bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using a new pressure index for water distribution systems upgradation improvement evaluation
Authors: Akbarkhiavi Savalan Pour , Imteaz Monzur Alam
Published: April 2016

Potable water distribution systems (WDS) require upgrade strategies based on a pre-defined time interval which is identified by the responsible water authorities. The main goal of a potable water system upgrade is maintaining the standard and acceptable level of service after the occurrence of increases in the serviced population, asset ageing, and/or development of the serviced area. Defining the level of service varies by location according to the codes and regulations adopted by the water authority. In general, two main factors are notable in planning of WDS upgrade strategies: (1) the ‘level of service’ and (2) the ‘upgrade cost’. In the presented paper, a new index has been introduced to evaluate the level of service for WDS from a pressure point of view. The new index that is presented in this paper is named the ‘Pressure Index (PI)’, and incorporates a number of water connections for five different pressure regimes. As a case study, three existing water network systems in the Castlemaine township area, located in central Victoria, Australia, have been investigated and the relationship between the ‘upgrade costs’ and improvement in PI factors is presented.
Dynamics of tachyon fields and inflation - comparison of analytical and numerical results with observation
Authors: Milosevic M. , Dimitrijevic D.D. , Djordjevic G.S. , Stojanovic M.D.
Published: April 2016

The role tachyon fields may play in evolution of early universe is discussed
in this paper. We consider the evolution of a flat and homogeneous universe
governed by a tachyon scalar field with the DBI-type action and calculate the
slow-roll parameters of inflation, scalar spectral index (n), and
tensor-scalar ratio (r) for the given potentials. We pay special attention to
the inverse power potential, first of all to V (x) ~ x?4, and compare the
available results obtained by analytical and numerical methods with those
obtained by observation. It is shown that the computed values of the
observational parameters and the observed ones are in a good agreement for
the high values of the constant X0. The possibility that influence of the
radion field can extend a range of the acceptable values of the constant X0
to the string theory motivated sector of its values is briefly considered.
Phase 3 Trial of Transplantation of Human Islets in Type 1 Diabetes Complicated by Severe Hypoglycemia
Authors: Hering Bernhard J. , Clarke William R. , Bridges Nancy D. , Eggerman Thomas L. , Alejandro Rodolfo , Bellin Melena D. , Chaloner Kathryn , Czarniecki Christine W. , Goldstein Julia S. , Hunsicker Lawrence G. , Kaufman Dixon B. , Korsgren Olle , Larsen Christian P. , Luo Xunrong , Markmann James F. , Naji Ali , Oberholzer Jose , Posselt Andrew M. , Rickels Michael R. , Ricordi Camillo , Robien Mark A. , Senior Peter A. , Shapiro A.M. James , Stock Peter G. , Turgeon Nicole A. ,   for the Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium
Published: April 2016

OBJECTIVE

Impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH) and severe hypoglycemic events (SHEs) cause substantial morbidity and mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Current therapies are effective in preventing SHEs in 50–80% of patients with IAH and SHEs, leaving a substantial number of patients at risk. We evaluated the effectiveness and safety of a standardized human pancreatic islet product in subjects in whom IAH and SHEs persisted despite medical treatment.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This multicenter, single-arm, phase 3 study of the investigational product purified human pancreatic islets (PHPI) was conducted at eight centers in North America. Forty-eight adults with T1D for >5 years, absent stimulated C-peptide, and documented IAH and SHEs despite expert care were enrolled. Each received immunosuppression and one or more transplants of PHPI, manufactured on-site under good manufacturing practice conditions using a common batch record and standardized lot release criteria and test methods. The primary end point was the achievement of HbA1c <7.0% (53 mmol/mol) at day 365 and freedom from SHEs from day 28 to day 365 after the first transplant.

RESULTS

The primary end point was successfully met by 87.5% of subjects at 1 year and by 71% at 2 years. The median HbA1c level was 5.6% (38 mmol/mol) at both 1 and 2 years. Hypoglycemia awareness was restored, with highly significant improvements in Clarke and HYPO scores (P > 0.0001). No study-related deaths or disabilities occurred. Five of the enrollees (10.4%) experienced bleeds requiring transfusions (corresponding to 5 of 75 procedures), and two enrollees (4.1%) had infections attributed to immunosuppression. Glomerular filtration rate decreased significantly on immunosuppression, and donor-specific antibodies developed in two patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Transplanted PHPI provided glycemic control, restoration of hypoglycemia awareness, and protection from SHEs in subjects with intractable IAH and SHEs. Safety events occurred related to the infusion procedure and immunosuppression, including bleeding and decreased renal function. Islet transplantation should be considered for patients with T1D and IAH in whom other, less invasive current treatments have been ineffective in preventing SHEs.
The Chorus of Formal Equality: Feminist Custody Law Reform and Fathers' Rights Advocacy in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Chao-ju
Published: April 2016

