bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Machine Learning Approach for the Discovery of Ligand-Specific Functional Mechanisms of GPCRs
Authors: Plante Ambrose , Shore Derek M. , Morra Giulia , Khelashvili George , Weinstein Harel
Published: June 2019

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play a key role in many cellular signaling mechanisms, and must select among multiple coupling possibilities in a ligand-specific manner in order to carry out a myriad of functions in diverse cellular contexts. Much has been learned about the molecular mechanisms of ligand-GPCR complexes from Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. However, to explore ligand-specific differences in the response of a GPCR to diverse ligands, as is required to understand ligand bias and functional selectivity, necessitates creating very large amounts of data from the needed large-scale simulations. This becomes a Big Data problem for the high dimensionality analysis of the accumulated trajectories. Here we describe a new machine learning (ML) approach to the problem that is based on transforming the analysis of GPCR function-related, ligand-specific differences encoded in the MD simulation trajectories into a representation recognizable by state-of-the-art deep learning object recognition technology. We illustrate this method by applying it to recognize the pharmacological classification of ligands bound to the 5-HT2A and D2 subtypes of class-A GPCRs from the serotonin and dopamine families. The ML-based approach is shown to perform the classification task with high accuracy, and we identify the molecular determinants of the classifications in the context of GPCR structure and function. This study builds a framework for the efficient computational analysis of MD Big Data collected for the purpose of understanding ligand-specific GPCR activity.
Identification and Structure-Activity Studies of 1,3-Dibenzyl-2-aryl imidazolidines as Novel Hsp90 Inhibitors
Authors: Liu Yajun , Liu Xiaoxia , Li Lihong , Dai Rui , Shi Meiyun , Xue Hongyu , Liu Yong , Wang Hecheng
Published: June 2019

Hsp90 (Heat shock protein 90) is involved in various processes in cancer occurrence and development, and therefore represents a promising drug target for cancer therapy. In this work, a virtual screening strategy was employed, leading to the identification of a series of compounds bearing a scaffold of 1,3-dibenzyl-2-aryl imidazolidine as novel Hsp90 inhibitors. Compound 4a showed the highest binding affinity to Hsp90α (IC50 = 12 nM) in fluorescence polarization (FP) competition assay and the strongest anti-proliferative activity against human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) and human lung epithelial cell line (A549) with IC50 values of 21.58 μM and 31.22 μM, respectively. Western blotting assays revealed that these novel Hsp90 inhibitors significantly down-regulated the expression level of Her2, a client protein of Hsp90, resulting in the cytotoxicity of these novel Hsp90 inhibitors. The molecular docking study showed that these novel Hsp90 inhibitors bound to the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding site at the N-terminus of Hsp90. Furthermore, structure–activity relationship studies indicated that the N-benzyl group is important for the anti-cancer activity of 1,3-dibenzyl-2-aryl imidazolidines.
Novel Porous Nitrogen Doped Graphene/Carbon Black Composites as Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalyst for Power Generation in Microbial Fuel Cell
Authors: Liu Yuan , Liu Zhimei , Liu Hong , Liao Meiling
Published: June 2019

To improve the power generation of a microbial fuel cell (MFC), a porous nitrogen-doped graphene/carbon black (NG/CB) composite as efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalyst was successfully synthesized by pyrolyzing graphene oxide (GO) encapsulated CB with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide as a bridge. This concept-to-proof synthesis can be considered as a template-like method. Based on this method, one composite named as NG/CB-10 was acquired using the optimized GO-to-CB mass ratio of 10:1. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that NG/CB-10 can catalyze ORR in neutral-pH medium through a four-electron pathway with positively shifted the onset potential, the enhanced current density and reduced charge transfer resistance. CB addition also prolongs the stability of NG/CB-10. The enhancement in electrochemical performance of NG/CB-10 was attributed to the enlarged surface area, abundant mesopores and high content of pyridinic nitrogen. The maximum power density of MFC equipping NG/CB-10 as cathode electrocatalyst reached 936 mW·m−2, which was 26% higher than that of NG and equal to that of platinum/carbon. The cost of NG/CB-10 was reduced by 25% compared with that of NG. This work provides a novel method to synthesize promising ORR electrocatalyst for MFC in the future.
Heterogeneous Cross-Coupling over Gold Nanoclusters
Authors: Shi Quanquan , Qin Zhaoxian , Xu Hui , Li Gao
Published: June 2019

