bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ökologische Bewertung von Waldrändern: ein Methodenvergleich
Authors: Fuhrer Björn , Babbi Manuel , Krüsi Bertil O.
Published: November 2017

Ecological assessing of forest edges: comparison of two methods

In Switzerland, forest edges are mostly man-made. Potentially, forest edge ecotones are very rich in species. In agricultural landscapes, they are also the main element of ecological connectivity. Unfortunately, today's forest edges are mostly far too narrow and monotonous to optimally fulfil their role. Some years ago, therefore, the federal government started a programme to improve the ecological quality of forest edges. Of course, the impact of the programme should be monitored and several assessment methods were developed. In the present paper, we compared the assessment methods of Pro Natura and Krüsi by applying them to eleven upgraded and three untreated forest edges. Even though both methods take into account the structure and the floristic richness of forest edges, they differ in many details. One major difference is that the Pro Natura method is based on estimates while the Krüsi method whenever possible relies on measurements. With both methods, it was possible to distinguish valuable from less valuable forest edges and, fortunately, the results of both methods even highly correlated. In conclusion, for a quick assessment by lay men, the rapid and simple Pro Natura method is recommended, whereas for scientific monitoring, the more reproducible and more sophisticated but also more time-consuming Krüsi method is more suitable.
Vlf Surface-impedance Measurements for Ice-defth Mapping in the Antarctic
Authors: Thiel David V. , Neall Fiona
Published: November 2017

VLF surface-impedance measurements were made along four traverses on the Antarctic ice sheet in the vicinity of Casey base. Computer modelling of the surface-impedance data allowed ice-depth predictions to be made; predictions which are almost independent of ice temperature for ice depths less than 800 m. Results agree with ice-radar and other ice-depth data. Surface-impedance anomalies were observed close to moraines and crevasses in the ice sheet. The technique is fast and the instrumentation sufficiently portable for single-person operation.
Air Movement in Snow Due to Windpumping
Authors: Colbeck S.C.
Published: November 2017

Strong winds can disrupt the thermal regime in seasonal snow because of the variation in surface pressure associated with surface features like dunes and ripples. Topographical features of shorter wavelengths produce stronger surface flows, but the flow decays rapidly with depth. Longer-wavelength features produce weaker surface flows but the flow decays more slowly with depth. The flow may only be strong enough to disrupt the temperature field for features of wavelengths on the scale of meters or tens of meters at wind speeds of 10 m/s or more.

Other possible causes of windpumping have been examined but they do not appear to be as significant. Rapid pressure perturbations due to turbulence produce very little displacement of the air because of the high frequency and low amplitude. Barometric pressure changes cause compression and expansion of the air in the pore space, but the rate is too low to have much effect.
Detection of Climate Signal by Inter-stake Correlations of Annual Ablation Data Qamanârssûp Sermia, West Greenland
Authors: Braithwaite Roger J. , Olesen Ole В
Published: November 2017

Annual ablation on Qamanârssûp sermia, West Greenland, varies with year and location. The time variation of ablation at any stake consists of climate signal and noise due to errors and local topography. Variations of ablation at different stakes are positively correlated with each other with inter-stake correlation coefficients depending on the relative magnitudes of climate signal and noise. Inter-stake correlations and noise are very sensitive to gross errors in the data, while climate signal is less sensitive. Low values of inter-stake correlations are used to detect suspect data, and elimination of such data reduces the noise standard deviation from ±0.40 to ±0.28 m water a−1 for 6 years of record compared with a climate signal of ±0.55 m water a−1. The climate signal on Qamanârssûp is positively correlated with summer mean temperature and negatively correlated with annual precipitation. This shows that even a sparse stake network as at Qamanârssûp sermia gives useful glacier-climate information which can be applied to studies of both glacier hydrology and greenhouse effect.
Astronomic Bioethics: Terraforming X Planetary protection
Authors: Palhares Dario , Santos Íris Almeida dos
Published: November 2017

A hard difficulty in Astrobiology is the precise definition of what life is. All living beings have a cellular structure, so it is not possible to have a broader concept of life hence the search for extraterrestrial life is restricted to extraterrestrial cells. Earth is an astronomical rarity because it is difficult for a planet to present liquid water on the surface. Two antagonistic bioethical principles arise: planetary protection and terraforming. Planetary protection is based on the fear of interplanetary cross-infection and possible ecological damages caused by alien living beings. Terraforming is the intention of modifying the environmental conditions of the neighbouring planets in such a way that human colonisation would be possible. The synthesis of this antagonism is ecopoiesis, a concept related to the creation of new ecosystems in other planets. Since all the multicellular biodiversity requires oxygen to survive, only extremophile microorganisms could survive in other planets. So, it could be carried out a simulation of a meteorite by taking to other planets portions of the terrestrial permafrost, or ocean or soil, so that if a single species could grow, a new ecosystem would start, as well as a new Natural History. As a conclusion, ecopoiesis should be the bioethical principle to guide practices and research in Astrobiology.
ZIKA Virus Disease as Public Health Emergency and Ethics
Authors: Chakraborty Rhyddhi , Fernandes Edmond
Published: November 2017

