bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pediatric Palliative Care in Kelantan: A Community Engagement Model
Authors: Taib Fahisham , Rostenberghe Hans Van , Muhammad Nurul Adilah
Published: April 2016

Holistic package of palliative care service for children is not available in most places in the South East Asia. This has resulted in unwanted suffering and loss of hope in the unfortunate families. Pediatric palliative care (PPC) is a new subspecialty in Malaysia. In our region, it was started in 2012 as a Universitys community engagement project following completion of self-initiated palliative care distance learning in Australia by a pediatrician. The grant was labeled as a flagship project and secured under the Division of Community & Industry Network of USM (BJIM) to provide service in the hospital and outreach home based PPC services, which include nursing care, needs assessment and psychosocial support for the patients and caregivers. Knowledge transfer program was initiated, in collaboration with Yayasan Orang Kurang Upaya (YOKUK) or Kelantan Foundation for the Disabled, to equip the outreach team with skills dealing with children with life limiting illnesses (LLI) in Kelantan. The move has propagated regular training setup with transformational program from hospital to community settings. This setup has led to mutual cooperation across the disciplines and provided linkages for stronger networking and training either locally or internationally. Better understanding on the importance of palliative care in the community can be achieved by having active community participation and volunteerism.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.15(1) 2016 p.51-56
Ischemic priapism: A rare clinical manifestation of chronic myeloid leukemia - A Case Report
Authors: Neki N S , Jain Ankur
Published: April 2016

Priapism is rarely seen in leukemia. We report a 30-year-old man presented with persistent painful erection of penis for 30 hours. Treatment of the priapism was initially performed by cavernosa aspiration and epinephrine irrigation at emergency department under the impression of low flow-type priapism by urologist. This approach resulted in a flaccid penis later. The patient was diagnosed as a case of Chronic myeloid Leukemia (CML) on the basis of peripheral blood smear and bone marrow aspiration. Neither impotency nor other sequelae was noted after his discharge from the hospital. This case highlights regarding the awareness of all physicians in the diagnosis and management of patients with priapism occurring as a rare manifestation of chronic myeloid leukemia. To the best of our knowledge, probably this is the first case report from this part of the country, hence the case report.

Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.15(1) 2016 p.142-144
‘I didn't think I'd be working on this type of film’:Berberian Sound Studioand British Art Film as Alternative Film History
Authors: Newland Paul
Published: April 2016

It could be said that the films of the director Peter Strickland are in many ways exemplars of a rich strain of twenty-first-century British art cinema. Like work by Andrea Arnold, Steve McQueen, Jonathan Glazer, Lynne Ramsay, Ben Wheatley and Sam Taylor-Wood, among others, Strickland's three feature-length films to date are thought-provoking, well-crafted, prestigious, quality productions. But in this article I show that while Strickland's second feature-length film, Berberian Sound Studio, conforms to some of the commonly held understandings of the key traits of British art cinema – especially through its specific history of production and exhibition, its characterisation, its narrative structure, and its evidencing of the vision of an auteur – ultimately it does not sit comfortably within most extant histories of British national cinema or film genre, including art cinema. More than this, though, I argue that in its challenge to such extant critical traditions, Berberian Sound Studio effectively operates as ‘art film as alternative film history’. I demonstrate that it does this through the foregrounding of Strickland's cine-literacy, which notices and in turn foregrounds the historically transnational nature of cinema, and, at the same time, playfully and knowingly disrupts well-established cultural categories and coherent, homogenous histories of cinema.
Research on a Linear Piezoelectric Actuator Using T-Shape Transducer to Realize High Mechanical Output
Authors: Shao Sijia , Shi Shengjun , Chen Weishan , Liu Junkao , Liu Yingxiang
Published: April 2016

A modified large thrust ultrasonic linear motor using a T-shape configuration composed of two orthogonal sandwich-type transducers has been proposed in this paper. It is an improved version of a previous T-shape motor. The vertical transducer is used to generate the normal force between the driving foot and slider, while the other push-pull–type horizontal transducer is applied to generate driving force to push the working platform. By superimposing the two longitudinal vibrations, the proposed motor generates an elliptical movement on the driving foot. In order to improve the vibration characteristics and amplify the driving vibration amplitude, the shape of the driving foot and horn have been redesigned and optimized. The finite element method (FEM) is used to adjust the structural parameters to degenerate the two working mode frequencies. The prototype has been fabricated and its mechanical output ability has been measured. The output characteristics of the modified motor, compared with the previous T-shape motor, achieve a relatively high level. The typical no-load speed and maximum output thrust of the prototype are 0.83 m/s and 56 N under an exciting voltage of 150 Vrms.
Exposure to Particle Matters and Hazardous Volatile Organic Compounds in Selected Hot Spring Hotels in Guangdong, China
Authors: He Qiusheng , Song Qi , Yan Yulong , Wang Zhichun , Guo Lili , Wang Xinming
Published: April 2016

