bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the Molecular Basis of N-Substituted 1-Hydroxy-4-Sulfamoyl-2-Naphthoate Compounds Binding to Mcl1
Authors: Singaravelu Kalaimathy , Balasubramanian Pavithra K. , Marimuthu Parthiban
Published: April 2019

Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl1) is an anti–apoptotic protein that has gained considerable attention due to its overexpression activity prevents cell death. Therefore, a potential inhibitor that specifically targets Mcl1 with higher binding affinity is necessary. Recently, a series of N-substituted 1-hydroxy-4-sulfamoyl-2-naphthoate compounds was reported that targets Mcl1, but its binding mechanism remains unexplored. Here, we attempted to explore the molecular mechanism of binding to Mcl1 using advanced computational approaches: pharmacophore-based 3D-QSAR, docking, and MD simulation. The selected pharmacophore—NNRRR—yielded a statistically significant 3D-QSAR model containing high confidence scores (R2 = 0.9209, Q2 = 0.8459, and RMSE = 0.3473). The contour maps—comprising hydrogen bond donor, hydrophobic, negative ionic and electron withdrawal effects—from our 3D-QSAR model identified the favorable regions crucial for maximum activity. Furthermore, the external validation of the selected model using enrichment and decoys analysis reveals a high predictive power. Also, the screening capacity of the selected model had scores of 0.94, 0.90, and 8.26 from ROC, AUC, and RIE analysis, respectively. The molecular docking of the highly active compound—C40; 4-(N-benzyl-N-(4-(4-chloro-3,5-dimethylphenoxy) phenyl) sulfamoyl)-1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate—predicted the low-energy conformational pose, and the MD simulation revealed crucial details responsible for the molecular mechanism of binding with Mcl1.
Speleothems from the Middle East: An Example of Water Limited Environments in the SISAL Database
Authors: Burstyn Yuval , Martrat Belen , Lopez Jordi F. , Iriarte Eneko , Jacobson Matthew J. , Lone Mahjoor Ahmad , Deininger Michael
Published: April 2019

The Middle East (ME) spans the transition between a temperate Mediterranean climate in the Levant to hyper-arid sub-tropical deserts in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula (AP), with the complex alpine topography in the northeast feeding the Euphrates and Tigris rivers which support life in the Southeastern Fertile Crescent (FC). Climate projections predict severe drying in several parts of the ME in response to global warming, making it important to understand the controls of hydro-climate perturbations in the region. Here we discuss 23 ME speleothem stable oxygen isotope (δ18Occ) records from 16 sites from the SISAL_v1 database (Speleothem Isotope Synthesis and Analysis database), which provide a record of past hydro-climatic variability. Sub-millennial changes in ME δ18Occ values primarily indicate changes in past precipitation amounts the result of the main synoptic pattern in the region, specifically Mediterranean cyclones. This pattern is superimposed on change in vapor source δ18O composition. The coherency (or lack thereof) between regional records is reviewed from Pleistocene to present, covering the Last Glacial Maximum (~22 ka), prominent events during deglaciation, and the transition into the Holocene. The available δ18Occ time-series are investigated by binning and normalizing at 25-year and 200-year time windows over the Holocene. Important climatic oscillations in the Holocene are discussed, such as the 8.2 ka, 4.2 ka and 0.7 ka (the Little Ice Age) Before Present events. Common trends in the normalized anomalies are tested against different climate archives. Finally, recommendations for future speleothem-based research in the region are given along with comments on the utility and completeness of the SISAL database.
Rational Behavior of an Enterprise in the Energy Market in a Circular Economy
Authors: Gitelman Lazar , Magaril Elena , Kozhevnikov Mikhail , Rada Elena Cristina
Published: April 2019

In order to ensure their market sustainability, it is essential for energy-intensive industrial companies to address the issues of efficient energy use. Companies that are prepared to embrace tariff hikes, structural changes in fuel and energy markets, and a shortage of energy resources have a wider range of options to respond to the new challenges posed by the external environment and to reduce their risks. This task becomes particularly relevant in the context of the development of the circular economy that is aimed at resource optimization, energy conservation, zero-waste manufacturing, and business models that are based on maximum operational efficiency. This study aims to develop a methodology for rational behavior of the energy consumer in the context of the circular economy. The concept of “rational behavior” is defined by the authors as the intention to make the maximum use of the advantages and potential of energy markets in order to reduce the cost of energy supply, increase the level of electrification in industrial production, and use the capabilities of their own energy business. The article describes the main principles of rational behavior that serve as the foundation for effective implementation of various strategies (that of the seller, buyer, or both) in a company. A link is shown between rational behavior and energy market potential management in a company as a mix of technological, economic, and organizational activities performed by the energy consumer in a competitive market and effective market risk management. Forms of off-grid power supply and conditions for their application in manufacturing, for example, mini-combined heat and power (CHP) plants and quadgeneration plants at large metallurgical facilities were analyzed.
Sound Deposit Insurance Pricing Using a Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Assa Hirbod , Pouralizadeh Mostafa , Badamchizadeh Abdolrahim
Published: April 2019

