bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Escherichia coli Maltose-Binding Protein Induces M1 Polarity of RAW264.7 Macrophage Cells via a TLR2- and TLR4-Dependent Manner
Authors: Wang Wan , Yuan Hong-Yan , Liu Guo-Mu , Ni Wei-Hua , Wang Fang , Tai Gui-Xiang
Published: April 2015

Maltose-binding protein (MBP) is a critical player of the maltose/maltodextrin transport system in Escherichia coli. Our previous studies have revealed that MBP nonspecifically induces T helper type 1 (Th1) cell activation and activates peritoneal macrophages obtained from mouse. In the present study, we reported a direct stimulatory effect of MBP on RAW264.7 cells, a murine macrophage cell line. When stimulated with MBP, the production of nitric oxide (NO), IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-12p70, and the expressions of CD80, MHC class II and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were all increased in RAW264.7 cells, indicating the activation and polarization of RAW264.7 cells into M1 macrophages induced by MBP. Further study showed that MBP stimulation upregulated the expression of TLR2 and TLR4 on RAW264.7 cells, which was accompanied by subsequent phosphorylation of IκB-α and p38 MAPK. Pretreatment with anti-TLR2 or anti-TLR4 antibodies largely inhibited the phosphorylation of IκB-α and p38 MAPK, and greatly reduced MBP-induced NO and IL-12p70 production, suggesting that the MBP-induced macrophage activation and polarization were mediated by TLR2 and TLR4 signaling pathways. The observed results were independent of lipopolysaccharide contamination. Our study provides a new insight into a mechanism by which MBP enhances immune responses and warrants the potential application of MBP as an immune adjuvant in immune therapies.
Quantitative Real-Time PCR Analysis of YKL-40 and Its Comparison with Mammalian Chitinase mRNAs in Normal Human Tissues Using a Single Standard DNA
Authors: Ohno Misa , Bauer Peter , Kida Yuta , Sakaguchi Masayoshi , Sugahara Yasusato , Oyama Fumitaka
Published: April 2015

YKL-40 (YKL for the first three N-terminal residues of a 40 kDa protein) belongs to a group of human chitinase-like proteins (CLPs), which are similar to chitinases but lack chitinolytic activity. YKL-40 mRNA and its protein levels have been reported elevated in multiple disorders including asthma, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis and malignant tumors. Here, we quantified the YKL-40 mRNA levels and compared them with chitinases and housekeeping genes in normal human tissues. To establish the quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) system for evaluation of relative YKL-40 mRNA levels, we constructed a human standard DNA molecule by ligating cDNAs of YKL-40, two mammalian chitinases and two housekeeping genes in a one-to-one ratio. We generated cDNAs from various normal human tissues and analyzed the YKL-40 mRNA expression levels using a qPCR system with the standard DNA. We found that YKL-40 mRNA is present widely in human tissues while its expression patterns exhibit clear tissue specificity. Highest YKL-40 mRNA levels were detected in the liver, followed by kidney, trachea and lung. The levels of YKL-40 mRNA in the kidney and liver were more than 100-times higher than those of chitotriosidase mRNA. Our study provides for the first time a comprehensive analysis of the relative expression levels of YKL-40 mRNA versus mammalian chitinases in normal human tissues.
Sasa quelpaertensis Leaf Extract Inhibits Colon Cancer by Regulating Cancer Cell Stemness in Vitro and in Vivo
Authors: Min Soo , Lim Ji , Kim Haeng , Kim Se-Jae , Kim Yuri
Published: April 2015

A rare subpopulation of cancer cells, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), may be responsible for tumor relapse and resistance to conventional chemotherapy. The development of a non-toxic, natural treatment for the elimination of CSCs is considered a strategy for cancer treatment with minimal side effects. In the present study, the potential for Sasa quelpaertensis leaf extract (SQE) and its two bioactive compounds, tricin and p-coumaric acid, to exert anti-CSC effects by suppressing cancer stemness characteristics were evaluated in colon cancer cells. CD133+CD44+ cells were isolated from HT29 and HCT116 cell lines using flow-activated cell sorting (FACs). SQE treatment was found to significantly suppress the self-renewal capacity of both cell lines. SQE treatment was also associated with the down-regulation of β-catenin and phosphorylated GSK3β, while significantly enhancing cell differentiation by up-regulating CK20 expression and blocking the expression of several stem cell markers, including DLK1, Notch1, and Sox-2. In vivo, SQE supplementation suppressed tumor growth in a xenograft model by down-regulating stem cell markers and β-catenin as well as HIF-1α signaling. Compared with two bioactive compounds of SQE, SQE exhibited the most effective anti-CSC properties. Taken together, these results provide evidence that SQE inhibits colon cancer by regulating the characteristics of CSCs.
Dereplication and Chemotaxonomical Studies of Marine Algae of the Ochrophyta and Rhodophyta Phyla
Authors: Brkljača Robert , Gӧker Emrehan , Urban Sylvia
Published: April 2015

