bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Panel of Recombinant Mucins Carrying a Repertoire of Sialylated O-Glycans Based on Different Core Chains for Studies of Glycan Binding Proteins
Authors: Cherian Reeja , Jin Chunsheng , Liu Jining , Karlsson Niclas , Holgersson Jan
Published: August 2015

Sialylated glycans serve as key elements of receptors for many viruses, bacteria, and bacterial toxins. The microbial recognition and their binding specificity can be affected by the linkage of the terminal sugar residue, types of underlying sugar chains, and the nature of the entire glycoconjugate. Owing to the pathobiological significance of sialylated glycans, we have engineered Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells to secrete mucin-type immunoglobulin-fused proteins carrying terminal α2,3- or α2,6-linked sialic acid on defined O-glycan core saccharide chains. Besides stably expressing P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1/mouse immunoglobulin G2b cDNA (PSGL-1/mIgG2b), CHO cells were stably transfected with plasmids encoding glycosyltransferases to synthesize core 2 (GCNT1), core 3 (B3GNT6), core 4 (GCNT1 and B3GNT6), or extended core 1 (B3GNT3) chains with or without the type 1 chain-encoding enzyme B3GALT5 and ST6GAL1. Western blot and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the presence of core 1, 2, 3, 4, and extended core 1 chains carrying either type 1 (Galb3GlcNAc) or type 2 (Galb4GlcNAc) outer chains with or without α2,6-linked sialic acids. This panel of recombinant mucins carrying a repertoire of sialylated O-glycans will be important tools in studies aiming at determining the fine O-glycan binding specificity of sialic acid-specific microbial adhesins and mammalian lectins.
Rainfall: Features and Variations over Saudi Arabia, A Review
Authors: Hasanean Hosny , Almazroui Mansour
Published: August 2015

The Saudi Arabia (SA) climate varies greatly, depending on the geography and the season. According to K ppen and Geiger, the climates of SA is “desert climate”. The analysis of the seasonal rainfall detects that spring and winter seasons have the highestrainfall incidence, respectively. Through the summer,small quantities of precipitation are observed, while autumn received more precipitation more than summer season considering the total annual rainfall. In all seasons, the SW area receives rainfall, with a maximum in spring, whereas in the summer season, the NE and NW areas receive very little quantities of precipitation. The Rub Al-Khali (the SE region) is almost totally dry. The maximum amount of annual rainfall does not always happen at the highest elevation. Therefore, the elevation is not the only factor in rainfall distribution.A great inter-annual change in the rainfall over the SA for the period (1978–2009) is observed. In addition, in the same period, a linear decreasing trend is found in the observed rainfall, whilst in the recent past (1994–2009) a statistically significant negative trend is observed. In the Southern part of the Arabian Peninsula (AP) and along the coast of the Red Sea, it is interesting to note that rainfall increased, whilst it decreased over most areas of SA during the 2000–2009 decade, compared to 1980–1989.Statistical and numerical models are used to predict rainfall over Saudi Arabia (SA). The statistical models based on stochastic models of ARIMA and numerical models based on Providing Regional Climates for Impact Studies of Hadley Centre (PRECIS). Climate and its qualitative character and quantified range of possible future changes are investigated. The annual total rainfall decreases in most regions of the SA and only increases in the south. The summertime precipitation will be the highest between other seasons over the southern, the southwestern provinces and Asir mountains, while the wintertime rainfall will remain the lowest.The climate in the SA is instructed by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and other circulations such as centers of high and low pressure, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and SOI. Strength and oscillation of subtropical jet stream play a big role in pulling hot, dry air masses of SA.
Measurements of the Aerodynamic Normal Forces on a 12-kW Straight-Bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
Authors: Dyachuk Eduard , Rossander Morgan , Goude Anders , Bernhoff Hans
Published: August 2015

The knowledge of unsteady forces is necessary when designing vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs). Measurement data for turbines operating at an open site are still very limited. The data obtained from wind tunnels or towing tanks can be used, but have limited applicability when designing large-scale VAWTs. This study presents experimental data on the normal forces of a 12-kW straight-bladed VAWT operated at an open site north of Uppsala, Sweden. The normal forces are measured with four single-axis load cells. The data are obtained for a wide range of tip speed ratios: from 1.7 to 4.6. The behavior of the normal forces is analyzed. The presented data can be used in validations of aerodynamic models and the mechanical design for VAWTs.
An Iterative Method to Derive the Equivalent Centrifugal Compressor Performance at Various Operating Conditions: Part II: Modeling of Gas Properties Impact
Authors: Albusaidi Waleed , Pilidis Pericles
Published: August 2015