In Taiwan, paternal preference has a long history, and the introduction of the best interests of the child doctrine is a relatively new development attributed to the feminist legal reform movement. Yet anti-feminist fathers' rights movements, which are widespread in many countries, find no counterpart in Taiwan. This article explores the unusual relationship between feminist custody law reform and fathers' rights advocacy and argues that this relationship has been developed in a context where the idea of formal equality prevails and the development of post-divorce custody arrangements is both constitutive and reflective of this idea. The discussion begins with a review of how fathers' rights were privileged in law, challenged, and then reclaimed in the name of gender neutrality as gender equality. It is followed by an investigation into the reality of post-divorce custody arrangements, which identifies the trend towards “equal” distribution and debunks the myth of the courts' maternal preference. This finding leads to the conclusion that the chorus of formal equality by both feminist and fathers' rights advocates has handicapped the emergence of an anti-feminist fathers' rights movement. It also suggests the need for critical reflections on formal equality and further empirical studies of child custody that would better inform the pursuit of gender equality.
Domestic Violence on #qanda: The “Man” Question in Live Twitter Discussion on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Q&A
Authors: Dragiewicz Molly , Burgess Jean
Published: April 2016

Domestic violence is currently undergoing a period of heightened visibility in Australia. This article uses social media to analyze public discussions about this violence with respect to a specific theoretical frame, which Adrian Howe has called the “Man” question: where and how are men visible or invisible in narratives about their violence against women? The article presents a qualitative study of the Twitter conversation surrounding a special episode of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television program Q&A, themed around family violence, which aired in February 2015. We found that the place of men in this conversation was contested. Some tweets privileged men's voices and concerns, as did the organization and production of the program. However, feminist voices were also highly visible via presenting facts, legitimating survivor voices, and recuperating anti-feminist memes to challenge hegemonic patriarchal discourses on men's violence against women.
Looking through Misogyny: Indian Men's Rights Activists, Law, and Challenges for Feminism
Authors: Basu Srimati
Published: April 2016

From faint beginnings in scattered solitary actions in the 1990s, Men's Rights Activists (MRA) have emerged in India as a well-organized social movement, with careful political outreach through social media, legislative lobbying, and street action. They represent a range of ethnic and religious groups, include several prominent women leaders, and reflect some diversity of class positions. Their common target is the cynical misuse of civil and criminal laws relating to marriage and domestic violence, in particular, the simultaneous deployment of multiple laws. Based on my ethnographic work with these groups, I profile MRA understandings of law, equality, and gender in this article. Rather than focus on their obvious misogyny, I examine their arguments in order to explore the internal and external challenges to feminist jurisprudence thrown up by this mobilization. These include attending to unanticipated fallouts of protective legislation and the connotations of symbolic equality standards. I argue that MRA discourses are a crucial site for tracing contestations of gender and the formation of subjectivities.
Men's Rights or Men's Needs? Anti-Feminism in Australian Men's Health Promotion
Authors: Salter Michael
Published: April 2016

In a significant shift over the last ten years, Australian men's rights activists have partnered with academics and health groups to rearticulate notions of injured masculinity via the vocabulary and practice of health promotion. This shift has given rise to a hybrid form of men's rights/health activism (MRHA) in which health statistics and theories of social causation legitimate ongoing attacks on feminism and women's services. This successful strategy has attracted support for misogynist sentiments that, when formulated in explicitly ideological terms, have come to imperil the mainstream acceptability of the men's rights movement. This article discusses the shifts in Australian MRHA discourse and strategy from men's “rights” to men's “needs” and suggests reasons for concern about the role of MRHAs in Australian men's health policy.
Divorced Israeli Men's Abuse of Transnational Human Rights Law
Authors: Hacker Daphna
Published: April 2016

This article discusses an innovative transnational legal strategy employed by a group of divorced Israeli men as part of their personal and collective battle over child custody. These men submitted lawsuits to courts in the United States under laws intended to offer aliens the opportunity to seek damages caused by severe human rights violations or by the phenomenon of global organized crime. In these lawsuits, the litigants sought damages and restitution from Israeli ministers, judges, and social workers, as well as from charitable funds that support Israeli organizations, for sums of millions of dollars. While the claims are groundless and were eventually dismissed by the judges, the article points to the actual and potential harms that can be caused by such an abuse of transnational human rights litigation and suggests legal mechanisms that can be used to minimize these harms. As such, the article not only strives to contribute to the discussion concerning the abusive strategies employed by some men's groups but also to the evolving debate concerning the needed conditions for a responsible transnational law, operating for the benefit of humanity.
Is there a need for change in scientific communication and can open access take on this role?
Authors: Dimchev Aleksandar , Stefanov Rosen
Published: April 2016

