bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organocatalytic Access to Enantioenriched Spirooxindole-Based 4-Methyleneazetidines
Authors: Rainoldi Giulia , Faltracco Matteo , Spatti Claudia , Silvani Alessandra , Lesma Giordano
Published: November 2017

This work describes the synthesis of enantioenriched spiro compounds, incorporating the azetidine and the oxindole motifs. The preparation relies on a formal [2 + 2] annulation reaction of isatin-derived N-tert-butylsulfonyl ketimines with allenoates. The asymmetric induction is secured by an organocatalytic strategy, exploiting a bifunctional cinchona-type β-isocupridine-based catalyst. Some post-transformation products, including unexpected spiropyrroline and 3,3-disubstituted oxindole derivatives, are also presented.
Preparation of Solution Blown Polyamic Acid Nanofibers and Their Imidization into Polyimide Nanofiber Mats
Authors: Li Jing , Song Guocheng , Yu Junrong , Wang Yan , Zhu Jing , Hu Zuming
Published: November 2017

Solution blow spinning (SBS) is an innovative process for spinning micro/nanofibers. In this paper, polyamic acid (PAA) nanofibers were fabricated via a SBS apparatus and then imidized into polyimide (PI) nanofibers via thermal process. The morphology and diameter distributions of PAA nanofibers were determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Image Tool software, the processing parameters, including PAA concentration, solution feeding rate, gas pressure, nozzle size, and receiving distance were investigated in details. The fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to characterize the chemical changes in the nanofibers after thermal imidization. The results showed that the solution concentration exhibited a notable correlation with spinnability, and the formation of bead defects in PAA nanofibers. Solution feeding rate, gas pressure, nozzle size, and receiving distance affected nanofiber production efficiency and diameter distribution. The average diameters of fibers produced ranged from 129.6 to 197.7 nm by varying SBS parameters. Precisely, PAA nanofibers with good morphology were obtained and the average diameter of nanofibers was 178.2 nm with optimum process parameter. After thermal imidization, the PI nanofibers exhibited obvious adhesion morphology among interconnected fibers, with an increased average diameter of 209.1 nm. The tensile strength of resultant PI nanofiber mat was 12.95 MPa.
Self-Assembled InAs Nanowires as Optical Reflectors
Authors: Floris Francesco , Fornasari Lucia , Marini Andrea , Bellani Vittorio , Banfi Francesco , Roddaro Stefano , Ercolani Daniele , Rocci Mirko , Beltram Fabio , Cecchini Marco , Sorba Lucia , Rossella Francesco
Published: November 2017

Subwavelength nanostructured surfaces are realized with self-assembled vertically-aligned InAs nanowires, and their functionalities as optical reflectors are investigated. In our system, polarization-resolved specular reflectance displays strong modulations as a function of incident photon energy and angle. An effective-medium model allows one to rationalize the experimental findings in the long wavelength regime, whereas numerical simulations fully reproduce the experimental outcomes in the entire frequency range. The impact of the refractive index of the medium surrounding the nanostructure assembly on the reflectance was estimated. In view of the present results, sensing schemes compatible with microfluidic technologies and routes to innovative nanowire-based optical elements are discussed.
MgCl2-Supported Titanium Ziegler-Natta Catalyst Using Carbon Dioxide-Based Poly(propylene ether carbonate) Diols as Internal Electron Donor for 1-Butene Polymerization
Authors: Cui Xiaopeng , Bai Qing , Ma Kai , Yang Min , Liu Binyuan
Published: November 2017

MgCl2-supported titanium Ziegler-Natta catalyst containing CO2-based poly(propylene ether carbonate) diols as a potential internal electron donor (IED) was synthesized and employed for 1-butene polymerization. When compared with the Ziegler-Natta catalyst using poly(polypropylene glycol) as IED, the catalyst prepared with poly(propylene ether carbonate) diols showed good particle morphology, higher activity and stereoselectivity. The results suggested that existence of the carbonate group within the structure of poly(propylene ether carbonate) diols truly plays an important role in improving the performance of the catalyst for the 1-butene polymerization.
Data Assimilation to Extract Soil Moisture Information from SMAP Observations
Authors: Kolassa Jana , Reichle Rolf , Liu Qing , Cosh Michael , Bosch David , Caldwell Todd , Colliander Andreas , Holifield Collins Chandra , Jackson Thomas , Livingston Stan , Moghaddam Mahta , Starks Patrick
Published: November 2017