This is the second part of a study conducted to model the aerothermodynamic impact of suction parameters and gas properties on a multi-stage centrifugal compressor’s performance. A new iterative method has been developed in the first part to derive the equivalent performance at various operating conditions. This approach has been validated to predict the compressor map at different suction pressures and temperatures using the design characteristics as reference values. A further case is included in this paper in order to emphasize the validity of the developed approach to obtain the performance characteristics at various gas compositions. The provided example shows that the performance parameters at different gas mixtures can be predicted to within ±1.34%. Furthermore, the conducted optimization in this paper reveals that the proposed method can be applied for the compressor design evaluation corresponding to the expected variation in suction conditions. Moreover, the examined case study demonstrates the effect of gas properties’ variation on the operating point and aerodynamic stability of the entire compression system. In order to achieve that, a simple approach has been established to assess the contribution of gas properties’ variation to the inefficient and unstable compressor performance based on the available operational data.
Gasification of a Dried Sewage Sludge in a Laboratory Scale Fixed Bed Reactor
Authors: Werle Sebastian
Published: August 2015

This paper presents an investigation of sewage sludge gasification in a fixed bed gasifier. Experiments were conducted on a laboratory scale fixed bed gasifier. In the experiments, two types of dried sewage sludge were tested and their properties were analysed. Parameters such as air ratio λ = 0.12 to 0.27, gasification agent temperature t = 50 to 250 °C and gasification agent composition ( = 0.21 and > 0.21) were found to influence on temperature distribution, syngas Lower Heating Value (LHV) and syngas composition. The results indicate that the syngas LHV was found to decrease with increased air ratio for all analyzed cases: cold and preheated air and cold enriched air. The increase in the percentage of the main combustible components was accompanied by a decrease in the concentration of carbon dioxide. Increasing oxygen concentration increased the temperature, which tended to favor the formation of smaller molecules in the gas mixture. Thus, the enriched air medium produced a gas with a higher LHV. In contrast to conventional gasification, gasification process with gasification agent preheating causes that the flux of heat necessary to support endothermic gasification reactions is producing more effective. Air preheating causes increases hydrogen and carbon monoxide production.
Influence of Low Frequency Variability on Climate and Carbon Fluxes in a Temperate Pine Forest in Eastern Canada
Authors: Thorne Robin , Arain M.
Published: August 2015

Carbon, water and energy exchanges between forests and the atmosphere depend upon seasonal dynamics of both temperature and precipitation, which are influenced by low frequency climate oscillations such as: El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Arctic Oscillation (AO), Eastern Pacific Oscillation (EPO) and the Pacific-North American (PNA). This study investigated the influence of climate oscillations on the local climate and carbon fluxes in a 75-year old temperate pine (Pinus strobus L.) forest, near Lake Erie in southern Ontario, Canada. Analyses indicated mean winter temperatures were correlated to NAO, AO and EPO, total winter precipitation was influenced by PNA and AO, while total snowfall was correlated with PNA and ENSO. These impacts influenced carbon dynamics of the forest during the winter and spring seasons. The EPO had a significant inverse correlation with winter and spring carbon fluxes, while the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) was significantly correlated with winter respiration. In 2012, an extreme warm event linked to climate oscillations raised temperatures and resulted in a large release of carbon from the forest due to higher ecosystem respiration. As low frequency climate oscillations are important drivers of extreme weather events, affecting their intensity, frequency and spatial patterns, they can cause large changes in carbon exchanges in forest ecosystems in the northeastern parts of North America.
Effect of Television on Obesity and Excess of Weight and Consequences of Health
Authors: Rosiek Anna , Maciejewska Natalia , Leksowski Krzysztof , Rosiek-Kryszewska Aleksandra , Leksowski Łukasz
Published: August 2015

The epidemic nature of obesity in industrialized countries is a serious health and social concern. The number of obese people has significantly increased in the past 20 years. In Poland excess weight and obesity are a serious epidemiological concern. In terms of the number of overweight people, Poland is a leader in Europe. Therefore, indicating many serious health concerns that are the natural consequences of this phenomenon has become important from the point of view of public health. This work identifies numerous diseases which are a direct consequence of obesity due to bad eating habits and lack of physical exercise among Poles. It discusses the negative effect of television and food commercials contributing to an increase in obesity, not only among adults but also among children. This is an overview forming grounds for further studies into ways of preventing the development of diseases due to obesity, both in Poland and in the world.
Association of Mothers’ Perception of Neighborhood Quality and Maternal Resilience with Risk of Preterm Birth
Authors: Bhatia Namrata , Chao Shin , Higgins Chandra , Patel Suvas , Crespi Catherine
Published: August 2015

