bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
State of the Art: Bipedal Robots for Lower Limb Rehabilitation
Authors: Yang Xiong , She Haotian , Lu Haojian , Fukuda Toshio , Shen Yajing
Published: November 2017

The bipedal robot is one of the most attractive robots types given its similarity to the locomotion of human beings and its ability to assist people to walk during rehabilitation. This review summarizes the chronological historical development of bipedal robots and introduces some current popular bipedal robots age. Then, the basic theory-stability control and key technology-motion planning of bipedal robots are introduced and analyzed. Bipedal robots have a wide range of applications in the service, education, entertainment, and other industries. After that, we specifically discuss the applications of bipedal robots in lower limb rehabilitation, including wearable exoskeleton robots, rehabilitation equipment, soft exoskeleton robots, and unpowered exoskeleton robots, and their control methods. Lastly, the future development and the challenges in this field are discussed.
Atypical Processing of Novel Distracters in a Visual Oddball Task in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Sokhadze Estate , Lamina Eva , Casanova Emily , Kelly Desmond , Opris Ioan , Khachidze Irma , Casanova Manuel
Published: November 2017

Several studies have shown that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show abnormalities in P3b to targets in standard oddball tasks. The present study employed a three-stimulus visual oddball task with novel distracters that analyzed event-related potentials (ERP) to both target and non-target items at frontal and parietal sites. The task tested the hypothesis that children with autism are abnormally orienting attention to distracters probably due to impaired habituation to novelty. We predicted a lower selectivity in early ERPs to target, frequent non-target, and rare distracters. We also expected delayed late ERPs in autism. The study enrolled 32 ASD and 24 typically developing (TD) children. Reaction time (RT) and accuracy were analyzed as behavioral measures, while ERPs were recorded with a dense-array EEG system. Children with ASD showed higher error rate without normative post-error RT slowing and had lower error-related negativity. Parietal P1, frontal N1, as well as P3a and P3b components were higher to novels in ASD. Augmented exogenous ERPs suggest low selectivity in pre-processing of stimuli resulting in their excessive processing at later stages. The results suggest an impaired habituation to unattended stimuli that incurs a high load at the later stages of perceptual and cognitive processing and response selection when novel distracter stimuli are differentiated from targets.
An Energy Box in a Cloud-Based Architecture for Autonomous Demand Response of Prosumers and Prosumages
Authors: Brusco Giovanni , Burgio Alessandro , Menniti Daniele , Pinnarelli Anna , Sorrentino Nicola , Scarcello Luigi
Published: November 2017

The interest in the implementation of demand response programs for domestic customers within the framework of smart grids is increasing, both from the point of view of scientific research and from the point of view of real applications through pilot projects. A fundamental element of any demand response program is the introduction at customer level of a device, generally named energy box, able to allow interaction between customers and the aggregator. This paper proposes two laboratory prototypes of a low-cost energy box, suitable for cloud-based architectures for autonomous demand response of prosumers and prosumages. Details on how these two prototypes have been designed and built are provided in the paper. Both prototypes are tested in the laboratory along with a demonstration panel of a residential unit, equipped with a real home automation system. Laboratory tests demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed prototypes and their capability in executing the customers’ loads scheduling returned by the solution of the demand-response problem. A personal computer and Matlab software implement the operation of the aggregator, i.e., the intermediary of the energy-integrated community constituted by the customers themselves, who participate in the demand response program.
A Hybrid Parallel Spatial Interpolation Algorithm for Massive LiDAR Point Clouds on Heterogeneous CPU-GPU Systems
Authors: Wang Hongyan , Guan Xuefeng , Wu Huayi
Published: November 2017

