bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-Fidelity Local Surrogate Model for Computationally Efficient Microwave Component Design Optimization
Authors: Song Yiran , Cheng Qingsha S. , Koziel Slawomir
Published: July 2019

In order to minimize the number of evaluations of high-fidelity (“fine”) model in the optimization process, to increase the optimization speed, and to improve optimal solution accuracy, a robust and computational-efficient multi-fidelity local surrogate-model optimization method is proposed. Based on the principle of response surface approximation, the proposed method exploits the multi-fidelity coarse models and polynomial interpolation to construct a series of local surrogate models. In the optimization process, local region modeling and optimization are performed iteratively. A judgment factor is introduced to provide information for local region size update. The last local surrogate model is refined by space mapping techniques to obtain the optimal design with high accuracy. The operation and efficiency of the approach are demonstrated through design of a bandpass filter and a compact ultra-wide-band (UWB) multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) antenna. The response of the optimized design of the fine model meet the design specification. The proposed method not only has better convergence compared to an existing local surrogate method, but also reduces the computational cost substantially.
Accuracy Analysis in Sensor Networks for Asynchronous Positioning Methods
Authors: Álvarez Rubén , Díez-González Javier , Alonso Efrén , Fernández-Robles Laura , Castejón-Limas Manuel , Perez Hilde
Published: July 2019

The accuracy requirements for sensor network positioning have grown over the last few years due to the high precision demanded in activities related with vehicles and robots. Such systems involve a wide range of specifications which must be met through positioning devices based on time measurement. These systems have been traditionally designed with the synchronization of their sensors in order to compute the position estimation. However, this synchronization introduces an error in the time determination which can be avoided through the centralization of the measurements in a single clock in a coordinate sensor. This can be found in typical architectures such as Asynchronous Time Difference of Arrival (A-TDOA) and Difference-Time Difference of Arrival (D-TDOA) systems. In this paper, a study of the suitability of these new systems based on a Cramér-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) evaluation was performed for the first time under different 3D real environments for multiple sensor locations. The analysis was carried out through a new heteroscedastic noise variance modelling with a distance-dependent Log-normal path loss propagation model. Results showed that A-TDOA provided less uncertainty in the root mean square error (RMSE) in the positioning, while D-TDOA reduced the standard deviation and increased stability all over the domain.
The Investigation of a SAW Oxygen Gas Sensor Operated at Room Temperature, Based on Nanostructured ZnxFeyO Films
Authors: Shu Lin , Jiang Tao , Xia Yudong , Wang Xuemin , Yan Dawei , Wu Weidong
Published: July 2019

In this paper, we report a wireless gas sensor based on surface acoustic waves (SAW). For room temperature detection of oxygen gas, a novel nanostructured ZnxFeyO gas-sensitive film was deposited on the surface of a SAW resonator by an oblique magnetron co-sputtering method. The measurements of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the crystal phase composition and the microstructures of ZnxFeyO films were significantly affected by the content of Fe. The experimental results showed that the sensors had a good response to O2 at room temperature. The max frequency shift of the sensors reached 258 kHz as the O2 partial pressure was 20%. Moreover, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was performed to analyze the role of Fe in the sensitization process of the ZnxFeyO film. In addition, the internal relationship between the Fe content of the film and the sensitivity of the sensor was presented and discussed. The research indicates that the nanostructured ZnxFeyO film has a good potential for room temperature O2 gas detection applications.
Single-Board-Computer Clusters for Cloudlet Computing in Internet of Things
Authors: Fernández-Cerero Damián , Fernández-Rodríguez Jorge Yago , Álvarez-García Juan A. , Soria-Morillo Luis M. , Fernández-Montes Alejandro
Published: July 2019

The number of connected sensors and devices is expected to increase to billions in the near future. However, centralised cloud-computing data centres present various challenges to meet the requirements inherent to Internet of Things (IoT) workloads, such as low latency, high throughput and bandwidth constraints. Edge computing is becoming the standard computing paradigm for latency-sensitive real-time IoT workloads, since it addresses the aforementioned limitations related to centralised cloud-computing models. Such a paradigm relies on bringing computation close to the source of data, which presents serious operational challenges for large-scale cloud-computing providers. In this work, we present an architecture composed of low-cost Single-Board-Computer clusters near to data sources, and centralised cloud-computing data centres. The proposed cost-efficient model may be employed as an alternative to fog computing to meet real-time IoT workload requirements while keeping scalability. We include an extensive empirical analysis to assess the suitability of single-board-computer clusters as cost-effective edge-computing micro data centres. Additionally, we compare the proposed architecture with traditional cloudlet and cloud architectures, and evaluate them through extensive simulation. We finally show that acquisition costs can be drastically reduced while keeping performance levels in data-intensive IoT use cases.
Stress-Insensitive Resonant Graphene Mass Sensing via Frequency Ratio
Authors: Xiao Xing , Fan Shang-Chun , Li Cheng , Xing Wei-Wei
Published: July 2019

