bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Electric Field Responses of Inorganic Ionogels and Poly(ionic liquid)s
Authors: Zhao Zhenjie , Zhang Guangchen , Yin Yuting , Dong Chenjie , Liu Ying Dan
Published: October 2020

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of pure ions with melting points lower than 100 °C. They are getting more and more attention because of their high thermal stability, high ionic conductivity and dielectric properties. The unique dielectric properties aroused by the ion motion of ILs makes ILs-contained inorganics or organics responsive to electric field and have great application potential in smart electrorheological (ER) fluids which can be used as the electro-mechanical interface in engineering devices. In this review, we summarized the recent work of various kinds of ILs-contained inorganic ionogels and poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) as ER materials including their synthesis methods, ER responses and dielectric analysis. The aim of this work is to highlight the advantage of ILs in the synthesis of dielectric materials and their effects in improving ER responses of the materials in a wide temperature range. It is expected to provide valuable suggestions for the development of ILs-contained inorganics and PILs as electric field responsive materials.
Regulation of Obesity by Antiangiogenic Herbal Medicines
Authors: Shin Soon Shik , Yoon Michung
Published: October 2020

Obesity is the result of an energy imbalance caused by an increased ratio of caloric intake to energy expenditure. In conjunction with obesity, related metabolic disorders, such as dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, and type 2 diabetes, have become global health problems. Obesity progression is thought to be associated with angiogenesis and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. Angiogenesis occurs in growing adult adipose tissues, which are similar to neoplastic tissues. Adipose tissue is highly vascularized, and each adipocyte is nourished by an extensive capillary network. Adipocytes produce proangiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor A and fibroblast growth factor 2, which promote neovascularization within the adipose tissue. Furthermore, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), including MMP-2 and MMP-9, play important roles in adipose tissue development and microvessel maturation by modifying the ECM. Thus, modulation of angiogenesis and MMP activity provides a promising therapeutic approach for controlling human obesity and its related disorders. Over the past decade, there has been a great increase in the use of alternative treatments, such as herbal remedies, for these diseases. This review will focus on the role of angiogenesis in adipose tissue growth and the regulation of obesity by antiangiogenic herbal medicines.
Anti-Cancer Effects of Green Tea Epigallocatchin-3-Gallate and Coffee Chlorogenic Acid
Authors: Hayakawa Sumio , Ohishi Tomokazu , Miyoshi Noriyuki , Oishi Yumiko , Nakamura Yoriyuki , Isemura Mamoru
Published: October 2020

Tea and coffee are consumed worldwide and epidemiological and clinical studies have shown their health beneficial effects, including anti-cancer effects. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and chlorogenic acid (CGA) are the major components of green tea polyphenols and coffee polyphenols, respectively, and believed to be responsible for most of these effects. Although a large number of cell-based and animal experiments have provided convincing evidence to support the anti-cancer effects of green tea, coffee, EGCG, and CGA, human studies are still controversial and some studies have suggested even an increased risk for certain types of cancers such as esophageal and gynecological cancers with green tea consumption and bladder and lung cancers with coffee consumption. The reason for these inconsistent results may have been arisen from various confounding factors. Cell-based and animal studies have proposed several mechanisms whereby EGCG and CGA exert their anti-cancer effects. These components appear to share the common mechanisms, among which one related to reactive oxygen species is perhaps the most attractive. Meanwhile, EGCG and CGA have also different target molecules which might explain the site-specific differences of anti-cancer effects found in human studies. Further studies will be necessary to clarify what is the mechanism to cause such differences between green tea and coffee.
The Role of Resveratrol in Mammalian Reproduction
Authors: Pasquariello Rolando , Verdile Nicole , Brevini Tiziana A. L. , Gandolfi Fulvio , Boiti Cristiano , Zerani Massimo , Maranesi Margherita
Published: October 2020

Resveratrol is one of the most investigated natural polyphenolic compounds and is contained in more than 70 types of plants and in red wine. The widespread interest in this polyphenol derives from its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. Several studies have established that resveratrol regulates animal reproduction. However, the mechanisms of action and the potential therapeutic effects are still unclear. This review aims to clarify the role of resveratrol in male and female reproductive functions, with a focus on animals of veterinary interest. In females, resveratrol has been considered as a phytoestrogen due to its capacity to modulate ovarian function and steroidogenesis via sirtuins, SIRT1 in particular. Resveratrol has also been used to enhance aged oocyte quality and as a gametes cryo-protectant with mainly antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects. In males, resveratrol enhances testes function and spermatogenesis through activation of the AMPK pathway. Furthermore, resveratrol has been supplemented to semen extenders, improving the preservation of sperm quality. In conclusion, resveratrol has potentially beneficial effects for ameliorating ovarian and testes function.
Narrowband Light Reflection Resonances from Waveguide Modes for High-Quality Sensors
Authors: Gu Ping , Chen Jing , Yang Chun , Yan Zhendong , Tang Chaojun , Cai Pinggen , Gao Fan , Yan Bo , Liu Zhengqi , Huang Zhong
Published: October 2020