Nowadays, heterogeneous CPU-GPU systems have become ubiquitous, but current parallel spatial interpolation (SI) algorithms exploit only one type of processing unit, and thus result in a waste of parallel resources. To address this problem, a hybrid parallel SI algorithm based on a thin plate spline is proposed to integrate both the CPU and GPU to further accelerate the processing of massive LiDAR point clouds. A simple yet powerful parallel framework is designed to enable simultaneous CPU-GPU interpolation, and a fast online training method is then presented to estimate the optimal decomposition granularity so that both types of processing units can run at maximum speed. Based on the optimal granularity, massive point clouds are continuously partitioned into a collection of discrete blocks in a data processing flow. A heterogeneous dynamic scheduler based on the greedy policy is also proposed to achieve better workload balancing. Experimental results demonstrate that the computing power of the CPU and GPU is fully utilized under conditions of optimal granularity, and the hybrid parallel SI algorithm achieves a significant performance boost when compared with the CPU-only and GPU-only algorithms. For example, the hybrid algorithm achieved a speedup of 20.2 on one of the experimental point clouds, while the corresponding speedups of using a CPU or a GPU alone were 8.7 and 12.6, respectively. The interpolation time was reduced by about 12% when using the proposed scheduler, in comparison with other common scheduling strategies.
An Ensemble Model for Co-Seismic Landslide Susceptibility Using GIS and Random Forest Method
Authors: Shrestha Suchita , Kang Tae-Seob , Suwal Madan
Published: November 2017

The Mw 7.8 Gorkha earthquake of 25 April 2015 triggered thousands of landslides in the central part of the Nepal Himalayas. The main goal of this study was to generate an ensemble-based map of co-seismic landslide susceptibility in Sindhupalchowk District using model comparison and combination strands. A total of 2194 co-seismic landslides were identified and were randomly split into 1536 (~70%), to train data for establishing the model, and the remaining 658 (~30%) for the validation of the model. Frequency ratio, evidential belief function, and weight of evidence methods were applied and compared using 11 different causative factors (peak ground acceleration, epicenter proximity, fault proximity, geology, elevation, slope, plan curvature, internal relief, drainage proximity, stream power index, and topographic wetness index) to prepare the landslide susceptibility map. An ensemble of random forest was then used to overcome the various prediction limitations of the individual models. The success rates and prediction capabilities were critically compared using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). By synthesizing the results of the various models into a single score, the ensemble model improved accuracy and provided considerably more realistic prediction capacities (91%) than the frequency ratio (81.2%), evidential belief function (83.5%) methods, and weight of evidence (80.1%).
Accuracy Assessment of Landform Classification Approaches on Different Spatial Scales for the Iranian Loess Plateau
Authors: Kramm Tanja , Hoffmeister Dirk , Curdt Constanze , Maleki Sedigheh , Khormali Farhad , Kehl Martin
Published: November 2017

An accurate geomorphometric description of the Iranian loess plateau landscape will further enhance our understanding of recent and past geomorphological processes in this strongly dissected landscape. Therefore, four different input datasets for four landform classification methods were used in order to derive the most accurate results in comparison to ground-truth data from a geomorphological field survey. The input datasets in 5 m and 10 m pixel resolution were derived from Pléiades stereo satellite imagery and the “Shuttle Radar Topography Mission” (SRTM), and “Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer” (ASTER GDEM) datasets with a spatial resolution of 30 m were additionally applied. The four classification approaches tested with this data include the stepwise approach after Dikau, the geomorphons, the topographical position index (TPI) and the object based approach. The results show that input datasets with higher spatial resolutions produced overall accuracies of greater than 70% for the TPI and geomorphons and greater than 60% for the other approaches. For the lower resolution datasets, only accuracies of about 40% were derived, 20–30% lower than for data derived from higher spatial resolutions. The results of the topographic position index and the geomorphons approach worked best for all selected input datasets.
Field Monitoring of Drosophila suzukii and Associated Communities in South Eastern France as a Pre-Requisite for Classical Biological Control
Authors: Kremmer Laurent , Thaon Marcel , Borowiec Nicolas , David Jean , Poirié Marylène , Gatti Jean-Luc , Ris Nicolas
Published: November 2017

