bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Defect-Induced Tunable Permittivity of Epsilon-Near-Zero in Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films
Authors: Lian Jiqing , Zhang Dawei , Hong Ruijin , Qiu Peizhen , Lv Taiguo , Zhang Daohua
Published: November 2018

Defect-induced tunable permittivity of Epsilon-Near-Zero (ENZ) in indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films via annealing at different temperatures with mixed gases (98% Ar, 2% O2) was reported. Red-shift of λENZ (Epsilon-Near-Zero wavelength) from 1422 nm to 1995 nm in wavelength was observed. The modulation of permittivity is dominated by the transformation of plasma oscillation frequency and carrier concentration depending on Drude model, which was produced by the formation of structural defects and the reduction of oxygen vacancy defects during annealing. The evolution of defects can be inferred by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Raman spectroscopy. The optical bandgaps (Eg) were investigated to explain the existence of defect states. And the formation of structure defects and the electric field enhancement were further verified by finite-difference time domain (FDTD) simulation.
Optimal Synthesis of Environment-Friendly Iron Red Pigment from Natural Nanostructured Clay Minerals
Authors: Lu Yushen , Dong Wenkai , Wang Wenbo , Ding Junjie , Wang Qin , Hui Aiping , Wang Aiqin
Published: November 2018

A series of environment-friendly clay minerals—α-Fe2O3 iron-red hybrid pigments—were prepared by a simple one-step hydrothermal reaction process using natural nanostructured silicate clay minerals as starting materials. The influence of structure, morphology and composition of different clay minerals on the structure, color properties, and stability of the pigments was studied comparatively by systematic structure characterizations with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmittance electron microscope (TEM), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and CIE-L*a*b* Colorimetric analyses. The results showed that the clay minerals act as green precipitants during the hydrothermal reaction to induce in-situ transformation of Fe(III) ions into Fe2O3 crystals. Meanwhile, they also act as the “micro-reactor” for forming Fe2O3 crystals and the supporter for inhibiting the aggregation of Fe2O3 nanoparticles. The color properties of iron-red hybrid pigments are closely related to the surface charges, surface silanol groups, and solid acid sites of clay minerals. The clay minerals with higher surface activity are more suitable to prepare iron-red pigments with better performance. The iron-red hybrid pigment derived from illite (ILL) clay showed the best red color performance with the color values of L* = 31.8, a* = 35.2, b* = 27.1, C* = 44.4 and h° = 37.6, and exhibited excellent stability in different chemical environments such as acid, alkaline, and also in high-temperature conditions.
Mood Disorders and Gluten: It’s Not All in Your Mind! A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
Authors: Busby Eleanor , Bold Justine , Fellows Lindsey , Rostami Kamran
Published: November 2018

Gluten elimination may represent an effective treatment strategy for mood disorders in individuals with gluten-related disorders. However, the directionality of the relationship remains unclear. We performed a systematic review of prospective studies for effects of gluten on mood symptoms in patients with or without gluten-related disorders. Six electronic databases (CINAHL, PsycINFO, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane Library) were searched, from inception to 8 August 2018, for prospective studies published in English. Meta-analyses with random-effects were performed. Three randomised-controlled trials and 10 longitudinal studies comprising 1139 participants fit the inclusion criteria. A gluten-free diet (GFD) significantly improved pooled depressive symptom scores in GFD-treated patients (Standardised Mean Difference (SMD) −0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.55 to −0.20; p < 0.0001), with no difference in mean scores between patients and healthy controls after one year (SMD 0.01, 95% CI −0.18 to 0.20, p = 0.94). There was a tendency towards worsening symptoms for non-coeliac gluten sensitive patients during a blinded gluten challenge vs. placebo (SMD 0.21, 95% CI −0.58 to 0.15; p = 0.25). Our review supports the association between mood disorders and gluten intake in susceptible individuals. The effects of a GFD on mood in subjects without gluten-related disorders should be considered in future research.
Colon Bioaccessibility and Antioxidant Activity of White, Green and Black Tea Polyphenols Extract after In Vitro Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion
Authors: Annunziata Giuseppe , Maisto Maria , Schisano Connie , Ciampaglia Roberto , Daliu Patricia , Narciso Viviana , Tenore Gian Carlo , Novellino Ettore
Published: November 2018

