bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modifications in Vaginal Microbiota and Their Influence on Drug Release: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Leyva-Gómez Gerardo , Del Prado-Audelo María L. , Ortega-Peña Silvestre , Mendoza-Muñoz Néstor , Urbán-Morlán Zaida , González-Torres Maykel , González-Del Carmen Manuel , Figueroa-González Gabriela , Reyes-Hernández Octavio D. , Cortés Hernán
Published: May 2019

Vaginal drug delivery represents an attractive alternative to achieve local and systemic effects due to the high contact surface exposed, the mucoadhesion of the epithelium, and the high innervation that facilitates the absorption of drugs into the bloodstream. However, despite the confinement of the vaginal cavity, it is an organ with a highly variable microenvironment. Mechanical alterations such as coitus, or chemical changes such as pH and viscosity, modify the release of drugs. In addition, changes in vaginal microbiota can influence the entire vaginal microenvironment, thus determining the disposition of drugs in the vaginal cavity and decreasing their therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, the influence of microorganisms on vaginal homeostasis can change the pre-established scenario for the application of drugs. This review aims to provide an explanation of normal vaginal microbiota, the factors that modify it, its involvement in the administration of drugs, and new proposals for the design of novel pharmaceutical dosage forms. Finally, challenges and opportunities directed toward the conception of new effective formulations are discussed.
Octreotide Conjugates for Tumor Targeting and Imaging
Authors: Figueras Eduard , Martins Ana , Borbély Adina , Le Joncour Vadim , Cordella Paola , Perego Raffaella , Modena Daniela , Pagani Paolo , Esposito Simone , Auciello Giulio , Frese Marcel , Gallinari Paola , Laakkonen Pirjo , Steinkühler Christian , Sewald Norbert
Published: May 2019

Tumor targeting has emerged as an advantageous approach to improving the efficacy and safety of cytotoxic agents or radiolabeled ligands that do not preferentially accumulate in the tumor tissue. The somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) belong to the G-protein-coupled receptor superfamily and they are overexpressed in many neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). SSTRs can be efficiently targeted with octreotide, a cyclic octapeptide that is derived from native somatostatin. The conjugation of cargoes to octreotide represents an attractive approach for effective tumor targeting. In this study, we conjugated octreotide to cryptophycin, which is a highly cytotoxic depsipeptide, through the protease cleavable Val-Cit dipeptide linker using two different self-immolative moieties. The biological activity was investigated in vitro and the self-immolative part largely influenced the stability of the conjugates. Replacement of cryptophycin by the infrared cyanine dye Cy5.5 was exploited to elucidate the tumor targeting properties of the conjugates in vitro and in vivo. The compound efficiently and selectively internalized in cells overexpressing SSTR2 and accumulated in xenografts for a prolonged time. Our results on the in vivo properties indicate that octreotide may serve as an efficient delivery vehicle for tumor targeting.
Systemic Design and Evaluation of Ticagrelor-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Enhancing Bioavailability and Antiplatelet Activity
Authors: Son Gi-Ho , Na Young-Guk , Huh Hyun Wook , Wang Miao , Kim Min-Ki , Han Min-Gu , Byeon Jin-Ju , Lee Hong-Ki , Cho Cheong-Weon
Published: May 2019

Ticagrelor (TGL), a P2Y12 receptor antagonist, is classified as biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS) class IV drug due to its poor solubility and permeability, resulting in low oral bioavailability. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) are an efficient delivery system for the improvement of bioavailability of BCS class IV drugs. Hence, we prepared TGL-loaded NLC (TGL-NLC) to enhance the oral bioavailability and antiplatelet activity of TGL with a systemic design approach. The optimized TGL-NLC with Box–Behnken design showed a small particle size of 87.6 nm and high encapsulation efficiency of 92.1%. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) were performed to investigate the characteristics of TGL-NLC. Furthermore, TGL-NLC exhibited biocompatible cytotoxicity against Caco-2 cells. Cellular uptake of TGL-NLC was 1.56-fold higher than that of raw TGL on Caco-2 cells. In pharmacokinetic study, the oral bioavailability of TGL-NLC was 254.99% higher than that of raw TGL. In addition, pharmacodynamic study demonstrated that the antiplatelet activity of TGL-NLC was superior to that of raw TGL, based on enhanced bioavailability of TGL-NLC. These results suggest that TGL-NLC can be applied for efficient oral absorption and antiplatelet activity of TGL.
Application of Pharmacometrics in Pharmacotherapy: Open-Source Software for Vancomycin Therapeutic Drug Management
Authors: Bae Soo Hyeon , Yim Dong-Seok , Lee Hyemi , Park Ae-Ryoung , Kwon Ji-Eun , Sumiko Hirata , Han Seunghoon
Published: May 2019