The paper presents a brief historical analysis and outline of the contemporary issues of the ‘open access’ initiative. The beginning of the ‘OA’ movement to scientific publications emerged in the 1990s of the 20th century and was associated with the possibilities of providing free and quick access for scientists to scientific information online, as well as the idea of overcoming financial barriers. The paper provides an overview of current tendencies and models of application in regards to this publication model. The evaluations presented in this paper are carried on the basis of analyses and studies of the evolution of open access in the past decade. On this ground the conclusion is drawn, that in spite of the difficulties, barriers and resistance, the achievements made so far show some optimism for the future of OA. The first steps in this regard are taken through the creation of a more effective and cheaper global network for communication in science, which possesses and distributes enormous databases. Such a system should outline the road to coordination and relationship within particular fields of knowledge. It should also resolve a basic question, namely the possibility of the representatives of research communities at large, regardless where they are, to work in an interactive mode throughout the entire research cycle – from the exchange of ideas, research methods, instruments, data, and information to the final result of their collective labor. Additionally, this report also provides a short examination of OA within the context of both international practices (with a focus on European experience in the Open Access field, as well as looking at the current tendencies regarding this publishing model in Bulgaria).
Design, optimization and test of an electromagnetic vibration energy harvester for industrial wireless sensor networks
Authors: Ren Long , Chen Renwen , Xia Huakang , Zhang Xiaoxiao , Xu Dongxia
Published: April 2016

To scavenge vibration energy from industrial application environments and supply power to wireless sensor networks, this paper proposes an electromagnetic vibration energy harvester (VEH) using an optimized transducer. The VEH consists of a planar spring, an axially magnetized magnet assembly, a coil assembly and an outer casing. An analytical model is proposed to analyze and optimize the electromagnetic transducer and improve its energy harvesting performance. Finite element analysis is then used to verify the model. An optimized prototype is manufactured and fabricated, and finally tested by experiment. The experimental results indicate that an open-circuit voltage of 2.2 V can be achieved when the VEH is excited by the vibration with a resonant frequency of 22.4 Hz and an acceleration amplitude of 100 mg. When the optimal resistor of 200 Ω is connected to the coil assembly, its maximum load power of 0.29 mW can be achieved, which can meet the needs of many industrial sensors as well as wireless communication modules and guarantee their intermittent work at least.
Sliding bifurcation research of an electromechanical coupling drive system containing friction under external excitation
Authors: Liu Shuang , Wu Zheng , Shi Yatao , Wang Jinjin
Published: April 2016

This paper focuses on sliding bifurcation of an electromechanical coupling drive system drived by AC synchronous motor containing friction under external excitation along with the changes of external excitation frequency. Considering the mixed friction on load side, the electromagnetic coupling torque provided by motor side and the external disturbance torque on load side, the dynamical equation of an electromechanical coupling drive system containing friction under external excitation can be deduced according to Newton's laws. The stability of periodic solutions in the system is analyzed with Floquet theory. The Filippov convex method is used to extend the system and theoretical conditions of the stick-slip motion are given to numerically predict the sliding bifurcation. The influence of external excitation frequency on the dynamic behavior of drive system is observed and the dynamic behavior of system is verified whether it meets the conditions of sliding bifurcation. Numerical simulations are also given to confirm the results.
Secure outsourced garbled circuit evaluation for mobile devices
Authors: Carter Henry , Mood Benjamin , Traynor Patrick , Butler Kevin
Published: April 2016

Garbled circuits provide a powerful tool for jointly evaluating functions while preserving the privacy of each user’s inputs. While recent research has made the use of this primitive more practical, such solutions generally assume that participants are symmetrically provisioned with massive computing resources. In reality, most people on the planet only have access to the comparatively sparse computational resources associated with their mobile phones, and those willing and able to pay for access to public cloud computing infrastructure cannot be assured that their data will remain unexposed. We address this problem by creating a new SFE protocol that allows mobile devices to securely outsource the majority of computation required to evaluate a garbled circuit. Our protocol, which builds on the most efficient garbled circuit evaluation techniques, includes a new outsourced oblivious transfer primitive that requires significantly less bandwidth and computation than standard OT primitives and outsourced input validation techniques that force the cloud to prove that it is executing all protocols correctly. After showing that our extensions are secure in the malicious model, we conduct an extensive performance evaluation for a number of standard SFE test applications as well as a privacy-preserving navigation application designed specifically for the mobile use-case. Our system reduces execution time by 98.92% and bandwidth by 99.95% for the edit distance problem of size 128 compared to non-outsourced evaluation. These results show that even the least capable devices are capable of using large garbled circuits for secure computation.
Actor Network Theory-based Modeling for Crowdsourced Design Team Formation
Authors: Kim Jihoon , Kim Kyoung-Yun , Kwon Ohbyung
Published: April 2016

With crowdsourcing, design activities traditionally performed by a designated agent are outsourced to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call. The quality of crowdsourced ideas and solutions has been discussed, but the idea of crowdsourced design has not been well investigated, especially as it pertains to complex engineering systems. Building a crowdsourced design team is a challenge; various risks are associated with the anonymity of participants involved in product design. Potential contributors must meet formal requirements before they can apply to be part of the design and decision-making team. In this paper, we define the following constructs in the context of crowdsourced design team building based on the concept of translation (from actor network theory): problematization, enrollment, interessement, and mobilization. The process of translation is mapped onto four stages of crowdsourced design team building. We propose three formal measures (i.e., time, reputation, and task fitness) to support the process of building a crowdsourced design team. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed model constructs is discussed in the context of a real crowdsourcing service.
Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers for Generalized Low-Rank Tensor Recovery
Authors: Shi Jiarong , Yin Qingyan , Zheng Xiuyun , Yang Wei
Published: April 2016