This study compares different methods to extract soil moisture information through the assimilation of Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observations. Neural network (NN) and physically-based SMAP soil moisture retrievals were assimilated into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Catchment model over the contiguous United States for April 2015 to March 2017. By construction, the NN retrievals are consistent with the global climatology of the Catchment model soil moisture. Assimilating the NN retrievals without further bias correction improved the surface and root zone correlations against in situ measurements from 14 SMAP core validation sites (CVS) by 0.12 and 0.16, respectively, over the model-only skill, and reduced the surface and root zone unbiased root-mean-square error (ubRMSE) by 0.005 m 3 m − 3 and 0.001 m 3 m − 3 , respectively. The assimilation reduced the average absolute surface bias against the CVS measurements by 0.009 m 3 m − 3 , but increased the root zone bias by 0.014 m 3 m − 3 . Assimilating the NN retrievals after a localized bias correction yielded slightly lower surface correlation and ubRMSE improvements, but generally the skill differences were small. The assimilation of the physically-based SMAP Level-2 passive soil moisture retrievals using a global bias correction yielded similar skill improvements, as did the direct assimilation of locally bias-corrected SMAP brightness temperatures within the SMAP Level-4 soil moisture algorithm. The results show that global bias correction methods may be able to extract more independent information from SMAP observations compared to local bias correction methods, but without accurate quality control and observation error characterization they are also more vulnerable to adverse effects from retrieval errors related to uncertainties in the retrieval inputs and algorithm. Furthermore, the results show that using global bias correction approaches without a simultaneous re-calibration of the land model processes can lead to skill degradation in other land surface variables.
Validation and Calibration of QAA Algorithm for CDOM Absorption Retrieval in the Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuarine and Coastal Waters
Authors: Wang Yongchao , Shen Fang , Sokoletsky Leonid , Sun Xuerong
Published: November 2017

Distribution, migration and transformation of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in coastal waters are closely related to marine biogeochemical cycle. Ocean color remote sensing retrieval of CDOM absorption coefficient (ag(λ)) can be used as an indicator to trace the distribution and variation characteristics of the Changjiang diluted water, and further to help understand estuarine and coastal biogeochemical processes in large spatial and temporal scales. The quasi-analytical algorithm (QAA) has been widely applied to remote sensing inversions of optical and biogeochemical parameters in water bodies such as oceanic and coastal waters, however, whether the algorithm can be applicable to highly turbid waters (i.e., Changjiang estuarine and coastal waters) is still unknown. In this study, large amounts of in situ data accumulated in the Changjiang estuarine and coastal waters from 9 cruise campaigns during 2011 and 2015 are used to verify and calibrate the QAA. Furthermore, the QAA is remodified for CDOM retrieval by employing a CDOM algorithm (QAA_CDOM). Consequently, based on the QAA and the QAA_CDOM, we developed a new version of algorithm, named QAA_cj, which is more suitable for highly turbid waters, e.g., Changjiang estuarine and coastal waters, to decompose ag from adg (CDOM and non-pigmented particles absorption coefficient). By comparison of matchups between Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) retrievals and in situ data, it reveals that the accuracy of retrievals from calibrated QAA is significantly improved. The root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute relative error (MARE) and bias of total absorption coefficients (a(λ)) are lower than 1.17, 0.52 and 0.66 m−1, and ag(λ) at 443 nm are lower than 0.07, 0.42 and 0.018 m−1. These results indicate that the calibrated algorithm has a better applicability and prospect for highly turbid coastal waters with extremely complicated optical properties. Thus, reliable CDOM products from the improved QAA_cj can advance our understanding of the land-ocean interaction process by earth observations in monitoring spatial-temporal distribution of the river plume into sea.
Developing a Random Forest Algorithm for MODIS Global Burned Area Classification
Authors: Ramo Rubén , Chuvieco Emilio
Published: November 2017

This paper aims to develop a global burned area (BA) algorithm for MODIS BRDF-corrected images based on the Random Forest (RF) classifier. Two RF models were generated, including: (1) all MODIS reflective bands; and (2) only the red (R) and near infrared (NIR) bands. Active fire information, vegetation indices and auxiliary variables were taken into account as well. Both RF models were trained using a statistically designed sample of 130 reference sites, which took into account the global diversity of fire conditions. For each site, fire perimeters were obtained from multitemporal pairs of Landsat TM/ETM+ images acquired in 2008. Those fire perimeters were used to extract burned and unburned areas to train the RF models. Using the standard MD43A4 resolution (500 × 500 m), the training dataset included 48,365 burned pixels and 6,293,205 unburned pixels. Different combinations of number of trees and number of parameters were tested. The final RF models included 600 trees and 5 attributes. The RF full model (considering all bands) provided a balanced accuracy of 0.94, while the RF RNIR model had 0.93. As a first assessment of these RF models, they were used to classify daily MCD43A4 images in three test sites for three consecutive years (2006–2008). The selected sites included different ecosystems: Australia (Tropical), Boreal (Canada) and Temperate (California), and extended coverage (totaling more than 2,500,000 km2). Results from both RF models for those sites were compared with national fire perimeters, as well as with two existing BA MODIS products; the MCD45 and MCD64. Considering all three years and three sites, commission error for the RF Full model was 0.16, with an omission error of 0.23. For the RF RNIR model, these errors were 0.19 and 0.21, respectively. The existing MODIS BA products had lower commission errors, but higher omission errors (0.09 and 0.33 for the MCD45 and 0.10 and 0.29 for the MCD64) than those obtained with the RF models, and therefore they showed less balanced accuracies. The RF models developed here should be applicable to other biomes and years, as they were trained with a global set of reference BA sites.
The 2015–2016 Ground Displacements of the Shanghai Coastal Area Inferred from a Combined COSMO-SkyMed/Sentinel-1 DInSAR Analysis
Authors: Yu Lei , Yang Tianliang , Zhao Qing , Liu Min , Pepe Antonio
Published: November 2017