Herein, a peripherally clamped stretched square monolayer graphene sheet with a side length of 10 nm was demonstrated as a resonator for atomic-scale mass sensing via molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Then, a novel method of mass determination using the first three resonant modes (mode11, mode21 and mode22) was developed to avoid the disturbance of stress fluctuation in graphene. MD simulation results indicate that improving the prestress in stretched graphene increases the sensitivity significantly. Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine the mass accurately by the stress-reliant fundamental frequency shift. However, the absorbed mass in the middle of graphene sheets decreases the resonant frequency of mode11 dramatically while having negligible effect on that of mode21 and mode22, which implies that the latter two frequency modes are appropriate for compensating the stress-induced frequency shift of mode11. Hence, the absorbed mass, with a resolution of 3.3 × 10−22 g, is found using the frequency ratio of mode11 to mode21 or mode22, despite the unstable prestress ranging from 32 GPa to 47 GPa. This stress insensitivity contributes to the applicability of the graphene-based resonant mass sensor in real applications.
The Young Interferometer as an Optical System for a Variable Depolarizer Characterization
Authors: Kalbarczyk Aleksandra , Jaroszewicz Leszek R. , Bennis Noureddine , Chrusciel Monika , Marc Pawel
Published: July 2019

This article proposes an interferometric method for a variable depolarizer characterization with features that distinguish it from the polarimetric system. Information about the behavior of a vertically aligned nematic cell as a variable depolarizer can be extracted from Young interferometer measurements in real time. These results could be significant for understanding the polarization phenomena in depolarizing media such as biological tissue.
A Heterogeneous IoT Data Analysis Framework with Collaboration of Edge-Cloud Computing: Focusing on Indoor PM10 and PM2.5 Status Prediction
Authors: Moon Jaewon , Kum Seungwoo , Lee Sangwon
Published: July 2019

The edge platform has evolved to become a part of a distributed computing environment. While typical edges do not have enough processing power to train machine learning models in real time, it is common to generate models in the cloud for use on the edge. The pattern of heterogeneous Internet of Things (IoT) data is dependent on individual circumstances. It is not easy to guarantee prediction performance when a monolithic model is used without considering the spatial characteristics of the space generating those data. In this paper, we propose a collaborative framework using a new method to select the best model for the edge from candidate models of cloud based on sample data correlation. This method lets the edge use the most suitable model without any training tasks on the edge side, and it also minimizes privacy issues. We apply the proposed method to predict future fine particulate matter concentration in an individual space. The results suggest that our method can provide better performance than the previous method.
Analysis of Beamforming Antenna for Practical Indoor Location-Tracking Application
Authors: Kim Sun-Woong , Choi Dong-You
Published: July 2019

The single antenna used in conventional ultra-wideband radar has difficulty tracking targets over a wide range because of a relatively narrow beamwidth. Herein, we propose a beamforming antenna that can track targets over a wide range by electronically controlling the main beam of the antenna. The proposed beamforming antenna was fabricated by connecting a 1 × 4 linear array antenna and a 4 × 4 Butler matrix. The Butler matrix was fabricated in a laminated substrate using two TRF-45 substrates. Furthermore, the input Ports 1–4 generate a phase difference at regular intervals in each output port, and the output phase is fed to the array antenna. The proposed tapered-slot antenna was fabricated on a Taconic TLY substrate, and the impedance bandwidth of the antenna was achieved within a wide bandwidth of 4.32 GHz by satisfying a VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio) ≤2 within the 1.45–5.78 GHz band. Furthermore, the fabricated antenna has directional radiation patterns, which was found to be a suitable characsteristic for location tracking in a certain direction. Finally, the beamforming antenna has four beamforming angles, and to verify the performance for an indoor location tracking application of impulse-radio ultra-wideband radar, it was connected to an NVA-R661 module.
Structural Health Monitoring with Sensor Data and Cosine Similarity for Multi-Damages
Authors: Kim Byungmo , Min Cheonhong , Kim Hyungwoo , Cho Sugil , Oh Jaewon , Ha Seung-Hyun , Yi Jin-hak
Published: July 2019