Dereplication and chemotaxonomic studies of six marine algae of the Ochrophyta and one of the Rhodophyta phyla resulted in the detection of 22 separate compounds. All 16 secondary metabolites, including four new compounds (16–19), could be rapidly dereplicated using HPLC-NMR and HPLC-MS methodologies in conjunction with the MarinLit database. This study highlights the advantages of using NMR data (acquired via HPLC-NMR) for database searching and for the overall dereplication of natural products.
Production of Bulk Metallic Glasses by Severe Plastic Deformation
Authors: Krämer Lisa , Kormout Karoline , Setman Daria , Champion Yannick , Pippan Reinhard
Published: April 2015

The aim of this study was to show the possibility to produce bulk metallic glass with severe plastic deformation. High pressure torsion was used to consolidate Zr-based metallic glass powder and deform it further to weld the powder particles together. The produced samples were investigated with Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to check if the specimens are fully dense and have an amorphous structure. The results show that the specimens remain amorphous during high pressure torsion and the density depends on the applied strain. Additional Vickers hardness measurements enable a comparison with literature and show for Zr-based metallic glass powder typical values (approximately 500 HV).
A Data Acquisition Protocol for a Reactive Wireless Sensor Network Monitoring Application
Authors: Aderohunmu Femi , Brunelli Davide , Deng Jeremiah , Purvis Martin
Published: April 2015

Limiting energy consumption is one of the primary aims for most real-world deployments of wireless sensor networks. Unfortunately, attempts to optimize energy efficiency are often in conflict with the demand for network reactiveness to transmit urgent messages. In this article, we propose SWIFTNET: a reactive data acquisition scheme. It is built on the synergies arising from a combination of the data reduction methods and energy-efficient data compression schemes. Particularly, it combines compressed sensing, data prediction and adaptive sampling strategies. We show how this approach dramatically reduces the amount of unnecessary data transmission in the deployment for environmental monitoring and surveillance networks. SWIFTNET targets any monitoring applications that require high reactiveness with aggressive data collection and transmission. To test the performance of this method, we present a real-world testbed for a wildfire monitoring as a use-case. The results from our in-house deployment testbed of 15 nodes have proven to be favorable. On average, over 50% communication reduction when compared with a default adaptive prediction method is achieved without any loss in accuracy. In addition, SWIFTNET is able to guarantee reactiveness by adjusting the sampling interval from 5 min up to 15 s in our application domain.
A New Surface Plasmon Resonance Immunosensor for Triazine Pesticide Determination in Bovine Milk: A Comparison with Conventional Amperometric and Screen-Printed Immunodevices
Authors: Tomassetti Mauro , Martini Elisabetta , Campanella Luigi , Favero Gabriele , Sanzó Gabriella , Mazzei Franco
Published: April 2015

A detailed comparison was made of the analytical features of a new Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) immunodevice for triazine pesticide determination with those of two other amperometric (conventional and screen-printed) immunosensors and the advantages and disadvantages of the SPR method were thoroughly investigated. For conventional amperometric and screen-printed devices, “competitive” assays were used; conversely, the SPR transduction technique allowed a “direct” measurement format to be used. As far as the main analytical data are concerned, the SPR method does not seem to offer substantial advantages. Nevertheless the measurement time is much shorter and the measurement itself much easier to perform. Lastly several applications and recovery tests were carried out on bovine milk samples, before and after spiking, to check for triazine pesticides in the samples, obtaining satisfactory results.
Success/Failure Prediction of Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation in Intensive Care Units
Authors: Martín-González Félix , González-Robledo Javier , Sánchez-Hernández Fernando , Moreno-García María
Published: April 2015

Objectives: This paper addresses the problem of decision-making in relation to the administration of noninvasive mechanical ventila tion (NIMV) in intensive care units.

Methods: Data mining methods were employed to find out the factors influencing the success/failure of NIMV and to predict its results in future patients. These artificial intelligence-based methods have not been applied in this field in spite of the good results obtained in other medical areas.

Results: Feature selection methods provided the most influential variables in the success/ failure of NIMV, such as NIMV hours, PaCO2 at the start, PaO2 / FiO2 ratio at the start, hematocrit at the start or PaO2 / FiO2 ratio after two hours. These methods were also used in the preprocessing step with the aim of improving the results of the classifiers. The algorithms provided the best results when the dataset used as input was the one containing the attributes selected with the CFS method. Conclusions: Data mining methods can be successfully applied to determine the most influential factors in the success/failure of NIMV and also to predict NIMV results in future patients. The results provided by classifiers can be improved by preprocessing the data with feature selection techniques.
Quality Assurance of UMLS Semantic Type Assignments Using SNOMED CT Hierarchies
Authors: Chen Y. , He Z. , Halper M. , Chen L. , Gu H.
Published: April 2015

Background: The Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) is one of the largest biomedical terminological systems, with over 2.5 million concepts in its Metathesaurus repository. The UMLS’s Semantic Network (SN) with its collection of 133 high-level semantic types serves as an abstraction layer on top of the Metathesaurus. In particular, the SN elaborates an aspect of the Metathesaurus’s concepts via the assignment of one or more types to each concept. Due to the scope and complexity of the Metathesaurus, errors are all but inevitable in this semantic-type assignment process.

Objectives: To develop a semi-automated methodology to help assure the quality of semantic-type assignments within the UMLS.