The spotted wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Ds), became a major economic pest for fruit production since its establishment in Europe and America. Among potential control methods, only classical biological control appears to be a mean of sustainably regulating Ds in both cultivated and natural habitats. In the frame of risk assessment, pre-release surveys were carried out in a restricted but highly heterogeneous area in the south-east of France using traps and deliberate field exposures of Ds and D. melanogaster larvae/pupae. Although Ds abundance varied according to sampling methods, it was found to be pervasive and to produce offspring and adults in most conditions (spatial and seasonal). Its main limits are some specific abiotic conditions (i.e., desiccation) as well as interspecific competition. Indeed, Ds mostly co-occurred with D. busckii and D. hydei, probably due to common phenology and/or ecological requirements. These two species thus deserve more attention for risk assessment. The main indigenous parasitoids collected belonged to two pupal species, Trichopria cf drosophilae and Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae, but their presence was observed late in the autumn and mainly in cultivated areas. Results are discussed in a comparison of the methodological approaches for monitoring Drosophilids and the benefits-risks assessment of classical biological control.
Energy Storage Scheduling with an Advanced Battery Model: A Game–Theoretic Approach
Authors: Pilz Matthias , Al-Fagih Luluwah , Pfluegel Eckhard
Published: November 2017

Energy storage systems will play a key role for individual users in the future smart grid. They serve two purposes: (i) handling the intermittent nature of renewable energy resources for a more reliable and efficient system; and (ii) preventing the impact of blackouts on users and allowing for more independence from the grid, while saving money through load-shifting. In this paper we investigate the latter scenario by looking at a neighbourhood of 25 households whose demand is satisfied by one utility company. Assuming the users possess lithium-ion batteries, we answer the question of how each household can make the best use of their individual storage system given a real-time pricing policy. To this end, each user is modelled as a player of a non-cooperative scheduling game. The novelty of the game lies in the advanced battery model, which incorporates charging and discharging characteristics of lithium-ion batteries. The action set for each player comprises day-ahead schedules of their respective battery usage. We analyse different user behaviour and are able to obtain a realistic and applicable understanding of the potential of these systems. As a result, we show the correlation between the efficiency of the battery and the outcome of the game.
“More Honoured in the Breach than in the Observance”—Self-Advocacy and Human Rights
Authors: Petri Gabor , Beadle-Brown Julie , Bradshaw Jill
Published: November 2017

Background: Since the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), human rights have become central for disability advocacy. The CRPD requires that disabled people and their representative organisations (DPOs) have a prominent role in the implementation and monitoring of the Convention. However, the representation of people with intellectual disabilities or autistic people is still often indirect, carried out by parents or professionals. Methods: This is a qualitative research which looks at how self-advocates (SAs) with intellectual disabilities or autism participate in DPOs and how they see the role of human rights and laws such as the CRPD in their advocacy. Data was collected in the UK and in Hungary between October 2016 and May 2017. A total of 43 advocates (SAs and other advocates) were interviewed. For the analysis, thematic analysis was used. Results: findings indicate that most participants have limited knowledge of the CRPD and human rights. Human rights are usually seen as vague and distant ideas, less relevant to everyday lives. SAs may not feel competent to talk about the CRPD. The inclusion of SAs in DPOs is mostly tokenistic, lacking real participation. Conclusions: The CRPD can only bring meaningful change to SAs if they get full membership in DPOs.
Wear Behavior and Microstructure of Mg-Sn Alloy Processed by Equal Channel Angular Extrusion
Authors: Chen Jung-Hsuan , Shen Yen-Chen , Chao Chuen-Guang , Liu Tzeng-Feng
Published: November 2017

Mg-5wt.% Sn alloy is often used in portable electronic devices and automobiles. In this study, mechanical properties of Mg-5wt.% Sn alloy processed by Equal Channel Angular Extrusion (ECAE) were characterized. More precisely, its hardness and wear behavior were measured using Vickers hardness test and a pin-on-disc wear test. The microstructures of ECAE-processed Mg-Sn alloys were investigated by scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. ECAE process refined the grain sizes of the Mg-Sn alloy from 117.6 μm (as-cast) to 88.0 μm (one pass), 49.5 μm (two passes) and 24.4 μm (four passes), respectively. Meanwhile, the hardness of the alloy improved significantly. The maximum wear resistance achieved in the present work was around 73.77 m/mm3, which was obtained from the Mg-Sn alloy treated with a one-pass ECAE process with a grain size of 88.0 μm. The wear resistance improvement was caused by the grain size refinement and the precipitate of the second phase, Mg2Sn against the oxidation of the processed alloy. The as-cast Mg-Sn alloy with the larger grain size, i.e., 117.6 μm, underwent wear mechanisms, mainly adhesive wear and abrasive wear. In ECAE-processed Mg-Sn alloy, high internal energy occurred due to the high dislocation density and the stress field produced by the plastic deformation, which led to an increased oxidation rate of the processed alloy during sliding. Therefore, the oxidative wear and a three-body abrasive wear in which the oxide debris acted as the three-body abrasive components became the dominant factors in the wear behavior, and as a result, reduced the wear resistance in the multi-pass ECAE-processed alloy.
Report from the BIT’s 1st Annual World Congress of Biomedical Engineering Held in Xi’an, China, 9–11 November 2017
Authors: Litscher Gerhard , Mei Xiaodan
Published: November 2017