There is a large risk of damage, triggered by harsh ocean environments, associated with offshore structures, so structural health monitoring plays an important role in preventing the occurrence of critical and global structural failure from such damage. However, obstacles, such as applicability in the field and increasing calculation costs with increasing structural complexity, remain for real-time structure monitoring offshore. Therefore, this study proposes the comparison of cosine similarity with sensor data to overcome such challenges. As the comparison target, this method uses the rate of changes of natural frequencies before and after the occurrence of various damage scenarios, including not only single but multiple damages, which are organized by the experiment technique design. The comparison method alerts to the occurrence of damage using a normalized warning index, which enables workers to manage the risk of damage. By comparison, moreover, the case most similar with the current status is directly figured out without any additional analysis between monitoring and damage identification, which renders the damage identification process simpler. Plus, the averaged rate of errors in detection is suggested to evaluate the damage level more precisely, if needed. Therefore, this method contributes to the application of real-time structural health monitoring for offshore structures by providing an approach to improve the usability of the proposed technique.
In-Situ Data-Driven Buffeting Response Analysis of a Cable-Stayed Bridge
Authors: Kim Sehoon , Jung Hyunjun , Kong Min Joon , Lee Deok Keun , An Yun-Kyu
Published: July 2019

To analytically evaluate buffeting responses, the analysis of wind characteristics such as turbulence intensity, turbulence length, gust, and roughness coefficient must be a priority. The analytical buffeting response is affected by the static aerodynamic force coefficient, flutter coefficient, structural damping ratio, aerodynamic damping ratio, and natural frequencies of the bridge. The cable-stayed bridge of interest in this study has been used for 32 years. In that time, the terrain conditions around the bridge have markedly changed from the conditions when the bridge was built. Further, the wind environments have varied considerably due to climate change. For these reasons, the turbulence intensity, length, spectrum coefficient, and roughness coefficient of the bridge site must be evaluated from full-scale measurements using a structural health monitoring system. Although the bridge is located on a coastal area, the evaluation results indicated that the wind characteristics of bridge site were analogous to those of open terrain. The buffeting response of the bridge was analyzed using the damping ratios, static aerodynamic force coefficients, and natural frequencies obtained from measured data. The analysis was performed for four cases. Two case analyses were performed by applying the variables obtained from measured data, while two other case analyses were performed based on the Korean Society of Civil Engineers (KSCE) Design Guidelines for Steel Cable Supported Bridges. The calculated responses of each analysis case were compared with the buffeting response measured at wind speeds of less than 25 m/s. The responses obtained by numerical analysis using estimated variables based on full-scale measurements agreed well with the measured buffeting responses measured at wind speeds of less than 25 m/s. Moreover, an extreme wind speed of 44 m/s, corresponding to a recurrence interval of 200 years, was derived from the Gumbel distribution. Therefore, the buffeting responses at wind speeds of 45 m/s were also determined by applying the estimated variables. From these results, management criteria based on measurement data for in-service bridge are determined and each level of management is proposed.
Researching Transgression: Ana as a Youth Subculture in the Age of Digital Ethnography
Authors: Crowe Nic , Hoskins Kate
Published: July 2019

In this paper, we explore the contribution of material and digital ethnography to providing a deeper understanding of youth subcultures. We provide the context by reviewing some of the research carried out by the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) to provide a historical overview of cultural studies and critically appraise how they have drawn on ethnography as a way of deepening our understanding of young people’s subculture. We then draw on digital ethnographic data to explore the lived experiences of Ana girls, that is, young women who advocate anorexic and bulimic behaviours as legitimate lifestyle choices, as they explore and negotiate their identity through online social media platforms with like-minded people. The aim is to demonstrate the potential of longitudinal digital ethnography to provide insights into these girls’ transgressive voices played out through online spaces. In narrating the Ana girls through digital storytelling, we argue that digital ethnography is the only way to access and understand their experiences and as such, has a unique role to play in advancing sociological understanding of their complex lived experiences. Thus, we suggest that digital ethnography provides a unique way of capturing longitudinal data and that this knowledge is important to bring about greater understanding of the challenges facing these girls as they grapple with complex problems. This greater understanding could inform changes to practice needed to better support Ana girls in online spaces.
Energy and Environmental Flows: Do Most Financialised Countries within the Mediterranean Area Export Unsustainability?
Authors: Vozzella Pietro , Ruzzenenti Franco , Gabbi Giampaolo
Published: July 2019

The literature dedicated to the problems of transboundary pollution often aims to verify what the environmental and energy interactions between countries are. Little attention is paid to the financial relations of the phenomenon. We analyze how financial, environmental and energy flows have been redistributed within the main Mediterranean countries, with particular reference to pollution. Applying advanced methods of correlation, we verify the dynamics of transfer processes with the aim of assessing whether the link between economic and financial and environmental flows might support the hypothesis that rich countries export environmental emissions to poor ones. Our results show that richer countries have a significant propensity to export energy, financial flows and polluting emissions. The imbalance is even greater for emissions with local impact. This process is accompanied by a substantial increase in the financial activities of the North Mediterranean countries to the detriment of those of the South, which progressively increase their indebtedness. We find out that the economic and financial development of the North Med is accompanied by an increasing environmental impact measured by the various types of emissions covered by our study. The research shows how the most industrialized countries of the Mediterranean area are increasing the economic and financial gap with respect to the Southern Mediterranean countries.
Considering Product Life Cycle Cost Purchasing Strategy for Solving Vendor Selection Problems
Authors: Shen Chien-Wen , Peng Yen-Ting , Tu Chang-Shu
Published: July 2019

