bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Half-Century History of Applications of Antisense Oligonucleotides in Medicine, Agriculture and Forestry: We Should Continue the Journey
Authors: Oberemok Volodymyr V. , Laikova Kateryna V. , Repetskaya Anna I. , Kenyo Igor M. , Gorlov Mikhail V. , Kasich Igor N. , Krasnodubets Alisa M. , Gal’chinsky Nikita V. , Fomochkina Iryna I. , Zaitsev Aleksei S. , Bekirova Viktoriya V. , Seidosmanova Eleonora E. , Dydik Ksenia I. , Meshcheryakova Anna O. , Nazarov Sergey A. , Smagliy Natalya N. , Chelengerova Edie L. , Kulanova Alina A. , Deri Karim , Subbotkin Mikhail V. , Useinov Refat Z. , Shumskykh Maksym N. , Kubyshkin Anatoly V.
Published: May 2018

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO), short single-stranded polymers based on DNA or RNA chemistries and synthesized in vitro, regulate gene expression by binding in a sequence-specific manner to an RNA target. The functional activity and selectivity in the action of ASOs largely depends on the combination of nitrogenous bases in a target sequence. This simple and natural property of nucleic acids provides an attractive route by which scientists can create different ASO-based techniques. Over the last 50 years, planned and realized applications in the field of antisense and nucleic acid nanotechnologies have produced astonishing results and posed new challenges for further developments, exemplifying the essence of the post-genomic era. Today the majority of ASOs are chemically modified and/or incorporated within nanoparticles to enhance their stability and cellular uptake. This review critically analyzes some successful cases using the antisense approach in medicine to address severe diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy, and suggests some prospective directions for future research. We also examine in detail the elaboration of unmodified insect-specific DNA insecticides and RNA preparations in the areas of agriculture and forestry, a relatively new branch of ASO that allows circumvention of the use of non-selective chemical insecticides. When considering the variety of successful ASO modifications with an efficient signal-to-noise ratio of action, coupled with the affordability of in vitro oligonucleotide synthesis and post-synthesis procedures, we predict that the next half-century will produce a fruitful yield of tools created from effective ASO-based end products.
Antioxidant Activity and Spectroscopic Characteristics of Extractable and Non-Extractable Phenolics from Terminalia sericea Burch. ex DC.
Authors: Anokwuru Chinedu , Sigidi Muendi , Boukandou Marlaine , Tshisikhawe Peter , Traore Afsatou , Potgieter Natasha
Published: May 2018

The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity of the extractable and non-extractable phenolics of Terminalia. Sericea Burch. Ex DC. Free, ester bound, ether or glycoside bound and insoluble phenolics were extracted from the fruit, leaves, stem, and root samples. Follin Ciocalteu was used to estimate the phenolic content while DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay was used to determine the antioxidant activity. The data obtained were subjected to multivariate analysis for relationships. The result indicated that the highest average total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities were found in the free (14.8 mgGAE/g; IC50 6.8 μg/mL) and ester bound (15.1 mgGAE/g; IC50 6.4 μg/mL) extractable phenolics. There was a strong negative correlation between TPC and DPPH (r = −0.828). Agglomerative hierarchical clustering revealed three clusters. Cluster one contained the insoluble and glycoside phenolics while cluster 2 contained only free phenolic acid of the root. The third cluster was predominantly free and ester bound phenolic extracts. The principal component analysis score plot indicated two major clusters with factor 1 (F1) explaining 61% of the variation. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy spectra indicated that gallic acid and resveratrol are the major phenolic compounds present in the root. This study has demonstrated that extractable phenolics contributed more to the antioxidant activities compared to the non-extractables.
Exploring the Dual Inhibitory Activity of Novel Anthranilic Acid Derivatives towards α-Glucosidase and Glycogen Phosphorylase Antidiabetic Targets: Design, In Vitro Enzyme Assay, and Docking Studies
Authors: Ihmaid Saleh
Published: May 2018

A few new anthranilate diamide derivatives, 3a–e, 5a–c and 7a–d, were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their inhibitory activity against two interesting antidiabetic targets, α-glucosidase and glycogen phosphorylase enzymes. Different instrumental analytical tools were applied in identification and conformation of their structures like; 13C NMR, 1H NMR and elemental analysis. The screening of the novel compounds showed potent inhibitory activity with nanomolar concentration values. The most active compounds (5c) and (7b) showed the highest inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and glycogen phosphorylase enzymes IC50 = 0.01247 ± 0.01 µM and IC50 = 0.01372 ± 0.03 µM, respectively. In addition, in vivo testing of the highly potent α-glucosidase inhibitor (7b) on rats with DTZ-induced diabetes was done and showed significant reduction of blood glucose levels compared to the reference drug. Furthermore, a molecular docking study was performed to help understand the binding interactions of the most active analogs with these two enzymes. The data obtained from the molecular modeling were correlated with those obtained from the biological screening. These data showed considerable antidiabetic activity for these newly synthesized compounds.
Separation and Quantification of Four Main Chiral Glucosinolates in Radix Isatidis and Its Granules Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Diode Array Detector Coupled with Circular Dichroism Detection
Authors: Shi Yanhong , Zheng Cheng , Li Jinhang , Yang Li , Wang Zhengtao , Wang Rui
Published: May 2018

