bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detrital nutrient content and leaf species differentially affect growth and nutritional regulation of detritivores
Authors: Halvorson Halvor M. , Fuller Chris L. , Entrekin Sally A. , Scott J. Thad , Evans‐White Michelle A.
Published: April 2018

Resource nutrient content and identity are common bottom–up controls on organismal growth and nutritional regulation. One framework to study these factors, ecological stoichiometry theory, predicts that elevated resource nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents enhance organism growth by alleviating constraints on N and P acquisition. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying this response – including whether responses depend on resource identity – remain poorly understood. In this study, we tested roles of detrital N and P contents and identity (leaf species) in constraining growth of aquatic invertebrate detritivores. We synthesized results from seven detritivore species fed wide nutrient gradients of oak and maple detritus in the laboratory. Across detritivore taxa, we used a meta‐analytic approach quantifying effects of detrital leaf species and N and P contents on growth, consumption, and N‐ and P‐specific assimilation and growth efficiencies. Detritivore growth rates increased on higher‐N and P detritus and on oak compared to maple detritus. Notably, the mechanisms of improved growth differed between the responses to detrital nutrients versus leaf species, with the former driven by greater consumption rates despite lower assimilation efficiencies on higher‐nutrient detritus, and the latter driven by improved N and P assimilation and N growth efficiencies on oak detritus. These findings suggest animal nutrient acquisition changes flexibly in response to resource changes, altering the fate of detrital N and P throughout regulation. We affirm resource identity and nutrients as important bottom–up controls, but suggest these factors act through separate pathways to affect organism growth and thereby change detrital ecosystems under anthropogenic forest compositional change and nutrient enrichment.
Proximate causes of variation in dermal armour: insights from armadillo lizards
Authors: Broeckhoven Chris , Mouton P. L. le Fras N. , Hui Cang
Published: April 2018

Although it is widely assumed that body armour in animals evolved to thwart predator attacks, assessing the role that predators may play in shaping defensive morphologies has proven to be difficult. Recent studies suggest that body armour might be influenced by additional factors besides predation, and/or even by sexual selection. We investigated variation in dermal armour in 13 populations of armadillo lizardsOuroborus cataphractus, spanning the entire distribution range of the species. We obtained thickness measurements of osteoderms – bony plates embedded in dermal layer of the skin – using micro‐ and nano‐computed tomography. Using these data, we examined the effects of predation pressure/risk and climatic variables on dermal armour variation and addressed sexual and ontogenetic influence. Our results show that climate is the only factor affecting variation in dermal armour. Populations inhabiting more arid environments, characterized by low summer precipitation and mild winter temperatures, are relatively more armoured than those present in less arid environments. In contrast to our expectations, predation pressure or perceived predation risk was not associated with osteoderm thickness. The results of our study support the idea that the evolution of defensive traits might not be driven exclusively by predator–prey interactions, but could be moulded by environmental factors. In particular, we highlight the role of dermal armour as a potentially important mechanism to reduce evaporative water loss in arid environments.
Bioeconomic modelling of the intensive production of white‐leg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in a photo‐heterotrophic hypersaline system, with minimal seawater replacement
Authors: Moreno‐Figueroa Luis Daniel , Villarreal‐Colmenares Humberto , Naranjo‐Páramo José , Vargas‐Mendieta Mayra , Mercier Laurence , Casillas‐Hernández Ramón , Hernández‐Llamas Alfredo
Published: April 2018

We use a bioeconomic approach to analyse the production, and economic performance of shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) reared in a photo‐heterotrophic, hypersaline intensive system with minimal water replacement during spring‐summer (SS) and summer‐autumn (SA) production cycles in the semiarid region of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Salinity was maintained at 45 ± 2.0 (SS) and 46 ± 2.5 g L−1 (SA), dissolved oxygen at 4.8 ± 0.5 (SS) and 4.4 ± 0.4 mg L−1 (SA), pH at 7.9 ± 0.3 (SS) and 7.8 ± 0.2 (SA), and temperature at 28.4 ± 2.4 (SS) and 31.6 ± 0.7°C (SA). The bioeconomic analysis indicated that the mean production in SS is 13.2 t ha−1, and that mean net revenues of 12 600 $USD ha−1 and a benefit‐cost ratio of 1.31 could be obtained. For SA, mean production was 17.7 t ha−1, and mean net revenue and the benefit‐cost ratio were 38 930 $USD ha−1 and 1.93, respectively. The optimum harvesting times were at 90 (SS) and 92 days (SA) when the economic indicators and the confidence of obtaining them were maximized. Superior economic performance of SA was a consequence of faster shrimp growth and higher shrimp prices. More stable conditions of water quality resulted in better production in SA. A sensitivity analysis showed that shrimp price was the most important factor influencing net revenue, and that final weight of shrimp, dissolved oxygen and temperature had intermediate influence. Positive economic outcomes indicate the potential of the photo‐heterotrophic technology for shrimp production in semiarid regions.
Untangling the Ukrainian Revolution
Authors: Gilley Christopher
Published: April 2018