The framework of product life cycle (PLC) cost analysis is one of the most important evaluation tools for a contemporary high-tech company in an increasingly competitive market environment. The PLC-purchasing strategy provides the framework for a procurement plan and examines the sourcing strategy of a firm. The marketing literature emphasizes that ongoing technological change and shortened life cycles are important elements in commercial organizations. From a strategic viewpoint, the vendor has an important position between supplier, buyer and manufacturer. The buyer seeks to procure the products from a set of vendors to take advantage of economies of scale and to exploit opportunities for strategic relationships. However, previous studies have seldom considered vendor selection (VS) based on PLC cost (VSPLCC) analysis. The purpose of this paper is to solve the VSPLCC problems considering the situation of a single buyer–multiple supplier. For this issue, a new VSPLCC procurement model and solution procedure are derived in this paper to minimize net cost, rejection rate, late delivery and PLC cost subject to vendor capacities and budget constraints. Moreover, a real case in Taiwan is provided to show how to solve the VSPLCC procurement problem.
Integrating Spatial and Temporal Approaches for Explaining Bicycle Crashes in High-Risk Areas in Antwerp (Belgium)
Authors: Wang Hwachyi , Chang S. K. Jason , De Backer Hans , Lauwers Dirk , De Maeyer Philippe
Published: July 2019

The majority of bicycle crash studies aim at determining risk factors and estimating crash risks by employing statistics. Accordingly, the goal of this paper is to evaluate bicycle–motor vehicle crashes by using spatial and temporal approaches to statistical data. The spatial approach (a weighted kernel density estimation approach) preliminarily estimates crash risks at the macro level, thereby avoiding the expensive work of collecting traffic counts; meanwhile, the temporal approach (negative binomial regression approach) focuses on crash data that occurred on urban arterials and includes traffic exposure at the micro level. The crash risk and risk factors of arterial roads associated with bicycle facilities and road environments were assessed using a database built from field surveys and five government agencies. This study analysed 4120 geocoded bicycle crashes in the city of Antwerp (CA, Belgium). The data sets covered five years (2014 to 2018), including all bicycle–motorized vehicle (BMV) crashes from police reports. Urban arterials were highlighted as high-risk areas through the spatial approach. This was as expected given that, due to heavy traffic and limited road space, bicycle facilities on arterial roads face many design problems. Through spatial and temporal approaches, the environmental characteristics of bicycle crashes on arterial roads were analysed at the micro level. Finally, this paper provides an insight that can be used by both the geography and transport fields to improve cycling safety on urban arterial roads.
Education Development in China: Education Return, Quality, and Equity
Authors: Guo Lijia , Huang Jiashun , Zhang You
Published: July 2019

As the biggest developing country with the largest population in the world, China has made great achievements in education development, which has contributed tremendously to reducing poverty and boosting prosperity in the past decades. However, in the course of education development, many problems and issues have emerged, which have also been extensively studied by scholars in various fields in both China and international contexts. Among the myriad of research topics, three research foci stand out as the most concerning and studied: education return, education quality, and education equity. This paper draws on both international research literature and evidence from China to discuss education development issues including education return, education quality, and education equity, and suggests future directions for research and practice to enhance education development and to achieve a sustainable future.
U.S. Interest Rate and Household Debt Sustainability: The Case of Korea
Authors: Son Jong Chil , Park Hail
Published: July 2019

This paper revisits the issue of household debt sustainability in Korea responding to changes in U.S. interest rates. We investigate not only the transmission channels from U.S. interest rates to domestic interest rates, using the Bayesian VAR (vector autoregression) model, but also the issue of identifying households that are vulnerable in terms of their debt repayments, and we execute projections for the upcoming years given conditional forecasts and various macroeconomic scenarios. The estimation results indicate that first, the domestic policy rate will likely increase and then stagnate conditionally on the path of the U.S. policy rates. Second, the ratios of vulnerable households over total indebted households, which has been growing since 2012, will likely expand mildly over the upcoming years given an approximately 1.6%p gradual increase in interest rates and stable macroeconomic environments. Finally, however, the projected trend of domestic interest rates can cause a rapid expansion in the ratios of vulnerable households, in conjunction with a series of combined negative shocks such as highly concentrated principal repayment schedules, sharp declines in housing prices, and the occurrence of a crisis.
Visitors’ Perception of Urban Nature Reserves in Poland
Authors: Wasilewski Maciej , Szulczewska Barbara , Giedych Renata
Published: July 2019