In Guangdong province, many hot springs were exploited and developed into popular places for tourist. In addition, hotels have been set up near hot spring sites to attract people, including local citizens, to spend their spare time inside these so-called “spring hotels”. In our study, indoor air quality was investigated in four hot spring hotels in Guangdong province, China. Measured indoor pollutants included CO2, CO, PM10, PM2.5 and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). As the result show, high concentrations of carbon dioxide might be attributed to poor ventilation; and the variations of indoor PM10, PM2.5 concentrations were related to occupants’ activities. Alpha-pinene and toluene were the most common VOC species in the hot spring hotels other than monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons like Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylenes (BTEX), which were at medium levels among the reported indoor pollutants. High cancer risk of benzene in the newly decorated rooms should be seriously taken into consideration in the future. Indoor to Outdoor air concentration ratios (I/O) for CO2 and VOCs were higher than 1, indicating their strong indoor sources. Negative correlations were found between indoor CO2 and all the other compounds, and VOCs were shown to be significantly correlated (p < 0.01) to each other, including aromatic hydrocarbons and mono-terpenes. For indoor and outdoor air compounds, correlation coefficients among all compounds did not show a significant correlation, which indicated that these pollutants had different sources. Principal components analysis by SPSS showed that indoor materials, inhabitants’ activities and respiration, cleaning products and outdoor sources were the main sources of indoor detected pollutants in hot spring hotels.
Lithium-Ion Battery Aspects on Fires in Electrified Vehicles on the Basis of Experimental Abuse Tests
Authors: Larsson Fredrik , Andersson Petra , Mellander Bengt-Erik
Published: April 2016

Safety issues concerning the use of large lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in electrified vehicles are discussed based on the abuse test results of Li-ion cells together with safety devices for cells. The presented abuse tests are: overcharge, short circuit, propane fire test and external heating test (oven). It was found that in a fire, cells with higher state of charge (SOC) gave a higher heat release rate (HRR), while the total heat release (THR) had a lower correlation with SOC. One fire test resulted in a hazardous projectile from a cylindrical cell. In the fire tests, toxic gas emissions of hydrogen fluoride (HF) were measured for 100%, 50% and 0% SOC.
Calculating the Emissions Impacts of Waste Electronics Recycling in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Lakhan Calvin
Published: April 2016

This study highlights the economic and environmental challenges of recycling in Ontario, specifically examining the effect of attempting to increase the emissions target for the province’s Waste Electronics (WEEE) program. The findings from the cost model analysis found that Ontario’s Electronic Stewardship program reduces overall carbon emissions by approximately 205 thousand tonnes every year. This study also found that targeting specific materials for recovery could result in a scenario where the province could improve emissions offsets while reducing material management costs. Under our modeled scenario, as the tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) avoided increases, the system cost per tonne of GHG avoided initially declines. However, after avoiding 215 thousand tonnes of GHGs (the optimal point), the system cost/tonne GHG avoided increases. To achieve an emissions target in excess of 215 thousand tonnes, the province will have to have to start recycling higher cost difficult to recycle materials (display monitors, computer peripherals, etc.).
Phenolic Profiles and Antioxidant Activity of Germinated Legumes
Authors: Khang Do , Dung Tran , Elzaawely Abdelnaser , Xuan Tran
Published: April 2016

Bioactive compounds, which are naturally produced in plants, have been concerned with the food and pharmaceutical industries because of the pharmacological effects on humans. In this study, the individual phenolics of six legumes during germination and antioxidant capacity from sprout extracts were determined. It was found that the phenolic content significantly increased during germination in all legumes. Peanuts showed the strongest antioxidant capacity in both the DPPH• (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) method and the reducing power assay (32.51% and 84.48%, respectively). A total of 13 phenolic acids were detected and quantified. There were 11 phenolic constituents identified in adzuki beans; 10 in soybeans; 9 in black beans, mung beans, and white cowpeas; and 7 compounds in peanuts. Sinapic acid and cinnamic acid were detected in all six legume sprouts, and their quantities in germinated peanuts were the highest (247.9 µg·g−1 and 62.9 µg·g−1, respectively). The study reveals that, among the investigated legumes, germinated peanuts and soybeans obtained maximum phenolics and antioxidant capacity.
Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oils from Artemisia herba-alba Asso., Pelargonium capitatum × radens and Laurus nobilis L.
Authors: Rafiq Ragina , Hayek Saeed , Anyanwu Ugochukwu , Hardy Bonita , Giddings Valerie , Ibrahim Salam , Tahergorabi Reza , Kang Hye
Published: April 2016

