bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On Some Extended Block Krylov Based Methods for Large Scale Nonsymmetric Stein Matrix Equations
Authors: Bentbib Abdeslem , Jbilou Khalide , Sadek EL
Published: March 2017

In the present paper, we consider the large scale Stein matrix equation with a low-rank constant term A X B − X + E F T = 0 . These matrix equations appear in many applications in discrete-time control problems, filtering and image restoration and others. The proposed methods are based on projection onto the extended block Krylov subspace with a Galerkin approach (GA) or with the minimization of the norm of the residual. We give some results on the residual and error norms and report some numerical experiments.
A Place to Call Home: An Analysis of the Bacterial Communities in Two Tethya rubra Samaai and Gibbons 2005 Populations in Algoa Bay, South Africa
Authors: Waterworth Samantha , Jiwaji Meesbah , Kalinski Jarmo-Charles , Parker-Nance Shirley , Dorrington Rosemary
Published: March 2017

Sponges are important sources of bioactive secondary metabolites. These compounds are frequently synthesized by bacterial symbionts, which may be recruited from the surrounding seawater or transferred to the sponge progeny by the parent. In this study, we investigated the bacterial communities associated with the sponge Tethya rubra Samaai and Gibbons 2005. Sponge specimens were collected from Evans Peak and RIY Banks reefs in Algoa Bay, South Africa and taxonomically identified by spicule analysis and molecular barcoding. Crude chemical extracts generated from individual sponges were profiled by ultraviolet high performance liquid chromatography (UV-HPLC) and subjected to bioactivity assays in mammalian cells. Next-generation sequencing analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences was used to characterize sponge-associated bacterial communities. T. rubra sponges collected from the two locations were morphologically and genetically indistinguishable. Chemical extracts from sponges collected at RIY banks showed mild inhibition of the metabolic activity of mammalian cells and their UV-HPLC profiles were distinct from those of sponges collected at Evans Peak. Similarly, the bacterial communities associated with sponges from the two locations were distinct with evidence of vertical transmission of symbionts from the sponge parent to its embryos. We conclude that these distinct bacterial communities may be responsible for the differences observed in the chemical profiles of the two Algoa Bay T. rubra Samaai and Gibbons 2005 populations.
Corrosion Behavior of API X100 Steel Material in a Hydrogen Sulfide Environment
Authors: Okonkwo Paul , Shakoor Rana , Benamor Abdelbaki , Amer Mohamed Adel , Al-Marri Mohammed
Published: March 2017

Recently, the API X100 steel has emerged as an important pipeline material for transportation of crude oil and natural gas. At the same time, the presence of significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in natural gas and crude oil cause pipeline materials to corrode, which affects their integrity. In this study, the effect of H2S concentration on the corrosion behavior of API X100 in 3.5% NaCl solution is presented. The H2S gas was bubbled into saline solutions for different durations, and the corrosion tests were then performed using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were used to characterize the corroded surface. The results indicate that the corrosion rate of API X100 steel decreases with increasing H2S bubbling time due to the increase in H2S concentration in 3.5% NaCl solutions. It is noticed that an accumulation of a critical amount of hydrogen in the metal can result in hydrogen-induced crack initiation and propagation. It was further observed that, when the stress limit of a crystalline layer is exceeded, micro-cracking of the formed protective sulfide layer (mackinawite) occurs on the API X100 steel surface, which may affect the reliability of the pipeline system.
Case Studies on Local Reinforcement of Sheet Metal Components by Laser Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Bambach Markus , Sviridov Alexander , Weisheit Andreas , Schleifenbaum Johannes
Published: March 2017

This paper details two case studies that make use of laser metal deposition for local reinforcement of sheet metal components. Two benchmark scenarios are investigated, both using aluminum alloys: (i) using laser cladding to increase the stiffness of a pre-formed component, and (ii) applying a local cladding on sheet metal for increasing the thickness prior to a hole-flanging operation. The results show that both routes are viable. Applying claddings onto sheet metal before a metal forming operation must ensure suitable formability, which may be limited by the layer material and undesired changes in the microstructure of the sheet. The limited formability has to be taken into account in the design of the forming operation. Cladding onto already formed components has to cope with inevitable distortion of the component. Nevertheless, introducing additive manufacturing into the field of sheet metal forming opens the possibility to produce new products such as tailored laser-cladded blanks, combinations of sheet and bulk components and to develop new methods such as stiffness management in lightweight design.
Red Blood Cell Responses during a Long-Standing Load in a Microfluidic Constriction
Authors: Horade Mitsuhiro , Tsai Chia-Hung , Ito Hiroaki , Kaneko Makoto
Published: March 2017