Au clusters with the precise numbers of gold atoms, a novel nanogold material, have recently attracted increasing interest in the nanoscience because of very unique and unexpected properties. The unique interaction and electron transfer between gold clusters and reactants make the clusters promising catalysts during organic transformations. The AunLm nanoclusters (where L represents organic ligands and n and m mean the number of gold atoms and ligands, respectively) have been well investigated and developed for selective oxidation, hydrogenation, photo-catalysis, and so on. These gold clusters possess unique frameworks, providing insights into the catalytic processes and an excellent arena to correlate the atomic frameworks with their intrinsic catalytic properties and to further investigate the tentative reaction mechanisms. This review comprehensively summarizes the very latest advances in the catalytic applications of the Au nanoclusters for the C−C cross-coupling reactions, e.g., Ullmann, Sonogashira, Suzuki cross-couplings, and A3−coupling reactions. It is found that the proposed catalytically active sites are associated with the exposure of gold atoms on the surface of the metal core when partial capping organic ligands are selectively detached under the reaction conditions. Finally, the tentative catalytic mechanisms over the ligand-capped Au nanoclusters and the relationship of structure and catalytic performances at the atomic level using computational methods are explored in detail.
A Facile and Flexible Approach for Large-Scale Fabrication of ZnO Nanowire Film and Its Photocatalytic Applications
Authors: Li Qingyang , Wang Qiwei , Chen Zaijun , Ma Quanxin , An Maozhong
Published: June 2019

A novel strategy for large-scale synthesis of ZnO nanowire film is reported, which inherits the advantages of the solution-phase method and seeded growth process, such as low-temperature, efficient, economical, facile and flexible. It is easy to implement on various metals through room-temperature electrodeposition, followed by hydrothermal treatment at 90 °C, and suitable for industrialized production. The ZnO nanowires with an average wire diameter about 40 nm are in situ grown from and on nanocrystalline zinc coating, which forms a strong metallurgical bonding with the substrates. The p-type ZnO nanowire film has a well-preferred orientation along the (100) direction and a wurtzite structure, thereby displaying an effective photocatalytic capability for carcinogenic Cr6+ ions and CO2 greenhouse gas reduction under visible light irradiation. In addition to these features, the ZnO nanowire film is easy to recycle and, therefore, it has broad application prospects in contaminant degradation and renewable energy.
A Wrinkled Ag/CNTs-PDMS Composite Film for a High-Performance Flexible Sensor and Its Applications in Human-Body Single Monitoring
Authors: Yang Yanpeng , Luo Chengzhi , Jia Junji , Sun Yafei , Fu Qiang , Pan Chunxu
Published: June 2019

In this paper, a flexible Ag/CNTs-PDMS (polydimethylsi-loxane) composite film sensor based on the novel design philosophy was prepared. Its force-electric effect mechanism is based on the generation of micro-cracks in the Ag film during external forcing, leading to resistance variation. Experimental results find that Ag film thickness has a strong influence on the sensor’s sensitivity, which exhibits a tendency of first increasing and then decreasing the Ag film thickness, and also has an optimal thickness of 4.9 μm for the maximum sensitivity around 30. The sensitive mechanism can be theoretically explained by using the quantum tunneling effect. Due to the use of the wrinkled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) film, this sensor has advantages, such as high sensitivity, large strain range, good stability and durability, cheap price, and suitability for large-scale production. Preliminary applications on human-body monitoring reveal that the sensor can detect weak tremors and breathe depth and rate, and the corresponding heartbeat response. It provides possibilities to diagnose early Parkinson’s disease and exploit an early warning system for sudden infant death syndrome and sleep apnea in adults. In addition, as a force-electric effect sensor, it is expected to have broad application areas, such as a man-machine cooperation, and a robotic system.
Protein-Reduced Complementary Foods Based on Nordic Ingredients Combined with Systematic Introduction of Taste Portions Increase Intake of Fruits and Vegetables in 9 Month Old Infants: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: Johansson Ulrica , Öhlund Inger , Hernell Olle , Lönnerdal Bo , Lindberg Lene , Lind Torbjörn
Published: June 2019

Fruits and vegetables are healthy foods but under-consumed among infants and children. Approaches to increase their intake are urgently needed. This study investigated the effects of a systematic introduction of taste portions and a novel protein-reduced complementary diet based on Nordic foods on fruit and vegetable intake, growth and iron status to 9 months of age. Healthy, term infants (n = 250) were recruited and randomly allocated to either a Nordic diet group (NG) or a conventional diet group (CG). Infants were solely breast- or formula-fed at study start. From 4 to 6 months of age, the NG followed a systematic taste portions schedule consisting of home-made purées of Nordic produce for 24 days. Subsequently, the NG was supplied with baby food products and recipes of homemade baby foods based on Nordic ingredients but with reduced protein content compared to the CG. The CG was advised to follow current Swedish recommendations on complementary foods. A total of 232 participants (93%) completed the study. The NG had significantly higher intake of fruits and vegetables than the CG at 9 months of age; 225 ± 109 g/day vs. 156 ± 77 g/day (p < 0.001), respectively. Energy intake was similar, but protein intake was significantly lower in the NG (−26%, p < 0.001) compared to the CG. This lower protein intake was compensated for by higher intake of carbohydrate from fruits and vegetables. No significant group differences in growth or iron status were observed. The intervention resulted in significantly higher consumption of fruits and vegetables in infants introduced to complementary foods based on Nordic ingredients.
Modulation of Adenosine Receptors and Antioxidative Effect of Beer Extracts in in Vitro Models
Authors: Alonso-Andrés Patricia , Martín Mairena , Albasanz José Luis
Published: June 2019