As chemical drugs, separation and quantification of the specific enantiomer from the chiral compounds in herbal medicines are becoming more important. To clarify the chemical characterization of chiral glucosinolates—the antiviral active ingredients of Radix Isatidis, an optimized efficient method of HPLC-UV-CD was developed to simultaneously separate and quantify the four main chiral glucosinolates: progoitrin, epiprogoitrin, and R,S-goitrin. The first step was to determine progoitrin, epiprogoitrin, and R,S-goitrin using HPLC-UV, and then determine the R-goitrin and S-goitrin by coupling with CD detection. Subsequently, through the linear relations between anisotropy factor (g factor) and the percent optical purity of R-goitrin, the contents of R-goitrin and S-goitrin from the R,S-goitrin mixture were calculated separately. Furthermore, the chemical composition features of the four chiral glucosinolates in 37 samples from crude drugs, decoction pieces, and granules of R. Isatidis were conducted. The total content of the four glucosinolates was obviously higher in crude drugs, and the variance character of each glucosinolate contents was different. In summary, the accurate measurement method reported here allows for better control of the internal quality of R. Isatidis and its granules and provides a powerful approach for the analysis of other chiral components in traditional Chinese medicines.
Synthesis of 2-Deoxybrassinosteroids Analogs with 24-nor, 22(S)-23-Dihydroxy-Type Side Chains from Hyodeoxycholic Acid
Authors: Carvajal Rodrigo , González Cesar , Olea Andrés F. , Fuentealba Mauricio , Espinoza Luis
Published: May 2018

Natural brassinosteroids are widespread in the plant kingdom and it is known that they play an important role in regulating plant growth. In this study, two new brassinosteroid analogs with shorter side chains but keeping the diol function were synthesized. Thus, the synthesis of 2-deoxybrassinosteroids analogs of the 3α-hydroxy-24-nor, 22,23-dihydroxy-5α-cholestane side chain type is described. The starting material is a derivative from hyodeoxycholic acid (4), which was obtained with an overall yield of 59% following a previously reported five step route. The side chain of this intermediate was modified by oxidative decarboxylation to get a terminal olefin at the C22-C23 position (compound 20) and subsequent dihydroxylation of the olefin. The resulting epimeric mixture of 21a, 21b was separated and the absolute configuration at the C22 carbon for the main product 21a was elucidated by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of the benzoylated derivative 22. Finally, lactonization of 21a through a Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of triacetylated derivative 23, using CF3CO3H/CHCl3 as oxidant system, leads to lactones 24 and 25 in 35% and 14% yields, respectively. Deacetylation of these compounds leads to 2-deoxybrassinosteroids 18 and 19 in 86% and 81% yields. Full structural characterization of all synthesized compounds was achieved using their 1D, 2D NMR, and HRMS data.
Small Universal Bacteria and Plasmid Computing Systems
Authors: Wang Xun , Zheng Pan , Ma Tongmao , Song Tao
Published: May 2018

Bacterial computing is a known candidate in natural computing, the aim being to construct “bacterial computers” for solving complex problems. In this paper, a new kind of bacterial computing system, named the bacteria and plasmid computing system (BP system), is proposed. We investigate the computational power of BP systems with finite numbers of bacteria and plasmids. Specifically, it is obtained in a constructive way that a BP system with 2 bacteria and 34 plasmids is Turing universal. The results provide a theoretical cornerstone to construct powerful bacterial computers and demonstrate a concept of paradigms using a “reasonable” number of bacteria and plasmids for such devices.
Parametrization of Combined Quantum Mechanical and Molecular Mechanical Methods: Bond-Tuned Link Atoms
Authors: Wu Xin-Ping , Gagliardi Laura , Truhlar Donald
Published: May 2018

Combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods are the most powerful available methods for high-level treatments of subsystems of very large systems. The treatment of the QM−MM boundary strongly affects the accuracy of QM/MM calculations. For QM/MM calculations having covalent bonds cut by the QM−MM boundary, it has been proposed previously to use a scheme with system-specific tuned fluorine link atoms. Here, we propose a broadly parametrized scheme where the parameters of the tuned F link atoms depend only on the type of bond being cut. In the proposed new scheme, the F link atom is tuned for systems with a certain type of cut bond at the QM−MM boundary instead of for a specific target system, and the resulting link atoms are call bond-tuned link atoms. In principle, the bond-tuned link atoms can be as convenient as the popular H link atoms, and they are especially well adapted for high-throughput and accurate QM/MM calculations. Here, we present the parameters for several kinds of cut bonds along with a set of validation calculations that confirm that the proposed bond-tuned link-atom scheme can be as accurate as the system-specific tuned F link-atom scheme.
Dietary Selenium Intake and Subclinical Hypothyroidism: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the ELSA-Brasil Study
Authors: Andrade Gustavo R. G. , Gorgulho Bartira , Lotufo Paulo A. , Bensenor Isabela M. , Marchioni Dirce M.
Published: May 2018