While the main conceptual issue related to deposit insurances is the moral hazard risk, the main technical issue is inaccurate calibration of the implied volatility. This issue can raise the risk of generating an arbitrage. In this paper, first, we discuss that by imposing the no-moral-hazard risk, the removal of arbitrage is equivalent to removing the static arbitrage. Then, we propose a simple quadratic model to parameterize implied volatility and remove the static arbitrage. The process of removing the static risk is as follows: Using a machine learning approach with a regularized cost function, we update the parameters in such a way that butterfly arbitrage is ruled out and also implementing a calibration method, we make some conditions on the parameters of each time slice to rule out calendar spread arbitrage. Therefore, eliminating the effects of both butterfly and calendar spread arbitrage make the implied volatility surface free of static arbitrage.
Mechanism Design for Robotics
Authors: Ceccarelli Marco , Gasparetto Alessandro
Published: April 2019

MEDER 2018, the IFToMM International Symposium on Mechanism Design for Robotics, was the fourth event of a series that was started in 2010 as a specific conference activity on mechanisms for robots [...]
An Iterative Coarse-to-Fine Sub-Sampling Method for Density Reduction of Terrain Point Clouds
Authors: Fan Lei , Atkinson Peter M.
Published: April 2019

Point clouds obtained from laser scanning techniques are now a standard type of spatial data for characterising terrain surfaces. Some have been shared as open data for free access. A problem with the use of these free point cloud data is that the data density may be more than necessary for a given application, leading to higher computational cost in subsequent data processing and visualisation. In such cases, to make the dense point clouds more manageable, their data density can be reduced. This research proposes a new coarse-to-fine sub-sampling method for reducing point cloud data density, which honours the local surface complexity of a terrain surface. The method proposed is tested using four point clouds representing terrain surfaces with distinct spatial characteristics. The effectiveness of the iterative coarse-to-fine method is evaluated and compared against several benchmarks in the form of typical sub-sampling methods available in open source software for point cloud processing.
Differences among Evapotranspiration Products Affect Water Resources and Ecosystem Management in an Australian Catchment
Authors: Lu Zhixiang , Zhao Yan , Wei Yongping , Feng Qi , Xie Jiali
Published: April 2019

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a critical component of the water and energy balance of climate–soil–vegetation interactions and can account for a water loss of about 90% in arid regions. It is recognized that there are differences among different ET products, but it is not known what the range of this difference is and to what extent it impacts on water resources and ecosystem management. In this study, we assess the effects of value differences of five representative ET products on water resources and ecosystem management in the Murrumbidgee River catchment in Australia. The results show there are obvious differences in the annual and monthly ET values among these five ET products, which lead to huge differences on the estimations of mean annual runoff, soil water storage changes, and yearly irrigation water per area. Meanwhile, they result in different relationships between the annual gross primary productivity and ET and different water-use efficiency values for both forest and grassland, but the influence of ET variations on forest is less obvious than on grassland. The effects of the variations among the ET products on water resources and ecosystem management are remarkable and need to be the subject of more attention.
Open Database for Accurate Upper-Limb Intent Detection Using Electromyography and Reliable Extreme Learning Machines
Authors: Cene Vinicius Horn , Tosin Mauricio , Machado Juliano , Balbinot Alexandre
Published: April 2019

Surface Electromyography (sEMG) signal processing has a disruptive technology potential to enable a natural human interface with artificial limbs and assistive devices. However, this biosignal real-time control interface still presents several restrictions such as control limitations due to a lack of reliable signal prediction and standards for signal processing among research groups. Our paper aims to present and validate our sEMG database through the signal classification performed by the reliable forms of our Extreme Learning Machines (ELM) classifiers, used to maintain a more consistent signal classification. To perform the signal processing, we explore the use of a stochastic filter based on the Antonyan Vardan Transform (AVT) in combination with two variations of our Reliable classifiers (denoted R-ELM and R-Regularized ELM (RELM), respectively), to derive a reliability metric from the system, which autonomously selects the most reliable samples for the signal classification. To validate and compare our database and classifiers with related papers, we performed the classification of the whole of Databases 1, 2, and 6 (DB1, DB2, and DB6) of the NINAProdatabase. Our database presented consistent results, while the reliable forms of ELM classifiers matched or outperformed related papers, reaching average accuracies higher than 99 % for the IEEdatabase, while average accuracies of 75.1 %, 79.77 %, and 69.83 % were achieved for NINAPro DB1, DB2, and DB6, respectively.
Optimizing the Scale of a Wavelet-Based Method for the Detection of Gait Events from a Waist-Mounted Accelerometer under Different Walking Speeds
Authors: Caramia Carlotta , De Marchis Cristiano , Schmid Maurizio
Published: April 2019

