bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Desperation Turned Outwards: Heavenly Creatures (Peter Jackson, 1994)
Authors: Fox Alistair
Published: May 2018

This chapter locates Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures in the context of other New Zealand coming-of-age films by showing how it identifies the repressive effects of New Zealand puritanism and resentment of the authoritarian practices of mid-twentieth-century society as the causes of the tragic matricide the two teenaged girl protagonists commit. It also demonstrates the genre-mixing that Jackson believes is characteristic of New Zealand cinema, as well as the impulse to seek refuge in a fantasy world that links this film to other films discussed in this volume, such as An Angel at My Table, 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous, and Boy.
An Adolescent Girl Experiments with Sexuality: Rain (Christine Jeffs, 2001)
Authors: Fox Alistair
Published: May 2018

The analysis in this chapter focuses on Christine Jeffs’s Rain as evidence of a shift that had occurred in New Zealand society whereby puritan repression is no longer perceived as the source of emotional problems for children in the process of becoming adults, but rather its opposite – neoliberal individualism, hedonism, and the parental neglect and moral lassitude it had promoted. A comparison with Kirsty Gunn’s novel of the same name, upon which the adaptation is based, reveals how Jeffs converted a poetic meditation on the human condition into a cinematic family melodrama with a girl’s discovery of the power of her own sexuality at the core.
Family Secrets and their Destructive Consequences: In My Father’s Den (Brad McGann, 2004)
Authors: Fox Alistair
Published: May 2018

This chapter analyses Brad McGann’s highly esteemed adaptation (2004) of Maurice Gee’s novel In My Father’s Den (1972) as evidence of a prevailing trend in New Zealand coming-of-age films whereby the vision of a source work is regularly updated to reflect the different values and perspectives of a later generation. In this case, the updating involves a shift of emphasis from the destructive effects on children of puritan religiosity and repressiveness to those of lack of communication among family members, combined with the preservation of unspoken, but collectively known, family secrets, reflecting historical changes that had occurred in New Zealand society since the generation of Gee (born 1931) and that of McGann (born 1964).
A Gay Boy Comes to Terms with his Sexuality: 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous (Stewart Main, 2005)
Authors: Fox Alistair
Published: May 2018

This chapter discusses Stewart Main’s 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous as the first, and to date only, New Zealand fiction feature made for theatrical release that deals with the adolescent experience of a boy who comes to understand that he is gay. Comparing the film with the source novel by Graeme Aitken, the analysis focuses on the gender inversions of the two main characters, the boy protagonist Billy, and his girl cousin Lou, each of who adopt fantasy identities as a character of the opposite sex in the TV show Lost in Space. The discussion also foregrounds both the romanticizing of the hypermasculine stereotype in the film, and also its progressive deconstruction.
Parental Abandonment and the Trauma of Loss: Boy (Taika Waititi, 2010)
Authors: Fox Alistair
Published: May 2018

This chapter examines Taika Waititi’s hit film Boy as evidence of a shift in Māori filmmaking away from the ideals of the “Fourth Cinema” of the 1980s – that is, a purely indigenous type of representation in terms of content and form – to a new kind that is based on an acceptance of cultural hybridity and an awareness of, and receptivity to, global youth culture. In terms of the coming-of-age experience depicted in the film, the discussion links it to that which is shown in Tamahori’s Once Were Warriors, but identifies strategies Waititi adopts to palliate the representation by overlaying it with a comedic approach so as to make the spectator’s experience of the trauma to which the characters are responding more bearable.
Reverence, Revision and Creaturely Life: Whitehead’s Political Theology of Enjoyment
Authors: Marovich Beatrice
Published: May 2018

‘The art of free society’, A.N. Whitehead declares in his essay on symbolism, is fundamentally dual. It consists of both ‘maintenance of the symbolic code’ and a ‘fearlessness of [its] revision’. This tension, on the surface paradoxical, is what Whitehead believes will prevent social decay, anarchy, or ‘the slow atrophy of a life stifled by useless shadows’. Bearing in mind Whitehead’s own thoughts on the nature of symbolism, this chapter argues that the figure of the creature has been underappreciated in his work as a symbol. It endeavors to examine and contextualize the symbolic potency of creatureliness in Whitehead’s work, with particular attention directed toward the way the creature helps him to both maintain and revise an older symbolic code. In Process and Reality, ‘creature’ serves as Whitehead’s alternate name for the ‘individual fact’ or the ‘actual entity’—including (perhaps scandalously, for his more orthodox readers) the figure of God. What was Whitehead’s strategic motivation for deploying this superfluous title for an already-named category? In this chapter, it is suggested that his motivation was primarily poetic (Whitehead held the British romantic tradition in some reverence) and so, in this sense, always and already aware of its rich symbolic potency.
Avoiding a Fatal Error: Extending Whitehead’s Symbolism Beyond Language
Authors: Kling Sheri D.
Published: May 2018