The importance of green areas for the well-being of city dwellers, upgrading their living conditions and health, has been discussed in a great number of publications. Relatively few studies have been devoted to urban natural protected areas. These areas are distinct due to the very often conflicting goals of their establishment and the social functions that they perform. Legal regulations concerning the establishment and management of these areas in force in Poland do not take into account the conditions mentioned above. Therefore, it seems justified to change the regulations and to establish a separate form of nature protection, particularly in the case of the nature reserves, as these most often appear in Polish cities and have the highest protection status. In order to support or refute this stipulation, the urban nature reserve (UNR) visitors were questioned (through a survey available online for six months in 2018). Eight-hundred and sixty-nine respondents took part in the survey. It revealed that most of the respondents perceived nature reserves located in cities as recreational areas; however, they were also aware of their multifunctional character. Such results support the conclusion that in order to effectively manage this type of area in cities, a concept of distinctive urban conservation areas should be developed.
Optimal Production Planning and Pollution Control in Petroleum Refineries Using Mathematical Programming and Dispersion Models
Authors: Alnahdi Amani , Elkamel Ali , Shaik Munawar A. , Al-Sobhi Saad A. , Erenay Fatih S.
Published: July 2019

Oil refineries, producing a large variety of products, are considered as one of the main sources of air contaminants such as sulfur oxides (SOx), hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and carbon dioxide (CO2), which are primarily caused by fuel combustion. Gases emanated from the combustion of fuel in an oil refinery need to be reduced, as it poses an environmental hazard. Several strategies can be applied in order to mitigate emissions and meet environmental regulations. This study proposes a mathematical programming model to derive the optimal pollution control strategies for an oil refinery, considering various reduction options for multiple pollutants. The objective of this study is to help decision makers select the most economic pollution control strategy, while satisfying given emission reduction targets. The proposed model is tested on an industrial scale oil refinery sited in North Toronto, Ontario, Canada considering emissions of NOx, SOx, and CO2. In this analysis, the dispersion of these air pollutants is captured using a screening model (SCREEN3) and a non-steady state CALPUFF model based on topographical and meteorological conditions. This way, the impacts of geographic location on the concentration of pollutant emissions were examined in a realistic way. The numerical experiments showed that the optimal production and pollution control plans derived from the proposed optimization model can reduce NOx, SOx, and CO2 emission by up to 60% in exchange of up to 10.7% increase in cost. The results from the dispersion models verified that these optimal production and pollution control plans may achieve a significant reduction in pollutant emission in a large geographic area around the refinery site.
Depicting Flows of Embodied Water Pollutant Discharge within Production System: Case of an Undeveloped Region
Authors: Yang Wei , Song Junnian
Published: July 2019

Water pollution is still an obstacle on the way towards sustainable development, especially for some undeveloped regions in China. To formulate policies for water pollution control from multiple perspectives, it is significant to holistically investigate how final demand purchases trigger water pollutant discharge in the production process. With Jilin Province as an empirical study area, the final production and consumption attributions of chemical oxygen demand (COD) discharge within the input–output framework are measured. By employing structural pass analysis and mapping approaches, the supply chain linkages between the two attributions of COD discharge are illustrated. The embodied flows of COD discharge across sectors through the supply chains are exhaustively revealed. The results show that the exports drive 70.23% of the total COD discharge. Animal production (S2) is the dominant contributor to COD discharge from both production and consumption perspectives. Final demand on the products of Foods & tobacco products (S8), Sawmills & furniture, and Construction largely induces COD discharge at higher production layers. In contrast, final demand on S2’s products mainly drives direct COD discharge (96.04%). S2 and S8 are the two key sectors in the supply chains, which provide other sectors with pollution-intensive products as intermediate inputs. The findings indicate that the export of S2’s products should be largely cut down, along with adjustment of the export structure. Innovations of production technologies and improvement of end-of-pipe abatement abilities for S2 and S8 should be facilitated. Besides, cutting capacity or reducing investment on these two sectors should be propelled.
The Threshold Effect of China’s Financial Development on Green Total Factor Productivity
Authors: Zhou Yingying , Xu Yaru , Liu Chuanzhe , Fang Zhuoqing , Fu Xinyue , He Mingzhao
Published: July 2019