Essential oils are natural antimicrobials that have the potential to provide a safer alternative to synthetic antimicrobials currently used in the food industry. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of essential oils from white wormwood, rose-scented geranium and bay laurel against Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on fresh produce and to examine consumer acceptability of fresh produce treated with these essential oils. Our results showed that essential oil derived from rose-scented geranium exhibited the most effective antimicrobial activity at the same and similar minimum inhibition concentration levels (0.4%, v/v and 0.4% and 0.5%, v/v) respectively against Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7. All three essential oils showed antioxidant properties, with the highest activity occurring in bay laurel essential oil. In a sensory test, tomatoes, cantaloupe and spinach sprayed with 0.4% rose-scented geranium essential oil received higher scores by panelists. In conclusion, rose-scented geranium essential oil could be developed into a natural antimicrobial to prevent contamination of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in fresh produce, plus this oil would provide additional health benefits due to the antioxidant properties of its residue.
Requirements on Long-Term Accessibility and Preservation of Research Results with Particular Regard to Their Provenance
Authors: Weber Andreas , Piesche Claudia
Published: April 2016

Since important national and international funders of research projects require statements on the long-term accessibility of research results, many new solutions appeared to fulfil these demands. The solutions are implemented on various scopes, starting from specific solutions for one research group up to solutions with a national focus (i.e., the RADAR project). While portals for globally standardized research data (e.g., climate data) are available, there is currently no provision for the large amount of data resulting from specialized research in individual research foci, the so called long-tail of sciences. In this article we describe the considerations regarding the implementation of a local research data repository for the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 840. The main focus will be on the examination of requirements for, and an agenda of, a possible technical implementation. Requirements were derived from a more theoretical examination of similar projects and relevant literature, diverse discussions with researchers and project leaders, by analysis of existing publication data, and finally the prototypical implementation with refining iterations. Notably, the discussions with the researchers lead to new features going beyond the challenges of the mere long-term preservation of research data. Besides the need for an infrastructure that permits long-term preservation and retrieval of research data, our system will allow the reconstruction of the complete provenance of published research results. This requirement is a serious diversification of the problem, because it creates the need to qualify additional transformation data, describing the transformation process from primary research data to research results.
Fidelity in Animal Modeling: Prerequisite for a Mechanistic Research Front Relevant to the Inflammatory Incompetence of Acute Pediatric Malnutrition
Authors: Woodward Bill
Published: April 2016

Inflammatory incompetence is characteristic of acute pediatric protein-energy malnutrition, but its underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Perhaps substantially because the research front lacks the driving force of a scholarly unifying hypothesis, it is adrift and research activity is declining. A body of animal-based research points to a unifying paradigm, the Tolerance Model, with some potential to offer coherence and a mechanistic impetus to the field. However, reasonable skepticism prevails regarding the relevance of animal models of acute pediatric malnutrition; consequently, the fundamental contributions of the animal-based component of this research front are largely overlooked. Design-related modifications to improve the relevance of animal modeling in this research front include, most notably, prioritizing essential features of pediatric malnutrition pathology rather than dietary minutiae specific to infants and children, selecting windows of experimental animal development that correspond to targeted stages of pediatric immunological ontogeny, and controlling for ontogeny-related confounders. In addition, important opportunities are presented by newer tools including the immunologically humanized mouse and outbred stocks exhibiting a magnitude of genetic heterogeneity comparable to that of human populations. Sound animal modeling is within our grasp to stimulate and support a mechanistic research front relevant to the immunological problems that accompany acute pediatric malnutrition.
Fungal Transformation of Tree Stumps into a Suitable Resource for Xylophagous Beetles via Changes in Elemental Ratios
Authors: Filipiak Michał , Sobczyk Łukasz , Weiner January
Published: April 2016

The elements present in dead pine stumps inhabited by larvae of wood-boring beetles (Stictoleptura rubra, Arhopalus rusticus and Chalcophora mariana) were analyzed over the initial (first 5 years; a chronosequence) stages of wood decay. The quantities of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu and Na (but not S) increased with increases in the content of ergosterol (used as a proxy for the amount of fungal tissue). In fact, the amounts of P, N, K, Fe and Cu presented marked increases. These findings show that fungi stoichiometrically rearrange dead wood by importing externally occurring nutrients to decaying stumps. During the first years of wood decay, the ratios of C to other elements decrease substantially, but differently, for various elements, whereas the N:Fe, N:Cu, N:P and N:K ratios remain relatively stable. Therefore, the stoichiometric mismatch between xylophages and their food is greatly reduced. By changing the nutritional stoichiometry of dead wood, fungi create a nutritional niche for wood-eaters, and these changes enable the development of xylophages.
Advances in the Study of Heart Development and Disease Using Zebrafish
Authors: Brown Daniel , Samsa Leigh , Qian Li , Liu Jiandong
Published: April 2016

Animal models of cardiovascular disease are key players in the translational medicine pipeline used to define the conserved genetic and molecular basis of disease. Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are the most common type of human birth defect and feature structural abnormalities that arise during cardiac development and maturation. The zebrafish, Danio rerio, is a valuable vertebrate model organism, offering advantages over traditional mammalian models. These advantages include the rapid, stereotyped and external development of transparent embryos produced in large numbers from inexpensively housed adults, vast capacity for genetic manipulation, and amenability to high-throughput screening. With the help of modern genetics and a sequenced genome, zebrafish have led to insights in cardiovascular diseases ranging from CHDs to arrhythmia and cardiomyopathy. Here, we discuss the utility of zebrafish as a model system and summarize zebrafish cardiac morphogenesis with emphasis on parallels to human heart diseases. Additionally, we discuss the specific tools and experimental platforms utilized in the zebrafish model including forward screens, functional characterization of candidate genes, and high throughput applications.
Assignment of the CD Cotton Effect to the Chiral Center in Pseurotins, and the Stereochemical Revision of Pseurotin A2
Authors: Yamada Takeshi , Ohshima Mina , Yuasa Kaori , Kikuchi Takashi , Tanaka Reiko
Published: April 2016