This paper argues that Zika virus infection has its ethical implications beyond the reproductive health of women. It claims that Zika virus infection like public health emergency exposes the underlying health determinants and health status of women. Therefore, ethical mitigation of Zika like public health emergencies should consider these underlying health determinants and health status of women. For, undermining and overlooking these underlying determinants and health status of women, during the public health emergencies, enhance the health inequities. The recent Zika virus infection in Brazil has triggered different ethics consultation and has prompted to outline ethical recommendations. However, the recommendations have either focused on the reproductive health of women or on the core strategies of public health emergency. Considering this as a gap in perspective to prepare for Zika like public health emergencies, this paper argues that it is the underlying holistic health of women, precisely, health capability, which should be given due ethical consideration. Finally, the paper concludes highlighting the fact that focusing on the holistic health of the women during Zika like public health emergencies and beyond can bring in long-term benefits for global health equity.
How Do We Recognise Deleuze and Simondon Are Spinozists?
Authors: Scott David
Published: November 2017

While typically unapologetic in expressing admiration, notably Gilles Deleuze admits his concern one time, in passing, that Gilbert Simondon's thought might hide a pernicious kind of ‘disguised moralism’, in which the form of the transcendent (‘God’, ‘Man’, ‘Ideas’) lurks, the enemy of the philosophy of immanence. Might there in fact be an ulterior motive in Deleuze's concern? But might this potential critique invite its own reversal? That is, might Deleuze's accusation be in fact a strategy for teasing out what, perhaps, is unrecognisable as such, but structurally essential for how Simondon constructs his onto-epistemological goals? Moreover, might this Simondonian response, unmasked, not only deflect but anticipate a ‘critique’ like Deleuze's? Extending this question further reveals I believe the implications for Simondon's ‘ethics without morality’, bringing him closer to Deleuze's interpretation of Spinoza. As a result, Deleuze's ‘critique’ invites the question: ‘What exactly is Spinozan in Simondon's ethics?’ Such a question compels our re-evaluation of humanism, its underlying prerogatives, if now in light of its consequences, the re-evaluation of poststructuralism: first, because it is predicated on the critique of the humanistic subject and, second, because ‘poststructuralism’ has come to designate how Simondon's relatedness is determined to Deleuze.
Form IV: From Ruyer's Psychobiology to Deleuze and Guattari's Socius
Authors: Roffe Jon
Published: November 2017

From the point of view of the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze, Raymond Ruyer's work appears to bear out two distinct tendencies of unequal appeal. On the one hand, Ruyer appears to be an anti-Aristotelian thinker of formation, rejecting any hylomorphic account of the production of reality. However, and notably despite his serious commitment to the work of the sciences of his day, he remains wedded to the ultimately conservative Leibnizian principle of closure. Nowhere is this dichotomy more striking than in his account of human society. The aim of this paper is to show how his positive account of form(ation) finds a significant and convincing extension in Deleuze and Guattari's notion of social surface or socius in Anti-Oedipus.
‘Solemn Progress’: Woolf, Burke, and the Negotiation of Virtue
Authors: Zhang Nan
Published: November 2017

This essay analyzes Virginia Woolf's exploration of a public spirit exceeding both bourgeois egotism and narrow patriotic allegiances prescribed by the imperial state. Excavating hitherto unexamined affinities between Woolf and Edmund Burke, the essay shows how Woolf's vision of ‘solemn progress’ in Mrs Dalloway effectively conjoins a Burkean emphasis on the civilizing effects of aesthetic sentiments with a Renaissance humanist notion of virtù. Woolf's re-imagining of solidarity involves two moves that are temporally divergent yet temperamentally complementary: a renewal of attention to older conceptions of civil society whose ethic was civilized rather than narrowly civic; and an extension of the domain of society to a cosmic realm of life beyond the purview of the political state. By realigning public spirit with moral responses to a view of shared fate, Woolf seeks to relocate virtue in a collective experience across class and national boundaries.
Gossip at Work: Scandal, Professionalism, and Community in Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim
Authors: Perko Katharine
Published: November 2017

This essay considers the central role of gossip in Lord Jim (1902) as Joseph Conrad's response to the end of the ‘working age of global sail’ and the rise of modern professionalism in the first decades of the twentieth century. While several critical readings mention the presence of professional gossip in Conrad's fictions, this essay contends that his use of gossip in Lord Jim represents a significant engagement with questions regarding the function of orality in the modern novel. Lord Jim juxtaposes ‘idle’ talk with physical labour in depicting characters talking about professional-related matters rather than performing maritime labour. In the contrast between talk and toil, Conrad's novel asks: What is work? Lord Jim redefines the concept by showing that gossip is an essential speech mode for executing the necessary work of establishing and reinforcing professional identity. This novel complicates dominant cultural understandings of labour and communication at the century's start, at the same time destabilising categorical distinctions between oral storytelling and gossip. These subversions illuminate a number of ways in which the latter can be understood as a generative mode for narrating the experience of a world transformed by modernisation.
Insights into the Dichotomous Regulation of SOD2 in Cancer
Authors: Kim Yeon , Gupta Vallur Piyushi , Phaëton Rébécca , Mythreye Karthikeyan , Hempel Nadine
Published: November 2017

