence compression with event attention. In compressing a sentence of news articles, event words should be preserved as important information for sentence compression. For this, event attention is proposed which focuses on the event words of the source sentence in generating a compressed sentence. The global information in the source sentence is as significant as event words, since it captures the information of a whole source sentence. As a result, the proposed model generates a compressed sentence by combining both attentions. According to experimental results, the proposed model outperforms both the normal sequence-to-sequence model and the pointer generator on three datasets, namely the MSR dataset, Filippova dataset, and Korean sentence compression dataset. In particular, it shows 122% higher BLEU score than the sequence-to-sequence model. Therefore, the proposed model is effective in sentence compression.
A Cost-Effective Solution to Improving the Electrical Performance of Metal Contacting Interfaces in IC System under Temperature-Humidity Environment
Authors: Li Yupeng , Meng Weiying , Shi Huaitao , Gao Zhijun , Zhang Ke , Li Guochang , Wang Bing
Published: September 2019

Temperature-humidity (TH) induced failure mechanism (FM) of metal contacting interfaces in integrated circuit (IC) systems has played a significant role in system reliability issues. This paper focuses on central processing unit (CPU)/motherboard interfaces and studies several factors that are believed to have a great impact on TH performance. They include: Enabling load, surface finish quality, and contacting area. Test vehicles (TVs) of Clarkdale package and of Ibex peak motherboard were designed to measure low level contact resistance (LLCR) for catching any failure. Several sets of design of experiments (DOE) were conducted on 85°C/85% relative humidity and test results were analyzed. A proposal that correlates asperity spots and contact tip design with contact resistance was proposed and thus a cost-effective solution for improving electrical performance under TH was deduced. The proposal has proven to be reasonably effective in practice.
Center of Pressure Feedback Modulates the Entrainment of Voluntary Sway to the Motion of a Visual Target
Authors: Sotirakis Haralampos , Hatzitaki Vassilia , Munoz-Martel Victor , Mademli Lida , Arampatzis Adamantios
Published: September 2019

Visually guided weight shifting is widely employed in balance rehabilitation, but the underlying visuo-motor integration process leading to balance improvement is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of center of pressure (CoP) feedback on the entrainment of active voluntary sway to a moving visual target and on sway’s dynamic stability as a function of target predictability. Fifteen young and healthy adult volunteers (height 175 ± 7 cm, body mass 69 ± 12 kg, age 32 ± 5 years) tracked a vertically moving visual target by shifting their body weight antero-posteriorly under two target motion and feedback conditions, namely, predictable and less predictable target motion, with or without visual CoP feedback. Results revealed lower coherence, less gain, and longer phase lag when tracking the less predictable compared to the predictable target motion. Feedback did not affect CoP-target coherence, but feedback removal resulted in greater target overshooting and a shorter phase lag when tracking the less predictable target. These adaptations did not affect the dynamic stability of voluntary sway. It was concluded that CoP feedback improves spatial perception at the cost of time delays, particularly when tracking a less predictable moving target.
Topological Charge Detection Using Generalized Contour-Sum Method from Distorted Donut-Shaped Optical Vortex Beams: Experimental Comparison of Closed Path Determination Methods
Authors: Wang Daiyin , Huang Hongxin , Toyoda Haruyoshi , Liu Huafeng
Published: September 2019

A generalized contour-sum method has been proposed to measure the topological charge (TC) of an optical vortex (OV) beam using a Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor (SH-WFS). Moreover, a recent study extended it to be workable for measuring an aberrated OV beam. However, when the OV beam suffers from severe distortion, the closed path for circulation calculation becomes crucial. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of five closed path determination methods, including watershed transformation, maximum average-intensity circle extraction, a combination of watershed transformation and maximum average-intensity circle extraction, and perfectly round circles assignation. In the experiments, we used a phase-only spatial light modulator to generate OV beams and aberrations, while an SH-WFS was used to measure the intensity profile and phase slopes. The results show that when determining the TC values of distorted donut-shaped OV beams, the watershed-transformed maximum average-intensity circle method performed the best, and the maximum average-intensity circle method and the watershed transformation method came second and third, while the worst was the perfect circles assignation method. The discussions that explain our experimental results are also given.
Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Urban and Suburban Atmospheres in Central China: Spatiotemporal Patterns, Source Implications, and Health Risk Assessment
Authors: Zeng Pei , Guo Hai , Cheng Hairong , Wang Zuwu , Zeng Lewei , Lyu Xiaopu , Zhan Lingxi , Yang Zhen
Published: September 2019