Selenium (Se) participates in several enzymatic reactions necessary for regulating the homeostasis of thyroid hormones. We aimed to analyze the association between dietary Se intake and subclinical hypothyroidism. Baseline data from the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde do Adulto—ELSA-Brasil) in Brazil were analyzed, with a final sample size of 14,283 employees of both sexes aged 35–74 years. Dietary data was collected using a previously validated food frequency questionnaire. Subclinical hypothyroidism was categorized as thyroid-stimulating hormone levels of >4.0 IU/mL and free prohormone thyroxine levels within normal limits, without administering drugs for thyroid disease. A multiple logistic regression model was used to assess the relationship between the presence of subclinical hypothyroidism and tertiles of Se consumption. The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in the study sample was 5.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.8–7.0%). Compared with the first tertile of Se intake, the second (odds ratio [OR], 0.79; 95% CI, 0.65–0.96%) and third (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.58–0.90%) tertiles were inversely associated with subclinical hypothyroidism, however further research is needed to confirm the involvement of Se in subclinical hypothyroidism using more accurate methodologies of dietary assessment and nutritional status to evaluate this relationship.
Effects of Frozen Storage on Phospholipid Content in Atlantic Cod Fillets and the Influence on Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice
Authors: Fauske Kristin Røen , Bernhard Annette , Fjære Even , Myrmel Lene Secher , Frøyland Livar , Kristiansen Karsten , Liaset Bjørn , Madsen Lise
Published: May 2018

A large fraction of the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in cod fillet is present in the form of phospholipids (PLs). Freezing initiates hydrolysis of the PLs present in the fillet. Here, we compared the effects of Western diets based on frozen cod, fresh cod or pork with a diet based on casein in male C57BL/6J mice fed for 12 weeks at thermoneutrality. Diets based on fresh cod contained more PL-bound n-3 PUFAs (3.12 mg/g diet) than diets based on frozen cod (1.9 mg/g diet). Mice fed diets containing pork and fresh cod, but not frozen cod, gained more body and fat mass than casein-fed mice. Additionally, the bioavailability of n-3 PUFAs present in the cod fillets was not influenced by storage conditions. In a second experiment, diets with pork as the protein source were supplemented with n-3 PUFAs in the form of PL or triacylglycerol (TAG) to match the levels of the diet containing fresh cod. Adding PL-bound, but not TAG-bound, n-3 PUFAs, to the pork-based diet increased body and fat mass gain. Thus, supplementation with PL-bound n-3 PUFAs did not protect against, but rather promoted, obesity development in mice fed a pork-based diet.
Multidirectional Efficacy of Biologically Active Nitro Compounds Included in Medicines
Authors: Olender Dorota , Żwawiak Justyna , Zaprutko Lucjusz
Published: May 2018

The current concept in searching for new bioactive products, including mainly original active substances with potential application in pharmacy and medicine, is based on compounds with a previously determined structure, well-known properties, and biological activity profile. Nowadays, many commonly used drugs originated from natural sources. Moreover, some natural materials have become the source of leading structures for processing further chemical modifications. Many organic compounds with great therapeutic significance have the nitro group in their structure. Very often, nitro compounds are active substances in many well-known preparations belonging to different groups of medicines that are classified according to their pharmacological potencies. Moreover, the nitro group is part of the chemical structure of veterinary drugs. In this review, we describe many bioactive substances with the nitro group, divided into ten categories, including substances with exciting activity and that are currently undergoing clinical trials.
Review of Intraocular Pharmacokinetics of Anti-Infectives Commonly Used in the Treatment of Infectious Endophthalmitis
Authors: Luaces-Rodríguez Andrea , González-Barcia Miguel , Blanco-Teijeiro María José , Gil-Martínez María , Gonzalez Francisco , Gómez-Ulla Francisco , Lamas María-Jesús , Otero-Espinar Francisco-Javier , Fernández-Ferreiro Anxo
Published: May 2018

Although intravitreal administration of anti-infectives represents the standard treatment for infectious endophthalmitis, the knowledge about their pharmacokinetics is still limited. In this review, we aimed to summarise the factors influencing the pharmacokinetics of the anti-infective agents. We have conducted a comprehensive review of the preclinical pharmacokinetic parameters obtained in different studies of intravitreal injections of anti-infectives performed on animals, mainly rabbits. The two aspects with the biggest influence on pharmacokinetics are the distribution in the vitreous humour and the elimination through the posterior segment. The distribution can be affected by the molecular weight of the drug, the convection flow of the vitreous, the condition of the vitreous humour depending on the age of the patient, the possible interactions between the drug and the components of the vitreous, and the presence of vitrectomy. Meanwhile, the elimination includes the metabolism of the drug, the clearance via the anterior and posterior routes, and the possible inflammation of the eye resulting from the disease. Understanding the pharmacokinetics of the anti-infectives used in clinical practice is essential for a correct application. The information provided in this review could offer guidance for selecting the best therapeutic option according to the characteristics of the drugs.
Lateral Order and Self-Organized Morphology of Diblock Copolymer Micellar Films
Authors: Liou Jiun-You , Sun Ya-Sen
Published: May 2018