We examined the associations of mothers’ perception of neighborhood quality and maternal resilience with risk of preterm birth and whether maternal resilience moderated the effect of neighborhood quality perception. We analyzed data from 10,758 women with singleton births who participated in 2010–2012 Los Angeles Mommy and Baby surveys. Multilevel logistic regression models assessed the effects of mothers’ perception of neighborhood quality and maternal resilience on preterm birth (yes/no), controlling for potential confounders and economic hardship index, a city-level measure of neighborhood quality. Interaction terms were assessed for moderation. Mothers’ perception of neighborhood quality and maternal resilience were each uniquely associated with preterm birth, independent of potential confounders (p-values < 0.05). The risk of preterm birth among mothers who perceived their neighborhood as of poor quality was about 30% greater compared to mothers who perceived their neighborhood as of good quality; the risk was 12% greater among mothers with low resilience compared to those with high resilience. Effects of neighborhood quality were not modified by maternal resilience. The findings suggest that mothers’ perception of neighborhood quality and resilience are associated with the risk of preterm birth. Further research should explore whether initiatives aimed at improving neighborhood quality and women’s self-esteem may improve birth outcomes.
An Investigation into the Completeness of, and the Updates to, OpenStreetMap Data in a Heterogeneous Area in Brazil
Authors: Camboim Silvana , Bravo João , Sluter Claudia
Published: August 2015

The integration of user-generated content made in a collaborative environment is being increasingly considered a valuable input to reference maps, even from official map agencies such as USGS and Ordnance Survey. In Brazil, decades of lack of investment has resulted in a topographic map coverage that is both outdated and unequally distributed throughout the territory. This paper aims to analyze the spatial distribution of updates of OpenStreetMap in rural and urban areas in the country to understand the patterns of user updates and its correlation with other economic and developmental variables. This analysis will contribute to generating the knowledge needed in order to consider the use of this data as part of a reference layer of the National Spatial Database Infrastructure as well to design strategies to encourage user action in specific areas.
Effect of Ultraviolet Aging on Rheology and Chemistry of LDH-Modified Bitumen
Authors: Liu Xing , Wu Shaopeng , Liu Gang , Li Liping
Published: August 2015

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are an ultravioletlight (UV)-resistant material. In this study, two types of LDHs (Mg-Al-LDHs and Zn-Al-LDHs) were applied to modify bitumen by melt-blending. The effect of ultraviolet aging on the rheology and chemistry of LDH-modified bitumen was studied by means of dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), thin-layer chromatography with flame ionization detection (TLC-FID), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry to reveal the mechanisms of action for LDHs and bitumen. The results showed that within the UV spectra (220–400 nm), the reflectance of Zn-Al-LDHs was larger than that of Mg-Al-LDHs. These two LDHs have different influences on the performance of bitumen. Mg-Al-LDHs had a more obvious influence on the physical and dynamic rheological properties of bitumen than Zn-Al-LDHs. Zn-Al-LDHs improved the UV-aging resistance of bitumen more. The reason can be that the reflectance of the Zn-Al-LDHs to the UV light is larger than that of the Mg-Al-LDHs. The Zn-Al-LDH-modified bitumen had more potential to improve the UV-aging resistance during the service life of asphalt pavement.
Identification of Copy Number Aberrations in Breast Cancer Subtypes Using Persistence Topology
Authors: Arsuaga Javier , Borrman Tyler , Cavalcante Raymond , Gonzalez Georgina , Park Catherine
Published: August 2015

DNA copy number aberrations (CNAs) are of biological and medical interest because they help identify regulatory mechanisms underlying tumor initiation and evolution. Identification of tumor-driving CNAs (driver CNAs) however remains a challenging task, because they are frequently hidden by CNAs that are the product of random events that take place during tumor evolution. Experimental detection of CNAs is commonly accomplished through array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) assays followed by supervised and/or unsupervised statistical methods that combine the segmented profiles of all patients to identify driver CNAs. Here, we extend a previously-presented supervised algorithm for the identification of CNAs that is based on a topological representation of the data. Our method associates a two-dimensional (2D) point cloud with each aCGH profile and generates a sequence of simplicial complexes, mathematical objects that generalize the concept of a graph. This representation of the data permits segmenting the data at different resolutions and identifying CNAs by interrogating the topological properties of these simplicial complexes. We tested our approach on a published dataset with the goal of identifying specific breast cancer CNAs associated with specific molecular subtypes. Identification of CNAs associated with each subtype was performed by analyzing each subtype separately from the others and by taking the rest of the subtypes as the control. Our results found a new amplification in 11q at the location of the progesterone receptor in the Luminal A subtype. Aberrations in the Luminal B subtype were found only upon removal of the basal-like subtype from the control set. Under those conditions, all regions found in the original publication, except for 17q, were confirmed; all aberrations, except those in chromosome arms 8q and 12q were confirmed in the basal-like subtype. These two chromosome arms, however, were detected only upon removal of three patients with exceedingly large copy number values. More importantly, we detected 10 and 21 additional regions in the Luminal B and basal-like subtypes, respectively. Most of the additional regions were either validated on an independent dataset and/or using GISTIC. Furthermore, we found three new CNAs in the basal-like subtype: a combination of gains and losses in 1p, a gain in 2p and a loss in 14q. Based on these results, we suggest that topological approaches that incorporate multiresolution analyses and that interrogate topological properties of the data can help in the identification of copy number changes in cancer.
Optical Properties of Titania Coatings Prepared by Inkjet Direct Patterning of a Reverse Micelles Sol-Gel Composition
Authors: Schmiedova Veronika , Dzik Petr , Vesely Michal , Zmeskal Oldrich , Morozova Magdalena , Kluson Petr
Published: August 2015