Ambient aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs) are hazardous air pollutants and the main precursors of ozone (O3). In this study, the characteristics of ambient AHs were investigated at an urban site (Ziyang, ZY) and a suburban site (Jiangxia, JX) in Wuhan, Central China, in 2017. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was used to investigate the sources of AHs, and a health risk assessment was applied to estimate the effects of AHs on human health. The concentrations of total AHs at ZY (2048 ± 1364 pptv) were comparable (p > 0.05) to that (2023 ± 1015 pptv) at JX. Source apportionment results revealed that vehicle exhaust was the dominant source of both, total AHs, and toluene, contributing 51.9 ± 13.1% and 49.3 ± 9.5% at ZY, and 44.7 ± 12.6% and 43.2 ± 10.2% at JX, respectively. Benzene was mainly emitted from vehicle exhaust at ZY (50.2 ± 15.5%), while it was mainly released from biomass and coal burning sources at JX (50.6 ± 16.7%). The health risk assessment results indicated that AHs did not have a significant non-carcinogenic risk, while the carcinogenic risks of benzene exceeded the regulatory limits set by the USEPA for adults (1 × 10−6) at both sites. Hence, controlling the emissions of vehicular and biomass/coal burning sources will be an effective way to reduce ambient AHs and the health risk of benzene exposure in this region. These findings will enhance our knowledge of ambient AHs in Central China and be helpful for local governments to formulate air pollution control strategies.
Fusion of High-Resolution Reflectivity for a New Array Weather Radar
Authors: Ye Kai , Yang Ling , Ma Shuqing , Zhen Xiaoqiong , Fan Xingang
Published: September 2019

Array Weather Radar (AWR) is a novel type weather radar equipped with a distributed phased array technology. As a new instrument with new technology, the AWR offers very high spatiotemporal resolution that enables detection of the fine-scale flow field and reflectivity of severe convective storms. This new AWR provides coordinated observations of a target from three subarrays of transmitter-receiver antenna units. This paper introduces a resolution enhancement concept that the very high range resolution of one subarray can be used to compensate lower azimuth and elevation resolutions of the other subarrays of the AWR. The resolution enhancement effect is estimated using data point density. A data fusion method is then presented to obtain a unified high-resolution reflectivity from the networked and coordinated AWR subarray observations. First, based on the reflectivity data from the AWR subarray volume scans, numbers of the data-point filling in both the azimuth and elevation directions are calculated. Then, the fusion of three subarray reflectivity data is achieved through the vertical and horizontal filling and merging in a common coordinate system. The final product of the fused high-resolution reflectivity is verified using both subjective and objective evaluations. The verification experiments included radar echoes of two simulated weather scenarios, a small-scale heavy precipitation and a tornado, along with a real precipitation event. The real precipitation event was observed from the AWR system that is installed and operational at the Changsha Huanghua International Airport. The performance of the proposed high-resolution reflectivity fusion method yields a 35% smaller root mean square error and an 11% increase in the correlation coefficient to the maximum extent. The real event result shows that the final fused high-resolution reflectivity depicted a more detailed and complete echo structure compared to the China New Generation Weather Radar network observation.
An “In-Situ Binding” Approach to Produce Torrefied Biomass Briquettes
Authors: Aamiri Osama Bu , Thilakaratne Rajeeva , Tumuluru Jaya Shankar , Satyavolu Jagannadh
Published: September 2019