In this work, ground deformation of the Shanghai coastal area is inferred by using the multiple-satellite Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar interferometry (DInSAR) approach, also known as the minimum acceleration (MinA) combination algorithm. The MinA technique allows discrimination and time-evolution monitoring of the inherent two-dimensional components (i.e., with respect to east-west and up-down directions) of the ongoing deformation processes. It represents an effective post-processing tool that allows an easy combination of preliminarily-retrieved multiple-satellite Line-Of-Sight-projected displacement time-series, obtained by using one (or more) of the currently available multi-pass DInSAR toolboxes. Specifically, in our work, the well-known small baseline subset (SBAS) algorithm has been exploited to recover LOS deformation time-series from two sets of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data relevant to the coast of Shanghai, collected from 2014 to 2017 by the COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) and the Sentinel-1A (S1-A) sensors. The achieved results evidence that the Shanghai ocean-reclaimed areas were still subject to residual deformations in 2016, with maximum subsidence rates of about 30 mm/year. Moreover, the investigation has revealed that the detected deformations are predominantly vertical, whereas the east-west deformations are less significant.
Estimating Snow Depth Using Multi-Source Data Fusion Based on the D-InSAR Method and 3DVAR Fusion Algorithm
Authors: Liu Yang , Li Lanhai , Yang Jinming , Chen Xi , Hao Jiansheng
Published: November 2017

Snow depth is a general input variable in many models of agriculture, hydrology, climate, and ecology. However, there are some uncertainties in the retrieval of snow depth by remote sensing. Errors occurred in snow depth evaluation under the D-InSAR methods will affect the accuracy of snow depth inversion to a certain extent. This study proposes a scheme to estimate spatial snow depth that combines remote sensing with site observation. On the one hand, this scheme adopts the Sentinel-1 C-band of the European Space Agency (ESA), making use of the two-pass method of differential interferometry for inversion of spatial snow depth. On the other hand, the 3DVAR (three dimensional variational) fusion algorithm is used to integrate actual snow depth data of virtual stations and real-world observation stations into the snow depth inversion results. Thus, the accuracy of snow inversion will be improved. This scheme is applied in the study area of Bayanbulak Basin, which is located in the central hinterland of Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China. Observation data from stations in different altitudes are selected to test the fusion method. According to the results, most of the obtained snow depth values using interferometry are lower than the observed ones. However, after the fusion using the 3DVAR algorithm, the snow depth accuracy is slightly higher than it was in the inversion results (R2 = 0.31 vs. R2 = 0.50, RMSE = 2.51 cm vs. RMSE = 1.96 cm; R2 = 0.27 vs. R2 = 0.46, RMSE = 4.04 cm vs. RMSE = 3.65 cm). When compared with the inversion results, the relative error (RE) improved by 6.97% and 3.59%, respectively. This study shows that the scheme can effectively improve the accuracy of regional snow depth estimation. Therefore, its future application is of great potential.
Airport Detection Using End-to-End Convolutional Neural Network with Hard Example Mining
Authors: Cai Bowen , Jiang Zhiguo , Zhang Haopeng , Zhao Danpei , Yao Yuan
Published: November 2017

Deep convolutional neural network (CNN) achieves outstanding performance in the field of target detection. As one of the most typical targets in remote sensing images (RSIs), airport has attracted increasing attention in recent years. However, the essential challenge for using deep CNN to detect airport is the great imbalance between the number of airports and background examples in large-scale RSIs, which may lead to over-fitting. In this paper, we develop a hard example mining and weight-balanced strategy to construct a novel end-to-end convolutional neural network for airport detection. The initial motivation of the proposed method is that backgrounds contain an overwhelming number of easy examples and a few hard examples. Therefore, we design a hard example mining layer to automatically select hard examples by their losses, and implement a new weight-balanced loss function to optimize CNN. Meanwhile, the cascade design of proposal extraction and object detection in our network releases the constraint on input image size and reduces spurious false positives. Compared with geometric characteristics and low-level manually designed features, the hard example mining based network could extract high-level features, which is more robust for airport detection in complex environment. The proposed method is validated on a multi-scale dataset with complex background collected from Google Earth. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method is robust, and superior to the state-of-the-art airport detection models.
Estimating Stair Running Performance Using Inertial Sensors
Authors: Ojeda Lauro , Zaferiou Antonia , Cain Stephen , Vitali Rachel , Davidson Steven , Stirling Leia , Perkins Noel
Published: November 2017

