bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Land Cover Classification from fused DSM and UAV Images Using Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Al-Najjar Husam A. H. , Kalantar Bahareh , Pradhan Biswajeet , Saeidi Vahideh , Halin Alfian Abdul , Ueda Naonori , Mansor Shattri
Published: June 2019

In recent years, remote sensing researchers have investigated the use of different modalities (or combinations of modalities) for classification tasks. Such modalities can be extracted via a diverse range of sensors and images. Currently, there are no (or only a few) studies that have been done to increase the land cover classification accuracy via unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)–digital surface model (DSM) fused datasets. Therefore, this study looks at improving the accuracy of these datasets by exploiting convolutional neural networks (CNNs). In this work, we focus on the fusion of DSM and UAV images for land use/land cover mapping via classification into seven classes: bare land, buildings, dense vegetation/trees, grassland, paved roads, shadows, and water bodies. Specifically, we investigated the effectiveness of the two datasets with the aim of inspecting whether the fused DSM yields remarkable outcomes for land cover classification. The datasets were: (i) only orthomosaic image data (Red, Green and Blue channel data), and (ii) a fusion of the orthomosaic image and DSM data, where the final classification was performed using a CNN. CNN, as a classification method, is promising due to hierarchical learning structure, regulating and weight sharing with respect to training data, generalization, optimization and parameters reduction, automatic feature extraction and robust discrimination ability with high performance. The experimental results show that a CNN trained on the fused dataset obtains better results with Kappa index of ~0.98, an average accuracy of 0.97 and final overall accuracy of 0.98. Comparing accuracies between the CNN with DSM result and the CNN without DSM result for the overall accuracy, average accuracy and Kappa index revealed an improvement of 1.2%, 1.8% and 1.5%, respectively. Accordingly, adding the heights of features such as buildings and trees improved the differentiation between vegetation specifically where plants were dense.
Land Subsidence and Ground Fissures in Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA): Evidence from Quasi-PS InSAR Analysis
Authors: Gao Mingliang , Gong Huili , Li Xiaojuan , Chen Beibei , Zhou Chaofan , Shi Min , Guo Lin , Chen Zheng , Ni Zhongyun , Duan Guangyao
Published: June 2019

Land subsidence is a global environmental geological hazard caused by natural or human activities. The high spatial resolution and continuous time coverage of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) time series analysis techniques provide data and a basis for the development of methods for the investigation and evolution mechanism study of regional land subsidence. Beijing, the capital city of China, has suffered from land subsidence for decades since it was first recorded in the 1950s. It was reported that uneven ground subsidence and fractures have seriously affected the normal operation of the Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) in recent years before the overhaul of the middle runway in April 2017. In this study, InSAR time series analysis was successfully used to detect the uneven local subsidence and ground fissure activity that has been gradually increasing in BCIA since 2010. A multi-temporal InSAR (MT-InSAR) technique was performed on 63 TerraSAR-X/TanDem-X (TSX/TDX) images acquired between 2010 and 2017, then deformation rate maps and time series for the airport area were generated. Comparisons of deformation rate and displacement time series from InSAR and ground-leveling were carried out in order to evaluate the accuracy of the InSAR-derived measurements. After an integrated analysis of the distribution characteristics of land subsidence, previous research results, and geological data was carried out, we found and located an active ground fissure. Then main cause of the ground fissures was preliminarily discussed. Finally, it can be conducted that InSAR technology can be used to identify and monitor geological processes, such as land subsidence and ground fissure activities, and can provide a scientific approach to better explore and study the cause and formation mechanism of regional subsidence and ground fissures.
Magnetic Induction Spectroscopy for Biomass Measurement: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Zhang Ziyi , Roula Mohammed , Dinsdale Richard
Published: June 2019

Background: Biomass measurement and monitoring is a challenge in a number of biotechnology processes where fast, inexpensive, and non-contact measurement techniques would be of great benefit. Magnetic induction spectroscopy (MIS) is a novel non-destructive and contactless impedance measurement technique with many potential industrial and biomedical applications. The aim of this paper is to use computer modeling and experimental measurements to prove the suitability of the MIS system developed at the University of South Wales for controlled biomass measurements. Methods: The paper reports experimental measurements conducted on saline solutions and yeast suspensions at different concentrations to test the detection performance of the MIS system. The commercial electromagnetic simulation software CST was used to simulate the measurement outcomes with saline solutions and compare them with those of the actual measurements. We adopted two different ways for yeast suspension preparation to assess the system’s sensitivity and accuracy. Results: For saline solutions, the simulation results agree well with the measurement results, and the MIS system was able to distinguish saline solutions at different concentrations even in the small range of 0–1.6 g/L. For yeast suspensions, regardless of the preparation method, the MIS system can reliably distinguish yeast suspensions with lower concentrations 0–20 g/L. The conductivity spectrum of yeast suspensions present excellent separability between different concentrations and dielectric dispersion property at concentrations higher than 100 g/L. Conclusions: The South Wales MIS system can achieve controlled yeast measurements with high sensitivity and stability, and it shows promising potential applications, with further development, for cell biology research where contactless monitoring of cellular density is of relevance.
Resilient Multiuser Session Control in Softwarized Fog-Supported Internet of Moving Thing Systems
Authors: da Silva Helber Wagner , Venâncio Neto Augusto José
Published: June 2019