Methods: The methodology uses a cross- validation strategy involving SNOMED CT’s hierarchies in combination with UMLS se -mantic types. Semantically uniform, disjoint concept groups are generated programmatically by partitioning the collection of all concepts in the same SNOMED CT hierarchy according to their respective semantic-type assignments in the UMLS. Domain experts are then called upon to review the concepts in any group having a small number of concepts. It is our hypothesis that a semantic-type assignment combination applicable only to a very small number of concepts in a SNOMED CT hierarchy is an indicator of potential problems.

Results: The methodology was applied to the UMLS 2013AA release along with the SNOMED CT from January 2013. An overall error rate of 33% was found for concepts proposed by the quality-assurance methodology. Supporting our hypothesis, that number was four times higher than the error rate found in control samples.

Conclusion: The results show that the quality-assurance methodology can aid in effective and efficient identification of UMLS semantic-type assignment errors.
Novel stereocontrolled syntheses of tashiromine and epitashiromine
Authors: Kiss Loránd , Forró Enikő , Fülöp Ferenc
Published: April 2015

A novel stereocontrolled approach has been developed for the syntheses of tashiromine and epitashiromine alkaloids from cyclooctene β-amino acids. The synthetic concept is based on the azetidinone opening of a bicyclic β-lactam, followed by oxidative ring opening through ring C–C double bond and reductive ring-closure reactions of the cis- or trans-cyclooctene β-amino acids.
Synthesis of a hexasaccharide partial sequence of hyaluronan for click chemistry and more
Authors: Bantzi Marina , Rigol Stephan , Giannis Athanassios
Published: April 2015

In the present work, the synthesis of a hexasaccharide partial sequence of hyaluronan equipped with a terminal azido moiety is reported. This hexasaccharide can be used for the attachment on surfaces by means of click chemistry and after suitable deprotection for biophysical studies.
AIR TIGHTNESS OF STRAW BALE CONSTRUCTION
Authors: Brojan Larisa , Weil Ben , Clouston Peggi L.
Published: April 2015

Straw bale construction offers a renewable, sustainable and proven alternative to mainstream building methods; still, little is known about its airflow characteristics. To this end, the intent of this paper is to evaluate airtightness of fully constructed and plastered straw bale walls as well as individual plain straw bales. The first experiment entailed measuring the influence of straw bale orientation on airflow characteristics with the finding that straw bale considered alone has poor air flow-retarding characteristics and that plaster is the primary air barrier. A second experiment involved thirty plastered straw bale specimens using three different plaster types. From this experiment, a crack grading system was developed and is herein proposed as a tool to evaluate plaster performance as an air barrier. A third experiment validated the crack grade system through application on four fully constructed straw bale walls. Practical use of the crack grading system was demonstrated on a case study straw bale house in Radomlje, Slovenia, where the predicted air tightness results were validated through comparison to results of blower door tests.
Theoretical Research and Improvement of Cutter Head for Earth Pressure Balance Shield Pipe-Jacking Machine
Authors: Chen Man Long , Chen Wen Dong
Published: April 2015

In this paper, the pipeline project construction site, for example, analyze the different geological conditions in the Northwest Earth pressure balance pipe jacking machine cutter wear serious reasons put forward reasonable arrangement cutter tool, tool shape transformation plan, proposed by the tool layout and tool geometry and other technical measures through on-site construction work to prove that the cutter tool life under continuous construction conditions improved.
Investigation of Unsteady Flow in an Axial Compression Based on Double Times Dual Time Stepping
Authors: Xie Fang , Chu Wu Li , Du Hai Xia , Zhou Kai
Published: April 2015

A numerical investigate of unsteady (rotor 37) based on dual time step is carried out .Results were used to identify the existence of an interface between the approach fluid and the tip-leakage flow. This paper discusses mechanism of spike stall.
Vibration Modal Analysis of DTG under Space Environment
Authors: Guo Jian Feng , Feng Yi Na , Tao Yi , Qin Zhong Bao , Liu Chang Jiang
Published: April 2015

Finite element model of dynamic tuned gyroscope (DTG) was founded using finite element software of ANSYS. Natural frequencies and vibration modalities of DTG in cases of both being static and rotating were studied respectively through the method of modal analysis, and also various vibration modalities influence on output of gyroscope was analyzed.
The Effect of Using Current Stabilizer to the Dynamic Characteristic of a Regenerative Shock Absorber
Authors: Guntur Harus Laksana , Hendrowati Wiwiek , Mochammad Solichin
Published: April 2015

Most of the energy from the vehicle is wasted in the form of heat energy and vibration. On vehicles, the largest vibration occurs in the suspension system. The development of a mechanism which can recover the vibration energy and convert it into electrical energy, named Regenerative Shock Absorber (RSA), will be detailed in this paper. The prototype of RSA which consist of gear transmission and an electromagnetic type electric generator was studied and analyzed. Electrical circuit signal conditioner / stabilizer is added into the RSA system to stabilize the output current of the generator so that the generated electrical energy can be stored in the battery of 6 volts. The characteristics of the RSA are obtained by testing the value of the damping coefficient, the energy absorbtion capacity, and the generated electrical energy before and after going through a series of signal conditioner. Experiment was also performed by measuring the acceleration response time of the sprung and un-sprung suspension system that uses RSA with damping ratio value of 0.6.
From this research, it is found that RSA design with stabilizer circuit can produce more stable electric current and voltage. The measurement results show the value of the electrical voltage output through the generator is fluctuating with an average value of 15 volts and a constant 6 volts output is obtained through the signal conditioning circuit. Furthermore, the dynamic response is obtained in the form of acceleration time-value of less than 0.2 m/s2 in a corresponding ISO 2631 standard is stated very comfortable.
Electrode Design for Orbiting EDM: An Experimental Approach
Authors: Sriani Tutik , Prihandana Gunawan Setia , Aoyama Hideki
Published: April 2015