Biomass-derived coal or “biocoal” produced using a torrefaction process presents a carbon-neutral option of coal for power generation. While torrefaction delivers a carbon content and hydrophobicity comparable to coal, it lowers its density and creates material handling, storage, and transportation challenges. Densification into briquettes would help mitigate these challenges. However, the torrefied biomass is difficult to densify and may require the use of binders, which are expensive and can be incompatible with respect to material and emissions. A cost-effective approach to utilize lignin in-situ of the biomass to promote binding during densification was demonstrated using a pilot-scale briquetter unit during this study. Lignin, a cross-linked polymer, tends to break down and lose its binding ability under high-temperature conditions of torrefaction. In this paper, we investigated the use of a lightly torrefied material as a binder―LTM (biomass torrefied in the transition region of non-reactive and reactive temperature ranges of torrefaction). When mixed with torrefied biomass and densified together under suitable moisture and temperature conditions, the lignin is shown to mobilize and provide binding to the briquettes. The results showed that briquettes produced using LTM as binder and 10% to 11% moisture provided in-situ binding, improved density and durability, and produced hydrophobic briquettes.
HMGB1-triggered inflammation inhibition of notoginseng leaf triterpenes against cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury via MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways
Authors: Xie Weijie , Zhu Ting , Dong Xi , Nan Fengwei , Meng Xiangbao , Zhou Ping , Sun Guibo , Sun Xiaobo
Published: September 2019

Ischemic stroke is a clinically common cerebrovascular disease whose main risks include necrosis, apoptosis and cerebral infarction, all caused by cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. This process has particular significance for the treatment of stroke patients. Notoginseng leaf triterpenes (PNGL), as a valuable medicine, have been discovered to have neuroprotective effects. However, it was not confirmed that whether PNGL may possess neuroprotective effects against cerebral I/R injury. To explore the neuroprotective effects of PNGL and their underlying mechanisms, a middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) model was established. In vivo results suggested that in MCAO/R model rats, PNGL pretreatment (73.0, 146, 292 mg/kg) remarkably decreased infarct volume, reduced brain water content, and improved neurological functions; moreover, PNGL (73.0, 146, 292 mg/kg) significantly alleviated blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and inhibited neuronal apoptosis and neuronal loss caused by cerebral I/R injury, while PNGL with a different concertation (146, 292 mg/kg) significantly reduced the concentrations of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1 β, and HMGB1 in serums in a dose-dependent way, which indicated that inflammation inhibition could be involved in the neuroprotective effects of PNGL. The immunofluorescence and western blot analysis showed PNGL decreased HMGB1 expression, suppressed the HMGB1-triggered inflammation, and inhibited microglia activation (IBA1) in hippocampus and cortex, thus dose-dependently downregulating inflammatory cytokines including VCAM-1, MMP-9, MMP-2, and ICAM-1 concentrations in ischemic brains. Interestingly, PNGL administration (146 mg/kg) significantly downregulated the levels of p-P44/42, p-JNK1/2 and p-P38 MAPK, and also inhibited expressions of the total NF-κB and phosphorylated NF-κB in ischemic brains, which was the downstream pathway triggered by HMGB1. All of these results indicated that the protective effects of PNGL against cerebral I/R injury could be associated with inhibiting HMGB1-triggered inflammation, suppressing the activation of MAPKs and NF-κB, and thus improved cerebral I/R-induced neuropathological changes. This study may offer insight into discovering new active compounds for the treatment of ischemic stroke.
Cost-Effective Cosmetic-Grade Hyaluronan Hydrogels for ReNcell VM Human Neural Stem Cell Culture
Authors: Ma Weili , Suh Won Hyuk
Published: September 2019

