bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cost–Benefit Analysis of Rooftop PV Systems on Utilities and Ratepayers in Thailand
Authors: Chaianong Aksornchan , Bangviwat Athikom , Menke Christoph , Darghouth Naïm R.
Published: June 2019

Driven by falling photovoltaic (PV) installation costs and potential support policies, rooftop PV is expected to expand rapidly in Thailand. As a result, the relevant stakeholders, especially utilities, have concerns about the net economic impacts of high PV adoption. Using a cost–benefit analysis, this study quantifies the net economic impacts of rooftop PV systems on three utilities and on ratepayers in Thailand by applying nine different PV adoption scenarios with various buyback rates and annual percentages of PV cost reduction. Under Thailand’s current electricity tariff structure, Thai utilities are well-protected and able to pass all costs due to PV onto the ratepayers in terms of changes in retail rates. We find that when PV adoption is low, the net economic impacts on both the utilities and retail rates are small and the impacts on each utility depend on its specific characteristics. On the other hand, when PV adoption ranges from 9–14% in energy basis, five-year retail rate impacts become noticeable and are between 6% and 11% as compared to the projected retail rates in 2036 depending on the PV adoption level. Thus, it is necessary for Thailand to make tradeoffs among the stakeholders and maximize the benefits of rooftop PV adoption.
Numerical Simulation of Bubble-Liquid Two-Phase Turbulent Flows in Shallow Bioreactor
Authors: Liu Yang , Zhou Lixing , Zhang Youngju
Published: June 2019

An improved second-order moment bubble-liquid two-phase turbulent model is developed to predict the hydrodynamic characteristics of the shallow bioreactor using two height-to-diameter ratios of H/D = 1.4 and H/D = 2.9. The two-phase hydrodynamic parameters, the bubble normal and shear stress, the bubble energy dissipation rate, the bubble turbulent kinetic energy, etc. were numerically simulated. These parameters increased along with flow direction and constituted a threat to cells living at far distance away from the gas jetting inlet regions, rather than a finding of higher cell damage at near the jetting inlet region, as reported by Babosa et al. 2003. A new correlation named the turbulent energy production of bubble-liquid two-phase flow was proposed to successfully verify this experimental observation. A smaller H/D ratio makes more contributions to the generation of lower turbulent energy productions, which are in favor of the alleviation of cell damage. The extremely long and narrow shape of the bioreactor is deteriorative for cell living.
Real-Time Analysis of Time-Critical Messages in IEC 61850 Electrical Substation Communication Systems
Authors: León Héctor , Montez Carlos , Valle Odilson , Vasques Francisco
Published: June 2019

IEC 61850 is a standard for the design and operation of electrical Substation Automation Systems (SAS) that defines how data may be transferred among Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs). The defined data models can be mapped into application protocols, such as SV or GOOSE, which may run upon high speed Ethernet LANs bridged by IEEE 802.1Q compliant switches. The communication system must cope with the timing requirements associated to protective relaying strategies. Given the time constrained nature of SAS applications, a thorough analysis of its timing behavior is required. In this paper, we propose an analytical model for the timing assessment of SV and GOOSE message exchanges in an IEC 61850 process bus. The proposed model allows the communication timing assessment, by analyzing the response time of each message stream of the SAS. This feature is an advantage for the expansion of the SAS, as it allows the evaluation at design time of the maximum number of IEDs that can be supported by the underlying communication system. The results from the proposed analytical model were validated for a typical IEC 61850 communication scenario, both through simulation and through an experimental assessment with IEC 61850 compliant equipment.
Coarse Woody Debris Management with Ambiguous Chance Constrained Robust Optimization
Authors: Härtl Fabian , Knoke Thomas
Published: June 2019

Coarse woody debris (deadwood) serves as a dwelling space for many rare species, and is therefore a most important factor to ensure diversity in forest ecosystems. However, wood from forest ecosystems is also needed for construction and heating. Therefore, a forest enterprise has to simultaneously incorporate the provision of suitable habitats, as well as the production of wood into their long-term management plans. If the owner wants to fulfil such multiple objectives in an effective way, the providing of ecosystem services can be included in economic planning. Applying computer aided robust optimization techniques, we optimized the provision of deadwood for two exemplary enterprises in East Bavaria, Germany. The results show that high amounts of deadwood provision can cause severe opportunity costs for the forest owner. These costs highly depend on the tree species, the sorting strategy and the time horizon, in which the deadwood objective is reached. Low deadwood targets up to 5 m 3 h a − 1 can be provided most cost-effectively with crown material, while higher targets (20 m 3 h a − 1 and more) are better achieved with heavy timber grades or the provision of total trees. The novelty of our research is the inclusion of deadwood targets in a risk-considering optimization tool on enterprise level. Instead of calculating the economic loss of commercially not-used timber assortments we show a way of deriving the impact of such decisions at stand level on the economic performance of the whole forest enterprise. We were able to derive optimized opportunity costs. These costs can be used as guidelines for necessary incentives to encourage forest owners to incorporate the provision of deadwood into their management.
Identification of Disease Risk DNA Variations is Shaping the Future of Precision Health
Authors: Fakhouri Walid D. , Letra Ariadne
Published: June 2019