This work presents an experimental work in orbiting EDM which design of the electrode used adopt the non-uniform offset method formulated by the authors. A brief explanation about the design principle is presented in this paper as well as comparison of experimental machining results between uniform tool offset and the said method. The design method is implemented in a commercial CAD software and the system has been proven effective to cut design lead time and reduce error. The experimental part on orbiting EDM adopting the said-method yields improved machining accuracy and machined surface quality.
Impact Behavior of Apus Bamboo (Gigantochloa apus) Fiber/Epoxy Green Composites
Authors: Sudarisman  , Muhammad Budi Nur Rahman , Bagus Prabowo Andi
Published: April 2015

The objective of this work is to investigate the impact behavior of bamboo fiber/epoxy composites. The test was carried out in accordance with the ASTM D5941 Izod impact test standard. Whilst the fiber was obtained from local bamboo the matrix being used is Eposchon general purpose Bisphenol A-epichlorohydrin epoxy resin mixed with Eposchon general purpose Polyaminoamide epoxy hardener. The specimens were cut from nine bamboo fiber/epoxy composite panels. Each panel contains either random or unidirectional fiber orientation of four different volume fraction,i.e. 10, 20, 30 and 40%, of fiber, along with a pure epoxy, without fiber, panel board as reference. According to the adopted standard, the specimens are of prismatic bars of 85 [mm] long × 10 [mm] wide × 5 [mm] thick. Photo macrographs of selected samples were analyzed to describe their failure modes. It was revealed that both the impact strength and energy absorption capacity of the samples increase with the increase of fiber content up to 40%, for both unidirectional and randomly oriented fiber arrangement. In addition, unidirectional fiber composite samples show higher values in both impact strength and energy absorption capacity (0.162 [J.mm-2] and 8.5 [J], respectively) in comparison with those of randomly oriented fiber composite samples (0.144 [J.mm-2] and 7.6 [J], respectively).
Stability Analysis of Rail-Conveyor for Coals Transportation
Authors: Budiwantoro Bagus , Agus Kariem Muhammad , Basia Renco Rashi , Prima Galih
Published: April 2015

A Rail-Conveyor can be used as one of solutions for transportation of coal production. This system was rated to have either a competitive capital investment, and operational & maintenance cost, when compared with conventional transportation system.This paper studies a stability analysis of the wagon of the Rail-Conveyor in order to prevent derailment in longitudinal and lateral directions. The main aims of this study are to determine the maximum acceleration, deceleration, operational velocity for all possible conditions such as incline slope, decline slope, and turning with a specific radius. Case study was conducted for the wagon diameter of 0.76 m. The loading conditions were classified into two cases: empty wagon and fully-loaded wagon. It was assumed that the maximum allowable slope was 20%. The result of this analysis will be used as a basic design for rail-conveyor operation, route selection, and power station location & its capacity.
Bicuspid Aortic Valve Associated Aortopathy: A Genetic Disease
Authors: Minero Gibran , Body Simon
Published: April 2015

As the most common congenital heart defect, understanding the etiology and progression of aortopathy in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is imperative to management of patients with BAV. A reasonable hypothesis, based on the strength of evidence for both genetic and hemodynamic causes of BAV-associated thoracic aortic disease (TAD), is that BAV is caused by genetic variant(s) that also predispose to TAD by a common mechanism; presumably by cell-signaling resulting in an embryologic defect that causes BAV and a postnatal risk of TAD that is accentuated by hemodynamic stress of abnormal flow through the BAV valve. Clinical heterogeneity seen in BAVassociated TAD is likely due to individual genetic variation and the severity of hemodynamic alteration.
Matthew 13 and the feasts of the LORD
Authors: Scholtz Jacob J.
Published: April 2015

After summarising the results of reading Matthew 13 as a prophetic discourse containing ‘new and old’ prophecies that have been, or will still be, literally fulfilled, this article links the parables of Matthew 13 to the prophetic and typological fulfilment of the feasts of the LORD.Matteus 13 en die feeste van die HERE. Ná ’n samevatting van die resultate van ’n interpretasie van Matteus 13 as ’n profetiese diskoers wat ‘nuwe en ou’ profesieë bevat wat letterlik vervul is of nog vervul gaan word, word die verband tussen die gelykenisse van Matteus 13 en die profetiese en tipologiese vervulling van die feeste van die HERE aangetoon.
Use of the melanoma vaccine in 38 dogs: The South African experience
Authors: McLean Joanne L. , Lobetti Remo G.
Published: April 2015