The fight against neurodegenerative diseases is promoting the searching of nutrients, preferably of wide consumption, with proven effects on health. Beer is widely consumed and has potential benefits on health. In this work, three different extracts from dark beer (DB), non-alcoholic beer (NAB), and lager beer (LB) were assayed at 30 min and 24 h in rat C6 glioma and human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells in order to study their possible protective effects. Cell viability and adenosine A1, A2A, A2B, and A3 receptor gene expression and protein levels were measured in control cells and in cells challenged with hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant stressor. Among the three extracts analyzed, DB showed a greater protective effect against H2O2-induced oxidative stress and cell death. Moreover, a higher A1 receptor level was also induced by this extract. Interestingly, A1 receptor level was also increased by NAB and LB extracts, but to a lower extent, and the protective effect of these extracts against H2O2 was lower. This possible correlation between protection and A1 receptor level was observed at 24 h in both C6 and SH-SY5Y cells. In summary, different beer extracts modulate, to a different degree, adenosine receptors expression and protect both glioma and neuroblastoma cells from oxidative stress.
Effectiveness of Workplace Nutrition Programs on Anemia Status among Female Readymade Garment Workers in Bangladesh: A Program Evaluation
Authors: Hossain Muttaquina , Islam Ziaul , Sultana Sabiha , Rahman Ahmed Shafiqur , Hotz Christine , Haque Md. Ahshanul , Dhillon Christina Nyhus , Khondker Rudaba , Neufeld Lynnette M. , Ahmed Tahmeed
Published: June 2019

Eight in ten female readymade garment (RMG) workers in Bangladesh suffer from anemia, a condition which damages both health and productivity. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a workplace nutrition program on anemia reduction in female RMG workers of Bangladesh. A quasi-experimental mixed method study was conducted on 1310 non-pregnant female RMG workers from four factories. Two types of intervention packages (A and C) were tested against their respective controls (B and D) over a 10-month period. Among factories that already provided lunch to workers with regular behavior change counseling (BCC), one intervention (A) and one control (B) factory were selected, and among factories that did not provide lunches to their workers but provided regular BCC, one intervention (C) and one control (D) factory were selected: (A) Lunch meal intervention package: daily nutritionally-enhanced (with fortified rice) hot lunch, once weekly iron-folic acid (IFA) supplement and monthly enhanced (with nutrition module) behavior change counseling (BCC) versus (B) Lunch meal control package: regular lunch and BCC; and (C) Non-meal intervention package: twice-weekly IFA and enhanced BCC versus (D) Non-meal control package: BCC alone. Body weight and capillary hemoglobin were measured. Changes in anemia prevalence were estimated by difference-in-difference (DID) method. Thematic analysis of qualitative in-depth interviews with RMG workers was performed and findings were triangulated. Anemia was reduced significantly in both lunch meal and non-meal intervention (A and C) group (DID: 32 and 12 percentage points, p: <0.001 and <0.05 respectively). The mean hemoglobin concentration also significantly increased by 1 gm/dL and 0.4 gm/dL in both A and C group (p: <0.001 respectively). Weight did not change in the intervention groups (A and C) but significantly increased by more than 1.5 kg in the comparison groups (B and D). The knowledge of different vitamin and mineral containing foods and their benefits was increased significantly among all participants. Workplace nutrition programs can reduce anemia in female RMG workers, with the greatest benefits observed when both nutritionally enhanced lunches and IFA supplements are provided.
Investigation of Fugitive Aerosols Released into the Environment during High-Flow Therapy
Authors: McGrath James A. , O’Toole Ciarraí , Bennett Gavin , Joyce Mary , Byrne Miriam A. , MacLoughlin Ronan
Published: June 2019

Background: Nebulised medical aerosols are designed to deliver drugs to the lungs to aid in the treatment of respiratory diseases. However, an unintended consequence is the potential for fugitive emissions during patient treatment, which may pose a risk factor in both clinical and homecare settings. Methods: The current study examined the potential for fugitive emissions, using albuterol sulphate as a tracer aerosol during high-flow therapy. A nasal cannula was connected to a head model or alternatively, a interface was connected to a tracheostomy tube in combination with a simulated adult and paediatric breathing profile. Two aerodynamic particle sizers (APS) recorded time-series aerosol concentrations and size distributions at two different distances relative to the simulated patient. Results: The results showed that the quantity and characteristics of the fugitive emissions were influenced by the interface type, patient type and supplemental gas-flow rate. There was a trend in the adult scenarios; as the flow rate increased, the fugitive emissions and the mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of the aerosol both decreased. The fugitive emissions were comparable when using the adult breathing profiles for the nasal cannula and tracheostomy interfaces; however, there was a noticeable distinction between the two interfaces when compared for the paediatric breathing profiles. The highest recorded aerosol concentration was 0.370 ± 0.046 mg m−3 from the tracheostomy interface during simulated paediatric breathing with a gas-flow rate of 20 L/min. The averaged MMAD across all combinations ranged from 1.248 to 1.793 µm by the APS at a distance of 0.8 m away from the patient interface. Conclusions: Overall, the results highlight the potential for secondary inhalation of fugitive emissions released during simulated aerosol treatment with concurrent high-flow therapy. The findings will help in developing policy and best practice for risk mitigation from fugitive emissions.
Eradication of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 (HIV-1)-Infected Cells
Authors: Düzgüneş Nejat , Konopka Krystyna
Published: June 2019