Stair running, both ascending and descending, is a challenging aerobic exercise that many athletes, recreational runners, and soldiers perform during training. Studying biomechanics of stair running over multiple steps has been limited by the practical challenges presented while using optical-based motion tracking systems. We propose using foot-mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs) as a solution as they enable unrestricted motion capture in any environment and without need for external references. In particular, this paper presents methods for estimating foot velocity and trajectory during stair running using foot-mounted IMUs. Computational methods leverage the stationary periods occurring during the stance phase and known stair geometry to estimate foot orientation and trajectory, ultimately used to calculate stride metrics. These calculations, applied to human participant stair running data, reveal performance trends through timing, trajectory, energy, and force stride metrics. We present the results of our analysis of experimental data collected on eleven subjects. Overall, we determine that for either ascending or descending, the stance time is the strongest predictor of speed as shown by its high correlation with stride time.
The Design and Characterization of a Prototype Wideband Voltage Sensor Based on a Resistive Divider
Authors: Garnacho Fernando , Khamlichi Abderrahim , Rovira Jorge
Published: November 2017

The most important advantage of voltage dividers over traditional voltage transformers is that voltage dividers do not have an iron core with non-linear hysteresis characteristics. The voltage dividers have a linear behavior with respect to over-voltages and a flat frequency response larger frequency range. The weak point of a voltage divider is the influence of external high-voltage (HV) and earth parts in its vicinity. Electrical fields arising from high voltages in neighboring phases and from ground conductors and structures are one of their main sources for systematic measurement errors. This paper describes a shielding voltage divider for a 24 kV medium voltage network insulated in SF6 composed of two resistive-capacitive dividers, one integrated within the other, achieving a flat frequency response up to 10 kHz for ratio error and up to 5 kHz for phase displacement error. The metal shielding improves its immunity against electric and magnetic fields. The characterization performed on the built-in voltage sensor shows an accuracy class of 0.2 for a frequency range from 20 Hz to 5 kHz and a class of 0.5 for 1 Hz up to 20 Hz. A low temperature effect is also achieved for operation conditions of MV power grids.
A Lightweight Anonymous Authentication Protocol with Perfect Forward Secrecy for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Xiong Ling , Peng Daiyuan , Peng Tu , Liang Hongbin , Liu Zhicai
Published: November 2017

Due to their frequent use in unattended and hostile deployment environments, the security in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has attracted much interest in the past two decades. However, it remains a challenge to design a lightweight authentication protocol for WSNs because the designers are confronted with a series of desirable security requirements, e.g., user anonymity, perfect forward secrecy, resistance to de-synchronization attack. Recently, the authors presented two authentication schemes that attempt to provide user anonymity and to resist various known attacks. Unfortunately, in this work we shall show that user anonymity of the two schemes is achieved at the price of an impractical search operation—the gateway node may search for every possible value. Besides this defect, they are also prone to smart card loss attacks and have no provision for perfect forward secrecy. As our main contribution, a lightweight anonymous authentication scheme with perfect forward secrecy is designed, and what we believe the most interesting feature is that user anonymity, perfect forward secrecy, and resistance to de-synchronization attack can be achieved at the same time. As far as we know, it is extremely difficult to meet these security features simultaneously only using the lightweight operations, such as symmetric encryption/decryption and hash functions.
Being a “Good” Son and a “Good” Daughter: Voices of Muslim Immigrant Adolescents
Authors: Giuliani Cristina , Olivari Maria , Alfieri Sara
Published: November 2017

In the last decade, a growing empirical work has focused on adaptation processes of immigrants from Muslim-majority countries who live in the West, particularly Muslim youth born and/or educated in Western countries. The current study explored how Muslim boys and girls immigrated from Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan negotiate their identity on the base of interiorized social and cultural in-group norms associated to the representation of a “good” son and a “good” daughter within the resettlement society. Participants were 45 Muslim immigrant adolescents (30 females, 15 males) coming from Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan, who were interviewed through an in-depth semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis carried out on the interview transcripts permitted to identify four themes and thirteen subthemes, revealing interesting differences based on participants’ gender and country of origin. The quality of being obedient and respectful of parents’ desires was a significant common topic among all participants, although it was differently articulated by girls and boys. For girls, norms and expectations were strictly modeled around staying at home and preserving heritage culture. For boys, a heavy mandate—that is, gaining educational success in order to become the breadwinner—weights on them. Implications of these gender-based challenges are discussed in relation to specific vulnerabilities experienced by young Muslims living in Western society.
In-Depth Analysis of Energy Efficiency Related Factors in Commercial Buildings Using Data Cube and Association Rule Mining
Authors: Noh Byeongjoon , Son Juntae , Park Hansaem , Chang Seongju
Published: November 2017

Significant amounts of energy are consumed in the commercial building sector, resulting in various adverse environmental issues. To reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings, it is necessary to develop effective methods for analyzing building energy use. In this study, we propose a data cube model combined with association rule mining for more flexible and detailed analysis of building energy consumption profiles using the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) dataset, which has accumulated over 6700 existing commercial buildings across the U.S.A. Based on the data cube model, a multidimensional commercial sector building energy analysis was performed based upon on-line analytical processing (OLAP) operations to assess the energy efficiency according to building factors with various levels of abstraction. Furthermore, the proposed analysis system provided useful information that represented a set of energy efficient combinations by applying the association rule mining method. We validated the feasibility and applicability of the proposed analysis model by structuring a building energy analysis system and applying it to different building types, weather conditions, composite materials, and heating/cooling systems of the multitude of commercial buildings classified in the CBECS dataset.
Securing the Future of Cultural Heritage by Identifying Barriers to and Strategizing Solutions for Preservation under Changing Climate Conditions
Authors: Fatorić Sandra , Seekamp Erin
Published: November 2017