We are delighted to present within this meeting report the abstracts of the “BIT’s 1st World Congress of Biomedical Engineering 2017” which has been hold in Xi’an in China [...]
Recycling of Palladium from Spent Catalysts Using Solvent Extraction—Some Critical Points
Authors: Paiva Ana
Published: November 2017

Electrical and electronics equipment and automotive and industrial catalysts are some examples of top technological devices whose functioning rely on the use of platinum-group metals (PGMs). The PGMs’ high economic value and difficult to replace technological properties, together with their scarcity in the Earth’s crust, justify concerns about their critical condition and reinforce the importance of developing recycling practices for PGM end-of-life materials. This article presents and discusses recent advances regarding the use of hydrometallurgical solvent extraction to recover one PGM, palladium, from spent catalysts. Two different tendencies are implicit in the literature concerning Pd(II) extraction: a few groups focus on the adjustment and optimization of current commercial extractants, while others prefer to design new extracting compounds. Actually, the leach solutions obtained from the treatment of anthropogenic materials generally exhibit different compositions when compared to those coming from the primary resources. The pros and cons of both approaches are critically discussed, and the assumptions backing some of the reported achievements are also appraised.
Effect of High-Pressure Torsion on Structure and Microhardness of Ti/TiB Metal–Matrix Composite
Authors: Zherebtsov Sergey , Ozerov Maxim , Stepanov Nikita , Klimova Margarita , Ivanisenko Yulia
Published: November 2017

Effect of high-pressure torsion (HPT) at 400 °C on microstructure and microhardness of a Ti/TiB metal–matrix composite was studied. The starting material was produced by spark plasma sintering of a mixture of a pure Ti and TiB2 (10 wt %) powders at 1000 °C. The microstructure evolution during HPT was associated with an increase in dislocation density and substructure development that resulted in a gradual microstructure refinement of the Ti matrix and shortening/redistribution of TiB whiskers. After five revolutions, a nanostructure with (sub) grain size of ~30 nm was produced in Ti matrix. The microhardness increased with strain attaining the value ~520 HV after five revolutions. The contribution of different hardening mechanisms into the hardness of the Ti/TiB metal–matrix composite was quantitatively analyzed.
NMR-Based Identification of Metabolites in Polar and Non-Polar Extracts of Avian Liver
Authors: Fathi Fariba , Brun Antonio , Rott Katherine , Falco Cobra Paulo , Tonelli Marco , Eghbalnia Hamid , Caviedes-Vidal Enrique , Karasov William , Markley John
Published: November 2017

Metabolites present in liver provide important clues regarding the physiological state of an organism. The aim of this work was to evaluate a protocol for high-throughput NMR-based analysis of polar and non-polar metabolites from a small quantity of liver tissue. We extracted the tissue with a methanol/chloroform/water mixture and isolated the polar metabolites from the methanol/water layer and the non-polar metabolites from the chloroform layer. Following drying, we re-solubilized the fractions for analysis with a 600 MHz NMR spectrometer equipped with a 1.7 mm cryogenic probe. In order to evaluate the feasibility of this protocol for metabolomics studies, we analyzed the metabolic profile of livers from house sparrow (Passer domesticus) nestlings raised on two different diets: livers from 10 nestlings raised on a high protein diet (HP) for 4 d and livers from 12 nestlings raised on the HP diet for 3 d and then switched to a high carbohydrate diet (HC) for 1 d. The protocol enabled the detection of 52 polar and nine non-polar metabolites in 1H NMR spectra of the extracts. We analyzed the lipophilic metabolites by one-way ANOVA to assess statistically significant concentration differences between the two groups. The results of our studies demonstrate that the protocol described here can be exploited for high-throughput screening of small quantities of liver tissue (approx. 100 mg wet mass) obtainable from small animals.
Design, Synthesis and Preliminary Biological Evaluation of Novel Benzyl Sulfoxide 2-Indolinone Derivatives as Anticancer Agents
Authors: Tang Lin , Peng Tao , Wang Gang , Wen Xiaoxue , Sun Yunbo , Zhang Shouguo , Liu Shuchen , Wang Lin
Published: November 2017