The combination of IoT and mobility promises to open a new frontier of innovations in smart environments, through the advent of the Internet of Moving Things (IoMT) paradigm. In IoMT, an array of IoT devices leverage IP-based mobile connectivity to provide a vast range of data ubiquitously. The IoMT realization will foster smart environments at unprecedented levels, by efficiently affording services and applications whereby today’s technologies make their efficiency unfeasible, such as autonomous driving and in-ambulance remotely-assisted patient. IoMT-supported mission-critical applications push computing and networking requirements to totally new levels that must be met, raising the need for refined approaches that advance beyond existing technologies. In light of this, this paper proposes the Resilient MultiUser Session Control (ReMUSiC) framework, which deploys emerging softwarization and cloudification technologies to afford flexible, optimized and self-organized control plane perspectives. ReMUSiC extends our previous work through the following innovations. A quality-oriented resilience mechanism is capable of responding to network dynamics events (failure and mobility) by readapting IoMT multiuser mobile sessions. A softwarized networking control plane that allows to, at runtime, both fetch current network state and set up resources in the attempt to always keep affected IoMT multiuser mobile sessions best-connected and best-served. A cloudification approach allows a robust environment, through which cloud- and fog-systems interwork to cater to performance-enhanced capabilities. The IoMT’s suitability and performance impacts by ReMUSiC framework use are assessed through real testbed prototyping. Impact analysis in Quality of Service (QoS) performance and perceived Quality of Experience (QoE), demonstrate the remarkable abilities of the ReMUSiC framework, over a related approach, in keeping IoMT multiuser mobile sessions always best-connected and best-served.
Six-Year BDS-2 Broadcast Navigation Message Analysis from 2013 to 2018: Availability, Anomaly, and SIS UREs Assessment
Authors: Ouyang Chenhao , Shi Junbo , Shen Yuru , Li Lihong
Published: June 2019

The second-generation of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS-2) has been officially providing positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services within the Asia–Pacific region for six years, starting from 2013. A comprehensive analysis of BDS-2 satellite broadcast navigation message performance during the past six years is highly demanded, not only for the regional service but also for the global service announced in December 2018. Therefore, this study focuses on the performance assessment of six-year BDS-2 broadcast navigation messages from 2013 to 2018 in three aspects: Message availability, anomaly detection, and signal-in-space user range errors (SIS UREs). Firstly, our results, based on International GNSS service (IGS) Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) navigation files, indicate that the BDS-2 Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) and Inclined Geosynchronous Satellite Orbit (IGSO) satellites have >98.51% broadcast navigation message availability, and the Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites has a ~90.03% availability. Secondly, the comparison between broadcast navigation messages and IGS precise products reveals that the User Range Accuracy Index (URAI) contained in the broadcast message could not reflect satellite performance correctly. Another satellite status indicator, space vehicle (SV) health, can only partially detect a satellite anomaly. The anomaly detection result using IGS precise products for reference shows 20241 anomalies out of 651038 broadcast navigation messages within six years. Finally, compared with the IGSO and MEO satellites, the orbit qualities of GEO satellites are significantly worse due to their large along-track orbit error. The clock performance of all satellites are at the comparable level. The satellite orbit type (GEO/IGSO/MEO) does not impact the orbit-only URE, global-average URE, and worst-case URE.
Computational Efficiency-Based Adaptive Tracking Control for Robotic Manipulators with Unknown Input Bouc–Wen Hysteresis
Authors: Xie Kan , Lai Yue , Li Weijun
Published: June 2019

In order to maintain robotic manipulators at a high level of performance, their controllers should be able to address nonlinearities in the closed-loop system, such as input nonlinearities. Meanwhile, computational efficiency is also required for real-time implementation. In this paper, an unknown input Bouc–Wen hysteresis control problem is investigated for robotic manipulators using adaptive control and a dynamical gain-based approach. The dynamics of hysteresis are modeled as an additional control unit in the closed-loop system and are integrated with the robotic manipulators. Two adaptive parameters are developed for improving the computational efficiency of the proposed control scheme, based on which the outputs of robotic manipulators are driven to track desired trajectories. Lyapunov theory is adopted to prove the effectiveness of the proposed method. Moreover, the tracking error is improved from ultimately bounded to asymptotic tracking compared to most of the existing results. This is of important significance to improve the control quality of robotic manipulators with unknown input Bouc–Wen hysteresis. Numerical examples including fixed-point and trajectory controls are provided to show the validity of our method.
Reduced Cycle Spinning Method for the Undecimated Wavelet Transform
Authors: Rodriguez-Hernandez Miguel A.
Published: June 2019