The population pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters that are implemented in therapeutic drug management (TDM) software were generally obtained from a Western population and might not be adequate for PK prediction with a Korean population. This study aimed to develop a population PK model for vancomycin using Korean data to improve the quality of TDM for Korean patients. A total of 220 patients (1020 observations) who received vancomycin TDM services were included in the dataset. A population PK analysis was performed using non-linear mixed effects modeling, and a covariate evaluation was conducted. A two-compartment model with first-order elimination best explained the vancomycin PK, with estimates of 2.82 L/h, 31.8 L, 11.7 L/h, and 75.4 L for CL, V1, Q, and V2, respectively. In the covariate analysis, weight correlated with the volume of the peripheral compartment, and creatinine clearance, hemodialysis, and continuous renal replacement therapy treatments contributed to the clearance of vancomycin. The results show the clear need to optimize the PK parameters used for TDM in Korean patients. Specifically, V1 should be smaller for Korean patients, and renal replacement therapies should be considered in TDM practice. This final model was successfully applied in R shiny as open-source software for Koreans.
Determinants of Shoot Biomass Production in Mulberry: Combined Selection with Leaf Morphological and Physiological Traits
Authors: Cao Xu , Shen Qiudi , Shang Chunqiong , Yang Honglei , Liu Li , Cheng Jialing
Published: May 2019

Physiological and morphological traits have a considerable impact on the biomass production of fast-growing trees. To compare cultivar difference in shoot biomass and investigate its relationships with leaf functional traits in mulberry, agronomic traits and 20 physiological and morphological attributes of 3-year-old mulberry trees from eight cultivars growing in a common garden were analyzed. The cultivars Xiang7920, Yu711, and Yunsang2 had higher shoot fresh biomass (SFB), which was closely associated with their rapid leaf expansion rate, large leaf area, and high stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C). Conversely, the cultivars 7307, Husang32, Wupu, Yunguo1, and Liaolu11 were less productive, and this was primarily the result of slower leaf expansion and smaller leaf size. Growth performance was negatively correlated with leaf δ13C and positively correlated with the total nitrogen concentration, indicating that a compromise exists in mulberry between water use efficiency (WUE) (low δ13C) and high nitrogen consumption for rapid growth. Several morphological traits, including the maximum leaf area (LAmax), leaf width and length, petiole width and length, leaf number per shoot, and final shoot height were correlated with SFB. The physiological traits that were also influential factors of shoot biomass were the leaf δ13C, the total nitrogen concentration, and the water content. Among the studied leaf traits, LAmax, leaf δ13C, and concentrations of chlorophyll a and b were identified as the most representative predictor variables for SFB, accounting for 73% of the variability in SFB. In conclusion, a combination of LAmax, leaf δ13C, and chlorophyll should be considered in selection programs for high-yield mulberry cultivars.
Effect of Phosphorus Fertilization on the Growth, Photosynthesis, Nitrogen Fixation, Mineral Accumulation, Seed Yield, and Seed Quality of a Soybean Low-Phytate Line
Authors: Taliman Nisar Ahmad , Dong Qin , Echigo Kohei , Raboy Victor , Saneoka Hirofumi
Published: May 2019

Crop seed phosphorus (P) is primarily stored in the form of phytate, which is generally indigestible by monogastric animals. Low-phytate soybean lines have been developed to solve various problems related to seed phytate. There is little information available on the effects of P fertilization on productivity, physiological characteristics, and seed yield and quality in low-phytate soybeans. To address this knowledge gap, studies were conducted with a low-phytate line and two normal-phytate cultivars from western Japan when grown under high- and low-P fertilization. The whole plant dry weight, leaf photosynthesis, dinitrogen fixation, and nodule dry weight at the flowering stage were higher in the higher P application level, but were not different between the low-phytate line and normal-phytate cultivars. As expected, seed yield was higher in the higher level of P application for all lines. Notably, it was higher in the low-phytate line as compared with the normal-phytate cultivars at both levels of fertilizer P. The total P concentration in the seeds of the low-phytate line was the same as that of the normal-phytate cultivars, but the phytate P concentration in the low-phytate line was about 50% less than that of the normal-phytate cultivars. As a result the molar ratio of phytic acid to Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu in seed were also significantly lower in the low-phytate line. From these results, it can be concluded that growth after germination, leaf photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, yield and seed quality were not less in the low-phytate soybean line as compared with two unrelated normal-phytate cultivars currently grown in Japan, and that low-phytate soybeans may improve the bioavailability of microelements.
Assessing Impacts of Climate Change on Phenology and Quality Traits of Vitis vinifera L.: The Contribution of Local Knowledge
Authors: Biasi Rita , Brunori Elena , Ferrara Carlotta , Salvati Luca
Published: May 2019

Developing adaptation strategies in Vitis vinifera, a crop sensitive to climate change, is crucial for resilience of traditional viticultural systems, especially in climate-vulnerable areas like the Mediterranean basin. A progressive warming is demonstrated to alter the geographical distribution of grapevine, reducing land capability for typical grapes and vine productions in most Southern European districts traditionally specialized in tree crops. Grapevine growth and reproduction under climate change require a continuous monitoring to adapt agronomic practices and strategies to global change. The present study illustrates an empirical approach grounded on a set of bio-physical indicators assessing the genotype-related response to climate variation. This approach was tested in Umbria, central Italy, to verify the response of some major international and local grapevine varieties to climate variation during a relatively long time interval (1995–2015). Long-term data for ripening time and berry quality collected in the study area were correlated to representative bioclimatic indices including Winkler, Huglin, and Cool night indicators. Results of this study highlighted the increase of air temperature (reflecting the inherent growth in thermal availability for maturation) and the alteration of precipitation patterns toward more intense precipitation. Climate variability exerted distinctive impacts on grapevine phenology depending on the related genotype. Empirical findings underline the usefulness of a permanent field monitoring of the relationship between selected climate variables and grape ripening with the aim to develop adaptive viticultural practices at farm’s scale.
Superwetting Polymeric Three Dimensional (3D) Porous Materials for Oil/Water Separation: A Review
Authors: Guan Yihao , Cheng Fangqin , Pan Zihe
Published: May 2019