Pseurotins A1 (1) and A2 (2) were isolated from a culture broth of the fungal strain Aspergillus fumigatus WFZ-25 as stereoisomers of pseurotin A (3) in 2011. We also isolated 1 and 2 together with 3 from A. fumigatus OUPS-T106B-5 separated from the marine fish Mugil cephalus. In this study, we re-examined the stereochemistry of 1 and 2 using chemical transformation and the CD spectra, and found the relationship between the CD Cotton effect and the absolute configurations of 1 and 2, which led us to revise the stereostructure of pseurotin A2.
Polycyclic Guanidine Alkaloids from Poecilosclerida Marine Sponges
Authors: Sfecci Estelle , Lacour Thierry , Amade Philippe , Mehiri Mohamed
Published: April 2016

Sessile marine sponges provide an abundance of unique and diversified scaffolds. In particular, marine guanidine alkaloids display a very wide range of biological applications. A large number of cyclic guanidine alkaloids, including crambines, crambescins, crambescidins, batzelladines or netamins have been isolated from Poecilosclerida marine sponges. In this review, we will explore the chemodiversity of tri- and pentacyclic guanidine alkaloids. NMR and MS data tools will also be provided, and an overview of the wide range of bioactivities of crambescidins and batzelladines derivatives will be given.
Effect of BaO Addition on Densification and Mechanical Properties of Al2O3-MgO-CaO Refractories
Authors: Liu Lei , Chen Min , Xu Lei , Yin Xueliang , Sun Wenjie
Published: April 2016

Considering the requirement for a reduction of refractory consumption, the present work investigated the fabrication of Al2O3-MgO-CaO-based refractory with BaO addition by means of solid-state reaction sintering. The effect of BaO addition on densification and the properties of the refractory were also discussed. Results indicated that the formation of calcium hexaluminate (CaO·6Al2O3, or CA6) grains with a high aspect ratio in the alumina-rich zone depressed the densification of the sample without BaO addition, resulting in a higher apparent porosity of 21.2%. When 6 wt. % BaO was added, a new phase of Ba2Mg6Al28O50 (BAM) with a lower aspect ratio was formed and the densification of the sample with an apparent porosity of 5.52% was promoted. In addition, mechanical performance was significantly improved due to an increase in compactness and modification of the microstructure. The cold compressive strength increased from 348 MPa to 569 MPa and the flexural strength increased from 178 MPa to 243 MPa by addition of 6 wt. % BaO. Meanwhile, the breadth of the widest crack after the thermal shock test decreased from 7 μm to 1 μm in the refractory.
Flavonoids in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Review
Authors: Vezza Teresa , Rodríguez-Nogales Alba , Algieri Francesca , Utrilla Maria , Rodriguez-Cabezas Maria , Galvez Julio
Published: April 2016

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestine that compromises the patients’ life quality and requires sustained pharmacological and surgical treatments. Since their etiology is not completely understood, non-fully-efficient drugs have been developed and those that have shown effectiveness are not devoid of quite important adverse effects that impair their long-term use. In this regard, a growing body of evidence confirms the health benefits of flavonoids. Flavonoids are compounds with low molecular weight that are widely distributed throughout the vegetable kingdom, including in edible plants. They may be of great utility in conditions of acute or chronic intestinal inflammation through different mechanisms including protection against oxidative stress, and preservation of epithelial barrier function and immunomodulatory properties in the gut. In this review we have revised the main flavonoid classes that have been assessed in different experimental models of colitis as well as the proposed mechanisms that support their beneficial effects.
Premenopausal Obesity and Breast Cancer Growth Rates in a Rodent Model
Authors: Matthews Shawna , McGinley John , Neil Elizabeth , Thompson Henry
Published: April 2016

Obese premenopausal women with breast cancer have poorer prognosis for long term survival, in part because their tumors are larger at the time of diagnosis than are found in normal weight women. Whether larger tumor mass is due to obesity-related barriers to detection or to effects on tumor biology is not known. This study used polygenic models for obesity and breast cancer to deconstruct this question with the objective of determining whether cell autonomous mechanisms contribute to the link between obesity and breast cancer burden. Assessment of the growth rates of 259 chemically induced mammary carcinomas from rats sensitive to dietary induced obesity (DS) and of 143 carcinomas from rats resistant (DR) to dietary induced obesity revealed that tumors in DS rats grew 1.8 times faster than in DR rats. This difference may be attributed to alterations in cell cycle machinery that permit more rapid tumor cell accumulation. DS tumors displayed protein expression patterns consistent with reduced G1/S checkpoint inhibition and a higher threshold of factors required for execution of the apoptotic cell death pathway. These mechanistic insights identify regulatory targets for life style modifications or pharmacological interventions designed to disrupt the linkage between obesity and tumor burden.
The Effect of Molecular Structure and Environment on the Miscibility and Diffusivity in Polythiophene-Methanofullerene Bulk Heterojunctions: Theory and Modeling with the RISM Approach
Authors: Kobryn Alexander , Gusarov Sergey , Shankar Karthik
Published: April 2016

