bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Demography of Grazed Tussock Grass Populations in Patagonia
Authors: Oliva Gabriel , Collantes Marta , Humano Gervasio ,   Society for Range Management
Published: June 2016

The cover of Festuca gracillima (coirón fueguino), a native tussock grass that dominates grass steppes of Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, has diminished under continuous sheep grazing. This loss is a concern, because it also reduces forage availability in winter, biodiversity, and soil stability. In the present study, the hypothesis that tussock grass birth and mortality rates are balanced only under moderate-grazing or exclusion regimes was tested with two 5-year records of demographic data obtained from 3 sheep grazing regimes: exclosure (no grazing), low (0.0348 AU ha-1 y-1, where AU represents animal units equivalent to the consumption of a 450-kg cow), and high (0.1043 AU ha-1 y-1). Tussocks were outlined in photographs and marked in the field at two 5-year intervals. The initial total number of plants for the 3 grazing regimes (n = 358) increased to 384 plants at the end of the 10-year period. No recruitment from seed was observed; plant number changed as a balance of yearly rates of tussock mortality (1.48%), amalgamation (0.75%), and subdivision (2.04%). Intensely grazed populations showed greater (2.13%) mortality rates than ungrazed (1.20%) or moderately grazed (0.78%) populations. Tussocks in intensely grazed populations were smaller (167 cm2 plant-1) than those in moderately grazed (197 cm2 plant-1) or ungrazed (300 cm2 plant-1) populations. Transition matrices showed eigenvalues of 0.701 (high grazing), 0.794 (exclosure), and 0.876 (low grazing). All growth rates of demographic models were negative; the largest rate of population decrease was found under high-intensity grazing, for which projections show that half the tussocks would be lost in 37 years. Under low-intensity grazing and exclosure, a similar tussock loss would take place in 87 and 74 years, respectively. Results show 1) the importance of vegetative processes for tussock demography, 2) the extremely slow dynamics of population changes, and 3) that tussocks may suffer increased mortality as a consequence of subdivision or fragmentation, a process that can be viewed as a small-scale example of the generalized effect of patch subdivision under grazing.
Forage Production and Quality of a Mixed-Grass Rangeland Interseeded With Medicago sativa ssp. falcata
Authors: Mortenson Matthew C. , Schuman Gerald E. , Ingram Lachlan J. ,   Society for Range Management
Published: June 2016

Interseeding alfalfa into rangelands has been assessed for decades as a method of range improvement to increase forage production and forage quality for livestock. Research was initiated in 2001 to examine the long term effects of interseeding yellow-flowered alfalfa (Medicago sativa ssp. falcata) on northern mixed-grass rangelands. Forage production and forage quality parameters were assessed on sites interseeded in 1965, 1987, and 1998 and compared to adjacent native rangelands. Live aboveground biomass for the 1965, 1987, and 1998 interseeded sites was 68, 143, and 42% higher, respectively, compared to their native control areas. Alfalfa aboveground biomass accounted for 1 489 of the 2 969 kg ha-1 live biomass harvested from the 1965 interseeded site, 1 940 of the 2 744 kg ha-1 on the 1987 interseeded site, and 796 of the 2 322 kg ha-1 on the 1998 interseeded site. Increased soil N resulting from N fixation by the alfalfa significantly increased the crude protein (CP) content of several native species, whereas the alfalfa itself provided forage with 16 to 18% CP. Alfalfa had higher protein degradability and provided higher concentrations of calcium (Ca), potassium (K), and magnesium (Mg) than the native rangeland grasses. This research has shown that the prac- tice of interseeding yellow-flowering alfalfa into rangelands is sustainable over decades and will increase forage production and improve nutritive value of forage in the northern Great Plains.
Long-Term Successional Trends Following Western Juniper Cutting
Authors: Bates Jon D. , Miller Richard F. , Svejcar Tony ,   Society for Range Management
Published: June 2016

Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis spp. occidentalis Hook.) expansion into sagebrush steppe plant communities in the northern Great Basin has diminished shrub-steppe productivity and diversity. Chainsaw cutting of western juniper woodlands is a commonly applied practice for removing tree interference and restoring understory composition. Studies reporting understory response following juniper cutting have been limited to early successional stages. This study assessed successional dynamics spanning 13 years following tree cutting. Total herbaceous standing crop and cover increased significantly in the CUT. Total standing crop was 10 times greater in the CUT vs. WOODLAND. Herbaceous standing crop and cover, and densities of perennial grasses in the CUT did not change between 1996 and 2004 indicating that by the 5th year after cutting, remaining open areas had been occupied. In the early successional stages, perennial bunchgrasses and Sandberg’s bluegrass were dominant. By the 5th year after treatment, cheatgrass had supplanted Sandberg’s bluegrass and was codominant with perennial bunchgrasses. In 2003 and 2004, perennial bunchgrasses dominated herbaceous productivity in the CUT, representing nearly 90% of total herbaceous standing crop. A pretreatment density of 2-3 perennial bunchgrasses m-2 appeared to be sufficient to permit natural recovery after juniper control. Perennial bunchgrass density peaked in the 6th year after treatment and the results suggested that 10-12 plants m-2 were sufficient to fully occupy the site and dominate herbaceous composition in subsequent years. In the CUT, juniper rapidly reestablished from seed and from the presence of seedlings not controlled in the initial treatment. The shifts in herbaceous composition across years suggests that long term monitoring is important for evaluating plant community response to juniper control and to develop appropriate post treatment management to promote continued site improvement.
Hyperspectral One-Meter-Resolution Remote Sensing in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: II. Biomass
Authors: Mirik Mustafa , Norland Jack E. , Crabtree Robert L. ,   Society for Range Management
Published: June 2016