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a polysaccharide polymer frequently used as a starting material to fabricate hydrogels, especially for recapitulating the brain’s extracellular matrix (ECM) for in vitro neural stem cell (NSC) cultures. Here, we report the successful synthesis of a methacrylated HA (MeHA) polymer from an inexpensive cosmetic-grade hyaluronan starting material. The MeHA polymers synthesized from cosmetic-grade HA yielded similar chemical purity to those from pharmaceutical/research-grade HA reported in the literature. Crosslinked MeHA (x-MeHA) hydrogels were formed using radical polymerization which resulted in mechanical properties matching previously reported mechanical property ranges for enhanced neuronal differentiation of NSCs. We assessed cellular adhesion, spreading, proliferation, and stiffness-dependent neuronal differentiation properties of ReNcell VM human neural stem cells (hNSCs) and compared our results to studies reported in the literature (that utilized non-human and human pluripotent cell-derived NSCs).
2019 Annual Meeting of the Swiss Society for Sleep Research, Sleep Medicine, and Chronobiology (SSSSC)
Authors: Hatzinger Martin
Published: September 2019

We are pleased to present you with this Special Issue of Clocks & Sleep, the abstracts of the 2019 annual meeting of the Swiss Society for Sleep Research, Sleep Medicine, and Chronobiology (SSSSC), which took place in Fribourg, 27 and 28 June [...]
The Effects of Microwave Postgrowth Processing of BaSrTiO3 Thin Films on Their Dielectric Properties
Authors: Shreiber Daniel , Ivill Mathew P. , Ngo Eric H. , Hirsch S. Gary , Hubbard Clifford W. , Carroll John F.
Published: September 2019

Tunable complex oxide thin films have generated a lot of interest in recent years due to their potential to become a core technology in the new generation of multiple communications devices. These films are grown via different deposition methods and frequently postprocessed in order to enhance their dielectric properties. This paper discusses an alternative postprocessing technique where complex oxide thin films grown by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering have been treated with an external microwave field instead of a conventional furnace. The treated films and untreated reference film were characterized for their microstructure and dielectric properties. The obtained results indicate a significant reduction in dielectric losses and leakage current in the microwave processed films as opposed to the untreated reference. The results are discussed together with potential additional benefits of the proposed approach.
Work Rehabilitation and Medical Retirement for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients. A Review and Appraisal of Diagnostic Strategies
Authors: Vink Mark , Vink-Niese Friso
Published: September 2019

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome leads to severe functional impairment and work disability in a considerable number of patients. The majority of patients who manage to continue or return to work, work part-time instead of full time in a physically less demanding job. The prognosis in terms of returning to work is poor if patients have been on long-term sick leave for more than two to three years. Being older and more ill when falling ill are associated with a worse employment outcome. Cognitive behavioural therapy and graded exercise therapy do not restore the ability to work. Consequently, many patients will eventually be medically retired depending on the requirements of the retirement policy, the progress that has been made since they have fallen ill in combination with the severity of their impairments compared to the sort of work they do or are offered to do. However, there is one thing that occupational health physicians and other doctors can do to try and prevent chronic and severe incapacity in the absence of effective treatments. Patients who are given a period of enforced rest from the onset, have the best prognosis. Moreover, those who work or go back to work should not be forced to do more than they can to try and prevent relapses, long-term sick leave and medical retirement.
Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Interdisciplinary Science Teaching (SElf-ST) Instrument: Drafting a Theory-Based Measurement
Authors: Handtke Kevin , Bögeholz Susanne
Published: September 2019

Interdisciplinary science teaching is an issue in various countries. One example in Europe is Germany, especially regarding comprehensive schools. At the same time, German teacher education is primarily subject-specific. An examination of data on self-efficacy beliefs is helpful for understanding the qualifications of teachers for interdisciplinary science. Previous measurement instruments for teaching biology, chemistry, physics, and science lack a literature-based, theory-based, or curricular-valid measurement or a systematic obstacle to overcome. Thus, to meet these requirements, this research developed a draft for a new instrument to measure self-efficacy beliefs of interdisciplinary science teaching (SElf-ST). As the theoretical base, the instrument operationalizes a model of pedagogical content knowledge for teaching science and adapts it to self-efficacy beliefs. In a cross-sectional study (N = 114 pre-service and trainee teachers), a ten-factor-solution for self-efficacy beliefs resulted from an exploratory factor analysis (Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin-criterion = 0.858, α = 0.70–0.86). Nine factors are linked to the theoretical model. An additional tenth factor emerged: Teaching Ethically Relevant Issues. Nine factors show low and medium correlations with teaching experience. Eight factors show at least low correlations with self-rated content knowledge in no less than one of the three subjects. In general, science-specific factors show rather low or medium correlations, and generic factors (e.g., Applying Media, and Applying Methods of Evaluation) show low or no correlations. This result is in accordance with the context specificity of self-efficacy beliefs. These results meet most of the research expectations and provide initial indications of the concurrent, curricular, and divergent validity of the SElf-ST instrument. The paper argues for the development of a new, theory-based instrument to measure self-efficacy beliefs of interdisciplinary science teaching.
The Effectiveness of TMDS Coding in Counteracting the Non-Invasive Acquisition of Graphic Data
Authors: Kubiak Ireneusz , Przybysz Artur
Published: September 2019