While loss of antioxidant expression and the resultant oxidant-dependent damage to cellular macromolecules is key to tumorigenesis, it has become evident that effective oxidant scavenging is conversely necessary for successful metastatic spread. This dichotomous role of antioxidant enzymes in cancer highlights their context-dependent regulation during different stages of tumor development. A prominent example of an antioxidant enzyme with such a dichotomous role and regulation is the mitochondria-localized manganese superoxide dismutase SOD2 (MnSOD). SOD2 has both tumor suppressive and promoting functions, which are primarily related to its role as a mitochondrial superoxide scavenger and H2O2 regulator. However, unlike true tumor suppressor- or onco-genes, the SOD2 gene is not frequently lost, or rarely mutated or amplified in cancer. This allows SOD2 to be either repressed or activated contingent on context-dependent stimuli, leading to its dichotomous function in cancer. Here, we describe some of the mechanisms that underlie SOD2 regulation in tumor cells. While much is known about the transcriptional regulation of the SOD2 gene, including downregulation by epigenetics and activation by stress response transcription factors, further research is required to understand the post-translational modifications that regulate SOD2 activity in cancer cells. Moreover, future work examining the spatio-temporal nature of SOD2 regulation in the context of changing tumor microenvironments is necessary to allows us to better design oxidant- or antioxidant-based therapeutic strategies that target the adaptable antioxidant repertoire of tumor cells.
Erratum: Further Investigation on Laminar Forced Convection of Nanofluid Flows in a Uniformly Heated Pipe Using Direct Numerical Simulations. Applied Sciences 2017, 6, 332
Authors:   Applied Sciences Editorial Office
Published: November 2017

We wish to make the following correction to the published paper [...]
An Experimental Platform for Autonomous Bus Development
Authors: Montes Héctor , Salinas Carlota , Fernández Roemi , Armada Manuel
Published: November 2017

Nowadays, with highly developed instrumentation, sensing and actuation technologies, it is possible to foresee an important advance in the field of autonomous and/or semi-autonomous transportation systems. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) have been subjected to very active research for many years, and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is one area of major interest. Among the most promising transport infrastructures, the articulated bus is an interesting, low cost, high occupancy capacity and friendly option. In this paper, an experimental platform for research on the automatic control of an articulated bus is presented. The aim of the platform is to allow full experimentation in real conditions for testing technological developments and control algorithms. The experimental platform consists of a mobile component (a commercial articulated bus) fully instrumented and a ground test area composed of asphalt roads inside the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) premises. This paper focuses also on the development of a human machine interface to ease progress in control system evaluation. Some experimental results are presented in order to show the potential of the proposed platform.
Guidelines for Assessing Enological and Statistical Significance of Wine Tasters’ Binary Judgments
Authors: Cicchetti Dom
Published: November 2017

The purpose of this article is to assess the reliability and accuracy (validity) of hypothetical binary tasting judgments in an oenological framework. The model that is utilized allows for the control of a wide array of variables that would be exceedingly difficult to fully control in the typical oenological investigation. It is shown that results that are judged to be oenologically significant are uniformly judged to be statistically significant as well, whether the level of Wine Taster agreement is set at 70% (Fair); 80% (Good), or 90% (Excellent). However, in a number of instances, results that were statistically significant were not enologically significant by standards that are widely accepted and utilized. This finding is consistent with the bio-statistical fact that given a sufficiently large sample size, even the most trivial of results will prove to be statistically significant. Consistent with expectations, multiple patterns of 80% (Good) and 90% (Excellent) agreement tended to be both statistically and enologically significant.
4SC-202 as a Potential Treatment for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Medulloblastoma
Authors: Messerli Shanta , Hoffman Mariah , Gnimpieba Etienne , Kohlhof Hella , Bhardwaj Ratan
Published: November 2017

This project involves an examination of the effect of the small molecule inhibitor 4SC-202 on the growth of the pediatric brain cancer medulloblastoma. The small molecule inhibitor 4SC-202 significantly inhibits the viability of the pediatric desmoplastic cerebellar human medulloblastoma cell line DAOY, with an IC50 = 58.1 nM, but does not affect the viability of noncancerous neural stem cells (NSC). 4SC-202 exposure inhibits hedgehog expression in the DAOY cell line. Furthermore, microarray analysis of human medulloblastoma patient tumors indicate significant upregulation of key targets in the Hedgehog signaling pathway and Protein Tyrosine Kinase (PTK7).
Morphology Dependent Flow Stress in Nickel-Based Superalloys in the Multi-Scale Crystal Plasticity Framework
Authors: Keshavarz Shahriyar , Molaeinia Zara , Reid Andrew , Langer Stephen
Published: November 2017

