bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PENGARUH LINGKUNGAN KELUARGA, SEKOLAH DAN MASYARAKAT TERHADAP PERSEPSI GENDER MAHASISWA LAKI-LAKI DAN PEREMPUAN
Authors: Dya Rahayu Rehasti , Wigna Winati
Published: January 2017

The goals of this research are to analyze family, school, and society area that influence of student gender perception and then to know the different influence factors from it. This research has done in STEI TAZKIA. Generally, even though have the high education but the gender perception is still low. This reality has different with what happened in STEI TAZKIA. STEI TAZKIA students have the high gender perception. Those facts are the good reason to do research in STEI TAZKIA. The results of this research are student gender perceptions do not come from the family area, but student gender perception come from school and society area and there are different results from boy and girl students. The results of this research proofed that the influence boy students gender perception come from school area (from their teacher) and society area (from their friends), different with the girl students that the influence gender perception come from family area (from their mother).
EVALUASI EFEKTIVITAS, RELEVANSI, DAN KEBERLANJUTAN DAMPAK PROYEK SECOND WATER SANITATION FOR LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES (WSLIC-2)
Authors: Sita Rai , Agusta Ivanovich
Published: January 2017

The aim of this research are to evaluate how far the Second Water Sanitation for Low Income Communities (WSLIC-2) project appropriate with empowerment concept and to evaluate effectiveness, relevance, and sustainability impact of WSLIC-2 project which implemented in Pangradin village. Empowerment concept that used to analyze WSLIC-2 project design and its implementation in field are 10 principles Community Driven Development (CDD). As a project which based on community, WSLIC-2 project design has appropriated with 10 principles of CDD. The principles of CDD which related to concept of plan and construction phase  has implemented well in the field. But, the principle who related with concept of maintenances phase not yet implemented well in field. In general, WSLIC-2 project that conducted in Pangradin village assessed quite relevance, but not fully effective and the sustainability is still questionable. Optimization activity of CLTS   and strengthening structure of UPS are implementable in order to create a sustainable WSLIC-2 project.
HUBUNGAN ANTARA PERILAKU MENONTON FILM KEKERASAN DENGAN PERILAKU AGRESI REMAJA
Authors: K. Pandjaitan Nurmala , . Nando
Published: January 2017

In recent years many scenes of violence shown in films. Fights, beatings, murders, destructive, and harmful to others has always appeared in the film. Increasing the proportion of violent scenes in movies gave the negative influence of criticism for the audience.  Anxiety about the emergence of negative influence is increasing due to the characteristics of a predominantly adolescence audience. One of the alleged negative impact on adolescence movies is aggression behavior. The purpose of this study were (a) know the behavior of adolescents in watching violent films (b) know the behavior of adolescents in the act of aggression (c) analyze the relationship between adolescent behavior in watching violent films with aggression behavior. The research subjects were 45 student of SMK Pelita Ciampea, Bogor. Research data are analyzed using Chi Square with contingency coefficient (C) ranges from 0-1. Behavior watching violent films do not have a significant relationship with the behavior of adolescent aggression. Intensity factor to aggression behavior in the family environment, in the neighborhood and situational factors has a significant relationship to adolescent aggression behavior at ? 0.01 with 99 percent confidence interval so that a positive relationship. Intensity factor to aggression behavior by friends to have a significant  relationship with adolescent aggression behavior  at ? 0.05 with 95 percent confidence interval so that a positive relationship.
Synthesis and Surface Properties of Anionic Vinylguaiacol Based Surfactants
Authors: Darapureddi Prabhakara Rao , Kumar Bijari Anil , Deshpande Shruti S. , Dhevendar Koude , Misra Sunil , Nayak Rati Ranjan
Published: January 2017

By changing amino acid head group four biobased anionic surfactants were synthesized using 4-vinylguaiacol and methylbromo undecanoate. The synthesized surfactants were characterized by NMR and mass spectrometry analysis. The surface active properties such as surface tension, wetting power, foaming characteristic, emulsion stability, calcium tolerance were studied and compared with those of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Excellent emulsion stabilities and calcium tolerances were observed for the synthesized surfactants. These surfactants show a lower critical micelle concentration as compared to the conventional surfactants. The bulk micellization properties were studied using dynamic light scattering and fluorescence anisotropy technique. The antimicrobial and cytotoxicity studies were also carried out.
Preparation and Properties of Novel Asymmetric Gemini Alkyl Polyglycosides
Authors: Chen Feiyu , Liu Mengsu , Du Juan , Luo Yan
Published: January 2017