We report the lateral order and self-organized morphology of diblock copolymer polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine), P(S-b-2VP), and micelles on silicon substrates (SiOx/Si). These micellar films were prepared by spin coating from polymer solutions of varied concentration of polymer in toluene onto SiOx/Si, and were investigated with grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and an atomic force microscope (AFM). With progressively increased surface coverage with increasing concentration, loosely packed spherical micelles, ribbon-like nanostructures, and a second layer of spherical micelles were obtained sequentially. Quantitative analysis and simulations of the micellar packing demonstrates that the spatial ordering of the loosely packed spherical micelles altered from short-range order to hexagonal order when the micellar coverage increased from small to moderate densities of the covered surface. At large densities, anisotropic fusion between spherical micelles caused the ribbon-like nanostructures to have a short-range spatial order; the ordering quality of the second layer was governed by the rugged surface of the underlying layer because the valleys between the ribbon-like nanostructures allowed for further deposition of spherical micelles.
Synthesis and Characterization of Renewable Polyester Coil Coatings from Biomass-Derived Isosorbide, FDCA, 1,5-Pentanediol, Succinic Acid, and 1,3-Propanediol
Authors: Lomelí-Rodríguez Mónica , Corpas-Martínez José Raúl , Willis Susan , Mulholland Robert , Lopez-Sanchez Jose Antonio
Published: May 2018

Biomass-derived polyester coatings for coil applications have been successfully developed and characterized. The coatings were constituted by carbohydrate-derived monomers, namely 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid, isosorbide, succinic acid, 1,3-propanediol, and 1,5-pentanediol, the latter having previously been used as a plasticizer rather than a structural building unit. The effect of isosorbide on the coatings is widely studied. The inclusion of these monomers diversified the mechanical properties of the coatings, and showed an improved performance against common petrochemical derived coatings. This research study provides a range of fully bio-derived polyester coil coatings with tunable properties of industrial interest, highlighting the importance of renewable polymers towards a successful bioeconomy.
Effects of Water Soaked Height on the Deformation and Crushing Characteristics of Loose Gangue Backfill Material in Solid Backfill Coal Mining
Authors: Li Junmeng , Huang Yanli , Qiao Ming , Chen Zhongwei , Song Tianqi , Kong Guoqiang , Gao Huadong , Guo Lei
Published: May 2018

In solid backfill coal mining (SBCM), loose gangue backfill material (LGBM) is used to backfill the goaf after coal resources are exploited from the underground mines. Under certain geological conditions, LGBM with a certain height may be soaked in the water, and then becomes saturated, significantly altering its mechanical properties. The confined compression experiments were used in this paper to analyze the deformation and the crushing characteristics of LGBM with varying water soaked heights in coal mines. The results showed that a large number of small holes that were distributed in the gangue blocks were the main reason why the material absorbed water and was softened. The crushing ratio and the maximum axial strain of LGBM samples gradually increased with the water soaked heights of the samples. In addition, there was a strong linear correlation between the crushing ratio and the maximum axial strain. When LGBM was used as a solid backfill material in SBCM, its deformation resistance would significantly decrease after it was soaked in the water. Higher water soaked height of LGBM led to lower deformation resistance and greater influence on the quality of backfilling. This research has great significance in getting a deep and better understanding of the mechanical properties of LGBM, as well as guiding engineering practice.
A Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Networks (DCGANs)-Based Semi-Supervised Method for Object Recognition in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Images
Authors: Gao Fei , Yang Yue , Wang Jun , Sun Jinping , Yang Erfu , Zhou Huiyu
Published: May 2018

Synthetic aperture radar automatic target recognition (SAR-ATR) has made great progress in recent years. Most of the established recognition methods are supervised, which have strong dependence on image labels. However, obtaining the labels of radar images is expensive and time-consuming. In this paper, we present a semi-supervised learning method that is based on the standard deep convolutional generative adversarial networks (DCGANs). We double the discriminator that is used in DCGANs and utilize the two discriminators for joint training. In this process, we introduce a noisy data learning theory to reduce the negative impact of the incorrectly labeled samples on the performance of the networks. We replace the last layer of the classic discriminators with the standard softmax function to output a vector of class probabilities so that we can recognize multiple objects. We subsequently modify the loss function in order to adapt to the revised network structure. In our model, the two discriminators share the same generator, and we take the average value of them when computing the loss function of the generator, which can improve the training stability of DCGANs to some extent. We also utilize images of higher quality from the generated images for training in order to improve the performance of the networks. Our method has achieved state-of-the-art results on the Moving and Stationary Target Acquisition and Recognition (MSTAR) dataset, and we have proved that using the generated images to train the networks can improve the recognition accuracy with a small number of labeled samples.
A Kinect-Based Segmentation of Touching-Pigs for Real-Time Monitoring
Authors: Ju Miso , Choi Younchang , Seo Jihyun , Sa Jaewon , Lee Sungju , Chung Yongwha , Park Daihee
Published: May 2018