This study was designed to determine the utility of a 1-m-resolution hyperspectral sensor to estimate total and live biomass along with the individual biomass of litter, grasses, forbs, sedges, sagebrush, and willow from grassland and riparian communities in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. A large number of simple ratio-type vegetation indices (SRTVI) and normalized difference- type vegetation indices (NDTVI) were developed from the hyperspectral data and regressed against ground-collected biomass. Results showed the following: 1) Strong relationships were found between SRTVI or NDTVI and total (R2 = 0.87), live (R2 = 0.84), sedge (R2 = 0.77), and willow (R2 = 0.66) biomass. 2) Weak relationships were found between SRTVI or NDTVI and grass (R2 = 0.39), forb (R2 = 0.16), and litter (R2 = 0.51) biomass, possibly caused by the mixture of spectral signatures with grasses, sedges, and willows along with the variable effect of the litter spectral signature. 3) A weak relationship was found between sagebrush biomass and SRTVI or NDTSI (R2 = 0.3) that was related to interference from sagebrush photosynthetic or nonphotosynthetic branch and twig material, and from the indeterminate spectral signature of sagebrush. This study has shown that hyperspectral imagery at 1-m resolution can result in high correlations and low error estimates for a variety of biomass components in rangelands. This methodology can thus become a very useful tool to estimate rangeland biomass over large areas.
Book Review: The Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida, Walter E. Meshaka, Jr., Brian P. Butterfield, J. Brian Hauge
Authors: Scarnecchia David L. ,   Society for Range Management
Published: June 2016

Book Review: The Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida, Walter E. Meshaka, Jr., Brian P. Butterfield, J. Brian Hauge. Krieger Publishing, Co., Malabar, FL (2004).
Book Review: Forging a West that Works: An Invitation to the Radical Center, Barbara H. Johnson (Ed.)
Authors: Capelli Jason ,   Society for Range Management
Published: June 2016

Book Review: Forging a West that Works: An Invitation to the Radical Center, Barbara H. Johnson (Ed.). The Quivira Coalition, Santa Fe, NM (2003).
Quantifying Vegetation Change by Point Sampling Landscape Photography Time Series
Authors: Hardegree Stuart P. , Clark Patrick E. ,   Society for Range Management
Published: June 2016

Quantitative assessment of vegetation change is often conducted by digitally analyzing time series of aerial or vertical photography. Change analysis conducted using repeated oblique or landscape photography, however, has been limited to qualitative assessments. The purpose of this study was to develop sampling and analysis techniques for using a time series of digitized landscape photography to quantify vegetation change on rangeland landscapes. Digital images were created from black-and-white landscape photographs acquired in 1917, 1962, and 2000 near Whiskey Mountain in the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed of southwestern Idaho. Images were spatially registered to each other using control points and a polynomial transformation algorithm. Thirty random pixels along each of 30 random image lines were selected as point samples (n = 900) from within each image. The landscape feature represented in each selected pixel was classified into 1 of 15 cover types. Cover-type classification accuracy for the 2000 image was estimated to be 92.2% based on ground-truth data collected in the field. Classification accuracy was increased to 98.9% by combining rare or poorly separable cover-type classes. Image cover of vegetation cover types was quantified for each photography acquisition date. Changes in image cover of each cover type and direction of cover-type conversions were determined for each intervening time period. Analysis of image cover using repeated landscape photography is constrained by limitations imposed by oblique view angles and variable image quality. Repeat landscape photography, however, can be used to quantitatively assess long-term dynamics of vegetation cover on rangeland landscapes with visually distinct vegetation types.
Herbage and Seed From Texan Native Perennial Herbaceous Legumes
Authors: Muir James P. , Taylor Judy , Interrante Sindy M. ,   Society for Range Management
Published: June 2016