The Undecimated Wavelet Transform is commonly used for signal processing due to its advantages over other wavelet techniques, but it is limited for some applications because of its computational cost. One of the methods utilized for the implementation of the Undecimated Wavelet Transform is the one known as Cycle Spinning. This paper introduces an alternative Cycle Spinning implementation method that divides the computational cost by a factor close to 2. This work develops the mathematical background of the proposed method, shows the block diagrams for its implementation and validates the method by applying it to the denoising of ultrasonic signals. The evaluation of the denoising results shows that the new method produces similar denoising qualities than other Cycle Spinning implementations, with a reduced computational cost.
A Novel Method for Ocean Wind Speed Detection Based on Energy Distribution of Beidou Reflections
Authors: Wang Qiang , Zhu Yunlong , Kasantikul Kittipong
Published: June 2019

The Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) technique exploits the characteristics of reflected GNSS signals to estimate the geophysical parameters of the earth’s surface. This paper focuses on investigating the wind speed retrieval method using ocean scattered signals from a Beidou Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite. Two new observables are proposed by computing the ratio of the low energy zone and the high energy zone of the delay waveform. Coastal experimental raw data from a Beidou GEO satellite are processed to establish the relationship between the energy-related observables and the sea surface wind. When the delay waveform normalized amplitude (this will be referred to as “threshold” in what follows) is 0.3, fitting results show that the coefficient of determination is more than 0.76 in the gentle wind scenario (<10 m/s), with a root mean square error (RMSE) of less than 1.0 m/s. In the Typhoon UTOR scenario (12.7 m/s~37.3 m/s), the correlation level exceeds 0.82 when the threshold is 0.25, with a RMSE of less than 3.10 m/s. Finally, the impact of the threshold and coherent integration time on wind speed retrieval is discussed to obtain an optimal result. When the coherent integration time is 50 milliseconds and the threshold is 0.15, the best wind speed retrieval error of 2.63 m/s and a correlation level of 0.871 are obtained in the UTOR scenario.
Wearable Real-Time Heart Attack Detection and Warning System to Reduce Road Accidents
Authors: Chowdhury Muhammad , Alzoubi Khawla , Khandakar Amith , Khallifa Ridab , Abouhasera Rayaan , Koubaa Sirine , Ahmed Rashid , Hasan Anwarul
Published: June 2019

Heart attack is one of the leading causes of human death worldwide. Every year, about 610,000 people die of heart attack in the United States alone—that is one in every four deaths—but there are well understood early symptoms of heart attack that could be used to greatly help in saving many lives and minimizing damages by detecting and reporting at an early stage. On the other hand, every year, about 2.35 million people get injured or disabled from road accidents. Unexpectedly, many of these fatal accidents happen due to the heart attack of drivers that leads to the loss of control of the vehicle. The current work proposes the development of a wearable system for real-time detection and warning of heart attacks in drivers, which could be enormously helpful in reducing road accidents. The system consists of two subsystems that communicate wirelessly using Bluetooth technology, namely, a wearable sensor subsystem and an intelligent heart attack detection and warning subsystem. The sensor subsystem records the electrical activity of the heart from the chest area to produce electrocardiogram (ECG) trace and send that to the other portable decision-making subsystem where the symptoms of heart attack are detected. We evaluated the performance of dry electrodes and different electrode configurations and measured overall power consumption of the system. Linear classification and several machine algorithms were trained and tested for real-time application. It was observed that the linear classification algorithm was not able to detect heart attack in noisy data, whereas the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm with polynomial kernel with extended time–frequency features using extended modified B-distribution (EMBD) showed highest accuracy and was able to detect 97.4% and 96.3% of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation MI (NSTEMI), respectively. The proposed system can therefore help in reducing the loss of lives from the growing number of road accidents all over the world.
Real-Time Smart-Digital Stethoscope System for Heart Diseases Monitoring
Authors: Chowdhury Muhammad E.H. , Khandakar Amith , Alzoubi Khawla , Mansoor Samar , M. Tahir Anas , Reaz Mamun Bin Ibne , Al-Emadi Nasser
Published: June 2019

One of the major causes of death all over the world is heart disease or cardiac dysfunction. These diseases could be identified easily with the variations in the sound produced due to the heart activity. These sophisticated auscultations need important clinical experience and concentrated listening skills. Therefore, there is an unmet need for a portable system for the early detection of cardiac illnesses. This paper proposes a prototype model of a smart digital-stethoscope system to monitor patient’s heart sounds and diagnose any abnormality in a real-time manner. This system consists of two subsystems that communicate wirelessly using Bluetooth low energy technology: A portable digital stethoscope subsystem, and a computer-based decision-making subsystem. The portable subsystem captures the heart sounds of the patient, filters and digitizes, and sends the captured heart sounds to a personal computer wirelessly to visualize the heart sounds and for further processing to make a decision if the heart sounds are normal or abnormal. Twenty-seven t-domain, f-domain, and Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) features were used to train a public database to identify the best-performing algorithm for classifying abnormal and normal heart sound (HS). The hyper parameter optimization, along with and without a feature reduction method, was tested to improve accuracy. The cost-adjusted optimized ensemble algorithm can produce 97% and 88% accuracy of classifying abnormal and normal HS, respectively.
Evaluation of Watershed Scale Aquatic Ecosystem Health by SWAT Modeling and Random Forest Technique
Authors: Woo So Young , Jung Chung Gil , Lee Ji Wan , Kim Seong Joon
Published: June 2019

