bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RNA Secondary Structure Modulates FMRP’s Bi-Functional Role in the MicroRNA Pathway
Authors: Kenny Phillip , Ceman Stephanie
Published: June 2016

MicroRNAs act by post-transcriptionally regulating the gene expression of 30%–60% of mammalian genomes. MicroRNAs are key regulators in all cellular processes, though the mechanism by which the cell activates or represses microRNA-mediated translational regulation is poorly understood. In this review, we discuss the RNA binding protein Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP) and its role in microRNA-mediated translational regulation. Historically, FMRP is known to function as a translational suppressor. However, emerging data suggests that FMRP has both an agonistic and antagonistic role in regulating microRNA-mediated translational suppression. This bi-functional role is dependent on FMRP’s interaction with the RNA helicase Moloney leukemia virus 10 (MOV10), which modifies the structural landscape of bound mRNA, therefore facilitating or inhibiting its association with the RNA-Induced Silencing Complex.
Characteristics and Antitumor Activity of Morchella esculenta Polysaccharide Extracted by Pulsed Electric Field
Authors: Liu Chao , Sun Yonghai , Mao Qian , Guo Xiaolei , Li Peng , Liu Yang , Xu Na
Published: June 2016

Polysaccharides from Morchella esculenta have been proven to be functional and helpful for humans. The purpose of this study was to investigate the chemical structure and anti-proliferating and antitumor activities of a Morchella esculenta polysaccharide (MEP) extracted by pulsed electric field (PEF) in submerged fermentation. The endo-polysaccharide was separated and purified by column chromatography and Gel permeation chromatography, and analyzed by gas chromatography. The MEP with an average molecular weight of 81,835 Da consisted of xylose, glucose, mannose, rhamnose and galactose at the ratio of 5.4:5.0:6.5:7.8:72.3. Structure of MEP was further analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and 1H and 13C liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Apoptosis tests proved that MEP could inhibit the proliferation and growth of human colon cancer HT-29 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner within 48 h. This study provides more information on chemical structure of anti-proliferating polysaccharides isolated from Morchella esculenta.
Bone Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Chen Szu-Chia , Kuo Po-Lin
Published: June 2016

About one-third of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have bone metastasis that are often osteolytic and cause substantial morbidity, such as pain, pathologic fracture, spinal cord compression and hypercalcemia. The presence of bone metastasis in RCC is also associated with poor prognosis. Bone-targeted treatment using bisphosphonate and denosumab can reduce skeletal complications in RCC, but does not cure the disease or improve survival. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of tumor-induced changes in the bone microenvironment is needed to develop effective treatment. The “vicious cycle” hypothesis has been used to describe how tumor cells interact with the bone microenvironment to drive bone destruction and tumor growth. Tumor cells secrete factors like parathyroid hormone-related peptide, transforming growth factor-β and vascular endothelial growth factor, which stimulate osteoblasts and increase the production of the receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL). In turn, the overexpression of RANKL leads to increased osteoclast formation, activation and survival, thereby enhancing bone resorption. This review presents a general survey on bone metastasis in RCC by natural history, interaction among the immune system, bone and tumor, molecular mechanisms, bone turnover markers, therapies and healthcare burden.
DNA Damage and Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Ranchoux Benoît , Meloche Jolyane , Paulin Roxane , Boucherat Olivier , Provencher Steeve , Bonnet Sébastien
Published: June 2016

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is defined by a mean pulmonary arterial pressure over 25 mmHg at rest and is diagnosed by right heart catheterization. Among the different groups of PH, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by a progressive obstruction of distal pulmonary arteries, related to endothelial cell dysfunction and vascular cell proliferation, which leads to an increased pulmonary vascular resistance, right ventricular hypertrophy, and right heart failure. Although the primary trigger of PAH remains unknown, oxidative stress and inflammation have been shown to play a key role in the development and progression of vascular remodeling. These factors are known to increase DNA damage that might favor the emergence of the proliferative and apoptosis-resistant phenotype observed in PAH vascular cells. High levels of DNA damage were reported to occur in PAH lungs and remodeled arteries as well as in animal models of PH. Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated that impaired DNA-response mechanisms may lead to an increased mutagen sensitivity in PAH patients. Finally, PAH was linked with decreased breast cancer 1 protein (BRCA1) and DNA topoisomerase 2-binding protein 1 (TopBP1) expression, both involved in maintaining genome integrity. This review aims to provide an overview of recent evidence of DNA damage and DNA repair deficiency and their implication in PAH pathogenesis.
Serum Levels of Substance P and Mortality in Patients with a Severe Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Lorente Leonardo , Martín María , Almeida Teresa , Pérez-Cejas Antonia , Ramos Luis , Argueso Mónica , Riaño-Ruiz Marta , Solé-Violán Jordi , Hernández Mariano
Published: June 2016