Designing various nanostructures to achieve narrowband light reflection resonances is desirable for optical sensing applications. In this work, we theoretically demonstrate two narrowband light reflection resonances resulting from the excitations of the zero-order transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) waveguide modes, in a waveguide structure consisting of an Au sphere array on an indium tin oxide (ITO) spacer on a silica (SiO2) substrate. The positions of the light reflection resonances can be tuned easily, by varying the array periods of gold (Au) spheres or by changing the thickness of the ITO film. More importantly, the light reflection resonances have a very narrow bandwidth, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of which can be reduced to only several nanometers for the zero-order TM and TE waveguide modes. The conventionally defined performance parameters of sensors, sensitivity (S) and figure of merit (FOM), have quite high values of about 80 nm/RIU and 32, respectively, in the visible wavelength range.
Dairy Consumption and Metabolic Health
Authors: Timon Claire M. , O’Connor Aileen , Bhargava Nupur , Gibney Eileen R. , Feeney Emma L.
Published: October 2020

Milk and dairy foods are naturally rich sources of a wide range of nutrients, and when consumed according to recommended intakes, contribute essential nutrients across all stages of the life cycle. Seminal studies recommendations with respect to intake of saturated fat have been consistent and clear: limit total fat intake to 30% or less of total dietary energy, with a specific recommendation for intake of saturated fat to less than 10% of total dietary energy. However, recent work has re-opened the debate on intake of saturated fat in particular, with suggestions that recommended intakes be considered not at a total fat intake within the diet, but at a food-specific level. A large body of evidence exists examining the impact of dairy consumption on markers of metabolic health, both at a total-dairy-intake level and also at a food-item level, with mixed findings to date. However the evidence suggests that the impact of saturated fat intake on health differs both across food groups and even between foods within the same food group such as dairy. The range of nutrients and bioactive components in milk and dairy foods are found in different levels and are housed within very different food structures. The interaction of the overall food structure and the nutrients describes the concept of the ‘food matrix effect’ which has been well-documented for dairy foods. Studies show that nutrients from different dairy food sources can have different effects on health and for this reason, they should be considered individually rather than grouped as a single food category in epidemiological research. This narrative review examines the current evidence, mainly from randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses, with respect to dairy, milk, yoghurt and cheese on aspects of metabolic health, and summarises some of the potential mechanisms for these findings.
Habitual Nightly Fasting Duration, Eating Timing, and Eating Frequency are Associated with Cardiometabolic Risk in Women
Authors: Makarem Nour , Sears Dorothy D. , St-Onge Marie-Pierre , Zuraikat Faris M. , Gallo Linda C. , Talavera Gregory A. , Castaneda Sheila F. , Lai Yue , Mi Junhui , Aggarwal Brooke
Published: October 2020

Nightly fasting duration (NFD) and eating timing and frequency may influence cardiometabolic health via their impact on circadian rhythms, which are entrained by food intake, but observational studies are limited. This 1-year prospective study of 116 US women (33 ± 12y, 45% Hispanic) investigated associations of habitual NFD and eating timing and frequency with cardiovascular health (CVH; American Heart Association Life’s Simple 7 score) and cardiometabolic risk factors. NFD, eating timing and frequency, and nighttime eating levels were evaluated from 1-week electronic food records completed at baseline and 1 y. In multivariable-adjusted linear regression models, longer NFD was associated with poorer CVH (β = −0.22, p = 0.016 and β = −0.22, p = 0.050) and higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (β = 1.08, p < 0.01 and β = 1.74, p < 0.01) in cross-sectional and prospective analyses, respectively. Later timing of the first eating occasion at baseline was associated with poorer CVH (β = −0.20, p = 0.013) and higher DBP (β = 1.18, p < 0.01) and fasting glucose (β = 1.43, p = 0.045) at 1 y. After adjustment for baseline outcomes, longer NFD and later eating times were also associated with higher waist circumference (β = 0.35, p = 0.021 and β = 0.27, p < 0.01, respectively). Eating frequency was inversely related to DBP in cross-sectional (β = −1.94, p = 0.033) and prospective analyses (β = −3.37, p < 0.01). In cross-sectional analyses of baseline data and prospective analyses, a higher percentage of daily calories consumed at the largest evening meal was associated with higher DBP (β = 1.69, p = 0.046 and β = 2.32, p = 0.029, respectively). Findings suggest that frequent and earlier eating may lower cardiometabolic risk, while longer NFD may have adverse effects. Results warrant confirmation in larger multi-ethnic cohort studies with longer follow-up periods.
Blends of Human Milk Oligosaccharides Confer Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Protection In Vitro
Authors: Natividad Jane M. , Rytz Andreas , Keddani Sonia , Bergonzelli Gabriela , Garcia-Rodenas Clara L.
Published: October 2020