Climate change challenges cultural heritage management and preservation. Understanding the barriers that can impede preservation is of paramount importance, as is developing solutions that facilitate the planning and management of vulnerable cultural resources. Using online survey research, we elicited the opinions of diverse experts across southeastern United States, a region with cultural resources that are particularly vulnerable to flooding and erosion from storms and sea level rise. We asked experts to identify the greatest challenges facing cultural heritage policy and practice from coastal climate change threats, and to identify strategies and information needs to overcome those challenges. Using content analysis, we identified institutional, technical and financial barriers and needs. Findings revealed that the most salient barriers included the lack of processes and preservation guidelines for planning and implementing climate adaptation actions, as well as inadequate funding and limited knowledge about the intersection of climate change and cultural heritage. Experts perceived that principal needs to overcome identified barriers included increased research on climate adaptation strategies and impacts to cultural heritage characteristics from adaptation, as well as collaboration among diverse multi-level actors. This study can be used to set cultural heritage policy and research agendas at local, state, regional and national scales.
Construction and Use of a Simple Index of Urbanisation in the Rural–Urban Interface of Bangalore, India
Authors: Hoffmann Ellen , Jose Monish , Nölke Nils , Möckel Thomas
Published: November 2017

Urbanisation is a global trend rapidly transforming the biophysical and socioeconomic structures of metropolitan areas. To better understand (and perhaps control) these processes, more interdisciplinary research must be dedicated to the rural–urban interface. This also calls for a common reference system describing intermediate stages along a rural–urban gradient. The present paper constructs a simple index of urbanisation for villages in the Greater Bangalore Area, using GIS analysis of satellite images, and combining basic measures of building density and distance. The correlation of the two parameters and discontinuities in the frequency distribution of the combined index indicate highly dynamic stages of transformation, spatially clustered in the rural–urban interface. This analysis is substantiated by a qualitative assessment of village morphologies. The index presented here serves as a starting point in a large, coordinated study of rural–urban transitions. It was used to stratify villages for random sampling in order to perform a representative socioeconomic household survey, along with agricultural experiments and environmental assessments in various subsamples. Later on, it will also provide a matrix against which the results can be aligned and evaluated. In this process, the measures and classification systems themselves can be further refined and elaborated.
Time Series Seasonal Analysis Based on Fuzzy Transforms
Authors: Di Martino Ferdinando , Sessa Salvatore
Published: November 2017

We define a new seasonal forecasting method based on fuzzy transforms. We use the best interpolating polynomial for extracting the trend of the time series and generate the inverse fuzzy transform on each seasonal subset of the universe of discourse for predicting the value of an assigned output. In the first example, we use the daily weather dataset of the municipality of Naples (Italy) starting from data collected from 2003 to 2015 making predictions on mean temperature, max temperature and min temperature, all considered daily. In the second example, we use the daily mean temperature measured at the weather station “Chiavari Caperana” in the Liguria Italian Region. We compare the results with our method, the average seasonal variation, Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and the usual fuzzy transforms concluding that the best results are obtained under our approach in both examples. In addition, the comparison results show that, for seasonal time series that have no consistent irregular variations, the performance obtained with our method is comparable with the ones obtained using Support Vector Machine- and Artificial Neural Networks-based models.
The Ms6 Mycolyl-Arabinogalactan Esterase LysB is Essential for an Efficient Mycobacteriophage-Induced Lysis
Authors: Gigante Adriano , Hampton Cheri , Dillard Rebecca , Gil Filipa , Catalão Maria , Moniz-Pereira José , Wright Elizabeth , Pimentel Madalena
Published: November 2017

All dsDNA phages encode two proteins involved in host lysis, an endolysin and a holin that target the peptidoglycan and cytoplasmic membrane, respectively. Bacteriophages that infect Gram-negative bacteria encode additional proteins, the spanins, involved in disruption of the outer membrane. Recently, a gene located in the lytic cassette was identified in the genomes of mycobacteriophages, which encodes a protein (LysB) with mycolyl-arabinogalactan esterase activity. Taking in consideration the complex mycobacterial cell envelope that mycobacteriophages encounter during their life cycle, it is valuable to evaluate the role of these proteins in lysis. In the present work, we constructed an Ms6 mutant defective on lysB and showed that Ms6 LysB has an important role in lysis. In the absence of LysB, lysis still occurs but the newly synthesized phage particles are deficiently released to the environment. Using cryo-electron microscopy and tomography to register the changes in the lysis phenotype, we show that at 150 min post-adsorption, mycobacteria cells are incompletely lysed and phage particles are retained inside the cell, while cells infected with Ms6wt are completely lysed. Our results confirm that Ms6 LysB is necessary for an efficient lysis of Mycobacterium smegmatis, acting, similarly to spanins, in the third step of the lysis process.
Therapeutic Strategies against Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Cancers Using Proteasome Inhibitors
Authors: Hui Kwai , Tam Kam , Chiang Alan
Published: November 2017