Substance P (SP), a member of tachykinin family, is involved in the inflammation of the central nervous system and in the appearance of cerebral edema. Higher serum levels of SP have been found in 18 patients with cerebral ischemia compared with healthy controls. The aim of our multi-center study was to analyze the possible association between serum levels of SP and mortality in ischemic stroke patients. We included patients with malignant middle cerebral artery infarction (MMCAI) and a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) lower than 9. Non-surviving patients at 30 days (n = 31) had higher serum concentrations of SP levels at diagnosis of severe MMCAI than survivors (n = 30) (p < 0.001). We found in multiple regression an association between serum concentrations of SP higher than 362 pg/mL and mortality at 30 days (Odds Ratio = 5.33; 95% confidence interval = 1.541–18.470; p = 0.008) after controlling for age and GCS. Thus, the major novel finding of our study was the association between serum levels of SP and mortality in patients suffering from severe acute ischemic stroke.
Back-Off Time Calculation Algorithms in WSN
Authors: Al-Humairi Ali , Probst Alexander
Published: June 2016

In a Mobile Wireless Sensor Mesh Network (MWSMN), based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, low power consumption is vitally important since the network devices are mostly battery driven. This is especially true for devices dependent on small form factors, such as those used in wireless sensor network. This paper proposes four new approaches to reduce the Back-Off Time in ZigBee standard in order to minimize the collisions caused by transmission between neighbouring nodes within the mesh network. The four alternate algorithms for the Back-Off Time calculation are compared to the ZigBee standard Back-Off Time algorithm regarding their energy needs using the simulation suite OPNET Modeler. To study the behaviour of the parameters of all algorithms in all scenarios, the statistical Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) has been used and it shows that the null hypotheses are rejected except for one case. The results show that the two passive algorithms Tabu Search and Simulated Annealing search techniques are suitable for battery-driven, energy-sensible networks. The Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) approaches increase throughput and reduce the packet loss but cost more in terms of energy due to the implementation of additional control packets. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first approach for MWSMN that uses the Swarm Intelligence technique and the search solution algorithm for the Back-Off Time optimization.
Economic Analysis of an Integrated Annatto Seeds-Sugarcane Biorefinery Using Supercritical CO2 Extraction as a First Step
Authors: Albarelli Juliana , Santos Diego , Cocero María , Meireles M.
Published: June 2016

Recently, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) has been indicated to be utilized as part of a biorefinery, rather than as a stand-alone technology, since besides extracting added value compounds selectively it has been shown to have a positive effect on the downstream processing of biomass. To this extent, this work evaluates economically the encouraging experimental results regarding the use of SFE during annatto seeds valorization. Additionally, other features were discussed such as the benefits of enhancing the bioactive compounds concentration through physical processes and of integrating the proposed annatto seeds biorefinery to a hypothetical sugarcane biorefinery, which produces its essential inputs, e.g., CO2, ethanol, heat and electricity. For this, first, different configurations were modeled and simulated using the commercial simulator Aspen Plus® to determine the mass and energy balances. Next, each configuration was economically assessed using MATLAB. SFE proved to be decisive to the economic feasibility of the proposed annatto seeds-sugarcane biorefinery concept. SFE pretreatment associated with sequential fine particles separation process enabled higher bixin-rich extract production using low-pressure solvent extraction method employing ethanol, meanwhile tocotrienols-rich extract is obtained as a first product. Nevertheless, the economic evaluation showed that increasing tocotrienols-rich extract production has a more pronounced positive impact on the economic viability of the concept.
The Manufacturing of High Porosity Iron with an Ultra-Fine Microstructure via Free Pressureless Spark Plasma Sintering
Authors: Cui Guodong , Wei Xialu , Olevsky Eugene , German Randall , Chen Junying
Published: June 2016

High porosity (>40 vol %) iron specimens with micro- and nanoscale isotropic pores were fabricated by carrying out free pressureless spark plasma sintering (FPSPS) of submicron hollow Fe–N powders at 750 °C. Ultra-fine porous microstructures are obtained by imposing high heating rates during the preparation process. This specially designed approach not only avoids the extra procedures of adding and removing space holders during the formation of porous structures, but also triggers the continued phase transitions of the Fe–N system at relatively lower processing temperatures. The compressive strength and energy absorption characteristics of the FPSPS processed specimens are examined here to be correspondingly improved as a result of the refined microstructure.
Evaluation of Palm Oil as a Suitable Vegetable Oil for Vitamin A Fortification Programs
Authors: Pignitter Marc , Hernler Natalie , Zaunschirm Mathias , Kienesberger Julia , Somoza Mark , Kraemer Klaus , Somoza Veronika
Published: June 2016