Breastfeeding is integral in the proper maturation of the intestinal barrier and protection against inflammatory diseases. When human milk (HM) is not available, supplementation with HM bioactives like Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMOs) may help in providing breastfeeding barrier-protective benefits. An increasing HMO variety is becoming industrially available, enabling approaching the HMO complexity in HM. We aimed at assessing the impact of blends of available HMOs on epithelial barrier function in vitro. The capacity of individual [2′-Fucosyllactose (2′FL), Difucosyllactose, Lacto-N-tetraose, Lacto-N-neotetraose, 3′-Siallylactose and 6′-Siallylactose] or varying combinations of 3, 5 and 6 HMOs to modulate fluorescein-isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled Dextran 4 KDa (FD4) translocation and/or transepithelial resistance (TEER) was characterized in Caco-2: HT29- methotrexate (MTX) cell line monolayers before and after an inflammatory challenge with TNF-α and IFN-γ. The six HMO blend (HMO6) dose-dependently limited the cytokine-induced FD4 translocation and TEER decrease and increased TEER values before challenge. Similarly, 3 and 5 HMO blends conferred a significant protection against the challenge, with 2′FL, one of the most abundant but most variable oligosaccharides in HM, being a key contributor. Overall, our results suggest differential ability of specific HMOs in modulating the intestinal barrier and support the potential of supplementation with combinations of available HMOs to promote gut health and protect against intestinal inflammatory disorders.
Freud’s Oedipus Complex in the #MeToo Era: A Discussion of the Validity of Psychoanalysis in Light of Contemporary Research
Authors: Spencer Renée
Published: October 2020

The Oedipus complex is a child development construct developed by Sigmond Freud that asserts that all children experience sexual desire towards their opposite sex parent, and failure to accept this “truth” can lead to mental health issues. Freud also asserted that children are not harmed by acts of sexual violence. In contrast, the #MeToo movement is a global incentive aimed at creating an awareness of the harm that sexual violence can cause. In many regards, #MeToo is a reaction against a systemic failure to prevent sexual violence from occurring in the first place. By contrasting Freudian ideas with #MeToo, I argue that the enduring popularity of Freud and his psychoanalytic ideas is a negative influence on culture. In the light of contemporary research from cognitive psychology, psychosocial considerations, child development, and trauma-informed practices, Freudian ideas can be proven to be fallible. Moreover, dispelling misleading assumptions about sexual desires is a beneficial endeavour towards reducing the likelihood of future sexual violence. Additionally, I explore Freudian interpretations of mythology and propose that he misappropriated ancient belief systems.
Forward Flux Sampling of Polymer Desorption Paths from a Solid Surface into Dilute Solution
Authors: Huston Kyle J. , Rice Christina E. , Larson Ronald G.
Published: October 2020

We compute desorption rates for isolated polymers adsorbed to a solid wall with a rare event sampling technique called multilevel splitting, also known as forward flux sampling. We interpret computed rates with theories based on the conjecture that the product tdesDRg2 of the desorption time tdes and diffusivity D divided by squared radius of gyration Rg scales with exp(h/Rg) where h is the equilibrium ratio of adsorbed surface concentration of polymer Γ to bulk concentration of polymer c. As the polymer–wall interaction energy is increased, the slope of lntdesDRg2 vs. NVMFkBT nearly approaches unity, as expected for strongly-adsorbing chains, where N is the degree of polymerization and VMF is the height-averaged monomer–wall interaction energy for a strongly adsorbed chain. However, we also find that this scaling law is only accurate when adsorption strength per monomer exceeds a threshold value on the order of 0.3–0.5 kBT for a freely jointed chain without or with excluded volume effects. Below the critical value, we observe that tdesDRg2 becomes nearly constant with N, so that tdes∝Nα, with α≈2. This suggests a crossover from “strong” detachment-controlled to a “weak” diffusion-controlled desorption rate as VMF/kBT drops below some threshold. These results may partially explain experimental data, that in some cases show “strong” exponential dependence of desorption time on chain length, while in others a “weak” power-law dependence is found. However, in the “strong” adsorption case, our results suggest much longer desorption times than those measured, while the reverse is true in the weak adsorption limit. We discuss possible reasons for these discrepancies.
Thermal Decomposition Kinetics of Basalt Fiber-Reinforced Wood Polymer Composites
Authors: Zhang Xian , Huang Runzhou
Published: October 2020

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used for the observation of the pyrolysis kinetics characteristics of high density polyethylene (HDPE)-based composites enhanced by a variety of basalt fibers (BFs) and wood flour (WF). The improved Coats-Redfern (C-R), Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (F-W-O), Friedman, and Kissinger methods were utilized to ascertain the specific apparent activation energy (Ea) of each component and composite material. The results indicate that BFs do not decompose under 800 °C, while the pyrolysis of WF and waste HDPE showed two significant weight loss zones (250–380 °C and 430–530 °C), relative to cellulose/hemicellulose and HDPE thermal degradation, respectively. The average Ea of WF/BF/HDPE composites over the entire pyrolysis process obtained by the modified C-R method fluctuated in a range of 145–204 kJ/mol and increased with the BF content, which was higher than that of WPC (115–171 kJ/mol). The value of Ea computed by the F-W-O method was significantly lower than that computed with the improved C-R method, which could validate the reliability of two methods by comparing with the literature. The Friedman and Kissinger methods were not applicable to this composite material reinforced by mixed fillers, so the obtained Ea values were quite different from the previous two methods. The changes in Ea showed that the addition of BFs could improve the average Ea and further enhance the thermal stability and flame resistance of the composites.
Red Wine Aging by Different Micro-Oxygenation Systems and Oak Wood—Effects on Anthocyanins, Copigmentation and Color Evolution
Authors: Sánchez-Gómez Rosario , del Alamo-Sanza Maria , Martínez-Gil Ana María , Nevares Ignacio
Published: October 2020