Although better means to model the properties of bulk heterojunction molecular blends are much needed in the field of organic optoelectronics, only a small subset of methods based on molecular dynamics- and Monte Carlo-based approaches have been hitherto employed to guide or replace empirical characterization and testing. Here, we present the first use of the integral equation theory of molecular liquids in modelling the structural properties of blends of phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and a carboxylated poly(3-butylthiophene) (P3BT), respectively. For this, we use the Reference Interaction Site Model (RISM) with the Universal Force Field (UFF) to compute the microscopic structure of blends and obtain insight into the miscibility of its components. Input parameters for RISM, such as optimized molecular geometries and charge distribution of interaction sites, are derived by the Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods. We also run Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation to compare the diffusivity of the PCBM in binary blends with P3HT and P3BT, respectively. A remarkably good agreement with available experimental data and results of alternative modelling/simulation is observed for PCBM in the P3HT system. We interpret this as a step in the validation of the use of our approach for organic photovoltaics and support of its results for new systems that do not have reference data for comparison or calibration. In particular, for the less-studied P3BT, our results show that expectations about its performance in binary blends with PCBM may be overestimated, as it does not demonstrate the required level of miscibility and short-range structural organization. In addition, the simulated mobility of PCBM in P3BT is somewhat higher than what is expected for polymer blends and falls into a range typical for fluids. The significance of our predictive multi-scale modelling lies in the insights it offers into nanoscale morphology and charge transport behaviour in multi-component organic semiconductor blends.
The Impact of Geophysical Corrections on Sea-Ice Freeboard Retrieved from Satellite Altimetry
Authors: Ricker Robert , Hendricks Stefan , Beckers Justin
Published: April 2016

Satellite altimetry is the only method to monitor global changes in sea-ice thickness and volume over decades. Such missions (e.g., ERS, Envisat, ICESat, CryoSat-2) are based on the conversion of freeboard into thickness by assuming hydrostatic equilibrium. Freeboard, the height of the ice above the water level, is therefore a crucial parameter. Freeboard is a relative quantity, computed by subtracting the instantaneous sea surface height from the sea-ice surface elevations. Hence, the impact of geophysical range corrections depends on the performance of the interpolation between subsequent leads to retrieve the sea surface height, and the magnitude of the correction. In this study, we investigate this impact by considering CryoSat-2 sea-ice freeboard retrievals in autumn and spring. Our findings show that major parts of the Arctic are not noticeably affected by the corrections. However, we find areas with very low lead density like the multiyear ice north of Canada, and landfast ice zones, where the impact can be substantial. In March 2015, 7.17% and 2.69% of all valid CryoSat-2 freeboard grid cells are affected by the ocean tides and the inverse barometric correction by more than 1 cm. They represent by far the major contributions among the impacts of the individual corrections.
Spatial Estimation of Classification Accuracy Using Indicator Kriging with an Image-Derived Ambiguity Index
Authors: Park No-Wook , Kyriakidis Phaedon , Hong Suk-Young
Published: April 2016

Traditional classification accuracy assessments based on summary statistics from a confusion matrix furnish a global (location invariant) view of classification accuracy. To estimate the spatial distribution of classification accuracy, a geostatistical integration approach is presented in this paper. Indicator kriging with local means is combined with logistic regression to integrate an image-derived ambiguity index with classification accuracy values at reference data locations. As for the ambiguity measure, a novel discrimination capability index (DCI) is defined from per class posteriori probabilities and then calibrated via logistic regression to derive soft probabilities. Integration of indicator-coded reference data with soft probabilities is finally carried out for mapping classification accuracy. It is demonstrated via a case study involving classification of multi-temporal and multi-sensor SAR datasets, that the proposed approach can provide a map of locally-varying accuracy values, while respecting the overall accuracy derived from the confusion matrix. It can also highlight areas where the benefit of data fusion was significant. It is expected that the indicator approach presented in this paper could be a useful methodology for assessing the spatial quality of classification results in a probabilistic way.
A Radio-Map Automatic Construction Algorithm Based on Crowdsourcing
Authors: Yu Ning , Xiao Chenxian , Wu Yinfeng , Feng Renjian
Published: April 2016