This paper develops a framework to obtain the flow stress of nickel-based superalloys as a function of γ-γ’ morphology. The yield strength is a major factor in the design of these alloys. This work provides additional effects of γ’ morphology in the design scope that has been adopted for the model developed by authors. In general, the two-phase γ-γ’ morphology in nickel-based superalloys can be divided into three variables including γ’ shape, γ’ volume fraction and γ’ size in the sub-grain microstructure. In order to obtain the flow stress, non-Schmid crystal plasticity constitutive models at two length scales are employed and bridged through a homogenized multi-scale framework. The multi-scale framework includes two sub-grain and homogenized grain scales. For the sub-grain scale, a size-dependent, dislocation-density-based finite element model (FEM) of the representative volume element (RVE) with explicit depiction of the γ-γ’ morphology is developed as a building block for the homogenization. For the next scale, an activation-energy-based crystal plasticity model is developed for the homogenized single crystal of Ni-based superalloys. The constitutive models address the thermo-mechanical behavior of nickel-based superalloys for a large temperature range and include orientation dependencies and tension-compression asymmetry. This homogenized model is used to obtain the morphology dependence on the flow stress in nickel-based superalloys and can significantly expedite crystal plasticity FE simulations in polycrystalline microstructures, as well as higher scale FE models in order to cast and design superalloys.
Discovering Potential Correlations via Hypercontractivity
Authors: Kim Hyeji , Gao Weihao , Kannan Sreeram , Oh Sewoong , Viswanath Pramod
Published: November 2017

Discovering a correlation from one variable to another variable is of fundamental scientific and practical interest. While existing correlation measures are suitable for discovering average correlation, they fail to discover hidden or potential correlations. To bridge this gap, (i) we postulate a set of natural axioms that we expect a measure of potential correlation to satisfy; (ii) we show that the rate of information bottleneck, i.e., the hypercontractivity coefficient, satisfies all the proposed axioms; (iii) we provide a novel estimator to estimate the hypercontractivity coefficient from samples; and (iv) we provide numerical experiments demonstrating that this proposed estimator discovers potential correlations among various indicators of WHO datasets, is robust in discovering gene interactions from gene expression time series data, and is statistically more powerful than the estimators for other correlation measures in binary hypothesis testing of canonical examples of potential correlations.
An Impact-Based Frequency Up-Converting Hybrid Vibration Energy Harvester for Low Frequency Application
Authors: Xu Zhenlong , Wang Wen , Xie Jin , Xu Zhonggui , Zhou Maoying , Yang Hong
Published: November 2017

In this paper, a novel impact-based frequency up-converting hybrid energy harvester (FUCHEH) was proposed. It consisted of a piezoelectric cantilever beam and a driving beam with a magnetic tip mass. A solenoid coil was attached at the end of the piezoelectric beam. This innovative configuration amplified the relative motion velocity between magnet and coil, resulting in an enhancement of the induced electromotive force in the coil. An electromechanical coupling model was developed and a numerical simulation was performed to study the principle of impact-based frequency up-converting. A prototype was fabricated and experimentally tested. The time-domain and frequency-domain analyses were performed. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis verified that fundamental frequencies and coupled vibration frequency contributes most of the output voltage. The measured maximum output power was 769.13 µW at a frequency of 13 Hz and an acceleration amplitude of 1 m/s2, which was 3249.4%- and 100.6%-times larger than that of the frequency up-converting piezoelectric energy harvesters (FUCPEH) and frequency up-converting electromagnetic energy harvester (FUCEMEH), respectively. The root mean square (RMS) voltage of the piezoelectric energy harvester subsystem (0.919 V) was more than 16 times of that of the stand-alone PEH (0.055 V). This paper provided a new scheme to improve generating performance of the vibration energy harvester with high resonant frequency working in the low-frequency vibration environment.
Voltage Optimisation Technology for an Australian Abattoir—A Techno-Economic Evaluation
Authors: Shafiullah GM , Watson Bond , Lund Christopher , Rahman Md , Rupf Gloria , Whale Jonathan
Published: November 2017

Optimising voltage levels to a controlled stable level at a facility can not only reduce the cost of energy but also enhance equipment performance, prolong equipment life, reduce maintenance costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Voltage optimisation (VO) technology has been widely used in a number of different industries locally and internationally, but not to a large extent within the red meat processing sector in Australia. To determine whether VO technology can be implemented, and whether it is technically and economically viable for red meat processing sites, this study investigated, through case study analyses, the potential effectiveness of VO technology in Australian abattoirs. Through an extensive literature survey, the study initially explored the need and considerations of deploying VO technologies at a typical red meat processing plant. To determine the advantages of using VO technology the study then performed site analyses to investigate power quality (PQ) issues, such as voltage regulation, harmonics and power factor, at two typical medium-sized abattoirs, one in Western Australia and another in Queensland. Finally, an economic assessment of the use of VO in the red meat processing industry was undertaken to identify the potential electricity savings and payback periods. From the case study analyses, it is evident that power quality issues, such as under voltage, overvoltage, and harmonic distortion, can be reduced and significant energy savings can be achieved with the optimum selection of VO technology and voltage level. The outcomes of this study will enable engineering and operations staff to be better informed about the economic and technical benefits of (and possible issues with) using VO technologies in an abattoir.
A Novel Active Online State of Charge Based Balancing Approach for Lithium-Ion Battery Packs during Fast Charging Process in Electric Vehicles
Authors: Cui Xiudong , Shen Weixiang , Zhang Yunlei , Hu Cungang
Published: November 2017