Fortification programs are considered to be an effective strategy to mitigate vitamin A deficiency in populations at risk. Fortified vegetable oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids were shown to be prone to oxidation, leading to limited vitamin A stability. Thus, it was hypothesized that fortified oils consisting of mainly saturated fatty acids might enhance the stability of vitamin A. Mildly (peroxide value: 1.0 meq O2/kg) and highly (peroxide value: 7.5 meq O2/kg) oxidized palm oil was stored, after fortification with 60 International Units/g retinyl palmitate, in 0.5 L transparent polyethylene terephthalate bottles under cold fluorescent lighting (12 h/day) at 32 °C for 57 days. An increase of the peroxide value by 15 meq O2/kg, which was also reflected by a decrease of α-tocopherol congener by 15%–18%, was determined independent of the initial rancidity. The oxidative deterioration of the highly oxidized palm oil during storage was correlated with a significant 46% decline of the vitamin A content. However, household storage of mildly oxidized palm oil for two months did not induce any losses of vitamin A. Thus, mildly oxidized palm oil may be recommended for vitamin A fortification programs, when other sources of essential fatty acids are available.
Amino Acid and Biogenic Amine Profile Deviations in an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test: A Comparison between Healthy and Hyperlipidaemia Individuals Based on Targeted Metabolomics
Authors: Li Qi , Gu Wenbo , Ma Xuan , Liu Yuxin , Jiang Lidan , Feng Rennan , Liu Liyan
Published: June 2016

Hyperlipidemia (HLP) is characterized by a disturbance in lipid metabolism and is a primary risk factor for the development of insulin resistance (IR) and a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. The aim of this work was to investigate the changes in postprandial amino acid and biogenic amine profiles provoked by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in HLP patients using targeted metabolomics. We used ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry to analyze the serum amino acid and biogenic amine profiles of 35 control and 35 HLP subjects during an OGTT. The amino acid and biogenic amine profiles from 30 HLP subjects were detected as independent samples to validate the changes in the metabolites. There were differences in the amino acid and biogenic amine profiles between the HLP individuals and the healthy controls at baseline and after the OGTT. The per cent changes of 13 metabolites from fasting to the 2 h samples during the OGTT in the HLP patients were significantly different from those of the healthy controls. The lipid parameters were associated with the changes in valine, isoleucine, creatine, creatinine, dimethylglycine, asparagine, serine, and tyrosine (all p < 0.05) during the OGTT in the HLP group. The postprandial changes in isoleucine and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) during the OGTT were positively associated with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR; all p < 0.05) in the HLP group. Elevated oxidative stress and disordered energy metabolism during OGTTs are important characteristics of metabolic perturbations in HLP. Our findings offer new insights into the complex physiological regulation of metabolism during the OGTT in HLP.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Spirulina platensis Extract via the Modulation of Histone Deacetylases
Authors: Pham Tho , Park Young-Ki , Lee Ji-Young
Published: June 2016

We previously demonstrated that the organic extract of Spirulina platensis (SPE), an edible blue-green alga, possesses potent anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated if the regulation of histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a role in the anti-inflammatory effect of SPE in macrophages. Treatment of macrophages with SPE rapidly and dose-dependently reduced HDAC2, 3, and 4 proteins which preceded decreases in their mRNA levels. Degradation of HDAC4 protein was attenuated in the presence of inhibitors of calpain proteases, lysosomal acidification, and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, respectively, but not a proteasome inhibitor. Acetylated histone H3 was increased in SPE-treated macrophages to a similar level as macrophages treated with a pan-HDAC inhibitor, with concomitant inhibition of inflammatory gene expression upon LPS stimulation. Knockdown of HDAC3 increased basal and LPS-induced pro-inflammatory gene expression, while HDAC4 knockdown increased basal expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), but attenuated LPS-induced inflammatory gene expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that SPE decreased p65 binding and H3K9/K14 acetylation at the Il-1β and tumor necrosis factor α (Tnfα) promoters. Our results suggest that SPE increased global histone H3 acetylation by facilitating HDAC protein degradation, but decreases histone H3K9/K14 acetylation and p65 binding at the promoters of Il-1β and Tnfα to exert its anti-inflammatory effect.
Effect of Improving Dietary Quality on Arterial Stiffness in Subjects with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: A 12 Months Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: Petersen Kristina , Clifton Peter , Lister Natalie , Keogh Jennifer
Published: June 2016

People with diabetes have accelerated arterial stiffening. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of increasing fruit, vegetable and dairy intake for 12 months on carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), augmentation index (AIx), and central blood pressure (cBP), compared to a usual diet control, in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In a 12 months randomised controlled trial, cfPWV, AIx and cBP were measured every 3 months. The intervention group received dietary counselling to increase consumption of fruit (+1 serving/day; 150 g/day), vegetables (+2 servings/day; 150 g/day) and dairy (+1 serving/day; 200–250 g/day) at baseline, 1, 3, 6 and 9 months. The control group continued on their usual diet. One hundred and nine participants were randomised and 92 (intervention n = 45; control n = 47) completed. At 3 months, fruit (184 g/day; p = 0.001) and dairy (83 g/day; p = 0.037) intake increased in the intervention group compared with the control group but this increase was not maintained at 12 months. After adjustment for baseline measurements there was no time by treatment effect for central systolic or diastolic BP, AIx or cfPWV. A time effect existed for AIx which modestly increased over time. Peripheral diastolic BP and central pulse pressure were improved in the intervention group compared with the control group at 12 months. In the cohort with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, improving dietary quality by increasing consumption of fruit, vegetables and dairy did not improve cBP, AIx or cfPWV, compared with a control group continuing on their usual diet, after 12 months.
Developing a Comprehensive Spectral-Biogeochemical Database of Midwestern Rivers for Water Quality Retrieval Using Remote Sensing Data: A Case Study of the Wabash River and Its Tributary, Indiana
Authors: Tan Jing , Cherkauer Keith , Chaubey Indrajeet
Published: June 2016