Native seed mixes for rangeland seeding, prairie restoration, or cultivated pasture can benefit from a greater variety of forbs that more closely reflect the original vegetation of the southern Great Plains. Fifteen native, perennial herbaceous legumes were collected in central Texas and evaluated for herbage production, mineral content, and fiber concentration of established plants in research plots over 2 years. Downy milk-pea (Galactia volubilis [L.] Britton) was productive, regardless of rainfall, whereas prairie acacia (Acacia angustissima [Mill.] Kuntze var. hirta [Nutt.] B.L. Rob.) and Illinois bundle-flower (Desmanthus illinoensis [Michx.] MacMill. Ex. B.L. Rob. Fernald) out-yielded others in year 3 when rainfall was the greatest. Herbage crude protein averaged approximately 100 g kg-1 for bush-clovers (Lespedeza spp.) compared to bundle-flowers (Desmanthus spp.), which exceeded 200 g kg-1; the latter also was high in herbage phosphorus. Herbage neutral detergent fiber ranged from 300 to more than 500 g kg-1, acid detergent fiber ranged from 140 to 360 g kg-1, and acid detergent lignin ranged from 36 to 140 g kg-1, a wide range from which to select if animal nutrition is a primary criterion. Seed production was evaluated within a subset of 8 entries submitted to periodic herbage removal or left intact throughout the season. Three bundle-flowers yielded the greatest mass and seed number, but were negatively affected by harvest, unlike prairie acacia. Herbage and seed characteristics indicate there are promising perennial herbaceous legumes in the southern Great Plains that can be included in native seed mixes.
Effect of Ruminal Incubation on Perennial Pepperweed Germination
Authors: Carpinelli Michael F. , Schauer Christopher S. , Bohnert David W. ,   Society for Range Management
Published: June 2016

Perennial pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium L.) is an aggressive perennial forb that is infesting much of western North America. Grazing may provide an alternative to chemical and mechanical control of perennial pepperweed. However, if livestock are used in control efforts, they may spread weeds by depositing viable seeds in fecal pats in uninfested areas. This study consisted of 2 experiments using fistulated steers to estimate the effect of ruminant digestion on germination of perennial pepperweed seeds. In Experiment 1, we tested the hypothesis that ruminal incubation (for 0, 48, and 96 hours) affects perennial pepperweed germination. In Experiment 2, we tested the hypothesis that type of incubation (no incubation, water only, or total digestive tract) affects perennial pepperweed germination. In Experiment 1, germination was 17 and 15 times greater for the 48- and 96-hour incubation treatments compared to the control, respectively. In Experiment 2, germination was 23 and 19 times greater for the water and total tract incubation treatments compared to the control, respectively. Effects were attributed to a combination of seed hydration and seed coat scarification. Results from this study suggest that grazing should occur prior to seed set or that livestock which have grazed perennial pepperweed bearing viable seed should be quarantined before being moved to uninfested areas. These results also suggest that control of perennial pepperweed is especially important where moving water may transport seeds off site.
The Effectiveness of Physical Agents for Lower-Limb Soft Tissue Injuries: A Systematic Review
Authors: Yu Hainan , Randhawa Kristi , Côté Pierre , Optima Collaboration
Published: June 2016

Study Design

Systematic review.

Background

Soft tissue injuries to the lower limb bring a substantial health and economic burden to society. Physical agents are commonly used to treat these injuries. However, the effectiveness of many such physical agents is not clearly established in the literature.

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of physical agents for soft tissue injuries of the lower limb.

Methods

We searched 5 databases from 1990 to 2015 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, and case-control studies. Paired reviewers independently screened the retrieved literature and appraised relevant studies using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network criteria. Studies with a high risk of bias were excluded. We synthesized low-risk-of-bias studies according to principles of best-evidence synthesis.

Results

We screened 10261 articles. Of 43 RCTs identified, 20 had a high risk of bias and were excluded from the analysis, and 23 RCTs had a low risk of bias and were included in the analysis. The available higher-quality evidence suggests that patients with persistent plantar fasciitis may benefit from ultrasound or foot orthoses, while those with persistent midportion Achilles tendinopathy may benefit from shockwave therapy. However, the current evidence does not support the use of shockwave therapy for recent plantar fasciitis, low-Dye taping for persistent plantar fasciitis, low-level laser therapy for recent ankle sprains, or splints for persistent midportion Achilles tendinopathy. Finally, evidence on the effectiveness of the following interventions is not established in the current literature: (1) shockwave therapy for persistent plantar fasciitis, (2) cryotherapy or assistive devices for recent ankle sprains, (3) braces for persistent midportion Achilles tendinopathy, and (4) taping or electric muscle stimulation for patellofemoral pain syndrome.

Conclusion

Almost half the identified RCTs that evaluated the effectiveness of physical agents for the management of lower-limb soft tissue injuries had a high risk of bias. High-quality RCTs are still needed to assess the effectiveness of physical agents for managing the broad range of lower-limb soft tissue injuries. The effectiveness of most interventions remains unclear.