Red blood cell responses during a long-standing load were experimentally investigated. With a high-speed camera and a high-speed actuator, we were able to manipulate cells staying inside a microfluidic constriction, and each cell was compressed due to the geometric constraints. During the load inside the constriction, the color of the cells was found to gradually darken, while the cell lengths became shorter and shorter. According to the analysis results of a 5 min load, the average increase of the cell darkness was 60.9 in 8-bit color resolution, and the average shrinkage of the cell length was 15% of the initial length. The same tendency was consistently observed from cell to cell. A correlation between the changes of the color and the length were established based on the experimental results. The changes are believed partially due to the viscoelastic properties of the cells that the cells’ configurations change with time for adapting to the confined space inside the constriction.
3D–4D Printed Objects: New Bioactive Material Opportunities
Authors: Mandon Céline , Blum Loïc , Marquette Christophe
Published: March 2017

One of the main objectives of 3D printing in health science is to mimic biological functions. To reach this goal, a 4D printing might be added to 3D-printed objects which will be characterized by their abilities to evolve over time and under external stimulus by modifying their shape, properties or composition. Such abilities are the promise of great opportunities for biosensing and biomimetic systems to progress towards more physiological mimicking systems. Herein are presented two 4D printing examples for biosensing and biomimetic applications using 3D-printed enzymes. The first one is based on the printing of the enzymatic couple glucose oxidase/peroxidase for the chemiluminescent detection of glucose, and the second uses printed alkaline phosphatase to generate in situ programmed and localized calcification of the printed object.
New Benzimidazole-1,2,4-Triazole Hybrid Compounds: Synthesis, Anticandidal Activity and Cytotoxicity Evaluation
Authors: Karaca Gençer Hülya , Acar Çevik Ulviye , Levent Serkan , Sağlık Begüm , Korkut Büşra , Özkay Yusuf , Ilgın Sinem , Öztürk Yusuf
Published: March 2017

Owing to the growing need for antifungal agents, we synthesized a new series 2-((5-(4-(5-substituted-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)phenyl)-4-substituted-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)thio)-1-(substitutedphenyl)ethan-1-one derivatives, which were tested against Candida species. The synthesized compounds were characterized and elucidated by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and HR-MS spectroscopies. The synthesized compounds were screened in vitro anticandidal activity against Candida species by broth microdiluation methods. In vitro cytotoxic effects of the final compounds were determined by MTT assay. Microbiological studies revealed that compounds 5m, 5o, 5r, 5t, 5y, 5ab, and 5ad possess a good antifungal profile. Compounds 5w was the most active derivative and showed comparable antifungal activity to those of reference drugs ketoconazole and fluconazole. Cytotoxicity evaluation of compounds 5m, 5o, 5r, 5w, 5y, 5ab and 5ad showed that compounds 5w and 5ad were the least cytotoxic agents. Effects of these two compounds against ergosterol biosynthesis were observed by LC-MS-MS method, which is based on quantification of ergosterol level in C. albicans. Compounds 5w and 5d inhibited ergosterol biosynthesis concentration dependently. A fluorescence microscopy study was performed to visualize effect of compound 5w against C. albicans at cellular level. It was determined that compound 5w has a membrane damaging effect, which may be related with inhibition of biosynthesis of ergosterol.
Clinical Benefits of n-3 PUFA and ɤ-Linolenic Acid in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Veselinovic Mirjana , Vasiljevic Dragan , Vucic Vesna , Arsic Aleksandra , Petrovic Snjezana , Tomic-Lucic Aleksandra , Savic Maja , Zivanovic Sandra , Stojic Vladislava , Jakovljevic Vladimir
Published: March 2017

(1) Background: Marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and ɤ-linolenic acid (GLA) are well-known anti-inflammatory agents that may help in the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Their effects were examined in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; (2) Methods: Sixty patients with active rheumatoid arthritis were involved in a prospective, randomized trial of a 12 week supplementation with fish oil (group I), fish oil with primrose evening oil (group II), or with no supplementation (group III). Clinical and laboratory evaluations were done at the beginning and at the end of the study; (3) Results: The Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS 28 score), number of tender joints and visual analogue scale (VAS) score decreased notably after supplementation in groups I and II (p < 0.001). In plasma phospholipids the n-6/n-3 fatty acids ratio declined from 15.47 ± 5.51 to 10.62 ± 5.07 (p = 0.005), and from 18.15 ± 5.04 to 13.50 ± 4.81 (p = 0.005) in groups I and II respectively. The combination of n-3 PUFA and GLA (group II) increased ɤ-linolenic acid (0.00 ± 0.00 to 0.13 ± 0.11, p < 0.001), which was undetectable in all groups before the treatments; (4) Conclusion: Daily supplementation with n-3 fatty acids alone or in combination with GLA exerted significant clinical benefits and certain changes in disease activity.
Lifetime Exposure to a Constant Environment Amplifies the Impact of a Fructose-Rich Diet on Glucose Homeostasis during Pregnancy
Authors: Song Aleida , Astbury Stuart , Hoedl Abha , Nielsen Brent , Symonds Michael , Bell Rhonda
Published: March 2017