Low-Rank Tensor Recovery (LRTR), the higher order generalization of Low-Rank Matrix Recovery (LRMR), is especially suitable for analyzing multi-linear data with gross corruptions, outliers and missing values, and it attracts broad attention in the fields of computer vision, machine learning and data mining. This paper considers a generalized model of LRTR and attempts to recover simultaneously the low-rank, the sparse, and the small disturbance components from partial entries of a given data tensor. Specifically, we first describe generalized LRTR as a tensor nuclear norm optimization problem that minimizes a weighted combination of the tensor nuclear norm, the l1-norm and the Frobenius norm under linear constraints. Then, the technique of Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) is employed to solve the proposed minimization problem. Next, we discuss the weak convergence of the proposed iterative algorithm. Finally, experimental results on synthetic and real-world datasets validate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Wintertime Residential Biomass Burning in Las Vegas, Nevada; Marker Components and Apportionment Methods
Authors: Brown Steven , Lee Taehyoung , Roberts Paul , Collett Jeffrey
Published: April 2016

We characterized residential biomass burning contributions to fine particle concentrations via multiple methods at Fyfe Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada, during January 2008: with levoglucosan on quartz fiber filters; with water soluble potassium (K+) measured using a particle-into-liquid system with ion chromatography (PILS-IC); and with the fragment C2H4O2+ from an Aerodyne High Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-AMS). A Magee Scientific Aethalometer was also used to determine aerosol absorption at the UV (370 nm) and black carbon (BC, 880 nm) channels, where UV-BC difference is indicative of biomass burning (BB). Levoglucosan and AMS C2H4O2+ measurements were strongly correlated (r2 = 0.92); K+ correlated well with C2H4O2+ (r2 = 0.86) during the evening but not during other times. While K+ may be an indicator of BB, it is not necessarily a unique tracer, as non-BB sources appear to contribute significantly to K+ and can change from day to day. Low correlation was seen between UV-BC difference and other indicators, possibly because of an overwhelming influence of freeway emissions on BC concentrations. Given the sampling location—next to a twelve-lane freeway—urban-scale biomass burning was found to be a surprisingly large source of aerosol: overnight BB organic aerosol contributed between 26% and 33% of the organic aerosol mass.
Entropy Generation and Heat Transfer Performances of Al2O3-Water Nanofluid Transitional Flow in Rectangular Channels with Dimples and Protrusions
Authors: Xie Yonghui , Zheng Lu , Zhang Di , Xie Gongnan
Published: April 2016

Nanofluid has great potentials in heat transfer enhancement and entropy generation decrease as an effective cooling medium. Effects of Al2O3-water nanofluid flow on entropy generation and heat transfer performance in a rectangular conventional channel are numerically investigated in this study. Four different volume fractions are considered and the boundary condition with a constant heat flux is adopted. The flow Reynolds number covers laminar flow, transitional flow and turbulent flow. The influences of the flow regime and nanofluid volume fraction are examined. Furthermore, dimples and protrusions are employed, and the impacts on heat transfer characteristic and entropy generation are acquired. It is found that the average heat transfer entropy generation rate descends and the average friction entropy generation rate rises with an increasing nanofluid volume fraction. The effect of nanofluid on average heat transfer entropy generation rate declines when Reynolds number ascends, which is inverse for average friction entropy generation rate. The average wall temperature and temperature uniformity both drop accompanied with increasing pumping power with the growth in nanofluid volume fraction. The employment of dimples and protrusions significantly decreases the average entropy generation rate and improve the heat transfer performance. The effect of dimple-case shows great difference with that of protrusion-case.
On the Approximate Solutions of Local Fractional Differential Equations with Local Fractional Operators
Authors: Jafari Hossein , Jassim Hassan , Tchier Fairouz , Baleanu Dumitru
Published: April 2016

In this paper, we consider the local fractional decomposition method, variational iteration method, and differential transform method for analytic treatment of linear and nonlinear local fractional differential equations, homogeneous or nonhomogeneous. The operators are taken in the local fractional sense. Some examples are given to demonstrate the simplicity and the efficiency of the presented methods.
Multi-Objective Predictive Balancing Control of Battery Packs Based on Predictive Current
Authors: Li Wenbiao , Kang Longyun , Guo Xiangwei , Yao Yuan
Published: April 2016