Predictions made soon after the introduction of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) protease inhibitors about potentially eradicating the cellular reservoirs of HIV-1 in infected individuals were too optimistic. The ability of the HIV-1 genome to remain in the chromosomes of resting CD4+ T cells and macrophages without being expressed (HIV-1 latency) has prompted studies to activate the cells in the hopes that the immune system can recognize and clear these cells. The absence of natural clearance of latently infected cells has led to the recognition that additional interventions are necessary. Here, we review the potential of utilizing suicide gene therapy to kill infected cells, excising the chromosome-integrated HIV-1 DNA, and targeting cytotoxic liposomes to latency-reversed HIV-1-infected cells.
Poisonous Caterpillar-Inspired Chitosan Nanofiber Enabling Dual Photothermal and Photodynamic Tumor Ablation
Authors: Yu Hyeong Sup , Park Hongsuk , Tran Thang Hong , Hwang Sung Yeon , Na Kun , Lee Eun Seong , Oh Kyung Taek , Oh Dongyeop X. , Park Jeyoung
Published: June 2019

As caterpillars detect the presence of predators and secrete poison, herein, we show an innovative and highly effective cancer therapeutic system using biocompatible chitosan nanofiber (CNf) installed with a pH-responsive motif that senses tumor extracellular pH, pHe, prior to delivering dual-modal light-activatable materials for tumor reduction. The filamentous nanostructure of CNf is dynamic during cell interaction and durable in blood circulation. Due to its amine group, CNf uptakes a large amount of photothermal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs, >25 wt %) and photodynamic chlorin e6 (Ce6, >5 wt %). As the innovative CNf approaches tumors, cationic CNf effectively discharges AuNPs connected to the pH-responsive motif via electrostatic repulsion and selectively binds to tumor cells that are generally anionic, via the electrostatic attraction accompanied by CNf. We demonstrated via these actions that the endocytosed Ce6 (on CNf) and AuNPs (free from CNf) significantly elicited tumor cell death under light irradiation. As a result, the synergistic interplay of thermogenesis and photodynamic action was observed to switch on at the pHe, resulting in a striking reduction in tumor formation and growth rate upon light exposure.
Transport Barrier Triggered by Resonant Three-Wave Processes Between Trapped-Particle-Modes and Zonal Flow
Authors: Ghizzo Alain , Del Sarto Daniele
Published: June 2019

We address the mechanisms underlying low-frequency zonal flow generation in a turbulent system through the parametric decay of collisionless trapped particle modes and its feedback on the stabilization of the system. This model is in connection with the observation of barrier transport in reduced gyrokinetic simulations (A. Ghizzo et al., Euro. Phys. Lett. 119(1), 15003 (2017)). Here the analysis is extended with a detailed description of the resonant mechanism. A key role is also played by an initial polarisation source that allows the emergence of strong initial shear flow. The parametric decay leads to the growth of a zonal flow which differs from the standard zero frequency zonal flow usually triggered by the Reynolds stress in fluid drift-wave turbulence. The resulting zonal flow can oscillate at low frequency close to the ion precession frequency, making it sensitive to strong amplification by resonant kinetic processes. The system becomes then intermittent. These new findings, obtained from numerical experiments based on reduced semi-Lagrangian gyrokinetic simulations, shed light on the underlying physics coming from resonant wave-particle interactions for the formation of transport barriers. Numerical simulations are based on a Hamiltonian reduction technique, including magnetic curvature and interchange turbulence, where both fastest scales (cyclotron and bounce motions) are gyro-averaged.
Direct Writing Supercapacitors Using a Carbon Nanotube/Ag Nanoparticle-Based Ink on Cellulose Acetate Membrane Paper
Authors: Guan Xipeng , Cao Lin , Huang Qin , Kong Debin , Zhang Peng , Lin Huaijun , Li Wei , Lin Zhidan , Yuan Hong
Published: June 2019

In this work, we present a cellulose acetate membrane flexible supercapacitor prepared through a direct writing method. A carbon nanotube (CNT) and silver (Ag) nanoparticle were prepared into ink for direct writing. The composite electrode displayed excellent electrochemical and mechanical electrochemical performance. Furthermore, the CNT-Ag displayed the highest areal capacity of 72.8 F/cm3. The assembled device delivered a high areal capacity (17.68 F/cm3) at a current density of 0.5 mA/cm2, a high areal energy (9.08–5.87 mWh/cm3) at a power density of 1.18–0.22 W/cm3, and showed no significant decrease in performance with a bending angle of 180°. The as-fabricated CNT/Ag electrodes exhibited good long-term cycling stability after 1000 time cycles with 75.92% capacitance retention. The direct writing was a simple, cost-effective, fast, and non-contact deposition method. This method has been used in current printed electronic devices and has potential applications in energy storage.
Study on Grid-Connected Strategy of Distribution Network with High Hydropower Penetration Rate in Isolated Operation
Authors: Zhang Zifan , Wang Zhidong , Chen Zhifeng , Wang Gan , Shen Na , Guo Changxing
Published: June 2019