Traditional radio-map-based localization methods need to sample a large number of location fingerprints offline, which requires huge amount of human and material resources. To solve the high sampling cost problem, an automatic radio-map construction algorithm based on crowdsourcing is proposed. The algorithm employs the crowd-sourced information provided by a large number of users when they are walking in the buildings as the source of location fingerprint data. Through the variation characteristics of users’ smartphone sensors, the indoor anchors (doors) are identified and their locations are regarded as reference positions of the whole radio-map. The AP-Cluster method is used to cluster the crowdsourced fingerprints to acquire the representative fingerprints. According to the reference positions and the similarity between fingerprints, the representative fingerprints are linked to their corresponding physical locations and the radio-map is generated. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm reduces the cost of fingerprint sampling and radio-map construction and guarantees the localization accuracy. The proposed method does not require users’ explicit participation, which effectively solves the resource-consumption problem when a location fingerprint database is established.
Reduction of CMOS Image Sensor Read Noise to Enable Photon Counting
Authors: Guidash Michael , Ma Jiaju , Vogelsang Thomas , Endsley Jay
Published: April 2016

Recent activity in photon counting CMOS image sensors (CIS) has been directed to reduction of read noise. Many approaches and methods have been reported. This work is focused on providing sub 1 e− read noise by design and operation of the binary and small signal readout of photon counting CIS. Compensation of transfer gate feed-through was used to provide substantially reduced CDS time and source follower (SF) bandwidth. SF read noise was reduced by a factor of 3 with this method. This method can be applied broadly to CIS devices to reduce the read noise for small signals to enable use as a photon counting sensor.
First-principles study of the structure of water layers on flat and stepped Pb electrodes
Authors: Lin Xiaohang , Evers Ferdinand , Groß Axel
Published: April 2016

On the basis of perodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we have addressed the geometric structures and electronic properties of water layers on flat and stepped Pb surfaces. In contrast to late d-band metals, on Pb(111) the energy minimum structure does not correspond to an ice-like hexagonal arrangement at a coverage of 2/3, but rather to a distorted structure at a coverage of 1 due to the larger lattice constant of Pb. At stepped Pb surfaces, the water layers are pinned at the step edge and form a complex network consisting of rectangles, pentagons and hexagons. The thermal stability of the water layers has been studied by using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations (AIMD) at a temperature of 140 K. Whereas the water layer on Pb(111) is already unstable at this temperature, the water layers on Pb(100), Pb(311), Pb(511) and Pb(711) exhibit a higher stability because of stronger water–water interactions. The vibrational spectra of the water layers at the stepped surfaces show a characteristic splitting into three modes in the O–H stretch region.
The estimation of GHG emission costs in road and air transport sector: case study of Serbia
Authors: Ivković Ivan , Čokorilo Olja , Kaplanović Snežana
Published: April 2016

The paper gives special attention on long distance passenger transport and specific emissions related to different transport modes, particularly road and air transport sector. The goal of this research is creation and selection of appropriate methodology for modelling the cost estimation of GHG emissions in road and air transport sector for Republic of Serbia as well as the application of the methodology regarding to detailed calculation by transport mode and sub modes. Input data for road transport sector refer to the 2013 and include road and traffic conditions on the road network. Input data for air transport sector are related to the 2014 and international airport ‘Nikola Tesla’ Belgrade as the main hub point with the highest recorded number of aircraft operations in the Western Balkan countries. The obtained results reveal that, due to realized transport volume, diesel cars have the largest share of the costs of GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions within the passenger long distance road transport. Cost estimates of CO2 emissions in the air transport sector shows that A319 aircraft type have the major share in total costs. The reasons are twofold: first, a high level of Landing and Take-Off (LTO) emission factor for CO2 and second, largest number of LTO cycles.
THE NEAREST ISOLATED MEMBER OF THE TW HYDRAE ASSOCIATION IS A GIANT PLANET ANALOG
Authors: Kellogg Kendra , Metchev Stanimir , Gagné Jonathan , Faherty Jacqueline
Published: April 2016

In a recent search for unusually red L and T dwarfs, we identified 2MASS J11193254–1137466 as a likely young L7 dwarf and potential member of the TW Hydrae association. We present spectra that confirm the youth of this object. We also measure a radial velocity of 8.5 ± 3.3 km s−1 that, together with the sky position, proper motion, and photometric distance, results in a 92% probability of membership in the TW Hydrae association, with a calibrated field contamination probability of 0.0005% using the BANYAN II tool. Using the age of TW Hydrae and the luminosity of 2MASS J11193254–1137466, we estimate its mass to be 4.3–7.6

M

Jup

. It is the lowest-mass and nearest isolated member of TW Hydrae at a kinematic distance of 28.9 ± 3.6 pc, and the second-brightest isolated <10

M

Jup

object discovered to date.
THE IMPACT OF STELLAR ROTATION ON THE DETECTABILITY OF HABITABLE PLANETS AROUND M DWARFS
Authors: Newton Elisabeth R. , Irwin Jonathan , Charbonneau David , Berta-Thompson Zachory K. , Dittmann Jason A.
Published: April 2016

Stellar activity and rotation frustrate the detection of exoplanets through the radial velocity technique. This effect is particularly of concern for M dwarfs, which can remain magnetically active for billions of years. We compile rotation periods for late-type stars and for the M dwarf planet-host sample in order to investigate the rotation periods of older field stars across the main sequence. We show that for stars with masses between 0.25 and 0.5