The accurate and reliable extraction of specific gait events from a single inertial sensor at waist level has been shown to be challenging. Among several techniques, a wavelet-based method for initial contact (IC) and final contact (FC) estimation was shown to be the most accurate in healthy subjects. In this study, we evaluated the sensitivity of events detection to the wavelet scale of the algorithm, when walking at different speeds, in order to optimize its selection. A single inertial sensor recorded the lumbar vertical acceleration of 20 subjects walking at three different self-selected speeds (slow, normal, and fast) in a motion analysis lab. The scale of the wavelet method was varied. ICs were generally accurately detected in a wide range of wavelet scales under all the walking speeds. FCs detection proved highly sensitive to scale choice. Different gait speeds required the selection of a different scale for accurate detection and timing, with the optimal scale being strongly correlated with subjects’ step frequency. The best speed-dependent scales of the algorithm led to highly accurate timing in the detection of IC (RMSE < 22 ms) and FC (RMSE < 25 ms) across all speeds. Our results pave the way for the optimal adaptive selection of scales in future applications using this algorithm.
A Plant Leaf Geometric Parameter Measurement System Based on the Android Platform
Authors: Liu Haiyun , Ma Xu , Tao Ming , Deng Ruoling , Bangura Kemoh , Deng Xiangwu , Liu Chuang , Qi Long
Published: April 2019

Automatic and efficient plant leaf geometry parameter measurement offers useful information for plant management. The objective of this study was to develop an efficient and effective leaf geometry parameter measurement system based on the Android phone platform. The Android mobile phone was used to process and measure geometric parameters of the leaf, such as length, width, perimeter, and area. First, initial leaf images were pre-processed by some image algorithms, then distortion calibration was proposed to eliminate image distortion. Next, a method for calculating leaf parameters by using the positive circumscribed rectangle of the leaf as a reference object was proposed to improve the measurement accuracy. The results demonstrated that the test distances from 235 to 260 mm and angles from 0 to 45 degrees had little influence on the leafs’ geometric parameters. Both lab and outdoor measurements of leaf parameters showed that the developed method and the standard method were highly correlated. In addition, for the same leaf, the results of different mobile phone measurements were not significantly different. The leaf geometry parameter measurement system based on the Android phone platform used for this study could produce high accuracy measurements for leaf geometry parameters.
A Novel Routing Scheme for Creating Opportunistic Context-Virtual Networks in IoT Scenarios
Authors: Galán-Jiménez Jaime , Berrocal Javier , Garcia-Alonso Jose , Azabal Manuel Jesús
Published: April 2019

The massive amount of traffic required by the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm can be supported by the imminent arrival of 5G next-generation networks. However, the limited capacity of resources in IoT nodes, e.g., battery lifetime or buffer space, opens a challenge to be taken into account when proposing new routing solutions on IoT scenarios with intermittent connectivity. In this paper, we propose the concept of Opportunistic Context-Virtual Networks (OCVNs). The novelty of this approach is to create virtual groups of nodes that share interests in common for routing purposes. Therefore, only the nodes that are interested in the content of the messages that are flowing throughout the network are used as relaying nodes, providing their own resources for the sake of the communication. By leveraging the use of store-carry-and-forward mechanisms, a novel routing algorithm is proposed and evaluated over two realistic scenarios. Experimental results reveal that our solution outperforms other well-known opportunistic routing algorithms in terms of delivery probability and overhead ratio, while resource usage of relaying nodes is significantly reduced.
Adaptive Routing Optimization Algorithm in Community-Oriented Opportunistic Networks for Mobile Health
Authors: Chen Weimin , Chen Zhigang , Cui Fang
Published: April 2019

The appearance of a large number of mobile intelligent devices boosts the fast rise of mobile health (mHealth) application. However, due to the sensitivity and complexity of medical data, an efficient and secure mobile communication mode is a very difficult and challenging task in mHealth. The Opportunistic Networks (OppNets) is self-organizing and can expand the communication capacity by the movement of nodes, so it has a good prospect in the application of mHealth. Unfortunately, due to the shortage of stable and reliable end-to-end links, the routing protocol in OppNets has usually lower performance and is unsafe. To address these issues, we propose an adaptive routing optimization algorithm in OppNets for mHealth. This routing scheme firstly analyzes the relationship between nodes and defines the average message forwarding delay as a new metric to selectively forward messages, and then designs a local community detection algorithm based on the metric to adapt to the characteristics of OppNets, and finally resorts to some super-nodes to ferry messages between different communication domains. The simulation results demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed scheme. It increases the delivery ratio by about 30%, decreases delay by about 35%, and decreases the number of forwarding by about 5%, by comparing it with several existing routing schemes. We believe that the relationship between nodes, community, and message ferrying will play an important role in routing of OppNets for mHealth.
High Performance SDN WLAN Architecture
Authors: Košťál Kristián , Bencel Rastislav , Ries Michal , Trúchly Peter , Kotuliak Ivan
Published: April 2019