The beneficial effects of the tea beverage are well-known and mainly attributed to polyphenols which, however, have poor bioaccessibility and bioavailability. The purpose of the present study was the evaluation of colon bioaccessibility and antioxidant activity of tea polyphenolic extract. An 80% methanolic extract (v/v) of tea polyphenols was obtained from green (GT), white (WT) and black tea (BT). Simulated gastrointestinal (GI) digestion was performed on acid-resistant capsules containing tea polyphenolic extract. The main tea polyphenols were monitored by HPLC-diode-array detector (DAD) method; in addition, Total Phenol Content (TPC) and antioxidant activity were evaluated. After GI digestion, the bioaccessibility in the colon stage was significantly increased compared to the duodenal stage for both tea polyphenols and TPC. Similarly, the antioxidant activity in the colon stage was significantly higher than that in the duodenal stage. Reasonably, these results could be attributable in vivo to the activity of gut microbiota, which is able to metabolize these compounds, generating metabolites with a greater antioxidant activity. Our results may guide the comprehension of the colon digestion of polyphenols, suggesting that, although poorly absorbed in the duodenum, they can exert their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in the lower gut, resulting in a novel strategy for the management of gut-related inflammatory diseases.
Correlation of Nutritional Indices on Admission to the Coronary Intensive Care Unit with the Development of Delirium
Authors: Sugita Yurina , Miyazaki Tetsuro , Shimada Kazunori , Shimizu Megumi , Kunimoto Mitsuhiro , Ouchi Shohei , Aikawa Tatsuro , Kadoguchi Tomoyasu , Kawaguchi Yuko , Shiozawa Tomoyuki , Takasu Kiyoshi , Hiki Masaru , Takahashi Shuhei , Sumiyoshi Katsuhiko , Iwata Hiroshi , Daida Hiroyuki
Published: November 2018

Background: Delirium is a common occurrence in patients admitted to the intensive care unit and is related to mortality and morbidity. Malnutrition is a predisposing factor for the development of delirium. Nevertheless, whether the nutritional status on admission anticipates the development of delirium in patients with acute cardiovascular diseases remains unknown. Objective: This study aims to assess the correlation between the nutritional status on admission using the nutritional index and the development of delirium in the coronary intensive care unit. Design: We examined 653 consecutive patients (mean age: 70 ± 14 years) admitted to the coronary intensive care unit of Juntendo University Hospital between January 2015 and December 2016. We evaluated three nutritional indices frequently used to assess the nutritional status, i.e., Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), and Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT). We defined delirium as patients with a delirium score >4 using the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist. Results: Delirium was present in 58 patients. All nutritional indices exhibited a tendency for malnutrition in the delirium group compared with the non-delirium group (GNRI, 86.5 ± 9.38 versus 91.6 ± 9.89; PNI, 36.4 ± 6.95 versus 41.6 ± 7.62; CONUT, 5.88 ± 3.00 versus 3.61 ± 2.56; for all, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the maximum delirium score increased progressively from the low- to the high-risk group, as evaluated by each nutritional index (GNRI, PNI, CONUT; for all, p < 0.001). A multivariate analysis revealed that the PNI and CONUT were independent risk factors for the occurrence of delirium. Conclusions: A marked correlation exists between the nutritional index on admission, especially PNI and CONUT, and the development of delirium in patients with acute cardiovascular diseases, suggesting that malnutrition assessment upon admission could help identify patients at high risk of developing delirium.
Assessment of Nutrient and Food Group Intakes across Sex, Physical Activity, and Body Mass Index in an Urban Brazilian Population
Authors: Sousa Alessandra Gaspar , Da Costa Teresa Helena Macedo
Published: November 2018

The burden of preventable diet-related diseases is significant and becoming worse. Thus, accurately assessing food intake is crucial to guide public health policies and actions. Using food dietary recalls, we evaluated usual dietary intake according to physical activity and nutritional status in an adult urban population from Brasília, Brazil. The usual nutrient and energy intakes distributions were estimated using the Iowa State University (ISU) method. Energy and nutrient intakes were stratified by gender, age group, body mass index (BMI), and physical activity (PA). The prevalence of inadequate intake was highest for vitamins E and D. Both men and women had excessive sodium intake. The percentage of intakes below daily serving recommendations for food groups were 96% for cereals, 74% for vegetables, and 87% for dairy products, whereas percentage of intakes above daily serving recommendations were 97% for meat, 93% for pulses, and 99% for fat/oils. Energy and nutrient intakes were highest in overweight and physically active individuals within the categories of BMI and physical activity, respectively. Our study found that high-income urban Brazilians consume large quantities of meat, beans, fat/oils, and exhibit a low prevalence of nutrient inadequacies but have excessive sodium intake. Energy and nutrient intakes are highest among men, as well as overweight and physically active individuals.
Antidiabetic Drugs in NAFLD: The Accomplishment of Two Goals at Once?
Authors: Tacelli Matteo , Celsa Ciro , Magro Bianca , Giannetti Aurora , Pennisi Grazia , Spatola Federica , Petta Salvatore
Published: November 2018