Oil spills and the emission of oily wastewater have triggered serious water pollution and environment problems. Effectively separating oil and water is a world-wide challenge and extensive efforts have been made to solve this issue. Interfacial super-wetting separation materials e.g., sponge, foams, and aerogels with high porosity tunable pore structures, are regarded as effective media to selectively remove oil and water. This review article reports the latest progress of polymeric three dimensional porous materials (3D-PMs) with super wettability to separate oil/water mixtures. The theories on developing super-wetting porous surfaces and the effects of wettability on oil/water separation have been discussed. The typical 3D porous structures (e.g., sponge, foam, and aerogel), commonly used polymers, and the most reported techniques involved in developing desired porous networks have been reviewed. The performances of 3D-PMs such as oil/water separation efficiency, elasticity, and mechanical stability are discussed. Additionally, the current challenges in the fabrication and long-term operation of super-wetting 3D-PMs in oil/water separation have also been introduced.
Optimizing the Extraction and Encapsulation of Mucilage from Brasenia Schreberi
Authors: Luo Qingying , Wu Min , Sun Yanan , Lv Junxia , Zhang Yu , Cao Hongfu , Wu Dingtao , Lin Derong , Zhang Qing , Liu Yuntao , Qin Wen , Chen Hong
Published: May 2019

The mucilage from Brasenia schreberi (BS) exhibits various biological activities, including antialgal, antibacterial, soluble-fiber properties, and excellent lubricating behavior. Thus, the extraction and wide use of mucilage in the food industry are crucial. In this study, the high-speed shear-assisted extraction of mucilage from BS was optimized by using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal extraction conditions were as follows: Extraction temperature of 82 °C, extraction time of 113 min, liquid–solid ratio of 47 mL/g, and shear speed of 10,000 rpm. Under these conditions, the actual yield of BS mucilage was 71.67%, which highly matched the yield (73.44%) predicted by the regression model. Then, the BS mucilage extract was powdered to prepare the capsule, and the excipients of the capsule were screened using a single-factor test to improve the disintegration property and flowability. The final capsule formulation, which consisted of: 39% BS mucilage powder (60 meshes); 50% microcrystalline cellulose (60 meshes) as the filler; both 10% sodium starch glycolate and PVPP XL-10 (3:1, 60 meshes) as the disintegrant; both 1% colloidal silicon dioxide and sodium stearyl fumarate (1:1, 100 meshes) as the glidant by weight; were used for preparing the weights of a 320 mg/grain of capsule with 154.7 ± 0.95 mg/g polysaccharide content. Overall, the optimized extraction process had a high extraction rate for BS mucilage and the capsule formulation was designed reasonably.
Synthesis and Properties of Tung Oil-Based Unsaturated Co-Ester Resins Bearing Steric Hindrance
Authors: Liu Chengguo , Wu Qiong , An Rongrong , Shang Qianqian , Feng Guodong , Hu Yun , Jia Puyou , Zhou Yonghong , Lei Wen
Published: May 2019

New tung oil (TO)-based, unsaturated, co-ester (Co-UE) macromonomers bearing steric hindrance were synthesized by modifying a TO-based maleate (TOPERMA) monomer with an anhydride structure with hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and methallyl alcohol (MAA), respectively. The obtained Co-UE monomers (TOPERMA-HEMA and TOPERMA-MAA) were then characterized by 1H NMR and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). For comparison, hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA)-modified TOPERMA (TOPERMA-HEA) was also synthesized and characterized. Subsequently, the obtained Co-UEs were thermally cured with styrene, and the ultimate properties of the resulting materials were studied. It was found that by introducing the structure of steric hindrance into the TO-based Co-UE monomer, the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the resulting materials were improved. Furthermore, by reducing the length of the flexible chain in the Co-UE monomer, the tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and glass transition temperature (Tg) of the resultant materials were also improved. The TOPERMA-MAA resin gave the best performance in these TO-based Co-UE resins, which showed a tensile strength of 32.2 MPa, Young’s modulus of 2.38 GPa, and Tg of 130.3 °C. The developed ecofriendly materials show promise in structural plastic applications.
Simultaneous Measurements of Structure and Water Permeability in an Isolated Human Skin Stratum Corneum Sheet
Authors: Nakazawa Hiromitsu , Imai Tomohiro , Suzuki Mika , Akakabe Natsuki , Hatta Ichiro , Kato Satoru
Published: May 2019