A comprehensive spectral-biogeochemical database was developed for the Wabash River and the Tippecanoe River in Indiana, United States. This database includes spectral measurements of river water, coincident in situ measurements of water quality parameters (chlorophyll (chl), non-algal particles (NAP), and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM)), nutrients (total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)), water-column inherent optical properties (IOPs), water depths, substrate types, and bottom reflectance spectra collected in summer 2014. With this dataset, the temporal variability of water quality observations was first analyzed and studied. Second, radiative transfer models were inverted to retrieve water quality parameters using a look-up table (LUT) based spectrum matching methodology. Results found that the temporal variability of water quality parameters and nutrients in the Wabash River was closely associated with hydrologic conditions. Meanwhile, there were no significant correlations found between these parameters and streamflow for the Tippecanoe River, due to the two upstream reservoirs, which increase the settling of sediment and uptake of nutrients. The poor relationship between CDOM and DOC indicates that most DOC in the rivers was from human sources such as wastewater. It was also found that the source of water (surface runoff or combined sewer overflow (CSO)), water temperature, and nutrients were important factors controlling instream concentrations of phytoplankton. The LUT retrieved NAP concentrations were in good agreement with field measurements with slope close to 1.0 and the average estimation error was 4.1% of independently obtained lab measurements. The error for chl estimation was larger (37.7%), which is attributed to the fact that the specific absorption spectrum of chl was not well represented in this study. The LUT retrievals for CDOM experienced large variability, probably due to the small data range collected in this study and the insensitivity of Rrs to CDOM change. It is concluded that the success of the LUT method requires accurate spectral measurements and enough a priori information of the environment to construct a representative database for water quality retrieval. Therefore, future work will focus on continuing data collection in other seasons of the year and better characterization of the study area.
An Automated Approach for Sub-Pixel Registration of Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Sentinel-2 Multi Spectral Instrument (MSI) Imagery
Authors: Yan Lin , Roy David , Zhang Hankui , Li Jian , Huang Haiyan
Published: June 2016

Moderate spatial resolution satellite data from the Landsat-8 OLI and Sentinel-2A MSI sensors together offer 10 m to 30 m multi-spectral reflective wavelength global coverage, providing the opportunity for improved combined sensor mapping and monitoring of the Earth’s surface. However, the standard geolocated Landsat-8 OLI L1T and Sentinel-2A MSI L1C data products are currently found to be misaligned. An approach for automated registration of Landsat-8 OLI L1T and Sentinel-2A MSI L1C data is presented and demonstrated using contemporaneous sensor data. The approach is computationally efficient because it implements feature point detection across four image pyramid levels to identify a sparse set of tie-points. Area-based least squares matching around the feature points with mismatch detection across the image pyramid levels is undertaken to provide reliable tie-points. The approach was assessed by examination of extracted tie-point spatial distributions and tie-point mapping transformations (translation, affine and second order polynomial), dense-matching prediction-error assessment, and by visual registration assessment. Two test sites over Cape Town and Limpopo province in South Africa that contained cloud and shadows were selected. A Landsat-8 L1T image and two Sentinel-2A L1C images sensed 16 and 26 days later were registered (Cape Town) to examine the robustness of the algorithm to surface, atmosphere and cloud changes, in addition to the registration of a Landsat-8 L1T and Sentinel-2A L1C image pair sensed 4 days apart (Limpopo province). The automatically extracted tie-points revealed sensor misregistration greater than one 30 m Landsat-8 pixel dimension for the two Cape Town image pairs, and greater than one 10 m Sentinel-2A pixel dimension for the Limpopo image pair. Transformation fitting assessments showed that the misregistration can be effectively characterized by an affine transformation. Hundreds of automatically located tie-points were extracted and had affine-transformation root-mean-square error fits of approximately 0.3 pixels at 10 m resolution and dense-matching prediction errors of similar magnitude. These results and visual assessment of the affine transformed data indicate that the methodology provides sub-pixel registration performance required for meaningful Landsat-8 OLI and Sentinel-2A MSI data comparison and combined data applications.
Development and Performance Characteristics of Personal Gamma Spectrometer for Radiation Monitoring Applications
Authors: Park Hye , Joo Koan
Published: June 2016

In this study, a personal gamma (γ) spectrometer was developed for use in applications in various fields, such as homeland security and environmental radiation monitoring systems. The prototype consisted of a 3 × 3 × 20 mm3 Ce-doped Gd–Al–Ga–garnet (Ce:GAGG) crystal that was coupled to a Si photomultiplier (SiPM) to measure γ radiation. The γ spectrometer could be accessed remotely via a mobile device. At room temperature, the implemented Ce:GAGG-SiPM spectrometer achieved energy resolutions of 13.5%, 6.9%, 5.8%, and 2.3% for 133Ba at 0.356 MeV, 22Na at 0.511 MeV, 137Cs at 0.662 MeV, and 60Co at 1.33 MeV, respectively. It consumed only about 2.7 W of power, had a mass of just 340 g (including the battery), and measured only 5.0 × 7.0 cm2.
A 3D Model of the Thermoelectric Microwave Power Sensor by MEMS Technology
Authors: Yi Zhenxiang , Liao Xiaoping
Published: June 2016