This article asks: ‘What was the Ukrainian revolution?’ It questions the nationalist narrative of an intelligentsia‐led movement in favour of independence by revealing some of the many strands that made up the revolution in Ukraine: the peasant struggle for the land and its produce, the urban and proletarian revolutions, the Ukrainian leftist intelligentsia's pursuit of national and social liberation, and the restless violence of the otamans. It also studies the fraught relationship between Eastern Galicia and Dnipro Ukraine. In this way, it seeks to counter current attempts to detach entirely the Ukrainian developments from those in Russia.
Yearning for Social Change: The Russian Revolution in the Baltic Provinces
Authors: Brüggemann Karsten
Published: April 2018

In general, histories of the Russian Revolution do not touch upon events in the Baltic provinces of the empire in any detail. Only the apparently exceptionally large number of Latvians who supported the Bolsheviks in the election to the Russian Constituent Assembly (72%) is mentioned. This paper argues with Ronald G. Suny's typologization of imperial ethnic groups according to their relationship to ‘class’ and ‘nationalism’ in order to qualify the latter's conclusion that the Latvians in 1917 turned towards Bolshevism whereas the Estonians moved towards nationalism. In fact, closer investigation proves that the difference was not so clear cut. There was certainly much sympathy for social revolution in the littoral as a whole, as had been proven in the elections in late 1917, but there was no sympathy for class war. The emergence of a nationally oriented Estonian and Latvian social democracy ultimately covered the gap between ‘revolutionaries’ and ‘nationalists’ and paved the way to the foundation of nation‐states. Thus in both cases, this article argues, ‘class’ and ‘nationalism’ reinforced each other, rather than operating as antagonistic categories.
Nationalism and Empire before and after 1917
Authors: Semyonov Alexander , Smith Jeremy
Published: April 2018

The article reassesses some of the recent historiographic developments in studies of the Russian Revolution and the collapse of the Russian Empire. In particular, it focusses on the role of nationalist politics in late Imperial Russia, in 1917, and in early Soviet politics. It also considers the end of the Russian Empire within the context of historiographical approaches to the collapse of other European empires. Based on these considerations, the article concludes that the place of nationalist politics in the Russian Revolution can be exaggerated.
Jewish‐Ukrainian‐Soviet Relations during the Civil War and the Second Thoughts of a Minister for Jewish Affairs
Authors: Rabinovitch Simon
Published: April 2018

A century after the dissolution of the Russian Empire and its descent into multidirectional civil war, the memory of what took place in Ukraine during 1917–1922 diverges into very different stories among Ukrainians, Russians, and Jews. By focusing on the example of Avraham Revutsky, a Minister for Jewish Affairs in Ukraine's Directory government, this article suggests that the lines of conflict during those violent years may not have been as clear as they appear now. From Revutsky's previously unknown statement made to Soviet authorities in Berlin in 1922, included in full and translated here, it is possible to glimpse both the complications of Jewish‐Ukrainian‐Soviet relations during the civil war, and how, in the face of the first Soviet show trials, individuals sought to shape the way their wartime actions and motives would be remembered.
Evaluation of sex‐related changes in skin topography and structure using innovative skin testing equipment
Authors: Dąbrowska M. , Mielcarek A. , Nowak I.
Published: April 2018

Background

Evaluation of skin condition on the basis of parametrization and objective measurements of the parameters has become obligatory. The aim of this study was to assess sex‐related changes in skin topography and structure using the skin testing equipment.

Materials and Methods

The study was carried out on the group of 40 volunteers (20 females and 20 males) of the mean age 24 ± 3 years. The skin parameters were measured using 3 devices: Visioscan® VC 98 (skin topography), Visioline® VL 650 (skin macro relief) and Ultrascan UC22 (ultrasound imaging of the skin). All measurements were performed on the inner part of the left forearm.

Results

The skin parameters measured revealed significant differences in skin surface and structure between females and males. The skin of all women subjects was more homogenous in its structure with the presence of more abundant superficial skin lines and wrinkles in comparison to male skin. The higher number of skin furrows in the skin of women is in agreement with literature reports claiming that men's skin has lower number of wrinkles which are deeper and more pronounced. Ultrasound imaging of the skin indicated greater thickness and lower density of the dermis of men subjects compared to those of females.

Conclusion

Non‐invasive methods of skin testing using new and advanced equipment have provided a possibility of objective parametrization and evaluation of sex‐related changes in skin topography and structure.
High immunogenicity of red blood cell antigens restricted to the population of African descent in a cohort of sickle cell disease patients
Authors: Floch Aline , Gien Dominique , Tournamille Christophe , Chami Btissam , Habibi Anoosha , Galactéros Frédéric , Bierling Philippe , Djoudi Rachid , Pondarré Corinne , Peyrard Thierry , Pirenne France
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

Sickle cell disease (SCD) patients undergo multiple red blood cell (RBC) transfusions and are regularly exposed to low‐prevalence (LP) antigens specific to individuals of African descent. This study evaluated the prevalence of antibodies against LP antigens in SCD patients and the need to identify these antibodies in everyday practice.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Plasma from 211 SCD patients was tested with RBCs expressing the following LP antigens: RH10 (V), RH20 (VS), RH23 (DW), RH30 (Goa), KEL6 (Jsa), and MNS6 (He).