Stratum corneum (SC), the outermost layer of human skin, acts as an intelligent physicochemical interface between the inside and the outside of our body. To make clear the relationship between structure and physical barrier properties of SC, we developed a method that enables us to simultaneously acquire X-ray diffraction (XD) patterns and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) values using a spread SC sheet isolated from human skin. The synchrotron X-ray was incident on the SC sheet surface at an angle of 45° to avoid interference between the two kinds of measurements. Detailed comparison between XD and TEWL data suggested that the thermal behavior of water permeability is closely related to the thermal expansion of the lattice spacings of the hexagonal phases above 40 °C and to the existence ratio of the orthorhombic phase below 40 °C. Thus, the new method we developed can give useful information on the mechanism of water permeation in SC without ambiguity caused by separate measurements of structure and water permeability with different samples.
DA-Based Parameter Optimization of Combined Kernel Support Vector Machine for Cancer Diagnosis
Authors: Xie Tao , Yao Jun , Zhou Zhiwei
Published: May 2019

As is well known, the correct diagnosis for cancer is critical to save patients’ lives. Support vector machine (SVM) has already made an important contribution to the field of cancer classification. However, different kernel function configurations and their parameters will significantly affect the performance of SVM classifier. To improve the classification accuracy of SVM classifier for cancer diagnosis, this paper proposed a novel cancer classification algorithm based on the dragonfly algorithm and SVM with a combined kernel function (DA-CKSVM) which was constructed from a radial basis function (RBF) kernel and a polynomial kernel. Experiments were performed on six cancer data sets from University of California, Irvine (UCI) machine learning repository and two cancer data sets from Cancer Program Legacy Publication Resources to evaluate the validity of the proposed algorithm. Compared with four well-known algorithms: dragonfly algorithm-SVM (DA-SVM), particle swarm optimization-SVM (PSO-SVM), bat algorithm-SVM (BA-SVM), and genetic algorithm-SVM (GA-SVM), the proposed algorithm was able to find the optimal parameters of SVM classifier and achieved better classification accuracy on cancer datasets.
A Mathematical Modeling of the Reverse Osmosis Concentration Process of a Glucose Solution
Authors: Chen Chenghan , Qin Han
Published: May 2019

A mathematical modeling of glucose–water separation through a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane was developed to research the membrane’s performance during the mass transfer process. The model was developed by coupling the concentration–polarization (CP) model, which uses one-dimensional flow assumption, with the irreversible thermodynamic Spiegler–Kedem model. A nonlinear parameter estimation technique was used to determine the model parameters Lp (hydraulic permeability constant), σ (reflection coefficient), and Bs (solute transport coefficient). Experimental data were obtained from the treatment of a pre-treated glucose solution using a laboratory-scale RO system, and studies on the validation of the model using experimental results are presented. The calculated results are consistent with the experimental data. The proposed model describes the RO membrane concentration process and deduces the expression of k (mass transfer coefficient in the CP layer). The verification shows that the expression of k well-describes the reverse osmosis mass transfer of a glucose solution.
A Novel Method of Sustainability Evaluation in Machining Processes
Authors: Sun Haiming , Liu Conghu , Chen Jianqing , Gao Mengdi , Shen Xuehong
Published: May 2019

In order to quantitatively evaluate and improve the sustainability of machining systems, this paper presents an emergy (the amount of energy consumed in direct and indirect transformations to make a product or service) based sustainability evaluation and improvement method for machining systems, contributing to the improvement of energy efficiency, resource efficiency and environmental performance, and realizing the sustainability development. First, the driver and challenge are studied, and the scope and hypothesis of the sustainable machining system are illustrated. Then, the emergy-based conversion efficiency model is proposed, which are (1) effective emergy utilization rate (EEUR), (2) emergy efficiency of unit product (EEUP) and (3) emergy conversion efficiency (ECE), to measure and evaluate the sustainable machining system from the perspectives of energy, resource and environment. Finally, the proposed model is applied to a vehicle-bridge machining process, and the results show that this paper provides the theoretical and method support for evaluating and improving the sustainable machining processes to decouple the resources and development of the manufacturing industry.
Publish-and-Flourish: Using Blockchain Platform to Enable Cooperative Scholarly Communication
Authors: Stojmenova Duh Emilija , Duh Andrej , Droftina Uroš , Kos Tim , Duh Urban , Simonič Korošak Tanja , Korošak Dean
Published: May 2019

Scholarly communication is today immersed in publish-or-perish culture that propels non-cooperative behavior in the sense of strategic games played by researchers. Here we introduce and describe a blockchain based platform for decentralized scholarly communication. The design of the platform rests on community driven publishing reviewing processes and implements cryptoeconomic incentives that promote cooperative user behavior. The key to achieve cooperation in blockchain based scholarly communication is to transform today’s static research paper into a modifiable research paper under continuous peer review process. We introduce and discuss the implementation of a modifiable research paper as a smart contract on the blockchain.
Curating Violence: Reflecting on Race and Religion in Campaigns for Decolonizing the University in South Africa
Authors: Settler Federico
Published: May 2019