The micro-oxygenation (MOX) of aged wine in contact with pieces of wood is a technique widely used for aging wines as an alternative to barrels. The available range of passive MOX systems is very wide and offers a behavior closer to that of barrels because it uses materials with a similar permeability to oxygen. The aim of this work has been to age the same red wine for 6 months using the main passive MOX systems and compare them with the classic MOX in stainless steel tanks and with barrels as a reference, in order to evaluate phenolic composition and establish its influence. The quantity and the way in which oxygen is incorporated into wine have been found to determine its evolution and final properties. Wine from barrels could be distinguished throughout the aging period since a better level of individualized anthocyanins was maintained, whereas stainless steel + MOX and PMDS (polydimethylsiloxane) wines presented more bluish hues.
Study on Two Types of Stall Patterns in a Centrifugal Compressor with a Wide Vaneless Diffuser
Authors: Zhang Qian , Zhang Liang , Huo Qiuhong , Zhang Lei
Published: October 2020

Two types of stall patterns in the centrifugal compressor with a wide vaneless diffuser were numerically studied in this paper. We carried out kinds of three-dimensional numerical simulations of the instability process in wide vaneless diffusers with different radius ratios. The results show that there are two kinds of stall patterns in wide vaneless diffusers with different radius ratios. For a short diffuser with a radius ratio of 1.5, the speed of the propagation of stalled cells is relatively high, and the propagation speed and frequency of stall cells do not change with the decrease in the flow rate. For a long diffuser with a radius ratio of 1.8, the propagation velocity of stall cells is smaller to the one in the short diffuser, and increases with the decrease in flow rate. For wide vaneless diffusers with different radius ratios, the main factor causing stall is the outlet reflux. Reducing the radius ratio of the wide vaneless diffuser has an important influence on the stability of the centrifugal compressor.
Generating the Baseline in the Early Detection of Bud Rot and Red Ring Disease in Oil Palms by Geospatial Technologies
Authors: Viera-Torres Mauricio , Sinde-González Izar , Gil-Docampo Mariluz , Bravo-Yandún Vladimir , Toulkeridis Theofilos
Published: October 2020

Oil palm cultivation in Ecuador is important for the agricultural sector. As a result of it, the country generates sources of employment in some of the most vulnerable zones; it contributes 0.89% of the gross domestic product and 4.35% of the agricultural gross domestic product. In 2017, a value of USD $252 million was generated by exports, and palm contributed 4.53% of the agricultural gross domestic product (GDP). It is estimated that 125,000 hectares of palm were lost in the Republic of Ecuador due to Red Ring Disease (RRD) and specifically Bud Rot (BR). The current study aimed to generate an early detection of BR and RRD in oil palm. Image acquisition has been performed using Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) with Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) cannons, and multispectral cameras, in study areas with and without the presence of the given disease. Hereby, we proposed two phases. In phase A, a drone flight has been conducted for processing and georeferencing. This allowed to obtain an orthomosaic that serves as input for obtaining several vegetation indices of the healthy crop. The data and products obtained from this phase served as a baseline to perform comparisons with plantations affected by BR and RRD and to differentiate the palm varieties that are used by palm growers. In phase B, the same process has been applied three times with an interval of 15 days in an affected plot, in order to identify the symptoms and the progress of them. A validation for the diseases detection has been performed in the field, by taking Global Positioning System (GPS) points of the palms that presented symptoms of BR and RRD, through direct observation by field experts. The inputs obtained in each monitoring allowed to analyze the spatial behavior of the diseases. The values of the vegetation indices obtained from Phase A and B aimed to establish the differences between healthy and diseased palms, with the purpose of generating the baseline of early responses of BR and RRD conditions. However, the best vegetation index to detect the BR was the Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index (VARI).
Correlation Analysis between Air Temperature and MODIS Land Surface Temperature and Prediction of Air Temperature Using TensorFlow Long Short-Term Memory for the Period of Occurrence of Cold and Heat Waves
Authors: Chung Jeehun , Lee Yonggwan , Jang Wonjin , Lee Siwoon , Kim Seongjoon
Published: October 2020