Abstract: Non-uniformity of Lithium-ion cells in a battery pack is inevitable and has become the bottleneck to the pack capacity, especially in the fast charging process. Therefore, a balancing approach is essentially required. This paper proposes an active online cell balancing approach in a fast charging process using the state of charge (SOC) as balancing criterion. The goal of this approach is to complete pack balancing within the limited charging time. An adaptive extended Kalman filter (AEKF) is applied to estimate the pack cell SOC during the charging process to obtain accurate results under modeling errors and measurement noises. To implement the proposed AEKF, only one additional current sensor is required to obtain the current of each cell required for the SOC estimation. An experimental platform is established to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results show that the proposed balancing approach with the SOC as a balancing criterion can overcome the challenges of non-uniformity and flat voltage plateau and charge more capacity into a LiFePO4 battery pack than those with the terminal voltage as a balancing criterion in the fast charging process.
Heat Modeling and Material Development of Mg-Based Nanomaterials Combined with Solid Oxide Fuel Cell for Stationary Energy Storage
Authors: Shao Huaiyu
Published: November 2017

Mg-based materials have been investigated as hydrogen storage materials, especially for possible onboard storage in fuel cell vehicles for decades. Recently, with the development of large-scale fuel cell technologies, the development of Mg-based materials as stationary storage to supply hydrogen to fuel-cell components and provide electricity and heat is becoming increasingly promising. In this work, numerical analysis of heat balance management for stationary solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems combined with MgH2 materials based on a carbon-neutral design concept was performed. Waste heat from the SOFC is supplied to hydrogen desorption as endothermic heat for the MgH2 materials. The net efficiency of this model achieves 82% lower heating value (LHV), and the efficiency of electrical power output becomes 68.6% in minimizing heat output per total energy output when all available heat of waste gas and system is supplied to warm up the storage. For the development of Mg-based hydrogen storage materials, various nano-processing techniques have been widely applied to synthesize Mg-based materials with small particle and crystallite sizes, resulting in good hydrogen storage kinetics, but poor thermal conductivity. Here, three kinds of Mg-based materials were investigated and compared: 325 mesh Mg powers, 300 nm Mg nanoparticles synthesized by hydrogen plasma metal reaction, and Mg50Co50 metastable alloy with body-centered cubic structure. Based on the overall performances of hydrogen capacity, absorption kinetics and thermal conductivity of the materials, the Mg nanoparticle sample by plasma synthesis is the most promising material for this potential application. The findings in this paper may shed light on a new energy conversion and utilization technology on MgH2-SOFC combined concept.
A New Concept of Active Demand Side Management for Energy Efficient Prosumer Microgrids with Smart Building Technologies
Authors: Ożadowicz Andrzej
Published: November 2017

Energy efficient prosumer microgrids (PMGs) with active and flexible demand side management (DSM) mechanisms are considered to be crucial elements of future smart grids. Due to an increasing share of renewable energy and the growing power demand, appropriate tools to manage not only the loads but also small generation units, heating and cooling systems, storage units and electric vehicles should be provided for them. Therefore, this paper proposes an innovative approach to both physical and logical organization of an active DSM system for future building-integrated prosumer microgrids (BIPMGs), based on standard building automation and control systems (BACS) as well as Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm. New event-triggered control functions with developed universal, logical interfaces for open BACS and IoT network nodes are presented and their implementation in smart metering as well as fully integrated energy management mechanisms is analyzed. Finally, potential energy efficiency improvements with proposed BACS functions are discussed, based on BACS efficiency requirements defined in the EN 15232 standard.
Energy-Saving Benefits of Adiabatic Humidification in the Air Conditioning Systems of Semiconductor Cleanrooms
Authors: Jo Min-Suk , Shin Jang-Hoon , Kim Won-Jun , Jeong Jae-Weon
Published: November 2017

This paper aimed to evaluate the applicability of adiabatic humidification in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems of semiconductor cleanrooms. Accurate temperature and humidity control are essential in semiconductor cleanrooms and high energy consumption steam humidification is commonly used. Therefore, we propose an adiabatic humidification system employing a pressurized water atomizer to reduce the energy consumption. The annual energy consumption of three different HVAC systems were analyzed to evaluate the applicability of adiabatic humidification. The studied cases were as follows: (1) CASE 1: a make-up air unit (MAU) with a steam humidifier, a dry cooling coil (DCC), and a fan filter unit (FFU); (2) CASE 2: a MAU with the pressurized water atomizer, a DCC, and a FFU; and (3) CASE 3: a MAU, a DCC, and a FFU, and the pressurized water atomizer installed in the return duct. The energy saving potential of adiabatic humidification over steam humidification has been proved, with savings of 8% and 23% in CASE 2 and CASE 3 compared to CASE 1, respectively. Furthermore, the pressurized water atomizer installed in the return duct exhibits greater energy saving effect than when installed in the MAU.
An Economical Route Planning Method for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle in Real World
Authors: Zhang Yuanjian , Chu Liang , Fu Zicheng , Xu Nan , Guo Chong , Li Yukuan , Chen Zhouhuan , Sun Hanwen , Bai Qin , Ou Yang
Published: November 2017