During 2015 and 2016, staff and students at university campuses across South Africa embarked on two campaigns for decolonizing higher education, but the efforts were met with various forms of violent repression and rationalization of violence by state and private security services. In the face of the securatization of university campuses countrywide, ordinary mediums of teaching and learning proved inadequate for helping students reflect on their social reality, and similarly, public gatherings for socio-political deliberation and commentary became irregular because of the policing and surveillance of student protest action. By reflecting on the curation of three memorials and performances about seemingly racialized violence in this context, this article interrogates the meaning and the relation to the aesthetic, as well as the commentary on the context within which it is produced. Drawing on the work of Mbembe, Fanon, and Spivak as theoretical interlocutors with respect to how I understand violence, this article reflects on how three interdisciplinary curatorial events raise pedagogical challenges and opportunities for critical reflection in a context of repression. It was precisely through this interdisciplinary effort that the black body, violence, and context aligned to produce a public pedagogy on physical and representational violence. The three curatorial moments allowed for meaningful reflection on violence, resistance, religion, and the racialized self that not only drew attention to the artifacts and the performances but deliberately opened possibilities for a kind of public classroom where the discussion, articulation, and critique of violence is possible and productive.
Experiencing Becoming: The Initiation Process into Bektashi Tradition
Authors: Soileau Mark
Published: May 2019

Initiation into the Bektashi Sufi order is formalized as the initiate is led through a complex ritual form replete with symbols of death and rebirth, sacrifice, and integration that are enacted as the ritual is performed and in various ways experienced by the initiate. Once having entered and become a part of the order, then, the initiate encounters other cultural forms that reflect back upon the initiation ritual, such as poems that recount and provide commentary on it, contributing to his or her understanding of the experience of initiation as they too are performed in a communal context, and showing that integration into the order is an ongoing process. This paper analyzes the initiation ritual form with respect to the relationship between the cultural symbols presented in it and the experience it is intended to have on the initiate as he or she interacts with them. It further analyzes a particular poem that recounts the initiation ritual while adding impressions of the experiences evoked in it—experiences which meld with the initiate’s own remembered experiences. Finally, it shows how these experiences are reinforced through the communal interaction that transpires as such poems are sung to music in a ritual context.
Opportunities and Threats of Implementing Drain Water Heat Recovery Units in Poland
Authors: Kordana Sabina , Pochwat Kamil , Słyś Daniel , Starzec Mariusz
Published: May 2019

In recent years an increase of interest in usage of renewable energy sources as a substitution of fossil fuels is being noticeable. However, the waste heat potential, which can be used as an additional source of energy for heating water in buildings, is being omitted. The sources of this heat can be grey water discharged from such sanitary facilities as showers or washing machines. In response to this issue, we took on the task to define and analyze key factors affecting the development of DWHR (Drain Water Heat Recovery) systems using PESTLE (political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental) analysis. The strengths and weaknesses of these systems were also identified. The studies were based on CFD (computational fluid dynamics) modeling tools. In the Autodesk Simulation CFD software environment, a DWHR unit was made, which was then analyzed for heat exchange efficiency. The obtained results were the basis for preparing the strategy for the development of Drain Water Heat Recovery systems. It was made using the SWOT/TOWS (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats/threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths) method, which precisely orders information and allows presenting the project characteristic in readable way for a recipient. The results of the conducted analysis indicated the lack of acceptance on the part of potential users and the resulting need to promote the use of Drain Water Heat Recovery systems at residential level.
Physical and Monetary Methods for Estimating the Hidden Trade of Materials
Authors: Chen Wei-Qiang , Ma Zi-Jie , Pauliuk Stefan , Wang Tao
Published: May 2019

The hidden trade of a material (e.g., aluminum) refers to the trade of that material embedded in final products (e.g., automobiles). There are two methods for estimating the hidden trade amount of materials: (1) the physical method relies on the physical trade data (measured by physical units) in which products are categorized according to the standard international trade classification codes or the harmonized system codes; and (2) the monetary method relies on the monetary trade data (measured by monetary units) in which products are categorized in accordance to the sectors of an input–output (IO) table. Information on material concentrations in products can be relatively quickly estimated by an IO-based model in the monetary method, but will have to be collected from various sources with intensive time cost in the physical method. Exemplified by the U.S. hidden trade of aluminum, iron, and copper in 2007, this study attempts to compare the two methods. We find that, despite the unavoidable but reasonable differences in the amounts of three metals trade, the results generated by the two methods are consistent with each other pretty well for final products at the level of end-use product groups (e.g., total transportation facilities). However, the comparison for specific products (e.g., automobiles) is challenging or does not generate consistent enough results. We suggest that similar estimations be done for more materials, more countries/territories, and different years, to gain experience, reduce estimation time and costs, and increase the knowledge base on metal flows in society.
The Population Accuracy Index: A New Measure of Population Stability for Model Monitoring
Authors: Taplin Ross , Hunt Clive
Published: May 2019