As the largest global renewable source, hydropower is a useful supplement to mountainous distribution networks with abundant water resources, and shoulders a large portion of the regulation duty in many power systems. In particular, in the form of decentralized energy sources located to their customers, small hydropower (SHP) improve grid stability by diversifying the electricity system and reducing power loss. The mountainous distribution networks supplied by small hydropower are closed-loop design but open-loop operation, which easily causes the tripping of tie line even further the off-grid operation of small hydropower system. Once the tie line trips, the current countermeasures—such as hydropower shutdown and load shedding—do not fully guarantee the reliability of power supply and the utilization efficiency of hydropower. This paper studies the amplitude-frequency characteristics of SHP off-grid, according to the typical integration of hydropower in South China, a SHP on-grid/off-grid model is established based on the Power Systems Computer Aided Design (PSCAD) platform. It is found that due to the inertia of SHP, the amplitude-frequency characteristics of SHP island system are relatively slow, and the process of non-synchronization with the main grid is gradually expanded. The characteristic of SHP has a certain degree of synchronization with the main grid in the initial island operates stage, which helps to find a novel grid connection method. This paper further proposes the strategy of using fast busbar automatic transfer switch (BATS), which quickly connect the trip-off SHP to the distribution network under the condition of permitting distributed energy grid-connected. The PSCAD simulation results show that proposed strategy has a limited impact on the power grid and prove the effectiveness of the method.
Should Cognitive Differences Research Be Forbidden?
Authors: Meisenberg Gerhard
Published: June 2019

Some authors have proposed that research on cognitive differences, including differences between ethnic and racial groups, needs to be prevented because it produces true knowledge that is dangerous and socially undesirable. From a consequentialist perspective, this contribution investigates the usually unstated assumptions about harms and benefits behind these proposals. The conclusion is that intelligence differences provide powerful explanations of many important real-world phenomena, and that denying their causal role requires the promotion of alternative false beliefs. Acting on these false beliefs almost invariably prevents the effective management of societal problems while creating new ones. The proper questions to ask are not about the nature of the research and the results it is expected to produce, but about whether prevailing value systems can turn truthful knowledge about cognitive differences into benign outcomes, whatever the truth may be. These value systems are the proper focus of action. Therefore, the proposal to suppress knowledge about cognitive ability differences must be based on the argument that people in modern societies will apply such knowledge in malicious rather than beneficial ways, either because of universal limitations of human nature or because of specific features of modern societies.
Becoming Animal: Karma and the Animal Realm Envisioned through an Early Yogācāra Lens
Authors: Stuart Daniel M.
Published: June 2019

In an early discourse from the Saṃyuttanikāya, the Buddha states: “I do not see any other order of living beings so diversified as those in the animal realm. Even those beings in the animal realm have been diversified by the mind, yet the mind is even more diverse than those beings in the animal realm.” This paper explores how this key early Buddhist idea gets elaborated in various layers of Buddhist discourse during a millennium of historical development. I focus in particular on a middle period Buddhist sūtra, the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthānasūtra, which serves as a bridge between early Buddhist theories of mind and karma, and later more developed theories. This third-century South Asian Buddhist Sanskrit text on meditation practice, karma theory, and cosmology psychologizes animal behavior and places it on a spectrum with the behavior of humans and divine beings. It allows for an exploration of the conceptual interstices of Buddhist philosophy of mind and contemporary theories of embodied cognition. Exploring animal embodiments—and their karmic limitations—becomes a means to exploring all beings, an exploration that can’t be separated from the human mind among beings.
Auto Encoder Feature Learning with Utilization of Local Spatial Information and Data Distribution for Classification of PolSAR Image
Authors: Hou Biao , Wang Jianlong , Jiao Licheng , Wang Shuang
Published: June 2019

The distribution of data plays a key role in the designing of a machine learning model. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel auto encoder network based on the distribution of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) data matrix. Designed specifically for PolSAR data matrix, the proposed mixture auto encoder (MAE) feature learning method defines data error term in the loss function according to the data distribution. Instead of the pixel itself, all pixels in the neighborhood are used as input to train the proposed MAE. Then, a corresponding classification network is also given by discarding the decoder process of the proposed MAE and connecting with a Softmax classifier. The MAE is trained using the unlabeled data, while the training process of the classification network is completed with the help of a small number of labeled pixels. In view of the phenomenon of misclassification in the predicted result image, two post-processing steps acting on local spatial are also given, which accomplished by the proposed two filters. Extensive experiments by four methods were made over three real PolSAR images including the proposed classification network. The experimental results show that introducing data distribution into the auto encoder network leads to an average 4% improvement in overall accuracy for three PolSAR images. Moreover, the post-processing steps with the proposed filters bring a new level of discrimination on the classification performance of PolSAR images.
Biases and Abrupt Shifts of Monthly Precipitable Water from Terra MODIS
Authors: Lu Ning
Published: June 2019