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is closely associated with several lymphomas (endemic Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma) and epithelial cancers (nasopharyngeal carcinoma and gastric carcinoma). To maintain its persistence in the host cells, the virus manipulates the ubiquitin-proteasome system to regulate viral lytic reactivation, modify cell cycle checkpoints, prevent apoptosis and evade immune surveillance. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of the mechanisms by which the virus manipulates the ubiquitin-proteasome system in EBV-associated lymphoid and epithelial malignancies, to evaluate the efficacy of proteasome inhibitors on the treatment of these cancers and discuss potential novel viral-targeted treatment strategies against the EBV-associated cancers.
Self-taken vaginal swabs versus clinician-taken for detection of candida and bacterial vaginosis: a case-control study in primary care
Authors: Barnes Pam , Vieira Rute , Harwood Jayne , Chauhan Mayur
Published: November 2017

Background

Vaginal discharge and vulvitis are common presenting symptoms in general practice. Few studies have specifically looked at the validity of self-taken low vulvovaginal swabs (LVS) for the diagnosis of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and bacterial vaginosis (BV).

Aim

To assess if patient self-taken LVS are a valid alternative to clinician-taken high vaginal swabs (HVS) for the detection of VVC and BV.

Design and setting

Case-control study with the patient acting as their own control in an urban sexual health centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Method

Females aged 16–65 years attending with symptomatic vaginal discharge, vulval irritation, genital pain, and an offensive genital smell were recruited into the study. Participants took a self-taken LVS before vaginal examination, during which a clinician took an HVS (reference standard). Main outcome measures were the diagnosis of BV or VVC infection.

Results

A total of 104 females were enrolled. Of those, 45 were diagnosed with VVC and 26 with BV. The sensitivities of self-taken LVS for VVC and BV were 95.5% and 88.5% respectively. Cohen’s κ coefficient showed ‘strong agreement’ for the detection of both VVC and BV. Vulval itching was the most common symptom associated with VVC (69%), whereas 50% of females diagnosed with BV presented with an offensive discharge. Both symptoms had poor positive predictive values (0.63 and 0.50, respectively).

Conclusion

Self-taken LVS appears to be a valid alternative to clinician-taken HVS for detecting VVC and BV infections. Symptoms were found to be a poor indicator of underlying infection.
Post-traumatic knee MRI findings and associations with patient, trauma, and clinical characteristics: a subgroup analysis in primary care in the Netherlands
Authors: van Oudenaarde Kim , Swart Nynke M , Bloem Johan L , Bierma-Zeinstra Sita MA , Algra Paul R , Koes Bart , Verhaar Jan , Nelissen Rob GHH , Bindels Patrick JE , Luijsterburg Pim AJ , Reijnierse Monique
Published: November 2017

Background

The added value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in primary care is still being debated. A high diagnostic yield can be expected in young and active patients with post-traumatic knee complaints.

Aim

To determine the frequency of MRI abnormalities in young and active patients (aged 18–45 years) and the associations with patient, trauma, and clinical characteristics.

Design and setting

A subgroup analysis of 174 patients, aged 18–45 years with knee trauma of <6 months, allocated to MRI in a randomised controlled trial on the yield of MRI in primary care. Patients were recruited by 150 GPs in the Netherlands from October 2012 to November 2015.

Method

Associations were expressed using mean differences, odds ratio (OR) and predictive values.

Results

Sixty-seven out of 174 patients (39%) had a positive MRI finding, predominantly anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures (22%) and/or traumatic meniscal tears (15%). Patients with a pre-existing musculoskeletal comorbidity had a two-fold lower prevalence of positive MRI findings (21%), OR 3.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3 to 7.0). A ‘sports related trauma’ showed the highest OR of 4.6 (95% CI = 2.2 to 9.3) for a positive MRI finding. Clinical scores were statistically, significantly worse in patients with positive MRI findings, with mean differences ranging from 10 to 20%. Furthermore, increasing duration of complaints was correlated with decreasing prevalence rates of positive MRI findings. Overall, a popping sound and direct swelling showed the highest positive predictive value of 65% for the presence of positive MRI findings.