Risk models developed on one dataset are often applied to new data and, in such cases, it is prudent to check that the model is suitable for the new data. An important application is in the banking industry, where statistical models are applied to loans to determine provisions and capital requirements. These models are developed on historical data, and regulations require their monitoring to ensure they remain valid on current portfolios—often years since the models were developed. The Population Stability Index (PSI) is an industry standard to measure whether the distribution of the current data has shifted significantly from the distribution of data used to develop the model. This paper explores several disadvantages of the PSI and proposes the Prediction Accuracy Index (PAI) as an alternative. The superior properties and interpretation of the PAI are discussed and it is concluded that the PAI can more accurately summarise the level of population stability, helping risk analysts and managers determine whether the model remains fit-for-purpose.
VIIRS Nighttime Lights in the Estimation of Cross-Sectional and Time-Series GDP
Authors: Chen Xi , Nordhaus William D.
Published: May 2019

This study extends previous applications of DMSP OLS nighttime lights data to examine the usefulness of newer VIIRS lights in the estimation of economic activity. Focusing on both US states and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), we found that the VIIRS lights are more useful in predicting cross-sectional GDP than predicting time-series GDP data. This result is similar to previous findings for DMSP OLS nighttime lights. Additionally, the present analysis shows that high-resolution VIIRS lights provide a better prediction for MSA GDP than for state GDP, which suggests that lights may be more closely related to urban sectors than rural sectors. The results also indicate the importance of considering biases that may arise from different aggregations (the modifiable areal unit problems, MAUP) in applications of nighttime lights in understanding socioeconomic phenomenon.
Measuring Vegetation Phenology with Near-Surface Remote Sensing in a Temperate Deciduous Forest: Effects of Sensor Type and Deployment
Authors: Liu Fan , Wang Xingchang , Wang Chuankuan
Published: May 2019

Near-surface remote sensing is an effective tool for in situ monitoring of canopy phenology, but the uncertainties involved in sensor-types and their deployments are rarely explored. We comprehensively compared three types of sensor (i.e., digital camera, spectroradiometer, and routine radiometer) at different inclination- and azimuth-angles in monitoring canopy phenology of a temperate deciduous forest in Northeast China for three years. The results showed that the greater contribution of understory advanced the middle of spring (MOS) for large inclination-angle of camera and spectroradiometer. The length of growing season estimated by camera from the east direction extended 11 d than that from the north direction in 2015 due to the spatial heterogeneity, but there was no significant difference in 2016 and 2018.The difference infield of view of sensors caused the MOS and the middle of fall, estimated by camera, to lag a week behind those by spectroradiometer and routine radiometer. Overall, the effect of azimuth-angle was greater than that of inclination-angle or sensor-type. Our assessments of the sensor types and their deployments are critical for the long-term accurate monitoring of phenology at the site scale and the regional/global-integration of canopy phenology data.
Effect of Leaf Occlusion on Leaf Area Index Inversion of Maize Using UAV–LiDAR Data
Authors: Lei Lei , Qiu Chunxia , Li Zhenhai , Han Dong , Han Liang , Zhu Yaohui , Wu Jintao , Xu Bo , Feng Haikuan , Yang Hao , Yang Guijun
Published: May 2019

The leaf area index (LAI) is a key parameter for describing crop canopy structure, and is of great importance for early nutrition diagnosis and breeding research. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is an active remote sensing technology that can detect the vertical distribution of a crop canopy. To quantitatively analyze the influence of the occlusion effect, three flights of multi-route high-density LiDAR dataset were acquired at two time points, using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-mounted RIEGL VUX-1 laser scanner at an altitude of 15 m, to evaluate the validity of LAI estimation, in different layers, under different planting densities. The result revealed that normalized root-mean-square error (NRMSE) for the upper, middle, and lower layers were 10.8%, 12.4%, 42.8%, for 27,495 plants/ha, respectively. The relationship between the route direction and ridge direction was compared, and found that the direction of flight perpendicular to the maize planting ridge was better than that parallel to the maize planting ridge. The voxel-based method was used to invert the LAI, and we concluded that the optimal voxel size were concentrated on 0.040 m to 0.055 m, which was approximately 1.7 to 2.3 times of the average ground point distance. The detection of the occlusion effect in different layers under different planting densities, the relationship between the route and ridge directions, and the optimal voxel size could provide a guideline for UAV–LiDAR application in the crop canopy structure analysis.
Ground Deformation Analysis of Bolvadin (W. Turkey) by Means of Multi-Temporal InSAR Techniques and Sentinel-1 Data
Authors: Imamoglu Mumin , Kahraman Fatih , Cakir Ziyadin , Sanli Fusun Balik
Published: May 2019