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries, accounting for 20–30% of general population and reaching a prevalence of 55% in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Insulin resistance plays a key role in pathogenic mechanisms of NAFLD. Many drugs have been tested but no medications have yet been approved. Antidiabetic drugs could have a role in the progression reduction of the disease. The aim of this review is to summarize evidence on efficacy and safety of antidiabetic drugs in patients with NAFLD. Metformin, a biguanide, is the most frequently used drug in the treatment of T2DM. To date 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and four meta-analysis on the use of metformin in NAFLD are available. No significant improvement in histological liver fibrosis was shown, but it can be useful in the treatment of co-factors of NAFLD, like body weight, transaminase or cholesterol levels, and HbA1c levels. A possible protective role in various types of cancer has been reported for Metformin. Thiazolidinediones modulate insulin sensitivity by the activation of PPAR-γ. The RCTs and the meta-analysis available about the role of these drugs in NAFLD show an improvement in ballooning, lobular inflammation, and perhaps fibrosis, but some side effects, in particular cardiovascular, were showed. GLP-1 analogues stimulate insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cell and inhibit glucagon release; Liraglutide is the most used drug in this class and significantly improves steatosis, hepatocyte ballooning and transaminase levels. Scanty data about the role of DPP-4 and SGLT inhibitors were published. No data about insulin effects on NAFLD are available but it was showed a possible association between insulin use and the development of solid neoplasms, in particular HCC. In conclusion, antidiabetic drugs seem to be promising drugs, because they are able to treat both NAFLD manifestations and diabetes, preventing worsening of hepatic damage, but data are still conflicting. All antidiabetic drugs can be safely used in patients with compensated cirrhosis, while insulin is the preferred drug in decompensated Child C cirrhosis.
Targeting Groups Employed in Selective Dendrons and Dendrimers
Authors: Vieira Gonzaga Rodrigo , Da Silva Santos Soraya , Da Silva Joao Vitor , Campos Prieto Diego , Feliciano Savino Debora , Giarolla Jeanine , Igne Ferreira Elizabeth
Published: November 2018

The design of compounds with directed action to a defined organ or tissue is a very promising approach, since it can decrease considerably the toxicity of the drug/bioactive compound. For this reason, this kind of strategy has been greatly important in the scientific community. Dendrimers, on the other hand, comprise extremely organized macromolecules with many peripheral functionalities, stepwise controlled synthesis, and defined size. These nanocomposites present several biological applications, demonstrating their efficiency to act in the pharmaceutical field. Considering that, the main purpose of this review was describing the potential of dendrons and dendrimers as drug targeting, applying different targeting groups. This application has been demonstrated through interesting examples from the literature considering the last ten years of publications.
Polymers of ε-Caprolactone Using New Copper(II) and Zinc(II) Complexes as Initiators: Synthesis, Characterization and X-Ray Crystal Structures
Authors: Posada Andrés F. , Macías Mario A. , Movilla Santiago , Miscione Gian Pietro , Pérez León D. , Hurtado John J.
Published: November 2018

Five of six new Zn(II) and Cu(II) complexes were active in the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (CL) under solvent-free conditions, producing polycaprolactones (PCLs) of high crystallinity with molecular weights between 22,900 and 38,700 g mol−1 and decomposition temperatures above 260 °C. 1H NMR analysis demonstrated that the PCLs obtained were mainly linear, having hydroxymethylene groups at the chain ends. The results obtained indicated a significant improvement in terms of the ratio of monomer:initiator compared to related Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes. In addition, the structures of the complexes 1 and 4 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The synthesis and full characterization of all complexes are described in this paper.
Beyond GIS Layering: Challenging the (Re)use and Fusion of Archaeological Prospection Data Based on Bayesian Neural Networks (BNN)
Authors: Agapiou Athos , Sarris Apostolos
Published: November 2018

Multisource remote sensing data acquisition has been increased in the last years due to technological improvements and decreased acquisition cost of remotely sensed data and products. This study attempts to fuse different types of prospection data acquired from dissimilar remote sensors and explores new ways of interpreting remote sensing data obtained from archaeological sites. Combination and fusion of complementary sensory data does not only increase the detection accuracy but it also increases the overall performance in respect to recall and precision. Moving beyond the discussion and concerns related to fusion and integration of multisource prospection data, this study argues their potential (re)use based on Bayesian Neural Network (BNN) fusion models. The archaeological site of Vésztő-Mágor Tell in the eastern part of Hungary was selected as a case study, since ground penetrating radar (GPR) and ground spectral signatures have been collected in the past. GPR 20 cm depth slices results were correlated with spectroradiometric datasets based on neural network models. The results showed that the BNN models provide a global correlation coefficient of up to 73%—between the GPR and the spectroradiometric data—for all depth slices. This could eventually lead to the potential re-use of archived geo-prospection datasets with optical earth observation datasets. A discussion regarding the potential limitations and challenges of this approach is also included in the paper.
From Geometric-Optical Remote Sensing Modeling to Quantitative Remote Sensing Science—In Memory of Academician Xiaowen Li
Authors: Liu Qinhuo , Yan Guangjian , Jiao Ziti , Xiao Qing , Wen Jianguang , Liang Shunlin , Wang Jindi , Schaaf Crystal , Strahler Alan
Published: November 2018

The academician Xiaowen Li devoted much of his life to pursuing fundamental research in remote sensing. A pioneer in the geometric-optical modeling of vegetation canopies, his work is held in high regard by the international remote sensing community. He codeveloped the Li–Strahler geometric-optic model, and this paper was selected by a member of the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) milestone series. As a chief scientist, Xiaowen Li led a scientific team that made outstanding advances in bidirectional reflectance distribution modeling, directional thermal emission modeling, comprehensive experiments, and the understanding of spatial and temporal scale effects in remote sensing information, and of quantitative inversions utilizing remote sensing data. In addition to his broad research activities, he was noted for his humility and his dedication in making science more accessible for the general public. Here, the life and academic contributions of Xiaowen Li to the field of quantitative remote sensing science are briefly reviewed.
Combined Channel Estimation with Interference Suppression in CPSS
Authors: Lai Xiaoyang , Wang Huan
Published: November 2018