M

⊙

(M4V–M1V), the stellar rotation period typical of field stars coincides with the orbital periods of planets in the habitable zone. This will pose a fundamental challenge to the discovery and characterization of potentially habitable planets around early M dwarfs. Due to the longer rotation periods reached by mid M dwarfs and the shorter orbital period at which the planetary habitable zone is found, stars with masses between 0.1 and 0.25

M

⊙

(M6V–M4V) offer better opportunities for the detection of habitable planets via radial velocities.
Exemple historique et débat contre l’euro dans l’espace discursif français
Authors: Modena Silvia
Published: April 2016

Cet article examine quelques exemples puisés dans des périodes et événements très hétérogènes, mobilisés par les opposants français à la monnaie unique lors de son lancement en 2002, pour montrer comment l’EH fonctionne en régime polémique. Les exemples historiques du « pont de la rivière Kwaï » et du « Saint Empire » servent tous deux l’argumentation polémique des détracteurs de l’euro, tout en présentant deux cas de figure différents : l’usage fait de l’exemple de la rivière Kwaï travaille à restreindre l’éventail interprétatif, alors que celui du Saint Empire joue des diverses possibilités de la mise en relation. Le renvoi à l’épisode biblique du « Veau d’or » sera également pris en considération pour montrer comment ce cliché mémoriel qui permet d’exploiter un mécanisme analogique joue un rôle argumentatif similaire à celui de l’EH. La dernière partie de notre contribution sera consacrée à illustrer la reprise de ces mêmes exemples et donc leur persistance dans le débat contemporain sur la prétendue hégémonie allemande au cœur de l’Union européenne. Leur réapparition témoigne de la prégnance et de l’efficacité de ces figures.
Exemple historique et argumentation : autour de la reconnaissance du massacre du 17 octobre 1961
Authors: Paissa Paola
Published: April 2016

L’article analyse l’emploi de l’exemple historique (EH) dans un corpus de commentaires de lecteurs, publiés dans les forums en ligne d’un certain nombre de quotidiens. Ces commentaires réagissent au communiqué du 17 octobre 2012, par lequel le Président Hollande a reconnu le massacre de manifestants algériens qui avait eu lieu à Paris le 17 octobre 1961, quelques mois avant l’Indépendance de l’Algérie. Le procédé de l’EH est utilisé par les blogueurs en tant qu’argument polémique, qui a généralement pour finalité de critiquer l’initiative de la Présidence. Celle-ci s’encadre, quant à elle, dans le paradigme discursif de la repentance publique et réactive, par conséquent, des réseaux mémoriels controversés. Dans les blogs examinés, l’EH est donc exploité de manière volontiers paralogique ou fallacieuse, pour désavouer in toto le méfait du passé, pour nier la responsabilité de l’Etat français ou encore pour établir des comparaisons douteuses avec d’autres expériences historiques traumatisantes. Dans ce cadre, une place importante est réservée à l’emploi de l’EH dans le schéma argumentatif de la « pente glissante » et dans l’interrogation rhétorique de type ironique, un dispositif s’avérant fonctionnel pour la mise en place d’une argumentation ad ridiculum.
Pour une rhétorique sémiotique de l’image en sciences biologiques
Authors: Dondero Maria Giulia
Published: April 2016

Cet article porte sur la rhétorique des images en sciences biologiques. Le cadre épistémologique de notre travail provient de la sociologie des sciences de Bruno Latour et de la sémiotique de l’image scientifique de Françoise Bastide, de l’orientation théorique et méthodologique de la sémiotique du discours post-greimassienne, ainsi que des théories rhétoriques du Groupe µ et de Jean-François Bordron. À travers ces différentes approches, nous visons à analyser les opérations rhétoriques accomplies par les scientifiques en laboratoire (addition, suppression, sélection, superposition, etc.) dont témoigne notre corpus d’images. Il s’agit notamment d’une rhétorique que nous appellerons « méréologique » car fondée sur la relation entre totalité et parties.
A Sub-Chain Ranking and Recommendation Mechanism for Facilitating Geospatial Web Service Composition
Authors: Zhou ZhangBing , Cheng Zehui , Ning Ke , Li Wenwen , Zhang Liang-Jie
Published: April 2016

With a huge volume of geospatial information being collected and a huge number of domain-specific functions being developed for processing these geospatial information, an increasing number of Open Geospatial Consortium Web services (OWSs) are built and being available on the Web for the accessibility and processing of these information. Given the specific requirement specified by a certain user, normally, a composition (or chain) of OWSs, rather than a single OWS, can fulfill this requirement. Consequently, retrieving and recommending sub-chains of possible service invocations is an important research challenge. Leveraging the semantic similarity between the name and text description of parameters, a degree that represents the invocation possibility between operations in OWSs is calculated. Thereafter, a service network model is constructed for capturing possible invocations between operations. Given a user's requirement which is represented in terms of a pair of initial and ending operations, possible sub-chains of operations are retrieved, ranked and recommended. Based on which the user can select the most appropriate sub-chain with respect to her specific requirement. The result of evaluation leveraging a real OWSs set indicates that our technique is applicable in real applications from both the functional and performance perspectives.
Complex Motion Pattern Queries in Spatio-Temporal Databases
Authors: Vieira Marcos R.
Published: April 2016