Surface deformations were observed in Bolvadin, located in the province of Afyon (western Turkey) in the last decade which occurred without any destructive earthquakes. In this study, ground deformation of the Bolvadin region is analyzed by means of multi-temporal interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technique with Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. Sentinel-1 data acquired in ascending and descending orbits between October 2014 and October 2018 are processed with the Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) and Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterers (StaMPS) open source software tools. Deformation velocity maps and line-of-sight (LOS) displacement time series are produced and compared with geology, groundwater level and the water surface area of Eber Lake nearby. Deformation velocity maps reveal significant subsidence in most of the town and surrounding regions, which is confirmed by field observations that show severe damage to the settlements and infrastructure of the town. The most severe subsidence is observed to be in the southern part of Bolvadin with rates up to 35 mm/year, which is characterized by the presence of soft alluvial deposits. Composed of slope debris/talus and conglomerate, the northeastern part of the deforming region experiences a relatively lower rate of subsidence. A strong correlation between LOS displacement time series and groundwater level exists both in the short and long term. Moreover, short term variations in LOS displacement time series also show high similarity with seasonal variations in the water surface area of Eber Lake located a few km southeast of the town. We conclude that the primary cause of subsidence is most probably the overexploitation of groundwater and hydrological changes because of (1) the strong correlation of subsidence with lithological units, (2) the similarity between deformation rate and groundwater level changes, (3) the correspondence of seasonal variations in water surface area and short-term deformation rate oscillations, and (4) the absence of InSAR velocity contrast across the active faults.
Comparison of Vegetation Indices for Leaf Area Index Estimation in Vertical Shoot Positioned Vine Canopies with and without Grenbiule Hail-Protection Netting
Authors: Towers Pedro C. , Strever Albert , Poblete-Echeverría Carlos
Published: May 2019

Leaf area per unit surface (LAI—leaf area index) is a valuable parameter to assess vine vigour in several applications, including direct mapping of vegetative–reproductive balance (VRB). Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) has been successfully used to assess the spatial variability of estimated LAI. However, sometimes NDVI is unsuitable due to its lack of sensitivity at high LAI values. Moreover, the presence of hail protection with Grenbiule netting also affects incident light and reflection, and consequently spectral response. This study analyses the effect of protective netting in the LAI–NDVI relationship and, using NDVI as a reference index, compares several indices in terms of accuracy and sensitivity using linear and logarithmic models. Among the indices compared, results show NDVI to be the most accurate, and ratio vegetation index (RVI) to be the most sensitive. The wide dynamic range vegetation index (WDRVI) presented a good balance between accuracy and sensitivity. Soil-adjusted vegetation index 2 (SAVI2) appears to be the best estimator of LAI with linear models. Logarithmic models provided higher determination coefficients, but this has little influence over the normal range of LAI values. A similar NDVI–LAI relationship holds for protected and unprotected canopies in initial vegetation stages, but different functions are preferable once the canopy is fully developed, in particular, if tipping is performed.
An Assessment of Global Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Products for Regional Applications
Authors: Zhao Yan , Lu Zhixiang , Wei Yongping
Published: May 2019

Precipitation (P) and evapotranspiration (ET) are the key factors determining water availability for water resource management activities in river basins. While global P and ET data products have become more accessible, their performances in river basins with a diverse climate and landscape remain less discussed. This paper evaluated the performance of four representative global P (CHIRPSP, GLDASP, TRMMP and PersiannP) and ET products (CSIROET, GLDASET, MODET and TerraClimateET) against the reference data provided by the Australian Water Availability Project (AWAP) in the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) of Australia. The disparities among the data products both in the period from 2001 to 2016 and across the 22 catchments of MDB were related to a set of catchment characteristics (climate, terrain, etc.) to explore any possible contributors. The results show that the four global P products presented overall high consistency with AWAPP across the MDB catchments except in southeastern catchments with abundant rainfalls and large terrain variations. The Penman–Monteith algorithm based MODET underestimated ET in the MDB, especially in the arid, less vegetation covered catchments. While the CSIROET, which also estimated with the Penman–Monteith method, presented overall better estimations, which can be attributed to the better parameterization of the landscape in the simulation processes. The hydrological model based TerraClimateET showed overall good consistency with AWAPET except in the arid catchments, which might be attributed to the simplified water balance model it applied, however it did not adequately reflect the intensive ground water uses in these catchments. The findings indicated that basin and catchment characteristics had impacts on the accuracy of global products and therefore provided important implications for choosing appropriate product and/or conducting field calibrations for potential users in large basins characterized with diverse rainfall, terrain variations and land use patterns.
Weighted Background Suppression Target Detection Using Sparse Image Enhancement Technique for Newly Grown Tree Leaves
Authors: Chen Shih-Yu , Lin Chinsu , Chuang Shang-Ju , Kao Zhe-Yuan
Published: May 2019

The process from leaf sprouting to senescence is a phenological response, which is caused by the effect of temperature and moisture on the physiological response during the life cycle of trees. Therefore, detecting newly grown leaves could be useful for studying tree growth or even climate change. This study applied several target detection techniques to observe the growth of leaves in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral images. The weighted background suppression (WBS) method was proposed in this paper to reduce the interference of the target of interest through a weighted correlation/covariance matrix. This novel technique could strengthen targets and suppress the background. This study also developed the sparse enhancement (SE) method for newly grown leaves (NGL), as sparsity has features similar to newly grown leaves. The experimental results suggested that using SE-WBS based algorithms could improve the detection performance of NGL for most detectors. For the global target detection methods, the SE-WBS version of adaptive coherence estimator (SE-WBS-ACE) refines the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) from 0.9417 to 0.9658 and kappa from 0.3389 to 0.4484. The SE-WBS version of target constrained interference minimized filter (SE-WBS-TCIMF) increased AUC from 0.9573 to 0.9708 and kappa from 0.3472 to 0.4417; the SE-WBS version of constrained energy minimization (SE-WBS-CEM) boosted AUC from 0.9606 to 0.9713 and kappa from 0.3604 to 0.4483. For local target detection methods, the SE-WBS version of adaptive sliding window CEM (ASW SE-WBS-CEM) enhanced AUC from 0.9704 to 0.9796 and kappa from 0.4526 to 0.5121, which outperforms other methods.
On Extreme Winds at L-Band with the SMAP Synthetic Aperture Radar
Authors: Fore Alexander G. , Yueh Simon H. , Stiles Bryan W. , Tang Wenqing , Hayashi Akiko K.
Published: May 2019