With social characteristics integrated into cyber-physical systems (CPS), the wireless channel has been a complex electromagnetic environment due to the subjectivity of human behaviour. For the low-power and resource-constrained nodes in cyber-physical-social systems (CPSS), minimum research is available focusing on conquering the issues of computational complexity, external interference and transmission fading simultaneously. This study aims to explore channel estimation with interference suppression based on machine learning. A novel channel estimation scheme is proposed, which combined interference suppression in channel impulse response (CIR) of frequency domain with K-means algorithm and noise cancellation in CIR of time domain with K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm into an integrated process. Complexity analysis and simulation results showed that the proposed scheme has relatively lower complexity and the performance is proven better than traditional schemes, which meets the requirements of CPSS in complex electromagnetic environments.
Impact of Manufacturing Variability and Washing on Embroidery Textile Sensors
Authors: Martinez-Estrada Marc , Moradi Bahareh , Fernández-Garcia Raúl , Gil Ignacio
Published: November 2018

In this work, an embroidered textile moisture sensor is presented. The sensor is based on a capacitive interdigitated structure embroidered on a cotton substrate with an embroidery conductor yarn composed of 99% pure silver plated nylon yarn 140/17 dtex. In order to evaluate the sensor sensitivity, the impedance of the sensor has been measured by means of a impedance meter (LCR) from 20 Hz to 20 kHz in a climatic chamber with a sweep of the relative humidity from 25% to 65% at 20 °C. The experimental results show a clear and controllable dependence of the sensor impedance with the relative humidity. Moreover, the reproducibility of the sensor performance subject to the manufacturing process variability and washing process is also evaluated. The results show that the manufacturing variability introduces a moisture measurement error up to 4%. The washing process impact on the sensor behavior after applying the first washing cycle implies a sensitivity reduction higher than 14%. Despite these effects, the textile sensor keeps its functionality and can be reused in standard conditions. Therefore, these properties point out the usefulness of the proposed sensor to develop wearable applications within the health and fitness scope including when the user needs to have a life cycle longer than one-time use.
V-RBNN Based Small Drone Detection in Augmented Datasets for 3D LADAR System
Authors: Kim Byeong Hak , Khan Danish , Bohak Ciril , Choi Wonju , Lee Hyun Jeong , Kim Min Young
Published: November 2018

A common countermeasure to detect threatening drones is the electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) system. However, its performance is drastically reduced in conditions of complex background, saturation and light reflection. 3D laser sensor LiDAR is used to overcome the problems of 2D sensors like EO/IR, but it is not enough to detect small drones at a very long distance because of low laser energy and resolution. To solve this problem, A 3D LADAR sensor is under development. In this work, we study the detection methodology adequate to the LADAR sensor which can detect small drones at up to 2 km. First, a data augmentation method is proposed to generate a virtual target considering the laser beam and scanning characteristics, and to augment it with the actual LADAR sensor data for various kinds of tests before full hardware system developed. Second, a detection algorithm is proposed to detect drones using voxel-based background subtraction and variable radially bounded nearest neighbor (V-RBNN) method. The results show that 0.2 m L2 distance and 60% expected average overlap (EAO) indexes are satisfied for the required specification to detect 0.3 m size of small drones.
Fusing Infrared and Visible Images of Different Resolutions via Total Variation Model
Authors: Du Qinglei , Xu Han , Ma Yong , Huang Jun , Fan Fan
Published: November 2018

In infrared and visible image fusion, existing methods typically have a prerequisite that the source images share the same resolution. However, due to limitations of hardware devices and application environments, infrared images constantly suffer from markedly lower resolution compared with the corresponding visible images. In this case, current fusion methods inevitably cause texture information loss in visible images or blur thermal radiation information in infrared images. Moreover, the principle of existing fusion rules typically focuses on preserving texture details in source images, which may be inappropriate for fusing infrared thermal radiation information because it is characterized by pixel intensities, possibly neglecting the prominence of targets in fused images. Faced with such difficulties and challenges, we propose a novel method to fuse infrared and visible images of different resolutions and generate high-resolution resulting images to obtain clear and accurate fused images. Specifically, the fusion problem is formulated as a total variation (TV) minimization problem. The data fidelity term constrains the pixel intensity similarity of the downsampled fused image with respect to the infrared image, and the regularization term compels the gradient similarity of the fused image with respect to the visible image. The fast iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm (FISTA) framework is applied to improve the convergence rate. Our resulting fused images are similar to super-resolved infrared images, which are sharpened by the texture information from visible images. Advantages and innovations of our method are demonstrated by the qualitative and quantitative comparisons with six state-of-the-art methods on publicly available datasets.
Multifeature Extraction and Seafloor Classification Combining LiDAR and MBES Data around Yuanzhi Island in the South China Sea
Authors: Wang Mingwei , Wu Ziyin , Yang Fanlin , Ma Yue , Wang Xiao Hua , Zhao Dineng
Published: November 2018

Airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) full waveforms and multibeam echo sounding (MBES) backscatter data contain rich information about seafloor features and are important data sources representing seafloor topography and geomorphology. Currently, to classify seafloor types using MBES, curve features are extracted from backscatter angle responses or grayscale, and texture features are extracted from backscatter images based on gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM). To classify seafloor types using LiDAR, waveform features are extracted from bottom returns. This paper comprehensively considers the features of both LiDAR waveforms and MBES backscatter images that include the eight feature factors of the LiDAR full waveforms (amplitude, peak location, full width half maximum (FWHM), skewness, kurtosis, area, distance, and cross-section) and the eight feature factors of MBES backscatter images (mean, standard deviation (STD), entropy, homogeneity, contrast, angular second moment (ASM), correlation, and dissimilarity). Based on a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm with different kernel functions and penalty factors, a new seafloor classification method that merges multiple features is proposed for a beneficial exploration of acousto-optic fusion. The experimental results of the seafloor classification around Yuanzhi Island in the South China Sea indicate that, when LiDAR waveform features are merged (using an Optech Aquarius system) with MBES backscatter image features (using a Sonic 2024) to classify three types of sands, reefs, and rocks, the overall accuracy is improved to 96.71%, and the kappa reaches 0.94. After merging multiple features, the classification accuracies of the SVM, genetic algorithm SVM (GA-SVM) and particle swarm optimization SVM (PSO-SVM) increase by an average of 9.06%, 3.60%, and 2.75%, respectively.
Streaming MASSIF: Cascading Reasoning for Efficient Processing of IoT Data Streams
Authors: Bonte Pieter , Tommasini Riccardo , Della Valle Emanuele , De Turck Filip , Ongenae Femke
Published: November 2018

In the Internet of Things (IoT), multiple sensors and devices are generating heterogeneous streams of data. To perform meaningful analysis over multiple of these streams, stream processing needs to support expressive reasoning capabilities to infer implicit facts and temporal reasoning to capture temporal dependencies. However, current approaches cannot perform the required reasoning expressivity while detecting time dependencies over high frequency data streams. There is still a mismatch between the complexity of processing and the rate data is produced in volatile domains. Therefore, we introduce Streaming MASSIF, a Cascading Reasoning approach performing expressive reasoning and complex event processing over high velocity streams. Cascading Reasoning is a vision that solves the problem of expressive reasoning over high frequency streams by introducing a hierarchical approach consisting of multiple layers. Each layer minimizes the processed data and increases the complexity of the data processing. Cascading Reasoning is a vision that has not been fully realized. Streaming MASSIF is a layered approach allowing IoT service to subscribe to high-level and temporal dependent concepts in volatile data streams. We show that Streaming MASSIF is able to handle high velocity streams up to hundreds of events per second, in combination with expressive reasoning and complex event processing. Streaming MASSIF realizes the Cascading Reasoning vision and is able to combine high expressive reasoning with high throughput of processing. Furthermore, we formalize semantically how the different layers in our Cascading Reasoning Approach collaborate.
Bistatic Forward-Looking SAR Moving Target Detection Method Based on Joint Clutter Cancellation in Echo-Image Domain with Three Receiving Channels
Authors: Liu Zhutian , Li Zhongyu , Yu Huaiqin , Wu Junjie , Huang Yulin , Yang Jianyu
Published: November 2018

In bistatic forward-looking synthetic aperture radar (BFSAR) ground moving target detection (GMTD), the suppression of the strong and heterogeneous ground clutter is one of the most crucial and challenging issues. Due to the bistatic forward-looking mode and long observation time, Doppler ambiguity, range and Doppler cells migration and non-stationary characteristics will exist in clutter receives, which leads to severe performance degradation of the traditional method. Hence, this paper proposes a GMTD method based on joint clutter cancellation in echo-image domain for BFSAR to achieve effective GMTD in heterogeneous BFSAR clutter. First, the pre-filtering and keystone transform are applied to suppress Doppler ambiguity and correct range cell migration, respectively. Then, time-division space-time adaptive clutter cancellation is adopted to suppress clutter at the first time in the echo domain, which can eliminate the effect of the migration of Doppler cells. However, its performance will be severely degraded due to the strong non-stationary characteristic of BFSAR clutter. Finally, adaptive displaced phase center antenna is exploited to suppress the residual non-stationary BFSAR clutter in image domain. Experimental results have shown that the strong non-stationary clutter of BFSAR has been sufficiently suppressed by the proposed method and the SCNR provided is enough to detect a moving target well.
Robust Powerline Equipment Inspection System Based on a Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Siddiqui Zahid Ali , Park Unsang , Lee Sang-Woong , Jung Nam-Joon , Choi Minhee , Lim Chanuk , Seo Jang-Hun
Published: November 2018