In order to obtain higher surface activity and lower foaming ability, novel asymmetric Gemini alkyl polyglycosides were synthetized based on tertiary dodecyl dimethyl amine and epoxy chloropropane by adopting chlorination, substitution, and quaternization reactions. The structure of synthesis product was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and elemental analysis. It was confirmed that the synthesis product was an asymmetric glycoside quaternary ammonium salt with double ionic head groups. The critical micelle concentration of the resulting product was 0.025 g/mL at 20°C and its surface tension was low to 22.8 mN/m. The emulsifying ability and wettability of the product were the same as or even better than those of the commonly used surfactants. Moreover, the product revealed low foaming ability.
Preparation and Characterization of Glauber's Salt Microcapsules for Thermal Energy Storage
Authors: Wang Tao , Li Hui , Lu Qu-Liang , Wu Nan , Jiang Yong
Published: January 2017

Microcapsules with modified polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as coating polymer and sodium sulfate decahydrate (Na2SO4 · 10H2O) as core materials were prepared using the emulsion polymerization and solvent evaporation methods. Chemical composition and microscopic structure of the synthesized PMMA-AA/Na2SO4 · 10 H2O phase change materials (PCMs) microcapsules were confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, polarizing optical microscopy (POM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal properties were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in detail. The results show that the microcapsules are uniform and approximately spherical with an average diameter of about 3.5 μm. The melting point of the microcapsule is 31.5°C and the fusion heat is 182.8 J/g. This demonstrated that the prepared PMMA-AA/Na2SO4 · 10H2O microcapsules could be promising candidates for the design of novel energy-saving materials with good thermal energy storage application.
Novel Mesoporous ZSM-5 Zeolite with Disparate Morphologies Synthesized by a Double Long-alkyl-chain Organosilane Template
Authors: Zhao Fei , Liu Dongliang , Wang Yijiang
Published: January 2017

A novel hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite containing two disparate morphologies was prepared by using a new organosilane surfactant with two long alkyl chains. Main crystal phase arrayed regularly and stacked in dense layers. However, the rest of crystalline phase was shaped like egg tarts.
Application of the Taguchi technique for the optimization of surface roughness and tool life during the milling of Hastelloy C22
Authors: Kıvak Turgay , Mert Şenol
Published: January 2017

In this study, the effects of machining parameters on surface roughness (Ra) and tool life (Tl) were investigated in the milling of Hastelloy C22 alloy with TiAlN-coated carbide inserts. A number of milling experiments were conducted using the L27 (33) Taguchi orthogonal array on a CNC milling machine under different cutting conditions (dry, compressed air and wet). The cutting condition, cutting speed and feed rate were determined as the essential machining parameters. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio were employed to evaluate the effects of the machining parameters on Ra and Tl, and prediction models were created using quadratic regression analyses. The results revealed that the feed rate and cutting condition were the most influential factors on surface roughness and flank wear. The maximum tool life was achieved under wet cutting condition using a cutting speed of 30 × min−1 and a feed rate of 0.08 mm × rev−1, while the minimum surface roughness value was obtained under wet cutting condition using a cutting speed of 50 m × min−1 and the same feed rate. Using the optimum cutting parameters for Tl (30 m × min−1, 0.08 mm × rev−1), increases of 234 % and 67 % in tool life were observed under wet and compressed air cutting conditions, respectively, compared to the dry cutting condition.
Preparation and properties of a long time durable superhydrophilic titanium dioxide film obtained by a sol-gel process
Authors: Zhang Jianjun , Zeng Hao , Liu Chun , Li Chao , Ma Sude , Lv Guangpu
Published: January 2017

The superhydrophilic phenomenon of titanium dioxide (TiO2) has some potential applications. However, the superhydrophilicity can be obtained only using ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation and cannot be regained conveniently due to the energy band gap of TiO2. In this study, superhydrophilic TiO2 film on a glass substrate was prepared by a simple sol-gel method and the sol was doped with nitrogen, fluorine and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The preparation method was discussed and the film was characterized. Results show that the anatase TiO2 was obtained at about 500 °C, and the redshift of nitrogen-doped film was the largest, whereas the transmittance of fluorine-doped film was increased. The sizes of TiO2 particles in the films are uniform and the films are homogeneous except PEG-doped TiO2. Superhydrophilicity of films doped with PEG can maintain 12 days and can be regained by the irradiation of sunlight.
Modeling Delayed Dynamics in Biological Regulatory Networks from Time Series Data
Authors: Ben Abdallah Emna , Ribeiro Tony , Magnin Morgan , Roux Olivier , Inoue Katsumi
Published: January 2017