Modern video display terminals commonly use digital video signals. Transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS) coding implemented in video signal transmission using DVI (Digital Visual Interface) standard is commonly used. The aim of the coding scheme adopted by this solution is to eliminate the constant component of the electrical signal, increase the resistance to electromagnetic (EM) interference, and reduce electronic interference between cables. Professionals and hobbyists interested in the problems relating to protecting information against electromagnetic infiltration believe that TMDS coding, in contrast to the VGA (Video Graphics Array) analogue standard, significantly improves the electromagnetic security of processed graphic information. This paper shows a comparison of the abovementioned standards in terms of information protection against electromagnetic infiltration. The paper presents the results of computer simulations and studies dealing with practical compromising emanations for DVI standard and its susceptibility to electromagnetic radiation spying. The obtained results show that the commonly expressed ideas of digital standards being fully secure are false. The obtained test results show that the level of electromagnetic protection can be increased by using appropriate pairs of colors for the text and background. This solution has to be connected with a mode that smooths the edges of graphic signs. Then, the number of frequencies in which valuable emissions exist can be limited. In this paper, pairs of colors for which the level of protection of information can be increased are shown. The authors present their analyses on the basis of the method of colors. The method is connected to possibilities of selection of smoothing modes of edges. As Windows is the most commonly used system in classified work stations (so-called TEMPEST computers), this operating system was considered from the viewpoint of the protection of processed information.
An Improved Electro-Thermal Model to Estimate the Junction Temperature of IGBT Module
Authors: Hu Zhen , Zhang Wenfeng , Wu Juai
Published: September 2019

Junction temperature is a key parameter that influences both the performance and the reliability of the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) module, while solder fatigue has a significant effect on the accuracy of junction temperature estimates using the electro-thermal model. In this paper, an improved electro-thermal model, which is independent of solder fatigue, is proposed to accurately estimate the junction temperature of IGBT module. Firstly, solder fatigue conditions are monitored in real time with the information of the case temperatures. Secondly, when solder fatigue is found, the update process of the electro-thermal model parameters is performed to match the model parameters with the fatigue device. With the above two-step process, the influence of solder fatigue on the accuracy of temperature estimates can be removed in good time. Experimental results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Additive Manufacturing of Monolithic Microwave Dielectric Ceramic Filters via Digital Light Processing
Authors: Liu Qingrong , Qiu Mingbo , Shen Lida , Jiao Chen , Ye Yun , Xie Deqiao , Wang Changjiang , Xiao Meng , Zhao Jianfeng
Published: September 2019

Microwave dielectric ceramics are employed in filters as electromagnetic wave propagation media. Based on additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, microwave dielectric ceramic filters with complex and precise structures can be fabricated to satisfy filtering requirements. Digital light processing (DLP) is a promising AM technique that is capable of producing filters with high accuracy and efficiency. In this paper, monolithic filters made from Al2O3 and TiO2, with a molar ratio of 9:1 (0.9 Al2O3-0.1 TiO2), were fabricated by DLP. The difference in the dielectric properties between the as-sintered and post-annealed samples at different temperatures was studied. The experimental results showed that when sintered at 1550 °C for 2 h and post annealed at 1000 °C for 5 h, 0.9 Al2O3-0.1 TiO2 exhibited excellent dielectric properties: εr = 12.4, Q × f = 111,000 GHz, τf = +1.2 ppm/°C. After comparing the measured results with the simulated ones in the passband from 6.5 to 9 GHz, it was concluded that the insertion loss (IL) and return loss (RL) of the filter meet the design requirements.
Design and Implementation of a Speed-Loop-Periodic-Controller-Based Fault-Tolerant SPMSM Drive System
Authors: Liu Tian-Hua , Syahril Mubarok Muhammad , Ridwan Muhammad , Suwarno
Published: September 2019