Electric power line equipment such as insulators, cut-out-switches, and lightning-arresters play important roles in ensuring a safe and uninterrupted power supply. Unfortunately, their continuous exposure to rugged environmental conditions may cause physical or electrical defects in them which may lead to the failure to the electrical system. In this paper, we present an automatic real-time electrical equipment detection and defect analysis system. Unlike previous handcrafted feature-based approaches, the proposed system utilizes a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based equipment detection framework, making it possible to detect 17 different types of powerline insulators in a highly cluttered environment. We also propose a novel rotation normalization and ellipse detection method that play vital roles in the defect analysis process. Finally, we present a novel defect analyzer that is capable of detecting gunshot defects occurring in electrical equipment. The proposed system uses two cameras; a low-resolution camera that detects insulators from long-shot images, and a high-resolution camera which captures close-shot images of the equipment at high-resolution that helps for effective defect analysis. We demonstrate the performances of the proposed real-time equipment detection with up to 93% recall with 92% precision, and defect analysis system with up to 98% accuracy, on a large evaluation dataset. Experimental results show that the proposed system achieves state-of-the-art performance in automatic powerline equipment inspection.
Hybrid TSR–PSR Alternate Energy Harvesting Relay Network over Rician Fading Channels: Outage Probability and SER Analysis
Authors: Nguyen Tan N. , Tran Tin Phu , Ha Duy Hung , Voznak Miroslav , Tran Phuong T. , Tran Minh , Nguyen Thanh-Long
Published: November 2018

In this research, we investigate a hybrid time-switching relay (TSR)–power-splitting relay (PSR) alternate energy harvesting (EH) relaying network over the Rician fading channels. For this purpose, the amplify-and-forward (AF) mode is considered for the alternative hybrid time TSR–PSR. The system model consists of one source, one destination and two alternative relays for signal transmission from the source to the destination. In the first step, the exact and asymptotic expressions of the outage probability and the symbol errors ratio (SER) are derived. Then, the influence of all system parameters on the system performance is investigated, and the Monte Carlo simulation verifies all results. Finally, the system performances of TSR–PSR, TSR, and PSR cases are compared in connection with all system parameters.
Status Change Model of Interethnic Riots
Authors: Marker Sandra
Published: November 2018

The status change riot model opens up a new avenue of riot explanation. One that takes into consideration ethnic group relations and factors of group status and honor—i.e., dignity. The riot model asserts that the potential for a riot arises when new and old concepts about group statuses, and as such, ideas about appropriate intergroup behaviors, give rise to disputative intergroup interactions. The model affirms that a trigger event either by itself or in accumulation with other events drives actors to a dignity threshold that prompts them to riot. The model further relates that, once started, a riot will follow a general riot pattern that ends in either a status resolution or an increased strain in ethnic group relations.
Within-Subject Consistency of Unimodal and Bimodal Force Application during the Countermovement Jump
Authors: Lake Jason P. , McMahon John J.
Published: November 2018

Countermovement jump (CMJ) force data are often time-normalized so researchers and practitioners can study the effect that sex, training status, and training intervention have on CMJ strategy: the so-called force–time curve shape. Data are often collected on an individual basis and then averaged across interest-groups. However, little is known about the agreement of the CMJ force–time curve shape within-subject, and this formed the aim of this study. Fifteen men performed 10 CMJs on in-ground force plates. The resulting force–time curves were plotted, with their shape categorized as exhibiting either a single peak (unimodal) or a double peak (bimodal). Percentage-agreement and the kappa-coefficient were used to assess within-subject agreement. Over two and three trials, 13% demonstrated a unimodal shape, 67% exhibited a bimodal shape, and 20% were inconsistent. When five trials were considered, the unimodal shape was not demonstrated consistently; 67% demonstrated a bimodal shape, and 33% were inconsistent. Over 10 trials, none demonstrated a unimodal shape, 60% demonstrated a bimodal shape, and 40% were inconsistent. The results of this study suggest that researchers and practitioners should ensure within-subject consistency before group averaging CMJ force–time data, to avoid errors.
Multiple Urban Domestic Water Systems: Method for Simultaneously Stabilized Robust Control Decision
Authors: Li Kebai , Ma Tianyi , Wei Guo
Published: November 2018

The distribution of water resources and the degree of economic development in different cities will result in different parameters for the supply and demand of domestic water in each city. In this paper, a simultaneous stabilization and robust control method is proposed for decision-making regarding multiple urban domestic water systems. The urban water demand is expressed as the product of the urban domestic water consumption population and per capita domestic water consumption. The fixed capital investment and labor input of the urban domestic water supply industry are used as control variables. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory and the linear matrix inequality method, multiple urban domestic water supply and demand systems can accomplish asymptotical stability through the coordinated input of investment and labor. For an empirical analysis, we take six cities—Nanjing, Wuxi, Nantong, Yangzhou, Xuzhou, and Lianyungang—in Jiangsu Province, China, to study the simultaneously stabilized coordinated control scheme. The simulation results show that the same control scheme simultaneously achieves the asymptotic stability of these urban domestic water supply and demand systems, and is robust when it comes to the variation of system parameters. This method is particularly suitable for a water resources administrative agency to make a unified decision-making arrangement for water supply input in different areas. It will help synchronize multiple urban domestic water managements and reduce the difficulty of control.
Spatio-Temporal Patterns and Impacts of Sediment Variations in Downstream of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, China
Authors: Chen Jilong , Fang Xinrui , Wen Zhaofei , Chen Qiao , Ma Maohua , Huang Yuanyang , Wu Shengjun , Yang Liang Emlyn
Published: November 2018