Relieving the adverse effects of automobiles on the environment and natural resources has drawn the attention of numerous researchers. This paper seeks a new path to reach a target by focusing on the synergy of the vehicle and the environment. A real-time economical route planning method for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is proposed. Three main contributions have been made. Firstly, a real comparison test is performed to provide rudimentary understanding of the difference in energy usage and route planning between PHEVs and conventional vehicles. Secondly, an approach to obtain PHEV customized data is developed for road weight calculation, which is the essential step in route planning. This method incorporates traffic data from conventional vehicles with the PHEV simulation model, obtaining the required data. Thirdly, the travel expense estimation model (TEEM) is designed. The TEEM could be applied to calculate the road weight of each road segment considering the impact on energy consumption with respect to environmental factors, providing the grounds for route planning. The proposed method to plan an economical route is evaluated, and the results justify its validation and ability to improve fuel economy.
The Role of Carbohydrates in the Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) Signalling
Authors: Cochet Florent , Peri Francesco
Published: November 2017

The interactions between sugar-containing molecules from the bacteria cell wall and pattern recognition receptors (PRR) on the plasma membrane or cytosol of specialized host cells are the first molecular events required for the activation of higher animal’s immune response and inflammation. This review focuses on the role of carbohydrates of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS, lipooligosaccharide, LOS, and lipid A), in the interaction with the host Toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor 2 (TLR4/MD-2) complex. The lipid chains and the phosphorylated disaccharide core of lipid A moiety are responsible for the TLR4 agonist action of LPS, and the specific interaction between MD-2, TLR4, and lipid A are key to the formation of the activated complex (TLR4/MD-2/LPS)2, which starts intracellular signalling leading to nuclear factors activation and to production of inflammatory cytokines. Subtle chemical variations in the lipid and sugar parts of lipid A cause dramatic changes in endotoxin activity and are also responsible for the switch from TLR4 agonism to antagonism. While the lipid A pharmacophore has been studied in detail and its structure-activity relationship is known, the contribution of core saccharides 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo) and heptosyl-2-keto-3-deoxy-octulosonate (Hep) to TLR4/MD-2 binding and activation by LPS and LOS has been investigated less extensively. This review focuses on the role of lipid A, but also of Kdo and Hep sugars in LPS/TLR4 signalling.
Low Temperature Extends the Lifespan of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus through the cGMP Pathway
Authors: Wang Bowen , Ma Ling , Wang Feng , Wang Buyong , Hao Xin , Xu Jiayao , Ma Yan
Published: November 2017

The causal agent of pine wilt disease, pine wood nematode (PWN) (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus), revealed extended lifespan at low temperature. To discover the molecular mechanism of this phenomenon, we attempted to study the molecular characterization, transcript abundance, and functions of three genes of the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway from B. xylophilus. Three cGMP pathway genes were identified from B. xylophilus. Bioinformatic software was utilized to analyze the characteristics of the three putative proteins. Function of the three genes in cold tolerance was studied with RNA interference (RNAi). The results showed that the deduced protein of Bx-DAF-11 has an adenylate and guanylate cyclase catalytic domain, indicating an ability to bind to extracellular ligands and synthesizing cGMP. Both Bx-TAX-2 and Bx-TAX-4 have cyclic nucleotide-binding domains and ion transport protein domains, illustrating that they are cGMP-gated ion channels. The transcript level of Bx-daf-11, Bx-tax-2, and Bx-tax-4 increased at low temperature. The survival rates of three gene silenced B. xylophilus revealed a significant decrease at low temperature. This study illustrated that the cGMP pathway plays a key role in low-temperature-induced lifespan extension in B. xylophilus.
Impact of Soil Depth and Topography on the Effectiveness of Conservation Practices on Discharge and Soil Loss in the Ethiopian Highlands
Authors: Akale Adugnaw , Dagnew Dessalegn , Belete Mulugeta , Tilahun Seifu , Mekuria Wolde , Steenhuis Tammo
Published: November 2017