Level of Evidence

Therapy, 1a. Protocol registered July 10, 2014 with PROSPERO (CRD42014010621). J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2016;46(7):523–554. Epub 6 Jun 2016. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.6521
Application of Light Detection and Ranging Technology to Assess Safe Passage of Low-Ground-Clearance Vehicles at Highway–Rail Grade Crossings
Authors: Lee Myungwoo , Khattak Aemal J.
Published: June 2016

The objectives of this research were to test and validate the feasibility of assessing humped highway–rail crossings for safe passage of vehicles with low ground clearance using lidar data. Collected using an airborne platform, lidar data provide georeferenced spatial information about the shape and surface characteristics of Earth. The suitability of humped highway–rail crossings for use by vehicles with low ground clearance and a long wheelbase is a concern because of the possibility of vehicles getting lodged on rail tracks. While such vehicles usually travel on designated routes, emergencies or highway closures may result in these vehicles traveling on undesignated highways with humped grade crossings. Lidar data and line-of-sight analysis in a geographic information system (GIS) were used to identify potentially problematic grade crossings for certain types of low-ground-clearance vehicles with a long wheelbase. Results of the GIS analysis were validated in the field at actual grade crossings with survey equipment. The main conclusion was that lidar data could be successfully used for identification of highway–rail crossing vehicle hang-up issues.
Modeling of Lead Concentrations and Hot Spots at General Aviation Airports
Authors: Feinberg Stephen N. , Heiken Jeremy G. , Valdez Marc P. , Lyons Jim M. , Turner Jay R.
Published: June 2016

Lead (Pb) is an air pollutant that has been associated with adverse health effects, including neurological effects in children that can manifest as behavioral problems, learning deficits, and lowered intelligence quotient. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, piston-engine aircraft contribute more than one-half of atmospheric Pb emissions nationwide. The most concentrated areas of piston-engine aircraft activity are general aviation airports. Even though several U.S. airports monitor Pb concentrations, few studies have focused on modeling Pb emissions. Airports and environmental agencies can assess and possibly mitigate the effects of atmospheric Pb emissions by determining the spatial extent of Pb concentrations at airports and the primary contributors to areas where Pb concentrations are high. Aircraft operations were observed at three general aviation airports to develop spatially and temporally resolved emissions inventories: Richard Lloyd Jones, Jr., Airport (RVS) in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Centennial Airport (APA) in Englewood, Colorado; and Santa Monica Airport (SMO) in Santa Monica, California. A refined emissions inventory method was developed and implemented, and the AERMOD air quality dispersion model was used to determine Pb concentration fields at each selected airport. Compared with airborne Pb concentrations measured on site, modeled Pb concentrations were in very good agreement at RVS and SMO and biased high at APA. The highest modeled Pb concentrations were near run-up areas and runway ends at all three airports; the primary contributors to the high-concentration areas were run-up area activities, taxiing, and takeoffs.
Pushing the limits of OWL 2 reasoners in ontology alignment repair problems
Authors: Solimando Alessandro , Jiménez-Ruiz Ernesto , Guerrini Giovanna
Published: June 2016

Ontologies play a key role in the development of the Semantic Web and are being used in many diverse application domains such as biomedicine and e-commerce. An application domain may have been modeled according to different points of view and purposes. This situation usually leads to the development of different ontologies that intuitively overlap, but that use different naming and modeling conventions. The problem of (semi-)automatically integrating independently developed ontologies through mappings, is usually referred to as the ontology matching problem. Ontology matching systems, however, rely on lexical and structural heuristics, and the integration of the input ontologies and the mappings may lead to many undesired logical consequences, which could sensibly diminish their usefulness. The present paper, on the one hand aims at veryfing the hypothesis that classification of large ontologies via mappings still poses a challenge to OWL 2 reasoners. On the other it also explores the applicability of OWL 2 reasoning for the repair of unintended entailments (namely, unsatisfiable concepts or violations of the conservativity principle). In this paper we provide an update on the feasibility of using OWL 2 reasoners to repair the integration of ontologies via mappings, providing a more accurate evaluation of the feasibility of extracting all the justifications. Additionally, the current evaluation also encompasses the analysis of the use of OWL 2 reasoners for solving the violations of the so-called conservativity principle.
Integration of numeric and symbolic information for semantic image interpretation
Authors: Donadello Ivan , Serafini Luciano
Published: June 2016

Semantic image interpretation (SII) is the process of generating meaningful descriptions of the content of images. Background knowledge (BK), in the form of logical theories, is extremely useful for SII. State-of-the-art algorithms for SII mainly adopt a bottom-up approach, which generates semantic interpretations of images starting from their low-level features. In these approaches BK is used only at a late stage for both enriching the semantic descriptions and improving image retrieval. In this paper, we show how BK plays an important role also during the early phase of SII. To this aim, we propose: (i) a reference framework where a semantic image description is a partial model of the BK. The elements of the partial model are grounded (linked) to a (set of) image segment(s). (ii) A loss function that evaluates how well this partial model fits the picture; (iii) a clustering-based optimization process that searches the partial model that better fits a picture. BK is used to prune branches of the search space that correspond to partial models which are inconsistent with BK. To evaluate our approach, we built a gold standard dataset of 203 pictures annotated with complex objects and their parts. We also evaluated our method on a reference dataset in Computer Vision, namely, the PASCAL-Part dataset. The results are positive. The evaluation assumes a perfect detection of parts. To understand the impact of a realistic (and noisy) part detection on our algorithm, we did a preliminary evaluation by implementing the entire SII pipeline. Part detection is performed by a recent deep learning architecture trained for detecting parts. From a qualitative analysis, it emerges that recognizing complex objects starting from parts in some cases gets better results than detecting complex objects directly.
Reconfiguration rules for loosely-coupled redundant supporting structure in radial magnetic bearings
Authors: Cheng Xin , Chen Qiang , Zeng Hongyong , Wang Xiaoguang , Zhou Rouguang
Published: June 2016