The need to refine rodent models of human-related disease is now being recognized, in particular the rearing environment that can profoundly modulate metabolic regulation. Most studies on pregnancy and fetal development purchase and transport young females into the research facility, which after a short period of acclimation are investigated (Gen0). We demonstrate that female offspring (Gen1) show an exaggerated hyperinsulinemic response to pregnancy when fed a standard diet and with high fructose intake, which continues throughout pregnancy. Markers of maternal hepatic metabolism were differentially influenced, as the gene expression of acetyl-CoA-carboxylase was raised in Gen1 given fructose and controls, whereas glucose transporter 5 and fatty acid synthase expression were only raised with fructose. Gen1 rats weighed more than Gen0 throughout the study, although fructose feeding raised the percent body fat but not body weight. We show that long-term habituation to the living environment has a profound impact on the animal’s metabolic responses to nutritional intervention and pregnancy. This has important implications for interpreting many studies investigating the influence of maternal consumption of fructose on pregnancy outcomes and offspring to date.
Engineered Resistant-Starch (ERS) Diet Shapes Colon Microbiota Profile in Parallel with the Retardation of Tumor Growth in In Vitro and In Vivo Pancreatic Cancer Models
Authors: Panebianco Concetta , Adamberg Kaarel , Adamberg Signe , Saracino Chiara , Jaagura Madis , Kolk Kaia , Di Chio Anna , Graziano Paolo , Vilu Raivo , Pazienza Valerio
Published: March 2017

Background/aims: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is ranked as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite recent advances in treatment options, a modest impact on the outcome of the disease is observed so far. We have previously demonstrated that short-term fasting cycles have the potential to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy against PC. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an engineered resistant-starch (ERS) mimicking diet on the growth of cancer cell lines in vitro, on the composition of fecal microbiota, and on tumor growth in an in vivo pancreatic cancer mouse xenograft model. Materials and Methods: BxPC-3, MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells were cultured in the control, and in the ERS-mimicking diet culturing condition, to evaluate tumor growth and proliferation pathways. Pancreatic cancer xenograft mice were subjected to an ERS diet to assess tumor volume and weight as compared to mice fed with a control diet. The composition and activity of fecal microbiota were further analyzed in growth experiments by isothermal microcalorimetry. Results: Pancreatic cancer cells cultured in an ERS diet-mimicking medium showed decreased levels of phospho-ERK1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase proteins) and phospho-mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) levels, as compared to those cultured in standard medium. Consistently, xenograft pancreatic cancer mice subjected to an ERS diet displayed significant retardation in tumor growth. In in vitro growth experiments, the fecal microbial cultures from mice fed with an ERS diet showed enhanced growth on residual substrates, higher production of formate and lactate, and decreased amounts of propionate, compared to fecal microbiota from mice fed with the control diet. Conclusion: A positive effect of the ERS diet on composition and metabolism of mouse fecal microbiota shown in vitro is associated with the decrease of tumor progression in the in vivo PC xenograft mouse model. These results suggest that engineered dietary interventions could be supportive as a synergistic approach to enhance the efficacy of existing cancer treatments in pancreatic cancer patients.
Modulation of TRP Channel Activity by Hydroxylation and Its Therapeutic Potential
Authors: Nagarajan Yagnesh , Rychkov Grigori Y. , Peet Daniel J.
Published: March 2017

Two transient receptor potential (TRP) channels—TRPA1 and TRPV3—are post-translationally hydroxylated, resulting in oxygen-dependent regulation of channel activity. The enzymes responsible are the HIF prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs) and the asparaginyl hydroxylase factor inhibiting HIF (FIH). The PHDs and FIH are well characterized for their hydroxylation of the hypoxic inducible transcription factors (HIFs), mediating their hypoxic regulation. Consequently, these hydroxylases are currently being targeted therapeutically to modulate HIF activity in anemia, inflammation, and ischemic disease. Modulating the HIFs by targeting these hydroxylases may result in both desirable and undesirable effects on TRP channel activity, depending on the physiological context. For the best outcomes, these hydroxylases could be therapeutically targeted in pathologies where activation of both the HIFs and the relevant TRP channels are predicted to independently achieve positive outcomes, such as wound healing and obesity.
Blend Hydrogel Microspheres of Carboxymethyl Chitosan and Gelatin for the Controlled Release of 5-Fluorouracil
Authors: Kanth Vanarchi , Kajjari Praveen , Madalageri Priya , Ravindra Sakey , Manjeshwar Lata , Aminabhavi Tejraj
Published: March 2017

Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) was synthesized and blended with gelatin (GE) to prepare hydrogel microspheres by w/o emulsion cross-linking in the presence of glutaraldehyde (GA), which acted as a cross-linker. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) was encapsulated to investigate its controlled release (CR) characteristics in acidic (pH 1.2) and alkaline (pH 7.4) buffer media. The microspheres which formed were spherical in nature, with smooth surfaces, as judged by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the carboxymethylation of CS and the chemical stability of 5-FU in the formulations. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the physical state and molecular level dispersion of 5-FU. Equilibrium swelling of microspheres was performed in water, in order to understand the water uptake properties. The in vitro release of 5-FU was extended up to 12 h in pH 7.4 phosphate buffer, revealing an encapsulation efficiency of 72%. The effects of blend composition, the extent of cross-linking, and initial drug loading on the in vitro release properties, were investigated. When analyzed through empirical equations, the release data suggested a non-Fickian transport mechanism.
The Significant Influence of Bacterial Reaction on Physico-Chemical Property Changes of Biodegradable Natural and Synthetic Polymers Using Escherichia coli
Authors: Kang Chankyu , Kim SamSoo , Kim SooJung , Lee Jae Woong
Published: March 2017

Escherichia coli (E. coli) was used to activate hydrolysis reaction along with biodegradation in natural and synthetic fibers to identify possibilities as alternative substitutes for textile wastes using chemical solutions and enzymes. To confirm the reaction between the bacterial infections of E. coli and the excessively abundant interstitial spaces of the fibers, various types of natural and synthetic fibers such as cotton, wool, polyethylene terephalate (PET), polyadmide (PA), polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP) were used to confirm the physico-chemical reactions. Tensile strength analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle analysis were used to determine the physico-chemical property changes of the fiber by the bacteria. When biofilm was formed on the fiber surface, various physical changes such as the following were observed: (i) in the analysis of tensile strength, all except PA and PP were decreased and a decrease in cotton fibers was noticeable (ii) depending on the type of fibers, the degree of roughness was different, but generally the surface became rough. In this study, the change of roughness was the most severe on the cotton fiber surface and the change of PET and PA fiber was relatively small. It was found that the intensity peak of oxygen was increased, except for the in cases of PA and PP, through the change of chemical properties by XPS analysis. Changes in topographical properties on the surface through contact angle analysis were stronger in hydrophilic properties, and in the case of cotton, completely hydrophilic surfaces were formed. Through this study, PA and PP fibers, which are Olefin fibers, were theoretically free of physicochemical and topographical changes since there were no functional groups that could trigger the hydrolysis reaction.
Direct Synthesis of Branched Carboxylic Acid Functionalized Poly(1-octene) by α-Diimine Palladium Catalysts
Authors: Guo Lihua , Zou Chen , Dai Shengyu , Chen Changle
Published: March 2017

In this work, we studied propylene polymerization using some α-diimine palladium catalysts with systematically varied ligand sterics. In propylene polymerization, the ligand steric effect exhibits significant variations on the catalytic activity, polymer molecular weight, and branching density. However, the regio control for the polymer microstructure is poor. Furthermore, copolymerization of 1-octene with the highly challenging and biorenewable comonomer acrylic acid was investigated. High copolymer molecular weights and high comonomer incorporation ratios could be achieved in this system. This study provides a novel access for the direct synthesis of branched carboxylic acid functionalized polyolefins.
Anti-Halal and Anti-Animal Slaughtering Campaigns and Their Impact in Post-War Sri Lanka
Authors: Yusoff Mohammad , Sarjoon Athambawa
Published: March 2017

This paper aims to examine the overall impact of anti-halal and anti-slaughtering campaigns in the context of post-war Sri Lanka. The reemergence of majoritarian ethno-religious anti-minority nationalist forces and their intensified anti-minority hatred and violence have made it challenging for ethno-religious minorities in Sri Lanka to engage in religious norms and duties. This is especially true for the Muslim community. Numerous Islamic fundamentals have been criticized and opposed. Muslims have had to endure threats and acts of violence. These campaigns and violent oppositions, imposed by the Buddhist-nationalist forces, have caused concern for Muslims performing their obligatory religious duties and norms. In Sri Lanka, the Muslim community has been allowed to produce halal food and slaughter animals for human consumption and religious rituals for a long period without disturbance. Unfortunately, retaliation and hatred in the post-civil war era in the country have threatened these rights. Thus, it has become imperative to investigate the motivating factors of the anti-halal and anti-animal slaughtering campaigns and violence, as well as their related impact, which is lacking in the existing literature on ethno-religious politics in the context of Sri Lanka. This study found that the anti-halal and anti-animal slaughtering campaigns and oppositions that have been intensified by the Buddhist nationalist forces were part of anti-Muslim sentiments intended to sabotage the economic pride of Muslims and undermine their religious renaissance. The study also found that these campaigns have been facilitated by the state and that continuous facilitation of the anti-Muslim sentiments and campaigns, including the anti-halal and anti-animal slaughter campaigns, would challenge the country’s economic prosperity and the rebuilding of ethno-religious harmony.
A Hybrid Approach for Three-Dimensional Building Reconstruction in Indianapolis from LiDAR Data
Authors: Zheng Yuanfan , Weng Qihao , Zheng Yaoxing
Published: March 2017