Background: The modeling of Biological Regulatory Networks (BRNs) relies on background knowledge, deriving either from literature and/or the analysis of biological observations. However, with the development of high-throughput data, there is a growing need for methods that automatically generate admissible models. Methods: Our research aim is to provide a logical approach to infer BRNs based on given time series data and known influences among genes. Results: We propose a new methodology for models expressed through a timed extension of the automata networks (well suited for biological systems). The main purpose is to have a resulting network as consistent as possible with the observed datasets. Conclusion: The originality of our work is three-fold: (i) identifying the sign of the interaction; (ii) the direct integration of quantitative time delays in the learning approach; and (iii) the identification of the qualitative discrete levels that lead to the systems’ dynamics. We show the benefits of such an automatic approach on dynamical biological models, the DREAM4(in silico) and DREAM8 (breast cancer) datasets, popular reverse-engineering challenges, in order to discuss the precision and the computational performances of our modeling method.
Research Entropy Complexity about the Nonlinear Dynamic Delay Game Model
Authors: Zhan Xueli , Ma Junhai , Ren Wenbo
Published: January 2017

Based on the research of domestic and foreign scholars, this paper has improved and established a double oligopoly market model of renewable energy, and analyzed the complex dynamic characteristics of a system based on entropy theory and chaos theory, such as equilibrium point, stability, Hopf bifurcation conditions, etc. This paper also studied and simulated the effects of the natural growth rate of energy and the single delay decision on the renewable energy system by minimizing the entropy of the system and reducing the system instability to a minimum, so that the degree of disorder within the system was reduced. The results show that with the increase of the natural growth rate of energy, the stability of the system is not affected, but the market demand of the oligopoly 1 is gradually reducing and the market demand of the oligopoly 2 is gradually increasing. At the same time, a single oligopoly making the time delay decision will affect the stability of the two oligopolies. With the increase of delay, the time required to reach the stable state will grow, and the system will eventually enter the Hopf bifurcation, thus the system will have its entropy increased and fall into an unstable state. Therefore, in the actual market of renewable energy, oligopolies should pay attention to the natural growth rate of energy and time delay, ensuring the stability of the game process and the orderliness of the system.
Use of Information Measures and Their Approximations to Detect Predictive Gene-Gene Interaction
Authors: Mielniczuk Jan , Rdzanowski Marcin
Published: January 2017

We reconsider the properties and relationships of the interaction information and its modified versions in the context of detecting the interaction of two SNPs for the prediction of a binary outcome when interaction information is positive. This property is called predictive interaction, and we state some new sufficient conditions for it to hold true. We also study chi square approximations to these measures. It is argued that interaction information is a different and sometimes more natural measure of interaction than the logistic interaction parameter especially when SNPs are dependent. We introduce a novel measure of predictive interaction based on interaction information and its modified version. In numerical experiments, which use copulas to model dependence, we study examples when the logistic interaction parameter is zero or close to zero for which predictive interaction is detected by the new measure, while it remains undetected by the likelihood ratio test.
Energy Rebound as a Potential Threat to a Low-Carbon Future: Findings from a New Exergy-Based National-Level Rebound Approach
Authors: Brockway Paul , Saunders Harry , Heun Matthew , Foxon Timothy , Steinberger Julia , Barrett John , Sorrell Steve
Published: January 2017

150 years ago, Stanley Jevons introduced the concept of energy rebound: that anticipated energy efficiency savings may be “taken back” by behavioural responses. This is an important issue today because, if energy rebound is significant, this would hamper the effectiveness of energy efficiency policies aimed at reducing energy use and associated carbon emissions. However, empirical studies which estimate national energy rebound are rare and, perhaps as a result, rebound is largely ignored in energy-economy models and associated policy. A significant difficulty lies in the components of energy rebound assessed in empirical studies: most examine direct and indirect rebound in the static economy, excluding potentially significant rebound of the longer term structural response of the national economy. In response, we develop a novel exergy-based approach to estimate national energy rebound for the UK and US (1980–2010) and China (1981–2010). Exergy—as “available energy”—allows a consistent, thermodynamic-based metric for national-level energy efficiency. We find large energy rebound in China, suggesting that improvements in China’s energy efficiency may be associated with increased energy consumption (“backfire”). Conversely, we find much lower (partial) energy rebound for the case of the UK and US. These findings support the hypothesis that producer-sided economies (such as China) may exhibit large energy rebound, reducing the effectiveness of energy efficiency, unless other policy measures (e.g., carbon taxes) are implemented. It also raises the prospect we need to deploy renewable energy sources faster than currently planned, if (due to rebound) energy efficiency policies cannot deliver the scale of energy reduction envisaged to meet climate targets.
Assessment against Experiments of Devolatilization and Char Burnout Models for the Simulation of an Aerodynamically Staged Swirled Low-NOx Pulverized Coal Burner
Authors: Torresi Marco , Fornarelli Francesco , Fortunato Bernardo , Camporeale Sergio , Saponaro Alessandro
Published: January 2017