In this study, we evaluated the aquatic ecosystem health (AEH) with five grades (A; very good to E; very poor) of FAI (Fish Assessment Index), TDI (Trophic Diatom Index), and BMI (Benthic Macroinvertebrate Index) using the results of SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) stream water temperature (WT) and quality (T-N, T-P, NH4, NO3, and PO4). By applying Random Forest, one of the machine learning algorithms for classification analysis, each AEH index was trained and graded from the SWAT results. For Han river watershed (34,418 km2) in South Korea, the 8 years (2008~2015) observed AEH data of Spring and Fall periods at 86 locations from NAEMP (National Aquatic Ecological Monitoring Program) were used. The AEH was separately trained for Spring (FAIs, TDIs, and BMIs) and Fall (FAIa, TDIa, and BMIa), and the AEH results of Random Forest with SWAT (WT, T-N, T-P, NH4, NO3, and PO4) as input variables showed the accuracy of 0.42, 0.48, 0.62, 0.45, 0.4, and 0.58, respectively. The reason for low accuracy was from the weak strength of the individual trees and high correlation between the trees composing the Random Forest due to the data imbalance. The AEH distribution results showed that the number of Grade A of total FAI, TDI, and BMI were 84, 0, and 158 respectively and they were mostly located at the upstream watersheds. The number of Grade E of total FAI, TDI, and BMI were 4, 50, and 13 and they were shown at downstream watersheds.
Mother-Related Determinants of Children At-Home Fruit and Vegetable Dietary Patterns in a Polish National Sample
Authors: Groele Barbara , Głąbska Dominika , Gutkowska Krystyna , Guzek Dominika
Published: June 2019

Fruit and vegetable intake is indicated among the features of sustainable diets, while children’s intake is strongly associated with the intake of their parents, as well as the availability of food products and their accessibility at home. The aim of the study was to analyze the mother-related determinants of children at-home fruit and vegetable dietary patterns in a Polish national sample of children aged 3–10 years. The random quota sampling (with quotas for age, education, and place of residence) was conducted to recruit the national representative sample of Polish mothers of children aged 3–10 years (n = 1200) who were interviewed using a Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) method. They were asked about their children’s at-home fruit and vegetable dietary patterns, which were later compared in sub-groups that were stratified for age, educational background, marital status, place of residence, occupational status, and total net income in households. The indicated features, but not marital status, were indicated as determinants of children at-home fruit and vegetable dietary patterns. Children of younger mothers more often than others consumed fruits, whereas those of older mothers consumed vegetables. Children of mothers who had a lower level of education more commonly than others consumed fruits alone as a dish, and they had a higher preference for them, while those of mothers who had a higher level of education had a higher consumption of vegetables than others, although they had a medium preference for them. Children of mothers from villages had a lower consumption of vegetables and fruits than others, although they had a higher preference for fruits. Children of mothers with no professional job had a lower consumption of vegetables than others and more often consumed them processed, although they had a higher preference for fruits and vegetables. Children of mothers with low income had a lower consumption of vegetables than others and more often consumed fruits in a dish with other products, although they had a higher preference for fruits and vegetables. To summarize, an indication of a high preference for fruits and vegetables by mothers is not accompanied by the higher consumption and recommended dietary patterns for fruit and vegetable intake by their children. In particular, the sub-samples of mothers who had a low level of education, were from villages, did not have a professional job, and had low income may either overestimate the fruit and vegetable preference of their children or do not offer them sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables, although they indicate a higher preference. In order to encourage more sustainable diet following, in terms of the fruit and vegetable intake, it is essential to introduce actions toward the properly planned nutritional education for the indicated target groups.
A Study on the Relationship between Analysts’ Cash Flow Forecasts Issuance and Accounting Information: Evidence from Korea
Authors: Oh Hyun Min , Shin Ho young
Published: June 2019

This study analyzes the relationship between the future cash flow forecast information provided by financial analysts and accounting information. We examine whether the joint issuance of financial analyst earnings forecasts and cash flow forecasts from 2011 to 2015 contributes to the information usefulness of Korean listed firms. The empirical results of this study are as follows. First, the issuance of analysts’ cash flow forecasts and earnings forecast accuracy were significant positive values. Cash flow forecast accuracy and earnings forecast accuracy were significant positive values. Second, the issuance of analysts’ cash flow forecasts and buy–sell bid spread are significant negative values. These results show that the information asymmetry between the manager and the investor can be reduced based on the rich information environment. This study suggests that cash flow forecasting information of financial analysts provides important evidence for capital market participants because it provides evidence that capital market participants’ information can be used as useful information for economic decision-making. These results show the sustainability of a firm from the viewpoint of a financial analyst who acts as an intermediary and external supervisor in the capital market. In addition, the analysts’ cash flow forecasting information is expected to reduce the information asymmetry between the company and the investor, thereby increasing the transparency and sustainability of the firm.
How Urban Form Characteristics at Both Trip Ends Influence Mode Choice: Evidence from TOD vs. Non-TOD Zones of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area
Authors: Nasri Arefeh , Zhang Lei
Published: June 2019