Typically, discussion of Whitehead’s modes of perception and symbolic reference are limited to the perception of sense-data and the use and interpretation of language as symbolic, but Whitehead’s thought can be connected to the imaginal realm of art, dream symbols, and archetypes when he argues that broadening our definition of perception beyond solely sense perception ‘can be of no importance unless we can detect occasions of experience exhibiting modes of functioning which fall within its wider scope. If we discover such instances of non-sensuous perception, then the tacit identification of perception with sense-perception must be a fatal error barring the advance of systematic metaphysics’ (AI 180). In order to avoid the ‘fatal error’ of limiting perception to strictly sense perception, this chapter argues that since Whitehead included aesthetic expression in his understanding of symbolism, and was open to non-sensory perception, Whitehead’s symbolism can be connected to that of Carl Jung to broaden and enrich the scholarship on symbolism, and that such an integration can positively influence human society’s intensity of experience and overall aliveness, vitality, and zest for life, especially when a practice of dream work is incorporated in this integration.
On Symbols, Propositions and Idiocies: Towards a Slow Technoscience
Authors: Nocek A. J.
Published: May 2018

This chapter examines the use of symbolism in today’s technoscientific industry. Whitehead’s work on symbolism elucidates how technoscientific production has been captured by a system of political and economic meanings (neoliberalism), which disqualifies all forms of resistance. It draws heavily on Isabelle Stengers’ recent plea for a ‘slow science’ in the face of fast and competitive technoscience in order to expose how it is that we are in dire need of new forms of symbolism in today’s scientific knowledge economy. Along the way, it also considers how Whitehead’s notion of the ‘proposition’ in Process and Reality makes a key intervention into this discussion, and reinforces the importance of symbolism in the culture of twenty-first century technoscience. Ultimately, this chapter contends that technoscience requires new propositions for feeling its products and practices outside of neoliberalized symbolic codes.
Of Symbolism: Climate Concreteness, Causal Efficacy and the Whiteheadian Cosmopolis
Authors: Keller Catherine
Published: May 2018

Does Whitehead help us rethink strategies for public education about global warming and ecology? That Whitehead’s radical relationalism never washes out difference but intensifies it, that the singular subject happens—if only for a moment—may actually make his theory of symbolism useable and useful in shifting the individualism of the U.S public. The vision of the world as a community of organisms is no longer a matter of aesthetic preference or scientific debate but of urgent necessity—for the survival not of mere individuals but of the life-systems in which they ‘dividually’ happen. In this world which is an interplay of functional activity, and as such a community of communities of communities, we find ourselves “amid a democracy of fellow creatures” (PR, 50). To be sure, our species has failed to evolve an ecosocial format for such a democracy. So the threatened space and shrinking time of our century will expose our participation in temporal forcefields and spatial entanglements that until now have only haunted the spiritual margins. That exposition can serve as revelation of needed lures, beacons to our better instincts. Is there time to actualize their promise? Or will the ‘unsuitable characters’ sabotage our best efforts?
Detestable Residue: From Psychoanalysis to Blanchot and Lyotard
Authors: Morgan Wortham Simon
Published: May 2018

This chapter traces Freud’s interest in yet apparent aversion to phobia, from his earliest writings on the topic in the 1890s through to his reinterpretation of the 1909 Little Hans case study in the 1920s. Here, it is possible to detect something like a phobic reaction to phobia itself: what might be called Freud’s phobophobia. It is also be possible to find, in the subsequent literature on the case of Little Hans, traces of this phobic reaction contaminating sometimes sharply critical readings: in Deleuze’s markedly hostile attitude to this Freudian text, we find an aversion to what is in fact most ‘phobic’ about it. Through exploring the Lacanian idea that phobia prevents the onset of psychosis in the event of a certain lapse of the paternal metaphor, phobia seems to operate precisely through a certain resistance to itself, a doubleness that renders Freud’s phobophobia not just a psychological curiosity but perhaps a feature of the very structure of phobia from the outset. Psychoanalytic approaches to phobia with are contrasted with other ways to think about its subject-matter, notably in the writings of Blanchot and Lyotard.
Introduction: Military Engineers from Polymath Courtiers to Specialist Troops
Authors: Lenman Bruce P.
Published: May 2018

There had been medieval specialist builders of fortifications, but in Renaissance Italy virtuoso military engineers were a response to the need to create new artillery-resistant fortifications after the devastating invasion of Italy by Charles VIII of France in 1494. Military engineers often had an artistic background. They were multi-tasking international hired guns who spent time on firework displays, canal construction, and town planning as well as fortification. Gradually, with the consolidation of early-modern warfare states cadres of specialist military engineers developed, but they were few in number, directing labour supplied by the infantry, and usually became self-contained combat engineers only late in the nineteenth century.
Military Engineers in France before Vauban (1500–1650)
Authors: Buisseret David
Published: May 2018

There is agreement that in the second half of the seventeenth century Louis XIV disposed of extensive expertise he could call on for engineering services of all kinds, especially military. The name of Marshal Vauban is the classic example, but there is less recognition of the extent to which the French kings from Francis I to Louis XIII could call on similar if less institutionalised services from their Royal Engineers of whom we can identify about 100. From the start there were Royal Engineers adept in astronomy, chemistry, physics and mathematics. These were polyvalent technicians, architects, hydraulic engineers, town planners and builders of fortifications who laid foundations for a tradition of civil and military service still alive in modern France.
A 3D Printed Linear Pneumatic Actuator for Position, Force and Impedance Control
Authors: Krause Jeremy , Bhounsule Pranav
Published: May 2018