In recent years, the knowledge generated by decoding the human genome has allowed groundbreaking genetic research to better understand genomic architecture and heritability in healthy and disease states. The vast amount of data generated over time and yet to be generated provides the basis for translational research towards the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies for many conditions. In this special issue, we highlight the discoveries of disease-associated and protective DNA variations in common human diseases and developmental disorders.
Multi-Level Social Health Insurance System in the Age of Frequent Employment Change: The Urban Unemployment-Induced Insurance Transition and Healthcare Utilization in China
Authors: Yuan Bocong , Li Jiannan , Wu Lily , Wang Zhaoguo
Published: June 2019

Job tenure has been significantly shortened with the prevalence of the gig economy around the world. Workers are faced with a new age of frequent employment change. This emerging situation is out of expectation of social health insurance policymakers. As the multi-level social health insurance system in China is closely associated with employment status; urban workers cannot enjoy the urban employee basic medical insurance (UEBMI) during the unemployment period. At this time, unemployed rural-to-urban migrant workers can only rely on the new cooperative medical scheme (NCMS) and unemployed urban residents can only rely on the urban resident basic medical insurance (URBMI). This study provides a preliminary analysis on healthcare utilization change triggered by the unemployment-induced social health insurance transition that has never been investigated. Using the data of a nationwide survey, empirical results show that the unemployment-induced social health insurance transition can significantly deteriorate the healthcare utilization of insurance beneficiaries experiencing the transitions from the UEBMI to the NCMS (or from the UEBMI to the URBMI). Specifically, the outpatient service quality and the conventional physical examination become worse, and the out-of-pocket expenditure increases. Therefore, the multi-level social health insurance system currently in effect can expose workers to a high risk of insufficient health security in the age of frequent employment change.
Deregulation of miRNA in Helicobacter pylori-Induced Gastric MALT Lymphoma: From Mice to Human
Authors: Blosse Alice , Levy Michael , Robe Cyrielle , Staedel Cathy , Copie-Bergman Christiane , Lehours Philippe
Published: June 2019

Gastric MALT lymphoma (GML) is directly caused by Helicobacter pylori infection but occurs only in a small number of infected subjects. Mechanisms underlying the initiation and progression of GML remain unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that are now considered as major players in inflammation and carcinogenesis, acting as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Previous laboratory studies have shown in a GML mouse model that overexpression of a distinct set of five miRNAs (miR-21a, miR-135b, miR-142a, miR-150, miR-155) could play a critical role in the pathogenesis of GML. Our goal was to compare the miRNA expression profile obtained in the GML mouse model to that in human GML (11 cases of GML compared to 17 cases of gastritis control population). RTqPCR on the five dysregulated miRNAs in the GML mouse model and PCR array followed by RTqPCR confirmation showed that four miRNAs were up-regulated (miR-150, miR-155, miR-196a, miR-138) and two miRNAs down-regulated (miR-153, miR-7) in the stomachs of GML patients vs. gastritis control population. The analysis of their validated targets allowed us to postulate that these miRNAs (except miR-138) could act synergistically in a common signaling cascade promoting lymphomagenesis and could be involved in the pathogenesis of GML.
Three Results on the Nonlinear Differential Equations and Differential-Difference Equations
Authors: Rong Jianxun , Xu Junfeng
Published: June 2019

We mainly study the transcendental entire solutions of the differential equation f n ( z ) + P ( f ) = p 1 e α 1 z + p 2 e α 2 z , where p 1 , p 2 , α 1 and α 2 are nonzero constants satisfying α 1 ≠ α 2 and P ( f ) is a differential polynomial in f of degree n − 1 . We improve Chen and Gao’s results and partially answer a question proposed by Li (J. Math. Anal. Appl. 375 (2011), pp. 310–319).
The Gene Encoding NAD-Dependent Epimerase/Dehydratase, wcaG, Affects Cell Surface Properties, Virulence, and Extracellular Enzyme Production in the Soft Rot Phytopathogen, Pectobacterium carotovorum
Authors: Islam Rabiul , Brown Shyretha , Taheri Ali , Dumenyo C. Korsi
Published: June 2019

Pectobacterium carotovorum is a gram-negative bacterium that, together with other soft rot Enterobacteriaceae causes soft rot disease in vegetables, fruits, and ornamental plants through the action of exoproteins including plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs). Although pathogenicity in these bacteria is complex, virulence levels are proportional to the levels of plant cell wall-degrading exoenzymes (PCWDEs) secreted. Two low enzyme-producing transposon Tn5 mutants were isolated, and compared to their parent KD100, the mutants were less virulent on celery petioles and carrot disks. The inactivated gene responsible for the reduced virulence phenotype in both mutants was identified as wcaG. The gene, wcaG (previously denoted fcl) encodes NAD-dependent epimerase/dehydratase, a homologue of GDP-fucose synthetase of Escherichia coli. In Escherichia coli, GDP-fucose synthetase is involved in the biosynthesis of the exopolysaccharide, colanic acid (CA). The wcaG mutants of P. carotovorum formed an enhanced level of biofilm in comparison to their parent. In the hydrophobicity test the mutants showed more hydrophobicity than the parent in hexane and hexadecane as solvents. Complementation of the mutants with extrachromosomal copies of the wild type gene restored these functions to parental levels. These data indicate that NAD-dependent epimerase/dehydratase plays a vital rule in cell surface properties, exoenzyme production, and virulence in P. carotovorum.
Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids: The Botanical Origin of Pollen Collected during the Flowering Period of Echium vulgare and the Stability of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Bee Bread
Authors: Kast Christina , Kilchenmann Verena , Reinhard Hans , Bieri Katharina , Zoller Otmar
Published: June 2019