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) infrastructure is a dominant technology for direct access to the Internet and for cellular mobile data traffic offloading to WLANs. Additionally, the enterprise infrastructure can be used to provide functionality for the Internet of Things and Machine to Machine scenarios. This work is focused on improvements of radio resources control scalability similar to mobile networks via handover between cells. We introduce an improved IEEE 802.11 architecture utilizing Software-Defined Networks (SDNs). The proposed architecture allows communications during device movements without losing a quality of service (QoS). The fast seamless handover with QoS enables efficient usage of radio resources in large networks. Our improvements consist of integrating wireless management to OpenFlow protocol, separating encryption and decryption from an access point. In parallel, this feature as a side effect unloads processing at the Access Points (APs). Finally, the functionality of architecture design and scalability was proven by Colored Petri Nets (CPNs). The second proof of our concept was performed on two scenarios. The first scenario was applied to a delay sensitive use case. The second scenario considers a network congestion in real world conditions. Client’s mobility was integrated into both scenarios. The design was developed to demonstrate SDN WLAN architecture efficiency.
A Practical Neighbor Discovery Framework for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Gu Zhaoquan , Wang Yuexuan , Shi Wei , Tian Zhihong , Ren Kui , Lau Francis C.M.
Published: April 2019

Neighbor discovery is a crucial operation frequently executed throughout the life cycle of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Various protocols have been proposed to minimize the discovery latency or to prolong the lifetime of sensors. However, none of them have addressed that all the critical concerns stemming from real WSNs, including communication collisions, latency constraints and energy consumption limitations. In this paper, we propose Spear, the first practical neighbor discovery framework to meet all these requirements. Spear offers two new methods to reduce communication collisions, thus boosting the discovery rate of existing neighbor discovery protocols. Spear also takes into consideration latency constraints and facilitates timely adjustments in order to reduce the discovery latency. Spear offers two practical energy management methods that evidently prolong the lifetime of sensor nodes. Most importantly, Spear automatically improves the discovery results of existing discovery protocols, on which no modification is required. Beyond reporting details of different Spear modules, we also present experiment evaluations on several notable neighbor discovery protocols. Results show that Spear greatly improves the discovery rate from 33.0% to 99.2%, and prolongs the sensor nodes lifetime up to 6.47 times.
Sensitivity and Stability Enhancement of Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensors based on a Large-Area Ag/MoS2 Substrate
Authors: Kim Nak-Hyeon , Choi Munsik , Kim Tae Woo , Choi Woong , Park Sang Yoon , Byun Kyung Min
Published: April 2019

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors based on a silver film suffer from signal degradation due to silver oxidation in aqueous sensing environments. To overcome this limitation, we fabricated the planar plasmonic substrate employing an atomic MoS2 layer on a silver surface. Successful production of a large-area MoS2 monolayer blocks the penetration of oxygen and water molecules. In addition, we theoretically and experimentally found that MoS2 layer on the silver film can improve the SPR sensitivity and stability significantly. In this study, the proposed SPR substrate has the potential to provide highly enhanced sensor platforms for surface-limited molecular detections.
Intercomparison of Soil Moisture Retrieved from GNSS-R and from Passive L-Band Radiometry at the Valencia Anchor Station
Authors: Yin Cong , Lopez-Baeza Ernesto , Martin-Neira Manuel , Fernandez-Moran Roberto , Yang Lei , Navarro-Camba Enrique A. , Egido Alejandro , Mollfulleda Antonio , Li Weiqiang , Cao Yunchang , Zhu Bin , Yang Dongkai
Published: April 2019

In this paper, the SOMOSTA (Soil Moisture Monitoring Station) experiment on the intercomparison of soil moisture monitoring from Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) signals and passive L-band microwave radiometer observations at the Valencia Anchor Station is introduced. The GNSS-R instrument has an up-looking antenna for receiving direct signals from satellites, and a dual-pol down-looking antenna for receiving LHCP (left-hand circular polarization) and RHCP (right-hand circular polarization) reflected signals from the soil surface. Data were collected from the three different antennas through the two channels of Oceanpal GNSS-R receiver and, in addition, calibration was performed to reduce the impact from the differing channels. Reflectivity was thus measured, and soil moisture could be retrieved. The ESA (European Space Agency)-funded ELBARA-II (ESA L Band Radiometer II) is an L-band radiometer with two channels with 11 MHz bandwidth and respective center frequencies of 1407.5 MHz and 1419.5 MHz. The ELBARAII antenna is a large dual-mode Picket horn that is 1.4 m wide, with a length of 2.7 m with −3 dB full beam width of 12° (±6° around the antenna main direction) and a gain of 23.5 dB. By comparing GNSS-R and ELBARA-II radiometer data, a high correlation was found between the LHCP reflectivity measured by GNSS-R and the horizontal/vertical reflectivity from the radiometer (with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.83 to 0.91). Neural net fitting was used for GNSS-R soil moisture inversion, and the RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) was 0.014 m3/m3. The determination coefficient between the retrieved soil moisture and in situ measurements was R2 = 0.90 for Oceanpal and R2 = 0.65 for Elbara II, and the ubRMSE (Unbiased RMSE) were 0.0128 and 0.0734 respectively. The soil moisture retrievals by both L-band remote sensing methods show good agreement with each other, and their mutual correspondence with in-situ measurements and with rainfall was also good.
Development of a Derivatization Method for Investigating Testosterone and Dehydroepiandrosterone Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry in Saliva Samples from Young Professional Soccer Players Pre- and Post-Training
Authors: Alzahrani Mansour A. , O. Alshuwaier Ghareeb , S. Aljaloud Khalid , Gibson Colin , Khalaf Abedawn , S. Alhawiti Aliyah , G. Watson David
Published: April 2019