3D building models with prototypical roofs are more valuable in many applications than 2D building footprints. This research proposes a hybrid approach, combining the data- and model-driven approaches for generating LoD2-level building models by using medium resolution (0.91 m) LiDAR nDSM, the 2D building footprint and the high resolution orthophoto for the City of Indianapolis, USA. The main objective is to develop a GIS-based procedure for automatic reconstruction of complex building roof structures in a large area with high accuracy, but without requiring high-density point data clouds and computationally-intensive algorithms. A multi-stage strategy, which combined step-edge detection, roof model selection and ridge detection techniques, was adopted to extract key features and to obtain prior knowledge for 3D building reconstruction. The entire roof can be reconstructed successfully by assembling basic models after their shapes were reconstructed. This research finally created a 3D city model at the Level of Detail 2 (LoD2) according to the CityGML standard for the downtown area of Indianapolis (included 519 buildings).The reconstruction achieved 90.6% completeness and 96% correctness for seven tested buildings whose roofs were mixed by different shapes of structures. Moreover, 86.3% of completeness and 90.9% of correctness were achieved for 38 commercial buildings with complex roof structures in the downtown area, which indicated that the proposed method had the ability for large-area building reconstruction. The major contribution of this paper lies in designing an efficient method to reconstruct complex buildings, such as those with irregular footprints and roof structures with flat, shed and tiled sub-structures mixed together. It overcomes the limitation that building reconstruction using coarse resolution LiDAR nDSM cannot be based on precise horizontal ridge locations, by adopting a novel ridge detection method.
Fuzzy AutoEncode Based Cloud Detection for Remote Sensing Imagery
Authors: Shao Zhenfeng , Deng Juan , Wang Lei , Fan Yewen , Sumari Neema , Cheng Qimin
Published: March 2017

Cloud detection of remote sensing imagery is quite challenging due to the influence of complicated underlying surfaces and the variety of cloud types. Currently, most of the methods mainly rely on prior knowledge to extract features artificially for cloud detection. However, these features may not be able to accurately represent the cloud characteristics under complex environment. In this paper, we adopt an innovative model named Fuzzy Autoencode Model (FAEM) to integrate the feature learning ability of stacked autoencode networks and the detection ability of fuzzy function for highly accurate cloud detection on remote sensing imagery. Our proposed method begins by selecting and fusing spectral, texture, and structure information. Thereafter, the proposed technique established a FAEM to learn the deep discriminative features from a great deal of selected information. Finally, the learned features are mapped to the corresponding cloud density map with a fuzzy function. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, 172 Landsat ETM+ images and 25 GF-1 images with different spatial resolutions are used in this paper. For the convenience of accuracy assessment, ground truth data are manually outlined. Results show that the average RER (ratio of right rate and error rate) on Landsat images is greater than 29, while the average RER of Support Vector Machine (SVM) is 21.8 and Random Forest (RF) is 23. The results on GF-1 images exhibit similar performance as Landsat images with the average RER of 25.9, which is much higher than the results of SVM and RF. Compared to traditional methods, our technique has attained higher average cloud detection accuracy for either different spatial resolutions or various land surfaces.
Deep Learning Approach for Car Detection in UAV Imagery
Authors: Ammour Nassim , Alhichri Haikel , Bazi Yakoub , Benjdira Bilel , Alajlan Naif , Zuair Mansour
Published: March 2017

This paper presents an automatic solution to the problem of detecting and counting cars in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images. This is a challenging task given the very high spatial resolution of UAV images (on the order of a few centimetres) and the extremely high level of detail, which require suitable automatic analysis methods. Our proposed method begins by segmenting the input image into small homogeneous regions, which can be used as candidate locations for car detection. Next, a window is extracted around each region, and deep learning is used to mine highly descriptive features from these windows. We use a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) system that is already pre-trained on huge auxiliary data as a feature extraction tool, combined with a linear support vector machine (SVM) classifier to classify regions into “car” and “no-car” classes. The final step is devoted to a fine-tuning procedure which performs morphological dilation to smooth the detected regions and fill any holes. In addition, small isolated regions are analysed further using a few sliding rectangular windows to locate cars more accurately and remove false positives. To evaluate our method, experiments were conducted on a challenging set of real UAV images acquired over an urban area. The experimental results have proven that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods, both in terms of accuracy and computational time.
Flood Monitoring Using Satellite-Based RGB Composite Imagery and Refractive Index Retrieval in Visible and Near-Infrared Bands
Authors: Ban Hyun-Ju , Kwon Young-Joo , Shin Hayan , Ryu Han-Sol , Hong Sungwook
Published: March 2017