In the next few years, even though there will be a continuous growth of renewables and a loss of the share of fossil fuel, energy production will still be strongly dependent on fossil fuels. It is expected that coal will continue to play an important role as a primary energy source in the next few decades due to its lower cost and higher availability with respect to other fossil fuels. However, in order to improve the sustainability of energy production from fossil fuels, in terms of pollutant emissions and energy efficiency, the development of advanced investigation tools is crucial. In particular, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are needed in order to support the design process of low emission burners. Even if in the literature several combustion models can be found, the assessment of their performance against detailed experimental measurements on full-scale pulverized coal burners is lacking. In this paper, the numerical simulation of a full-scale low-NO x , aerodynamically-staged, pulverized coal burner for electric utilities tested in the 48 MW th plant at the Combustion Environment Research Centre (CCA - Centro Combustione e Ambiente) of Ansaldo Caldaie S.p.A. in Gioia del Colle (Italy) is presented. In particular, this paper is focused on both devolatilization and char burnout models. The parameters of each model have been set according to the coal characteristics without any tuning based on the experimental data. Thanks to a detailed description of the complex geometry of the actual industrial burner and, in particular, of the pulverized coal inlet distribution (considering the entire primary air duct, in order to avoid any unrealistic assumption), a correct selection of both devolatilization and char burnout models and a selection of suited parameters for the NO x modeling, accurate results have been obtained in terms of NO x formation. Since the model parameters have been evaluated a priori, the numerical approach proposed here could be suitable to be applied as a performance prediction tool in the design of pulverized coal burners.
Performance Analysis of Data-Driven and Model-Based Control Strategies Applied to a Thermal Unit Model
Authors: Turhan Cihan , Simani Silvio , Zajic Ivan , Gokcen Akkurt Gulden
Published: January 2017

The paper presents the design and the implementation of different advanced control strategies that are applied to a nonlinear model of a thermal unit. A data-driven grey-box identification approach provided the physically–meaningful nonlinear continuous-time model, which represents the benchmark exploited in this work. The control problem of this thermal unit is important, since it constitutes the key element of passive air conditioning systems. The advanced control schemes analysed in this paper are used to regulate the outflow air temperature of the thermal unit by exploiting the inflow air speed, whilst the inflow air temperature is considered as an external disturbance. The reliability and robustness issues of the suggested control methodologies are verified with a Monte Carlo (MC) analysis for simulating modelling uncertainty, disturbance and measurement errors. The achieved results serve to demonstrate the effectiveness and the viable application of the suggested control solutions to air conditioning systems. The benchmark model represents one of the key issues of this study, which is exploited for benchmarking different model-based and data-driven advanced control methodologies through extensive simulations. Moreover, this work highlights the main features of the proposed control schemes, while providing practitioners and heating, ventilating and air conditioning engineers with tools to design robust control strategies for air conditioning systems.
Stability Analysis and Stability Enhancement Based on Virtual Harmonic Resistance for Meshed DC Distributed Power Systems with Constant Power Loads
Authors: Hu Huiyong , Wang Xiaoming , Peng Yonggang , Xia Yanghong , Yu Miao , Wei Wei
Published: January 2017

This paper addresses the stability issue of the meshed DC distributed power systems (DPS) with constant power loads (CPLs) and proposes a stability enhancement method based on virtual harmonic resistance. In previous researches, the network dynamics of the meshed DC DPS are often ignored, which affects the derivation of the equivalent system impendence. In addition, few of them have considered the meshed DC DPS including multiple sources with voltage-controlled converters and CPLs. To tackle the aforementioned challenge, this paper mainly makes the following efforts. The component connection method (CCM) is employed and expanded to derive the stability criterion of the meshed DC DPS with CPLs. This stability criterion can be simplified to relate only with the network node admittance matrix, the output impendences of the sources, and the input admittances of the CPLs. A virtual harmonic resistance through the second-order generalized integrator (SOGI) is added in the source with the voltage-controlled converter to lower the peak of the source output impendence, which can enhance the stability of the meshed DC DPS. The effectiveness of the proposed stability criterion and stability enhancement method are verified by nonlinear dynamic simulations.
Evaluating the Reliability of Counting Bacteria Using Epifluorescence Microscopy
Authors: Muthukrishnan Thirumahal , Govender Anesh , Dobretsov Sergey , Abed Raeid
Published: January 2017

The common practice of counting bacteria using epifluorescence microscopy involves selecting 5–30 random fields of view on a glass slide to calculate the arithmetic mean which is then used to estimate the total bacterial abundance. However, not much is known about the accuracy of the arithmetic mean when it is calculated by selecting random fields of view and its effect on the overall abundance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the arithmetic mean by estimating total bacterial abundance and to calculate its variance using a bootstrapping technique. Three fixed suspensions obtained from a three-week-old marine biofilm were stained and dispersed on glass slides. Bacterial cells were counted from a total of 13,924 fields of view on each slide. Total bacterial count data obtained were used for calculating the arithmetic mean and associated variance and bias for sample field sizes of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40. The study revealed a non-uniform distribution of bacterial cells on the glass slide. A minimum of 20 random fields of view or a minimum of 350 bacterial cells need to be counted to obtain a reliable value of the arithmetic mean to estimate the total bacterial abundance for a marine biofilm sample dispersed on a glass slide.
Ferroelectric Domain Structure and Local Piezoelectric Properties of Lead-Free (Ka0.5Na0.5)NbO3 and BiFeO3-Based Piezoelectric Ceramics
Authors: Alikin Denis , Turygin Anton , Kholkin Andrei , Shur Vladimir
Published: January 2017