RESULTS

Nine LP antibodies were found in eight patients (3.8%): five anti‐RH23, two anti‐RH30, and two anti‐MNS6. The exposure risk, calculated for each LP antigen, was below 3% per RBC unit, for all antigens tested. Thus, in this cohort of transfused SCD patients, the prevalence of LP antibodies was similar to that of antibodies against antigens of the FY, JK, and MNS blood group systems. These findings also reveal the occurrence of anti‐RH23 in SCD patients. No anti‐RH20 or anti‐KEL6 were found, despite the high frequency of mismatch situations.

CONCLUSION

These results highlight the immunogenicity of these LP antigens, and the evanescence of antibodies against LP antigens. They also highlight the importance of appropriate pretransfusion testing for patients frequently transfused, who are likely to be exposed to multiple types of blood group antigens.
OK/basigin expression on red blood cells varies between blood donors and correlates with binding of recombinant Plasmodium falciparum reticulocyte‐binding protein homolog 5
Authors: Ye Luyi , Zhao Fengyong , Yang Qixiu , Zhang Jiamin , Li Qin , Wang Chen , Guo Zhonghui , Yang Ying , Zhu Ziyan
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND: Recently, basigin (BSG), which carries OK antigens on red blood cells (RBCs), was reported to be the receptor of the Plasmodium falciparum reticulocyte‐binding protein homolog 5 (PfRh5). BSG–PfRh5 is the only essential receptor–ligand pair in P. falciparum invasion that is known to date. However, the kind of OK/BSG polymorphism involved in the selection pressure caused by P. falciparum malaria has not been determined.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Blood samples were collected to detect the expression of OK/BSG. The coding region of PfRh5 was cloned and expressed. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay–based erythrocyte binding assay was used to measure the recombinant PfRh5 (rPfRh5) binding of RBCs with different OK/BSG expressions. Sequencing of the BSG gene and quantification of the BSG mRNA were performed for selected samples. The candidate microRNAs (miRNAs), which might target the BSG gene, were obtained by miRNA sequencing. Dual‐Luciferase reporter assay and overexpression of identified miRNAs were performed in K562 cells.

RESULTS: The rPfRh5 was successfully expressed and verified. The OK/BSG expression levels varied among blood donors and were strongly associated with rPfRh5 binding. No single‐nucleotide polymorphism was related to the OK/BSG expression. A potential BSG regulator, miR‐501‐3p, was identified by miRNA sequencing and Dual‐Luciferase assay, but was not proven to regulate the expression of BSG in K562 cells.

CONCLUSION: Although the mechanism of OK/BSG expression and regulation on RBCs has not been fully clarified, our findings suggest that the OK/BSG expression levels on RBCs might be related to P. falciparum invasion. Moreover, posttranscriptional regulation might play a role in controlling the OK/BSG expression.
Diagnostic performance of prothrombin time point‐of‐care to detect acute traumatic coagulopathy on admission: experience of 522 cases in trauma center
Authors: Deras Pauline , Nouri Jibril , Martinez Orianne , Aubry Emmanuelle , Capdevila Xavier , Charbit Jonathan
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND

Early identification of acute traumatic coagulopathy is a key challenge during initial management to determine whether to initiate early hemostatic support. We assessed the performance of prothrombin time (PT) at point‐of‐care in trauma patients to detect moderate and severe coagulopathy on admission.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

All admitted consecutive trauma patients were analyzed retrospectively between April 2014 and July 2015. PT was measured on admission with both a PT point‐of‐care device (PTr‐CGK) and a standard coagulation test (PTr‐STD). The results for PTr‐CGK and PTr‐STD were compared using analysis of agreement, precision, and accuracy. The diagnostic performance of PTr‐CGK to predict coagulopathy was established by analysis of receiver operating characteristic curves. The predictive performance of different thresholds and risk factors for misclassification were also studied.

RESULTS

Over a 16‐month period, 522 patients were included. PTr‐CGK estimated PTr‐STD with a bias of 0.00 (95% confidence interval [CI], −0.48 to 0.50) and a precision of 0.25. The optimal threshold was 1.4 to predict severe coagulopathy (sensitivity 81% [95% CI, 68%‐94%], negative predictive value 98% [95% CI, 97%‐99%]), and 1.2 for moderate coagulopathy (sensitivity 80% [95% CI, 72%‐88%], negative predictive value 94% [95% CI, 91%‐96%]). A low PTr‐CGK in the presence of severity criteria (Injury Severity Score ≥ 16, Trauma Associated Severe Hemorrhage score ≥ 12, hemoglobin level < 7 g/dL, fibrinogen level < 2 g/L, base deficit ≥ 6 mmol/L) was strongly associated with a false‐negative risk.

CONCLUSIONS

The PT point‐of‐care device is reliable and accurate for the early identification of coagulopathic trauma patients.
A case report of Dermanyssus gallinae infestation in three cats
Authors: Di Palma Antonella , Leone Federico , Albanese Francesco , Beccati Massimo
Published: April 2018

Background

Dermanyssus gallinae is a major threat for the poultry industry; these mites also feed on the blood of many other birds, small mammals and potentially humans.

Hypothesis/Objectives

Three cats with dermatitis attributed to D. gallinae infestation.

Animals

Two 40‐day‐old kittens, living in a rural area, and one 7‐year‐old female indoor cat, were presented with a pruritic skin condition.

Methods

Mite specimens were collected from the cats and examined by light and scanning electron microscopy. Cytological and histological examinations of the skin lesions were performed.