Various balancing topology and control methods have been proposed for the inconsistency problem of battery packs. However, these strategies only focus on a single objective, ignore the mutual interaction among various factors and are only based on the external performance of the battery pack inconsistency, such as voltage balancing and state of charge (SOC) balancing. To solve these problems, multi-objective predictive balancing control (MOPBC) based on predictive current is proposed in this paper, namely, in the driving process of an electric vehicle, using predictive control to predict the battery pack output current the next time. Based on this information, the impact of the battery pack temperature caused by the output current can be obtained. Then, the influence is added to the battery pack balancing control, which makes the present degradation, temperature, and SOC imbalance achieve balance automatically due to the change of the output current the next moment. According to MOPBC, the simulation model of the balancing circuit is built with four cells in Matlab/Simulink. The simulation results show that MOPBC is not only better than the other traditional balancing control strategies but also reduces the energy loss in the balancing process.
Associations of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Components of Work Stress with Health: A Systematic Review of Evidence on the Effort-Reward Imbalance Model
Authors: Siegrist Johannes , Li Jian
Published: April 2016

Mainstream psychological stress theory claims that it is important to include information on people’s ways of coping with work stress when assessing the impact of stressful psychosocial work environments on health. Yet, some widely used respective theoretical models focus exclusively on extrinsic factors. The model of effort-reward imbalance (ERI) differs from them as it explicitly combines information on extrinsic and intrinsic factors in studying workers’ health. As a growing number of studies used the ERI model in recent past, we conducted a systematic review of available evidence, with a special focus on the distinct contribution of its intrinsic component, the coping pattern “over-commitment”, towards explaining health. Moreover, we explore whether the interaction of intrinsic and extrinsic components exceeds the size of effects on health attributable to single components. Results based on 51 reports document an independent explanatory role of “over-commitment” in explaining workers’ health in a majority of studies. However, support in favour of the interaction hypothesis is limited and requires further exploration. In conclusion, the findings of this review support the usefulness of a work stress model that combines extrinsic and intrinsic components in terms of scientific explanation and of designing more comprehensive worksite stress prevention programs.
The Impact of Arts Activity on Nursing Staff Well-Being: An Intervention in the Workplace
Authors: Karpavičiūtė Simona , Macijauskienė Jūratė
Published: April 2016

Over 59 million workers are employed in the healthcare sector globally, with a daily risk of being exposed to a complex variety of health and safety hazards. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of arts activity on the well-being of nursing staff. During October–December 2014, 115 nursing staff working in a hospital, took part in this study, which lasted for 10 weeks. The intervention group (n = 56) took part in silk painting activities once a week. Data was collected using socio-demographic questions, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, Short Form—36 Health Survey questionnaire, Reeder stress scale, and Multidimensional fatigue inventory (before and after art activities in both groups). Statistical data analysis included descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation), non-parametric statistics analysis (Man Whitney U Test; Wilcoxon signed—ranks test), Fisher’s exact test and reliability analysis (Cronbach’s Alpha). The level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. In the intervention group, there was a tendency for participation in arts activity having a positive impact on their general health and mental well-being, reducing stress and fatigue, awaking creativity and increasing a sense of community at work. The control group did not show any improvements. Of the intervention group 93% reported enjoyment, with 75% aspiring to continue arts activity in the future. This research suggests that arts activity, as a workplace intervention, can be used to promote nursing staff well-being at work.
PES Surface Modification Using Green Chemistry: New Generation of Antifouling Membranes
Authors: Nady Norhan
Published: April 2016

A major limitation in using membrane-based separation processes is the loss of performance due to membrane fouling. This drawback can be addressed thanks to surface modification treatments. A new and promising surface modification using green chemistry has been recently investigated. This modification is carried out at room temperature and in aqueous medium using green catalyst (enzyme) and nontoxic modifier, which can be safely labelled “green surface modification”. This modification can be considered as a nucleus of new generation of antifouling membranes and surfaces. In the current research, ferulic acid modifier and laccase bio-catalyst were used to make poly(ethersulfone) (PES) membrane less vulnerable to protein adsorption. The blank and modified PES membranes are evaluated based on e.g., their flux and protein repellence. Both the blank and the modified PES membranes (or laminated PES on silicon dioxide surface) are characterized using many techniques e.g., SEM, EDX, XPS and SPM, etc. The pure water flux of the most modified membranes was reduced by 10% on average relative to the blank membrane, and around a 94% reduction in protein adsorption was determined. In the conclusions section, a comparison between three modifiers—ferulic acid, and two other previously used modifiers (4-hydroxybenzoic acid and gallic acid)—is presented.
MP-V1 from the Venom of Social Wasp Vespula vulgaris Is a de Novo Type of Mastoparan that Displays Superior Antimicrobial Activities
Authors: Kim Yangseon , Son Minky , Noh Eun-Young , Kim Soonok , Kim Changmu , Yeo Joo-Hong , Park Chanin , Lee Keun , Bang Woo
Published: April 2016