Monthly atmospheric precipitable water (PW) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite was assessed over land at 60°S–60°N. MODIS provides two PW products by using infrared (IR) and near-IR (NIR) algorithms, respectively. An assessment was performed for both MODIS PW data from 2000 to 2014, comparing them with the measurements at international stations of the global positioning systems and with a reanalysis to detect abrupt changes through monthly variations. It is noted that MODIS IR systematically underestimated PW in over 75% of stations, and that PW estimation declines with time. MODIS NIR significantly overestimated PW for tropical land and experienced two abrupt shifts. These data defects result in large spurious decreasing trends in MODIS IR and increasing trends in MODIS NIR. The two MODIS PW products are currently not suitable for a climatic-trend analysis, highlighting the need for data reprocessing and calibration.
Initial Positioning Assessment of BDS New Satellites and New Signals
Authors: Zhang Yize , Kubo Nobuaki , Chen Junping , Wang Jiexian , Wang Hu
Published: June 2019

With the official announcement of open service since the end of 2018, the BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) has started to provide global positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services. Thus, it is worth assessing the positioning service of new BDS satellites and signals. In this paper, we comprehensively assess the system status and the global positioning performance of BDS regarding single point positioning (SPP) and real-time kinematic (RTK) performance. Results show that the signal in space range error (SISRE) of BDS-3 satellites is superior to that of BDS-2 satellites, showing an overall accuracy of 0.71 m versus 0.97 m, which is competitive with GPS and Galileo. With the contribution of BDS-3, the number of global average visible satellites has increased from 5.1 to 10.7, which provides a mean global position dilution of precision (PDOP) value better than 6 at 99.88% and the mean availability of basic PNT performance is also improved from 35.25% to 98.84%. One week of statistical results from 54 globally distributed international GNSS service (IGS) stations show that the root mean square (RMS) of SPP accuracy is 1.1 m in horizontal and 2.2 m in vertical, which is at the same level of GPS. The new B1c and B2a signals show a smaller observation noise than B1I, and SPP performance of B1c is similar to that of B1I. However, the positioning precision is slightly worse at the B2a frequency, which may be due to the inaccurate BDS ionosphere correction. As for short baseline RTK, baseline accuracy is also improved due to the increased number of new BDS satellites.
Comparison of Three Algorithms for the Evaluation of TanDEM-X Data for Gully Detection in Krumhuk Farm (Namibia)
Authors: Vallejo Orti Miguel , Negussie Kaleb , Corral-Pazos-de-Provens Eva , Höfle Bernhard , Bubenzer Olaf
Published: June 2019

Namibia is a dry and low populated country highly dependent on agriculture, with many areas experiencing land degradation accelerated by climate change. One of the most obvious and damaging manifestations of these degradation processes are gullies, which lead to great economic losses while accelerating desertification. The development of standardized methods to detect and monitor the evolution of gully-affected areas is crucial to plan prevention and remediation strategies. With the aim of developing solutions applicable at a regional or even national scale, fully automated satellite-based remote sensing methods are explored in this research. For this purpose, three different algorithms are applied to a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generated from the TanDEM-X satellite mission to extract gullies from their geomorphological characteristics: (i) Inverted Morphological Reconstruction (IMR), (ii) Smoothing Moving Polynomial Fitting (SMPF) and (iii) Multi Profile Curvature Analysis (MPCA). These algorithms are adapted or newly developed to identify gullies at the pixel level (12 m) in our study site in the Krumhuk Farm. The results of the three methods are benchmarked with ground truth; specific scenarios are observed to better understand the performance of each method. Results show that MPCA is the most reliable method to identify gullies, achieving an overall accuracy of approximately 0.80 with values of Cohen Kappa close to 0.35. The performance of these parameters improves when detecting large gullies (>30 m width and >3 m depth) achieving Total Accuracies (TA) near to 0.90, Cohen Kappa above 0.5, and User Accuracy (UA) and Producer Accuracy (PA) over 0.50 for the gully class. Small gullies (<12 m wide and <2 m deep) are usually neglected in the classification results due to spatial resolution constraints within the input DEM. In addition, IMR generates accurate results for UA in the gully class (0.94). The MPCA method developed here is a promising tool for the identification of large gullies considering extensive study areas. Nevertheless, further development is needed to improve the accuracy of the algorithms, as well as to derive geomorphological gully parameters (e.g., perimeter and volume) instead of pixel-level classification.
Effects of the Temporal Aggregation and Meteorological Conditions on the Parameter Robustness of OCO-2 SIF-Based and LUE-Based GPP Models for Croplands
Authors: Lin Xiaofeng , Chen Baozhang , Zhang Huifang , Wang Fei , Chen Jing , Guo Lifeng , Kong Yawen
Published: June 2019