Results

A diagnosis of D. gallinae infestation was made after identification of the mites. Histological findings were compatible with eosinophilic dermatitis. Clinical improvement was noted two weeks after treatment.

Conclusions and clinical importance

The two kittens showed chronic blood loss which reflects the ability of D. gallinae mites to switch host. For the indoor cat, mites were presumed to be carried by birds regularly present on the balcony of the apartment. This demonstrates that mite infestation is possible even in urban areas, through contact with birds or their abandoned nests. When birds are not present, cats or other small mammals as well as humans, can be infested.
Large-aperture alumina ceramics beam pipes with titanium bellows for the rapid cycling synchrotron at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex
Authors: Kamiya Junichiro , Kinsho Michikazu , Abe Kazuhiko , Higa Kyusaku , Koizumi Oji
Published: April 2018

The 3-GeV rapid-cycling synchrotron at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex aims to generate proton beams whose power output is among the highest in the world, reaching an extraction beam power of 1 MW. Beam pipes fabricated using alumina ceramics are used to prevent the formation of eddy currents caused by the rapid magnetic field changes. The residual radioactive dose is higher in the beam-injection area than in other areas. In this area, ceramics beam pipes in a quadrupole magnet and a horizontal bump magnet are directly connected without bellows because of space limitations. Improvement of the maintainability of such areas is the first priority for minimizing the radiation exposure of maintenance workers. The ceramics beam pipe in the quadrupole magnet was custom designed to have bellows on both ends. The shapes of the ceramics end unit ducts and titanium sleeves of the pipe was revised to allow a 30-mm long space for inserting the bellows. The ceramics unit ducts and titanium sleeves with unique cross-sectional shapes, i.e., racket shape that fits into 500 mm to accept the injecting beam and a circulating beam passing through the quadrupole magnet at the beam-injection area, respectively, were successfully produced. Using a set of unit ducts and a sleeve, reliable brazing conditions and deformation under atmospheric pressure within the elastic displacement region were achieved. Reliable brazing was obtained by the vacuum improvement in the brazing furnace. Deformation by atmospheric pressure was within the elastic displacement. Outgassing rate and the gas components were verified using ceramics samples that were treated under the same conditions as the unit ducts. Large-aperture titanium bellows with low spring constants were successfully produced by mechanical forming. All of the components of the beam pipe have already been produced successfully, and the manufacturing process is currently in progress.
Arrays of rectangular subcritical speech bands: Intelligibility improved by noise-vocoding and expanding to critical bandwidths
Authors: Warren Richard M. , Bashford James A. , Lenz Peter W.
Published: April 2018

A previous study [Warren, Bashford, and Lenz (2017). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 141, EL222–EL227] reported that arrays of subcritical width rectangular speech bands can produce near ceiling sentence intelligibility. The present study used noise-vocoded subcritical band speech arrays with analysis bandwidths of 4%, 2%, 1%, or 0.5% of center frequency. Intelligibility decreased when analysis and noise carrier bandwidths were matched. However, expanding carrier noise bandwidths to a critical bandwidth of 1/3-octave (26%) produced array intelligibilities either equaling or substantially exceeding that of the original speech band arrays. Implications concerning bandwidth requirements of envelope processing and the redundancy of envelope cues are discussed.
Hearing thresholds, for underwater sounds, of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) at the water surface
Authors: Kastelein Ronald A. , Helder-Hoek Lean , Terhune John M.
Published: April 2018

High-amplitude impulsive sounds produced by pile driving and airguns may result in hearing damage in nearby seals. By swimming at the water surface, seals may reduce their exposure to underwater sound, as sound pressure levels (SPLs) are often lower just below the surface than deeper in the water column. Seals can make physiological adjustments such that they can switch between having maximum sensitivity for either aerial or underwater sounds. This could mean that hearing sensitivity for underwater sounds is lower when swimming at the water surface (when hearing may be focused on aerial sounds) than when swimming at depth. To investigate this possibility, hearing thresholds of two female harbor seals were quantified psychophysically, while their heads were in the position normally adopted while swimming at the surface. The seals' hearing thresholds at the water surface were similar to each other and to previous measurements made at 1 m depth. When calculating the cumulative sound exposure level for hearing damage assessment, the SPL just below the water surface needs to be measured or modeled, and the proportion of time seals normally swim at the water surface needs to be estimated, to estimate the sound energy that reaches the seals' ears.
Global Distribution of Invasive Serotype 35D Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates following Introduction of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine
Authors: Lo Stephanie W. , Gladstone Rebecca A. , van Tonder Andries J. , Hawkins Paulina A. , Kwambana-Adams Brenda , Cornick Jennifer E. , Madhi Shabir A. , Nzenze Susan A. , du Plessis Mignon , Kandasamy Rama , Carter Philip E. , Eser Özgen Köseoglu , Ho Pak Leung , Elmdaghri Naima , Shakoor Sadia , Clarke Stuart C. , Antonio Martin , Everett Dean B. , von Gottberg Anne , Klugman Keith P. , McGee Lesley , Breiman Robert F. , Bentley Stephen D.
Published: April 2018