Previous studies have shown that pollen products sold as nutritional supplements and used in apitherapy may contain toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) if bees collect pollen from PA-containing plants, such as Echium vulgare. In this study, the botanical origin of pollen from two observation sites was studied. Despite a high PA content in pollen samples that bees collected during E. vulgare’s flowering period, bees were found to collect relatively few Echium pollen loads. Thus, the monitoring of pollen loads collected at the apiaries is unviable to estimate the risk of PA contamination in pollen or bee bread. In a second step, the stability of PAs in bee bread samples containing PAs at concentrations of 2538 ng/g and 98 ng/g was assessed over a period of five or six months, respectively. No significant PA reduction was observed in bee bread stored at 15 °C, but there were overall PA reductions of 39% and 33% in bee bread stored at 30 °C, reflecting hive conditions. While PA N-oxides decreased over time, other types of PAs remained relatively stable. Monitoring PAs in pollen products remains important to ensure consumer safety and should include echivulgarine (and its N-oxide), the major PA type found in pollen from E. vulgare.
Continuous Monitoring of Shelf Lives of Materials by Application of Data Loggers with Implemented Kinetic Parameters
Authors: Roduit Bertrand , Luyet Charles Albert , Hartmann Marco , Folly Patrick , Sarbach Alexandre , Dejeaifve Alain , Dobson Rowan , Schroeter Nicolas , Vorlet Olivier , Dabros Michal , Baltensperger Richard
Published: June 2019

The evaluation of the shelf life of, for example, food, pharmaceutical materials, polymers, and energetic materials at room or daily climate fluctuation temperatures requires kinetic analysis in temperature ranges which are as similar as possible to those at which the products will be stored or transported in. A comparison of the results of the evaluation of the shelf life of a propellant and a vaccine calculated by advanced kinetics and simplified 0th and 1st order kinetic models is presented. The obtained simulations show that the application of simplified kinetics or the commonly used mean kinetic temperature approach may result in an imprecise estimation of the shelf life. The implementation of the kinetic parameters obtained from advanced kinetic analyses into programmable data loggers allows the continuous online evaluation and display on a smartphone of the current extent of the deterioration of materials. The proposed approach is universal and can be used for any goods, any methods of shelf life determination, and any type of data loggers. Presented in this study, the continuous evaluation of the shelf life of perishable goods based on the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm helps in the optimal storage/shipment and results in a significant decrease of waste.
Food-Based Dietary Guidelines around the World: Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Countries
Authors: Montagnese Concetta , Santarpia Lidia , Iavarone Fabio , Strangio Francesca , Sangiovanni Brigida , Buonifacio Margherita , Caldara Anna Rita , Silvestri Eufemia , Contaldo Franco , Pasanisi Fabrizio
Published: June 2019

In Eastern Mediterranean countries, undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies coexist with overnutrition-related diseases, such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Many Mediterranean countries have produced Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) to provide the general population with indications for healthy nutrition and lifestyles. This narrative review analyses Eastern Mediterranean countries’ FBDGs and discusses their pictorial representations, food groupings and associated messages on healthy eating and behaviours. In 2012, both the WHO and the Arab Center for Nutrition developed specific dietary guidelines for Arab countries. In addition, seven countries, representing 29% of the Eastern Mediterranean Region population, designated their national FBDGs. At the moment several of these guidelines are available only in the English language. In summary, Eastern Mediterranean FBDGs mainly focus on food safety, not all are available in the local Arabic language, and they do not provide specific suggestions for the large number of foreign workers and migrants.
The Prevalence of Unused Medications in Homes
Authors: Makki Mutaseim , Hassali Mohamed Azmi , Awaisu Ahmed , Hashmi Furqan
Published: June 2019

The prevalence of unused medications in homes has dramatically increased in recent decades, which has resulted in medication wastage. The aim of this study is to review the prevalence of unused medications in homes and to determine the reasons behind this disuse, so as to help reduce such wastage. The review also sheds light on current methods of disposal of unwanted medications. Here, using a narrative review, we provide an overview of the issues of unused medications, medication wastage, and methods of disposal. We conducted an extensive literature search focusing on subject-related keywords, as given in the methods section below. A search was undertaken through indexing services available in the library of the authors’ institution. Full-text papers concerned with the prevalence of unused medications in homes, written in English language between 1992 and 2018, were retrieved and reviewed. Twenty-five related studies performed in different world regions were reviewed and included. The public, healthcare providers, and governments are all accused of promoting medication wastage in different ways, and thus, they need to be targeted to solve the problem. It was also noticed that the prevalence of unused medications is high in many countries. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are among the most frequently wasted medications, and most of the public just dispose of their expired medications in the trash or toilet. Non-adherence, death, and medication change are among the main causes of medication accumulation and consequent wastage. A lack of policies to return unwanted medications in some countries, as well as public unawareness, carelessness, or illiteracy, are reasons for improper disposal of unused medications that may lead to adverse economic and environmental impacts. Various mitigation strategies (e.g., smart medicine cabinet) have emerged to reduce medication wastage. Joint work among the public, healthcare providers, and various governmental and private organizations is needed to adequately address the issue of medication wastage.
Electrochemomechanical Behavior of Polypyrrole-Coated Nanofiber Scaffolds in Cell Culture Medium
Authors: Harjo Madis , Torop Janno , Järvekülg Martin , Tamm Tarmo , Kiefer Rudolf
Published: June 2019