Targeting at the radial magnetic bearings of loosely-coupled redundant supporting structure, we classify the failure conditions of electromagnetic coil or power amplifier, and propose the reconfiguration rules for different failure conditions. Selection and configuration methods of redundant supporting structure are described towards the failure characteristics. With the restriction of minimum compensation current, the flux compensation strategy within one pole pair and the magnetic force compensation strategy between adjacent magnetic poles are combined to compensate the loss of electromagnetic force in different failure conditions, which realizes the reconfiguration of the residual supporting structures. The current distribution according to variable electromagnetic force output after the reconfiguration has been discussed under specific fault conditions and current safety factor of the coils. The influence of the current safety factor to the supporting ability of radial magnetic bearings has been analyzed. The application proves the effectiveness of the reconfiguration rules discussed.
Understanding of microwave heating in a novel designed cavity with monopole antennas
Authors: Chen Fangyuan , Chen Xing , Warning Alexander , Zhu Huacheng
Published: June 2016

This research presents a novel designed cavity system for improving microwave heating efficiency. Microwave heating at 2.45 GHz with monopole antennas in a cavity is compared with the conventional magnetron heating on a tylose block. The model for both heating methods was first validated versus experimental results and showed excellent agreement. The antenna heating in a cavity significantly improved the heating rate and uniformity in the tylose sample. The cavity heating method exhibited nearly twice the efficiency as sample sizes increased. The cavity design improves the microwave absorption and final temperature uniformity substantially over the traditional microwave oven. Notably within the first 60 seconds, the non-uniformity in temperature distribution begins to decrease in the cavity while the magnetron method still shows increasing temperature non-uniformity. The novel use of antennas in a cavity demonstrates the potential for a controllable and selectable microwave heating system that improves power efficiency, heating rate, and temperature uniformity over conventional microwave heating.
Migration-corrected NSGA-II for improving multiobjective design optimization in electromagnetics
Authors: Di Barba Paolo , Dughiero Fabrizio , Forzan Michele , Sieni Elisabetta
Published: June 2016

The paper proposes a new strategy to improve the performance of a standard non-dominated sorting algorithm (NSGA) in approximating the Pareto-optimal solutions of a multi-objective problem by introducing new individuals in the population miming the effect of migrations. The design optimization of a power inductor, synthesizing a uniform magnetic field for magneto-fluid hyperthermia applications, is considered as a case study to assess the performance of the migration-modified NSGA algorithm.
Numerical modeling of electromagnetic railgun rail temperature field
Authors: Wang Zhi-Heng , Wan Min , Li Xiao-Jiang
Published: June 2016

Electromagnetic railgun temperature field characteristics are important basis for rail design and thermal management. This paper carries out numerical modeling of electromagnetic railgun rail temperature field and studies the temperature field characteristics during and after launch of armature. Firstly, the thermodynamics environment of rails during and after armature launch is analyzed; Then, on the basis of rail conducting contact heat model and rail 3D finite element model we have built, the rail temperature field is simulated by finite element software ANSYS. The temperature field of rail at each moment is obtained. The research results show that: The maximal temperature rise of rail is near the armature initial position; the rail temperature rise gradually decreases from the armature initial position to the muzzle; under the condition of parameters setting in this paper, the temperature rise of each shot near the armature initial position is approximately 8.945°C.
Reliability of cross-cultural adapted Turkish version of the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI)
Authors: Merder-Coskun Demet , Kenis-Coskun Ozge , Celenlioğlu Alp Eren , Akman Mehmet , Karadag-Saygi Evrim , Uzuner Arzu
Published: June 2016

BACKGROUND: The Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) has been created to evaluate functional status, to assess therapeutic needs and changes after treatment in 2 to 18 years old children and adolescents who have orthopedic problems. The PODCI has three forms; parent form for children, parent and self report forms for adolescents. Instrument has 86 items assessing `upper extremity and physical function', `transfer and basic mobility', `sports and physical function', `pain/comfort', `happiness', `global functioning' and `expectations from treatment domains'. The PODCI has been validated in multiple languages. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of the cross-cultural adapted Turkish version of the PODCI parent forms for children and adolescents in a variety of chronic musculoskeletal disorders. METHOD: This was a methodological study. The instrument was translated and cross-culturally adapted into Turkish. Turkish version was called Bedensel İşlevsellik Değerlendirme Aracı (BIDA). It was completed by the parents/caregivers of ninety-eight children and adolescents being treated at Marmara University Medical School Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation outpatient clinics at the baseline and 2-4 weeks after between April 2013-October 2013. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability (ICC) were determined. RESULTS: Internal consistency of the subscales and test/retest cronbach alpha values were 0.90-0.91 (r= 0.71, p= 0.000) for ``upper extremity and physical function''; 0.95-0.95 (r= 0.84, p= 0.000) for ``transfer and basic mobility''; 0.93-0.91 (r= 0.78, p= 0.000) for ``sports and physical functioning''; 0.77-0.82 (r= 0.45, p= 0.000) for ``happiness'' and 0.96-0.96 (r= 0.82, p= 0.000) for ``global functioning''. Pain/comfort subscale showed low internal consistency (-0.38-0.49; r= 0.34, p= 0.004). CONCLUSION: The Turkish version of the PODCI was found to be a reliable instrument to evaluate functionality of children and adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal disorders.
At the Limits of Translation? Visual Poetry and Bashō’s Multimodal Frog
Authors: Borkent Mike
Published: June 2016