A newly recognized pneumococcal serotype, 35D, which differs from the 35B polysaccharide in structure and serology by not binding to factor serum 35a, was recently reported. The genetic basis for this distinctive serology is due to the presence of an inactivating mutation in
wciG
, which encodes an O-acetyltransferase responsible for O-acetylation of a galactofuranose. Here, we assessed the genomic data of a worldwide pneumococcal collection to identify serotype 35D isolates and understand their geographical distribution, genetic background, and invasiveness potential. Of 21,980 pneumococcal isolates, 444 were originally typed as serotype 35B by PneumoCaT. Analysis of the
wciG
gene revealed 23 isolates from carriage (
n
= 4) and disease (
n
= 19) with partial or complete loss-of-function mutations, including mutations resulting in premature stop codons (
n
= 22) and an in-frame mutation (
n
= 1). These were selected for further analysis. The putative 35D isolates were geographically widespread, and 65.2% (15/23) of them was recovered after the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 13 (PCV13). Compared with serotype 35B isolates, putative serotype 35D isolates have higher invasive disease potentials based on odds ratios (OR) (11.58; 95% confidence interval[CI], 1.42 to 94.19 versus 0.61; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.92) and a higher prevalence of macrolide resistance mediated by
mefA
(26.1% versus 7.6%;
P
= 0.009). Using the Quellung reaction, 50% (10/20) of viable isolates were identified as serotype 35D, 25% (5/20) as serotype 35B, and 25% (5/20) as a mixture of 35B/35D. The discrepancy between phenotype and genotype requires further investigation. These findings illustrated a global distribution of an invasive serotype, 35D, among young children post-PCV13 introduction and underlined the invasive potential conferred by the loss of O-acetylation in the pneumococcal capsule.
Evaluation of a Rapid Diagnostic Test for Detection of Burkholderia pseudomallei in the Lao People's Democratic Republic
Authors: Woods Kate L. , Boutthasavong Latsaniphone , NicFhogartaigh Caoimhe , Lee Sue J. , Davong Viengmon , AuCoin David P. , Dance David A. B.
Published: April 2018

Burkholderia pseudomallei
causes significant global morbidity and mortality, with the highest disease burden in parts of Asia where culture-based diagnosis is often not available. We prospectively evaluated the Active Melioidosis Detect (AMD; InBios International, USA) lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) for rapid detection of
B. pseudomallei
in turbid blood cultures, pus, sputum, sterile fluid, urine, and sera. The performance of this test was compared to that of
B. pseudomallei
detection using monoclonal antibody latex agglutination (LA) and immunofluorescence assays (IFA), with culture as the gold standard. AMD was 99% (99/100; 95% confidence interval, 94.6 to 100%) sensitive and 100% (308/308; 98.8 to 100%) specific on turbid blood culture bottles, with no difference from LA or IFA. AMD specificity was 100% on pus (122/122; 97.0 to 100%), sputum (20/20; 83.2 to 100%), and sterile fluid (44/44; 92 to 100%). Sensitivity on these samples was as follows: pus, 47.1% (8/17; 23.0 to 72.2%); sputum, 33.3% (1/3; 0.84 to 90.6%); and sterile fluid, 0% (0/2; 0 to 84.2%). For urine samples, AMD had a positive predictive value of 94% (32/34; 79.7 to 98.5%) for diagnosing melioidosis in our cohort. AMD sensitivity on stored sera, collected prospectively from melioidosis cases during this study, was 13.9% (5/36; 4.7% to 29.5%) compared to blood culture samples taken on the same day. In conclusion, AMD is an excellent tool for rapid diagnosis of melioidosis from turbid blood cultures and maintains specificity across all sample types. It is a promising tool for urinary antigen detection, which could revolutionize diagnosis of melioidosis in resource-limited settings. Further work is required to improve sensitivity on nonblood culture samples.
THE DESIGN OF HYBRID ELECTROMECHANICAL VALVE ACTUATOR: EFFECTS OF CONSTRUCTION PARAMETERS
Authors: Aslam Jawad , Li Xing-Hu , Sun Hai
Published: April 2018

In this paper, a novel modified cylindrical core, axis symmetric, low-inductance, hybrid permanent magnet (PM)/electromagnet (EM) magnetomotive force (MMF) actuator is proposed for variable valve timing camless engine. The new design provides large magnetic force with low energy consumption (startup and holding force), permanent magnet demagnetization isolation and improved transient response. The design and construction parameter sensitivity simulation results confirm the force of approximately 200 N (in the presence of coil current) and 500 N (in the absence of coil current) at equilibrium position and armature seat, respectively. An improvement in transition time due to low coil inductance, flexible control with parallel coils and 41.96% low energy dissipation is observed.
ON THE DESIGN OF INTEGRATED PERMANENT-MAGNET ROTATING ELECTRIC MOTORS WITH GEAR MECHANISMS
Authors: Chen Guan-Chen , Yan Hong-Sen
Published: April 2018

This work presents a novel design procedure for integrated permanent-magnet rotating electric motors with gear mechanisms. A DC commutator motor and a planetary gear mechanism are used as an example. Based on the design requirements and constraints, the detailed design of the rotor and stator are obtained. A 1-D equivalent magnetic circuit method is applied to analyze the integrated device performance and is verified by FEM software. The design methods for gear trains, gear profiles, numbers of gear teeth, and gear strength are also introduced. Finally, a feasible integrated device is presented that reduces the cogging torque and the torque ripple by 92.02 and 50.14%, respectively, while increasing the torque density by 16.66%.
A STUDY ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF MESHING CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPLEMENTARY CURVILINEAR GEAR SET GENERATED BY COMPLEMENTARY RACK CUTTERS
Authors: Chen Yi-Cheng , Li Zhi-Wei , Lo Chien-Cheng , Wang Zhi-Gen
Published: April 2018