In this work, a series of novel benzyl sulfoxide 2-indolinone derivatives was designed and synthesized as potent anticancer agents. Tyrosine kinase inhibitory activity assay indicated that most of the compounds showed significant activity. The in vitro antiproliferative activity of these compounds was further investigated against five human cancer cell lines (HeLa, HepG2, MCF-7, SCC-15, and A549). Several compounds exhibited evident activities. Among them, (Z)-3-(((4-bromobenzyl)sulfinyl)methylene)indolin-2-one (6j) and (Z)-3-((benzylsulfinyl)methylene)-5-bromoindolin-2-one (6o) were found to be effective tyrosine kinase inhibitors (IC50 = 1.34 and 2.69 μM, respectively) in addition to having noteworthy antitumor potential (the average IC50 value of 6j or 6o was less than 40 μM). This class of novel derivatives has promising potential for further development as anticancer agents.
Evaluation of Different Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Surface Coatings for Single-Particle Tracking Applications in Biological Environments
Authors: Gao Zhenghong , Danné Noémie , Godin Antoine , Lounis Brahim , Cognet Laurent
Published: November 2017

Fluorescence imaging of biological systems down to the single-molecule level has generated many advances in cellular biology. For applications within intact tissue, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are emerging as distinctive single-molecule nanoprobes, due to their near-infrared photoluminescence properties. For this, SWCNT surfaces must be coated using adequate molecular moieties. Yet, the choice of the suspension agent is critical since it influences both the chemical and emission properties of the SWCNTs within their environment. Here, we compare the most commonly used surface coatings for encapsulating photoluminescent SWCNTs in the context of bio-imaging applications. To be applied as single-molecule nanoprobes, encapsulated nanotubes should display low cytotoxicity, and minimal unspecific interactions with cells while still being highly luminescent so as to be imaged and tracked down to the single nanotube level for long periods of time. We tested the cell proliferation and cellular viability of each surface coating and evaluated the impact of the biocompatible surface coatings on nanotube photoluminescence brightness. Our study establishes that phospholipid-polyethylene glycol-coated carbon nanotube is the best current choice for single nanotube tracking experiments in live biological samples.
Dietary Magnesium and Incident Frailty in Older People at Risk for Knee Osteoarthritis: An Eight-Year Longitudinal Study
Authors: Veronese Nicola , Stubbs Brendon , Maggi Stefania , Notarnicola Maria , Barbagallo Mario , Firth Joseph , Dominguez Ligia , Caruso Maria
Published: November 2017

Inadequate magnesium (Mg) intake is associated with lower physical performance, but the relationship with frailty in older people is unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether higher dietary Mg intake is associated with a lower risk of frailty in a large cohort of North American individuals. Details regarding Mg intake were recorded through a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and categorized as greater than/equal to Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) vs. lower. Frailty was defined using the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures index. Multivariable Cox’s regression analyses, calculating hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were undertaken by sex. In total, 4421 individuals with knee osteoarthritis or who were at high risk without frailty at baseline (mean age: 61.3, females = 58.0%) were followed for 8 years. After adjusting for 11 potential baseline confounders, reaching the RDA for Mg lowered risk of frailty among men (total n = 1857, HR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.26–0.93), whilst no significant associations were found in women (total n = 2564). Each 100 mg of dietary Mg intake at baseline corresponded to a 22% reduction in men (HR = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.62–0.97; p = 0.03), but not in women (HR = 1.05; 95% CI: 0.89–1.23). In conclusion, higher dietary Mg intake appears to reduce the risk of frailty in men, but not in women.
“Wherefore She Made Suit”: African Women’s Religious and Spiritual Determinism in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century England
Authors: Lewis Tamara
Published: November 2017