Recent advances in the development of novel methods for the local characterization of ferroelectric domains open up new opportunities not only to image, but also to control and to create desired domain configurations (domain engineering). The morphotropic and polymorphic phase boundaries that are frequently used to increase the electromechanical and dielectric performance of ferroelectric ceramics have a tremendous effect on the domain structure, which can serve as a signature of complex polarization states and link local and macroscopic piezoelectric and dielectric responses. This is especially important for the study of lead-free ferroelectric ceramics, which is currently replacing traditional lead-containing materials, and great efforts are devoted to increasing their performance to match that of lead zirconate titanate (PZT). In this work, we provide a short overview of the recent progress in the imaging of domain structure in two major families of ceramic lead-free systems based on BiFeO3 (BFO) and (Ka0.5Na0.5)NbO3 (KNN). This can be used as a guideline for the understanding of domain processes in lead-free piezoelectric ceramics and provide further insight into the mechanisms of structure–property relationship in these technologically important material families.
A Novel Design of Autonomously Healed Concrete: Towards a Vascular Healing Network
Authors: Minnebo Pieter , Thierens Glenn , De Valck Glenn , Van Tittelboom Kim , De Belie Nele , Van Hemelrijck Danny , Tsangouri Eleni
Published: January 2017

Concrete is prone to crack formation in the tensile zone, which is why steel reinforcement is introduced in these zones. However, small cracks could still arise, which give liquids and gasses access to the reinforcement causing it to corrode. Self-healing concrete repairs and seals these small (300 µm) cracks, preventing the development of corrosion. In this study, a vascular system, carrying the healing agent, is developed. It consists of tubes connected to a 3D printed distribution piece. This distribution piece has four outlets that are connected to the tubes and has one inlet, which is accessible from outside. Several materials were considered for the tubes, i.e., polymethylmethacrylate, starch, inorganic phosphate cement and alumina. Three-point-bending and four-point-bending tests proved that self-healing and multiple self-healing is possible with this developed vascular system.
Complete Procedure for Fabrication of a Fused Silica Ultrarapid Microfluidic Mixer Used in Biophysical Measurements
Authors: Izadi Dena , Nguyen Trieu , Lapidus Lisa
Published: January 2017

In this paper we present a method to fabricate a fused silica microfluidic device by employing low viscosity KMPR photoresists. The resulting device is a continuous-flow microfluidic mixer based on hydrodynamic focusing. The advantages of this new fabrication method compared to the traditional approach using a poly-silicon mask are simplification, and time and cost reduction, while still preserving the quality and the performance of the mixers. This process results in devices in which the focusing channel has an aspect ratio of 10:1. The newly-fabricated mixer is successfully used to observe the folding of the Pin1 WW domain at the microsecond time scale.
Progress in Remote Sensing of Photosynthetic Activity over the Amazon Basin
Authors: De Sousa Celio , Hilker Thomas , Waring Richard , De Moura Yhasmin , Lyapustin Alexei
Published: January 2017

Although quantifying the massive exchange of carbon that takes place over the Amazon Basin remains a challenge, progress is being made as the remote sensing community moves from using traditional, reflectance-based vegetation indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), to the more functional Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI). This new index, together with satellite-derived estimates of canopy light interception and Sun-Induced Fluorescence (SIF), provide improved estimates of Gross Primary Production (GPP). This paper traces the development of these new approaches, compares the results of their analyses from multiple years of data acquired across the Amazon Basin and suggests further improvements in instrument design, data acquisition and processing. We demonstrated that our estimates of PRI are in generally good agreement with eddy-flux tower measurements of photosynthetic light use efficiency (ε) at four sites in the Amazon Basin: r2 values ranged from 0.37 to 0.51 for northern flux sites and to 0.78 for southern flux sites. This is a significant advance over previous approaches seeking to establish a link between global-scale photosynthetic activity and remotely-sensed data. When combined with measurements of Sun-Induced Fluorescence (SIF), PRI provides realistic estimates of seasonal variation in photosynthesis over the Amazon that relate well to the wet and dry seasons. We anticipate that our findings will steer the development of improved approaches to estimate photosynthetic activity over the tropics.
Forward Scatter Radar for Air Surveillance: Characterizing the Target-Receiver Transition from Far-Field to Near-Field Regions
Authors: Falconi Marta , Comite Davide , Galli Alessandro , Pastina Debora , Lombardo Pierfrancesco , Marzano Frank
Published: January 2017