This paper discusses several visual poems that both translate and adapt Bashō's popular frog haiku; such works are theorized here as multimodal transaptations. Bashō's poem blends form and meaning, action and stasis, sound and silence. Traditional translations struggle to incorporate some of these features because of the limitations of the target language. Visual poetry, by drawing on the affordances of print – which includes verbal, visual, and diagrammatic cues – is better equipped to reflect and extend the style and content of Bashō's haiku into the more limited forms of English textuality, while also engaging in the playfulness of the haiku and calligraphic traditions. Produced through a hybrid, multimodal approach, these visual transaptations present the reader with a range of cues that are neither strictly mimetic nor adaptive, and which challenge assumptions about stylistic choices, translation, authorship, and poetic meaning.
Health Condition Evaluation for a Shearer through the Integration of a Fuzzy Neural Network and Improved Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Si Lei , Wang Zhongbin , Liu Ze , Liu Xinhua , Tan Chao , Xu Rongxin
Published: June 2016

In order to accurately evaluate the health condition of a shearer, a hybrid prediction method was proposed based on the integration of a fuzzy neural network (FNN) and improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO). The parameters of FNN were optimized by the use of PSO, which was coupled with a premature judgment and mutation mechanism to increase the convergence speed and enhance the generalization ability. The key technologies are elaborated and the flowchart of the proposed approach was designed. Furthermore, an experiment example was carried out and the comparison results indicated that the proposed approach was feasible and outperforms others. Finally, a field application example in coal mining face was demonstrated to specify the effect of the proposed system.
An Inter-Comparison of the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) and the Tourism Climate Index (TCI) in Europe
Authors: Scott Daniel , Rutty Michelle , Amelung Bas , Tang Mantao
Published: June 2016

Much research has been devoted to quantifying optimal or unacceptable climate conditions both generally and for specific tourism segments or activities over the last 10 years. This knowledge is not incorporated in the Tourism Climate Index (TCI), which has also been subject to other substantial critiques. To more accurately assess the climatic suitability of destinations for leisure tourism, the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) was developed. A major advancement of the HCI is that its variable rating scales and the component weighting system are based on this aforementioned literature of tourists’ stated climatic preferences. This paper will discuss the design of the HCI and how the limitations of the TCI were overcome. It then presents an inter-comparison of the results from HCI:Urban and TCI for geographically diverse urban destinations across Europe. The results illustrate how the HCI:Urban rates the climate of many cities higher than the TCI, particularly in shoulder seasons and the winter months, which is more consistent with observed visitation patterns. The results empirically demonstrate that use of the TCI should be discontinued.
NMR Meets Tau: Insights into Its Function and Pathology
Authors: Lippens Guy , Landrieu Isabelle , Smet Caroline , Huvent Isabelle , Gandhi Neha , Gigant Benoît , Despres Clément , Qi Haoling , Lopez Juan
Published: June 2016

In this review, we focus on what we have learned from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies on the neuronal microtubule-associated protein Tau. We consider both the mechanistic details of Tau: the tubulin relationship and its aggregation process. Phosphorylation of Tau is intimately linked to both aspects. NMR spectroscopy has depicted accurate phosphorylation patterns by different kinases, and its non-destructive character has allowed functional assays with the same samples. Finally, we will discuss other post-translational modifications of Tau and its interaction with other cellular factors in relationship to its (dys)function.
The LAB-Net Soil Moisture Network: Application to Thermal Remote Sensing and Surface Energy Balance
Authors: Mattar Cristian , Santamaría-Artigas Andrés , Durán-Alarcón Claudio , Olivera-Guerra Luis , Fuster Rodrigo , Borvarán Dager
Published: June 2016