Glucose-gelatin nanofiber scaffolds were made conductive and electroactive by chemical (conductive fiber scaffolds, CFS) and additionally electrochemical polypyrrole deposition (doped with triflouromethanesulfonate CF3SO3−, CFS-PPyTF). Both materials were investigated in their linear actuation properties in cell culture medium (CCM), as they could be potential electro-mechanically activated cell growth substrates. Independent of the deposition conditions, both materials showed relatively stable cation-driven actuation in CCM, based on the flux of mainly Na+ ions from CCM. The surprising result was attributed to re-doping by sulfate anions in CCM, as also indicated by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy results. Overall, the electrochemically coated material outperformed the one with just chemical coating in conductivity, charge density and actuation response.
Mapping Listvenite Occurrences in the Damage Zones of Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica Using ASTER Satellite Remote Sensing Data
Authors: Beiranvand Pour Amin , Park Yongcheol , Crispini Laura , Läufer Andreas , Kuk Hong Jong , Park Tae-Yoon S. , Zoheir Basem , Pradhan Biswajeet , Muslim Aidy M. , Hossain Mohammad Shawkat , Rahmani Omeid
Published: June 2019

Listvenites normally form during hydrothermal/metasomatic alteration of mafic and ultramafic rocks and represent a key indicator for the occurrence of ore mineralizations in orogenic systems. Hydrothermal/metasomatic alteration mineral assemblages are one of the significant indicators for ore mineralizations in the damage zones of major tectonic boundaries, which can be detected using multispectral satellite remote sensing data. In this research, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) multispectral remote sensing data were used to detect listvenite occurrences and alteration mineral assemblages in the poorly exposed damage zones of the boundaries between the Wilson, Bowers and Robertson Bay terranes in Northern Victoria Land (NVL), Antarctica. Spectral information for detecting alteration mineral assemblages and listvenites were extracted at pixel and sub-pixel levels using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA)/Independent Component Analysis (ICA) fusion technique, Linear Spectral Unmixing (LSU) and Constrained Energy Minimization (CEM) algorithms. Mineralogical assemblages containing Fe2+, Fe3+, Fe-OH, Al-OH, Mg-OH and CO3 spectral absorption features were detected in the damage zones of the study area by implementing PCA/ICA fusion to visible and near infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands of ASTER. Silicate lithological groups were mapped and discriminated using PCA/ICA fusion to thermal infrared (TIR) bands of ASTER. Fraction images of prospective alteration minerals, including goethite, hematite, jarosite, biotite, kaolinite, muscovite, antigorite, serpentine, talc, actinolite, chlorite, epidote, calcite, dolomite and siderite and possible zones encompassing listvenite occurrences were produced using LSU and CEM algorithms to ASTER VNIR+SWIR spectral bands. Several potential zones for listvenite occurrences were identified, typically in association with mafic metavolcanic rocks (Glasgow Volcanics) in the Bowers Mountains. Comparison of the remote sensing results with geological investigations in the study area demonstrate invaluable implications of the remote sensing approach for mapping poorly exposed lithological units, detecting possible zones of listvenite occurrences and discriminating subpixel abundance of alteration mineral assemblages in the damage zones of the Wilson-Bowers and Bowers-Robertson Bay terrane boundaries and in intra-Bowers and Wilson terranes fault zones with high fluid flow. The satellite remote sensing approach developed in this research is explicitly pertinent to detecting key alteration mineral indicators for prospecting hydrothermal/metasomatic ore minerals in remote and inaccessible zones situated in other orogenic systems around the world.
Large-Area, High Spatial Resolution Land Cover Mapping Using Random Forests, GEOBIA, and NAIP Orthophotography: Findings and Recommendations
Authors: Maxwell Aaron E. , Strager Michael P. , Warner Timothy A. , Ramezan Christopher A. , Morgan Alice N. , Pauley Cameron E.
Published: June 2019