Although 3D printing has the potential to provide greater customization and to reduce the costs of creating actuators for industrial applications, the 3D printing of actuators is still a relatively new concept. We have developed a pneumatic actuator with 3D-printed parts and placed sensors for position and force control. So far, 3D printing has been used to create pneumatic actuators of the bellows type, thus having a limited travel distance, utilizing low pressures for actuation and being capable of only limited force production and response rates. In contrast, our actuator is linear with a large travel distance and operating at a relatively higher pressure, thus providing great forces and response rates, and this the main novelty of the work. We demonstrate solutions to key challenges that arise during the design and fabrication of 3D-printed linear actuators. These include: (1) the strategic use of metallic parts in high stress areas (i.e., the piston rod); (2) post-processing of the inner surface of the cylinder for smooth finish; (3) piston head design and seal placement for strong and leak-proof action; and (4) sensor choice and placement for position and force control. A permanent magnet placed in the piston head is detected using Hall effect sensors placed along the length of the cylinder to measure the position, and pressure sensors placed at the supply ports were used for force measurement. We demonstrate the actuator performing position, force and impedance control. Our work has the potential to open new avenues for creating less expensive, customizable and capable actuators for industrial and other applications.
Robot Delay-Tolerant Sensor Network for Overhead Transmission Line Monitoring
Authors: Fan Fei , WU Gongping , Wang Man , Cao Qi , Yang Song
Published: May 2018

The rapid development of the smart grid has led to higher maintenance cost and greater scalability of transmission lines. An effective and secure monitoring system for power lines has become a bottleneck restricting the intellectualization of power grids. To address this problem, a novel method is proposed for the intelligent monitoring of power grids (Robot Delay-Tolerant Sensor Network, RDTSN) based on an inspection robot, Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) and Delay-Tolerant Sensor Network (DTSN) to achieve low-cost, energy-efficient, elastic and remote monitoring of power grids. With RDTSN, a smart grid can detect the fault of transmission lines and evaluate the operational state of power grids. To build an effective monitoring system for a smart grid, this research focuses on designing a methodology that achieves efficient and secure delivery of the data inspected on transmission lines. Multiple RDTSN scenarios are performed, in which different routing algorithms are explored to determine the optimal parameters, with a balance in network performance and financial cost. Furthermore, a data delivery strategy is introduced to ensure communication security.
Spectrally-Selective Energy-Harvesting Solar Windows for Public Infrastructure Applications
Authors: Vasiliev Mikhail , Alameh Kamal , Nur-E-Alam Mohammad
Published: May 2018

A study of photovoltaic solar window technologies is reported and it focuses on their structural features, functional materials, system development, and suitability for use in practical field applications including public infrastructures and agricultural installations. Energy generation performance characteristics are summarized and compared to theory-limit predictions. Working examples of pilot-trial solar window-based installations are described. We also report on achieving electric power outputs of about 25 Wp/m2 from clear and transparent large-area glass-based solar windows.
Progress in the Synthetic Holographic Stereogram Printing Technique
Authors: Su Jian , Yan Xingpeng , Huang Yingqing , Jiang Xiaoyu , Chen Yibei , Zhang Teng
Published: May 2018

The synthetic holographic stereogram printing technique can achieve a three-dimensional (3D) display of a scene. The development and research status of the synthetic holographic stereogram printing technique is introduced in this paper. We propose a two-step method, an infinite viewpoint camera method, a single-step Lippmann method, a direct-write digital holography (DWDH) method and an effective perspective images’ segmentation and mosaicking (EPISM) method. The synthetic holographic stereogram printing technique is described, including the holographic display with large format, the large field of view with no distortion, the printing efficiency, the color reproduction characteristics, the imaging quality, the diffraction efficiency, the development of a holographic recording medium, the noise reduction, and the frequency response analysis of holographic stereograms.
Finite Element Modeling of an Elderly Person’s Cornea and Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses for Presbyopic Patients
Authors: Chang Han-Chao , Hsu Ming-Ying , Hsiao Wen-Tse , Shum Patrick Joi-Tsang
Published: May 2018

Rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses are a common presbyopic correction tool. However, many patients clinically need a long period of adaptation after wearing. This study adopted finite element modeling to analyze the contact stress between RGP contact lens and an elderly person’s cornea. The RGP-lens-produced stress concentration at the corneal edge and maximum pressure on the cornea of elderly subjects aged >64 years was 104.140 kPa, but only 86.889 kPa for the 15–64 group. Therefore, how to decrease the stress concentration on the cornea is important to increasing elderly user comfort while wearing lenses. This study found that when the contact angle is designed on the basis of patient’s actual radian of corneal edge, the contact stress dropped sharply to 60.966 kPa, thus increasing user’s wearing comfort.
Virtual Synchronous Motor Based-Control of a Three-Phase Electric Vehicle Off-Board Charger for Providing Fast-Charging Service
Authors: Yan Xiangwu , Li Jiajia , Zhang Bo , Jia Zhonghao , Tian Yang , Zeng Hui , Lv Zhipeng
Published: May 2018