Thin layers of titanium dioxide were fabricated by direct inkjet patterning of a reverse micelles sol-gel composition onto soda-lime glass plates. Several series of variable thickness samples were produced by repeated overprinting and these were further calcined at different temperatures. The resulting layers were inspected by optical and scanning electronic microscopy and their optical properties were investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the range of 200–1000 nm. Thus the influence of the calcination temperature on material as well as optical properties of the patterned micellar titania was studied. The additive nature of the deposition process was demonstrated by a linear dependence of total thickness on the number of printed layers without being significantly affected by the calcination temperature. The micellar imprints structure of the titania layer resulted into significant deviation of measured optical constants from the values reported for bulk titania. The introduction of a void layer into the ellipsometric model was found necessary for this particular type of titania and enabled correct ellipsometric determination of layer thickness, well matching the thickness values from mechanical profilometry.
A Qualitative Comparison of the Reactivities of 3,4,4,5-Tetrachloro-4H-1,2,6-thiadiazine and 4,5-Dichloro-1,2,3-dithiazolium Chloride
Authors: Kalogirou Andreas , Koutentis Panayiotis
Published: August 2015

The high yielding transformations of 3,4,4,5-tetrachloro-4H-1,2,6-thiadiazine into 3,5-dichloro-4H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-4-one (up to 85%) and 2-(3,5-dichloro-4H-1,2,6-thiadiazin-4-ylidene)malononitrile (up to 83%) have been investigated and compared to the analogous transformations of the closely-related 4,5-dichloro-1,2,3-dithiazolium chloride (Appel’s salt) into 4-chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-one and 2-(4-chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-ylidene)malononitrile. Furthermore, cyclocondensation of 3,4,4,5-tetrachloro-4H-1,2,6-thiadiazine with 2-aminophenol and 1,2-benzenediamines gave fused 4H-1,2,6-thiadiazines in 68%–85% yields.
New Bergamotane Sesquiterpenoids from the Plant Endophytic Fungus Paraconiothyrium brasiliense
Authors: Guo Zhe , Ren Fengxia , Che Yongsheng , Liu Gang , Liu Ling
Published: August 2015

Brasilamides K-N (1–4), four new bergamotane sesquiterpenoids; with 4-oxatricyclo (3.3.1.0 2,7)nonane (1)and 9-oxatricyclo(4.3.0.0 4,7)nonane (2–4) skeletons; were isolated from the scale-up fermentation cultures of the plant endophytic fungus Paraconiothynium brasiliense Verkley. The previously identified sesquiterpenoids brasilamides A and C (5 and 6) were also reisolated in the current work. The structures of 1–4 were elucidated primarily by interpretation of NMR spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations of 1–3 were deduced by analogy to the co-isolated metabolites 5 and 6; whereas that of C-12 in 4 was assigned using the modified Mosher method. The cytotoxicity of all compounds against a panel of eight human tumor cell lines were assayed.
Regulation of the scp Genes in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803—What is New?
Authors: Cheregi Otilia , Funk Christiane
Published: August 2015

In the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 there are five genes encoding small CAB-like (SCP) proteins, which have been shown to be up-regulated under stress. Analyses of the promoter sequences of the scp genes revealed the existence of an NtcA binding motif in two scp genes, scpB and scpE. Binding of NtcA, the key transcriptional regulator during nitrogen stress, to the promoter regions was shown by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The metabolite 2-oxoglutarate did not increase the affinity of NtcA for binding to the promoters of scpB and scpE. A second motif, the HIP1 palindrome 5ʹ GGCGATCGCC 3ʹ, was detected in the upstream regions of scpB and scpC. The transcription factor encoded by sll1130 has been suggested to recognize this motif to regulate heat-responsive genes. Our data suggest that HIP1 is not a regulatory element within the scp genes. Further, the presence of the high light regulatory (HLR1) motif was confirmed in scpB-E, in accordance to their induced transcriptions in cells exposed to high light. The HLR1 motif was newly discovered in eight additional genes.
Dietary Vitamin K Intake Is Associated with Cognition and Behaviour among Geriatric Patients: The CLIP Study
Authors: Chouet Justine , Ferland Guylaine , Féart Catherine , Rolland Yves , Presse Nancy , Boucher Kariane , Barberger-Gateau Pascale , Beauchet Olivier , Annweiler Cedric
Published: August 2015