In this paper, a novel 3D model is proposed to describe the temperature distribution of the thermoelectric microwave power sensor. In this 3D model, the heat flux density decreases from the upper surface to the lower surface of the GaAs substrate while it was supposed to be a constant in the 2D model. The power sensor is fabricated by a GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) process and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology. The microwave performance experiment shows that the S11 is less than −26 dB over the frequency band of 1–10 GHz. The power response experiment demonstrates that the output voltage increases from 0 mV to 27 mV, while the incident power varies from 1 mW to 100 mW. The measured sensitivity is about 0.27 mV/mW, and the calculated result from the 3D model is 0.28 mV/mW. The relative error has been reduced from 7.5% of the 2D model to 3.7% of the 3D model.
Single Photon Counting UV Solar-Blind Detectors Using Silicon and III-Nitride Materials
Authors: Nikzad Shouleh , Hoenk Michael , Jewell April , Hennessy John , Carver Alexander , Jones Todd , Goodsall Timothy , Hamden Erika , Suvarna Puneet , Bulmer J. , Shahedipour-Sandvik F. , Charbon Edoardo , Padmanabhan Preethi , Hancock Bruce , Bell L.
Published: June 2016

Ultraviolet (UV) studies in astronomy, cosmology, planetary studies, biological and medical applications often require precision detection of faint objects and in many cases require photon-counting detection. We present an overview of two approaches for achieving photon counting in the UV. The first approach involves UV enhancement of photon-counting silicon detectors, including electron multiplying charge-coupled devices and avalanche photodiodes. The approach used here employs molecular beam epitaxy for delta doping and superlattice doping for surface passivation and high UV quantum efficiency. Additional UV enhancements include antireflection (AR) and solar-blind UV bandpass coatings prepared by atomic layer deposition. Quantum efficiency (QE) measurements show QE > 50% in the 100–300 nm range for detectors with simple AR coatings, and QE ≅ 80% at ~206 nm has been shown when more complex AR coatings are used. The second approach is based on avalanche photodiodes in III-nitride materials with high QE and intrinsic solar blindness.
Flexible Bond Wire Capacitive Strain Sensor for Vehicle Tyres
Authors: Cao Siyang , Pyatt Simon , Anthony Carl , Kubba Ammar , Kubba Ali , Olatunbosun Oluremi
Published: June 2016

The safety of the driving experience and manoeuvrability of a vehicle can be improved by detecting the strain in tyres. To measure strain accurately in rubber, the strain sensor needs to be flexible so that it does not deform the medium that it is measuring. In this work, a novel flexible bond wire capacitive strain sensor for measuring the strain in tyres is developed, fabricated and calibrated. An array of 25 micron diameter wire bonds in an approximately 8 mm × 8 mm area is built to create an interdigitated structure, which consists of 50 wire loops resulting in 49 capacitor pairs in parallel. Laser machining was used to pattern copper on a flexible printed circuit board PCB to make the bond pads for the wire attachment. The wire array was finally packaged and embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which acts as the structural material that is strained. The capacitance of the device is in a linear like relationship with respect to the strain, which can measure the strain up to at least ±60,000 micro-strain (±6%) with a resolution of ~132 micro-strain (0.013%). In-tyre testing under static loading has shown the ability of the sensor to measure large tyre strains. The technology used for sensor fabrication lends itself to mass production and so the design is considered to be consistent with low cost commercialisable strain sensing technology.
Analysis and Visualization of 3D Motion Data for UPDRS Rating of Patients with Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Piro Neltje , Piro Lennart , Kassubek Jan , Blechschmidt-Trapp Ronald
Published: June 2016

Remote monitoring of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients with inertia sensors is a relevant method for a better assessment of symptoms. We present a new approach for symptom quantification based on motion data: the automatic Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) classification in combination with an animated 3D avatar giving the neurologist the impression of having the patient live in front of him. In this study we compared the UPDRS ratings of the pronation-supination task derived from: (a) an examination based on video recordings as a clinical reference; (b) an automatically classified UPDRS; and (c) a UPDRS rating from the assessment of the animated 3D avatar. Data were recorded using Magnetic, Angular Rate, Gravity (MARG) sensors with 15 subjects performing a pronation-supination movement of the hand. After preprocessing, the data were classified with a J48 classifier and animated as a 3D avatar. Video recording of the movements, as well as the 3D avatar, were examined by movement disorder specialists and rated by UPDRS. The mean agreement between the ratings based on video and (b) the automatically classified UPDRS is 0.48 and with (c) the 3D avatar it is 0.47. The 3D avatar is similarly suitable for assessing the UPDRS as video recordings for the examined task and will be further developed by the research team.
Contrast Enhancement Algorithm Based on Gap Adjustment for Histogram Equalization
Authors: Chiu Chung-Cheng , Ting Chih-Chung
Published: June 2016