A generalized electromagnetic model is presented in order to predict the response of forward scatter radar (FSR) systems for air-target surveillance applications in both far-field and near-field conditions. The relevant scattering problem is tackled by developing the Helmholtz–Kirchhoff formula and Babinet’s principle to express the scattered and the total fields in typical FSR configurations. To fix the distinctive features of this class of problems, our approach is applied here to metallic targets with canonical rectangular shapes illuminated by a plane wave, but the model can straightforwardly be used to account for more general scenarios. By exploiting suitable approximations, a simple analytical formulation is derived allowing us to efficiently describe the characteristics of the FSR response for a target transitioning with respect to the receiver from far-field to near-field regions. The effects of different target electrical sizes and detection distances on the received signal, as well as the impact of the trajectory of the moving object, are evaluated and discussed. All of the results are shown in terms of quantities normalized to the wavelength and can be generalized to different configurations once the carrier frequency of the FSR system is set. The range of validity of the proposed closed-form approach has been checked by means of numerical analyses, involving comparisons also with a customized implementation of a full-wave commercial CAD tool. The outcomes of this study can pave the way for significant extensions on the applicability of the FSR technique.
NIR-Red Spectra-Based Disaggregation of SMAP Soil Moisture to 250 m Resolution Based on OzNet in Southeastern Australia
Authors: Chen Nengcheng , He Yuqi , Zhang Xiang
Published: January 2017

To meet the demand of regional hydrological and agricultural applications, a new method named near infrared-red (NIR-red) spectra-based disaggregation (NRSD) was proposed to perform a disaggregation of Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) products from 36 km to 250 m resolution. The NRSD combined proposed normalized soil moisture index (NSMI) with SMAP data to obtain 250 m resolution soil moisture mapping. This NRSD method was validated with the data from in situ OzNet network in May and September 2015. Results showed that NRSD performed a decent downscaling (root-mean-square error (RMSE) = 0.04 m3/m3 and 0.12 m3/m3 in May and September, respectively). Based on the validation, it was found that the proposed NSMI was a new alternative indicator for denoting the heterogeneity of soil moisture at sub-kilometer scales. Attributed to the excellent performance of the NSMI, NRSD has a higher overall accuracy, finer spatial representation within SMAP pixels and wider applicable scope on usability tests for land cover, vegetation density and drought condition than the disaggregation based on physical and theoretical scale change (DISPATCH) has at 250 m resolution. This revealed that the NRSD method is expected to provide soil moisture mapping at 250-resolution for large-scale hydrological and agricultural studies.
Image Fusion for Spatial Enhancement of Hyperspectral Image via Pixel Group Based Non-Local Sparse Representation
Authors: Yang Jing , Li Ying , Chan Jonathan , Shen Qiang
Published: January 2017

Restricted by technical and budget constraints, hyperspectral images (HSIs) are usually obtained with low spatial resolution. In order to improve the spatial resolution of a given hyperspectral image, a new spatial and spectral image fusion approach via pixel group based non-local sparse representation is proposed, which exploits the spectral sparsity and spectral non-local self-similarity of the hyperspectral image. The proposed approach fuses the hyperspectral image with a high-spatial-resolution multispectral image of the same scene to obtain a hyperspectral image with high spatial and spectral resolutions. The input hyperspectral image is used to train the spectral dictionary, while the sparse codes of the desired HSI are estimated by jointly encoding the similar pixels in each pixel group extracted from the high-spatial-resolution multispectral image. To improve the accuracy of the pixel group based non-local sparse representation, the similar pixels in a pixel group are selected by utilizing both the spectral and spatial information. The performance of the proposed approach is tested on two remote sensing image datasets. Experimental results suggest that the proposed method outperforms a number of sparse representation based fusion techniques, and can preserve the spectral information while recovering the spatial details under large magnification factors.
PHYLIS: A Low-Cost Portable Visible Range Spectrometer for Soil and Plants
Authors: Aitkenhead Matt , Gaskin Graham , Lafouge Noemie , Hawes Cathy
Published: January 2017

Monitoring soil and crop condition is vital for the sustainable management of agricultural systems. Often, land management decision-making requires rapid assessment of conditions, which is difficult if samples need to be taken and sent elsewhere for analysis. In recent years, advances in field-based spectroscopy have led to improvements in real-time monitoring; however, the cost of equipment and user training still makes it inaccessible for most land managers. At the James Hutton Institute, we have developed a low-cost visible wavelength hyperspectral device intended to provide rapid field-based assessment of soil and plant conditions. This device has been tested at the Institute’s research farm at Balruddery, linking field observations with existing sample analysis and crop type information. We show that it is possible to rapidly and easily acquire spectral information that enables site characteristics to be estimated. Improvements to the sensor and its potential uses are discussed.
Detection, Location and Grasping Objects Using a Stereo Sensor on UAV in Outdoor Environments
Authors: Ramon Soria Pablo , Arrue Begoña , Ollero Anibal
Published: January 2017