Segmenting touching-pigs in real-time is an important issue for surveillance cameras intended for the 24-h tracking of individual pigs. However, methods to do so have not yet been reported. We particularly focus on the segmentation of touching-pigs in a crowded pig room with low-contrast images obtained using a Kinect depth sensor. We reduce the execution time by combining object detection techniques based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) with image processing techniques instead of applying time-consuming operations, such as optimization-based segmentation. We first apply the fastest CNN-based object detection technique (i.e., You Only Look Once, YOLO) to solve the separation problem for touching-pigs. If the quality of the YOLO output is not satisfied, then we try to find the possible boundary line between the touching-pigs by analyzing the shape. Our experimental results show that this method is effective to separate touching-pigs in terms of both accuracy (i.e., 91.96%) and execution time (i.e., real-time execution), even with low-contrast images obtained using a Kinect depth sensor.
Caching Joint Shortcut Routing to Improve Quality of Service for Information-Centric Networking
Authors: Huang Baixiang , Liu Anfeng , Zhang Chengyuan , Xiong Naixue , Zeng Zhiwen , Cai Zhiping
Published: May 2018

Hundreds of thousands of ubiquitous sensing (US) devices have provided an enormous number of data for Information-Centric Networking (ICN), which is an emerging network architecture that has the potential to solve a great variety of issues faced by the traditional network. A Caching Joint Shortcut Routing (CJSR) scheme is proposed in this paper to improve the Quality of service (QoS) for ICN. The CJSR scheme mainly has two innovations which are different from other in-network caching schemes: (1) Two routing shortcuts are set up to reduce the length of routing paths. Because of some inconvenient transmission processes, the routing paths of previous schemes are prolonged, and users can only request data from Data Centers (DCs) until the data have been uploaded from Data Producers (DPs) to DCs. Hence, the first kind of shortcut is built from DPs to users directly. This shortcut could release the burden of whole network and reduce delay. Moreover, in the second shortcut routing method, a Content Router (CR) which could yield shorter length of uploading routing path from DPs to DCs is chosen, and then data packets are uploaded through this chosen CR. In this method, the uploading path shares some segments with the pre-caching path, thus the overall length of routing paths is reduced. (2) The second innovation of the CJSR scheme is that a cooperative pre-caching mechanism is proposed so that QoS could have a further increase. Besides being used in downloading routing, the pre-caching mechanism can also be used when data packets are uploaded towards DCs. Combining uploading and downloading pre-caching, the cooperative pre-caching mechanism exhibits high performance in different situations. Furthermore, to address the scarcity of storage size, an algorithm that could make use of storage from idle CRs is proposed. After comparing the proposed scheme with five existing schemes via simulations, experiments results reveal that the CJSR scheme could reduce the total number of processed interest packets by 54.8%, enhance the cache hits of each CR and reduce the number of total hop counts by 51.6% and cut down the length of routing path for users to obtain their interested data by 28.6–85.7% compared with the traditional NDN scheme. Moreover, the length of uploading routing path could be decreased by 8.3–33.3%.
Smart Sensing Technologies for Personalised e-Coaching
Authors: Banos Oresti , Hermens Hermie , Nugent Christopher , Pomares Hector
Published: May 2018

People living in both developed and developing countries face serious health challenges related to sedentary lifestyles. It is therefore essential to find new ways to improve health so that people can live longer and age well. With an ever-growing number of smart sensing systems developed and deployed across the globe, experts are primed to help coach people to have healthier behaviors. The increasing accountability associated with app- and device-based behavior tracking not only provides timely and personalized information and support, but also gives us an incentive to set goals and do more. This paper outlines some of the recent efforts made towards automatic and autonomous identification and coaching of troublesome behaviors to procure lasting, beneficial behavioral changes.
Estimating Angle-of-Arrival and Time-of-Flight for Multipath Components Using WiFi Channel State Information
Authors: Ahmed Afaz Uddin , Arablouei Reza , De Hoog Frank , Kusy Branislav , Jurdak Raja , Bergmann Neil
Published: May 2018

Channel state information (CSI) collected during WiFi packet transmissions can be used for localization of commodity WiFi devices in indoor environments with multipath propagation. To this end, the angle of arrival (AoA) and time of flight (ToF) for all dominant multipath components need to be estimated. A two-dimensional (2D) version of the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm has been shown to solve this problem using 2D grid search, which is computationally expensive and is therefore not suited for real-time localisation. In this paper, we propose using a modified matrix pencil (MMP) algorithm instead. Specifically, we show that the AoA and ToF estimates can be found independently of each other using the one-dimensional (1D) MMP algorithm and the results can be accurately paired to obtain the AoA–ToF pairs for all multipath components. Thus, the 2D estimation problem reduces to running 1D estimation multiple times, substantially reducing the computational complexity. We identify and resolve the problem of degenerate performance when two or more multipath components have the same AoA. In addition, we propose a packet aggregation model that uses the CSI data from multiple packets to improve the performance under noisy conditions. Simulation results show that our algorithm achieves two orders of magnitude reduction in the computational time over the 2D MUSIC algorithm while achieving similar accuracy. High accuracy and low computation complexity of our approach make it suitable for applications that require location estimation to run on resource-constrained embedded devices in real time.
Vibration-Induced Errors in MEMS Tuning Fork Gyroscopes with Imbalance
Authors: Fang Xiang , Dong Linxi , Zhao Wen-Sheng , Yan Haixia , Teh Kwok Siong , Wang Gaofeng
Published: May 2018