Restoration of degraded landscapes through the implementation of soil and water conservation practices is considered a viable option to increase agricultural production by enhancing ecosystems. However, in the humid Ethiopian highlands, little information is available on the impact of conservation practices despite wide scale implementation. The objective of this research was to document the effect of conservation practices on discharge and sediment concentration and load in watersheds that have different soil depths and topography. Precipitation, discharge, and sediment concentration were measured from 2010 to 2012 in two watersheds in close proximity and located in the Lake Tana basin, Ethiopia: Tikur-Wuha and Guale watersheds. The Tikur-Wuha watershed has deep soils and a gentle slope stream channel. The Guale watershed has shallow soils and a steep slope stream channel. In early 2011, the local community installed upland conservation measures consisting of stone and soil bunds, waterways, cutoff drains, infiltration furrows, gully rehabilitation, and enclosures. The results show that conservation practices marginally decreased direct runoff in both watersheds and increased base flow in the Tikur-Wuha watershed. Average sediment concentration decreased by 81% in Tikur-Wuha and 45% in Guale. The practices intended to increase infiltration were most effective in the Tikur-Wuha watershed because the deep soil could store the infiltrated water and release it over a longer period of time after the rainy season than the steeper Guale watershed with shallow soils.
Evolutionary Conflict Leads to Innovation: Symmetry Breaking in a Spatial Model of RNA-Like Replicators
Authors: Von der Dunk Samuel , Colizzi Enrico , Hogeweg Paulien
Published: November 2017

Molecules that replicate in trans are vulnerable to evolutionary extinction because they decrease the catalysis of replication to become more available as a template for replication. This problem can be alleviated with higher-level selection that clusters molecules of the same phenotype, favouring those groups that contain more catalysis. Here, we study a simple replicator model with implicit higher-level selection through space. We ask whether the functionality of such system can be enhanced when molecules reproduce through complementary replication, representing RNA-like replicators. For high diffusion, symmetry breaking between complementary strands occurs: one strand becomes a specialised catalyst and the other a specialised template. In ensemble, such replicators can modulate their catalytic activity depending on their environment, thereby mitigating the conflict between levels of selection. In addition, these replicators are more evolvable, facilitating survival in extreme conditions (i.e., for higher diffusion rates). Our model highlights that evolution with implicit higher-level selection—i.e., as a result of local interactions and spatial patterning—is very flexible. For different diffusion rates, different solutions to the selective conflict arise. Our results support an RNA World by showing that complementary replicators may have various ways to evolve more complexity.
Effect of Heating Rate on Pyrolysis Behavior and Kinetic Characteristics of Siderite
Authors: Zhang Xiaolong , Han Yuexin , Li Yanjun , Sun Yongsheng
Published: November 2017

The pyrolysis characteristics of siderite at different heating rates under the neutral atmosphere were investigated using various tools, including comprehensive thermal analyzer, tube furnace, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and vibrating specimen magnetometer (VSM) measurements. The reaction of siderite pyrolysis followed the one-step reaction under the neutral atmosphere: FeCO3 → Fe3O4 + CO2 + CO. As the increasing of heating rate, the start and end pyrolysis temperatures and temperate where maximum weight loss rate occurred increased, while the total mass loss were essentially the same. Increasing heating rate within a certain range was in favor of shortening the time of each reaction stage, and the maximum conversion rate could be reached with a short time. The most probable mechanism function for non-isothermal pyrolysis of siderite at different heating rates was A1/2 reaction model (nucleation and growth reaction). With increasing heating rate, the corresponding activation energies and the pre-exponential factors increased, from 446.13 to 505.19 kJ∙mol−1, and from 6.67 × 10−18 to 2.40 × 10−21, respectively. All siderite was transformed into magnetite with a porous structure after pyrolysis, and some micro-cracks were formed into the particles. The magnetization intensity and specific susceptibility increased significantly, which created favorable conditions for the further effective concentration of iron ore.
Atractylenolide II Inhibits Proliferation, Motility and Induces Apoptosis in Human Gastric Carcinoma Cell Lines HGC-27 and AGS
Authors: Tian Shuang , Yu Hongdan
Published: November 2017

Atractylenolide II (AT-II) exhibits several biological and pharmacological functions, especially anti-cancer activity as the major sesquiterpene lactones isolated from Atractylodes macrocephala (also named Baizhu in Chinese). However, the effects and mechanisms of AT-II on human gastric cancer remain unclear. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, morphological changes, flow cytometry, wound healing assay and Western blot analysis were used to investigate the effects of AT-II on cell proliferation, apoptosis and motility of human gastric carcinoma cell lines HGC-27 and AGS. Our results indicated that AT-II could significantly inhibit cell proliferation, motility and induce apoptosis in a dose and time-dependent manner. Western blot analysis showed that the expression level of Bax was upregulated and the expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), phosphorylated-protein kinase B (p-Akt) and phosphorylated-ERK (p-ERK) were downregulated compared to control group. In conclusion, the findings suggested that AT-II exerted significant anti-tumor effects on gastric carcinoma cells by modulating Akt/ERK signaling pathway, which might shed light on therapy of gastric carcinoma.
Leptin and Physical Activity in Adult Patients with Anorexia Nervosa: Failure to Demonstrate a Simple Linear Association
Authors: Stengel Andreas , Haas Verena , Elbelt Ulf , Correll Christoph , Rose Matthias , Hofmann Tobias
Published: November 2017