Our objective was to determine whether dietary vitamin K intake was associated with cognition and behavior among older adults. 192 consecutive participants ≥65 years, recruited in the cross-sectional CLIP (Cognition and LIPophilic vitamins) study, were separated into two groups according to the tertiles of dietary phylloquinone intake (i.e., lowest third below 207 µg/day versus the other two thirds combined). Daily dietary phylloquinone intake was estimated from 50-item interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire. Cognition was assessed with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); behaviour with Frontotemporal Behavioral Rating Scale (FBRS). Age, gender, social problems, education, body mass index (BMI), comorbidities, history of stroke, use vitamin K antagonists, inadequate fatty fish intake, serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), vitamin B12, albumin, and estimated glomerular filtration rate were used as confounders. Compared to participants in the lowest third of dietary phylloquinone intake (n = 64), those with higher intake had higher (i.e., better) mean MMSE score (22.0 ± 5.7 versus 19.9 ± 6.2, p = 0.024) and lower (i.e., better) FBRS score (1.5 ± 1.2 versus 1.9 ± 1.3, p = 0.042). In multivariate linear regressions, log dietary phylloquinone intake was positively associated with MMSE score (adjusted β = 1.66, p = 0.013) and inversely associated with FBRS score (adjusted β = −0.33, p = 0.037). Specifically, log dietary phylloquinone intake correlated negatively with FBRS subscore of physical neglect (r = −0.24, p = 0.001). Higher dietary phylloquinone intake was associated with better cognition and behavior among older adults.
Diet-Induced Cognitive Deficits: The Role of Fat and Sugar, Potential Mechanisms and Nutritional Interventions
Authors: Beilharz Jessica , Maniam Jayanthi , Morris Margaret
Published: August 2015

It is of vital importance to understand how the foods which are making us fat also act to impair cognition. In this review, we compare the effects of acute and chronic exposure to high-energy diets on cognition and examine the relative contributions of fat (saturated and polyunsaturated) and sugar to these deficits. Hippocampal-dependent memory appears to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of high-energy diets and these deficits can occur rapidly and prior to weight gain. More chronic diet exposure seems necessary however to impair other sorts of memory. Many potential mechanisms have been proposed to underlie diet-induced cognitive decline and we will focus on inflammation and the neurotrophic factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Finally, given supplementation of diets with omega-3 and curcumin has been shown to have positive effects on cognitive function in healthy ageing humans and in disease states, we will discuss how these nutritional interventions may attenuate diet-induced cognitive decline. We hope this approach will provide important insights into the causes of diet-induced cognitive deficits, and inform the development of novel therapeutics to prevent or ameliorate such memory impairments.
Interleukin 17-Mediated Host Defense against Candida albicans
Authors: Sparber Florian , LeibundGut-Landmann Salomé
Published: August 2015

Candida albicans is part of the normal microbiota in most healthy individuals. However, it can cause opportunistic infections if host defenses are breached, with symptoms ranging from superficial lesions to severe systemic disease. The study of rare congenital defects in patients with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis led to the identification of interleukin-17 (IL-17) as a key factor in host defense against mucosal fungal infection. Experimental infections in mice confirmed the critical role of IL-17 in mucocutaneous immunity against C. albicans. Research on mouse models has also contributed importantly to our current understanding of the regulation of IL-17 production by different cellular sources and its effector functions in distinct tissues. In this review, we highlight recent findings on IL-17-mediated immunity against C. albicans in mouse and man.
Mapping Aquatic Vegetation in a Large, Shallow Eutrophic Lake: A Frequency-Based Approach Using Multiple Years of MODIS Data
Authors: Liu Xiaohan , Zhang Yunlin , Shi Kun , Zhou Yongqiang , Tang Xiangming , Zhu Guangwei , Qin Boqiang
Published: August 2015

Aquatic vegetation serves many important ecological and socioeconomic functions in lake ecosystems. The presence of floating algae poses difficulties for accurately estimating the distribution of aquatic vegetation in eutrophic lakes. We present an approach to map the distribution of aquatic vegetation in Lake Taihu (a large, shallow eutrophic lake in China) and reduce the influence of floating algae on aquatic vegetation mapping. Our approach involved a frequency analysis over a 2003–2013 time series of the floating algal index (FAI) based on moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Three phenological periods were defined based on the vegetation presence frequency (VPF) and the growth of algae and aquatic vegetation: December and January composed the period of wintering aquatic vegetation; February and March composed the period of prolonged coexistence of algal blooms and wintering aquatic vegetation; and June to October was the peak period of the coexistence of algal blooms and aquatic vegetation. By comparing and analyzing the satellite-derived aquatic vegetation distribution and 244 in situ measurements made in 2013, we established a FAI threshold of −0.025 and VPF thresholds of 0.55, 0.45 and 0.85 for the three phenological periods. We validated the accuracy of our approach by comparing the results between the satellite-derived maps and the in situ results obtained from 2008–2012. The overall classification accuracy was 87%, 81%, 77%, 88% and 73% in the five years from 2008–2012, respectively. We then applied the approach to the MODIS images from 2003–2013 and obtained the total area of the aquatic vegetation, which varied from 265.94 km2 in 2007 to 503.38 km2 in 2008, with an average area of 359.62 ± 69.20 km2 over the 11 years. Our findings suggest that (1) the proposed approach can be used to map the distribution of aquatic vegetation in eutrophic algae-rich waters and (2) dramatic changes occurred in the distribution of aquatic vegetation in Lake Taihu during the 11-year study.
Shaft Diameter Measurement Using Structured Light Vision
Authors: Liu Siyuan , Tan Qingchang , Zhang Yachao
Published: August 2015