This study introduces a three-phase virtual synchronous motor (VSM) control and its possible application for providing fast-charging service from off-board chargers of electric vehicles (EVs). The main circuit of the off-board charger consists of a three-phase voltage source PWM rectifier (VSR) and a resonant LLC zero-voltage-switching converter. In the proposed control approach, VSM-controlled pre-stage VSR emulates the external characteristics of a synchronous motor (SM), simultaneously, droop control based on charging mode in the VSM can satisfy the demand of the EVs constant-current fast-charging; The post-stage DC–DC converter is responsible for stabilizing the DC bus voltage. The feature of this control strategy is that VSM and fast charging control are implemented by the pre-stage converter, which has better coordination. In the MATLAB, the equivalent synchronous grid of the distribution network supplies to the power battery through the off-board charger, and the effectiveness of the presented control is demonstrated by typical working conditions.
Special Issue: Development and Application of Nonlinear Dissipative Device in Structural Vibration Control
Authors: Lu Zheng , Zhou Ying , Yang Tony , Papalou Angeliki
Published: May 2018

This Special Issue (SI) of Applied Sciences on Development and Application of NonlinearDissipative Devices in Structural Vibration Control contains papers that focus on the developmentand application of innovative nonlinear dissipative systems that mitigate the potentially catastrophiceffects of extreme loading by incorporating new materials or effective mechanical control technologies [...]
A Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry Method for Methane Diffusivity and Permeability Evaluation in Coals: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Fang Xianglong , Cai Yidong , Liu Dameng , Zhou Yingfang
Published: May 2018

Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) has been utilized for decades to obtain the pore size, pore volume and pore structure of variable porous media including inorganic rocks and organic rock (e.g., shales and coals). Diffusivity and permeability are the two crucial parameters that control gas transport in coals. The main purpose of this work is to derive the CH4 effective gas diffusivity and permeability in different rank coals with vitrinite reflectance of 0.46–2.79% Ro,m by MIP. Furthermore, regular CH4 diffusivity and permeability measurements are conducted to compare with the results of the derived CH4 diffusivity and permeability with MIP data. In this work, CH4 diffusivity and permeability of different rank coals are acquired with established equations, which are basically in accordance with the experimental values. However, the coal rank (maximum vitrinitere flectance, Ro,m) exhibits no significant relation to the effective diffusion coefficient (De) and gas diffusivity (D′). The cementation factor (m values) varies from 2.03 to 2.46, which tends to exhibit a semi-consolidated structure for coals compared with other rocks (e.g., dolomite, limestone, sandstone and red brick). The results show that the cementation factor could be an important factor for gas flow in coals. The correlation of CH4 diffusivity to porosity and permeability of 12 coal samples were explored, and it appears that CH4 diffusivity exhibits an increasing trend with an increase of permeability, and two different exponential relationships respectively exist in diffusivity versus porosity and permeability versus porosity. Therefore, this study could be conducive to gas sequestration or gas production during enhanced coalbed methane (CBM) recovery.
H-β Line in a Corona Helium Plasma: A Multi-Code Line Shape Comparison
Authors: Sheeba Roshin Raj , Koubiti Mohammed , Bonifaci Nelly , Gilleron Franck , Mossé Caroline , Pain Jean-Christophe , Rosato Joël , Stambulchik Evgeny
Published: May 2018

Many spectroscopic diagnostics are routinely used as techniques to infer the plasma parameters from line emission spectra, but their accuracy depends on the numerical model or code used for the fitting process. However, the validation of a line shape code requires some steps: the comparison of the line shape code with other similar codes for some academic (simple) cases and then for more complex ones, the comparison of the fitting parameters obtained from the best fit of the experimental spectra with those obtained with other diagnostic techniques, and/or the comparison of the fitting parameters obtained by different codes to fit the same experimental data. Here we compare the profiles of the hydrogen Balmer β line in helium plasma computed by five codes for a selected set of plasma parameters and we report on the plasma parameters inferred by each of them from the fitting to a number of experimental spectra measured in a helium corona discharge where the pressure was in the range of 1–5 bars.
A Microfluidic System for the Investigation of Tumor Cell Extravasation
Authors: Kühlbach Claudia , Da Luz Sabrina , Baganz Frank , Hass Volker C. , Mueller Margareta M.
Published: May 2018