This paper discusses the vibration-induced error in non-ideal MEMS tuning fork gyroscopes (TFGs). Ideal TFGs which are thought to be immune to vibrations do not exist, and imbalance between two gyros of TFGs is an inevitable phenomenon. Three types of fabrication imperfections (i.e., stiffness imbalance, mass imbalance, and damping imbalance) are studied, considering different imbalance radios. We focus on the coupling types of two gyros of TFGs in both drive and sense directions, and the vibration sensitivities of four TFG designs with imbalance are simulated and compared. It is found that non-ideal TFGs with two gyros coupled both in drive and sense directions (type CC TFGs) are the most insensitive to vibrations with frequencies close to the TFG operating frequencies. However, sense-axis vibrations with in-phase resonant frequencies of a coupled gyros system result in severe error outputs to TFGs with two gyros coupled in the sense direction, which is mainly attributed to the sense capacitance nonlinearity. With increasing stiffness coupled ratio of the coupled gyros system, the sensitivity to vibrations with operating frequencies is cut down, yet sensitivity to vibrations with in-phase frequencies is amplified.
Evaluation of Dry Electrodes in Canine Heart Rate Monitoring
Authors: Virtanen Juhani , Somppi Sanni , Törnqvist Heini , Jeyhani Vala , Fiedler Patrique , Gizatdinova Yulia , Majaranta Päivi , Väätäjä Heli , Valldeoriola Cardó Anna , Lekkala Jukka , Tuukkanen Sampo , Surakka Veikko , Vainio Outi , Vehkaoja Antti
Published: May 2018

The functionality of three dry electrocardiogram electrode constructions was evaluated by measuring canine heart rate during four different behaviors: Standing, sitting, lying and walking. The testing was repeated (n = 9) in each of the 36 scenarios with three dogs. Two of the electrodes were constructed with spring-loaded test pins while the third electrode was a molded polymer electrode with Ag/AgCl coating. During the measurement, a specifically designed harness was used to attach the electrodes to the dogs. The performance of the electrodes was evaluated and compared in terms of heartbeat detection coverage. The effect on the respective heart rate coverage was studied by computing the heart rate coverage from the measured electrocardiogram signal using a pattern-matching algorithm to extract the R-peaks and further the beat-to-beat heart rate. The results show that the overall coverage ratios regarding the electrodes varied between 45–95% in four different activity modes. The lowest coverage was for lying and walking and the highest was for standing and sitting.
In Search of a Binding Agent: Nano-Scale Evidence of Preferential Carbon Associations with Poorly-Crystalline Mineral Phases in Physically-Stable, Clay-Sized Aggregates
Authors: Asano Maki , Wagai Rota , Yamaguchi Noriko , Takeichi Yasuo , Maeda Makoto , Suga Hiroki , Takahashi Yoshio
Published: May 2018

Mechanisms of protecting soil carbon (C) are still poorly understood despite growing needs to predict and manage the changes in soil C or organic matter (OM) under anticipated climate change. A fundamental question is how the submicron-scale interaction between OM and soil minerals, especially poorly-crystalline phases, affects soil physical aggregation and C stabilization. Nano-sized composites rich in OM and poorly-crystalline mineral phases were presumed to account for high aggregate stability in the Andisol we previously studied. Here we searched for these nanocomposites within a sonication-resistant aggregate using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) as well as electron microscopy (SEM, TEM). Specifically, we hypothesized that nanometer-scale spatial distribution of OM is controlled by poorly-crystalline minerals as both co-exist as physically-stable nanocomposites. After maximum dispersion of the cultivated Andisol A-horizon sample in water, one aggregate (a few µm in diameter) was isolated from 0.2–2 µm size fraction which accounted for 44–47% of total C and N and 50% of poorly-crystalline minerals in bulk soil. This fraction as well as <0.2 µm fraction had much higher extractable Al and Fe contents and showed greater increase in specific surface area (N2-BET) upon OM oxidation compared to bulk and >2 µm size fractions, implying high abundance of the nanocomposites in the smaller fractions. The isolated aggregate showed a mosaic of two distinctive regions. Smooth surface regions showed low adsorption intensity of carbon K-edge photon energy (284–290 eV) with well-crystalline mineralogy, whereas rough surface regions had features indicative of the nanocomposites: aggregated nanostructure, high C intensity, X-ray amorphous mineral phase, and the dominance of Si, O, Al, and Fe based on SEM/EDX and TEM/EDX. Carbon functional group chemistry assessed by NEXAFS showed the dominance of amide and carboxyl C over aromatic and aliphatic C with some variation among the four rough surface regions. Together with C and N isotopic patterns among the size fractions (relatively low C:N ratio, high 15N natural abundance, and more positive Δ14C of the <2 μm fractions), our results provided the direct evidence of preferential binding of microbially-altered, potentially-labile C with poorly-crystalline mineral phases at submicron scale. The role of the nanocomposite inferred from this study may help to bridge the knowledge gap between physical aggregation process and biogeochemical reactions taking place within the soil physical structure.
Studies on Energy Dissipation Mechanism of an Innovative Viscous Damper Filled with Oil and Silt
Authors: Lu Zheng , Li Junzuo , Jia Chuanguo
Published: May 2018