A method for measuring shaft diameters is presented using structured light vision measurement. After calibrating a model of the structured light measurement, a virtual plane is established perpendicular to the measured shaft axis and the image of the light stripe on the shaft is projected to the virtual plane. On the virtual plane, the center of the measured shaft is determined by fitting the projected image under the geometrical constraints of the light stripe, and the shaft diameter is measured by the determined center and the projected image. Experiments evaluated the measuring accuracy of the method and the effects of some factors on the measurement are analyzed.
Assessing the Communication Quality of CSR Reports. A Case Study on Four Spanish Food Companies
Authors: Baviera-Puig Amparo , Gómez-Navarro Tomás , García-Melón Mónica , García-Martínez Gabriel
Published: August 2015

Sustainability reports are tools for disseminating information to stakeholders and the public, serving the organizations in the dual purpose of communicating CSR and being accountable. The production of these reports has recently become more prevalent in the food industry, despite the fact this practice has received heavy criticism on two fronts: The quality of the tool for communication, and the extent of accountability. In addition to these criticisms, organizations must overcome the additional challenge of publishing sustainability reports that successfully meet the demands of a multi-stakeholder audience. In light of the importance of this practice, this paper presents a method to assess the communication and accountability characteristics of Spanish food companies’ sustainability reports. This method is based on the method Analytic Network Process (ANP) and adopts a multi-stakeholder approach. This research, therefore, provides a reference model for improving sustainability reports, with the aim of successfully meeting their communication objectives and the demands of all stakeholders.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Tourism-Based Leisure Farms in Taiwan
Authors: Huang Kuo-Tsang , Wang Jen
Published: August 2015

This research is the first attempt of a carbon emission investigation of tourism-based farms. A total of 36 cases were investigated. The result reveals that each tourist returns an average revenue of 28.6 USD and generates an average 10.9 kg-CO2eq per visit of carbon emissions. The average carbon emission density for each land area is 8.2 t/ha·year and is 245 kg/m²·year for each floor area. It is estimated that the overall carbon emissions reach 321,751 tons annually. The tourism-based farms were clustered into five categories, based on their business characteristics. It was found that high-end vacation leisure farms produce 2.46 times the carbon emissions than natural eco-conservation farms. Carbon emissions were 42% higher than the annual average in July and August. A secondary high season is in February, but it is merely higher than the annual average by 8% because of the mild climate. Two significant models for predicting carbon emissions were constructed by stepwise regression. As agriculture administrative authorities in Taiwan gradually have begun admitting the cultivated lands for multi-purpose usage, tourism-based farms have been increasing drastically. This study provides references for both public authorities and farm managers in exploring the issues with regard to carbon emissions and farm sustainability.
Mechanisms of Drug Resistance in Veterinary Oncology— A Review with an Emphasis on Canine Lymphoma
Authors: Zandvliet Maurice , Teske Erik
Published: August 2015

Drug resistance (DR) is the major limiting factor in the successful treatment of systemic neoplasia with cytotoxic chemotherapy. DR can be either intrinsic or acquired, and although the development and clinical implications are different, the underlying mechanisms are likely to be similar. Most causes for DR are pharmacodynamic in nature, result from adaptations within the tumor cell and include reduced drug uptake, increased drug efflux, changes in drug metabolism or drug target, increased capacity to repair drug‐induced DNA damage or increased resistance to apoptosis. The role of active drug efflux transporters, and those of the ABC‐transporter family in particular, have been studied extensively in human oncology and to a lesser extent in veterinary medicine. Methods reported to assess ABC‐transporter status include detection of the actual protein (Western blot, immunohistochemistry), mRNA or ABC‐transporter function. The three major ABC‐transporters associated with DR in human oncology are ABCB1 or P‐gp, ABCC1 or MRP1, and ABCG2 or BCRP, and have been demonstrated in canine cell lines, healthy dogs and dogs with cancer. Although this supports a causative role for these ABC‐transporters in DR cytotoxic agents in the dog, the relative contribution to the clinical phenotype of DR in canine cancer remains an area of debate and requires further prospective studies.
Impacts of Land Use on Surface Water Quality in a Subtropical River Basin: A Case Study of the Dongjiang River Basin, Southeastern China
Authors: Ding Jiao , Jiang Yuan , Fu Lan , Liu Qi , Peng Qiuzhi , Kang Muyi
Published: August 2015