Despite the need for quality land cover information, large-area, high spatial resolution land cover mapping has proven to be a difficult task for a variety of reasons including large data volumes, complexity of developing training and validation datasets, data availability, and heterogeneity in data and landscape conditions. We investigate the use of geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA), random forest (RF) machine learning, and National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) orthophotography for mapping general land cover across the entire state of West Virginia, USA, an area of roughly 62,000 km2. We obtained an overall accuracy of 96.7% and a Kappa statistic of 0.886 using a combination of NAIP orthophotography and ancillary data. Despite the high overall classification accuracy, some classes were difficult to differentiate, as highlight by the low user’s and producer’s accuracies for the barren, impervious, and mixed developed classes. In contrast, forest, low vegetation, and water were generally mapped with accuracy. The inclusion of ancillary data and first- and second-order textural measures generally improved classification accuracy whereas band indices and object geometric measures were less valuable. Including super-object attributes improved the classification slightly; however, this increased the computational time and complexity. From the findings of this research and previous studies, recommendations are provided for mapping large spatial extents.
ACF Based Region Proposal Extraction for YOLOv3 Network Towards High-Performance Cyclist Detection in High Resolution Images
Authors: Liu Chunsheng , Guo Yu , Li Shuang , Chang Faliang
Published: June 2019

You Only Look Once (YOLO) deep network can detect objects quickly with high precision and has been successfully applied in many detection problems. The main shortcoming of YOLO network is that YOLO network usually cannot achieve high precision when dealing with small-size object detection in high resolution images. To overcome this problem, we propose an effective region proposal extraction method for YOLO network to constitute an entire detection structure named ACF-PR-YOLO, and take the cyclist detection problem to show our methods. Instead of directly using the generated region proposals for classification or regression like most region proposal methods do, we generate large-size potential regions containing objects for the following deep network. The proposed ACF-PR-YOLO structure includes three main parts. Firstly, a region proposal extraction method based on aggregated channel feature (ACF) is proposed, called ACF based region proposal (ACF-PR) method. In ACF-PR, ACF is firstly utilized to fast extract candidates and then a bounding boxes merging and extending method is designed to merge the bounding boxes into correct region proposals for the following YOLO net. Secondly, we design suitable YOLO net for fine detection in the region proposals generated by ACF-PR. Lastly, we design a post-processing step, in which the results of YOLO net are mapped into the original image outputting the detection and localization results. Experiments performed on the Tsinghua-Daimler Cyclist Benchmark with high resolution images and complex scenes show that the proposed method outperforms the other tested representative detection methods in average precision, and that it outperforms YOLOv3 by 13.69 % average precision and outperforms SSD by 25.27 % average precision.
Thermal Imaging Reliability for Estimating Grain Yield and Carbon Isotope Discrimination in Wheat Genotypes: Importance of the Environmental Conditions
Authors: Romero-Bravo Sebastián , Méndez-Espinoza Ana María , Garriga Miguel , Estrada Félix , Escobar Alejandro , González-Martinez Luis , Poblete-Echeverría Carlos , Sepulveda Daniel , Matus Ivan , Castillo Dalma , del Pozo Alejandro , Lobos Gustavo A.
Published: June 2019

Canopy temperature (Tc) by thermal imaging is a useful tool to study plant water status and estimate other crop traits. This work seeks to estimate grain yield (GY) and carbon discrimination (Δ13C) from stress degree day (SDD = Tc − air temperature, Ta), considering the effect of a number of environmental variables such as the averages of the maximum vapor pressure deficit (VPDmax) and the ambient temperature (Tmax), and the soil water content (SWC). For this, a set of 384 and a subset of 16 genotypes of spring bread wheat were evaluated in two Mediterranean-climate sites under water stress (WS) and full irrigation (FI) conditions, in 2011 and 2012, and 2014 and 2015, respectively. The relationship between the GY of the 384 wheat genotypes and SDD was negative and highly significant in 2011 (r2 = 0.52 to 0.68), but not significant in 2012 (r2 = 0.03 to 0.12). Under WS, the average GY, Δ13C, and SDD of wheat genotypes growing in ten environments were more associated with changes in VPDmax and Tmax than with the SWC. Therefore, the amount of water available to the plant is not enough information to assume that a particular genotype is experiencing a stress condition.
GOING GREEN: The Effectiveness of a 40-Day Green Exercise Intervention for Insufficiently Active Adults
Authors: Glover Nicholas , Polley Scott
Published: June 2019

Increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior is an economic and health priority. This Green Exercise (GEx) study reports on a 40-day physical activity intervention to increase physical activity that primarily used outdoor recreation activities. Adherence, compliance, blood pressure (BP), total cholesterol, anthropometry, strength, dynamic stability, and cardiovascular fitness were assessed 1 week prior and immediately following the 40-day intervention. The results then were compared with a larger study that used the same methodologies but for the exception of primarily indoor physical activities. Results from this study showed similar improvements in health measures to the comparative indoor-based physical activity program with increased adherence and compliance. Improvements in wellbeing were also noted. This GEx study suggests that exercise programs that seek to increase physical activity levels of insufficiently active adults may benefit from including outdoor recreation activities within the program and may also increase participant mental health and general well-being.
Changing Trends of NDVI and Their Responses to Climatic Variation in Different Types of Grassland in Inner Mongolia from 1982 to 2011
Authors: Yang Jie , Wan Zhiqiang , Borjigin Suld , Zhang Dong , Yan Yulong , Chen Yali , Gu Rui , Gao Qingzhu
Published: June 2019

Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is commonly used to indicate vegetation density and condition. NDVI was mostly correlated with climate factors. We analyzed changing trends of NDVI in different types of grassland in Inner Mongolia and the response of NDVI to climatic variation from 1982 to 2011. NDVI of meadow steppe increased significantly in spring while it decreased in other seasons. The annual mean NDVI in typical steppe and desert steppe increased significantly in the last 30a. However, in the greatest area of steppe desert, the NDVI had no significant change in summer, autumn, and the growing season. In meadow steppe, typical steppe, and desert steppe, the area showed a positive correlation of NDVI to temperature as highest in spring compared to other seasons, because warming in spring is beneficial to the plant growth. However, in the greatest area of steppe desert, the correlation of NDVI to temperature was not significant. The NDVI was positively correlated to precipitation in four types of grassland. In the steppe desert, the precipitation had no significant effect on the NDVI due to the poor vegetation cover in this region. The NDVI was not significantly correlated to the precipitation in autumn because of vegetation withering in the season and not need precipitation. Precipitation was a more important factor rather than temperature to NDVI in the region. The response of NDVI to temperature and precipitation in different seasons should be studied in more detail and the effect of other factors on NDVI should be considered in future research.
Chicago’s Urban Cemeteries as Habitat for Cavity-Nesting Birds
Authors: Smith Alexis D. , Minor Emily
Published: June 2019

Although not explicitly managed for conservation, urban cemeteries may provide a reserve of dead and dying trees for cavity-nesting birds. However, the ability of urban cemeteries to support these birds on current landscapes is largely unknown. We surveyed cavity-nesting birds and their habitat in 18 cemeteries in Chicago, Illinois (USA). At each location, we examined vegetation, availability of gravestones and monuments for perches, and landscape-level environmental conditions. We tested the importance of these variables for presence of individual bird species, and for overall richness of native cavity-nesting birds. We also assessed the availability and characteristics of tree cavities and their distribution among different tree species. We found that most cemeteries contained at least one dead or dying tree. Across all sampled areas, we detected 207 naturally-occurring and 77 excavated tree cavities. Tree species generally supported cavities in proportion to their abundance. We observed 12 native and two non-native cavity-nesting bird species in the cemeteries. Cavity-nesting bird species richness was best explained by landscape-level variables such as canopy cover and distance to water, but local-level variables (e.g., number of graves in a 50 m radius) influenced habitat selection for some species. Based on our results, we make suggestions for how both existing cemeteries and new “green” cemeteries can support biodiversity conservation.
Community Supported Agriculture Farmers’ Perceptions of Management Benefits and Drawbacks
Authors: Samoggia Antonella , Perazzolo Chiara , Kocsis Piroska , Del Prete Margherita
Published: June 2019

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a direct partnership between producer(s) and a group of consumers/members to share the risks and responsibilities of farming activities. CSA aims at producing and providing environmentally, socially, economically, and nutritionally sustainable food. Past research has focused on CSA members’ motivations. This research aims to gain a better understanding of CSA farmers’ perceived benefits and drawbacks in managing a CSA farm, and whether CSA management perception varies in different countries. The research collected data from 35 farmers that were based in the United States (US) and Hungary (HU). Data elaboration includes a one-way Anova test, Chi-square test, principal component analysis, and multiple multivariate linear regressions. The results support that US and HU farmers have similar positive perceptions of CSA farming management, especially in food quality, nutritional value products, environmental, and community benefits. The main differences concentrate on economic, financial, and management perceptions. CSA success as an alternative agro-food production and distribution system relies on the capability to involve CSA members. Therefore, CSA farmers’ management skills may evolve to ensure the performance of communication and community engaging practices. The main CSA concern is ensuring a fair income and living wage for the farmers and labor force. There is a need for better balancing non-monetary and monetary benefits for the farmers.
Estimation of Soil Respiration by Its Driving Factors Based on Multi-Source Data in a Sub-Alpine Meadow in North China
Authors: Liang Yanan , Cai Yanpeng , Yan Junxia , Li Hongjian
Published: June 2019

Soil respiration (Rs) in high-altitude areas are normally sensitive to varying climatic conditions. The objective of this research was mainly to explore temporal variations in Rs rates and the corresponding controlling factors for the establishment of appropriate fitting models in a sub-alpine meadow of north China. The data was obtained through field measuring and extraction of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in the geographical unit of the study site over the period of 2007 to 2015. The main results were as follows: (1) seasonal variations in Rs rates, soil temperature (Ts), land surface temperature (LST), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) all produced symmetrical bell type patterns, while soil moisture (Ms) showed a fluctuating pattern, (2) a Ts-exponential model could greatly capture seasonal variations of Rs rates in the study site, reflecting the role of temperature as a dominant driving factor in determining Rs temporal variations in alpine meadow areas, (3) there was no significant difference between the performing indicators evaluating the proposed Ts-exponential model and the LST-exponential model. This indicated great potential for applying remote sensing products to estimate seasonal Rs rates and 4) seasonal variations in Rs rates towards temperature sensitivity (Q10) showed a concave curve and dramatically decreased as the temperature increased from −1 to 11 °C. Overall, the results indicated that attention to significant effects of climatic conditions on Rs, particularly in areas of low temperature, should be warranted. Also, applicability of remote sensing products for estimating Rs was reflected and demonstrated.
Averaging and the Shape of the Correlation Function
Authors: Tomášik Boris , Cimerman Jakub , Plumberg Christopher
Published: June 2019