The purpose of this study is to analyze the correlation between surface air temperature (SAT) and land surface temperature (LST) based on land use when heat and cold waves occur and to predict the distribution of SAT using the long short-term memory (LSTM) of TensorFlow. For the correlation analysis, the Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) daytime and nighttime LST and maximum, minimum, and mean SAT were measured at 79 weather stations of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) from 2008 to 2018. As a result of the correlation analysis between SAT and LST, the maximum SAT (TMX) had a good correlation with the daytime LST of Terra MODIS, with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient (R) of 0.92 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 4.8 °C, and the minimum SAT (TMN) showed a good correlation with the nighttime LST of Terra MODIS, with an R of 0.93 and RMSE of 4.2 °C. When analyzing temperature characteristics by land use (urban, paddy, upland crop, forest, grass, wetland, bare field, and water), it was confirmed that the climate mitigation effect of the wetland and vegetation area appeared in the LSTs and the observed SAT. In the cold wave period, the average temperatures for urban and wetland areas was the highest, and the average temperature for wetland and forest was not higher than that of other land use classes. As the SAT results predicted through the LSTM model, the accuracy of the TMN during the cold wave period was 0.59 for the coefficient of determination (R2), 3.1 °C for RMSE, and 0.76 for the index of agreement (IoA), while the accuracy of the TMX for the heat wave period was 0.24 for R2, 2.23 °C for RMSE, and 0.63 for IoA.
Polarization Differential Visible Light Communication: Theory and Experimental Evaluation
Authors: De Bruycker Jorik , Raes Willem , Zvánovec Stanislav , Stevens Nobby
Published: October 2020

Visible Light Communication (VLC) has received substantial research attention in the last decade. The vast majority of VLC focuses on the modulation of the transmitted light intensity. In this work, however, the intensity is kept constant while the polarization direction is deployed as a carrier of information. Demodulation is realized by using a differential receiver pair equipped with mutually orthogonal polarizers. An analytical expression to evaluate the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) as a function of the rotation angle of the receiver is derived. It is demonstrated that the signal quality can deteriorate heavily with receiver orientation when using a single differential receiver pair. A way to overcome this drawback using two receiver pairs is described. The analytical expression is experimentally verified through measurements with two different receiver setups. This work demonstrates the potential of polarization-based modulation in the field of VLC, where receiver rotation robustness has been achieved by means of a dedicated quadrant photodiode receiver.
Cognitive Service Virtualisation: A New Machine Learning-Based Virtualisation to Generate Numeric Values
Authors: Farahmandpour Zeinab , Seyedmahmoudian Mehdi , Stojcevski Alex , Moser Irene , Schneider Jean-Guy
Published: October 2020

Continuous delivery has gained increased popularity in industry as a development approach to develop, test, and deploy enhancements to software components in short development cycles. In order for continuous delivery to be effectively adopted, the services that a component depends upon must be readily available to software engineers in order to systematically apply quality assurance techniques. However, this may not always be possible as (i) these requisite services may have limited access and (ii) defects that are introduced in a component under development may cause ripple effects in real deployment environments. Service virtualisation (SV) has been introduced as an approach to address these challenges, but existing approaches to SV still fall short of delivering the required accuracy and/or ease-of-use to virtualise services for adoption in continuous delivery. In this work, we propose a novel machine learning based approach to predict numeric fields in virtualised responses, extending existing research that has provided a way to produce values for categorical fields. The SV approach introduced here uses machine learning techniques to derive values of numeric fields that are based on a variable number of pertinent historic messages. Our empirical evaluation demonstrates that the Cognitive SV approach can produce responses with the appropriate fields and accurately predict values of numeric fields across three data sets, some of them based on stateful protocols.
A Review of the State of the Art in Non-Contact Sensing for COVID-19
Authors: Taylor William , Abbasi Qammer H. , Dashtipour Kia , Ansari Shuja , Shah Syed Aziz , Khalid Arslan , Imran Muhammad Ali
Published: October 2020

COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has resulted in a global pandemic recently. With no approved vaccination or treatment, governments around the world have issued guidance to their citizens to remain at home in efforts to control the spread of the disease. The goal of controlling the spread of the virus is to prevent strain on hospitals. In this paper, we focus on how non-invasive methods are being used to detect COVID-19 and assist healthcare workers in caring for COVID-19 patients. Early detection of COVID-19 can allow for early isolation to prevent further spread. This study outlines the advantages and disadvantages and a breakdown of the methods applied in the current state-of-the-art approaches. In addition, the paper highlights some future research directions, which need to be explored further to produce innovative technologies to control this pandemic.
Image Compressive Sensing via Hybrid Nonlocal Sparsity Regularization
Authors: Li Lizhao , Xiao Song , Zhao Yimin
Published: October 2020