This paper proposes a speed-loop periodic controller design for fault-tolerant surface permanent magnet synchronous motor (SPMSM) drive systems. Faulty conditions, including an open insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a short-circuited IGBT, or a Hall-effect current sensor fault are investigated. The fault-tolerant SPMSM drive system using a speed-loop periodic controller has better performance than when using a speed-loop PI controller under normal or faulty conditions. The superiority of the proposed speed-loop-periodic-controller-based SPMSM drive system includes faster transient responses and better load disturbance responses. A detailed design of the speed-loop periodic controller and its related fault-tolerant method, including fault detection, diagnosis, isolation, and control are included. In addition, a current estimator is also proposed to estimate the stator current. When the Hall-effect current sensor is faulty, the estimated current is used to replace the current of the faulty sensor. A 32-bit digital signal processor, type TMS-320F-2808, is used to execute the fault-tolerant method and speed-loop periodic control. Measured experimental results validate the theoretical analysis. The proposed implementation of a fault-tolerant SPMSM drive system and speed-loop periodic controller design can be easily applied in industry due to its simplicity.
Two Dimensional Axisymmetric Simulation Analysis of Vegetation Combustion Particles Movement in Flame Gap under DC Voltage
Authors: Pu Ziheng , Zhou Chenqu , Xiong Yuyao , Wu Tian , Zhao Guowei , Yang Baodong , Li Peng
Published: September 2019

In recent years, extreme high temperature weather occurs frequently, which easily causes forest fires. The forest fire is prone to the trip accident of the transmission line. Previous studies show that charged combustion particles cause electric field distortion in the gap below the transmission line, and trigger discharges near the conductor area. The motion and distribution characteristics of combustion particles in the gap have an important influence on the discharge characteristics. Therefore, the size and morphology of combustion particles are analyzed through combustion experiments with typical vegetation. The combustion particles are mainly affected by the air drag force, electric field force and gravity. The interaction and influence of temperature, fluid, electric field and the multi-physical field of particle motion are comprehensively analyzed. A two dimensional (2D) axisymmetric simulation model is established by simplifying the flame region. According to the heat release rate of vegetation flame combustion, the fluid temperature and velocity are calculated. Combined with the fluid field and electric field, the forces on particles and movement are calculated. The results can provide a basis for the analysis of the electric field distortion, and further study the discharge mechanism of the gap under the condition of vegetation flame.
Assessing Renewable Energy Sources for Electricity (RES-E) Potential Using a CAPM-Analogous Multi-Stage Model
Authors: Martinez-Fernandez Paulino , deLlano-Paz Fernando , Calvo-Silvosa Anxo , Soares Isabel
Published: September 2019

Carbon mitigation is a major aim of the power-generation regulation. Renewable energy sources for electricity are essential to design a future low-carbon mix. In this work, financial Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) is implemented to optimize the power-generation technologies portfolio. We include technological and environmental restrictions in the model. The optimization is carried out in two stages. Firstly, we minimize the cost and risk of the generation portfolio, and afterwards, we minimize its emission factor and risk. By combining these two results, we are able to draw an area which can be considered analogous to the Capital Market Line (CML) used by the Capital Asset Pricing model (CAPM). This area delimits the set of long-term power-generation portfolios that can be selected to achieve a progressive decarbonisation of the mix. This work confirms the relevant role of small hydro, offshore wind, and large hydro as preferential technologies in efficient portfolios. It is necessary to include all available renewable technologies in order to reduce the cost and the risk of the portfolio, benefiting from the diversification effect. Additionally, carbon capture and storage technologies must be available and deployed if fossil fuel technologies remain in the portfolio in a low-carbon approach.
How Consumer Behavior in Daily Food Provisioning Affects Food Waste at Household Level in The Netherlands
Authors: Janssens Kim , Lambrechts Wim , van Osch Annet , Semeijn Janjaap
Published: September 2019