Mastoparans from the venom of social wasps have attracted considerable attention as effective antibiotic candidates. In this study, mastoparan V1 (MP-V1) from Vespula vulgaris was first disclosed to have a peptide amino acid sequence distinct from typical mastoparans and its biochemical properties and antimicrobial effects were compared with those of typical mastoparans MP-L, -X(V) and -B. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy revealed that MP-V1 and -X(V) form more stable α-helical conformations in lipid membrane-like environments than MP-L and -B. In parallel, these two also showed more effective antimicrobial activities against the pathogens than did MP-L and -B. Although MP-V1 had a less stable α-helical conformation than MP-X(V), it showed stronger antimicrobial effects against Streptococcus mutans and Salmonella enterica than MP-X(V). In the meantime, analysis of hemolytic activity revealed a range of doses (~50 μM) that exhibited little potent cytotoxicity on human erythrocytes. Finally, the atypical MP-V1 peptide amino acid sequence provided important clues to understanding its antimicrobial mechanism from a structural perspective. Therefore, it has been concluded that MP-V1 is a de novo type of mastoparan with superior antimicrobial activities against both pathogenic bacteria and fungi, which may be useful in developing multipurpose antimicrobial drugs against infectious diseases.
Two New Bioactive α-Pyrones from Hypericum japonicum
Authors: Hu Linzhen , Wang Zhenzhen , Zhang Jinwen , Lu Yuanyuan , Wang Kaiping , Xue Yongbo , Zhang Yu , Zhang Yonghui
Published: April 2016

Hypericum japonicum (Guttiferae), a type of annual or perennial herb, has been historically applied to cure infectious hepatitis, acute and chronic hepatitis, gastrointestinal disorder, and internal hemorrhage. In our successive studies on the genus Hypericum, two new α-pyrones termed japopyrones A and B (1 and 2) were isolated from H. japonicum. Their structures and absolute configurations were established by the comprehensive analyses of spectroscopic data, the application of the Single-crystal X-ray diffraction structural analysis, and the experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Bioactivity screenings suggested that compound 2 possessed the potential inhibition efficacy on lytic replication of Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) with an IC50 29.46 μM and a selective index of higher than 6.79, respectively.
A Pilot Study: Dietary Energy Density is Similar between Active Women with and without Exercise-Associated Menstrual Dysfunction
Authors: Hand Taryn , Howe Stephanie , Cialdella-Kam Lynn , Hoffman Charlotte , Manore Melinda
Published: April 2016

Low energy availability (EA) (e.g., insufficient energy intake (EI) to match energy needs, including exercise energy expenditure) has been identified as a primary contributor to exercise-associated menstrual dysfunction (ExMD) in active women. For health reasons, active women may self-select diets lower in energy density (ED, kcal/g), which can inadvertently contribute to inadequate EI. Using data from two studies, we compared the ED of active women with ExMD (n = 9; 24 ± 6 years) to eumenorrheic (EU) active controls (EU: n = 18, 27 ± 6 years). ED was calculated from 6 to 7 days weighted food records using two methods: with/without beverages. ANOVA and Wilcoxon Rank-Sum were used to test group differences. ED was not different between groups, but there was a trend toward a lower median ED (10%) (p = 0.049 unadjusted; p = 0.098 adjusted) in the ExMD-group (Method 1—all beverages: ExMD = 1.01 kcal/g (range = 0.52–1.41), EU = 1.22 kcal/g (range = 0.72–1.72); Method 2—without beverages: ExMD = 1.51 kcal/g (range = 1.26–2.06), EU = 1.69 kcal/g (range = 1.42–2.54)). This lower ED represents a 9% decrease (~219 kcal/day) in EI (ExMD = 2237 ± 378 kcal/day; EU = 2456 ± 470 kcal/day; p > 0.05). EI and macro/micronutrient intakes were similar for groups. In the ExMD-group, low ED could contribute to lower EI and EA. Future research should examine the interaction of ED and exercise on appetite, EI, and EA in active women, especially those with ExMD.
2H Solid-State NMR Analysis of the Dynamics and Organization of Water in Hydrated Chitosan
Authors: Wang Fenfen , Zhang Rongchun , Chen Tiehong , Sun Pingchuan
Published: April 2016

Understanding water–biopolymer interactions, which strongly affect the function and properties of biopolymer-based tissue engineering and drug delivery materials, remains a challenge. Chitosan, which is an important biopolymer for the construction of artificial tissue grafts and for drug delivery, has attracted extensive attention in recent decades, where neutralization with an alkali solution can substantially enhance the final properties of chitosan films cast from an acidic solution. In this work, to elucidate the effect of water on the properties of chitosan films, we investigated the dynamics and different states of water in non-neutralized (CTS-A) and neutralized (CTS-N) hydrated chitosan by mobility selective variable-temperature (VT) 2H solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Four distinct types of water exist in all of the samples with regards to dynamic behavior. First, non-freezable, rigid and strongly bound water was found in the crystalline domain at low temperatures. The second component consists of weakly bound water, which is highly mobile and exhibits isotropic motion, even below 260 K. Another type of water undergoes well-defined 180° flips around their bisector axis. Moreover, free water is also present in the films. For the CTS-A sample in particular, another special water species were bounded to acetic acid molecules via strong hydrogen bonding. In the case of CTS-N, the onset of motions of the weakly bound water molecules at 260 K was revealed by 2H-NMR spectroscopy. This water is not crystalline, even below 260 K, which is also the major contribution to the flexibility of chitosan chains and thus toughness of materials. By contrast, such motion was not observed in CTS-A. On the basis of the 2H solid-state NMR results, it is concluded that the unique toughness of CTS-N mainly originates from the weakly bound water as well as the interactions between water and the chitosan chains.
TerraSAR-X Data for High-Precision Land Subsidence Monitoring: A Case Study in the Historical Centre of Hanoi, Vietnam
Authors: Le Tuan , Chang Chung-Pai , Nguyen Xuan , Yhokha Akano
Published: April 2016