Understanding travel behavior and its relationship with built environment is crucial for sustainable transportation and land-use policy-making. This study provides additional insights into the linkage between the built environment and travel mode choice by looking at the built environment characteristics at both the trip origin and destination in the context of transit-oriented development (TOD). The objective of this research is to provide a better understanding of how travel mode choice is influenced by the built environment surrounding both trip end locations. Specifically, it investigates the effect of transit-oriented development policy and the way it affects people’s mode choice decisions. This is accomplished by developing discrete choice models and consideration of urban form characteristics at both trip ends. Our findings not only confirmed the important role the built environment plays in influencing mode choice, but also highlighted the influence of policies, such as TOD, at both trip end locations. Results suggest that the probability of choosing transit and non-motorized modes is higher for trips originating and ending in TOD areas. However, the magnitude of this TOD effect is larger at trip origin compared to destination. Higher residential and employment densities at both trips ends are also associated with lower probability of auto and higher probability of transit and non-motorized mode choices.
Chemical Basis of Biological Homochirality during the Abiotic Evolution Stages on Earth
Authors: Ribó Josep , Hochberg David
Published: June 2019

Spontaneous mirror symmetry breaking (SMSB), a phenomenon leading to non-equilibrium stationary states (NESS) that exhibits biases away from the racemic composition is discussed here in the framework of dissipative reaction networks. Such networks may lead to a metastable racemic non-equilibrium stationary state that transforms into one of two degenerate but stable enantiomeric NESSs. In such a bifurcation scenario, the type of the reaction network, as well the boundary conditions, are similar to those characterizing the currently accepted stages of emergence of replicators and autocatalytic systems. Simple asymmetric inductions by physical chiral forces during previous stages of chemical evolution, for example in astrophysical scenarios, must involve unavoidable racemization processes during the time scales associated with the different stages of chemical evolution. However, residual enantiomeric excesses of such asymmetric inductions suffice to drive the SMSB stochastic distribution of chiral signs into a deterministic distribution. According to these features, we propose that a basic model of the chiral machinery of proto-life would emerge during the formation of proto-cell systems by the convergence of the former enantioselective scenarios.
Neutrosophic Triangular Norms and Their Derived Residuated Lattices
Authors: Hu Qingqing , Zhang Xiaohong
Published: June 2019

Neutrosophic triangular norms (t-norms) and their residuated lattices are not only the main research object of neutrosophic set theory, but also the core content of neutrosophic logic. Neutrosophic implications are important operators of neutrosophic logic. Neutrosophic residual implications based on neutrosophic t-norms can be applied to the fields of neutrosophic inference and neutrosophic control. In this paper, neutrosophic t-norms, neutrosophic residual implications, and the residuated lattices derived from neutrosophic t-norms are investigated deeply. First of all, the lattice and its corresponding system are proved to be a complete lattice and a De Morgan algebra, respectively. Second, the notions of neutrosophic t-norms are introduced on the complete lattice discussed earlier. The basic concepts and typical examples of representable and non-representable neutrosophic t-norms are obtained. Naturally, De Morgan neutrosophic triples are defined for the duality of neutrosophic t-norms and neutrosophic t-conorms with respect to neutrosophic negators. Third, neutrosophic residual implications generated from neutrosophic t-norms and their basic properties are investigated. Furthermore, residual neutrosophic t-norms are proved to be infinitely ∨-distributive, and then some important properties possessed by neutrosophic residual implications are given. Finally, a method for producing neutrosophic t-norms from neutrosophic implications is presented, and the residuated lattices are constructed on the basis of neutrosophic t-norms and neutrosophic residual implications.
OnabotulinumtoxinA Reduces Temporal Pain Processing at Spinal Level in Patients with Lower Limb Spasticity
Authors: De Icco Roberto , Perrotta Armando , Berra Eliana , Allena Marta , Alfonsi Enrico , Tamburin Stefano , Serrao Mariano , Sandrini Giorgio , Tassorelli Cristina
Published: June 2019