Satellite remote sensing provides significant information for the monitoring of natural disasters. Recently, on a global scale, floods have been increasing both in frequency and in magnitude. In order to map the inundation area, flooding events are investigated using unique RGB composite imagery based on the MODIS surface reflectance (MOD09GA) data obtained from the Terra satellite, which is used to visualize and analyze these events. This study proposes using an RGB combination of MODIS band 6 (1.64 μm), band 5 (1.24 μm), and band 2 (0.86 μm) data from the visible and the near-infrared spectral ranges to map flood events. The flooding events that were investigated in this study occurred on 25 October 2015 along the Pampanga River in the Philippines, and on 28 July 2016 along the Poyang and Dongting Lakes in China. In the case of the Pampanga River, the inundated areas were estimated with surface reflectance (R) thresholds of 0.0 ≤ R6 ≤ 0.102, 0.0 ≤ R5 ≤ 0.138, and 0.03 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.148 for MODIS bands 6, 5, and 2, respectively, which were determined using Otsu’s method. The total inundated area was estimated to be 487.75 km2. This estimate was indirectly compared with the results obtained from SENTINEL-1A Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. The total inundated area on 26 October 2015 for the case of the Pampanga River was estimated to be 486.37 km2 using histogram analysis based on Otsu’s method. For the flooding case in China, the total estimated inundated area using MODIS RGB imagery on 28 July 2016 and SAR on 3 August 2016 was 1148.25 km2 and 1110.096 km2, respectively. In addition, RGB imagery results using MODIS 6-5-2 bands were supported by the refractive index retrieval along the inundation area. A threshold of 1.6 for the real part of the complex refractive index allows for the discrimination between the flooded and non-flooded areas using the Hong and ASH approximations. This study shows that the RGB composite techniques using advanced sensors with more bands and higher spatio-temporal resolutions, and supported by the refractive index retrieval method, are useful for estimating flood events.
Fast and Selective Plasmonic Serotonin Detection with Aptamer-Gold Nanoparticle Conjugates
Authors: Chávez Jorge , Hagen Joshua , Kelley-Loughnane Nancy
Published: March 2017

Neurotransmitters detection is critical to understanding communication between the brain and peripheral tissue. Serotonin is a key neurotransmitter linked to a number of conditions, but a full understanding of its role in disease is still lacking. The development of fast and selective serotonin detection platforms will provide researchers with tools to monitor serotonin in individuals before and after treatment for the condition of interest. Aptamer-gold nanoparticles conjugates that responded colorimetrically to serotonin with minimal response to its metabolite and other neurotransmitters were designed by simply adsorbing the DNA on the surface of AuNPs. A plasmonic assay for serotonin detection was designed with a response to biologically relevant serotonin levels. Importantly, the assay performance was not compromised when tested in filtered spiked fetal bovine serum as a mimic of biofluids. This work shows that these simple and stable Apt-AuNP conjugates are promising tools to develop fast assays for point-of-care and personalized diagnostics applications.
Impact of Beamforming on the Path Connectivity in Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Dung Le , Hieu Tran , Choi Seong-Gon , Kim Byung-Seo , An Beongku
Published: March 2017

This paper investigates the impact of using directional antennas and beamforming schemes on the connectivity of cognitive radio ad hoc networks (CRAHNs). Specifically, considering that secondary users use two kinds of directional antennas, i.e., uniform linear array (ULA) and uniform circular array (UCA) antennas, and two different beamforming schemes, i.e., randomized beamforming and center-directed to communicate with each other, we study the connectivity of all combination pairs of directional antennas and beamforming schemes and compare their performances to those of omnidirectional antennas. The results obtained in this paper show that, compared with omnidirectional transmission, beamforming transmission only benefits the connectivity when the density of secondary user is moderate. Moreover, the combination of UCA and randomized beamforming scheme gives the highest path connectivity in all evaluating scenarios. Finally, the number of antenna elements and degree of path loss greatly affect path connectivity in CRAHNs.
A PCR-Based Molecular Detection of Strongyloides stercoralis in Human Stool Samples from Tabriz City, Iran
Authors: Ghasemikhah Reza , Tabatabaiefar Mohammad , Shariatzadeh Seyed , Shahbazi Abbas , Hazratian Teymour
Published: March 2017

Strongyloides stercoralis is a nematode causing serious infections in immunocompromised patients. In chronically infected patients, the low parasitic content as well as the resemblance of the larvae to several other species make diagnosis basedonmorphology difficult. In the present study, a PCR-based method targeting the internal transcribed sequence 2 (ITS2) of the rDNA region was examined for the molecular detection of S. stercoralis infection from the stool samples. A total of 1800 patients were included. Three fresh stool samples were collected per patient, and S. stercoralis isolates were identified by the morphological method. A subset of isolates was later used in the PCR-based method as positive controls. Additionally, negative and no-template controls were included. Data analysis was accomplished using an x2 test. Ap-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. In total, fivestool samples were found to be infected with S. stercoralis using the morphology method. PCR method detected S. stercoralis DNA target from all of the fiveDNA samples extracted from positive fecal samples. Conclusions: The PCR method used for amplifying a short fragment was successful for diagnosis of S. stercoralis in fecal samples and can be reliable for directly detecting the parasite bypassing morphological method.
Frozen in Time: How Disney Gender-Stereotypes Its Most Powerful Princess
Authors: Streiff Madeline , Dundes Lauren
Published: March 2017