A brief pedagogical introduction to correlation femtoscopy is given. We then focus on the shape of the correlation function and discuss the possible reasons for its departure from the Gaussian form and better reproduction with a Lévy stable distribution. With the help of Monte Carlo simulations based on asymmetric extension of the Blast-Wave model with resonances we demonstrate possible influence of averaging over many events and integrating over wide momentum bins on the shape of the correlation function. We also show that the shape is strongly influenced by the use of the one-dimensional parametrisation in the q i n v variable.
IFITM3 Clusters on Virus Containing Endosomes and Lysosomes Early in the Influenza A Infection of Human Airway Epithelial Cells
Authors: Kummer Susann , Avinoam Ori , Kräusslich Hans-Georg
Published: June 2019

Interferon-induced transmembrane proteins (IFITMs) have been shown to strongly affect influenza A virus (IAV) infectivity in tissue culture. Moreover, polymorphisms in IFITM3 have been associated with the severity of the disease in humans. IFITM3 appears to act early in the infection, but its mechanism of action and potential interactions with incoming IAV structures are not yet defined. Here, we visualized endogenous IFITM3 interactions with IAV in the human lung epithelial cell line A549 and in primary human airway epithelial cells employing stimulated emission depletion super-resolution microscopy. By applying an iterative approach for the cluster definition and computational cluster analysis, we found that IFITM3 reorganizes into clusters as IAV infection progresses. IFITM3 cluster formation started at 2-3 h post infection and increased over time to finally coat IAV-containing endosomal vesicles. This IAV-induced phenotype was due to the endosomal recruitment of IFITM3 rather than to an overall increase in the IFITM3 abundance. While the IAV-induced IFITM3 clustering and localization to endosomal vesicles was comparable in primary human airway epithelial cells and the human lung epithelial cell line A549, the endogenous IFITM3 signal was higher in primary cells. Moreover, we observed IFITM3 signals adjacent to IAV-containing recycling endosomes.
Complete Remission of Associative Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia in a Dog Following Surgical Resection of Intestinal Leiomyosarcoma
Authors: Yuki Masashi , Naitoh Eiji
Published: June 2019

A twelve-year-old male castrated Chihuahua with a severe, microcytic, hypochromic, and nonregenerative direct antiglobulin test positive anemia characterized by marked spherocytosis was referred to the veterinary hospital. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a peritoneal mass of unclear origin. Transfusion, followed by mass resection, rapidly resolved the anemia without further immunosuppressive treatment. Histopathology confirmed extraluminal jejunal leiomyosarcoma. Multiple mechanisms, including immune-mediated destruction, likely contributed to the anemia. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report that describes the resolution of immune-mediated hemolysis in a dog after the removal of an intestinal neoplasm.
Stable Isotopes of Precipitation in China: A Consideration of Moisture Sources
Authors: Kong Yanlong , Wang Ke , Li Jie , Pang Zhonghe
Published: June 2019

An accurate representation of the spatial distribution of stable isotopes in modern precipitation is vital for interpreting hydrological and climatic processes. Considering the dominant impact of moisture sources in controlling water isotopes and deuterium excess, we conducted a meta-analysis of precipitation isotopes using instrumental data from 68 stations around China. The entire country is divided into five regions according to the major moisture sources: Region I (the westerlies domain), Region II (the arctic domain), Region III (the northeast domain), Region IV (the Pacific domain), and Region V (the Tibetan Plateau). Each region has unique features of spatial distribution and seasonal variation for stable precipitation isotopes and deuterium excess. In particular, seasonal variation in Region IV tracks the onset of Asian summer monsoons well. The regional meteoric water lines are presented for each region. A significant temperature effect is found in Regions I and III, with δ18O-temperature gradients of 0.13–0.68‰/°C and 0.13–0.4‰/°C, respectively. However, the reasons for the temperature effects are quite different. In Region I, this effect is caused by the seasonal shift of the westerlies, whereas in Region III, it is caused by the seasonal difference in moisture sources. The precipitation amount effect is most significant in the region along the southeast coast in China, where the δ18O-precipitation amount the gradient is −0.24 to −0.13‰/mm. The findings in our paper could serve as a reference for isotopic application in hydrological and paleo-climatic research.
“Por que o SBT é tão brega?”: afeto e sentimento na interação da emissora com a audiência
Authors: Martins Rafael Barbosa Fialho
Published: June 2019

O presente artigo discute a proposta de interação do SBT (Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão) com a audiência, marcada pela proximidade. A partir da análise de vinhetas institucionais da emissora, percebe-se o investimento em uma estética pautada por aspectos como excesso e sentimentalismo que, alinhados às matrizes do brega e do kitsch, contribuem para promover o engajamento fortemente afetivo e sentimental que o canal conquistou ao longo de sua trajetória. Metodologicamente, a apreciação das peças autopromocionais é feita com base no estilo televisivo. Em termos estilísticos, a “amizade” pretendida pela emissora traduz-se na opção por uma linguagem gráfica de cores fortes e quentes, e trilha sonora focada em afetos e sentimentos combinada à atuação efusiva e acolhedora do elenco. Assim, tais escolhas dotam o SBT de expressiva humanização, aproximação e diferenciação da proposta de interação que o canal oferece ao telespectador no âmbito do mercado de televisão no Brasil.
Estudos do Software (software studies) e a cultura da mobilidade contemporânea
Authors: Stalbaum Brett , De Almeida Jane , Da Silva Cicero
Published: June 2019