Spasticity is a muscle tone disorder associated with different neurological conditions. Spasticity could be associated with pain, high disability, poor functional recovery, and reduced quality of life. Botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT-A) is considered a first-line treatment for spasticity and, more recently, it also represents a therapeutic option for various chronic pain conditions. In this open label study, we aim to evaluate the effect of the BoNT-A on the spinal nociception in patients affected by spasticity of the lower limbs with associated pain with predominantly neuropathic features. Ten patients with stroke, 10 with multiple sclerosis and 5 with spinal cord injury were enrolled in the study. They were tested with clinical scales (neuropathic pain scale inventory (NPSI), numerical rating scale (NRS), modified Ashworth scale (MAS) and with the nociceptive withdrawal reflex at lower limbs to explore the spinal temporal summation threshold at baseline and 30 day after BoNT-A injection. OnabotulinumtoxinA (50 to 200 units per site) was injected in the lower limb muscles according to the distribution of spasticity. No significant differences were found at baseline for neurophysiological features across groups. After the BoNT-A injection, we recorded a significant reduction in MAS and NRS scores. Regarding the neurophysiological parameters, we described a significant increase in the temporal summation threshold after the BoNT-A injection. Our data supports the hypothesis that peripherally injected OnabotulinumtoxinA modulates the excitability of spinal cord nociceptive pathways. This activity may take place irrespective of the effect of the drug on spasticity.
The In Vivo and In Vitro Toxicokinetics of Citreoviridin Extracted from Penicillium citreonigrum
Authors: Uchiyama Yosuke , Takino Masahiko , Noguchi Michiko , Shiratori Nozomi , Kobayashi Naoki , Sugita-Konishi Yoshiko
Published: June 2019

Citreoviridin (CTVD), a mycotoxin called yellow rice toxin, is reported to be related to acute cardiac beriberi; however, its toxicokinetics remain unclear. The present study elucidated the toxicokinetics through in vivo experiments in swine and predicted the human toxicokinetics by comparing the findings to those from in vitro experiments. In vivo experiments revealed the high bioavailability of CTVD (116.4%) in swine. An intestinal permeability study using Caco-2 cells to estimate the toxicokinetics in humans showed that CTVD has a high permeability coefficient. When CTVD was incubated with hepatic S9 fraction from swine and humans, hydroxylation and methylation, desaturation, and dihydroxylation derivatives were produced as the predominant metabolites. The levels of these products produced using human S9 were higher than those obtained swine S9, while CTVD glucuronide was produced slowly in human S9 in comparison to swine S9. Furthermore, the elimination of CTVD by human S9 was significantly more rapid in comparison to that by swine S9. These results suggest that CTVD is easily absorbed in swine and that it remains in the body where it is slowly metabolized. In contrast, the absorption of CTVD in humans would be the same as that in swine, although its elimination would be faster.
Distinct Spatiotemporal Distribution of Bacterial Toxin-Produced Cellular cAMP Differentially Inhibits Opsonophagocytic Signaling
Authors: Hasan Shakir , Rahman Waheed Ur , Sebo Peter , Osicka Radim
Published: June 2019

Myeloid phagocytes have evolved to rapidly recognize invading pathogens and clear them through opsonophagocytic killing. The adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) of Bordetella pertussis and the edema toxin (ET) of Bacillus anthracis are both calmodulin-activated toxins with adenylyl cyclase activity that invade host cells and massively increase the cellular concentrations of a key second messenger molecule, 3’,5’-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). However, the two toxins differ in the kinetics and mode of cell entry and generate different cAMP concentration gradients within the cell. While CyaA rapidly penetrates cells directly across their plasma membrane, the cellular entry of ET depends on receptor-mediated endocytosis and translocation of the enzymatic subunit across the endosomal membrane. We show that CyaA-generated membrane-proximal cAMP gradient strongly inhibits the activation and phosphorylation of Syk, Vav, and Pyk2, thus inhibiting opsonophagocytosis. By contrast, at similar overall cellular cAMP levels, the ET-generated perinuclear cAMP gradient poorly inhibits the activation and phosphorylation of these signaling proteins. Hence, differences in spatiotemporal distribution of cAMP produced by the two adenylyl cyclase toxins differentially affect the opsonophagocytic signaling in myeloid phagocytes.
Monitoring Opportunistic Pathogens in Domestic Wastewater from a Pilot-Scale Anaerobic Biofilm Reactor to Reuse in Agricultural Irrigation
Authors: Cui Bingjian , Liang Shengxian
Published: June 2019

Wastewater reuse for agricultural irrigation in many developing countries is an increasingly common practice. Regular monitoring of indicators can help to identify potential health risks; therefore, there is an urgent need to understand the presence and abundance of opportunistic pathogens in wastewater, as well as plant phyllosphere and rhizosphere. In this study, an anaerobic biofilm reactor (ABR) was developed to treat rural domestic wastewater; the performance of pollutants removal and pathogenic bacteria elimination were investigated. Additionally, we also assessed the physicochemical and microbiological profiles of soil and lettuces after wastewater irrigation. Aeromonas hydrophila, Arcobacter sp., Bacillus cereus, Bacteroides sp., Escherichia coli, Legionella sp., and Mycobacterium sp. were monitored in the irrigation water, as well as in the phyllosphere and rhizosphere of lettuces. Pathogens like B. cereus, Legionella sp. and Mycobacterium sp. were present in treated effluent with relatively high concentrations, and the levels of A. hydrophila, Arcobacter sp., and E. coli were higher in the phyllosphere. The physicochemical properties of soil and lettuce did not vary significantly. These data indicated that treated wastewater irrigation across a short time period may not alter the soil and crop properties, while the pathogens present in the wastewater may transfer to soil and plant, posing risks to human health.
Can the Quality of the Potential Flood Risk Maps be Evaluated? A Case Study of the Social Risks of Floods in Central Spain
Authors: Garrote Julio , Gutiérrez-Pérez Ignacio , Díez-Herrero Andrés
Published: June 2019