Metastatic dissemination of cancer cells is a very complex process. It includes the intravasation of cells into the metastatic pathways, their passive distribution within the blood or lymph flow, and their extravasation into the surrounding tissue. Crucial steps during extravasation are the adhesion of the tumor cells to the endothelium and their transendothelial migration. However, the molecular mechanisms that are underlying this process are still not fully understood. Novel three dimensional (3D) models for research on the metastatic cascade include the use of microfluidic devices. Different from two dimensional (2D) models, these devices take cell–cell, structural, and mechanical interactions into account. Here we introduce a new microfluidic device in order to study tumor extravasation. The device consists of three different parts, containing two microfluidic channels and a porous membrane sandwiched in between them. A smaller channel together with the membrane represents the vessel equivalent and is seeded separately with primary endothelial cells (EC) that are isolated from the lung artery. The second channel acts as reservoir to collect the migrated tumor cells. In contrast to many other systems, this device does not need an additional coating to allow EC growth, as the primary EC that is used produces their own basement membrane. VE-Cadherin, an endothelial adherence junction protein, was expressed in regular localization, which indicates a tight barrier function and cell–cell connections of the endothelium. The EC in the device showed in vivo-like behavior under flow conditions. The GFP-transfected tumor cells that were introduced were of epithelial or mesenchymal origin and could be observed by live cell imaging, which indicates tightly adherent tumor cells to the endothelial lining under different flow conditions. These results suggest that the new device can be used for research on molecular requirements, conditions, and mechanism of extravasation and its inhibition.
Analytic Hierarchy Process & Multi Attribute Utility Theory Based Approach for the Selection of Lighting Systems in Residential Buildings: A Case Study
Authors: Alshamrani Othman , Alshibani Adel , Alogaili Mohammed
Published: May 2018

This paper presents an approach developed for selecting lighting systems in residential buildings using an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Multi Criteria Decision Making Technique (MCDMT). The developed approach considers four selection criteria of lighting systems: life-cycle cost, illumination, environmental performance, and life-span. The criteria of selection, along with the most widely used lighting systems in residential buildings, were determined through questionnaire surveys with suppliers, maintenance managers, and lighting experts. The Analytic Hierarchy Process and Multi Attribute Utility Theory were utilized to assess the significant influence of the identified main and sub-criteria on the selection process, from the design point of view. The developed approach was tested on a real case project in selecting the lighting system for aresidential building in Saudi Arabia. The obtained results show that the life-cycle cost and illumination proprieties, followed by the service life were found to be the most influential measures in the selection process. The results also show that Light-Emitting Diode(LED) lighting systems prove to bear the highest initial cost while sustaining the best overall performance.
Targeted Tumor Therapy Remixed—An Update on the Use of Small-Molecule Drugs in Combination Therapies
Authors: Gatzka Martina
Published: May 2018

Over the last decade, the treatment of tumor patients has been revolutionized by the highly successful introduction of novel targeted therapies, in particular small-molecule kinase inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, as well as by immunotherapies. Depending on the mutational status, BRAF and MEK inhibitor combinations or immune checkpoint inhibitors are current first-line treatments for metastatic melanoma. However, despite great improvements of survival rates limitations due to tumor heterogeneity, primary and acquired therapy resistance, immune evasion, and economical considerations will need to be overcome. Accordingly, ongoing clinical trials explore the individualized use of small-molecule drugs in new targeted therapy combinations based on patient parameters and tumor biopsies. With focus on melanoma therapy this review aims at providing a comprehensive overview of such novel alternative and combinational therapy strategies currently emerging from basic research. The molecular principles and drug classes that may hold promise for improved tumor therapy combination regimens including kinase inhibition, induction of apoptosis, DNA-damage response inhibition, epigenetic reprogramming, telomerase inhibition, redox modulation, metabolic reprogramming, proteasome inhibition, cancer stem cell transdifferentiation, immune cell signaling modulation, and others, are explained in brief. In addition, relevant targeted therapy combinations in current clinical trials and individualized treatment strategies are highlighted.
Multidisciplinary Approach for Bone Metastasis: A Review
Authors: Kimura Takahiro
Published: May 2018

Progress in cancer treatment has improved the survival of patients with advanced-stage cancers. Consequently, the clinical courses of patients are prolonged and often accompanied by morbidity due to bone metastases. Skeletal-related events (SREs), such as pathological fractures and spinal paralysis, cause impairment in activities of daily life and quality of life (QOL). To avoid serious SREs causing impairment in QOL and survival, early diagnosis and a prophylactic approach are required. It is necessary to initiate a bone management program concurrently with the initiation of cancer treatment to prevent complications of bone metastasis. In addition, the requirement of a multidisciplinary approach through a cancer board focusing on the management of bone metastases and involving a team of specialists in oncology, palliative care, radiotherapy, orthopedics, nuclear medicine, radiology, and physiatrists has been emphasized. In the cancer board, a strong focus is placed on the prevention of complications due to bone metastases and on reductions in the high morbidity, hospitalization rate, and overall costs associated with advanced-stage cancers. Recent reports suggest the usefulness of such approaches. The multidisciplinary approach through a cancer board would improve QOL and prognosis of patients, leading to new or continued systemic therapy for primary cancers.
Label-Free Sensing in Microdroplet-Based Microfluidic Systems
Authors: Kalantarifard Ali , Saateh Abtin , Elbuken Caglar
Published: May 2018