To improve seismic performance of a traditional viscous damper, an innovative viscous damper is proposed, in which the conventional damping medium is replaced by a mixture of oil and silt. This new medium is expected to increase damping force and solve the problem that arises out of the fact that the energy dissipation capacity of a conventional fluid viscous damper is low for small displacements. Firstly, the design concept and device configurations are introduced, then a cyclic loading test is applied to investigate the damper’s energy dissipation mechanism in different conditions. Experimental results show that the damper exhibits displacement-dependent characteristics for small displacements, indicating that the silt has changed its damping mechanism. Furthermore, the effect of multiple test parameters on the damping force is analyzed, showcasing that an increase in silt content can visibly increase the damping force. According to experimental data, fitting models of the damping force are obtained and verified, thus promoting further engineering applications.
Bi-Objective Optimization Model Based on Profit and CO2 Emissions for Pig Deliveries to the Abattoir
Authors: Nadal-Roig Esteve , Pagès-Bernaus Adela , Plà-Aragonès Lluís M.
Published: May 2018

This paper presents a bi-objective model for optimizing pig deliveries to the abattoir accounting for total revenue and CO 2 emissions. Fattening farms house the most important stage in pig production, and operations on farms must be coordinated with the rest of the pig supply chain when batch management is generally applied. The novelty of the model lies in the change of attitude in producers towards a greener production, which is becoming one of the major concerns in our society. In this context, we enrich the classical approach focused on revenues with the addition of the CO 2 emissions from the pigs on the fattening farms. Emissions derived from feeding and transportation are considered since they are the most important sources of CO 2 . The model is tested using parameters representing a typical integrated Spanish fattening farm. Our findings reveal the impact and the relationship between revenues and emissions, highlight that the break-even is reached achieving 459 kg of CO 2 per pig, which corresponds to a reduction of 6.05%. On the other hand, the profit is slightly reduced by 4.48% in favor of the environment.
Computer Vision-Based Bridge Displacement Measurements Using Rotation-Invariant Image Processing Technique
Authors: Jo Byung-Wan , Lee Yun-Sung , Jo Jun Ho , Khan Rana Muhammad Asad
Published: May 2018

Bridges are exposed to various kinds of external loads, including vehicle and hurricanes, during their life cycle. These loads cause structural damage, which may lead to bridge collapse. To ensure bridge safety, it is essential to periodically inspect the physical and functional conditions of bridges. The displacement responses of a bridge have significance in determining the structural behaviors and assessing their safety. In recent years, many researchers have been studying bridge displacement measurements using image processing technologies. Image-processing-based displacement measurements using a computer analysis system can quickly assess bridge conditions and, thus, can be used to enhance the reliability of bridges with high accuracy. This paper presents a method based on multiple-image processing bridge displacement measurements that includes enhanced robustness to image rotation. This study applies template matching and a homography matrix to measure the displacement that works well regardless of the angle between the smartphone camera and the target.
Social Sciences, Art and Physical Activity in Leisure Environments. An Inter-Disciplinary Project for Teacher Training
Authors: San Pedro Veledo María Belén , López Manrique Inés , Fombella Coto Inés , Del Cura González Yolanda , Sánchez Martínez Beatriz , Álvarez González Ana Isabel
Published: May 2018

Factors such as social change and increasing urbanization processes in the early years of the 21st century have caused a reduction in the amount of time that children devote to leisure activities in the open-air, resulting in more sedentary lifestyles than children in previous decades. An education in healthy habits from early ages to increase children’s physical and mental well-being together with their level of cultural knowledge contributes to the acquisition of a Leisure Culture that allows children to perceive the close environment as a scene for learning and enjoyment. It is thus be necessary for schools to foster pedagogical experiences, taking the physical and cultural environment as teaching resources. An innovation project is proposed which will be implemented with 25 university students from the School of Teacher Training and Education at the University of Oviedo (Oviedo, Spain). The project will consist of the proposal of educational itineraries through the city of Oviedo and Mount Naranco. As teachers-to-be, students must combine knowledge of the related areas and generate inter-disciplinary activities throughout the routes that will foster respect for the environment and leisure based on culture and physical activity, attitudes that they will transmit to their own students in the future.
Consumers’ Behavior Concerning Sustainable Packaging: An Exploratory Study on Romanian Consumers
Authors: Orzan Gheorghe , Cruceru Anca , Bălăceanu Cristina , Chivu Raluca-Giorgiana
Published: May 2018