This paper focuses on image compressive sensing (CS). As the intrinsic properties of natural images, nonlocal self-similarity and sparse representation have been widely used in various image processing tasks. Most existing image CS methods apply either self-adaptive dictionary (e.g., principle component analysis (PCA) dictionary and singular value decomposition (SVD) dictionary) or fixed dictionary (e.g., discrete cosine transform (DCT), discrete wavelet transform (DWT), and Curvelet) as the sparse basis, while single dictionary could not fully explore the sparsity of images. In this paper, a Hybrid NonLocal Sparsity Regularization (HNLSR) is developed and applied to image compressive sensing. The proposed HNLSR measures nonlocal sparsity in 2D and 3D transform domain simultaneously, and both self-adaptive singular value decomposition (SVD) dictionary and fixed 3D transform are utilized. We use an efficient alternating minimization method to solve the optimization problem. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms existing methods in both objective evaluation and visual quality.
Real-Time Fruit Recognition and Grasping Estimation for Robotic Apple Harvesting
Authors: Kang Hanwen , Zhou Hongyu , Wang Xing , Chen Chao
Published: October 2020

Robotic harvesting shows a promising aspect in future development of agricultural industry. However, there are many challenges which are still presented in the development of a fully functional robotic harvesting system. Vision is one of the most important keys among these challenges. Traditional vision methods always suffer from defects in accuracy, robustness, and efficiency in real implementation environments. In this work, a fully deep learning-based vision method for autonomous apple harvesting is developed and evaluated. The developed method includes a light-weight one-stage detection and segmentation network for fruit recognition and a PointNet to process the point clouds and estimate a proper approach pose for each fruit before grasping. Fruit recognition network takes raw inputs from RGB-D camera and performs fruit detection and instance segmentation on RGB images. The PointNet grasping network combines depth information and results from the fruit recognition as input and outputs the approach pose of each fruit for robotic arm execution. The developed vision method is evaluated on RGB-D image data which are collected from both laboratory and orchard environments. Robotic harvesting experiments in both indoor and outdoor conditions are also included to validate the performance of the developed harvesting system. Experimental results show that the developed vision method can perform highly efficient and accurate to guide robotic harvesting. Overall, the developed robotic harvesting system achieves 0.8 on harvesting success rate and cycle time is 6.5 s.
Secure Deep Learning for Intelligent Terahertz Metamaterial Identification
Authors: Liu Feifei , Zhang Weihao , Sun Yu , Liu Jianwei , Miao Jungang , He Feng , Wu Xiaojun
Published: October 2020

Metamaterials, artificially engineered structures with extraordinary physical properties, offer multifaceted capabilities in interdisciplinary fields. To address the looming threat of stealthy monitoring, the detection and identification of metamaterials is the next research frontier but have not yet been explored. Here, we show that the crypto-oriented convolutional neural network (CNN) makes possible the secure intelligent detection of metamaterials in mixtures. Terahertz signals were encrypted by homomorphic encryption and the ciphertext was submitted to the CNN directly for results, which can only be decrypted by the data owner. The experimentally measured terahertz signals were augmented and further divided into training sets and test sets using 5-fold cross-validation. Experimental results illustrated that the model achieved an accuracy of 100% on the test sets, which highly outperformed humans and the traditional machine learning. The CNN took 9.6 s to inference on 92 encrypted test signals with homomorphic encryption backend. The proposed method with accuracy and security provides private preserving paradigm for artificial intelligence-based material identification.
Marker-Based Structural Displacement Measurement Models with Camera Movement Error Correction Using Image Matching and Anomaly Detection
Authors: Kim Jisung , Jeong Youngdo , Lee Hyojin , Yun Hongsik
Published: October 2020

To prevent collapse accidents at construction sites, the marker-based displacement measurement method was developed. However, it has difficulty in obtaining accurate measurements at long distances (>50 m) in an outdoor environment because of camera movements. To overcome this problem, marker-based structural displacement measurement models using image matching and anomaly detection were designed in this study. Then, the performance of each model in terms of camera movement error correction was verified through comparison with that of a conventional model. The results show that the systematic errors due to camera movements (<1.7°) were corrected. The detection rate of markers with displacement reached 95%, and the probability that the error size would be less than 10 mm was ≥ 95% with a 95% confidence interval at a distance of more than 100 m. Moreover, the normalized mean square error was less than 0.1. The models developed in this study can measure the pure displacement of an object without the systematic errors caused by camera movements. Furthermore, these models can be used to measure the displacements of distant structures using closed-circuit television cameras and markers in an outdoor environment with high accuracy.
Development of an IoT-Based Construction Worker Physiological Data Monitoring Platform at High Temperatures
Authors: Kim Jung Hoon , Jo Byung Wan , Jo Jun Ho , Kim Do Keun
Published: October 2020

This study presents an IoT-based construction worker physiological data monitoring platform using an off-the-shelf wearable smart band. The developed platform is designed for construction workers performing under high temperatures, and the platform is composed of two parts: an overall heat assessment (OHS) and a personal management system (PMS). OHS manages the breaktimes for groups of workers based using a thermal comfort index (TCI), as provided by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), while PMS assesses the individual health risk level based on fuzzy theory using data acquired from a commercially available smart band. The device contains three sensors (PPG, Acc, and skin temperature), two modules (LoRa and GPS), and a power supply, which are embedded into a microcontroller (MCU). Thus, approved personnel can monitor the status as well as the current position of a construction worker via a PC or smartphone, and can make necessary decisions remotely. The platform was tested in both indoor and outdoor environment for reliability, achieved less than 1% of error, and received satisfactory feedback from on-site users.
The Impact of Team Identity and Gender on Free-Riding Responses to Fear and Cooperation Sustainability
Authors: Gomez-Ruiz Laura , Sánchez-Expósito María J.
Published: October 2020