With the recent advancements and wide usage of location detection devices, very large quantities of data are collected by GPS and cellular technologies in the form of trajectories. The wide and increasing availability of such collected data has led to research advances in behavioral aspects of the monitored subjects (e.g., wild animals, people, and vehicles). Using trajectory data harvested by mobile devices, trajectories can be explored using motion pattern queries based on specific events of interest. While most research works on trajectory-based queries has focused on traditional range, nearest-neighbor, and similarity and join queries, there has been an increasing need to query trajectories using complex, yet more intuitive, motion patterns. In this chapter, we describe in detail complex motion pattern queries, which allow users to focus on trajectories that follow a specific sequence of spatio-temporal events. We demonstrate how these motion pattern queries can greatly help users to get insights from very large trajectory datasets.
Capturing Volunteered Historical Information
Authors: Minner Jennifer , Holleran Michael , Roberts Andrea , Conrad Joshua
Published: April 2016

Government agencies are adopting a variety of web-based strategies to improve information systems, increase civic engagement, and enhance decision-making capabilities and planning processes. Within the U.S., a university research team designed a municipal web tool called the Austin Historical Survey Wiki to fill a pragmatic need for information about historic resources to be used for long range planning and development review purposes. The authors situate this web experiment in relation to an array of models for government interaction with citizens via data collection efforts and the application of GIS and web-based technologies. This experiment offers local government agencies and practitioners a replicable model for tracking official data and citizen contributions to a GIS. In addition, this research offers insights into potential barriers to and requirements for collaboration between government agencies and citizens online.
Spatial Intelligence for Regional Analysis
Authors: Zhang Chenfeng , Bao Shuming , She Bing , Zhu Xinyan , Zhang Xu
Published: April 2016

With the announcement of open information policy by the Chinese government, there has been lots of development in government statistics, Census data, and GIS data. That information provides rich reference for regional analysis in China. The primary challenges under rapid data growth include how to efficiently integrate those space-time data, provide methodology for different research targets, and promote their applications in different fields. This report will present some recent developments of spatial intelligence technologies for spatial data integration, data analysis, as well as their applications. The report will introduce the newly developed spatial explorer (China Geo-Explorer) as a joint effort by the University of Michigan China Data Center and Wuhan University. It will demonstrate how space-time data of different formats and sources can be integrated, visualized, analyzed and reported in a web based system. Some applications in disaster assessment, environment and health, cultural and religious studies will be discussed for China and global studies.
Research and Design of Geospatial Metadata Deployment Prototype System Based on PHP Framework
Authors: Zhang Li
Published: April 2016

As a public service platform of geographic information, National Geospatial Data Center (NGDC) can provide geospatial metadata services for data producers and data users. This paper firstly analyzes the problems in the development and maintenance of geospatial metadata deployment system. Then it describes and analyzes the characteristics of PHP framework and the advantages of developing content management system (CMS) with it. Finally, how to design geospatial metadata deployment system based on PHP framework is discussed in this paper.
A Generic Spatial OLAP Model for Evaluating Natural Hazards in a Volunteered Geographic Information Context
Authors: Bimonte Sandro , Boucelma Omar , Machabert Olivier , Sellami Sana
Published: April 2016

Spatial data warehouses (SDW) and spatial OLAP (SOLAP) systems are well-known business intelligence technologies that aim to support a multidimensional and online analysis for a large volume of geo-referenced datasets. SOLAP systems are already used in the context of natural hazards for analyzing sensor data and experts' measurements. Recently, new data gathering tools coined as volunteered geographic information systems (VGI) have been adopted especially by non-expert users. Hence, (spatial) application development is facing a new challenge, which is the integration of expert-oriented data with citizen-provided data. In this paper, we propose a new generic spatio-multidimensional model based on the question/answer risk evaluation model that allows the integration of VGI data with classical SDW and SOLAP systems for the online analysis of natural hazards monitored by volunteers.
Mobile Location Based Services
Authors: Jiow Hee Jhee
Published: April 2016

Mobile Location Based Services (MLBS) have been in operation since the 1970s. Conceived initially for military use, the Global Positioning System technology was later released to the world for other applications. As usage of the technology increased, mobile network points, developed by mobile service operators, supplemented its usage in various applications of MLBS. This chapter charts the trajectory of MLBS applications in the mass market, afforded by the evolution of technology, digital, and mobility cultures. Assimilating various MLBS classifications, it then situates examples into four quadrants according to the measures of user-position or device-position focus, and alert-aware or active-aware applications. The privacy implications of MLBS are captured on the economic, social, and political fronts, and its future is discussed.