Understanding the relationship between land use and surface water quality is necessary for effective water management. We estimated the impacts of catchment-wide land use on water quality during the dry and rainy seasons in the Dongjiang River basin, using remote sensing, geographic information systems and multivariate statistical techniques. The results showed that the 83 sites can be divided into three groups representing different land use types: forest, agriculture and urban. Water quality parameters exhibited significant variations between the urban-dominated and forest-dominated sites. The proportion of forested land was positively associated with dissolved oxygen concentration but negatively associated with water temperature, electrical conductivity, permanganate index, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and chlorophyll-a. The proportion of urban land was strongly positively associated with total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen concentrations. Forested and urban land use had stronger impacts on water quality in the dry season than in the rainy season. However, agricultural land use did not have a significant impact on water quality. Our study indicates that urban land use was the key factor affecting water quality change, and limiting point-source waste discharge in urban areas during the dry season would be critical for improving water quality in the study area.
Capacity Planning and Management of IT Incident Management Services based on Queuing Models
Authors: Li Ta-Hsin , Lee Juhnyoung
Published: August 2015

Incident management or resolution services for the information technology (IT) infrastructure and software of large enterprises are labor-intensive operations. Because incidents have to be resolved in timely manner, performance targets are often set regarding the time to respond and the time to resolve for incident tickets. To meet these targets, adequate staffing is critical. At the same time, utilization rate of the staff must also be taken into account, because extra cost is often associated with an underutilized workforce. The management of IT incident resolution services always faces the question: how to properly staff a given operation, especially when the volume of service requests is expected to rise. Queuing models can be used to help address such questions. This chapter reviews the basic concepts in queuing models and discusses some practical issues in the application of queuing models to the capacity planning and management of IT incident resolution services.
Organizational Models for Service Delivery
Authors: Dasgupta Gargi B. , Agarwal Shivali , Sindhgatta Renuka
Published: August 2015

The organizations in the business of IT service delivery have conventionally adopted the team structure of dedicated customer teams to deliver services. A dedicated team is assigned to address all requirements that are specific to the customer. However, this way of organizing service delivery leads to inefficiencies in using expertise and available resources across teams in a flexible manner. In contrast the shared services model became very popular in the last decade, but soon faced challenges of losing customer focus. This gives rise to the question of what is the best way of grouping shared resources across customers. Especially, with the large variations in the technical and domain skills required to address customer requirements, what should be the service delivery model for diverse customer profile? This chapter looks at different dimensions one can organize delivery by and recommends patterns based on customer profiles, business functions technologies, geographies and operational characteristics.
A Service-Oriented Algebra for Optimizing the Management of Service Requests
Authors: Vaculín Roman , Chee Yi-Min , Oppenheim Daniel V. , Varshney Lav R.
Published: August 2015

The Work-as-a-Service (WaaS) paradigm models work engagements as compositions of service requests, with the intention of separating the work coordination and enactment. In this chapter we present a definition of the WaaS conceptual meta-model a WaaS protocol, based on algebraic ideas from the area of business artifacts, that enables work decomposition, delegation, control, and enactment. The meta-model supports management and coordination during planning and enactment of work. The essential part is a coordination lifecycle, consisting of loosely coupled milestones, domain-specific information attributes, and sets of abstract observable activities to be performed. The presented service-oriented algebra consists of operations for coordination lifecycles when encapsulated service requests are torn, merged, paused, and resumed. The meta-model and protocol presented in this chapter are independent from the specific coordination enactment model which may employ centralized coordination, fully distributed coordination, or other models of coordination between requestors and providers under various optimization objectives.
Optimizing Cloud Storage Management Services
Authors: Alatorre Gabriel , Gopisetty Sandeep , Jadav Divyesh , Langston Bryan , Mandagere Nagapramod , Routray Ramani , Ludwig Heiko
Published: August 2015

Storage services are an essential part of an organization's IT infrastructure services and contribute a significant part of total IT costs. For this reason, various service management techniques are applied to optimize a service's storage resource usage while still addressing requirements related to performance, high availability, or disaster recovery. While storage virtualization has been the basis for many storage service management optimizations, the relatively stable environments of enterprise IT enabled all management activity to proceed in the context of change processes on specialized storage controllers. Completely virtualized environments require frequent topological changes but also enable optimized resource usage across shared resource pools. This enables lower resource and service management costs if the right storage service management architecture is deployed. This chapter focuses on cloud service management from a storage perspective, providing a set of proven methods and services to optimize storage resource usage and the management architecture that enables them.
Determination of Work Zone Capacity Using ELM, MPMR and GPR
Authors: Roy Sangeeta , Jagan J. , Samui Pijush
Published: August 2015

This article examines the capability of Extreme Learning Machine (ELM), Minimax Probability Machine Regression (MPMR) and Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) for determination of Work Zone Capacity. Number of lanes, number of open lanes, work zone layout, length, lane width, percentage trucks, grade, speed, work intensity, darkness factor, and proximity of ramps have been adopted as inputs of ELM, MPMR and GPR. ELM has excellent generalization performance, rapid training speed and little human intervention. MPMR is developed based on the concept of minimax probability machine classification. It does not assume any data distribution. GPR is a probabilistic, and non-parametric model. In GPR, different kinds of prior knowledge can be applied. This article describes a comparative study between the ELM, MPMR and GPR models.
Modeling the Change of Urban Spatial Structure: Use Interzonal Travel Data to Estimate Urban Growth and Expansion by Hierarchical Cluster Analyses
Authors: Akin Darcin , Alasalvar Serdar
Published: August 2015