Food production and consumption have remarkable negative environmental effects, in particular food waste. Food waste occurs throughout the entire food system, but households make the largest contribution. Reducing unnecessary waste of food represents a crucial step toward overcoming global issues of food waste, hunger, and climate change. Identifying barriers in reducing food waste is important not only to government and policymakers, but also to food producers, retailers, and marketers. Therefore, the objective of this research was to find out how consumer behavior in daily food provisioning affects food waste. An online survey was set up to question Dutch consumers (partly) in charge of the household’s food management. A total of 211 consumers participated in answering questions on household composition, food management behavior (e.g., food purchase planning) and food waste awareness (i.e., concern about wasting food and intention not to waste food). Results show that purchase behavior in-store was the main driver of food waste. Specifically, participants indicated that buying more food than needed often had led to food waste. In addition, intention not to waste food acted as a moderator in the relationship between planning behavior and food waste. Age appears to have a diminishing impact on wasting food.
Mixing Genetically and Morphologically Distinct Populations in Translocations: Asymmetrical Introgression in A Newly Established Population of the Boodie (Bettongia lesueur)
Authors: Thavornkanlapachai Rujiporn , Mills Harriet R. , Ottewell Kym , Dunlop Judy , Sims Colleen , Morris Keith , Donaldson Felicity , Kennington W. Jason
Published: September 2019

The use of multiple source populations provides a way to maximise genetic variation and reduce the impacts of inbreeding depression in newly established translocated populations. However, there is a risk that individuals from different source populations will not interbreed, leading to population structure and smaller effective population sizes than expected. Here, we investigate the genetic consequences of mixing two isolated, morphologically distinct island populations of boodies (Bettongia lesueur) in a translocation to mainland Australia over three generations. Using 18 microsatellite loci and the mitochondrial D-loop region, we monitored the released animals and their offspring between 2010 and 2013. Despite high levels of divergence between the two source populations (FST = 0.42 and ϕST = 0.72), there was clear evidence of interbreeding between animals from different populations. However, interbreeding was non-random, with a significant bias towards crosses between the genetically smaller-sized Barrow Island males and the larger-sized Dorre Island females. This pattern of introgression was opposite to the expectation that male–male competition or female mate choice would favour larger males. This study shows how mixing diverged populations can bolster genetic variation in newly established mammal populations, but the ultimate outcome can be difficult to predict, highlighting the need for continued genetic monitoring to assess the long-term impacts of admixture.
Historic Gardens and Parks Worldwide and in Greece: Principles of Acknowledgement, Conservation, Restoration and Management
Authors: Athanasiadou Eleni
Published: September 2019

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Florence Charter 1981 on Historic Gardens sets the first guidelines for the definition of a historic garden, in which sites such as large parks, whether formal or landscape, are included. Since then, there is a continuous effort worldwide on issues of historic garden acknowledgement, conservation, restoration and management. Countries with garden and park tradition, such as the U.K., USA, France and others, have several sites registered and protected. Furthermore, historic garden and park associations exist in Italy, Spain and Portugal, among other nations. In Greece, there is no specific official policy or association regarding historic parks, gardens or landscapes. Greek law includes historic gardens and parks within the spectrum of works of art, places of outstanding natural beauty and historic places/lands for partial or absolute protection, and, thus, attempts in identifying historic landscapes fall generally in other categories, but law specified for historic gardens. However, in both the Greek ratification of the European Landscape Convention and the European Biodiversity directives, there are aspects one could interpret as very useful for the acknowledgement and policy-making on historic gardens and parks. In this paper, an overview on historic gardens and parks abroad and in Greece is attempted, along with aspects of acknowledgement, protection, conservation, restoration and management. Finally, a first attempt on methodological outlines for the acknowledgement and conservation of historic gardens and parks in Greece is presented.
Combined Effects of Aircraft, Rail, and Road Traffic Noise on Total Noise Annoyance—A Cross-Sectional Study in Innsbruck
Authors: Lechner Christoph , Schnaiter David , Bose-O’Reilly Stephan
Published: September 2019