Image enhancement methods have been widely used to improve the visual effects of images. Owing to its simplicity and effectiveness histogram equalization (HE) is one of the methods used for enhancing image contrast. However, HE may result in over-enhancement and feature loss problems that lead to unnatural look and loss of details in the processed images. Researchers have proposed various HE-based methods to solve the over-enhancement problem; however, they have largely ignored the feature loss problem. Therefore, a contrast enhancement algorithm based on gap adjustment for histogram equalization (CegaHE) is proposed. It refers to a visual contrast enhancement algorithm based on histogram equalization (VCEA), which generates visually pleasing enhanced images, and improves the enhancement effects of VCEA. CegaHE adjusts the gaps between two gray values based on the adjustment equation, which takes the properties of human visual perception into consideration, to solve the over-enhancement problem. Besides, it also alleviates the feature loss problem and further enhances the textures in the dark regions of the images to improve the quality of the processed images for human visual perception. Experimental results demonstrate that CegaHE is a reliable method for contrast enhancement and that it significantly outperforms VCEA and other methods.
Smart Coat with a Fully-Embedded Textile Antenna for IoT Applications
Authors: Loss Caroline , Gonçalves Ricardo , Lopes Catarina , Pinho Pedro , Salvado Rita
Published: June 2016

The Internet of Things (IoT) scenario is strongly related with the advance of the development of wireless sensor networks (WSN) and radio frequency identification (RFID) systems. Additionally, in the WSN context, for a continuous feed, the integration of textile antennas for energy harvesting into smart clothing is a particularly interesting solution when the replacement of batteries is not easy to practice, such as in wearable devices. This paper presents the E-Caption: Smart and Sustainable Coat. It has an embedded dual-band textile antenna for electromagnetic energy harvesting, operating at global system for mobile communication (GSM) 900 and digital cellular system (DCS) 1800 bands. This printed antenna is fully integrated, as its dielectric is the textile material composing the coat itself. The E-Caption illustrates the innovative concept of textile antennas that can be manipulated as simple emblems. Seven prototypes of these “emblem” antennas, manufactured by lamination and embroidering techniques are also presented. It is shown that the orientation of the conductive fabric does not influence the performance of the antenna. It is also shown that the direction and number of the stitches in the embroidery may influence the performance of the antenna. Moreover, the comparison of results obtained before and after the integration of the antenna into cloth shows the integration does not affect the behavior of the antenna.
Systematic Calibration for Ultra-High Accuracy Inertial Measurement Units
Authors: Cai Qingzhong , Yang Gongliu , Song Ningfang , Liu Yiliang
Published: June 2016

An inertial navigation system (INS) has been widely used in challenging GPS environments. With the rapid development of modern physics, an atomic gyroscope will come into use in the near future with a predicted accuracy of 5 × 10−6°/h or better. However, existing calibration methods and devices can not satisfy the accuracy requirements of future ultra-high accuracy inertial sensors. In this paper, an improved calibration model is established by introducing gyro g-sensitivity errors, accelerometer cross-coupling errors and lever arm errors. A systematic calibration method is proposed based on a 51-state Kalman filter and smoother. Simulation results show that the proposed calibration method can realize the estimation of all the parameters using a common dual-axis turntable. Laboratory and sailing tests prove that the position accuracy in a five-day inertial navigation can be improved about 8% by the proposed calibration method. The accuracy can be improved at least 20% when the position accuracy of the atomic gyro INS can reach a level of 0.1 nautical miles/5 d. Compared with the existing calibration methods, the proposed method, with more error sources and high order small error parameters calibrated for ultra-high accuracy inertial measurement units (IMUs) using common turntables, has a great application potential in future atomic gyro INSs.
A Low Cost/Low Power Open Source Sensor System for Automated Tuberculosis Drug Susceptibility Testing
Authors: Kim Kyukwang , Kim Hyeong , Lim Hwijoon , Myung Hyun
Published: June 2016

In this research an open source, low power sensor node was developed to check the growth of mycobacteria in a culture bottle with a nitrate reductase assay method for a drug susceptibility test. The sensor system reports the temperature and color sensor output frequency change of the culture bottle when the device is triggered. After the culture process is finished, a nitrite ion detecting solution based on a commercial nitrite ion detection kit is injected into the culture bottle by a syringe pump to check bacterial growth by the formation of a pigment by the reaction between the solution and the color sensor. Sensor status and NRA results are broadcasted via a Bluetooth low energy beacon. An Android application was developed to collect the broadcasted data, classify the status of cultured samples from multiple devices, and visualize the data for the end users, circumventing the need to examine each culture bottle manually during a long culture period. The authors expect that usage of the developed sensor will decrease the cost and required labor for handling large amounts of patient samples in local health centers in developing countries. All 3D-printerable hardware parts, a circuit diagram, and software are available online.
Bicycle-Bicycle Accidents Emerge from Encounters: An Agent-Based Approach
Authors: Wallentin Gudrun , Loidl Martin
Published: June 2016