The commercially available vaccine Oncept ® is indicated for the management of dogs with stage II or III oral melanoma after local control has been achieved. Survival times in dogs with both oral and digit melanoma have been shown to be significantly increased following vaccination. This retrospective study was designed to document the investigators’ experiences with Oncept ® vaccine when used as an adjunct therapy for treatment of stage II–IV oral, digit and malignant melanoma of other sites after local control had been achieved in dogs presented to a South African specialist referral veterinary practice. Thirty-eight dogs diagnosed with melanoma (25 oral, 6 digit and 7 infiltrative at various other sites) underwent a combination of surgical excision and Oncept ® vaccination. At the end of the study period there were 16 live and 22 dead dogs; median survival time of the live dogs was 29 months (range 2–46 months) versus 8 months (range 2–16 months) for those that died from progressive disease. This study showed that by using a combination of surgical excision and vaccination with Oncept ® survival times in dogs with malignant melanoma of the oral cavity, digit and other sites can be increased significantly.
Preventative maintenance of straddle carriers
Authors: Li Si , Hathaway Tim , Wu Yue , Ojiako Udechukwu , Marshall Alasdair
Published: April 2015

Background: Robotic vehicles such as straddle carriers represent a popular form of cargo handling amongst container terminal operators.Objectives: The purpose of this industry-driven study is to model preventative maintenance (PM) influences on the operational effectiveness of straddle carriers.Method: The study employs historical data consisting of 21 273 work orders covering a 27-month period. Two models are developed, both of which forecast influences of PM regimes for different types of carrier.Results: The findings of the study suggest that the reliability of the straddle fleet decreases with increased intervals of PM services. The study also finds that three factors – namely resources, number of new straddles, and the number of new lifting work centres – influence the performances of straddles.Conclusion: The authors argue that this collaborative research exercise makes a significant contribution to existing supply chain management literature, particularly in the area of operations efficiency. The study also serves as an avenue to enhance relevant management practice.
A Rare Coronary Artery Anomaly: Origin of All Three Coronary Arteries from the Right Sinus of Valsalva
Authors: Pasaoglu Lale , Toprak Ugur , Nalbant Emre , Yagiz Gokhan
Published: April 2015

Left anterior descending (LAD) artery and left circumflex (LCx) coronary artery originating separately from the right sinus of valsalva is exceptionally rare and very few cases have been reported in the literature. Congenital coronary artery anomalies are generally incidental, uncommon, and asymptomatic. Some can cause severe potentially life-threatening symptoms such as myocardial ischemia and sudden cardiac death. The aberrant vessels that pass between the aorta and the pulmonary trunk pose a risk of sudden cardiac death, particularly if the vessel supplies the left coronary artery network. The electrocardiographically gated multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) allows accurate and non-invasive depiction of coronary artery anomalies including origin, course, and termination. We report here a rare case of all three coronary arteries separately originating from the right coronary sinus, which was detected with MDCT.
A Localized Mass-Conserving Lattice Boltzmann Approach for Non-Newtonian Fluid Flows
Authors: Wang Liang , Mi Jianchun , Meng Xuhui , Guo Zhaoli
Published: April 2015

A mass-conserving lattice Boltzmann model based on the Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (BGK) model is proposed for non-Newtonian fluid flows. The equilibrium distribution function includes the local shear rate related with the viscosity and a variable parameter changing with the shear rate. With the additional parameter, the relaxation time in the collision can be fixed invariable to the viscosity. Through the Chapman-Enskog analysis, the macroscopic equations can be recovered from the present mass-conserving model. Two flow problems are simulated to validate the present model with a local computing scheme for the shear rate, and good agreement with analytical solutions and/or other published results are obtained. The results also indicate that the present modified model is more applicable to practical non-Newtonian fluid flows owing to its better accuracy and more robustness than previous methods.
Pore-Scale Study of the Non-Linear Mixing of Fluids with Viscous Fingering in Anisotropic Porous Media
Authors: Liu Gaojie , Guo Zhaoli
Published: April 2015

Mixing processes of miscible viscous fluids in anisotropic porous media are studied through a lattice Boltzmann method in this paper. The results show that fluid mixing can be enhanced by the disorder and interfaces induced by viscous fingers. Meanwhile, the permeability anisotropy affects the developments of viscous fingers and the subsequent mixing behaviors significantly. Specifically, as the streamwise (longitudinal) permeability is larger than the spanwise (transverse) one, the mixing process is faster and stronger than that in the contrary case. Furthermore, the anisotropy can lead to different behaviors of the dissipation rates in streamwise and spanwise directions. Generally, the dissipation rate is dominated by the transverse concentration gradients when the longitudinal permeability is higher than the transverse one; on the contrary, as the transverse permeability is higher than the longitudinal one, the contributions to the dissipation rate from longitudinal and transverse concentration gradients are both significant.
The Role of Behavioral Economic Incentive Design and Demographic Characteristics in Financial Incentive-Based Approaches to Changing Health Behaviors: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Haff Nancy , Patel Mitesh S. , Lim Raymond , Zhu Jingsan , Troxel Andrea B. , Asch David A. , Volpp Kevin G.
Published: April 2015

Objective.