Noise legislation in Austria does not provide an assessment of the cumulative effect of noise from different sources. The desire of citizens for a total noise assessment is getting stronger. Within the pilot project “Gesamtlärmbetrachtung” (Total Noise Investigation) Innsbruck, data from 1031 face-to-face interviews were correlated with exposure data from road, rail and air traffic noise. The interviews were selected in clusters according to the exposure combinations of these three sources. In addition to exposure-response relationships, it has also been found that the annoyance response to air and rail traffic noise is independent of the background noise from road traffic. The total noise annoyance response shows a cumulative effect in each source considered. From the source specific exposure-response relationships, a total noise assessment model based on the annoyance equivalents model was developed. This model is more suitable than the dominant source model and thus also considerable for legal application.
Tolerability and Muscle Activity of Core Muscle Exercises in Chronic Low-back Pain
Authors: Calatayud Joaquín , Escriche-Escuder Adrian , Cruz-Montecinos Carlos , Andersen Lars L. , Pérez-Alenda Sofía , Aiguadé Ramón , Casaña José
Published: September 2019

Most of the studies evaluating core muscle activity during exercises have been conducted with healthy participants. The objective of this study was to compare core muscle activity and tolerability of a variety of dynamic and isometric exercises in patients with non-specific low back pain (NSLBP). 13 outpatients (average age 52 years; all with standing or walking work in their current or latest job) performed 3 consecutive repetitions at 15-repetition maximum during different exercises in random order. Surface electromyography was recorded for the rectus abdominis; external oblique and lumbar erector spinae. Patients rated tolerability of each exercise on a 5-point scale. The front plank with brace; front plank and modified curl-up can be considered the most effective exercises in activating the rectus abdominis; with a median normalized EMG (nEMG) value of 48% (34–61%), 46% (26–61%) and 50% (28–65%), respectively. The front plank with brace can be considered the most effective exercise in activating the external oblique; with a nEMG of 77% (60–97%). The squat and bird-dog exercises are especially effective in activing the lumbar erector spinae; with nEMG of 40% (24–87%) and 29% (27–46%), respectively. All the exercises were well tolerated; except for the lateral plank that was mostly non-tolerated. In conclusion; the present study provides a variety of dynamic and isometric exercises; where muscle activity values and tolerability can be used as guide to design evidence-based exercise programs for outpatients with NSCLBP.
The Mediating Effect of Workplace Spirituality on the Relation between Job Stress and Job Satisfaction of Cancer Survivors Returning to Work
Authors: Jin Ju-Hyun , Lee Eun-Ju
Published: September 2019

This study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of workplace spirituality in the relation between job stress and job satisfaction as well as the level of job stress, job satisfaction, and workplace spirituality of cancer survivors returning to work. A total of 126 cancer survivors who returned to work more than six months prior to the research participated in this study. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling; they were visiting the outpatient clinic at two general hospitals located in a metropolitan city and their clinical stage was stage 0 or stage 1. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0. Job stress, workplace spirituality, and job satisfaction had a negative correlation, whereas workplace spirituality and job satisfaction had a positive correlation. The Sobel test was performed to verify the significance of the mediating effect size of workplace adaptation, the results confirmed a partial mediating effect of workplace spirituality on the relation between job stress and job satisfaction (Z = –4.72, p < 0.001). This study confirmed the mediating effect of workplace spirituality in the relation between job stress and job satisfaction. A systematic program needs to be developed to enhance workplace spirituality, a spiritual approach, to relieve job stress and increase job satisfaction.