High physical activity (PA) in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) is hypothesized to be, at least in part, a consequence of hypoleptinemia. However, most studies on the association of leptin and PA in AN were performed in adolescents or young adults, and PA was generally measured with subjective tools. We aimed to explore the association of leptin and PA in adults with AN using an objective technique to quantify PA. Using a cross-sectional, observational design, we analyzed body fat (bioelectrical impedance), PA (accelerometry, SenseWear™ armband) and plasma leptin (ELISA) in 61 women with AN (median age: 25 years, range: 18–52 years; median BMI: 14.8 ± 2.0 kg/m2) at the start of hospitalization. Results indicated a mean step count per day of 12,841 ± 6408 (range: 3956–37,750). Leptin was closely associated with BMI and body fat (ρ = 0.508 and ρ = 0.669, p < 0.001), but not with steps (ρ = 0.015, p = 0.908). Moreover, no significant association was observed between BMI and steps (ρ = 0.189, p = 0.146). In conclusion, there was no simple, linear association of leptin and PA, highlighting the need for more complex and non-linear models to analyze the association of leptin and PA in adults with AN in future studies.
Multi-Scale Evaluation of the SMAP Product Using Sparse In-Situ Network over a High Mountainous Watershed, Northwest China
Authors: Zhang Lanhui , He Chansheng , Zhang Mingmin
Published: November 2017

As the latest L-band mission to date, evaluation of the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) products is one of its post-launch objectives. However, almost all previous studies have been conducted at the core validation sites (CVS) of the SMAP mission. This paper presents an evaluation of the SMAP soil moisture Level 3 (L3) and Level 4 (L4) products under different vegetation types at multiple tempo-spatial scales over the upper reach of the Heihe River Watershed, a topographically complex mountainous area in Northwest China. This was done through comparisons of the L3 and L4 products with ground-based observations from a sparse in situ network of permanent and temporary stations from 1 April 2015 to 22 June 2017. Results show that, compared with in situ observations at point scale, both the L3 and L4 products represent the temporal trends of the in situ observations in the study area well, with R values of 0.601 and 0.538 for the L3 ascending and descending products, respectively, and ranging from 0.353 to 0.410 for the L4 product at eight overpassing moments. However, because of the uncertainties of brightness temperature TBp and effective temperature Teff as well as their propagations in the inversion algorithm, both products did not achieve the accuracy of 0.04 m3/m3 in mountainous area. These uncertainties also result in the “dry bias” of the SMAP products in almost all the evaluations to date. Compared with areal average values at the watershed scale, the L3 product is far beyond the accuracy of 0.04 m3/m3 and the L4 product basically achieves the accuracy. In vegetation-covered land, the suitability and the variability of the coefficient bp result in both products performing best in cropland, then coniferous forest, sparse grassland, dense grassland, and alpine meadow, and worst in shrub. In barren land, the errors in estimating surface roughness h caused by the complex topography lead to poor performance of the SMAP products. With the relative errors of the SMAP brightness temperature observations and the corresponding land model forecast in the assimilation; the L3 and L4 products show different performance at both temporal and spatial scales; and the L3 product provides more reliable soil moisture estimates in the study area. Based on the results of this study, we propose: quantifying the uncertainties in estimating brightness temperature TBp and effective temperature Teff; determine coefficient bp and surface roughness h factor under various conditions; improving Goddard Earth Observing Model System Version 5 (GEOS-5) model; and deriving the SMAP-only climatology to improve the SMAP soil moisture estimates in the future.
Fire Regimes and Their Drivers in the Upper Guinean Region of West Africa
Authors: Dwomoh Francis , Wimberly Michael
Published: November 2017

The Upper Guinean region of West Africa exhibits strong geographic variation in land use, climate, vegetation, and human population and has experienced phenomenal biophysical and socio-economic changes in recent decades. All of these factors influence spatial heterogeneity and temporal trends in fires, but their combined effects on fire regimes are not well understood. The main objectives of this study were to characterize the spatial patterns and interrelationships of multiple fire regime components, identify recent trends in fire activity, and explore the relative influences of climate, topography, vegetation type, and human activity on fire regimes. Fire regime components, including active fire density, burned area, fire season length, and fire radiative power, were characterized using MODIS fire products from 2003 to 2015. Both active fire and burned area were most strongly associated with vegetation type, whereas fire season length was most strongly influenced by climate and topography variables, and fire radiative power was most strongly influenced by climate. These associations resulted in a gradient of increasing fire activity from forested coastal regions to the savanna-dominated interior, as well as large variations in burned area and fire season length within the savanna regions and high fire radiative power in the westernmost coastal regions. There were increasing trends in active fire detections in parts of the Western Guinean Lowland Forests ecoregion and decreasing trends in both active fire detections and burned area in savanna-dominated ecoregions. These results portend that ongoing regional landscape and socio-economic changes along with climate change will lead to further changes in the fire regimes in West Africa. Efforts to project future fire regimes and develop regional strategies for adaptation will need to encompass multiple components of the fire regime and consider multiple drivers, including land use as well as climate.