Disney’s animated feature Frozen (2013) received acclaim for presenting a powerful heroine, Elsa, who is independent of men. Elsa’s avoidance of male suitors, however, could be a result of her protective father’s admonition not to “let them in” in order for her to be a “good girl.” In addition, Elsa’s power threatens emasculation of any potential suitor suggesting that power and romance are mutually exclusive. While some might consider a princess’s focus on power to be refreshing, it is significant that the audience does not see a woman attaining a balance between exercising authority and a relationship. Instead, power is a substitute for romance. Furthermore, despite Elsa’s seemingly triumphant liberation celebrated in Let It Go, selfless love rather than independence is the key to others’ approval of her as queen. Regardless of the need for novel female characters, Elsa is just a variation on the archetypal power-hungry female villain whose lust for power replaces lust for any person, and who threatens the patriarchal status quo. The only twist is that she finds redemption through gender-stereotypical compassion.
A Multicriteria Model for Optimization of Maintenance in Thermal Energy Production Systems in Hospitals: A Case Study in a Spanish Hospital
Authors: Carnero María , Gómez Andrés
Published: March 2017

Health Care Organizations are large consumers of energy resources. This is due to the large number of services they must offer continuously, the strict requirements of temperature and humidity for patients and comfort for all visitors. Facilities for thermal energy production are critical as they guarantee the proper working of care services by producing primary air, eliminating legionella, and providing air conditioning to theatres, emergency areas, ICUs, neonatology departments, etc. Nonetheless, despite the importance of thermal energy production systems, there is no prior literature analysing the best maintenance to be applied to these systems. This study describes an innovative multicriteria model designed with the Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique (MACBETH) approach and Markov chains, in choosing the best combination of maintenance policies to guarantee the best quality of care. The model was created with the co-operation of a decision group made up of those in charge of different areas of a Health Care Organization. This gives the current availability of the thermal energy production systems, and the availability that would be achieved by applying other alternatives. In the system that produces hot water for the air conditioning units, the best alternative is found to be corrective and preventive maintenance. In the cold-water production system for air conditioning, the model recommends the use of corrective, preventive and predictive maintenance, monitored by vibration analysis. For the systems producing hot domestic water and hot and cold water for other systems, corrective and preventive maintenance is recommended. In the legionella treatment system, it is best to apply corrective, preventive and periodic predictive maintenance (quarterly by combustion analysis). Finally, the implications for quality of care of changing the maintenance alternatives are considered. This research was carried out on thermal energy production systems currently operational in the University General Hospital of Ciudad Real (Spain). The methodology used in this study, together with the criteria, descriptors, weightings, etc., may serve as a standard for other Health Care Organizations, with the final goal of improving quality of care.
Economic City Branding in China: the Multi-Level Governance of Municipal Self-Promotion in the Greater Pearl River Delta
Authors: Lu Haiyan , De Jong Martin , Chen Yawei
Published: March 2017

In the urban development policy in China, city brands play an important role in setting targets for Chinese cities. These economic city brands, however, are not produced in an institutional vacuum: they are embedded in the visions national, provincial and municipal governments have for these cities, i.e., on multi-level governance. In this paper, a data-intense analysis of economic city branding practices has been conducted in the Greater Pearl River Delta, taking into account national, provincial and municipal documents in socio-economic, urban and land use planning. Evidence of economic and ecological initiatives through branding at the level of symbolic urban projects, such as new towns, has also been examined. It transpires that Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have adopted more sophisticated economic brand identities than the others and the reflection of brand-related targets from their actual projects is also more credible. While China’s national plans focus primarily on Hong Kong and Macau, provincial documents place more emphasis on the wealthier cities on the mainland (Shenzhen and Guangzhou). The other cities attract less attention and have more freedom to adopt economic city brands, but their efforts to live up to their promise are quite limited due to their weak financial position.
Competitive Intelligence Analysis of Augmented Reality Technology Using Patent Information
Authors: Jeong Byeongki , Yoon Janghyeok
Published: March 2017

Augmented reality has recently achieved a rapid growth through its applications in various industries, including education and entertainment. Despite the growing attraction of augmented reality, trend analyses in this emerging technology have relied on qualitative literature review, failing to provide comprehensive competitive intelligence analysis using objective data. Therefore, tracing industrial competition trends in augmented reality will provide technology experts with a better understanding of evolving competition trends and insights for further technology and sustainable business planning. In this paper, we apply a topic modeling approach to 3595 patents related to augmented reality technology to identify technology subjects and their knowledge stocks, thereby analyzing industrial competitive intelligence in light of technology subject and firm levels. As a result, we were able to obtain some findings from an inventional viewpoint: technological development of augmented reality will soon enter a mature stage, technologies of infrastructural requirements have been a focal subject since 2001, and several software firms and camera manufacturing firms have dominated the recent development of augmented reality.
Analysis of Co-Effects on Air Pollutants and CO2 Emissions Generated by End-of-Pipe Measures of Pollution Control in China’s Coal-Fired Power Plants
Authors: Zhao Haijun , Ma Weichun , Dong Hongjia , Jiang Ping
Published: March 2017