To evaluate the use of behavioral economics to design financial incentives to promote health behavior change and to explore associations with demographic characteristics.

Data Source.

Studies performed by the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the University of Pennsylvania published between January 2006 and March 2014.

Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria.

Randomized, controlled trials with available participant-level data. Studies that did not use financial incentives to promote health behavior change were excluded.

Data Extraction.

Participant-level data from seven studies were pooled.

Data Synthesis.

Meta-analysis on the pooled sample using a random-effects model with interaction terms to examine treatment effects and whether they varied by incentive structure or demographic characteristics.

Results.

The pooled study sample comprised 1403 participants, of whom 35% were female, 70% were white, 24% were black, and the mean age was 48 years (standard deviation 11.2 years). In the fully adjusted model, participants offered financial incentives had higher odds of behavior change (odds ratio [OR]: 3.96; p < .01) when compared to control. There were no significant interactions between financial incentives and gender, age, race, income, or education. When further adjusting for incentive structure, blacks had higher odds than whites of achieving behavior change (OR: 1.67; p< .05) with a conditional payment. Compared to lower-income participants, higher-income participants had lower odds of behavior change (OR: 0.46; p = .01) with a regret lottery.

Conclusion.

Financial incentives designed using concepts from behavioral economics were effective for promoting health behavior change. There were no large and consistent relationships between the effectiveness of financial incentives and observable demographic characteristics. Second-order examinations of incentive structure suggest potential relationships among the effectiveness of financial incentives, incentive structure, and the demographic characteristics of race and income.
Y en polvo te convertirás. La Danza Macabra como advertencia y consuelo de la universalidad de la muerte
Authors: Garrido Barberá Manuel
Published: April 2015

La Danza Macabra es un tema alegórico de origen tardomedieval que simboliza la universalidad de la muerte. Ésta, en forma de esqueleto, dirige a los vivos con su baile hacia la tumba independientemente de las sus edades, oficios o condiciones sociales de éstos. Desde temprano, el tema pasa de ser tratado en textos religioso-literarios a ser representado mediante pinturas al fresco ubicadas en cementerios, iglesias y conventos cristianos. Poco después, estas pinturas serían reproducidas en grabado y numerosos ilustradores realizarían sus propias versiones desde el siglo XVI hasta nuestros días, adaptando el tema a sus gustos, estilos e intereses.
#36daysoftype - Nina Sans y Rafa Goicoechea
Authors: EME Revista
Published: April 2015

El proyecto 36 Days of Type nace en un primer momento con el objetivo de convertir un reto personal en un reto colectivo.
Perfiles
Authors: EME Revista
Published: April 2015

Nide

Betowers
Las aventuras de Mortimer y su proceso creativo
Authors: Gironés Sarrió Gonzalo , Tortajada Santiago Marta , Pérez Górriz Isabel , Ballesteros Alcolea Rubén
Published: April 2015

Acometer un nuevo proyecto y hacerlo con un equipo multidisciplinar siempre supone una experiencia enriquecedora, pero si además puede tener un objetivo didáctico para el público al que se dirige, entonces el resultado será doblemente interesante. “Les aventures de Mortimer i la història del cinema d’animació” (así se denominó el proyecto) ha sido desarrollado para Espai Rambleta de Valencia para acercar de una forma didáctica y divertida la historia del cine de animación al público en general. El proyecto nace —además— de un encargo realizado en la asignatura de Ilustración Didáctica, impartida por David Heras, en el Máster en Diseño e Ilustración de la Universitat Politècnica de València. Es accesible desde la URL http://larambleta.com/mortimer.
Análisis de los efectos hidráulicos asociados a la colocación de una compuerta inflable sobre un aliviadero mediante modelación física y numérica (CFD)
Authors: Díaz García Sarai
Published: April 2015