In the last decade, high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) combined with electrospray ionization (ESI) has been widely used for determining low concentrations of steroids, and derivatization has often been employed to enhance detection. In the present study, endogenous steroids were extracted using a Strata-XL polymeric reverse phase cartridge. The isolated steroids were reacted with 2-hydrazino-1-methylpyridine (HMP) at 50 °C for 30 min. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used in a positive mode with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) for the quantification of testosterone (T) and its precursor, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), in saliva samples collected from twenty young Saudi professional soccer players. The analytes were separated on an ACE Ultracore 2.5 Superphenylhexyl column (150 × 3.0 mm id). The extraction recovery during the pre-treatment was >89% and gave <±20% for inter- and intra-assay precision and accuracy. The limits of quantification (LOQ) were found to be 20 pg/mL for (T and DHEA) and 50 pg/mL for Epitestosterone (EPI). The results showed no significant variation in the concentration of T between pre and post training, whereas DHEA was significantly increased after short-term exercise. These results could indicate that there is no correlation between T and its precursor DHEA level following short term physical activity. EPI concentrations could not be detected with a LOQ of 50 pg/mL in the saliva samples.
Social Justice: Disparities in Average Earnings across Portuguese Municipalities
Authors: Martinho Vítor João Pereira Domingues
Published: April 2019

An ever-ongoing discussion these days involves the disparities in monthly earnings across different genders, geographical locations, levels of education, economic sectors, and skills and careers, with various economic and social consequences. In fact, in a framework such as that in which we live in nowadays (with pertinent concerns about economic and social convergences across several indicators), investigating these disparities would be interesting in order to complement the basis that is considered for the design of social policies. There are few studies considering the approaches here developed for this topic. The objective of this study is to analyse the disparities in the average monthly earnings received by employees across Portuguese mainland municipalities over the period 2004–2012, considering as additional analysis criteria geographical location, gender, levels of qualification, levels of education, economic sectors, professional activities, and further qualifications. For this both a cluster and factor analysis were considered to better identify municipalities with similar characteristics and correlations among variables. The results show that the disparities in the monthly average earnings between the Portuguese municipalities are related to three indexes associated with gender, qualifications, and chosen professions. The findings presented are specific to the Portuguese framework; however, the approaches developed in this study may be applied in other contexts to explore the dynamics related with the topic of social justice.
Economic Impacts of a Low Carbon Economy on Global Agriculture: The Bumpy Road to Paris
Authors: Jensen Hans , Pérez Domínguez Ignacio , Fellmann Thomas , Lirette Paul , Hristov Jordan , Philippidis George
Published: April 2019

Limiting climate change below a 2 °C temperature increase this century will require substantial reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and the transition to a climate-friendly, low carbon society. In this paper, the economic impact of a less carbon-intensive economy on agricultural markets is estimated by means of an integrated modelling framework. First, the macroeconomic impacts of moving into a global low carbon economy are analysed by applying different carbon taxes in a general equilibrium modelling framework. Second, the potential adoption of emission mitigation technologies is quantified and used in the Aglink-Cosimo model to assess the impacts on agricultural markets of emission mitigation scenarios compatible with the 2.0 °C target prescribed in the Paris Agreement. Results for 2030 show reductions in global non-CO2 GHG emissions from agriculture (i.e., methane and nitrous oxide) by 10, 16 and 19% in 50, 100 and 150 USD/t CO2eq global carbon tax scenarios, respectively (Least Developed Countries excluded). Only between 0.6% and 1.3% of the global reduction is caused by indirect macroeconomic effects, although at the regional level they can cause up to 5.8% of the reduction in agricultural emissions. Results suggest that ambitious mitigation targets can provoke significant negative impacts on agricultural production and underline the importance of integrating GHG emission developments and impacts of related policies into agricultural market projections.
Effect of Ornamental Plants, Seasonality, and Filter Media Material in Fill-and-Drain Constructed Wetlands Treating Rural Community Wastewater
Authors: Zamora-Castro Sergio A. , Marín-Muñiz José Luis , Sandoval Luis , Vidal-Álvarez Monserrat , Carrión-Delgado Juan Manuel
Published: April 2019