O objetivo do presente artigo é analisar os  sentidos conceituais dos processos computacionais e de que forma eles se relacionam e afetam, ou até mesmo constituem novas formas de processos comunicacionais, provocando modificações no âmbito das teorias da comunicação. O texto apresenta questões relacionadas à desterritorialização dos espaços formais das fronteiras físicas da informação e propõe uma reflexão baseada em uma análise das mídias locativas em relação aos pesquisadores que criam suas obras baseadas na Internet a partir da utilização desses sistemas em seus trabalhos. O artigo apresenta a metodologia do Software Studies para analisar quatro projetos de mídias locativas: HiperGps, Walkingtools, HiperGeo e Gun GeoMarker, que abordam questões sobre espaço e tecnologia de georeferenciação por meio de aparelhos celulares, com o objetivo de pensar a territorialidade do acesso à informação digitalizada e suas representações como processos comunicacionais. O artigo especula acerca das questões sobre espaços e territórios, sobre a tecnologia dos servidores móveis que apontam para problemas com os quais os estados terão de lidar no futuro: em que espaço físico ficarão “hospedados” os “dados” de algum projeto ou sistema de informação e qual Estado terá a responsabilidade pela hospedagem, transferência e acesso aos dados?
E quando todo poder emanar dos dados? Uma entrevista sobre datacracia com Derrick de Kerckhove
Authors: Magalhães Marina
Published: June 2019

O romance Super Sad True Love Story, escrito por Gary Shteyngart (2010), é o ponto de partida desta entrevista com o filósofo belga Derrick de Kerckhove. Para abordar o tema da datacracia, o entrevistado convoca uma passagem desta narrativa distópicana qual as pessoas carregam um aparato tecnológico que registra, analisa e valida tudo aquilo que quem o porta viveu até hoje. Kerckhove foi diretor por mais de 20 anos do Programa McLuhan em Cultura e Tecnologia, na Universidade de Toronto.
Pachamama e a internet of things: para além da ideia ocidental de cidadania
Authors: Di Felice Massimo , Cristina Moreira Fernanda
Published: June 2019

Este artigo busca contribuir para as reflexões acerca da crise das ideias de sociedade e cidadania derivadas do pensamento dicotômico ocidental, a partir da noção de “direitos da natureza” e da inclusão da Pachamama nos debates constitucionais e legislativos em distintos países, bem como da condiçãotecnológico-comunicativa contemporânea, marcada pela constituição de redes digitais interagentes que conectam além de humanos, biodiversidade, objetos, superfícies, dados, inteligência artificial. Para isso, buscou-se pensaras potencialidades “xamânicas” do processo de digitalização ou da internet of things, como a comunicação não-humana e as relações metamórficas entre info-matérias conectadas, como um exercício cosmopolítico.
The entire history of you: as ilusões da memória técnica ou a arte do esquecimento
Authors: Oliveira Juracy , Silva Sergiano
Published: June 2019

Nossa época é marcada por uma obsessão pela gravação e pelo arquivamento da nossa experiência através do uso das tecnologias. Tal constatação nos leva a um dos futuros possíveis no tocante à memória técnica, leia-se: uma realidade na qual tornou-se comum o uso de próteses mnemônicas que armazenam todos os dados da percepção, propiciando a rememoração irrestrita do vivido; é precisamente esta a premissa do episódio Toda a sua história da série Black Mirror. A partir da análise do mesmo, o presente artigo almeja esmiuçar as implicações sociais e culturais da tecnologia empregada nele, sobretudo os seus usos e abusos, tomando como base teórica as discussões em torno da memória viva, da cultura da memória, do arquivo, da memorização tecnológica e, também, do esquecimento.
Do álbum de família ao álbum afetivo: as narrativas da memória que transitamentre a fotografia analógica e a digital
Authors: Ferraz Musse Mariana
Published: June 2019

O avanço tecnológico e a transição da fotografia analógica para a digital trouxeram mudanças significativas nas formas de narrar as memórias dos sujeitos. As transformações técnicas, ao longo dos anos, acarretaram transformações sociais na forma em que os sujeitos se relacionam com as fotografias, do ato de fotografar ao que representam nas imagens. Essas mudanças também se estenderam para as formas de guardar esses registros nos álbuns, quando, no processo digital, as fotografias e os álbuns perdem sua materialidade. Neste artigo, veremos que a transição dos processos analógico ao digital acarretou mudanças no ato de fotografar, de narrar e de guardar. Faremos uma comparação entre o que classificamos como álbum de família (analógico) e álbum afetivo (digital), levando em consideração as principais diferenças envolvidas neste processo como a própria função da fotografia em si, que deixaria de servir à memória - através do registro de momentos como lembranças - e teria como principal função a de conectar pessoas através das redes sociais.Essa nova função de conectividade é estimulada pelas sociabilidades nas redes sociais e enfatizada por mecanismos de interação nas redes como as marcações de pessoas em fotos, e os usos de hashtags e geolocalização pelos usuários.