This article focuses on improving the meshing characteristics of a complementary curvilinear gear set generated by complementary rack cutters. Firstly, the mathematical model of a complementary curvilinear gear set was developed based on the theory of gearing. Tooth contact analysis (TCA) was conducted to explore the influences of assembly errors on the transmission error (TE) and contact pattern. A stable point contact was successfully introduced to replace the original line contact in the improved complementary curvilinear gear set, resulting in less sensitivity to assembly errors. Finally, finite element analysis (FEA) was also utilized to calculate contact stress of the original and improved complementary curvilinear gear set.
AN INTEGRATED NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON IMPROVING ACOUSTIC AND COOLING PERFORMANCES OF A HIGH POWER MOTOR
Authors: Lin Sheam-Chyun , Shen Ming-Chiou , Li Chen-Min , Wang Fu-Yin , Yen Hung-Cheng
Published: April 2018

This research focuses on noise reduction of a 175-Hp motor under the same cooling need. First, the electromagnetic field is calculated numerically to provide the total losses to be 5.7 KW. Later, based on the numerical predication, the appropriate design, which consists of an inline fan rotor with a 2-cm diameter reduction and a streamlined housing, successfully reduce the noise by 3–5 dBA over various locations under the 3,000 rpm. Furthermore, the motor mockup is manufactured for testing, and result indicates that a similar noise reduction (4–7 dBA) is obtained while an acceptable deviation range between CFD and test results is observed. Consequently, this design and analysis tool offers a rigorous and systematic scheme for the thermal management on the high-power motor.
FUZZY COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION METHOD FOR SYMMETRY DEGREE OF MECHANICAL STRUCTURE SYMMETRY
Authors: Liu Fan , Ma Zhiyong
Published: April 2018

This paper proposes a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to determine the symmetry degree of three types of mechanical structure symmetries. In the proposed method, factors are set based on four symmetry elements; the analytic hierarchy process is used to determine the weight set, and an experiment was developed to determine the weight values. Based on the maximum membership rule, the type of symmetry of the evaluation object can be determined based on the evaluation result. Finally, instances were applied to illustrate the proposed evaluation method, which validated the proposed method is successful.
OPTIMIZATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF E-GLASS WOVEN FABRIC COMPOSITE
Authors: Azhaguvel N. , Charles S. , Senthilkumar M.
Published: April 2018

Manufacturing of composite material has been an extensive area of research as they have high strength-to-weight ratio that are equivalent or superior to many metallic materials. This paper describes the preparation of E-Glass (woven fabric) Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite (GFRP) with different fiber mat material, orientation and resin. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the process parameters on the mechanical properties of GFRP composite using Taguchi experimental design in combination with Grey Relational Analysis (GRA). The conclusion revealed that fiber orientation and resin were the most influential factor on the mechanical properties, respectively. It is observed that the optimum properties were obtained at 400 fabric mat, polyester resin, 45°/–45°orientation.
DISTINGUISHING SENSOR FAULTS FROM SYSTEM FAULTS BY UTILIZING MINIMUM SENSOR REDUNDANCY
Authors: Taiebat Morteza , Sassani Farrokh
Published: April 2018

Automated Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) systems depend entirely on the reliability of sensor readings. This paper fills an important gap in the literature by pinpointing the distinction between sensor faults and system faults in the monitoring process. The proposed methodology determines the minimum degree of sensor redundancy necessary to achieve this. A priori knowledge of physical relationships between monitored variables is used to check the credibility of sensor observations. The generalization reveals that for serially connected systems if the number of sensors is greater than 1.5 times of the number of monitored variables, the task of distinguishing between sensor and system faults can be accomplished with certainty, as long as serial causality is valid between the monitored variables. This is verified using a system of interconnected multi reservoirs and control valves.
APPLICATION OF FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS TO THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF INNOVATIVE HUMAN-POWERED VEHICLES
Authors: Liu Nien-Te , Wu Chang-Tzuoh , Lin Yung-Chun
Published: April 2018

The purpose of this paper is to propose a simple and quick process for creating new design concepts for human-powered vehicles. First, the design theme for an innovative bicycle is described. Next, the functional elements of the bicycle are selected according to the contents described in the design theme. Based on the design requirements, various spatial arrangements of the creative functional elements are produced. In the final step, we followed the flowchart of the creative functional elements constructed by this research and demonstrated a case study design.
VIBRATION SUPPRESSION OF A ROTATING HUB-BEAM SYSTEM WITH A FLEXIBLE SUPPORT USING FRACTIONAL ORDER SLIDING MODE CONTROL
Authors: Vakilzadeh Mohsen , Eghtesad Mohammad , Nami Mohammad Rahim , Khajepour Ghasem
Published: April 2018