The effects of Canna indica (P1), Pontederia sagittata (P2), and Spathiphyllum wallisii (P3) growing in different filter media materials (12 using porous river rock and 12 using tepezyl) on the seasonal removal of pollutants of wastewater using fill-and-drain constructed wetlands (FD-CWs) were investigated during 12 months. Three units of every media were planted with one plant of P1, P2, and P3, and three were kept unplanted. C. indica was the plant with higher growth than the other species, in both filter media. The species with more flower production were: C. indica > P. sagittate > S. wallisii. Reflecting similarly in the biomass of the plants, C. indica and P. sagittata showed more quantity of aerial and below ground biomass productivity than S. wallisii. With respect to the removal efficiency, both porous media were efficient in terms of pollutant removal performance (p > 0.05). However, removal efficiency showed a dependence on ornamental plants. The higher removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrates (NO3−-N), ammonium (NH4+-N), and phosphates (PO4−3-P) oscillated between 81% to 83%, 80% to 84%, 61% to 69%, 61% to 68%, 65% to 71%, 62% to 68%, and 66% to 69%, respectively, in P1 and P2, removals 15% to 30% higher than P3. The removal in planted microcosms was significantly higher than the unplanted control units (p = 0.023). Nitrogen and phosphorous compounds were highly removed (60%–80%) because in typical CWs, such pollutant removals are usually smaller, indicating the importance of FD-CWs on wastewater treatments using porous river rock and tepezyl as porous filter media. (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), (NO3−-N), (NH4+-N), (TKN), and (PO4−3-P).
Intellectual Capital Performance of the Textile Industry in Emerging Markets: A Comparison with China and South Korea
Authors: Xu Jian , Wang Binghan
Published: April 2019

In this study, the Value Added Intellectual Capital (VAICTM) and Modified Value Added Intellectual Capital (MVAICTM) models are utilized to analyze intellectual capital (IC) performance of the textile industry in China and South Korea during 2012–2017, and measure the contribution of IC sub-components to companies’ performance. The results show that the aggregate IC positively affects earnings, profitability, and productivity of textile companies in China and South Korea. At the sub-components level, the contribution of capital employed efficiency (CEE) is the largest, followed by structural capital efficiency (SCE), and relational capital efficiency (RCE) in China’s textile industry. In addition, Korea’s textile industry relies heavily on CEE and human capital efficiency (HCE), while the contribution of RCE is relatively small. Finally, relevant policies are put forward to promote the sustainable development of the textile industry in these two emerging markets.
Hybrid Systems Optimization: Application to Hybrid Systems Photovoltaic Connected to Grid. A Mali Case Study
Authors: Touré Amadou , Addouche Sid , Danioko Fadaba , Diourté Badié , Mhamedi Abderrahman
Published: April 2019

Access to electricity and supplying reliable energy are the key elements that support local economic development and contribute to reducing poverty. Moreover, the problem of environmental protection can be considered as a factor of sustainable development. In response to these many challenges, appropriate national and regional policies, as well as mechanisms, have been implemented. In Mali, strong dependence on the importation of oil, growth in demand, and the low rate of electrification have pushed the highest authorities to think of diversified technological solutions like renewable energy for the satisfaction of energy demands, especially photovoltaics, for which the country has significant potential. The hybrid systems used is a compromise, because the emission rate of carbon dioxide emitted by thermal power plants must be reduced and limited to preserve supernatural disasters. For this, hybrid photovoltaic systems coupled to the grid increased, but the management of the production of these photovoltaics poses a lot of problem due to its intermittent status. It is in this context that we conducted an optimization study of a hybrid system photovoltaic connected to the grid. We applied our approach to the most extensive distribution post of Mali capital. For the simulation, we used the modeling and simulation tool named HOMER.
Stakeholder Collaboration on Policymaking for Sustainable Water Management in Singapore’s Hotel Sector: A Network Analysis
Authors: Hu Xiao , Lovelock Brent , Ying Tianyu , Mager Sarah
Published: April 2019

Stakeholder collaboration has become a critical issue in sustainable tourism policy due to the increasing complexity and interdisciplinary nature of the domain. Policymaking should reflect tourism values through a dynamic system in which stakeholders come to a consensus on sustainability issues via ongoing interactive engagement. Taking Singapore’s hotel sector as a case, this study explores how stakeholder relationships contribute to participatory policymaking on sustainable water management. Based on a survey of 33 relevant organisations, this research applies network analysis to investigate stakeholder collaboration within this policy domain. While the policymaking process is derived from a complex web of actors and their formal and informal interactions, the national water agency of Singapore and some private businesses were found to be centrally located in the policy network. The aforementioned government body is also perceived to hold the greatest legitimacy, power, and urgency over others in the policy domain. Central stakeholders were found to play an important “bridging” role in terms of the interconnectedness of policy actors across boundaries of the public, private, and third sectors. These prominent political and industry players were also likely to exert control over the policymaking process and access to important resources based on their favourable network positions.
A Sustainable Process for the Recovery of Anode and Cathode Materials Derived from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Zhang Guangwen , Du Zhongxing , He Yaqun , Wang Haifeng , Xie Weining , Zhang Tao
Published: April 2019