The paper analyzes the Romanian consumer’s behavior concerning sustainable packaging through quantitative research among 268 consumers. The aim of the study is to determine the perception of the Romanian consumer regarding the role of eco-packaging in the formation of sustainable behavior. The research has as main objectives: assessing consumer preferences for the types of ecological packaging, knowing the reasons for purchasing green packaging, and the role of the information about eco-packaging in promoting sustainability. Most respondents are aware of the impact of packaging on the environment, the main reasons for purchasing are environmental protection, recycle and the feeling of being responsible. Packaging preferences include paper, glass and cardboard and, to a lesser extent, plastic and wood. The reasons why consumers are not willing to pay more for green packaging are the price of products correlated with the low consumer budget and the lack of information and these are the main barriers to adopting sustainable behavior.
Sustainable Tourism in Sensitive Environments: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?
Authors: Butler Richard
Published: May 2018

Sustainable tourism has become a widely adopted term that has allowed many tourism developments to take place under its rubric that are less than sustainable and have been located in sensitive areas that have not all been suitable for such development. The paper reviews the origin and shortcomings of the concept and some of the implications of the resulting problems. It argues for a more critical review of so-called sustainable forms of tourism and for a focus to shift towards increasing the resilience of destinations, particularly those in sensitive areas, in order to shield them from the effects of inappropriate or excessive tourism development.
Resource Dynamism of the Rwandan Economy: An Emergy Approach
Authors: Rutebuka Evariste , Zhang Lixiao , Asamoah Ernest , Pang Mingyue , Rukundo Emmanuel
Published: May 2018

Africa is experiencing unprecedented economic growth that requires planners to understand the interactions between the social, economic, and ecological systems to ensure its sustainable development. The present paper uses the emergy method to analyse the Rwandan economy from 1975 to 2016. Emergy-based sustainability indicators were used to analyse and compare two distinct periods of economic growth: the pre- and post-Tutsi genocide periods. The results revealed that, by 2016, the total emergy use had increased by approximately 74% of the emergy recorded in 1975. The increase in total emergy use was associated with an increase in imports with contributions from 6.5 to 46.2% and the renewable resource contribution decrease from 93.5 to 53.8%. The emergy analysis, which covered 41 years, categorises Rwanda as a non-renewable resource-poor country. The total emergy use of the pre-genocide period was significantly lower than the post-genocide period. Based on the 2016 emergy self-support of 54% and the emergy sustainability index of 2.52, Rwanda has the highest import dependence compared to other developing countries listed in this paper and tends toward a developed country like Canada, Portugal, and so on. An imperative decision needs to be made in terms of the management of the economic system of Rwanda, as imports are becoming the highest impetus of the Rwandan economy but are also the top major cause of a long-run sustainability downfall. Thus, the present study recommends a scrutinised selection system of imports by increasing raw materials, particularly non-renewable resources, and by subsequently increasing the internal transformation to be exported. This recommendation is also applicable to other developing countries with similar non-renewable resource statuses.
Role of Information and Communication Technology in Green Supply Chain Implementation and Companies’ Performance
Authors: Mendoza-Fong José Roberto , García-Alcaraz Jorge Luis , Jiménez Macías Emilio , Ibarra Hernández Nancy Liliana , Díaz-Reza José Roberto , Blanco Fernández Julio
Published: May 2018

The aim of this study is to quantify the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) and its technological updates on the success of the green supply chain (GSC) implementation, as well as the benefits this affords. This research is applied to the Mexican maquiladora export industry. A model of structural equations is presented to know the importance of the integration of ICT, combined with the implementation of GSC and the generation of benefits with the use of ICT. The results indicate that there is a direct, positive effect (PE) and significant among the four latent variables (LTV) analyzed but the most noteworthy is the indirect effect that the variable updating the ICT has on the benefits of GSC, through the variable mediators’ implementation of a GSC, since the direct effect of updating the ICT on the benefits of the implementation of GSC does not become significant. Whereby, it is recommended that the industry integrates and updates its ICT since, using the integrated and updated ICT and the implementation of a GSC, a series of economic, productive and environmental benefits will be created.
Experimental Performance Analysis of Flat Plate Solar Collectors Using Different Nanofluids
Authors: Arıkan Erdoğan , Abbasoğlu Serkan , Gazi Mustafa
Published: May 2018

In this study, the effect of Al2O3-water and ZnO-water nanofluids, with and without ethylene glycol (EG), on the efficiency of a flat plate solar collector was investigated. Two systems were set up and the nanofluids with and without EG were examined at the same time. The volume fraction of the nanoparticles and EG were 0.25% and 25%, respectively. The study was conducted on three mass flow rates: 0.05 kg/s, 0.07 kg/s, and 0.09 kg/s. ASHRAE Standard 93-2010 was used to calculate the efficiency. The efficiency of the system was compared to distilled water (base fluid). The results also showed that an increase in the mass flow rate and use of the EG increased efficiency. Furthermore, in comparison with the base fluid, the maximum increase in efficiency (15.13%) was observed at 0.09 kg/s when using a Al2O3-water/EG nanofluid.