The article presents a vision system for the autonomous grasping of objects with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in real time. Giving UAVs the capability to manipulate objects vastly extends their applications, as they are capable of accessing places that are difficult to reach or even unreachable for human beings. This work is focused on the grasping of known objects based on feature models. The system runs in an on-board computer on a UAV equipped with a stereo camera and a robotic arm. The algorithm learns a feature-based model in an offline stage, then it is used online for detection of the targeted object and estimation of its position. This feature-based model was proved to be robust to both occlusions and the presence of outliers. The use of stereo cameras improves the learning stage, providing 3D information and helping to filter features in the online stage. An experimental system was derived using a rotary-wing UAV and a small manipulator for final proof of concept. The robotic arm is designed with three degrees of freedom and is lightweight due to payload limitations of the UAV. The system has been validated with different objects, both indoors and outdoors.
Quantitative Assessment of First Annular Pulley and Adjacent Tissues Using High-Frequency Ultrasound
Authors: Lin Yi-Hsun , Yang Tai-Hua , Wang Shyh-Hau , Su Fong-Chin
Published: January 2017

Due to a lack of appropriate image resolution, most ultrasound scanners are unable to sensitively discern the pulley tissues. To extensively investigate the properties of the A1 pulley system and the surrounding tissues for assessing trigger finger, a 30 MHz ultrasound system was implemented to perform in vitro experiments using the hypodermis, A1 pulley, and superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) dissected from cadavers. Ultrasound signals were acquired from both the transverse and sagittal planes of each tissue sample. The quantitative ultrasonic parameters, including sound speed, attenuation coefficient, integrated backscatter (IB) and Nakagami parameter (m), were subsequently estimated to characterize the tissue properties. The results demonstrated that the acquired ultrasound images have high resolution and are able to sufficiently differentiate the variations of tissue textures. Moreover, the attenuation slope of the hypodermis is larger than those of the A1 pulley and SDFT. The IB of A1 pulley is about the same as that of the hypodermis, and is very different from SDFT. The m parameter of the A1 pulley is also very different from those of hypodermis and SDFT. This study demonstrated that high-frequency ultrasound images in conjunction with ultrasonic parameters are capable of characterizing the A1 pulley system and surrounding tissues.
A Non-Invasive Multichannel Hybrid Fiber-Optic Sensor System for Vital Sign Monitoring
Authors: Fajkus Marcel , Nedoma Jan , Martinek Radek , Vasinek Vladimir , Nazeran Homer , Siska Petr
Published: January 2017

In this article, we briefly describe the design, construction, and functional verification of a hybrid multichannel fiber-optic sensor system for basic vital sign monitoring. This sensor uses a novel non-invasive measurement probe based on the fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The probe is composed of two FBGs encapsulated inside a polydimethylsiloxane polymer (PDMS). The PDMS is non-reactive to human skin and resistant to electromagnetic waves, UV absorption, and radiation. We emphasize the construction of the probe to be specifically used for basic vital sign monitoring such as body temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate. The proposed sensor system can continuously process incoming signals from up to 128 individuals. We first present the overall design of this novel multichannel sensor and then elaborate on how it has the potential to simplify vital sign monitoring and consequently improve the comfort level of patients in long-term health care facilities, hospitals and clinics. The reference ECG signal was acquired with the use of standard gel electrodes fixed to the monitored person's chest using a real-time monitoring system for ECG signals with virtual instrumentation. The outcomes of these experiments have unambiguously proved the functionality of the sensor system and will be used to inform our future research in this fast developing and emerging field.
A Novel Monopulse Technique for Adaptive Phased Array Radar
Authors: Zhang Xinyu , Li Yang , Yang Xiaopeng , Zheng Le , Long Teng , Baker Christopher
Published: January 2017

The monopulse angle measuring technique is widely adopted in radar systems due to its simplicity and speed in accurately acquiring a target’s angle. However, in a spatial adaptive array, beam distortion, due to adaptive beamforming, can result in serious deterioration of monopulse performance. In this paper, a novel constrained monopulse angle measuring algorithm is proposed for spatial adaptive arrays. This algorithm maintains the ability to suppress the unwanted signals without suffering from beam distortion. Compared with conventional adaptive monopulse methods, the proposed algorithm adopts a new form of constraint in forming the difference beam with the merit that it is more robust in most practical situations. At the same time, it also exhibits the simplicity of one-dimension monopulse, helping to make this algorithm even more appealing to use in adaptive planar arrays. The theoretical mean and variance of the proposed monopulse estimator is derived for theoretical analysis. Mathematical simulations are formulated to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed algorithm. Both theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can outperform the conventional adaptive monopulse methods in the presence of severe interference near the mainlobe.
Towards a Wireless and Low-Power Infrastructure for Representing Information Based on E-Paper Displays
Authors: Sánchez-de-Rivera Diego , Martín Diego , Alcarria Ramón , Bordel Borja , Robles Tomás
Published: January 2017