Traditional accident risk prediction models need adequate data on explanatory variables, most importantly data on traffic flows. However, in the case of accidents between bicycles the availability of such data is often limited. Therefore, alternative bottom-up simulation modelling approaches are expected to complement traditional equation-based models. In this paper we present an agent-based approach to explore bicycle-bicycle accidents. Specifically, we hypothesise that (1) bicycle-bicycle accidents are based on the population of encounters between cyclists rather than on bicycle flows and (2) that encounters have a non-linear relationship with flows. Bicycle flows and encounters are simulated by means of an agent-based model that is implemented for the road network of the city of Salzburg. Simulation results are tested against a 10-year dataset of police records on bicycle-bicycle accidents. The results affirm both hypotheses: First, cyclist encounters exhibit a linear relationship to accidents and thus suggest being the true population of bicycle-bicycle accidents. Second, flows show a relationship in the form of a second-order polynomial function with encounters as well as accidents.
Covering Indirect Emissions Mitigates Market Power in Carbon Markets: The Case of South Korea
Authors: Shim Sunghee , Lee Jiwoong
Published: June 2016

One of the main concerns of policymakers regarding emissions trading markets is that some firms may well enjoy market power owing to their share of the emissions. This study shows that including indirect emissions within the coverage of an emissions trading scheme can help to reduce market power and thereby enhance social efficiency. In this study, the market concentration measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index significantly drops after including indirect emissions in the South Korean emissions trading market. In addition, other market concentration measures are also considered to verify that the conclusion does not depend on the choice of concentration measures.
The Rise of the Food Risk Society and the Changing Nature of the Technological Treadmill
Authors: Chatalova Lioudmila , Müller Daniel , Valentinov Vladislav , Balmann Alfons
Published: June 2016

Economic development of transition and developed countries is associated with increasingly unhealthy dietary habits among low-income population segments. Drawing on Ulrich Beck’s sociological theory of risk society, the present research note calls attention to the positive relation between national economic development and food risks that result in the rise of food-related diseases and healthcare costs. On this basis, we argue that the knowledge-intensive agribusiness may translate Cochrane’s technological treadmill into Beck’s risk treadmill that shifts a growing share of food-related healthcare costs from producers toward consumers, state, and the healthcare system. This argument motivates a novel research program dealing with the “food risk treadmill” that emerges in response to modern farming and agribusiness practices. Awareness of the food risk treadmill may help to streamline the development of agricultural science and to prevent it from being excessively dominated by the agricultural and food industry.
Evaluation of Sustainable Development of Resources-Based Cities in Shanxi Province Based on Unascertained Measure
Authors: Chang Yong-Zhi , Dong Suo-Cheng
Published: June 2016

An index system is established for evaluating the level of sustainable development of resources-based cities, and each index is calculated based on the unascertained measure model for 11 resources-based cities in Shanxi Province in 2013 from three aspects; namely, economic, social, and resources and environment. The result shows that Taiyuan City enjoys a high level of sustainable development and integrated development of economy, society, and resources and environment. Shuozhou, Changzhi, and Jincheng have basically realized sustainable development. However, Yangquan, Linfen, Lvliang, Datong, Jinzhong, Xinzhou and Yuncheng have a low level of sustainable development and urgently require a transition. Finally, for different cities, we propose different countermeasures to improve the level of sustainable development.
Vulnerability Assessment Models to Drought: Toward a Conceptual Framework
Authors: Zarafshani Kiumars , Sharafi Lida , Azadi Hossein , Van Passel Steven
Published: June 2016

Drought is regarded as a slow-onset natural disaster that causes inevitable damage to water resources and to farm life. Currently, crisis management is the basis of drought mitigation plans, however, thus far studies indicate that effective drought management strategies are based on risk management. As a primary tool in mitigating the impact of drought, vulnerability assessment can be used as a benchmark in drought mitigation plans and to enhance farmers’ ability to cope with drought. Moreover, literature pertaining to drought has focused extensively on its impact, only awarding limited attention to vulnerability assessment as a tool. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for designing a vulnerability model in order to assess farmers’ level of vulnerability before, during and after the onset of drought. Use of this developed drought vulnerability model would aid disaster relief workers by enhancing the adaptive capacity of farmers when facing the impacts of drought. The paper starts with the definition of vulnerability and outlines different frameworks on vulnerability developed thus far. It then identifies various approaches of vulnerability assessment and finally offers the most appropriate model. The paper concludes that the introduced model can guide drought mitigation programs in countries that are impacted the most by drought.
Study on Solar Radiation Models in South Korea for Improving Office Building Energy Performance Analysis
Authors: Kim Kee , Oh John , Jeong WoonSeong
Published: June 2016