A set of Essential Climate Variables (ECV) have been defined to be monitored by current and new remote sensing missions. The ECV retrieved at global scale need to be validated in order to provide reliable products to be used in remote sensing applications. For this, test sites are required to use in calibration and validation of the remote sensing approaches in order to improve the ECV retrievals at global scale. The southern hemisphere presents scarce test sites for calibration and validation field campaigns that focus on soil moisture and land surface temperature retrievals. In Chile, remote sensing applications related to soil moisture estimates have increased during the last decades because of the drought and water use conflicts that generate a strong interest on improved water demand estimates. This work describes the Laboratory for Analysis of the Biosphere (LAB)—NETwork, called herein after ‘LAB-net’, which was designed to be the first network in Chile for remote sensing applications. The test sites were placed in four sites with different cover types: vineyards and olive orchards located in the semi-arid region of Atacama, an irrigated raspberry crop in the Mediterranean climate zone of Chimbarongo, and a rainfed pasture in the south of Chile. Over each site, well implemented meteorological and radiative flux instrumentation was installed and continuously recorded the following parameters: soil moisture and temperature at two ground levels (10 and 20 cm), air temperature and relative humidity, net radiation, global radiation, radiometric temperature (8–14 µm), rainfall and soil heat flux. The LAB-net data base post-processing procedure is also described here. As an application, surface remote sensing products such as soil moisture data derived from the Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) extracted from the MODIS-MOD11A1 and GOES LST from Copernicus products were compared to in situ data in Oromo LAB-net site. Moreover, land surface energy flux estimation is also shown as an application of LAB-net data base. These applications revealed a good performance between in situ and remote sensing data. LAB-net data base also contributes to provide suitable information for land surface energy budget and therefore water resources management at cultivars scale. The data based generated by LAB-net is freely available for any research or scientific purpose related to current and future remote sensing applications.
Serum Levels of Toxic AGEs (TAGE) May Be a Promising Novel Biomarker for the Onset/Progression of Lifestyle-Related Diseases
Authors: Takeuchi Masayoshi
Published: June 2016

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) generated with aging or in the presence of diabetes mellitus, particularly AGEs derived from the glucose/fructose metabolism intermediate glyceraldehyde (Glycer-AGEs; termed toxic AGEs (TAGE)), were recently shown to be closely involved in the onset/progression of diabetic vascular complications via the receptor for AGEs (RAGE). TAGE also contribute to various diseases, such as cardiovascular disease; nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; cancer; Alzheimer’s disease, and; infertility. This suggests the necessity of minimizing the influence of the TAGE-RAGE axis in order to prevent the onset/progression of lifestyle-related diseases (LSRD) and establish therapeutic strategies. Changes in serum TAGE levels are closely associated with LSRD related to overeating, a lack of exercise, or excessive ingestion of sugars/dietary AGEs. We also showed that serum TAGE levels, but not those of hemoglobin A1c, glucose-derived AGEs, or Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine, have potential as a biomarker for predicting the progression of atherosclerosis and future cardiovascular events. We herein introduce the usefulness of serum TAGE levels as a biomarker for the prevention/early diagnosis of LSRD and the evaluation of the efficacy of treatments; we discuss whether dietary AGE/sugar intake restrictions reduce the generation/accumulation of TAGE, thereby preventing the onset/progression of LSRD.
Stimuli-Magnitude-Adaptive Sample Selection for Data-Driven Haptic Modeling
Authors: Abdulali Arsen , Hassan Waseem , Jeon Seokhee
Published: June 2016

Data-driven haptic modeling is an emerging technique where contact dynamics are simulated and interpolated based on a generic input-output matching model identified by data sensed from interaction with target physical objects. In data-driven modeling, selecting representative samples from a large set of data in a way that they can efficiently and accurately describe the whole dataset has been a long standing problem. This paper presents a new algorithm for the sample selection where the variances of output are observed for selecting representative input-output samples in order to ensure the quality of output prediction. The main idea is that representative pairs of input-output are chosen so that the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean of the corresponding output group does not exceed an application-dependent threshold. This output- and standard deviation-based sample selection is very effective in applications where the variance or relative error of the output should be kept within a certain threshold. This threshold is used for partitioning the input space using Binary Space Partitioning-tree (BSP-tree) and k-means algorithms. We apply the new approach to data-driven haptic modeling scenario where the relative error of the output prediction result should be less than a perceptual threshold. For evaluation, the proposed algorithm is compared to two state-of-the-art sample selection algorithms for regression tasks. Four kinds of haptic related behavior–force datasets are tested. The results showed that the proposed algorithm outperformed the others in terms of output-approximation quality and computational complexity.
Multi-Objective Sustainable Operation of the Three Gorges Cascaded Hydropower System Using Multi-Swarm Comprehensive Learning Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Yu Xiang , Sun Hui , Wang Hui , Liu Zuhan , Zhao Jia , Zhou Tianhui , Qin Hui
Published: June 2016