Calibration and validation of flood risk maps at a national or a supra-national level remains a problematic aspect due to the limited information available to carry out these tasks. However, this validation is essential to define the representativeness of the results and for end users to gain confidence in them. In recent years, the use of information derived from social networks is becoming generalized in the field of natural risks as a means of validating results. However, the use of data from social networks also has its drawbacks, such as the biases associated with age and gender and their spatial distribution. The use of information associated with phone calls to Emergency Services (112) can resolve these deficiencies, although other problems are still latent. For example, a bias does exist in the relationship between the size of the population and the number of calls to the Emergency Services. This last aspect determines that global regression models have not been effective in simulating the behavior of related variables (calls to Emergency Services–Potential Flood Risk). Faced with this situation, the use of local regression models (such as locally estimated scatterplot smoothing (LOESS)) showed satisfactory results in the calibration of potential flood risk levels in the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). This provides a new methodological path to the calibration studies of flood risk cartographies at national and supra-national levels. The results obtained through LOESS local regression models allowed us to establish the correct relationship between categorized potential risk levels and the inferred potential risk. They also permitted us to define the cases in which said levels differed ostensibly and where potential risk due to floods assigned to those municipalities led to a lower level of confidence. Therefore, based on the number of calls to the Emergency Service, we can categorize those municipalities that should be the subject of a more detailed study and those whose classification should be revised in future updates.
Comparison of Biodegradation of Fats and Oils by Activated Sludge on Experimental and Real Scales
Authors: Cisterna-Osorio Pedro , Arancibia-Avila Patricia
Published: June 2019

Fats and oils are the most common pollutants in wastewater, and are usually eliminated through physical processes in wastewater treatment plants, generating large amounts of fats and residual oils that are difficult to dispose of and handle. The degradation of fatty wastewater was studied in a real wastewater treatment plant and a laboratory scale treatment unit. The wastewater treatment plant, located in Chile, was designed for a population of 200,000 inhabitants. It includes an aerobic digester that receives fat and oils retained in a degreaser and treats the fats and oils together with biomass. The biodegradation of fats and oils was analyzed in both wastewater treatment systems. Key parameters were monitored such as the concentration of fats and oils in the influents and effluents, mass loading, and the efficiency of biodegradation. The mass loading range was similar in both wastewater treatment systems. In the experimental activated sludge plant, the biodegradation of fats and oils reached levels in the range of 64% to 75%. For the wastewater treatment plant with an aerobic digester, the levels of biodegradation of fats and oils ranged from 69% to 92%. Therefore, considering the efficiency of the elimination of fats and oils, the results indicated that physical treatment should be replaced with biological treatment so that the CO2 generated by the biodegradation will be incorporated into the carbon cycle and the mass of fats and oils in landfills will be reduced.
Parsimonious Modeling of Snow Accumulation and Snowmelt Processes in High Mountain Basins
Authors: Orozco Ismael , Francés Félix , Mora Jesús
Published: June 2019

The success of hydrological modeling of a high mountain basin depends in most case on the accurate quantification of the snowmelt. However, mathematically modeling snowmelt is not a simple task due to, on one hand, the high number of variables that can be relevant and can change significantly in space and, in the other hand, the low availability of most of them in practical engineering. Therefore, this research proposes to modify the original equation of the classical degree-day model to introduce the spatial and temporal variability of the degree-day factor. To evaluate the effects of the variability in the hydrological modeling and the snowmelt modeling at the cell and hillslope scale. We propose to introduce the spatial and temporal variability of the degree-day factor using maps of radiation indices. These maps consider the position of the sun according to the time of year, solar radiation, insolation, topography and shaded-relief topography. Our priority has been to keep the parsimony of the snowmelt model that can be implemented in high mountain basins with limited observed input. The snowmelt model was included as a new module in the TETIS distributed hydrological model. The results show significant improvements in hydrological modeling in the spring period when the snowmelt is more important. At cell and hillslope scale errors are diminished in the snowpack, improving the representation of the flows and storages that intervene in high mountain basins.
Tsunami Intrusion and River Ice Movement
Authors: Pan Jiajia , Shen Hung Tao
Published: June 2019