This study explores the interaction effect of team identity and gender on free-riding responses to fear and cooperation sustainability in a social dilemma situation. Based on differences in inequity aversion, risk preferences, and reaction to competition between men and women, we predict that team identity reduces free-riding behaviors among men when they feel fear to be exploited by others teammates that free-ride, but that it does not affect women in this way. Consequently, we also predict that the effect of team identity on cooperation sustainability differs between the two genders. We conducted an experiment in which dominant incentives to free-ride were held constant over 30 periods and where agents had to make a decision between cooperation and free-riding in each period. After each decision, agents received teammates’ contribution and earnings, which facilitates that agents identify whether their team members free-ride. Our findings show no effect for team identity on free-riding response to fear among women. However, team identity affects free-riding response to fear among men, which positively impacts cooperation sustainability.
Understanding Active Sport Tourist Behaviors in Small-Scale Sports Events: Stimulus-Organism-Response Approach
Authors: Jeong Yunduk , Kim Euisoo , Kim Suk-Kyu
Published: October 2020

With the growth in opportunities for amateur athletes to participate in competitive events, a major challenge for policy-makers of a sporting destination is to understand the role of small-scale recurring sporting events in attracting tourists and the variables that influence active sport tourist behavior. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate structural relationships between emotional experiences, perceived value, tourist satisfaction, and destination loyalty within the context of small-scale recurring sporting events by adopting stimulus–organism–response theory. Construct validity of the measurement scale was verified by confirmatory factor analysis, factor loadings, average variance extracted, and construct reliability. Reliability of the measurement scale was verified by Cronbach’s alpha analysis. A structural equation modeling test with maximum likelihood estimation was used to examine structural relationships between variables in the proposed model by analyzing responses of 301 survey participants. Results showed positive impacts of (a) emotional experiences on functional value and emotional value, (b) functional value on tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty, and (c) tourist satisfaction on destination loyalty. The results of this study: (1) show it is meaningful to include emotional experiences in examining active sport tourist behaviors; (2) confirm that both small- and large-scale sporting events should be considered as effective marketing strategies aimed at improving tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty; and (3) provide the effectiveness of applying an extended stimulus–organism–response framework in investigating sports-tourist behavior.
Effects of Agricultural Cooperative Society on Farmers’ Technical Efficiency: Evidence from Stochastic Frontier Analysis
Authors: Qu Ruopin , Wu Yongchang , Chen Jing , Jones Glyn D. , Li Wenjing , Jin Shan , Chang Qian , Cao Yiying , Yang Guijun , Li Zhenhong , Frewer Lynn J.
Published: October 2020

The impact of agricultural cooperatives on apple farmers’ technical efficiency (TE) in China was examined. The cooperatives were divided into two groups: a collective marketing group for farmers and an equivalent non-marketing group that did not provide a marketing service, although other functions remained the same. Using the propensity score matching (PSM) procedure and stochastic production frontier (SPF) modelling, cooperatives’ key functions that potentially increase farmers’ TE can be identified. The results indicate that membership of either group is positively related to yield. However, cooperatives that were not engaged in marketing achieved higher TE than non-members. This suggests that policy makers should encourage cooperatives to focus on activities that do not include direct marketing to increase TE in apple production in China.
Research on Innovation Catering Behavior and Its Economic Consequences—An Empirical Analysis Based on Threshold Regression Model
Authors: Zhu Yue , Sun Ziyuan , Wang Ling , Wang Xiaoping , Zhang Lu
Published: October 2020

The purpose of this research is to develop the subjective initiative and enhance the sense of independent innovation in the process of high-tech enterprises, so as to guarantee the sustainable development of innovation ability. Based on the relevant data of high-tech enterprises from 2012 to 2017, a threshold regression model was established to study the existence of innovative “incentive” catering behaviors in the process of identifying high-tech enterprises. First, the empirical test results support the hypothesis of innovative “incentives” catering behavior, identified by high-tech enterprises, with a threshold of 0.0370. The empirical results show that the one-size-fits-all objective identification standard will indeed encourage some companies to adopt catering behaviors. Next, the paper verifies that high-tech companies that do not adopt “incentive” catering behaviors will have higher innovation efficiencies. Moreover, the R&D investment and R&D subsidy of high-tech enterprises without catering behaviors will be higher. Finally, through a stepwise regression test, it was found that R&D investment and R&D subsidies play an intermediary role in the relationship between innovation “incentives” catering behavior and corporate innovation efficiency. High-tech enterprises affect the innovation efficiency of enterprises through the transmission mechanism of R&D investment and R&D subsidies.
The Dependence of Cocksfoot Productivity of Liming and Nitrogen Application and the Assessment of Qualitative Parameters and Environmental Impact Using Biomass for Biofuels
Authors: Šiaudinis Gintaras , Jasinskas Algirdas , Karčauskienė Danutė , Šarauskis Egidijus , Lekavičienė Kristina , Repšienė Regina
Published: October 2020