La facilidad de las compuertas inflables para adaptarse a distintas condiciones de flujo las hace interesantes para su ubicación en vertederos de presa, permitiendo aumentar el volumen embalsado en explotación ordinaria, y permitiendo el desinflado y restauración de la geometría original en situación extraordinaria. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar el efecto de la colocación de una compuerta inflable sobre un aliviadero en lo que respecta a su comportamiento hidráulico. Para ello, se desarrollan un modelo físico y un modelo numérico (CFD) del cuerpo de un aliviadero WES original, incorporándose luego una compuerta EPDM cuyo efecto se analiza para distintos niveles de inflado. Los resultados numéricos y experimentales son similares y ponen de manifiesto variaciones significativas en la distribución de presiones a lo largo del vertedero, siendo determinante la aireación. Este estudio concluye que la colocación de esta compuerta particular tiene un efecto global positivo si se realiza convenientemente, pero se requieren estudios adicionales con diferentes geometrías para profundizar en algunos aspectos negativos.
The historic reality of the cyclonic variability in French Antilles, 1635–2007
Authors: Garnier E. , Desarthe J. , Moncoulon D.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. Facing climate change and increasing costs of natural disasters, the exposure evolution analysis requires having a long-term knowledge of the impacts of extreme events. By associating historical and modeling approaches, we aim to build a long term chronology of natural disaster severity and damages. To highlight this new methodology, the overseas departments of French Antilles have been chosen. These territories are strongly exposed to natural disasters, particularly hurricanes. The search with historical archives made it possible to reconstruct, for the first time, the chronology and severity of hurricanes since the 17th century. During the 20th century, a significative increase in the number of cyclones has occurred after the 1950s. The analysis of a longer historical period (since the 1630s) allows us to temperate this idea by showing intensive cyclonic period in the past centuries.
HYDROLOGIC AND CRYOSPHERIC PROCESSES OBSERVED FROM SPACE
Authors: Menenti M. , Li X. , Wang J. , Vereecken H. , Li J. , Mancini M. , Liu Q. , Jia L. , Li J. , Kuenzer C. , Huang S. , Yesou H. , Wen J. , Kerr Y. , Cheng X. , Gourmelen N. , Ke C. , Ludwig R. , Lin H. , Eineder M. , Ma Y. , Su Z. B.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. Ten Dragon 3 projects deal with hydrologic and cryosphere processes, with a focus on the Himalayas and Qinghai – Tibet Plateau, but not limited to that. At the 1st Dragon 3 Progress Symposium in 2013 a significant potential for a better and deeper integration appeared very clearly and we worked out an overview of the ten projects identifying specific issues and objectives shared by at least two projects. At the Mid Term Symposium in 2014 a joint session was held over two days. As regards cryospheric processes science highlights covered: Glacier flow velocity by optical and SAR features tracking and InSAR; Patterns in space and time of glacier flow velocity; Mass change estimated with DTM-s and altimetry; Reflectance and LST used to classify glacier surface and understand surface processes, Inventory and changes in the number and area of lakes in the Qinghai – Tibet Plateau 1970, 1990, 2000 and 2010; Deformation of permafrost along the Qinghai – Tibet railway. Highlights on hydrologic processes included: Global comparison of SMOS, ASCAT and ERA soil moisture data products; Relative deviations evaluated by climate zone; Soil moisture data products improved with ancillary data; Assimilation of FY - , TRMM and GPM precipitation data products in WRF; Improved algorithm and data products on fractional snow cover; Improvement of MODIS ET with assimilation of LST; TRMM data products evaluated in the Yangtze; Calibration of river basin models using LST; System to calibrate, correct and normalize (spatial, spectral) data collected by imaging spectral radiometers; Integration of data acquired by different sensors, e.g. ET Monitor with optical and microwave (SMOS, FY – 3) data; Hydrological data products used both for forcing and evaluation of Qinghai – Tibet Plateau hydrological model; Wetlands vulnerability assessed through changes in land cover 1987 – 2013; Multi incidence angle and multi – temporal SAR to monitor water extent. In the general session a proposal for a Dragon Water Cycle Initiative was presented.
QUALITY ASSESSMENT FOR THE FIRST PART OF THE TANDEM-X GLOBAL DIGITAL ELEVATION MODEL
Authors: Bräutigam B. , Martone M. , Rizzoli P. , Gonzalez C. , Wecklich C. , Borla Tridon D. , Bachmann M. , Schulze D. , Zink M.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. TanDEM-X is an innovative synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mission with the main goal to generate a global and homogeneous digital elevation model (DEM) of the Earth’s land masses. The final DEM product will reach a new dimension of detail with respect to resolution and quality. The absolute horizontal and vertical accuracy shall each be less than 10 m in a 90% confidence interval at a pixel spacing of 12 m. The relative vertical accuracy specification for the TanDEM-X mission foresees a 90% point-to-point error of 2 m (4 m) for areas with predominant terrain slopes smaller than 20% (greater than 20%) within a 1° longitude by 1° latitude cell. The global DEM is derived from interferometric SAR acquisitions performed by two radar satellites flying in close orbit formation. Interferometric performance parameters like the coherence between the two radar images have been monitored and evaluated throughout the mission. In a further step, over 500,000 single SAR scenes are interferometrically processed, calibrated, and mosaicked into a global DEM product which will be completely available in the second half of 2016. This paper presents an up-todate quality status of the single interferometric acquisitions as well as of 50% of the final DEM. The overall DEM quality of these first products promises accuracies well within the specification, especially in terms of absolute height accuracy.
Validation of spectral continuity between PROBA-V and SPOT-VEGETATION global daily datasets