China is now facing great challenges resulting from climate change and air pollution, driven by the processes of industrialization and urbanization. Greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions produced by the coal-fired power industry represent approximately 70% of the total emissions in China’s industrial sector. In this study, 39 coal-fired power plants built in China between 2014 and 2015 were analyzed in regards to the co-effects oncarbon dioxide and air pollutant emissions generated directly and indirectly by end-of-pipe measures of pollution control. After completing the quantitative analysis with input data from 83units of power plants, we found that co-effects were positive only for air pollutant reductions through the implementation of desulfurization, denitrification, and dedusting measures, but co-effects were negative for carbon dioxide production because of the corresponding electricity use and chemical reactions that led to the increases in carbon dioxide emissions. We also performed an assessment of the synergistic coefficients to better understand the degree of co-effects. It will be important for researchers to take a comprehensive view of China’s coal-fired power plants and look for solutions that can maximize positive co-effects and achieve overall co-benefits of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants.
Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Total Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Dianshan Lake, China: The External Loading and Self-Purification Capability
Authors: Xiong Guohua , Wang Guochen , Wang Dongqi , Yang Weilin , Chen Yuanyuan , Chen Zhenlou
Published: March 2017

In this article, long-term data, statistical analysis, and spatial interpolation method were applied to the analyses of the spatial and temporal changes of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in Dianshan Lake. We also estimated the self-purification capability of TN and TP in Dianshan Lake. The results showed that interannual variability of the average concentration of TN in Dianshan Lake changed significantly, showing a characteristic increase before a decline, and the average concentration of TN showed an obvious downward trend, especially after 2007. Interannual variability of the average concentration of TP in Dianshan Lake fluctuated, and the average concentration of TP showed a downward trend after 2007. The seasonal variations of TN and TP in Dianshan Lake were similar. Higher TN concentration occurred in winter and spring, while higher TP concentration appeared in summer, autumn, and winter. The spatial distribution of TN and TP in Dianshan Lake were similar, showing a characteristic which decreased from north to south and west to east. The highest TN and TP values were mainly distributed in the inlet monitoring sites, while the lowest TP values were distributed in the outlet monitoring sites. The self-purification capability of TN and TP were about 2289.97 t/yr and 112.16 t/yr, which suggested a deterioration of natural water quality. Our research showed that Dianshan Lake was highly eutrophic and that water quality showed a substantial improvement from 1996 to 2015.
Heuristic vs. Meta-Heuristic Optimal Energy Design for an Office Building
Authors: Suh Won-Jun , Park Cheol-Soo
Published: March 2017

In this paper, an application of heuristic vs. meta-heuristic approaches to the design of an office building is presented. The building was first optimized by a heuristic approach based on the designers’ expertise, prior experiences and intuitions with the use of a whole building simulation tool, EnergyPlus. Then, a meta-heuristic approach was completed in MATLAB platform where EnergyPlus and Genetic Algorithm (GA) were coupled. M-script files were developed to automate execution of EnergyPlus simulation runs (reading output files and overwriting input files of EnergyPlus) in integration to GA. Based on a comparison between the heuristic and the meta-heuristic approach, it is shown that GA performs much better in finding a global optimum even under a constrained search space than the heuristic approach. The heuristic approach has advantages, such as reflection of a design context in decision-making and fast communication between stakeholders.
Nested One-to-One Symmetric Classification Method on a Fuzzy SVM for Moving Vehicles
Authors: Qin Guofeng , Huang Xiaodi , Chen Yiling
Published: March 2017

As a multi-classification problem, classification of moving vehicles has been studied by different statistical methods. These practical applications have various requirements, efficiencies, and performance, such as the size of training sample sets, convergence rate, and inseparable or ambiguous classification issues. With a reduction in its training time,the one-to-many support vector machine (SVM) method has an advantage over the standard SVM method by directly converting the binary classification problem into two multi-classification problems with short time and fast speed. When the number of training samples of a certain type is far less than the total number of samples, the accuracy of training, however, will be significantlydecreased,leading to theproblem of inseparable area. In this paper, the proposed nested one-to-one symmetric classification method on a fuzzy SVM symmetrically transforms the C multi-classification problems into the C(C-1)/2 binary classification problems with C(C-1)/2 classifiers, and solves the problem of inseparable area. According to the best combination factor of kernel function (γ, C) for the radial basis function (RBF) in the comparative experiments of training sample sets among the different algorithms, and the experimental results of many different training sample sets and test samples, the nested one-to-one symmetric classification algorithm on a fuzzy SVM for moving vehicle is able to obtain the best accuracy of recognition.