Using the slacks-based measure (SBM) directional distance function and constructing the Luenberger productivity index, we measure the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of China’s provinces under resource and environmental restrictions. At the same time, based on the provincial panel data, the threshold regression method is used to empirically analyze the impact of financial development on green total factor productivity and its threshold effect. The study explores how technological innovation, foreign direct investment (FDI), and environmental governance affect green total factor productivity, as well as how financial development plays a role in the direction and intensity of the impact, with a view to providing policy recommendations for promoting green economic development. The results show that: (1) during the sample period, China’s green total factor productivity had an overall upward trend, and pure technological progress was the main reason for the growth in the green all-factor growth rate; (2) taking financial development as a threshold dependent variable, financial development had a nonlinear, double-threshold effect on green total factor productivity and diminishing marginal efficiency; (3) the increase in financial development will help attract high-quality and low-pollution FDI inflows, and can exert a technology spillover from FDI to green total factor productivity; (4) the impact of technological innovation on green total factor productivity has a nonlinear feature, with significant positive and increasing marginal efficiency; and (5) there is a positive “U” relationship between environmental governance and green total factor productivity.
Management of Wild Edible Fungi in the Meseta Purépecha Region, Michoacán, México
Authors: Castro-Sánchez Eva Itzel , Moreno-Calles Ana Isabel , Meneses-Eternod Sue , Farfán-Heredia Berenice , Blancas José , Casas Alejandro
Published: July 2019

Ethnoecology is the study of the relationship between humans and their environments and components, including fungi. México is an exceptional setting for studying the interactions between humans and fungi, since most of the native cultures have interacted with these organisms for thousands of years. The state of Michoacán is particularly relevant, since nearly 11% of the fungi species recorded in Mexico occur there, 139 of which are edible. The aim of this study was to analyze the interactions of the Purépecha native communities with edible fungi and their environment, the position of mushrooms in the local worldview, and the classification system, management forms, and social and environmental problems associated with their use. Semi-structured interviews at regional markets were conducted. We conducted participant observation, proof interviews in harvesting areas, and workshops with the communities. Ethnoecological information was recorded for 21 edible fungi species and the environments where people interact with these mushrooms. People called hongueros (fungi handlers) identified the following environmental problems: A loss of local knowledge, a decreasing consumption of fungi among young people, land-use changes, the illegal extraction of forest resources, deforestation, unplanned urban growth, uncontrolled fires, livestock raising, and agricultural intensification. These issues affect fungi diversity, distribution, and abundance. All these factors, in turn, affect decreasing economic incomes associated with this activity and changes in the diets of the local people. Information from this study will help local authorities and people of the community to design management strategies for maintaining the environment and fungi, strategies which aim to contribute to the sustainable use of both fungi and forests.
A Deviation-Based Dynamic Vertex Reordering Technique for 2D Mesh Quality Improvement
Authors: Choi Junhyeok , Kim Harrim , Sastry Shankar Prasad , Kim Jibum
Published: July 2019

We propose a novel deviation-based vertex reordering method for 2D mesh quality improvement. We reorder free vertices based on how likely this is to improve the quality of adjacent elements, based on the gradient of the element quality with respect to the vertex location. Specifically, we prioritize the free vertex with large differences between the best and the worst-quality element around the free vertex. Our method performs better than existing vertex reordering methods since it is based on the theory of non-smooth optimization. The downhill simplex method is employed to solve the mesh optimization problem for improving the worst element quality. Numerical results show that the proposed vertex reordering techniques improve both the worst and average element, compared to those with existing vertex reordering techniques.
Sustainability Assessment of Asset Management Decisions for Wastewater Infrastructure Systems—Implementation of a System Dynamics Model
Authors: Mohammadifardi Hamed , Knight Mark A. , Unger Andre A. J.
Published: July 2019

The goal of this case study is to demonstrate the application and utility of a developed System Dynamics (SD) model to assess the sustainability of strategic decisions for managing the wastewater collection (WWC) pipe network system for a medium-size municipality in Southern Ontario. Two asset management scenarios, suggested by the research-partnered municipality, are adapted based on the acceptable maximum fraction of pipes in the worst condition (ICG5) being equal to (1) 10% of the network-length/year, and (2) the initial 2.8% of network-length/year for the entire life cycle of the asset. The urban densification scenarios are restricted to a 50% urban densification rate. The least maximum rehabilitation rates of 1.41% and 1.85% of network length/year are found necessary to keep the ICG5 pipes fractions below the selected 10% and 2.8% thresholds, respectively. The maximum and minimum user fee-hike rates for WWC and wastewater treatment (WWT) services are adjusted to support the financial self-sustainability aspect. Results from the SD model, as presented over a 100 year simulation period, show that an accelerated rehabilitation strategy will have a lower financial cost with the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study highlights the implications of integrating asset management of wastewater-collection and -treatment systems. Applying such an integrated SD model will help decision makers to forecast the future trends related to social, economic, and environmental performances of wastewater infrastructure systems, and evaluate the behavior of interrelated and complex WWC and WWT systems to find synergistic cost-saving opportunities while at the same time improve sustainability.
T cell Receptor Vβ9 in Method for Rapidly Quantifying Active Staphylococcal Enterotoxin Type-A without Live Animals
Authors: Rasooly Reuven , Do Paula , He Xiaohua , Hernlem Bradley
Published: July 2019