Spanning the Yangtze River of China, the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) has received considerable concern worldwide with its potential impacts on the downstream side of the dam. This work investigated the spatio-temporal variations of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) at the downstream section of Yichang-to-Chenglingji from 2002 to 2015. A random forest model was developed to estimate SSC using MODIS ground reflectance products, and the spatio-temporal distributions of SSC were retrieved with this model to investigate the characteristics of water-silt variation. Our results revealed that, relatively, SSC before 2003 was evenly distributed in the downstream Yangtze River, while this spatial distribution pattern changed ce 2003 when the dam started storing water. Temporally, the SSC demonstrated a W-shaped curve of seasonal variation as one peak occurred in September and two troughs in March and November, and showed a significantly decreasing trend after three-stage impoundment. After official operation of the TGD in 2009, the SSC was reduced by over 40% than before 2003. Spatially, the most significant changes occurred in the upper Jingjiang section, where the SSC dropped by 45%. During all stages of impoundment, the water impoundment to 135 m in 2003 had the most significant impact on suspended sediment. The decreased SSC has led to emerging risks of bank failure, aggravated erosion of water front and aggressive down-cutting erosion along the downstream of the dam, as well as other ecological and environmental issues that require urgent attention by the government.
Environmental Conflict Risk Assessment Based on AHP-FCE: A Case of Jiuhua Waste Incineration Power Plant Project
Authors: Liao Yaqin , Yu Guanghui , Liao Yan , Jiang Lei , Liu Xianzhao
Published: November 2018

The risk assessment of environmental conflicts has been an integral part of measuring the operability of projects as well as the happiness of the affected population. With the current situation of environmental crises, environmental conflict has an effect on society. In order to maintain the stable development of society, we used the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method and the analytic hierarchy process to study the risk of a population being affected by a project producing environmental pollution. Furthermore, we provided an approach that had the potential to quantify as well as give a risk assessment of the environmental impact. The results classified 0.397, 0.202, and 0.295 as medium, relatively high, and highest risk, respectively. We deemed that the conflict mode between people, government, and enterprise is actually the confrontation between benefit gainers and benefit losers to a great extent. In subtle ways, this conflict mode has several roles. The solution of environmental conflicts lies in how the roles of government and enterprises change and how the interests of the public are considered. Environmental risks can be safely mitigated without violence by managing relationships between people, governments and businesses.
Experimental Investigation of the Impact of Coal Fines Migration on Coal Core Water Flooding
Authors: Gao Dapeng , Liu Yuewu , Wang Tianjiao , Wang Daigang
Published: November 2018

Coalbed Methane (CBM) has become an important gas resource in recent decades. The brittle property of coal matrix and overactive operation make the migration of coal fines inevitable. Blockage by coal fines that plugs flow paths is a non-negligible issue that results in a significant decline in gas production. By setting different experimental conditions with the following factors—coal fines concentration of the mixture displacing fluids, constant flow pump rate, inlet pressure, outlet pressure and confining pressure—six experimental schemes were designed to investigate the two-phase water and coal fines flow in natural core samples. When the differential pressure and flooding flow reach a pseudo-steady status, the equivalent permeability of coal samples can be approximately calculated considering coal fines migration. Furthermore, the influences of coal fines migration on the cleat opening and permeability variation are analyzed in the porous coal medium. The study will benefit CBM development and save pump maintenance costs. In this work, we found that maintaining the differential pressure for a longer period may result in new cleat openings and severe coal rock damage during the single-phase water flooding process. While coal fines may plug some natural cleats and pores, especially in the core samples with micro-cleats during the two-phase flooding stage, coal fines migration significantly reduces the equivalent permeability and dewatering ability of the coal rock in the earlier flooding. While enlarging the differential pressure in two-phase water and fines flooding, breakthrough of coal fines from the samples contributes to widened cleats. While coal fines are difficult to flood into the core pores for low-permeability core samples, coal fines gather in the inlet, and it is also difficult to reach the pseudo-steady status even under higher differential pressure. The damage to permeability mainly occurs in the early stage of coal fines migration, and an abrupt increase in the flow velocity can damage reservoirs and induce substantial coal fines generation. Thus, maintaining a stable effective strength and a controlled depressurization rate during drainage can effectively constrain coal fines output and decrease permeability damage within coal reservoirs.
Urban River Transformation and the Landscape Garden City Movement in China
Authors: Shi Shuhan , Kondolf G. Mathias , Li Dihua
Published: November 2018