Historical evidence of early modern English religious communities demonstrate that culturally negative perceptions of skin color and ethnicity contributed to theological notions of black inferiority which supported societal hierarchies based on racial and gender discrimination. This essay analyzes three accounts of a group typically ignored by religious scholars on early modern England: sixteenth and seventeenth century African women. Despite living in a period that arguably witnessed the ideological birth and development of the racial construct in tandem with British colonialist and imperialist expansionism, these women defiantly crafted their own brand of spiritual determinism to wield personal agency in the face of racist theological discourse, ecclesiastical institutions, and legal authorities.
A Hyperspectral Imaging Approach to White Matter Hyperintensities Detection in Brain Magnetic Resonance Images
Authors: Chen Hsian-Min , Wang Hsin , Chai Jyh-Wen , Chen Chi-Chang , Xue Bai , Wang Lin , Yu Chunyan , Wang Yulei , Song Meiping , Chang Chein-I
Published: November 2017

White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are closely related to various geriatric disorders including cerebrovascular diseases, cardiovascular diseases, dementia, and psychiatric disorders of elderly people, and can be generally detected on T2 weighted (T2W) or fluid attenuation inversion recovery (FLAIR) brain magnetic resonance (MR) images. This paper develops a new approach to detect WMH in MR brain images from a hyperspectral imaging perspective. To take advantage of hyperspectral imaging, a nonlinear band expansion (NBE) process is proposed to expand MR images to a hyperspectral image. It then redesigns the well-known hyperspectral subpixel target detection, called constrained energy minimization (CEM), as an iterative version of CEM (ICEM) for WMH detection. Its idea is to implement CEM iteratively by feeding back Gaussian filtered CEM-detection maps to capture spatial information. To show effectiveness of NBE-ICEM in WMH detection, the lesion segmentation tool (LST), which is an open source toolbox for statistical parametric mapping (SPM), is used for comparative study. For quantitative analysis, the synthetic images in BrainWeb provided by McGill University are used for experiments where our proposed NBE-ICEM performs better than LST in all cases, especially for noisy MR images. As for real images collected by Taichung Veterans General Hospital, the NBE-ICEM also shows its advantages over and superiority to LST.
Hyperspectral Image Enhancement and Mixture Deep-Learning Classification of Corneal Epithelium Injuries
Authors: Md Noor Siti Salwa , Ren Jinchang , Marshall Stephen , Michael Kaleena
Published: November 2017

In our preliminary study, the reflectance signatures obtained from hyperspectral imaging (HSI) of normal and abnormal corneal epithelium tissues of porcine show similar morphology with subtle differences. Here we present image enhancement algorithms that can be used to improve the interpretability of data into clinically relevant information to facilitate diagnostics. A total of 25 corneal epithelium images without the application of eye staining were used. Three image feature extraction approaches were applied for image classification: (i) image feature classification from histogram using a support vector machine with a Gaussian radial basis function (SVM-GRBF); (ii) physical image feature classification using deep-learning Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) only; and (iii) the combined classification of CNNs and SVM-Linear. The performance results indicate that our chosen image features from the histogram and length-scale parameter were able to classify with up to 100% accuracy; particularly, at CNNs and CNNs-SVM, by employing 80% of the data sample for training and 20% for testing. Thus, in the assessment of corneal epithelium injuries, HSI has high potential as a method that could surpass current technologies regarding speed, objectivity, and reliability.
Developing a Model for Sustainable Hotels in Northern Cyprus
Authors: Abokhamis Mousavi Soad , Hoşkara Ercan , Woosnam Kyle
Published: November 2017