Staphylococcal food poisoning is a result of ingestion of Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) produced by Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcal enterotoxin type A (SEA) is the predominant toxin produced by S. aureus strains isolated from food-poisoning outbreak cases. For public safety, assays to detect and quantify SEA ideally respond only to the active form of the toxin and this usually means employing disfavored live animal testing which suffers also from poor reproducibility and sensitivity. We developed a cell-based assay for SEA quantification in which biologically-active SEA is presented by Raji B-cells to CCRF-CEM T-cells resulting in internalization of Vβ9 within 2 hours with dose dependency over a 6-log range of SEA concentrations. This bioassay can discern biologically active SEA from heat-inactivated SEA and is specific to SEA with no cross reactivity to the homologically-similar SED or SEE. In this study, we terminated any ongoing biochemical reactions in accessory cells while retaining the morphology of the antigenic sites by using paraformaldehyde fixation and challenged the current model for mechanism of action of the SEA superantigen. We demonstrated for the first time that although fixed, dead accessory cells, having no metabolic functions to process the SEA superantigen into short peptide fragments for display on their cell surface, can instead present intact SEA to induce T-cell activation which leads to cytokine production. However, the level of cytokine secretion induced by intact SEA was statistically significantly lower than with viable accessory cells, which have the ability to internalize and process the SEA superantigen.
Emergence of a Novel Reassortant Strain of Bluetongue Serotype 6 in Israel, 2017: Clinical Manifestations of the Disease and Molecular Characterization
Authors: Golender Natalia , Eldar Avi , Ehrlich Marcelo , Khinich Yevgeny , Kenigswald Gabriel , Varsano Joseph Seffi , Ertracht Shachar , Abramovitz Itzik , Assis Itay , Shlamovitz Ily , Tiomkin Eitan , Yonay Erez , Sharir Benny , Bumbarov Velizar Y.
Published: July 2019

Reassortment contributes to the evolution of RNA viruses with segmented genomes, including Bluetongue virus (BTV). Recently, co-circulation of natural and vaccine BTV variants in Europe, and their ensuing reassortment, were proposed to promote appearance of novel European BTV strains, with potential implications for pathogenicity, spread and vaccination policies. Similarly, the geographical features of the Mediterranean basin, which spans over portions of three continents, may facilitate the appearance of clinically relevant reassortants via co-circulation of BTV strains of African, Asian and European origins. In August–October 2017, BTV serotype 6 (BTV-6) was identified in young animals exhibiting classical clinical signs of Bluetongue (BT) at Israeli sheep and cattle farms. Sequencing and pairwise analysis of this Israeli BTV-6 isolate revealed the closest sequence homology of its serotype-defining Segment 2 was with that of South African reference BTV-6 strain 5011 (93.88% identity). In contrast, the other viral segments showed highest homology (97.0%–99.47% identity) with BTV-3, -4 and -9 of Mediterranean and African origins. Specifically, four viral segments were nearly identical (99.13%–99.47%), with Tunisian and Italian BTV-3 strains (TUN2016 and SAD2018, correspondingly). Together, our data suggest that Mediterranean co-circulation and reassortment of BTV-3 and BTV-6 drove the emergence of a novel and virulent BTV-6 strain
Cross-Sectional Survey on Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Cattle, Sheep, and Goats in Algeria: Seroprevalence and Risk Factors
Authors: Abdallah Mohamed-Cherif , Kamel Miroud , Karima Benfodil , Samir Ansel , Djamel Khelef , Rachid Kaidi , Khatima Ait-Oudhia
Published: July 2019

A cross-sectional study aimed at assessing the seroprevalence and identifying the risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection in cattle, sheep, and goats in eight provinces located in two main Algerian agro-ecological zones was carried out from October 2015 to March 2018. Blood sera from 4074 animals of both sexes were tested for the presence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies, using the indirect, enzyme-linked, immunosorbent assay technique (ELISA). Moreover, to identify the potential risk factors of T. gondii infection, a survey through a breeders’ questionnaires was conducted. Nearly one-fourth of the total number of animals tested (1024/4074)—i.e., 25.1%—were seropositive. The seroprevalence in cattle, sheep, and goats was 28.7%, 25.6%, and 11.9%, respectively. The area, sex, age, and herd size were identified as risk factors for T. gondii infection. Higher seropositivity rates were recorded in cows and goats (odds ratio (OR) = 1.63 and 6.4), in old animals (cattle, OR = 2.1; sheep, OR = 1.9; and goat, OR = 3.9), and in small size herds (cattle, OR = 2.5; sheep, OR = 1.9; goat, OR = 2.2). In conclusion, there is widespread T. gondii infection in cattle, sheep, and goats in these two strategic agricultural areas. The identification of the risk factors determines the type of measures and strategies to be undertaken to reduce, control, and prevent T. gondii infection in domestic animals, and thereby reduce human infection.
Dynamics of Calanus Copepodite Structure during Little Auks’ Breeding Seasons in Two Different Svalbard Locations
Authors: Balazy Kaja , Trudnowska Emilia , Błachowiak-Samołyk Katarzyna
Published: July 2019