The practice of enhancing existing rivers and creating entirely new waterscapes has exploded in China over the past two decades. In our study of 104 randomly selected cities across China, we identified 14 types of river projects based on grey literature reports and their appearance on sequential aerial imagery, falling into three categories: ‘engineering’, ‘waterfront spaces’ and ‘ecological’ projects. ‘Waterfront spaces’ is the most common (60.5%), followed by ‘engineering’ (28.7%) and ‘ecological’ (10.8%). Using multiple stepwise regression, we found that the types of projects undertaken were strongly influenced by factors such as climate, social-economic setting, and ‘Landscape Garden City’ designation. Designation as a ‘Landscape Garden City’ was correlated with ‘waterfront spaces’, but not ‘engineering’ and ‘ecological’ projects. We found that cities in drier climates (as measured by ‘precipitation minus evaporation’) constructed more projects and they included many projects that impounded seasonal rivers to create year-round water bodies. Based on our results, we conclude that Chinese cities are still in the process of ‘decorating’ rivers, and that the ‘Landscape Garden City’ designation promoted such ‘decorating’ projects, especially ‘linear greening’ projects and ‘public spaces along rivers’. The results also demonstrate that the new river projects in China are often at odds with the local climate.
Capturing the Risk-Pooling Effect through Inventory Planning and Demand Switching
Authors: Cho Hsun Chuan , Hsieh Ying Jiun , Huang Lan Ying
Published: November 2018

This paper demonstrates how firms can deal with demand uncertainty through inventory planning and demand switching, which take advantage of the risk-pooling effect and contribute to supply-chain sustainability. Considering two types of products and two outsourcing strategies (competitive bidding, and consignment stock under the (Q, R) inventory policy with variable lead times), the study helps determine the appropriate outsourcing strategy when a firm practices demand switching. Under certain conditions, the study further identifies the proper demand-switching direction and optimum switching-rate to achieve the minimum total purchase and inventory costs in association with outsourcing. Prior research generally implies that demand switching increases costs or profit benefits. This implication, however, does not hold true in the present context. The study presents numerical examples to illustrate the derived models. The findings enrich the extant literature by incorporating demand switching into the outsourcing practices, which is beneficial to both practitioners and scholars.
Prioritizing the Sustainability Objectives of Major Public Projects in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area
Authors: Li Hongyang , Jin Ruoyu , Ning Xin , Skitmore Martin , Zhang Tianyao
Published: November 2018

The relatively low level of sustainability of major public projects has been subject to criticism by the community, increasing the pressure to incorporate the concept throughout the project lifecycle and the importance of understanding the perceptions of affected groups. The study undertook this task by compiling a list from the literature of the sustainability concerns that are associated with major public projects from their economic–social–environmental implications, identifying the relevant stakeholder groups in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area and their levels of influence by interviews, and evaluating various sustainability objectives from a multi-stakeholder perspective via a questionnaire survey. The results were validated through a series of interviews with purposively selected experts. The study findings indicate the need for more consideration of social concerns in Guangdong province, the proper levels of public participation in Hong Kong in order to avoid excessive interruptions to the pace of project procurement, and that Macao may have to experience a relatively slow development of construction in order to balance the social/environmental requirements that are involved. These findings contribute to both the government and construction industry at large in delivering economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable major public projects in the Bay Area and China as a whole.
Some Inequalities of Čebyšev Type for Conformable k-Fractional Integral Operators
Authors: Qi Feng , Rahman Gauhar , Hussain Sardar , Du Wei-Shih , Nisar Kottakkaran
Published: November 2018

In the article, the authors present several inequalities of the Čebyšev type for conformable k-fractional integral operators.
Special Issue on “Wearable Technologies”
Authors: Tognetti Alessandro , Carbonaro Nicola
Published: November 2018

Wearable technology will revolutionize our lives in the years to come. [...]
Trichothecene Genotypes of Fusarium graminearum Populations Isolated from Winter Wheat Crops in Serbia
Authors: Krnjaja Vesna , Stanković Slavica , Obradović Ana , Petrović Tanja , Mandić Violeta , Bijelić Zorica , Božić Manja
Published: November 2018

Fusarium graminearum as the main causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and its ability to produce trichothecenes was investigated by molecular techniques. A total of 37 strains isolated from the wheat, harvested in Serbia in 2005, 2008 and 2015, and previously designated by morphological observation as F. graminearum, were used for trichothecene genotypes characterization. The strains were identified using the species-specific primer set FG16R/FG16F while genotypic characterization was done using specific TRI13 and TRI3 sequences of the trichothecene gene clusters. The PCR assays identified all strains as species of F. graminearum sensu stricto with the DON/15-ADON genotype. The quantification of the mycotoxin (DON) was performed using the biochemical assay. The high levels of DON (>20,000 µg kg−1) were recorded in all of the strains from 2005, four strains from 2008 and two strains from 2015. Weather data of the investigated seasons, showed that the optimal temperature, frequent rains and high relative humidity (RH) was very favourable for the development of F. graminearum, affecting the DON biosynthesis.