In this paper, a rotating hub-blade system with a flexible support which represents a wide range of industrial applications is considered for modelling and control. The flexible blade is assumed as an Euler–Bernoulli beam. In addition, three piezoelectric layers are mounted on the blade as sensors and actuators to reduce vibrations of the blade attached to the hub. For modelling, the Lagrange’s method is utilized to obtain the equations of motion of the system. In order to simultaneously suppress vibrations of the system and track the desired angular position of the hub, designing an appropriate controller is carried out. In this regard, a fractional order sliding mode (FOSM) controller is proposed to fulfil these objectives and then the comparison between FOSM controller and the classical sliding mode controller is presented in order to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed controller. The simulation results indicate the superior performance of the fractional order controller in compare to the integer order sliding.
THE DETERMINANTS OF WASTE-SORTING INTENTION AND BEHAVIOR AMONG CHINESE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY IN BEIJING
Authors: HAO YU , WANG LING-OU , CHEN XI-SHENG , WANG LU
Published: April 2018

In China, waste sorting has been tested in eight pilot cities for more than a decade. However, these pilot programs have shown little success. Given that waste sorting is a prerequisite for waste recycling, more attention and financial resources must be provided. Considering that among the entire population undergraduate students might be the most active and willing to engage in recycling, in this paper, the waste-sorting intention and behavior of undergraduate students in Beijing are investigated in depth. By adopting a model that comprehensively incorporates the expanded Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Attitude–Behavior–Condition (A–B–C) theory, a questionnaire survey with data from 536 undergraduate students at eight universities in Beijing is analyzed by employing logistic and probit models. The estimation results indicate that the most important factors that affect students’ waste-sorting intention and behavior include the attitudes of the surrounding people, a moral sense when failing to sort waste, and knowledge based on the students’ subjective judgments. In comparison, situational factors have less impact on the dependent variables; however, some demographic factors may influence intention or actual behavior significantly.
INSTITUTIONS MATTER DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON THE OWNERSHIP TYPES OF FIRMS: INTERACTING EFFECTS ON FIRM PRODUCTIVITY IN CHINA
Authors: LEE HYUNTAI , LEE KEUN
Published: April 2018

Ownership and institutions are regarded as key determinants of firm performance. Using data of Chinese firms from 1998 to 2009, this study tests the separate and interacting effects of ownership and institutions. The divergent performance of firms can be explained from the heterogeneous ownership context, as confirmed by the literature, and through variations in the way that firms of different ownership types use and exploit institutions. Privately owned firms tend to exploit considerably larger benefits from the same institutions in comparison with foreign-owned enterprises (FEs) or state-owned enterprises (SOEs). FEs or SOEs also obtain some benefits; however, these benefits are significantly smaller than those obtained by private enterprises (PEs). Results can be attributed to the differences in the aims and incentives of firms with diverse ownership types. While the initial productivity of PEs may be lower than that of FEs at the low levels of institutional development, PEs are shown to eventually catch up with FEs because institutions develop further over time to be better exploited by PEs than FEs. Hence, any policy design should consider this coevolving nature of institutions and firm ownership; whereas private firms cannot prosper without sound institutions, institutional development may be useless unless there are private firms that can benefit from this institutional development.
ABSENCE OF EDUCATION–HEALTH GRADIENT IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR CHRONIC DISEASES
Authors: SOHN KITAE
Published: April 2018

We present evidence against the well-established education–health gradient by relating education to measured hypertension status in 5,873 men and 6,152 women aged 40[Formula: see text] in Indonesia. Once a basic set of covariates was controlled for, the two variables were not statistically significantly related. We argue that this lack was due to neglect of chronic diseases. It appears that the assumption of full information in theories on the education–health gradient is too strong to be applied to the developing world. Therefore, more information needs to be provided to the public regarding the seriousness of chronic diseases and preventive and curative methods.
Submarine landslides offshore Yamba, NSW, Australia: an analysis of their timing, downslope motion and possible causes
Authors: Hubble Thomas , Yeung Serena , Clarke Samantha , Baxter Alan , De Blasio Fabio
Published: April 2018

Radiocarbon isotopic ages and sedimentological data are presented for material recovered from three adjacent translational submarine landslides (YS1, YS2 and YS3) identified on the upper-continental slope offshore Yamba, New South Wales, Australia. The age data indicate that these three co-located upper-slope slides probably occurred independently of each other and not in a single, widespread regional-scale failure event.

Numerical estimates of the likely runout distances for slide blocks corresponding to the entire landslide scar volumes range between 10 and 27 km, and represent a ‘runout zone’ in which landslide blocks or debris might reasonably be expected to be located. There is no morphological evidence for large blocks or debris fields derived from two of the Yamba landslide scars within their identified runout zones (YS1 and YS2), suggesting these two failures involved complete disintegration of large slide blocks after failure or the removal of sediment from the landslide sites as grainflows or turbidites. In contrast, the third runout zone (YS3) presents good evidence of at least 12 slide blocks between 100 and 200 m in diameter, suggesting that they were shed as relatively small individual blocks or they were generated due to the dismemberment of a larger slab.
Modular Labelled Sequent Calculi for Abstract Separation Logics
Authors: Hóu Zhé , Clouston Ranald , Goré Rajeev , Tiu Alwen
Published: April 2018

Abstract separation logics are a family of extensions of Hoare logic for reasoning about programs that manipulate resources such as memory locations. These logics are “abstract” because they are independent of any particular concrete resource model. Their assertion languages, called
Propositional Abstract Separation Logics
(PASLs), extend the logic of (Boolean) Bunched Implications (BBI) in various ways. In particular, these logics contain the connectives * and –*, denoting the composition and extension of resources, respectively.