A two-dimensional wave model coupled with ice dynamics is developed to evaluate ice effects on shallow water wave propagation on a beach and in a channel. The nonlinear Boussinesq equations with ice effects are derived and solved by the hybrid technique of the Godunov-type finite volume method and finite difference method with the third-order Runge–Kutta method for time integration. The shock capturing method enables the model to simulate complex flows over irregular topography. The model is capable of simulating wave propagations accurately, including non-hydrostatic water pressure and wave dispersions. The ice dynamic module utilizes a Lagrangian discrete parcel method, based on smoothed particle hydrodynamics. The Boussinesq wave model is validated with an analytical solution of water surface oscillation in a parabolic container, an analytical solitary wave propagation in a flat channel, and experimental data on tsunami wave propagations. The validated model is then applied to investigate the interaction between ice and tsunami wave propagation, in terms of ice attenuation on tsunami wave propagations over a beach, ice deposition on the beach driven by the tsunami wave, and ice jam formation and release in a coastal channel with the intrusion of the tsunami wave. The simulated results demonstrated the interactions between tsunami waves and surface ice, including the maximum run up, ice movement along the beach, and ice jamming in a channel.
Self-Adaptive Models for Water Distribution System Design Using Single-/Multi-Objective Optimization Approaches
Authors: Choi Young Hwan , Kim Joong Hoon
Published: June 2019

This study compares the performance of self-adaptive optimization approaches in efficient water distribution systems (WDS) design and presents a guide for the selection of the appropriate method employing optimization utilizing the characteristic of each technique formulation. To this end, this study performs three types of analyses. First, the sensitivity analysis of each self-adaptive approach is conducted on single/multi-objective mathematical benchmark problems with various problem types (e.g., using solution shape or many local optimal solutions). Second, based on the applications and results of the mathematical problem, the performance of the algorithm is verified in the WDS design problem considering the minimum cost and the maximum system resilience under the single/multi-objective optimization framework. Third, the characteristics of search operators in the self-adaptive approach are compared according to the presence or absence of additional parameters and operators. Moreover, various performance indices are employed to compare the quantitative evaluation of each algorithm. Each algorithm is found to exhibit different characteristics depending on the problem scale and solution type. These results are expected to benefit future research in the formulation of new approaches and developments. Hence, this study provides rigorous testing of the performance of newly proposed algorithms in a highly simplified manner.
From Sharing the Burden of Scarcity to Markets: Ill-Fitting Water Property Rights and the Pressure of Economic Transition in South Asia
Authors: Crase Lin , Cooper Bethany , Burton Michael
Published: June 2019

In this paper, we consider the process of transition from an equitable distribution of water to support semi-subsistence outcomes to market-oriented agriculture. We examine the stresses placed on water institutions as farmers adjust production to become more market-oriented and consider the relationship between farmers and irrigation officials under different scenarios. The paper is used to highlight some of the challenges pertaining to property rights but also considers the dangers of simply transposing solutions from full-market agriculture in developed economies to developing nations and countries in transition. In this context the role of Participatory Irrigation Management is scrutinized. We argue that this approach can potentially accommodate greater flexibility and market orientation in agriculture but ultimately the beneficiary-benefactor relationship between irrigation officials and farmers in parts of South Asia needs to be seriously challenged.
Analysis of small ruminants’ semen under the cooling, deep-freezing and sex-orientation method
Authors: Attila Németh  , Sándor Mihályfi  , Tamás Szabados
Published: June 2019

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of cooling, deep-freezing and sex-orientation methods on fertility of ram and buck semen. It was pointed out that deep-freezing and sexorientation methods had a more considerable destruction on both semen compared with the effect of cooling method. However, with the development of the sex-orientation method, the results of  lambing had a significant increase in sheep. On the other hand, the NRR of the inseminations with deep-frozen ram semen exceeded most of previously publicated results. Being interesting, and hopefully useful benefit in practice that the analysed buck semen samples are shown more favourable results in all methods compared with the same results of rams.
Factors affecting the efficiency of superovulation and embryo transfer. Season and hormonal background
Authors: Nóra Vass  , András Jávor  , Péter Balogh  , Sándor Cseh
Published: June 2019

Success of the embryo transfer programs is affected by many factors (breed, type, season, treatment). We assume, that periferical blood level of some metabolic hormones (IGF-1, thyroid hormones, leptin, insulin) affects the success of superovulation and ET. According to our results, there is asignificant difference between the in and out of season periferial blood level of IGF-1 and insulin. Furthermore, decrease in the periferic blood levels of IGF-1 and insulin is less drastic in the pregnant recipients.
Felsefe ve Ölüm Ötesi (İbn Sînâ, Gazzâlî, İbn Rüşd, Fahreddîn Râzî)
Authors: TEKİN Menci
Published: June 2019

İslam felsefesinin klasiklerini tercüme etmesiyle
bilinen ve İslam düşüncesi üzerinde birçok eseri kaleme alan Mahmut Kaya, Felsefe
ve Ölüm Ötesi adlı çalışmasında
da İslam düşüncesinin önemli şahsiyetlerinden İbn Sînâ, Gazzâlî, İbn Rüşd ve
Fahreddîn Râzî’nin ölüm hakkındaki felsefi görüşlerini derlemiştir. Kaya, bunun
yanı sıra Paul Janet ve Gabriel Sêailles’nin ilkçağ ve modern çağ
filozoflarının ölüm ve ötesine ilişkin fikirlerini kapsayan çalışmalarını da
eserin ek kısmında bizlere sunmuştur.