In this study, subsidence patterns in the Historical Centre of Hanoi, Vietnam are mapped using the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique, with particular emphasis on the stability of ancient monuments, historical buildings and archaeological sectors. Due to the small and scattered characteristics of these structures, not only is a comprehensive coverage of radar targets needed, but also the details of a single building or monument. We took advantage of the high-resolution TerraSAR-X imagery with the aid of oversampling implementation on the Small Baseline (SB) InSAR approach to reveal the subsidence patterns. A total of 6.29 million radar targets were obtained, maintaining the average density of 217,012 points/km2. Our results suggest that image oversampling not only increased the number of measurement points 4.4 times more than the standard processing chain, but also removed some of the noisiest points. The observed subsidence patterns are mostly related to adjacent groundwater extraction and construction activities, with maximum subsiding rate reaching −18.1 mm/year for the study period April 2012 to November 2013. Generally, heritage assets and monuments in the Citadel, the Old Quarter and French Quarter remain in a steady state, whereas those located along the Red River and in southern Hanoi are subject to subsidence.
A Component-Based Vocabulary-Extensible Sign Language Gesture Recognition Framework
Authors: Wei Shengjing , Chen Xiang , Yang Xidong , Cao Shuai , Zhang Xu
Published: April 2016

Sign language recognition (SLR) can provide a helpful tool for the communication between the deaf and the external world. This paper proposed a component-based vocabulary extensible SLR framework using data from surface electromyographic (sEMG) sensors, accelerometers (ACC), and gyroscopes (GYRO). In this framework, a sign word was considered to be a combination of five common sign components, including hand shape, axis, orientation, rotation, and trajectory, and sign classification was implemented based on the recognition of five components. Especially, the proposed SLR framework consisted of two major parts. The first part was to obtain the component-based form of sign gestures and establish the code table of target sign gesture set using data from a reference subject. In the second part, which was designed for new users, component classifiers were trained using a training set suggested by the reference subject and the classification of unknown gestures was performed with a code matching method. Five subjects participated in this study and recognition experiments under different size of training sets were implemented on a target gesture set consisting of 110 frequently-used Chinese Sign Language (CSL) sign words. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed framework can realize large-scale gesture set recognition with a small-scale training set. With the smallest training sets (containing about one-third gestures of the target gesture set) suggested by two reference subjects, (82.6 ± 13.2)% and (79.7 ± 13.4)% average recognition accuracy were obtained for 110 words respectively, and the average recognition accuracy climbed up to (88 ± 13.7)% and (86.3 ± 13.7)% when the training set included 50~60 gestures (about half of the target gesture set). The proposed framework can significantly reduce the user’s training burden in large-scale gesture recognition, which will facilitate the implementation of a practical SLR system.
High Resolution Trichromatic Road Surface Scanning with a Line Scan Camera and Light Emitting Diode Lighting for Road-Kill Detection
Authors: Lopes Gil , Ribeiro A. , Sillero Neftalí , Gonçalves-Seco Luís , Silva Cristiano , Franch Marc , Trigueiros Paulo
Published: April 2016

This paper presents a road surface scanning system that operates with a trichromatic line scan camera with light emitting diode (LED) lighting achieving road surface resolution under a millimeter. It was part of a project named Roadkills—Intelligent systems for surveying mortality of amphibians in Portuguese roads, sponsored by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation. A trailer was developed in order to accommodate the complete system with standalone power generation, computer image capture and recording, controlled lighting to operate day or night without disturbance, incremental encoder with 5000 pulses per revolution attached to one of the trailer wheels, under a meter Global Positioning System (GPS) localization, easy to utilize with any vehicle with a trailer towing system and focused on a complete low cost solution. The paper describes the system architecture of the developed prototype, its calibration procedure, the performed experimentation and some obtained results, along with a discussion and comparison with existing systems. Sustained operating trailer speeds of up to 30 km/h are achievable without loss of quality at 4096 pixels’ image width (1 m width of road surface) with 250 µm/pixel resolution. Higher scanning speeds can be achieved by lowering the image resolution (120 km/h with 1 mm/pixel). Computer vision algorithms are under development to operate on the captured images in order to automatically detect road-kills of amphibians.
Reducing Sweeping Frequencies in Microwave NDT Employing Machine Learning Feature Selection
Authors: Moomen Abdelniser , Ali Abdulbaset , Ramahi Omar
Published: April 2016