Global retrieval of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) using remote sensing by means of satellites has been developed rapidly in recent years. Exploring how SIF could improve the characterization of photosynthesis and its role in the land surface carbon cycle has gradually become a very important and active area. However, compared with other gross primary production (GPP) models, the robustness of the parameterization of the SIF model under different circumstances has rarely been investigated. In this study, we examined and compared the effects of temporal aggregation and meteorological conditions on the stability of model parameters for the SIF model ( ε / S I F yield ), the one-leaf light-use efficiency (SL-LUE) model ( ε max ), and the two-leaf LUE (TL-LUE) model ( ε msu and ε msh ). The three models were parameterized based on a maize–wheat rotation eddy-covariance flux tower data in Yucheng, Shandong Province, China by using the Metropolis–Hasting algorithm. The results showed that the values of the ε / S I F yield and ε max were similarly robust and considerably more stable than ε msu and ε msh for all temporal aggregation levels. Under different meteorological conditions, all the parameters showed a certain degree of fluctuation and were most affected at the mid-day scale, followed by the monthly scale and finally at the daily scale. Nonetheless, the averaged coefficient of variation ( C V ) of ε / S I F yield was relatively small (15.0%) and was obviously lower than ε max ( C V = 27.0%), ε msu ( C V = 43.2%), and ε msh ( C V = 53.1%). Furthermore, the SIF model’s performance for estimating GPP was better than that of the SL-LUE model and was comparable to that of the TL-LUE model. This study indicates that, compared with the LUE-based models, the SIF-based model without climate-dependence is a good predictor of GPP and its parameter is more likely to converge for different temporal aggregation levels and under varying environmental restrictions in croplands. We suggest that more flux tower data should be used for further validation of parameter convergence in other vegetation types.
Error Correlations in High-Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) Radiances
Authors: Holl Gerrit , Mittaz Jonathan P. D. , Merchant Christopher J.
Published: June 2019

The High-resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) has been flown on 17 polar-orbiting satellites between the late 1970s and the present day. HIRS applications require accurate characterisation of uncertainties and inter-channel error correlations, which has so far been lacking. Here, we calculate error correlation matrices by accumulating count deviations for sequential sets of calibration measurements, and then correlating deviations between channels (for a fixed view) or views (for a fixed channel). The inter-channel error covariance is usually assumed to be diagonal, but we show that large error correlations, both positive and negative, exist between channels and between views close in time. We show that correlated error exists for all HIRS and that the degree of correlation varies markedly on both short and long timescales. Error correlations in excess of 0.5 are not unusual. Correlations between calibration observations taken sequentially in time arise from periodic error affecting both calibration and Earth counts. A Fourier spectral analysis shows that, for some HIRS instruments, this instrumental effect dominates at some or all spatial frequencies. These findings are significant for application of HIRS data in various applications, and related information will be made available as part of an upcoming Fundamental Climate Data Record covering all HIRS channels and satellites.
Fingerprint Database Reconstruction Based on Robust PCA for Indoor Localization
Authors: Zhang Lingwen , Tan Teng , Gong Yafan , Yang Wenkao
Published: June 2019

The indoor localization method based on the Received Signal Strength (RSS) fingerprint is widely used for its high positioning accuracy and low cost. However, the propagation behavior of radio signals in an indoor environment is complicated and always leads to the existence of outliers and noises that deviate from a normal RSS value in the database. The fingerprint database containing outliers and noises will severely degrade the performance of an indoor localization system. In this paper, an approach to reconstruct the fingerprint database is proposed with the purpose of mitigating the influences of outliers. More specifically, by exploiting the spatial and temporal correlations of RSS data, the database can be transformed into a low-rank matrix. Therefore, the RPCA (Robust Principle Component Analysis) technique can be applied to recover the low-rank matrix from a noisy matrix. In addition, we propose an improved RPCA model which takes advantage of the prior knowledge of a singular value and could remove outliers and structured noise simultaneously. The experimental results show that the proposed method can eliminate outliers and structured noise efficiently.
Sustainable Influence of Ethical Leadership on Work Performance: Empirical Study of Multinational Enterprise in South Korea
Authors: Kang Seung-Wan
Published: June 2019

This study empirically examines the route by which managers’ sustainable ethical leadership influences employees’ work performance. The study examines the relationships of four variables: ethical leadership, perceived salience of an ethics code, work performance, and leader–follower distance, operationalized as the frequency of leader–follower interaction. Data were obtained from a large multinational enterprise in South Korea and the questionnaires responses of 196 leader–follower pairs (196 team leaders, 196 employees) were analyzed. The results found that the managers’ ethical leadership positively influenced the employees’ perceived salience of the ethics code of the organization, which, in turn, positively mediated the relationship of ethical leadership to work performance. Furthermore, a conditional indirect effect was found in which the frequency of leader–follower interaction positively moderated the indirect effect of ethical leadership on work performance via perceived salience of the ethics code; specifically, the strength of the indirect effect increased as the frequency of leader–follower interaction increased. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are offered and limitations with suggestions for future study are discussed.
Towards a More Sustainable Human–Animal Relationship: The Legal Protection of Wildlife in China
Authors: Feng Lu , Liao Wenjie , Hu Junhua
Published: June 2019