In order to evaluate the liming and nitrogen efficiency of cocksfoot (Dactylisglomerata L.) productivity, a field experiment was performed in Western Lithuania’s naturally acidic Retisol area (55°43′ N, 21°27′ E). Based on seven years of research data, dry mass (DM) yield (including first and second cuttings) reliably varied depending on the growing year, from 4.57 to 7.34 t ha−1. The most significant and positive impact on DM yield was obtained by the application of higher liming (6.0 t ha−1 CaCO3) and nitrogen (120 kg ha−1) rates. Liming utilization efficiency (LUE) was affected by the year of growth (although not always significantly), with a 6.0 t ha−1 CaCO3 liming rate and nitrogen fertilization. Nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) varied depending on the growing year and N fertilization rate. One of the most effective solutions for improving cocksfoot biomass is to prepare pressed granulated biofuel, which is potentially a good quality raw material for the direct combustion process. The execution and evaluation of technological parameters and properties of produced pellets revealed that cocksfoot pellet humidity reached 10.0% ± 0.6%, whereas pellet density was sufficiently high, and reached 983.8 ± 22.9 kgm−3 DM. The lower calorific value of cocksfoot pellets reached 17.7 MJkg−1. Ash content after pellet burning was relatively high, reaching 7.0–7.6%. Pellet ash melting temperatures were sufficiently high, with ash softening temperature (ST) reaching 1065 °C. Determined emissions of harmful gases from the burning of cocksfoot pellets (CO2, CO, SO2, NOx and unburnt hydrocarbons CxHy) did not exceed the permissible limits.
Mobility as a Service: An Exploratory Study of Consumer Mobility Behaviour
Authors: Mola Lapo , Berger Quentin , Haavisto Karoliina , Soscia Isabella
Published: October 2020

Key challenges in transportation need to be addressed to tackle the problems of fossil fuel emissions and worsened air quality in urban area. The development of a more efficient and clean transport system could benefit from mobility as a service (MaaS). The present paper aims to understand the determinants of the intention to adopt such a service. We test the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) on mobility behavior and intention to adopt mobility as a service, and we analyze the role of perceived cost saving as a determinant for the perceived ease of use. Data were collected through a survey on a sample of 201 potential adopters. The findings show that for such a technology, perceived usefulness fully mediate the influence of perceived ese of use on the intention to adopt. Moreover, the effect of perceived cost saving on perceived ease of use is moderated by the life cycle of the technology. Implications for marketing managers and policy makers are discussed.
Agricultural Workforce Crisis in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Bochtis Dionysis , Benos Lefteris , Lampridi Maria , Marinoudi Vasso , Pearson Simon , Sørensen Claus G.
Published: October 2020

COVID-19 and the restrictive measures towards containing the spread of its infections have seriously affected the agricultural workforce and jeopardized food security. The present study aims at assessing the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on agricultural labor and suggesting strategies to mitigate them. To this end, after an introduction to the pandemic background, the negative consequences on agriculture and the existing mitigation policies, risks to the agricultural workers were benchmarked across the United States’ Standard Occupational Classification system. The individual tasks associated with each occupation in agricultural production were evaluated on the basis of potential COVID-19 infection risk. As criteria, the most prevalent virus transmission mechanisms were considered, namely the possibility of touching contaminated surfaces and the close proximity of workers. The higher risk occupations within the sector were identified, which facilitates the allocation of worker protection resources to the occupations where they are most needed. In particular, the results demonstrated that 50% of the agricultural workforce and 54% of the workers’ annual income are at moderate to high risk. As a consequence, a series of control measures need to be adopted so as to enhance the resilience and sustainability of the sector as well as protect farmers including physical distancing, hygiene practices, and personal protection equipment.
Isomorphism of Binary Operations in Differential Geometry
Authors: Barabanov Nikita E.
Published: October 2020

We consider smooth binary operations invariant with respect to unitary transformations that generalize the operations of the Beltrami–Klein and Beltrami–Poincare ball models of hyperbolic geometry, known as Einstein addition and Möbius addition. It is shown that all such operations may be recovered from associated metric tensors that have a canonical form. Necessary and sufficient conditions for canonical metric tensors to generate binary operations are found. A definition of algebraic isomorphism of binary operations is given. Necessary and sufficient conditions for binary operations to be isomorphic are provided. It is proved that every algebraic automorphism gives rise to isomorphism of corresponding gyrogroups. Necessary and sufficient conditions in terms of metric tensors for binary operations to be isomorphic to Euclidean addition are given. The problem of binary operations to be isomorphic to Einstein addition is also solved in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions. We also obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for binary operations having the same function-parameter in the canonical representation of metric tensors to be isomorphic.