Nondestructive Testing (NDT) assessment of materials’ health condition is useful for classifying healthy from unhealthy structures or detecting flaws in metallic or dielectric structures. Performing structural health testing for coated/uncoated metallic or dielectric materials with the same testing equipment requires a testing method that can work on metallics and dielectrics such as microwave testing. Reducing complexity and expenses associated with current diagnostic practices of microwave NDT of structural health requires an effective and intelligent approach based on feature selection and classification techniques of machine learning. Current microwave NDT methods in general based on measuring variation in the S-matrix over the entire operating frequency ranges of the sensors. For instance, assessing the health of metallic structures using a microwave sensor depends on the reflection or/and transmission coefficient measurements as a function of the sweeping frequencies of the operating band. The aim of this work is reducing sweeping frequencies using machine learning feature selection techniques. By treating sweeping frequencies as features, the number of top important features can be identified, then only the most influential features (frequencies) are considered when building the microwave NDT equipment. The proposed method of reducing sweeping frequencies was validated experimentally using a waveguide sensor and a metallic plate with different cracks. Among the investigated feature selection techniques are information gain, gain ratio, relief, chi-squared. The effectiveness of the selected features were validated through performance evaluations of various classification models; namely, Nearest Neighbor, Neural Networks, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine. Results showed good crack classification accuracy rates after employing feature selection algorithms.
Identification and Characterization of the HicAB Toxin-Antitoxin System in the Opportunistic Pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Li Gang , Shen Mengyu , Lu Shuguang , Le Shuai , Tan Yinling , Wang Jing , Zhao Xia , Shen Wei , Guo Keke , Yang Yuhui , Zhu Hongbin , Rao Xiancai , Hu Fuquan , Li Ming
Published: April 2016

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are small genetic modules that are widely distributed in the genomes of bacteria and archaea and have been proposed to fulfill numerous functions. Here, we describe the identification and characterization of a type II TA system, comprising the hicAB locus in the human opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The hicAB locus consists of genes hicA and hicB encoding a toxin and its cognate antitoxin, respectively. BLAST analysis revealed that hicAB is prevalent in approximately 36% of P. aeruginosa strains and locates in the same genomic region. RT-PCR demonstrated that hicAB forms a bicistronic operon that is cotranscribed under normal growth conditions. Overproduction of HicA inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, and this effect could be counteracted by co-expression of HicB. The Escherichia coli kill/rescue assay showed that the effect of HicA is bacteriostatic, rather than bactericidal. Deletion of hicAB had no effect on the biofilm formation and virulence of P. aeruginosa in a mice infection model. Collectively, this study presents the first characterization of the HicAB system in the opportunistic pathogen P. aeruginosa.
The Scorpion Toxin Analogue BmKTX-D33H as a Potential Kv1.3 Channel-Selective Immunomodulator for Autoimmune Diseases
Authors: Ye Fang , Hu Youtian , Yu Weiwei , Xie Zili , Hu Jun , Cao Zhijian , Li Wenxin , Wu Yingliang
Published: April 2016

The Kv1.3 channel-acting scorpion toxins usually adopt the conserved anti-parallel β-sheet domain as the binding interface, but it remains challenging to discover some highly selective Kv1.3 channel-acting toxins. In this work, we investigated the pharmacological profile of the Kv1.3 channel-acting BmKTX-D33H, a structural analogue of the BmKTX scorpion toxin. Interestingly, BmKTX-D33H, with its conserved anti-parallel β-sheet domain as a Kv1.3 channel-interacting interface, exhibited more than 1000-fold selectivity towards the Kv1.3 channel as compared to other K+ channels (including Kv1.1, Kv1.2, Kv1.7, Kv11.1, KCa2.2, KCa2.3, and KCa3.1). As expected, BmKTX-D33H was found to inhibit the cytokine production and proliferation of both Jurkat cells and human T cells in vitro. It also significantly improved the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses, an autoreactive T cell-mediated inflammation in rats. Amino acid sequence alignment and structural analysis strongly suggest that the “evolutionary” Gly11 residue of BmKTX-D33H interacts with the turret domain of Kv1 channels; it appears to be a pivotal amino acid residue with regard to the selectivity of BmKTX-D33H towards the Kv1.3 channel (in comparison with the highly homologous scorpion toxins). Together, our data indicate that BmKTX-D33H is a Kv1.3 channel–specific blocker. Finally, the remarkable selectivity of BmKTX-D33H highlights the great potential of evolutionary-guided peptide drug design in future studies.
Premiers enseignements d'une étude métrologique de terroirs lorrains
Authors: Peltre Jean
Published: April 2016

L'auteur énumère dans une première partie tes caractères de l'ancien système de mesures agraires en usage en Lorraine, depuis le douzième siècle au moins. Il étudie ensuite l'impact d'un tel système dans le paysage agraire actuel et montre les possibilités d'analyse métrologique qui en dérivent. Grâce à cette analyse, il devient plus facile d'apprécier l'importance des transformations subies par chaque terroir depuis le bas Moyen Age.