Droplet microfluidic systems have evolved as fluidic platforms that use much less sample volume and provide high throughput for biochemical analysis compared to conventional microfluidic devices. The variety of droplet fluidic applications triggered several detection techniques to be applied for analysis of droplets. In this review, we focus on label-free droplet detection techniques that were adapted to various droplet microfluidic platforms. We provide a classification of most commonly used droplet platform technologies. Then we discuss the examples of various label-free droplet detection schemes implemented for these platforms. While providing the research landscape for label-free droplet detection methods, we aim to highlight the strengths and shortcomings of each droplet platform so that a more targeted approach can be taken by researchers when selecting a droplet platform and a detection scheme for any given application.
Anti- and De-Icing Behaviors of Superhydrophobic Fabrics
Authors: Liu Yuyang , Song Dong , Choi Chang-Hwan
Published: May 2018

This paper reports the application of superhydrophobic coatings on cotton fabrics and their functionalities for anti- and de-icing efficacy. Superhydrophobic cotton fabrics with different water-repellent properties have been achieved by decorating the surface of pristine cotton fibers with ZnO structures of varying sizes and shapes through an in situ solution growth process, followed by the treatment of the surface with low-surface-energy coating such as Teflon. The surface morphology of the treated cotton fabrics was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface wettability of the treated fabrics was evaluated through the measurement of static contact angle (SCA), contact angle hysteresis (CAH), and sliding angle (SA) of a water droplet. The anti- and de-icing behaviors of the treated fabrics were evaluated through both static (sessile droplet) and dynamic (spraying) tests. The results show that the superhydrophobic fabric with a higher SCA and the lower CAH/SA has superior anti- and de-icing behaviors in both the static and dynamic conditions. Compared to hard substrates, the soft, flexible, and porous (air-permeable) superhydrophobic fabrics can lead to broader applicability of textile-based materials for the design and fabrication of anti- and de-icing materials. Furthermore, the multi-scale surface structures of fabrics (fibers, yarns, and weaving constructions) combining with the hierarchical micro-nanostructures of the ZnO coating provides an ideal platform for anti-icing studies.
Effects of sp2/sp3 Ratio and Hydrogen Content on In Vitro Bending and Frictional Performance of DLC-Coated Orthodontic Stainless Steels
Authors: Muguruma Takeshi , Iijima Masahiro , Kawaguchi Masahiro , Mizoguchi Itaru
Published: May 2018

This study investigated a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating formed on stainless steels (disk and wire specimens) using a plasma-based ion implantation/deposition method with two different parameters (DLC-1, DLC-2). These specimens were characterized using high-resolution elastic recoil analysis, microscale X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nanoindentation testing to determine the hydrogen content, sp2/sp3 ratio and mechanical properties of the coating. Three-point bending and frictional properties were estimated. DLC-1 had a diamond-rich structure at the external surface and a graphite-rich structure at the inner surface, while DLC-2 had a graphite-rich structure at the external surface and a diamond-rich structure at the inner surface. Mean mechanical property values obtained for the external surface were lower than those for the inner surface in both types of DLC-coated specimens. The hydrogen content of DLC-2 was slightly higher versus DLC-1. Both DLC-coated wires produced a significantly higher elastic modulus according to the three-point bending test versus the non-coated wire. DLC-2 produced significantly lower frictional force than the non-coated specimen in the drawing-friction test. The coating of DLC-1 was partially ruptured by the three-point bending and drawing-friction tests. In conclusion, the bending and frictional performance of DLC-coated wire were influenced by the hydrogen content and sp2/sp3 ratio of the coating.
Raman Scattering as a Probe of the Magnetic State of BEDT-TTF Based Mott Insulators
Authors: Hassan Nora , Cunningham Streit , Zhilyaeva Elena I. , Torunova Svetlana A. , Lyubovskaya Rimma N. , Schlueter John A. , Drichko Natalia
Published: May 2018

Quasi-two-dimensional Mott insulators based on BEDT-TTF molecules have recently demonstrated a variety of exotic states, which originate from electron–electron correlations and geometrical frustration of the lattice. Among those states are a triangular S = 1/2 spin liquid and quantum dipole liquid. In this article, we show the power of Raman scattering technique to characterize magnetic and electronic excitations of these states. Our results demonstrate a distinction between a spectrum of magnetic excitations in a simple Mott insulator with antiferromagnetic interactions, and a spectrum of an insulator with an additional on-site charge degree of freedom.
Real-Time Ground Vehicle Detection in Aerial Infrared Imagery Based on Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Liu Xiaofei , Yang Tao , Li Jing
Published: May 2018