The Urban spatial structure is affected by spatial interactions among various activity locations, and land uses in the city over the transportation system. Each city has its unique circulation pattern of passengers and freight due to its unique geographic conditions and the distribution of locations of economic activities. In that sense, it is claimed in this chapter per the authors that urban spatial structure can be modeled using interzonal (O/D) travel data. Thus, the chapter presents a case study of modeling spatial structures developed by employing Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) using travel pattern data for current and future scenarios. As a result, urban growth and expansion were estimated based on the level of interaction (represented by distance or similarity modeled based on trip interchanges) over the transportation system in terms of population and/or employment increases. The interaction was described by a measure of distance or similarity, modeled with respect to trip interchanges.
Integrating Spatial Planning of Protected Areas and Transportation Infrastructures
Authors: Niţă Mihai Răzvan , Niculae Mihăită Iulian , Vânău Gabriel Ovidiu
Published: August 2015

Our study focuses on the position of protected areas in relation to the transport infrastructure planning and their specific requirements (fragmentation, artificial edge effects, buffer zones, etc.). The presence of transport infrastructure in protected areas is discouraged by the European Union legislation and although their avoidance should be easy, there are numerous cases in which knowledge of the protected areas lacked from the transport infrastructure planning. Our chapter presents the theoretical aspects of integrating protected areas with transportation infrastructures and the main software and methodologies which can be used in the planning process exemplified with case studies. The multitude of challenges found in transportation and conservation planning requires complex decision support systems (DSS), such are the tools based on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) we showcased in this chapter.
Multi-Objective Optimizer for Multimodal Distribution Networks
Authors: Gamberi Mauro , Bortolini Marco , Pilati Francesco , Regattieri Alberto
Published: August 2015

A multi-objective optimizer Decision Support System (DSS) to minimize the operating cost, the carbon footprint and the delivery time in the design of multi-modal Distribution Networks (DNs) is presented to overcome the widely adopted methodologies focused on the cost minimization, only. The proposed approach simultaneously assesses three independent objective functions, evaluating the network costs, the Carbon Footprint (CO2 emissions) and the shipping time from the producers to the final retailers. The DSS manages multimodal four-level (three-stage) DNs, best connecting the producers to the final retailers, through a set of Distribution Centres (DCs). It allows multiple transport modes and inter-modality options looking to the most effective DN configuration from the introduced multi-objective perspective. The three optimization criteria can be considered independently or solved simultaneously, through the so-called Pareto frontier approach. Finally, the proposed DSS is validated against a case study about the delivery of Italian fresh food to several European retailers.
A Literature Survey for Hazardous Materials Transportation
Authors: Erol Serpil , Yilmaz Zafer
Published: August 2015

Transportation has the greatest importance in logistics. The main focus for the carriers is the cost of transportation. Transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat) is a special kind of transportation due to freight transported. Causalities due to the accidents caused by vehicles that are carrying hazardous materials will be intolerable. For hazmat transportation, in addition to transport costs, risk of transporting hazmat also has to be considered. Many researchers studied on hazmat transportation problems in order to propose optimal solutions with respect to cost, risk, emergency response, facility location etc. In this study, a literature survey of articles about hazmat transportation was prepared. The articles published in refereed journal from 1973 to 2014 were taken into consideration. The articles were also classified according to their main focuses and hazmat type carried.
Creating Social Value in Societies
Authors: Idahosa Igbinakhase
Published: August 2015

This chapter critically examines social value creation in societies focusing on the “shared value” theory and stakeholders' “collective responsibility” hinged on social responsibility. The social value creation process is reviewed from the social entrepreneurship perspective considering the essential business/social inputs required to create social value for the business and the host society. The United Kingdom (UK) is used as a case study, depicting factors shaping the business environment. Other current meaningful developments, which include the Social Value Act 2012 that promotes social value creation in the country, are discussed. An analysis of the UK model of social value creation and why it will be difficult to implement in developing countries is also provided. Constraints such as poor infrastructure, corruption and other limiting factors are considered. Finally, social value creation is a sustainable process and every stakeholder benefits from its outcomes.
Business Strategies Creating Value for Social Entrepreneurs
Authors: Beharry-Ramraj Andrisha
Published: August 2015

Social entrepreneurs seek to make a difference in their societies. It starts with the identification of a specific social problem and devising a specific solution to address the problem. A historical overview of social entrepreneurs shows how individuals considered the greater good of society over self interest as well as the trickle down impact in order to achieve that difference. This chapter explores the various strategies available to social entrepreneurs and begins by defining strategy then presenting a broad spectrum of different competitive, social skills, growth, marketing and communications well as resource strategies that social entrepreneurs can adopt. The chapter concludes by presenting possible solutions and recommendations for social entrepreneurs.