The recovery of cathode and anode materials plays an important role in the recycling process of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Organic binders reduce the liberation efficiency and flotation efficiency of electrode materials derived from spent LIBs. In this study, pyrolysis technology is used to improve the recovery of cathode and anode materials from spent LIBs by removing organic binders. Pyrolysis characteristics of organics in electrode materials are investigated, and on this basis, the effects of pyrolysis parameters on the liberation efficiency of electrode materials are studied. Afterwards, flotation technology is used to separate cathode material from anode material. The results indicate that the optimum liberation efficiency of electrode materials is obtained at a pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C, a pyrolysis time of 15 min and a pyrolysis heating rate of 10 °C/min. At this time, the liberation efficiency of cathode materials is 98.23% and the liberation efficiency of anode materials is 98.89%. Phase characteristics of electrode materials cannot be changed under these pyrolysis conditions. Ultrasonic cleaning was used to remove pyrolytic residues to further improve the flotation efficiency of electrode materials. The cathode material grade was up to 93.89% with a recovery of 96.88% in the flotation process.
The Effect of Firm Life Cycle on the Relationship between R&D Expenditures and Future Performance, Earnings Uncertainty, and Sustainable Growth
Authors: Yoo Jiyeon , Lee Sangryul , Park Sambock
Published: April 2019

R&D investment can reduce costs through efficient production technology, which has a positive (+) impact on future performance. On the other hand, R&D investment has uncertainty due to characteristics such as time lag, high cost and non-appropriability. We examine whether the effects of R&D expenditures on future performance and earnings uncertainty are different according to firm life cycle, which reflects the differences in the environment, circumstances, and strategy of the firm. Investors assess sustainable growth potential of the enterprise in the capital market, reflecting the future performance and the uncertainty of the firm. This implies that R&D investment can affect the capital market through investors’ future expectations for sustainable growth of the company. We also examine the differential effects of R&D expenditures on market response by the firm life cycle. The test results show that firm life cycle differentially affects the relation between R&D expenditures and future performance and uncertainty. Further, the market response varies over the firm life cycle. Our results provide suggestions that R&D investments should be made properly considering the environment and circumstances of the firm. The finding that R&D expenditures differently affect future performance, uncertainty, and sustainable growth potential according to the firm life cycle is expected to help managers make decisions about R&D investment.
Factors Affecting Chinese Young Adults’ Acceptance of Connected Health
Authors: Jia Lin , Tan Yuting , Han Feiyu , Zhou Yi , Zhang Chu , Zhang Yufei
Published: April 2019

The global health care industry faces several challenges, such as an aging population, insufficient medical resources, and uneven allocation of high-quality medical resources. These challenges impede the development of a sustainable medical care system. Connected health aims to relieve these challenges by deploying information technology in healthcare. However, there is a lack of research on adoption of connected health and as a result, its acceptance rate is still low. This study summarized 25 potential factors that may affect its acceptance, and ranked their importance by performing a best–worst scaling experiment. Fifteen important factors were distinguished, which included nine technological factors, five individual factors, and one environmental factor. To explore how these factors affect individuals’ acceptance of connected health, this study conducted a qualitative study based on grounded theory. We coded the contents collected in a semi-structural interview by applying open coding, axial coding, and selective coding techniques. Finally, nine core categories were distinguished, and a conceptual model was proposed to explain how these core categories affect individuals’ acceptance of connected health. This study deepens our understanding of factors affecting the acceptance of connected health and helps build a sustainable medical care system.
V-Shaped Responsibility of China’s Social Welfare for the Elderly: Based on Analyzing Historical Evolution and Future Sustainability
Authors: Dai Weidong
Published: April 2019

The aim of this study was to explore the evolution of aging support in China. The findings showed that (1) aging support from 1949–1977 emphasized the responsibility of the family and enterprises; (2) from 1978–2000, government and market responsibility emerged with the shift from a planned economy to a market-oriented economy; and (3) from 2001 onward, a development of social welfare for the elderly was undertaken by the government, but this includes a shared responsibility involving the market, society, family, and individuals. Based on these findings, the responsibility for aging support formed a dynamic V-shaped welfare evolution. This V-shaped welfare responsibility, especially in family support, is sustainable in China and other similar countries around the world.
Learning about Sustainable Mobility in Primary Schools from a Playful Perspective: A Focus Group Approach
Authors: Sipone Silvia , Abella-García Victor , Barreda Rosa , Rojo Marta
Published: April 2019