An infrared sensor is a commonly used imaging device. Unmanned aerial vehicles, the most promising moving platform, each play a vital role in their own field, respectively. However, the two devices are seldom combined in automatic ground vehicle detection tasks. Therefore, how to make full use of them—especially in ground vehicle detection based on aerial imagery–has aroused wide academic concern. However, due to the aerial imagery’s low-resolution and the vehicle detection’s complexity, how to extract remarkable features and handle pose variations, view changes as well as surrounding radiation remains a challenge. In fact, these typical abstract features extracted by convolutional neural networks are more recognizable than the engineering features, and those complex conditions involved can be learned and memorized before. In this paper, a novel approach towards ground vehicle detection in aerial infrared images based on a convolutional neural network is proposed. The UAV and the infrared sensor used in this application are firstly introduced. Then, a novel aerial moving platform is built and an aerial infrared vehicle dataset is unprecedentedly constructed. We publicly release this dataset (NPU_CS_UAV_IR_DATA), which can be used for the following research in this field. Next, an end-to-end convolutional neural network is built. With large amounts of recognized features being iteratively learned, a real-time ground vehicle model is constructed. It has the unique ability to detect both the stationary vehicles and moving vehicles in real urban environments. We evaluate the proposed algorithm on some low–resolution aerial infrared images. Experiments on the NPU_CS_UAV_IR_DATA dataset demonstrate that the proposed method is effective and efficient to recognize the ground vehicles. Moreover it can accomplish the task in real-time while achieving superior performances in leak and false alarm ratio.
Effect of Topography on Persistent Fire Refugia of the Canadian Rocky Mountains
Authors: Rogeau Marie-Pierre , Barber Quinn E. , Parisien Marc-André
Published: May 2018

Persistent fire refugia, which are forest stands that have survived multiple fires, play an important ecological role in the resilience of mountainous forest ecosystems following disturbances. The loss of numerous refugia patches to large, high-severity fires in recent years is prompting the need to better understand drivers of fire refugia endurance. We investigate the role of topographic features on fire refugia survivorship based on pre-1950 fire regime conditions. Mapped refugia patches (n = 557) covering 28% of the forested landscape were used to develop three predictive models based on patch size (all sizes, <30 ha, <10 ha), as a function of explanatory variables describing several components of topography. Five topographic variables consistently favoured persistent fire refugia occurrence, though the ranking of explanatory variable importance varied among patch-size models. For the all-refugia model, elevation (23.7%), proportion of non-fuel at a 5000-m scale (20.3%), solar radiation (14.6%), Topographic Position Index at a 2000-m scale (10.1%), and distance from rivers (10.1%) were the top variables. The models’ predictive abilities were high, but decreased with larger patch sizes. We conclude that many suitable areas are currently unoccupied by fire refugia; that random elements affect their survivorship; and that additional environmental factors not considered in this study may contribute to their persistence. With changing climate and fire-regime conditions, careful fire and forest management considerations will be needed to limit future losses of persistent fire refugia forests.
Anti-Metastatic Effects of Antrodan with and without Cisplatin on Lewis Lung Carcinomas in a Mouse Xenograft Model
Authors: Chen Pei-Chun , Chen Chin-Chu , Ker Yaw-Bee , Chang Chi-Huang , Chyau Charng-Cherng , Hu Miao-Lin
Published: May 2018

Antrodan, a unique protein-bound polysaccharide derived from the fungal mycelia of Antrodia cinnamomea, has been reported to exhibit antitumor and anti-metastatic effects on Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells through direct action and immunomodulation in vitro. In this study, we investigated the combined treatment of antrodan with an anti-cancer drug—cisplatin—and its underlying molecular mechanisms of action in a mouse xenograft tumor model. C57BL/6 mice were implanted (s.c.) with LLCs for nine days, before administration with only antrodan (20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg; p.o.) daily, only cisplatin (1 mg/kg; i.p.) twice per week, or a combination of both for an additional 28 days. As expected, antrodan on its own significantly inhibited metastasis of lung and liver tissues, while treatment with cisplatin only merely inhibited metastasis of the liver. Antrodan exhibited efficient adjuvant therapy in combination with cisplatin, by inhibiting the activities of the plasma urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and the liver matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), as well as by inhibiting the phosphorylation of p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) in lung and liver tissues. In addition, antrodan effectively ameliorated cisplatin-induced kidney dysfunction when treated combinatorially, as evidenced by a decrease in cisplatin-induced blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels in plasma and in the level of p38 phosphorylation in the kidney. Mechanistically, the actions of antrodan on its own involved (i) reducing the activities of uPA and MMP-2 and -9 in plasma; (ii) reducing protein expression of MMP-2/9, and the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), and p38 in lung and liver tissues; and (iii) enhancing immune system functions resulting in the promotion of an anti-metastatic response through immunomodulation, by increasing interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels and decreasing interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in plasma. These results demonstrated that antrodan provides a novel, complementary therapeutic strategy against cancer metastasis, by attenuating the activities of MMP-2 and -9 through the modulation of STAT3/MAPK/ERK/JNK signaling pathways, and of the host’s immune system.
Efficient Implementation of Gaussian and Laplacian Kernels for Feature Extraction from IP Fisheye Cameras
Authors: Delibasis Konstantinos K.
Published: May 2018