This added expressive power comes at a price, since the resulting logics are all undecidable. Given their wide applicability, even a semi-decision procedure for these logics is desirable. Although several PASLs and their relationships with BBI are discussed in the literature, the proof theory of, and automated reasoning for, these logics were open problems solved by the conference version of this article, which developed a modular proof theory for various PASLs using cut-free labelled sequent calculi. This paper non-trivially improves upon this previous work by giving a general framework of calculi on which any new axiom in the logic satisfying a certain form corresponds to an inference rule in our framework, and the completeness proof is generalised to consider such axioms.

Our base calculus handles Calcagno et al.’s original logic of separation algebras by adding sound rules for partial-determinism and cancellativity, while preserving cut-elimination. We then show that many important properties in separation logic, such as indivisible unit, disjointness, splittability, and cross-split, can be expressed in our general axiom form. Thus, our framework offers inference rules and completeness for these properties for free. Finally, we show how our calculi reduce to calculi with global label substitutions, enabling more efficient implementation.
The persistent effect of pre-college computing experience on college CS course grades
Authors: Alvarado Christine , Umbelino Gustavo , Minnes Mia
Published: April 2018

Many college computer science majors have little or no pre-college computing experience. Previous work has shown that inexperienced students under-perform their experienced peers when placed in the same introductory courses and are more likely to drop out of the CS program. However, not much is known about what, if any, differences may persist beyond the introductory sequence for students who remain in the program. We conducted a study across all levels of a CS program at a large public university in the United States to determine whether grade differences exist between students with and without pre-college experience, and if so, for what types of experiences. We find significant grade differences in courses at all levels of the program. We further find that students who took AP Computer Science receive significantly higher average grades---by up to a half grade---in nearly all courses we studied. Pre-college experience appears to have a weaker relationship with retention and with low-stakes assessment grades. We discuss the limitations of these findings and implications for high school and college level CS courses and programs.
Relaxing state-access constraints in stateful programmable data planes
Authors: Cascone Carmelo , Bifulco Roberto , Pontarelli Salvatore , Capone Antonio
Published: April 2018

Supporting programmable stateful packet forwarding functions in hardware requires a tight balance between functionality and performance. Current state-of-the-art solutions are based on a very conservative model that assumes worst-case workloads. This finally limits the programmability of the system, even if actual deployment conditions may be very different from the worst-case scenario.

We use trace-based simulations to highlight the benefits of accounting for specific workload characteristics. Furthermore, we show that relatively simple additions to a switching chip design can take advantage of such characteristics. In particular, we argue that introducing stalls in the switching chip pipeline enables stateful functions to be executed in a larger but bounded time without harming the overall forwarding performance. Our results show that, in some cases, the stateful processing of a packet could use 30x the time budget provided by state of the art solutions.
A Survey among Network Operators on BGP Prefix Hijacking
Authors: Sermpezis Pavlos , Kotronis Vasileios , Dainotti Alberto , Dimitropoulos Xenofontas
Published: April 2018

BGP prefix hijacking is a threat to Internet operators and users. Several mechanisms or modifications to BGP that protect the Internet against it have been proposed. However, the reality is that most operators have not deployed them and are reluctant to do so in the near future. Instead, they rely on basic - and often inefficient - proactive defenses to reduce the impact of hijacking events, or on detection based on third party services and reactive approaches that might take up to several hours. In this work, we present the results of a survey we conducted among 75 network operators to study: (a) the operators' awareness of BGP prefix hijacking attacks, (b) presently used defenses (if any) against BGP prefix hijacking, (c) the willingness to adopt new defense mechanisms, and (d) reasons that may hinder the deployment of BGP prefix hijacking defenses. We expect the findings of this survey to increase the understanding of existing BGP hijacking defenses and the needs of network operators, as well as contribute towards designing new defense mechanisms that satisfy the requirements of the operators.
Statistical Process Monitoring with Biogeography-Based Optimization Independent Component Analysis
Authors: Li Xiangshun , Wei Di , Lei Cheng , Li Zhiang , Wang Wenlin
Published: April 2018

Independent Component Analysis (ICA), a type of typical data-driven fault detection techniques, has been widely applied for monitoring industrial processes. FastICA is a classical algorithm of ICA, which extracts independent components by using the Newton iteration method. However, the choice of the initial iterative point of Newton iteration method is difficult; sometimes, selection of different initial iterative points tends to show completely different effects for fault detection. So far, there is still no good strategy to get an ideal initial iterative point for ICA. To solve this problem, a modified ICA algorithm based on biogeography-based optimization (BBO) called BBO-ICA is proposed for the purpose of multivariate statistical process monitoring. The Newton iteration method is replaced with BBO here for extracting independent components. BBO is a novel and effective optimization method to search extremes or maximums. Comparing with the traditional intelligent optimization algorithm of particle swarm optimization (PSO) and so on, BBO behaves with stronger capability and accuracy of searching for solution space. Moreover, numerical simulations are finished with the platform of DAMADICS. Results demonstrate the practicability and effectiveness of BBO-ICA. The proposed BBO-ICA shows better performance of process monitoring than FastICA and PSO-ICA for DAMADICS.