There has been much interest in replacing traditional information supports with more technological solutions in recent years. New technologies which allow paper-like perception with minimal power needs have emerged as low-power wireless scenarios. A priority for these new supports is to create the architecture for a scalable solution which maintains minimal power requirements. The retail industry demands a new information infrastructure that improves customer and employee satisfaction. In this work, authors propose an information provision architecture based on E-Paper and carry out an experiment where different smart labeling architectures based on Paper, E-Paper, LED liquid crystal display (LCD) and Dot-matrix LCD were tested in order to determine which is best suited for a real labeling environment. Enclosed in a research project called SMARKET, the authors pilot-tested the work in a real supermarket, having the opportunity to survey employees and customers about satisfaction and frustration with the use of the architectures proposed in this research work.
Economic Feasibility of Renewable Electricity Generation Systems for Local Government Office: Evaluation of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province in South Korea
Authors: Park Eunil , Kim Ki , Kwon Sang , Han Taeil , Na Wongi , Del Pobil Angel
Published: January 2017

While environmental and energy concerns have become global issues, the government of South Korea has made notable efforts and formulated plans for the diffusion of renewable energy generation facilities for the nation’s public and governmental institutions. Accordingly, Jeju Island has become one of the most promising locations for utilizing renewable energy resources. This study aims to propose potential configurations for renewable energy generation facilities (mainly solar and wind energy facilities) in response to the electricity demand of the main local governmental offices of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. The study utilizes the hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources software to simulate two optimized configurations for generation at a cost of energy of $0.306 per kWh (independent) and $0.204 per kWh (grid-connected) with 100% renewable fraction for the island. The implications of the simulation results and limitations of the study are discussed.
A Laboratory Study on the Filtration and Clogging of the Sand-Bottom Ash Mixture for Stormwater Infiltration Filter Media
Authors: Segismundo Ezequiel , Kim Lee-Hyung , Jeong Sang-Man , Lee Byung-Sik
Published: January 2017

The performance of stormwater infiltration systems depends significantly on the infiltration/filtration characteristics of filter media. Sand media have been frequently used due to their abundance and acceptable pollutant removal efficiency. Bottom ash media, which was known to have a high sorption capacity, are being considered as alternative and/or complement filter media to enhance the overall treatment efficiency. To verify the applicability of bottom ash as filter media, a series of 1-D column infiltration tests were conducted in this study. The filtration and clogging characteristics of the sand-bottom ash mixtures at different mixing ratios were investigated with limitedly focusing on the Total Suspended Solids (TSS) present in stormwater runoff. As a result, the presence of bottom ash was identified to improve the TSS removal efficiency in spite of having a significant increase in clogging potential. All media configurations were observed to experience the premature clogging and the clogging state for varying and constant head flow conditions, respectively. The noticeable amount of crushed bottom ash particles brought by seepage force could be accountable for the rapid occurrence of clogging phenomena. Overall, a homogeneous sand filter is preferred as long as the lifespan of filter system is the primary concern.
THE FAINTEST WISE DEBRIS DISKS: ENHANCED METHODS FOR DETECTION AND VERIFICATION
Authors: Patel Rahul I. , Metchev Stanimir A. , Heinze Aren , Trollo Joseph
Published: January 2017

In an earlier study, we reported nearly 100 previously unknown dusty debris disks around Hipparcos main-sequence stars within 75 pc by selecting stars with excesses in individual WISE colors. Here, we further scrutinize the Hipparcos 75 pc sample to (1) gain sensitivity to previously undetected, fainter mid-IR excesses and (2) remove spurious excesses contaminated by previously unidentified blended sources. We improve on our previous method by adopting a more accurate measure of the confidence threshold for excess detection and by adding an optimally weighted color average that incorporates all shorter-wavelength WISE photometry, rather than using only individual WISE colors. The latter is equivalent to spectral energy distribution fitting, but only over WISE bandpasses. In addition, we leverage the higher-resolution WISE images available through the unWISE.me image service to identify contaminated WISE excesses based on photocenter offsets among the W3- and W4-band images. Altogether, we identify 19 previously unreported candidate debris disks. Combined with the results from our earlier study, we have found a total of 107 new debris disks around 75 pc Hipparcos main-sequence stars using precisely calibrated WISE photometry. This expands the 75 pc debris disk sample by 22% around Hipparcos main-sequence stars and by 20% overall (including non-main-sequence and non-Hipparcos stars).