The Gaussian kernel, its partial derivatives and the Laplacian kernel, applied at different image scales, play a very important role in image processing and in feature extraction from images. Although they have been extensively studied in the case of images acquired by projective cameras, this is not the case for cameras with fisheye lenses. This type of cameras is becoming very popular, since it exhibits a Field of View of 180 degrees. The model of fisheye image formation differs substantially from the simple projective transformation, causing straight lines to be imaged as curves. Thus the traditional kernels used for processing images acquired by projective cameras, are not optimal for fisheye images. This work uses the calibration of the acquiring fisheye camera to define a geodesic metric for distance between pixels in fisheye images and subsequently redefines the Gaussian kernel, its partial derivatives, as well as the Laplacian kernel. Finally, algorithms for applying in the spatial domain these kernels, as well as the Harris corner detector, are proposed, using efficient computational implementations. Comparative results are shown, in terms of correctness of image processing, efficiency of application for multi scale processing, as well as salient point extraction. Thus we conclude that the proposed algorithms allow the efficient application of standard processing and analysis techniques of fisheye images, in the spatial domain, once the calibration of the specific camera is available.
Alternaria and Fusarium Fungi: Differences in Distribution and Spore Deposition in a Topographically Heterogeneous Wheat Field
Authors: Schiro Gabriele , Verch Gernot , Grimm Volker , Müller Marina E. H.
Published: May 2018

Fusarium spp. and Alternaria spp., two genera of filamentous fungi, are common colonizers of the wheat phyllosphere. Both can be pathogenic and produce mycotoxins that are harmful to consumers. Their in-field infection dynamics have been a focus for the development of new control strategies. We analysed the abundance on plant ears and spore deposition patterns of Fusarium spp. and Alternaria spp. in a topographically heterogeneous field. Abundances were assessed genetically, using qPCR-based techniques, and passive spore traps were installed for quantifying the spore deposition at different plant heights. Data loggers were placed to measure the differences in microclimate across the field. Results indicate different distribution and spore deposition patterns for the two fungi. Fusarium spp. spore and genetic abundances were higher in spots with a more humid and colder under-canopy microclimate. Alternaria spp. showed the opposite trend for genetic abundance, while its spore deposition was not correlated to any of the microclimatic conditions and was more uniform across the field. Our study extends the knowledge on the dispersal and in-field infection dynamics of Fusarium spp. and Alternaria spp., important for a better understanding of the epidemiology of these wheat pathogens. It also illustrates that topographically heterogeneous fields are a suitable environment for studying the ecology of phyllosphere-colonizing fungi.
Effect of PCM on the Hydration Process of Cement-Based Mixtures: A Novel Thermo-Mechanical Investigation
Authors: Fabiani Claudia , Pisello Anna Laura , D’Alessandro Antonella , Ubertini Filippo , Cabeza Luisa F. , Cotana Franco
Published: May 2018

The use of Phase Change Material (PCM) for improving building indoor thermal comfort and energy saving has been largely investigated in the literature in recent years, thus confirming PCM’s capability to reduce indoor thermal fluctuation in both summer and winter conditions, according to their melting temperature and operation boundaries. Further to that, the present paper aims at investigating an innovative use of PCM for absorbing heat released by cement during its curing process, which typically contributes to micro-cracking of massive concrete elements, therefore compromising their mechanical performance during their service life. The experiments carried out in this work showed how PCM, even in small quantities (i.e., up to 1% in weight of cement) plays a non-negligible benefit in reducing differential thermal increases between core and surface and therefore mechanical stresses originating from differential thermal expansion, as demonstrated by thermal monitoring of cement-based cubes. Both PCM types analyzed in the study (with melting temperatures at 18 and 25 ∘ C) were properly dispersed in the mix and were shown to be able to reduce the internal temperature of the cement paste by several degrees, i.e., around 5 ∘ C. Additionally, such small amount of PCM produced a reduction of the final density of the composite and an increase of the characteristic compressive strength with respect to the plain recipe.
Hot Deformation Behavior of a Ti-40Al-10V Alloy with Quenching-Tempering Microstructure
Authors: Cheng Liang , Chen Yi , Yang Guang , Xie Li , Wang Jiangtao , Lu Yalin , Kou Hongchao
Published: May 2018

In this study, a Ti-40Al-10V alloy with quenching-tempering microstructure was prepared and was characterized by ultra-large β/B2 grains and submicrocrystalline γ laths within it. A definite Kurdjumov-Sachs orientation was identified between the β/B2 and γ phase. Isothermal compression tests were performed to examine the hot deformation behavior at various temperatures and strain rates. Based on the hyperbolic-sine equation, the deformation kinetics of the alloy were characterized by unexpectedly high activation energy (384 kJ/mol) and low stress exponent (2.25). For all the deformed samples, continuous dynamic recrystallization intensively occurred in the β matrix, accompanied by the simultaneous rotation of the γ laths. Moreover, a preferential orientation of <100>β and <111>γ parallel to the compression axis was observed for β and γ phase, respectively. With the decreasing strain rates, the grain boundary/interface sliding gradually became prominent, which resulted in some superplastic deformation features, e.g., intensive strain-induced grain growth and interface migration, enhancing “wetting” of the γ grain boundaries, continuous weakening/vanishing of the local texture, etc. Meanwhile, the temperature played an insignificant role in the hot deformation behavior. The deformation mechanism was discussed in detail based on the microstructural observations and deformation kinetics.