Populations dynamics of key zooplankton species in the European Arctic, Calanus finmarchicus and Calanus glacialis (hereafter defined as Calanus) may be sensitive to climate changes, which in turn is of great importance for higher trophic levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the complete copepodite structure and dynamics of Calanus populations in terms of body size, phenology and their relative role in the zooplankton community over time in different hydrographic conditions (two fjords on the West Spitsbergen Shelf, cold Hornsund vs. warm Kongsfjorden), from the perspective of their planktivorous predator, the little auk. High-resolution zooplankton measurements (taken by nets and a laser optical plankton counter) were adapted to the timing of bird’s breeding in the 2015 and 2016 summer seasons, and to their maximal diving depth (≤50 m). In Hornsund, the share of the Calanus in zooplankton community was greater and the copepodite structure was progressively older over time, matching the little auks timing. The importance of Calanus was much lower in Kongsfjorden, as represented mainly by younger copepodites, presumably due to the Atlantic water advections, thus making this area a less favourable feeding ground. Our results highlight the need for further studies on the match/mismatch between Calanus and little auks, because the observed trend of altered age structure towards a domination of young copepodites and the body size reduction of Calanus associated with higher seawater temperatures may result in insufficient food availability for these seabirds in the future.
Flow Control in Culverts: A Performance Comparison between Inlet and Outlet Control
Authors: Jaeger Rick , Tondera Katharina , Pather Selvan , Porter Mark , Jacobs Carolyn , Tindale Neil
Published: July 2019

Culverts, as an essential part of drainage networks worldwide, provide an efficient solution for flowing waters to cross man-made barriers including roads. Existing structures can be many years old and changes in rainfall patterns due to global warming might not have been considered in their original design. While correctly designed culverts can effectively drain water during high-intensity rainfall events, poorly designed or outdated structures could cause upstream flooding resulting in costly damage and losses. Hydraulic improvements to prepare existing culverts for greater discharge rates could be a favorable alternative to rebuilding every failing structure. Modern design guidelines calculate the performance for inlet and outlet controlled flows on the basis of established hydraulic theories. After calculating the headwater levels for both flow controls, the inferior one is then chosen, based on the assumption that the culvert will operate in its least efficient state. Flow improvements could be made by enforcing the better performing option. Outlet control can be ensured by raising the tailwater levels as high as the outlet thereby utilizing the entire cross-sectional area of the culvert. It was found that, in some cases, an enforced outlet control enables culverts to perform better than operation under inlet control. However, only smooth and short culverts with high losses at the inlet were identified as benefiting from this approach and many existing structures could be improved by better inlet designs.
Contribution of Internal Nutrients Loading on the Water Quality of a Reservoir
Authors: Lee Hye Won , Lee Yong Seok , Kim Jonggun , Lim Kyoung Jae , Choi Jung Hyun
Published: July 2019

Sediment plays an important role in the water quality of a lake by acting as both a nutrient source and sink. The amount of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water depends on the internal load from the sediment as well as the external load. To estimate the effects of sediment load on the water quality of a reservoir, we applied a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and transport model based on the benthic chamber experimental results at Euiam Lake, South Korea. As shown in the sensitivity analysis results, the eutrophication period could be significantly extended by a change of phosphorus flux rates from the sediments. The increased phosphorus flux from the sediments intensifies the algal growth of Euiam Lake, which could cause serious algal bloom during spring and fall. This study provides information on nutrient concentrations in the sediment of Euiam Lake, verifies the role of the sediment as a source or sink of nutrients, and evaluates the effect of sediment release of nutrients and contaminants on water quality. This research is a useful tool in determining the effects of internal load in lakes and establishing the operation guideline for sediment management in order to maintain feasible water quality for beneficial use.
Development of Technical Regulations for Fuel Cell Motorcycles in Japan—Hydrogen Safety
Authors: Yamada Eisuke , Mashiba Takehiko
Published: July 2019

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are expected to play an important role in the future and thus have improved significantly over the past years. Hydrogen fuel cell motorcycles with a small container for compressed hydrogen gas have been developed in Japan along with related regulations. As a result, national regulations have been established in Japan after discussions with Japanese motorcycle companies, stakeholders, and experts. The concept of Japanese regulations was proposed internationally, and a new international regulation on hydrogen-fueled motorcycles incorporating compressed hydrogen storage systems based on this concept are also established as United Nations Regulation No. 146. In this paper, several technical regulations on hydrogen safety specific to fuel cell motorcycles incorporating compressed hydrogen storage systems are summarized. The unique characteristics of these motorcycles, e.g., small body, light weight, and tendency to overturn easily, are considered in these regulations.