Hourly global solar radiation in a weather file is one of the significant parameters for improving building energy performance analyses using simulation programs. However, most weather stations worldwide are not equipped with solar radiation sensors because they tend to be difficult to manage. In South Korea, only twenty-two out of ninety-two weather stations are equipped with sensors, and there are large areas not equipped with any sensors. Thus, solar radiation must often be calculated by reliable solar models. Hence, it is important to find a reliable model that can be applied in the wide variety of weather conditions seen in South Korea. In this study, solar radiation in the southeastern part of South Korea was calculated using three solar models: cloud-cover radiation model (CRM), Zhang and Huang model (ZHM), and meteorological radiation model (MRM). These values were then compared to measured solar radiation data. After that, the calculated solar radiation data from the three solar models were used in a building energy simulation for an office building with various window characteristics conditions, in order to identify how solar radiation differences affect building energy performance. It was found that a seasonal solar model for the area should be developed to improve building energy performance analysis.
Designing Closed-Loop Brain-Machine Interfaces Using Model Predictive Control
Authors: Kumar Gautam , Kothare Mayuresh , Thakor Nitish , Schieber Marc , Pan Hongguang , Ding Baocang , Zhong Weimin
Published: June 2016

Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) are broadly defined as systems that establish direct communications between living brain tissue and external devices, such as artificial arms. By sensing and interpreting neuronal activities to actuate an external device, BMI-based neuroprostheses hold great promise in rehabilitating motor disabled subjects, such as amputees. In this paper, we develop a control-theoretic analysis of a BMI-based neuroprosthetic system for voluntary single joint reaching task in the absence of visual feedback. Using synthetic data obtained through the simulation of an experimentally validated psycho-physiological cortical circuit model, both the Wiener filter and the Kalman filter based linear decoders are developed. We analyze the performance of both decoders in the presence and in the absence of natural proprioceptive feedback information. By performing simulations, we show that the performance of both decoders degrades significantly in the absence of the natural proprioception. To recover the performance of these decoders, we propose two problems, namely tracking the desired position trajectory and tracking the firing rate trajectory of neurons which encode the proprioception, in the model predictive control framework to design optimal artificial sensory feedback. Our results indicate that while the position trajectory based design can only recover the position and velocity trajectories, the firing rate trajectory based design can recover the performance of the motor task along with the recovery of firing rates in other cortical regions. Finally, we extend our design by incorporating a network of spiking neurons and designing artificial sensory feedback in the form of a charged balanced biphasic stimulating current.
Micro Radar Surface Velocimetry for Hydrologic Signal Processing Using a Bandpass Filtering Approach
Authors: Lin Jeng-Wen , Huang Chih-Wei , Hsu Yin-Sung
Published: June 2016

The collection of hydrological data is particularly important for the utilization and management of water resources, water conservation, and flood control. Most of the hydrological observation operations should be conducted manually and are time-consuming, strenuous, dangerous, and have low precision. In this study, the shortcomings of the manual observations are overcome and the uncertainties related to the radar-based flow velocity estimations by a sensor in the radar surface current meter are explored. This includes an automatic observation feature and analyses are conducted using the radar signals that are received by the instruments for the real-time observation of the signals. In this study, experiments were conducted at the Water Resources Planning Institute (WRPI) of the Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan and the surface velocity was estimated using the conventional fast Fourier transform (FFT), wavelet transform (WT), and a bandpass filter. The experimental results after signal processing using the bandpass filter were precise, when the tilt angle ranged between 20 and 40 degrees. The 10.525 GHz radar surface current meter adopted in this study is suitable for a tilt angle of 20–40 degrees; the measurement error will be relatively large if the tilt angle is less than 20 degrees or more than 40 degrees.
Predictive Uncertainty Estimation on a Precipitation and Temperature Reanalysis Ensemble for Shigar Basin, Central Karakoram
Authors: Reggiani Paolo , Coccia Gabriele , Mukhopadhyay Biswajit
Published: June 2016

The Upper Indus Basin (UIB) and the Karakoram Range are the subject of ongoing hydro-glaciological studies to investigate possible glacier mass balance shifts due to climatic change. Because of the high altitude and remote location, the Karakoram Range is difficult to access and, therefore, remains scarcely monitored. In situ precipitation and temperature measurements are only available at valley locations. High-altitude observations exist only for very limited periods. Gridded precipitation and temperature data generated from the spatial interpolation of in situ observations are unreliable for this region because of the extreme topography. Besides satellite measurements, which offer spatial coverage, but underestimate precipitation in this area, atmospheric reanalyses remain one of the few alternatives. Here, we apply a proven approach to quantify the uncertainty associated with an ensemble of monthly precipitation and temperature reanalysis data for 1979–2009 in Shigar Basin, Central Karakoram. A Model-Conditional Processor (MCP) of uncertainty is calibrated on precipitation and temperature in situ data measured in the proximity of the study region. An ensemble of independent reanalyses is processed to determine the predictive uncertainty of monthly observations. As to be expected, the informative gain achieved by post-processing temperature reanalyses is considerable, whereas significantly less gain is achieved for precipitation post-processing. The proposed approach indicates a systematic assessment procedure for predictive uncertainty through probabilistic weighting of multiple re-forecasts, which are bias-corrected on ground observations. The approach also supports an educated reconstruction of gap-filling for missing in situ observations.