In this letter, we discuss some observations of the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission’s high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for extreme winds and tropical cyclones. We find that the L-band cross-polarized backscatter is far more sensitive to wind speed at extreme winds than the co-polarized backscatter and it is essential to observations of extreme winds with L-band SAR. We introduce a cyclone wind speed retrieval algorithm and apply it to the limited SMAP SAR dataset of cyclones. We show that the SMAP SAR instrument is capable of measuring extreme winds up to the category 5 (70 m/s) wind speed regime providing unique capabilities as compared to traditional scatterometers with C and Ku-band radars.
Empirical Absolute Calibration Model for Multiple Pseudo-Invariant Calibration Sites
Authors: Raut Bipin , Kaewmanee Morakot , Angal Amit , Xiong Xiaoxiong , Helder Dennis
Published: May 2019

This work extends an empirical absolute calibration model initially developed for the Libya 4 Pseudo-Invariant Calibration Site (PICS) to five additional Saharan Desert PICS (Egypt 1, Libya 1, Niger 1, Niger 2, and Sudan 1), and demonstrates the efficacy of the resulting models at predicting sensor top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance. It attempts to generate absolute calibration models for these PICS that have an accuracy and precision comparable to or better than the current Libya 4 model, with the intent of providing additional opportunities for sensor calibration. In addition, this work attempts to validate the general applicability of the model to other sites. The method uses Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) as the reference radiometer and Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Hyperion image data to provide a representative hyperspectral reflectance profile of the PICS. Data from a region of interest (ROI) in an “optimal region” of 3% temporal, spatial, and spectral stability within the PICS are used for developing the model. The developed models were used to simulate observations of the Landsat 7 (L7) Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), Landsat 8 (L8) Operational Land Imager (OLI), Sentinel 2A (S2A) MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) and Sentinel 2B (S2B) MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) from their respective launch date through 2018. The models developed for the Egypt 1, Libya 1 and Sudan 1 PICS have an estimated accuracy of approximately 3% and precision of approximately 2% for the sensors used in the study, comparable to the current Libya 4 model. The models developed for the Niger 1 and Niger 2 sites are significantly less accurate with similar precision.
Determinants of Decision-Makers’ Attitudes toward Industry 4.0 Adaptation
Authors: Hamada Tomomi
Published: May 2019

Industry 4.0 could drastically change not only firms’ production sites, organization, operation, and marketing but also industrial competition rules. This study aims at investigating a real situation of firms’ willingness to adapt to Industry 4.0 and revealing the determinants of decision-makers’ attitudes toward Industry 4.0 adaptation, as well as factors that inhibit adaptation. The study, using statistical analysis and questionnaire survey data for quantitative observation, finds that firms required the following: fostering the positive attitude of decision-makers toward adapting Industry 4.0, enhancing decision-makers’ acquisition of appropriate knowledge, and complementing lack of resources such as skilled workers. Moreover, firms applying to adapt to Industry 4.0 as well as outsiders must participate in promoting it among manufacturing firms.
Shorter Small-Sided Game Sets May Increase the Intensity of Internal and External Load Measures: A Study in Amateur Soccer Players
Authors: Clemente Filipe Manuel , Theodoros Nikolaidis Pantelis , Rosemann Thomas , Knechtle Beat
Published: May 2019

The purpose of this study was to compare internal and external load measures during two regimens (6 x 3’ and 3 x 6’) of a 5 vs. 5 format of play. Moreover, within-regimen changes (between sets) were also tested. Ten amateur soccer players (age: 19.8 ± 1.6 years; experience: 8.3 ± 2.1 years; height: 177.4 ± 3.8 cm; weight: 71.7 ± 4.2 kg) participated in the experiment. Internal load was measured using the CR-10 scale as the rated of perceived exertion (RPE) scale and a heart rate (HR) monitor. The measurements of total (TD), running (RD) and sprinting (SD) distances were also collected using a 10-Hz validated and reliable GPS. Comparisons between regimens revealed that the 3 x 6’ regimen was significantly more intense in terms of RPE than the 6 x 3’ regimen (p = 0.028; d = 0.351), although no significant differences were found in HR. Significantly greater averages of TD (p = 0.000; d = 0.871) and RD (p = 0.004; d = 0.491) were found in the 6 x 3’ regimen. In both regimens, the RPE was significantly lower during the first set than in the remaining sets. On the other hand, the TD was significantly shorter in the last sets than in the earlier. In summary, the present study suggests that shorter sets may be beneficial for maintaining higher internal and external load intensities during 5 vs. 5 formats, and that a drop-in performance may occur throughout the sets in both regimens.