Optimal operation of hydropower reservoir systems often needs to optimize multiple conflicting objectives simultaneously. The conflicting objectives result in a Pareto front, which is a set of non-dominated solutions. Non-dominated solutions cannot outperform each other on all the objectives. An optimization framework based on the multi-swarm comprehensive learning particle swarm optimization algorithm is proposed to solve the multi-objective operation of hydropower reservoir systems. Through adopting search techniques such as decomposition, mutation and differential evolution, the algorithm tries to derive multiple non-dominated solutions reasonably distributed over the true Pareto front in one single run, thereby facilitating determining the final tradeoff. The long-term sustainable planning of the Three Gorges cascaded hydropower system consisting of the Three Gorges Dam and Gezhouba Dam located on the Yangtze River in China is studied. Two conflicting objectives, i.e., maximizing hydropower generation and minimizing deviation from the outflow lower target to realize the system’s economic, environmental and social benefits during the drought season, are optimized simultaneously. Experimental results demonstrate that the optimization framework helps to robustly derive multiple feasible non-dominated solutions with satisfactory convergence, diversity and extremity in one single run for the case studied.
Online Power Management with Embedded Offline-Optimized Parameters for a Three-Source Hybrid Powertrain with an Experimental Emulation Application
Authors: Moulik Bedatri , Söffker Dirk
Published: June 2016

Real-time power management in the presence of one or more reversible energy storage systems is a current issue with hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). To evaluate the potentials of rule-based power management, optimization with respect to two conflicting objectives, fuel consumption and state of charge (SoC) deviation, is considered in this contribution. A modular structure of power management with decoupled offline and online parts is presented. The online part incorporates look-up tables (LUTs) with parameters from the offline optimization part. This permits an inclusion of more LUTs corresponding to different drive patterns. The goal of this contribution is to combine the real-time applicability of rule-based power management and the multi-objective optimization property of genetic algorithms in a single control strategy. Component aging problems are addressed by suitable design. The influence of sizing is investigated. Finally, an experimental setup consisting of components capable of realizing the dynamics of real powertrain components is realized and introduced. A verification/plausibility assessment of modeled dynamics based on the literature is considered. This newly-introduced concept represents a class of power management, which is easy to implement, can tackle different objectives in real time, and adapt itself to unknown driver demands.
Effect of Polymer Concentration, Rotational Speed, and Solvent Mixture on Fiber Formation Using Forcespinning®
Authors: Obregon Nancy , Agubra Victor , Pokhrel Madhab , Campos Howard , Flores David , De la Garza David , Mao Yuanbing , Macossay Javier , Alcoutlabi Mataz
Published: June 2016

Polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers were produced using Forcespinning® (FS). The effects of PCL concentration, solvent mixture, and the spinneret rotational speed on fiber formation were evaluated. The concentration of the polymer in the solvents was a critical determinant of the solution viscosity. Lower PCL concentrations resulted in low solution viscosities with a correspondingly low fiber production rate with many beads. Bead-free fibers with high production rate and uniform fiber diameter distribution were obtained from the optimum PCL concentration (i.e., 12.5 wt%) with tetrahydrofuran (THF) as the solvent. The addition of N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) to the THF solvent promoted the gradual formation of beads, split fibers, and generally affected the distribution of fiber diameters. The crystallinity of PCL fibers was also affected by the processing conditions, spinning speed, and solvent mixture.
Students’ Perceived Heat-Health Symptoms Increased with Warmer Classroom Temperatures
Authors: Bidassey-Manilal Shalin , Wright Caradee , Engelbrecht Jacobus , Albers Patricia , Garland Rebecca , Matooane Mamopeli
Published: June 2016

Temperatures in Africa are expected to increase by the end of the century. Heat-related health impacts and perceived health symptoms are potentially a problem, especially in public schools with limited resources. Students (n = 252) aged ~14–18 years from eight high schools completed an hourly heat-health symptom log over 5 days. Data loggers measured indoor classroom temperatures. A high proportion of students felt tired (97.2%), had low concentration (96.8%) and felt sleepy (94.1%) during at least one hour on any day. There were statistically significant correlations, when controlling for school cluster effect and time of day, between indoor temperatures ≥32 °C and students who felt tired and found it hard to breathe. Consistently higher indoor classroom temperatures were observed in classrooms constructed of prefabricated asbestos sheeting with corrugated iron roof and converted shipping container compared to brick classrooms. Longitudinal studies in multiple seasons and different classroom building types are needed.
Interactions between Neighborhood Social Environment and Walkability to Explain Belgian Older Adults’ Physical Activity and Sedentary Time
Authors: Van Holle Veerle , Van Cauwenberg Jelle , De Bourdeaudhuij Ilse , Deforche Benedicte , Van de Weghe Nico , Van Dyck Delfien
Published: June 2016

This study examined associations between neighborhood social factors and physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in older adults. Furthermore, possible moderating effects of neighborhood walkability were explored. Data from 431 community-dwelling Belgian older adults (≥65 years) were analyzed. Neighborhood social factors included measures of neighboring, social trust and cohesion and social diversity. Neighborhood walkability was measured objectively. Outcome measures were self-reported weekly minutes of domain-specific walking and TV viewing, and accelerometer-assessed weekly minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and overall SB. A higher frequency of talking to neighbors was associated with higher levels of self-reported walking for transport and for recreation. Moderation analyses showed that only in highly-walkable neighborhoods, higher social diversity of the neighborhood environment was associated with more transport walking; and talking to neighbors and social interactions among neighbors were negatively associated with overall SB and television viewing, respectively. Findings suggest that a combination of a favorable neighborhood social and physical environment are important to promote older adults’ PA and limit SB.