Nowadays, educational activities need to be oriented towards sustainable mobility as a tool to guarantee a better future for younger generations. Two focus groups (FGs) of children aged 10–12 years were formed, for the design, development, and evaluation of educational tools for gamification techniques on the subject of sustainable mobility. The study involved a group of children from three classes in the fifth-year of primary education at a school in the City of Burgos (Spain). The first focus group revealed the cognitive perceptions of the children toward sustainable mobility and their cognitive understanding of its need. The information was used in the design of learning activities of gamification techniques. The children in the second focus group, after the educational experience, were evaluated with regard to the knowledge they had acquired on the topic and changes in their attitudes. The basic knowledge of children before their participation in the research was limited to the environmental aspects of sustainable mobility, as we observed in the first focus group. Through the use of the gamification tools, the children acquired new concepts that clarified the importance of social and economic components linked to sustainable mobility, and they started to develop an awareness of how to play an active role in changing their behavior.
A Method to Determine Core Design Problems and a Corresponding Solution Strategy
Authors: Xie Yuanming , Li Wenqiang , Luo Yin , Li Yan , Li Song
Published: April 2019

The lack of information on the correlation between root causes and corresponding control criteria in the importance calculation of root causes of design problems results in less accurate determinations of core problems. Based on the interaction between customer needs, bad product parameters, and root causes, a hierarchical representation model of the design problem is established in this paper. A network layer of bad parameters, including various types of correlations, and a control layer, including technical feasibility and cost, are constructed. Then, a method based on the network analytic hierarchy process is proposed to rank the importance of root causes of the design problem and determine the core problems. Finally, a product design process based on the core problem solving is established to assist designers with improving design quality and efficiency. The design for the coolant flow distribution device in the lower chamber of a third-generation pressurized water reactor is employed as an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
CesH Represses Cereulide Synthesis as an Alpha/Beta Fold Hydrolase in Bacillus cereus
Authors: Tian Shen , Xiong Hairong , Geng Peiling , Yuan Zhiming , Hu Xiaomin
Published: April 2019

Cereulide is notorious as a heat-stable emetic toxin produced by Bacillus cereus and glucose is supposed to be an ingredient supporting its formation. This study showed that glucose addition benefited on cell growth and the early transcription of genes involved in substrate accumulation and toxin synthesis, but it played a negative role in the final production of cereulide. Meanwhile, a lasting enhancement of cesH transcription was observed with the addition of glucose. Moreover, the cereulide production in ΔcesH was obviously higher than that in the wild type. This indicates that CesH has a repression effect on cereulide production. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that CesH was an alpha/beta hydrolase that probably associated with the cell membrane, which was verified by subcellular localization. The esterase activity against para-nitrophenyl acetate (PNPC2) of the recombinant CesH was confirmed. Although no sign of ester bond cleavage in cereulide or valinomycin was demonstrated in in vitro assays, CesH could reverse the cereulide analogue sensitivity of Bacillus subtilis in vivo, by which toxin degradation was facilitated. Moreover, site directed mutations identified that the conserved catalytic triad of CesH might consist of Serine 86, Glutamate 199, and Histidine 227. These results help us to understand the regulation of cereulide production and provide clues for developing control measurements.
Structural Insights to the Heterotetrameric Interaction between the Vibrio parahaemolyticus PirAvp and PirBvp Toxins and Activation of the Cry-Like Pore-Forming Domain
Authors: Lin Shin-Jen , Chen Yi-Fan , Hsu Kai-Cheng , Chen Yun-Ling , Ko Tzu-Ping , Lo Chu-Fang , Wang Han-Ching , Wang Hao-Ching
Published: April 2019

Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is a newly emergent penaeid shrimp disease which can cause 70–100% mortality in Penaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon, and has resulted in enormous economic losses since its appearance. AHPND is caused by the specific strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus that harbor the pVA1 plasmid and express PirAvp and PirBvp toxins. These two toxins have been reported to form a binary complex. When both are present, they lead to the death of shrimp epithelial cells in the hepatopancreas and cause the typical histological symptoms of AHPND. However, the binding mode of PirAvp and PirBvp has not yet been determined. Here, we used isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to measure the binding affinity of PirAvp and PirBvp. Since the dissociation constant (Kd = 7.33 ± 1.20 μM) was considered too low to form a sufficiently stable complex for X-ray crystallographic analysis, we used alternative methods to investigate PirAvp-PirBvp interaction, first by using gel filtration to evaluate the molecular weight of the PirAvp/PirBvp complex, and then by using cross-linking and hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) mass spectrometry to further understand the interaction interface between PirAvp and PirBvp. Based on these results, we propose a heterotetrameric interaction model of this binary toxin complex. This model provides insight of how conformational changes might activate the PirBvp N-terminal pore-forming domain and should be helpful for devising effective anti-AHPND strategies in the future.