Conclusion

The results from this study enable a preselection of patients to increase the diagnostic yield of MRI in primary care.
Au nanostructure fabrication by pulsed laser deposition in open air: Influence of the deposition geometry
Authors: Nikov Rumen G , Dikovska Anna Og , Nedyalkov Nikolay N , Avdeev Georgi V , Atanasov Petar A
Published: November 2017

We present a fast and flexible method for the fabrication of Au nanocolumns. Au nanostructures were produced by pulsed laser deposition in air at atmospheric pressure. No impurities or Au compounds were detected in the resulting samples. The nanoparticles and nanoaggregates produced in the ablated plasma at atmospheric pressure led to the formation of chain-like nanostructures on the substrate. The dependence of the surface morphology of the samples on the deposition geometry used in the experimental set up was studied. Nanocolumns of different size and density were produced by varying the angle between the plasma plume and the substrate. The electrical, optical, and hydrophobic properties of the samples were studied and discussed in relation to their morphology. All of the nanostructures were conductive, with conductivity increasing with the accumulation of ablated material on the substrate. The modification of the electrical properties of the nanostructures was demonstrated by irradiation by infrared light. The Au nanostructures fabricated by the proposed technology are difficult to prepare by other methods, which makes the simple implementation and realization in ambient conditions presented in this work more ideal for industrial applications.
Herpetopanone, a diterpene from Herpetosiphon aurantiacus discovered by isotope labeling
Authors: Pan Xinli , Domin Nicole , Schieferdecker Sebastian , Kage Hirokazu , Roth Martin , Nett Markus
Published: November 2017

The genome of the predatory bacterium Herpetosiphon aurantiacus 114-95T harbors a number of biosynthesis genes, including four terpene cyclase genes. To identify the terpenes biosynthesized from H. aurantiacus 114-95T, we fed the strain with 13C-labeled glucose and, subsequently, searched for characteristic mass shifts in its metabolome. This approach led to the discovery of a new natural product, of which the isotope pattern is indicative for a diterpene originating from the methylerythritol phosphate pathway. After large-scale fermentation of H. aurantiacus 114-95T, the putative diterpene was isolated in sufficient quantity to enable NMR-based structure elucidation. The compound, for which the name herpetopanone is proposed, features a rare octahydro-1H-indenyl skeleton. Herpetopanone bears resemblance to cadinane-type sesquiterpenes from plants, but is structurally entirely unprecedented in bacteria. Based on its molecular architecture, a possible biosynthetic pathway is postulated.
Teaching Counseling Skills in Audiology Graduate Programs: Clinical Supervisors’ Perceptions and Practices
Authors: Muñoz Karen , Landon Trent , Corbin-Lewis Kim
Published: November 2017

Background:Counseling is a critical component within audiological service delivery. Partnering with patients to support them in learning to effectively cope with their hearing challenges is a key component in achieving desired outcomes. Even though there is agreement on the foundational
role counseling plays in audiology service delivery, counseling instruction varies among audiology training programs.Purpose:The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives and practices of supervisors in audiology graduate training programs related to mentoring students
in the acquisition of counseling skills.Research Design:A cross-sectional design was used; participants completed a self-report survey.Study Sample:The survey was sent to 323 clinical supervisors in AuD graduate programs in the United States.Data Collection and Analysis:Completed
surveys were received from 205 supervisors. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics to identify practice trends.Results:Participants reported their perceptions about importance of teaching counseling skills to audiology students, their confidence in teaching skills, their
self-efficacy for supporting student learning, how they provide feedback to students, and challenges they encounter. Most participants reported their program requires a counseling course (88%; n = 176). Most of the participants reported confidence in teaching counseling skills; however, fewer
reported being very or extremely confident in teaching students how to talk with clients about their emotions (53%; n = 109) and explaining the rationale behind specific counseling strategies (47%; n = 97). Participants with more years of supervisory experience had statistically significantly
higher self-ratings for teaching confidence and self-efficacy for supporting student learning in counseling than those with fewer years of experience.Conclusions:Audiology supervisors in AuD programs believe counseling is important to teach to students; however, they report variability
in use of methods for providing feedback, evaluating student performance, and in their self-efficacy for supporting student learning. Future audiologists would benefit from a more systematic approach within graduate training for teaching counseling skills.
VIRTUAL GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT FOR DEVELOPING A 3D EARTHWORK BIM
Authors: MOON Sungwoo , SEO Jongwon
Published: November 2017

BIM provides a visualization of the construction design that allows a construction manager to review the construction process and the information that is associated with the progress. BIM is usually applied to modeling struc­tural objects with parametric geometry where the sequence of process can be predefined. However, BIM technology can also be applied to objects with irregular shape where parametric modeling is not possible such as earthwork topography based on TIN (Triangular Irregular Network).The objective of this research is to develop a 3D earthwork BIM method­ology and provide a graphic simulation that is capable of assisting construction equipment operators during excavation work. The 3D earthwork BIM presents a modeling technique that involves integrating hardware and software technolo­gies. This combination of technologies is used to represent the actual excavator configuration in a 3D virtual environ­ment. When it is applied to actual excavation work, it was proved that the 3D earthwork BIM could synchronize the virtual excavator configuration with the actual excavator configuration during excavation work in real time.
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR ENHANCING THE BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING IMPLEMENTATION IN BUILDING PROJECTS IN SINGAPORE
Authors: LIAO Longhui , TEO Evelyn Ai Lin
Published: November 2017