Authors: Dierckx W. , Swinnen E. , Kempeneers P.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. Spectral consistency with SPOT-VEGETATION is an important mission objective for PROBA-V, in particular for its 1 km products. This must allow service providers such as the Copernicus Global Land Service to extend the 16-year long timeseries of SPOTVEGETATION global 1km data with similar PROBA-V products. To evaluate the extent of spectral consistency, an evaluation of spectral response differences is performed by applying the spectral response of PROBA-V and SPOT-VEGETATION 2 to a spectral library of representative global land cover conditions. Datasets for surface reflectance values and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are thus established for both missions. Through linear regression between the two datasets, spectral correction functions are defined, which can be used to improve the spectral consistency between PROBA-V and SPOT-VEGETATION products. The correspondence between PROBA-V and SPOT-VEGETATION products is then evaluated for the overlapping period when products from both missions were available. The effect of the spectral correction functions is assessed by comparing the correspondence obtained with and without this spectral correction applied. For the NDVI product, an additional offset correction is defined based on a limited sample of the overlapping period. The final spectral correction functions are then evaluated over the full overlapping period between PROBA-V and SPOT-VEGETATION. Discrepancies are observed which indicate a temporal behavior with respect to the correspondence of the mission products. Such temporal behavior can’t be explained by spectral response differences, and therefore other causes are investigated.
MISSION ADAPTIVE UAS CAPABILITIES FOR EARTH SCIENCE AND RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
Authors: Dunagan S. , Fladeland M. , Ippolito C. , Knudson M. , Young Z.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are important assets for accessing high risk airspace and incorporate technologies for sensor coordination, onboard processing, tele-communication, unconventional flight control, and ground based monitoring and optimization. These capabilities permit adaptive mission management in the face of complex requirements and chaotic external influences. NASA Ames Research Center has led a number of Earth science remote sensing missions directed at the assessment of natural resources and here we describe two resource mapping problems having mission characteristics requiring a mission adaptive capability extensible to other resource assessment challenges. One example involves the requirement for careful control over solar angle geometry for passive reflectance measurements. This constraint exists when collecting imaging spectroscopy data over vegetation for time series analysis or for the coastal ocean where solar angle combines with sea state to produce surface glint that can obscure the signal. Furthermore, the primary flight control imperative to minimize tracking error should compromise with the requirement to minimize aircraft motion artifacts in the spatial measurement distribution. A second example involves mapping of natural resources in the Earth’s crust using precision magnetometry. In this case the vehicle flight path must be oriented to optimize magnetic flux gradients over a spatial domain having continually emerging features, while optimizing the efficiency of the spatial mapping task. These requirements were highlighted in recent Earth Science missions including the OCEANIA mission directed at improving the capability for spectral and radiometric reflectance measurements in the coastal ocean, and the Surprise Valley Mission directed at mapping sub-surface mineral composition and faults, using high-sensitivity magnetometry. This paper reports the development of specific aircraft control approaches to incorporate the unusual and demanding requirements to manage solar angle, aircraft attitude and flight path orientation, and efficient (directly geo-rectified) surface and sub-surface mapping, including the near-time optimization of these sometimes competing requirements.
Data Validation and Case Studies using the TET-1 Thermal Infrared Satellite System
Authors: Fischer C. , Klein D. , Kerr G. , Stein E. , Lorenz E. , Frauenberger O. , Borg E.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. Based on the DLR satellite system BIRD, launched and operated in the early 2000, the TET-1 satellite has been launched in 2012 as part of the FireBird satellite constellation. The constellation will consist of two satellites, the second one to be launched in the first half of 2016. Acquired imagery is processed and archived by DLR and will be publicly available. For this purpose, a processing chain has been implemented converting raw data (level 0 product) to geo-annotated at-sensor radiance (level 1b). Further data products can be derived, e.g. information on brightness temperature, fire radiative power, and surface emissivity. Other processing levels, such as atmospherically corrected reflectance, could also be produced. The sensitivity of a Thermal Infrared (TIR) sensor system depends on its spectral characteristics and its spatial resolution. Various methods for high temperature event (HTE) detection and quantification have been developed, which can be categorized into single- and multi-band algorithms. While single band methods rely on the robust demarcation of background pixels and higher temperature pixels, considered as being anomalous, the TET-1 system facilitates the application of the widely used bi-spectral algorithm approach introduced by Dozier (1981), using the mid-infrared and longwave-infrared channel. This approach takes advantage of the non-linear nature of the Planck’s curves to calculate temperatures and the HTE area on a sub-pixel basis. TIR remote sensing can make a significant contribution to the detection and, partly, the monitoring of land surface temperature (LST), HTE and of parameters describing the surface energy balance for specific areas.
A CLASS-OUTLIER APPROACH FOR ENVIRONNEMENTAL MONITORING USING UAV HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGES
Authors: Hemissi S. , Riadh Farah I.
Published: April 2015

Abstract. In several remote sensing applications, detecting exceptional/irregular regions (i.e, pixels) with respect to the whole dataset homogeneity is regarded as a very interested issue. Currently, this is limited to the pre-processing step aiming to eliminate the cloud or noisy pixels. In this paper, we propose to extend the coverage area and to tackle this issue by regarding the irregular/exceptional pixels as outliers. The main purpose is the adaptation of the class outlier mining concept in order to find abnormal and irregular pixels in hyperspectral images. This should be done taking into account the class labels and the relative uncertainty of collected data. To reach this goal, the Class Outliers: DistanceBased (CODB) algorithm is enhanced to take into account the multivariate high-dimensional data and the concomitant partially available knowledge of our data. This is mainly done by using belief theory and a learnable task-specific similarity measure. To validate our approach, we apply it for vegetation inspection and normality monitoring. For experimental purposes, the Airborne Prism Experiment (APEX) data, set acquired during an APEX flight campaign in June 2011, was used. Moreover, a collection of simulated hyperspectral images and spectral indices, providing a quantitative indicator of vegetation health, were generated for this purpose. The encouraging obtained results can be used to monitor areas where vegetation may be stressed, as a proxy to detect potential drought.