Problems of the human–animal relationship in China are associated with imperfect legal protection. Few recent studies in English have focused on the entire legislation framework for wildlife protection, or paid sufficient attention to revision of the Wildlife Protection Law of China. This study aims to provide a review of the legislation pertinent to the overall framework of wildlife protection in China, thus making the legislative framework understood by a broader audience. We present various legal documents of national, local, and international level—including the Constitution, national laws, national administrative regulations and departmental rules, and local regulations and rules, all selected for their direct and close relation to wildlife protection. We then discuss the challenges of internal defects in the legislation for wildlife protection and problems of coordination between the laws—including the lack of stipulation on the definition of wildlife, the narrow scope of the legal protection of wildlife, the incomplete stipulation on the property rights of wildlife, the imperfect stipulation on wildlife utilization, the relatively limited protection system of wildlife habitats, and the relatively vague damage compensation caused by wildlife protection, with an emphasis on revisions of the Wildlife Protection Law of China in 2016. In conclusion, we draw wider implications for the legal protection of wildlife in China, arguing for a more sustainable human–animal relationship.
Testing of the Integrated Energy Behavior of Sustainable Improved Mortar Panels with Recycled Additives by Means of Energy Simulation
Authors: Briones-Llorente Raúl , Calderón Verónica , Gutiérrez-González Sara , Montero Eduardo , Rodríguez Ángel
Published: June 2019

Present waste management policies aim to reduce waste environmental impacts and improve resources’ efficiency. The use of waste and recycled materials to develop green construction materials are attracting researchers worldwide to develop new solutions addressed to increase the sustainability of buildings. This work presents a study of a new recycled mortar panel from the point of view of its contribution to the sustainability of buildings. Materials from industrial waste, as rigid polyurethane foam and electric arc furnace slags, are used as an additive of prefabricated mortar panels. The new proposed panels must have good thermal behavior with respect to the heat transfer interactions with the outside temperature and relative humidity, when compared to traditional brick or concrete. A test building with two kinds of representative uses, which are both residential and tertiary, and located in three cities of Spain with different climates, will be energy simulated in order to assess the thermal behavior of new construction or refurbished opaque ventilated façades with the new mortar panel. The thermal behavior of the new mortar panels would be studied by means of two energy assessments: (i) the evaluation of the influence of the new mortar panel in the energy demand of the whole building when compared to traditional materials, and (ii) the detailed analysis of the transient inner surface temperature of the space walls when using the new mortar panel. Based on the results obtained from the energy simulations performed, it follows that the thermal behavior of the mortar panel is, at least, equivalent to those of the other two materials, and even better in some aspects.
The Impact of Divestment Announcements on the Share Price of Fossil Fuel Stocks
Authors: Dordi Truzaar , Weber Olaf
Published: June 2019

Several prominent institutional investors concerned about climate change have announced their intention or have divested from fossil fuel shares, to limit their exposure to the industry. The act of fossil fuel divestment may directly depress share prices or stigmatize the industry’s reputation, resulting in lower share value. While there has been considerable research conducted on the performance of the fossil fuel industry, there is not yet any empirical evidence that divestment announcements influence share prices. Adopting an event study methodology, this study measures abnormal deviations in stock prices of the top 200 global oil, gas, and coal companies by proven reserves, on days of prominent divestment announcements. Events are analyzed independently and in aggregate. The results make several notable contributions. While many events experienced short-term negative abnormal returns around the event day, the effects of events were more pronounced over longer event windows following the New York Climate March, suggesting a shift in investor perception. The results also find that divestment announcements related to campaigns, pledges, and endorsements all have a significant effect over the short-term event window. Finally, the results control for the general underperformance of the industry over the estimation window, attesting that the price change is caused by divestment announcements. Several robustness tests using alternate expected returns models and statistical tests were conducted to ensure the accuracy of the result. Overall, this study finds that divestment announcements decrease the share price of the fossil fuel companies, and thus, we conclude that ‘divestors’ can influence the share price of their target companies. Theoretically, the result adds new knowledge regarding the efficacy of the efficient market hypothesis in relation to divestment.
Do Fractals Confirm the General Theory of Relativity?
Authors: Rozgacheva Irina
Published: June 2019

The relatively high abundance of fractal properties of complex systems on Earth and in space is considered an argument in support of the general relativity of the geometric theory of gravity. The fractality may be called the fractal symmetry of physical interactions providing self-similarities of complex systems. Fractal symmetry is discrete. A class of geometric solutions of the general relativity equations for a complex scalar field is offered. This class allows analogy to spatial fractals in large-scale structures of the universe due to its invariance with respect to the discrete scale transformation of the interval d s ↔ q d s ˜ . The method of constructing such solutions is described. As an application, the treatment of spatial variations of the Hubble constant H 0 H S T (Riess et al., 2016) is considered. It is noted that the values H 0 H S T form an almost fractal set. It has been shown that: a) the variation H 0 H S T may be connected with the local gravitational perturbations of the space-time metrics in the vicinity of the galaxies containing Cepheids and supernovae selected for measurements; b) the value of the variation H 0 H S T can be a consequence of variations in the space-time metric on the outskirts of the local supercluster, and their self-similarity indicates the fractal distribution of matter in this region.