Although building information modelling (BIM) has been implemented in building projects in Singapore, barriers such as the duplicate efforts for designers and contractors to create models appear to exist. Thus, BIM imple­mentation needs to be enhanced. The objectives are to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) for enhancing BIM implementation and investigate the interrelationships among these CSFs. 32 success factors were identified through a literature review and a questionnaire survey was conducted. The results indicated that 15 CSFs were identified and grouped into integration and accuracy of models (IAM), commitment and training from the management (CTM), and advantages and support of implementation (ASI) through factor analysis. The results from structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis revealed that CTM resulted in IAM and from ASI, while ASI facilitated IAM. The proposed framework indicating the CSFs and the intergroup relationships provides an in-depth understanding of BIM implementation and can help firms to commit on their part of project-wide BIM adoption and associated advantages. Overseas practitioners may use the identified success factors and follow the method to customise their own CSFs.
EFFECTS OF GRAPHITE ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF STONE MASTIC ASPHALT PAVEMENT
Authors: KÖK Baha Vural , YILMAZ Mehmet , ERKUS Yunus
Published: November 2017

Hot mix asphalt needs to be developed to resist particular permanent deformations like rutting and thermal cracking due to increased traffic volumes and vehicle loads. Additives such as carbon black, graphite, carbon fibers are used in the mixture or the binder for improving the mechanical features of asphalt. In this article, the effects of graphite used for developing the mechanical properties of asphalt have been investigated in mixtures tests. Therefore, Marshall stability, indirect tensile stiffness modulus and indirect tensile fatigue tests were performed to bituminous mixtures modified with three different proportions of graphite by weight of bitumen. Stone mastic asphalt mixtures which were manufactured with pure and modified bitumen were aged in different time intervals in the oven. In conclusion, it has defined that Marshall stability values have declined. It has been determined that there is no significant difference in the time-dependent deformation behavior of the original and aged samples in pure and different graphite content although the stiffness modulus and load repeat number of the samples increased with the rise of the aging time. These results shown that graphite generally used for improving the thermal properties in literature were also determined to contribute to mechanical properties of mixtures.
CASH FLOW FORECASTING WITH RISK CONSIDERATION USING BAYESIAN BELIEF NETWORKS (BBNS)
Authors: KHANZADI Mostafa , ESHTEHARDIAN Ehsan , MOKHLESPOUR ESFAHANI Mahdiyar
Published: November 2017

Cash-flow management is very important for contractors given that inadequate cash resources typically are the main causes for bankruptcy of construction companies. In comparison to most other industries, the construction industry is severely plagued by risk, and the success of construction projects usually depends on valuating all risks. However, conventional methods suggested by extant research on cash flow forecasting do not consider comprehensive identifica­tion of risk factors, interactions between the factors, and simultaneous occurrences of the factors. This study introduced a simple and appropriate probabilistic cash flow forecasting model using Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) to avoid bankruptcy of contractors by considering influence diagrams and risk factors that affect a project. Workability and reli­ability of the proposed approach was tested on an important building construction project in Iran as a real case study, and the results indicated that the model performed well.
ANALYSIS OF PROBLEMS, CONSEQUENCES AND SOLUTIONS FOR BIM APPLICATION IN RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Authors: MIGILINSKAS Darius , PAVLOVSKIS Miroslavas , URBA Irina , ZIGMUND Viačeslav
Published: November 2017

The main aim of analysis presented in this paper is based on the complex evaluation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) application and decision support in reconstruction projects. The reconstruction projects face the high level uncertainty during implementation mostly due inappropriate information management, insufficient quality control and low competence of participants. The application of advanced Computer-Aided tools such as BIM uses both with advanced Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can be the way to solve the problems of reconstruction projects. The fourteen reconstruction projects have been analysed and the list of thirteen main problems has been identi­fied. The pair wise judgment of problems has been made based on in the expert survey using the Analytic Hierarchy Pro­cess (AHP) method. The occurrence, influence to project and significance of the problems have been calculated and were prioritised according to the importance and consequences. After the complex analysis of problems, it is suggested to use combined list of solutions of the BIM tool application in reconstruction projects to support decision making process.
EFFECT OF SHORT FIBERS ORIENTATION ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL – FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE
Authors: LUSIS Vitalijs , KRASNIKOVS Andrejs , KONONOVA Olga , LAPSA Videvuds-Arijs , STONYS Rimvydas , MACANOVSKIS Arturs , LUKASENOKS Arturs
Published: November 2017

Traditional fiberconcrete structures have fibres in the mix oriented in all spatial directions, distributed in the struc­tural element volume homogenously, what not easy to obtain in practice. In many situations, structurally more effective is the insertion of fibres into the concrete structural element body by forming layers, with a predetermined fibre concentration and orientation in every layer. In the present investigation, layered fibre concrete is under investigation. Short steel fibres were at­tached to flexible warps with the necessary fibres concentration and orientation. Warps were placed into the prismatic mould separating them by concrete layers without fibres. Prisms were matured and tested under four-point bending. The bending-affected mechanical behaviour of cracked fibre concrete was simulated numerically by using a developed struc­tural model. Comparing the simulation results with experimental data, material micromechanical fracture mechanisms were analysed and evaluated.