The purpose of this work is to develop a sustainable hotel building model (SHBM) that will allow for the measurement of sustainability in determining what conditions are most ideal for hotels in Northern Cyprus. This research method is based on the synthesis of international sustainable building assessment criteria from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the localization of these criteria in Northern Cyprus. Thus, this article proposes an SHBM, which is especially localized for Northern Cyprus that can be used for new hotel buildings’ design and construction and renovations of existing buildings as well as to measure their sustainability regarding environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects. To serve this purpose, various methods of measurement of sustainability and green certificates (both qualitative and quantitative), global in scale were studied, which provided the basis for the development of the SHBM and local conditions of Northern Cyprus. Six hotels of differing sizes were studied in order to understand localized situation, conditions and priorities. The results of this study suggest that to have a more sustainable hotel in the aimed context, hotels of different scales (based on bed capacity and classification) must be evaluated adopting the SHBM model to achieve a better result for the sustainability of large-scale as well as small-scale hotels. In addition, this model helps the tourism industry and the hotel sector of Northern Cyprus benefit from sustainability in terms of environmental, economic and sociocultural aspects, which consequently help the local community in several ways.
Social Support and Commitment within Social Networking Site in Tourism Experience
Authors: Chung Namho , Tyan Inessa , Chung Hee
Published: November 2017

More and more tourists are becoming active members of social networking sites (SNS) and are tending to use SNS during different trip stages. Thus, SNS use allows their members to find a great variety of tourism information; share experiences by posting various pictures, photos, and blogs; tag photos; and read and leave comments on network friends’ posts. By getting tagged in a friend’s photos or getting some positive comments, the tourists using SNS can perceive social support from both friends and other network members, and obtain positive emotions triggering from maintaining relationships with family members and close friends or sharing opinions and ideas with people with similar interests. All this can change and shape the satisfaction with tourism experience of the tourists. This study aims to fill the gap in understanding the relationship between SNS use and satisfaction with tourism experience by exploring the effect of psychological factors caused by SNS use on tourists’ experience. More specifically, this research attempts to investigate the mediating effects of perceived social support, positive emotions, and commitment. The statistical results show that SNS use positively affect satisfaction with tourism experience by mediating positive emotions and commitment and perceived social support, and commitment also positively influences satisfaction with tourism experience by mediating positive emotions. With these results, this study extends the research stream of tourism experience by figuring out the mediating role of positive emotions caused by SNS use. Additionally, these findings provide some practical implications regarding marketing techniques that use SNS to increase satisfaction with tourism experience of tourists.
Relationships between Hotel and Restaurant Electricity Consumption and Tourism in 11 European Union Countries
Authors: Pablo-Romero Maria , Sánchez-Braza Antonio , Sánchez-Rivas Javier
Published: November 2017

Tourism is a major economic activity in the world. However, while tourism has a noticeable positive impact on economic development, it also contributes to environmental degradation by increasing energy consumption and therefore emissions. This paper analyzes the relationships between Hotel and Restaurant electricity consumption and tourism growth in 11 European Union countries for the period 2005–2012, for which there is sufficient data availability. Panel data techniques are used to test an electricity consumption function for this sector, which depends on tourism, its squared value, energy price, income and a climate variable. The results show that the Energy–Tourism Kuznets Curve hypothesis is not supported. Instead, an increasing relationship is observed between the Hotel and Restaurant sector electricity consumption and overnight stays. Results also show the effects of income and low temperatures in increasing electricity consumption, while prices have no effects. Energy efficiency measures and the adoption of renewable energy systems are recommended, with further investments therefore being necessary.
State-Of-The-Art Review of Geosynthetic Clay Liners
Authors: Kong De-Jun , Wu Huai-Na , Chai Jin-Chun , Arulrajah Arul
Published: November 2017

An important component of modern landfills is the liner system for the prevention of leachate contamination of surrounding ground. Among landfill liner systems, geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) has gained widespread popularity across the world because of its lower hydraulic conductivity as well as its ability to self-heal local damage, which is almost unavoidable in the field. Over the past few decades, numerous studies have been conducted to examine the performance of GCLs, particularly in regard to hydraulic conductivity, chemical compatibility, water-swelling, self-healing capacity, diffusion characteristics, gas migration, and mechanical behavior. In this paper, a brief introduction on modern GCL products is firstly given. Subsequently, the main findings of previous publications on the critical properties influencing the long-term performance of GCLs are summarized in a comprehensive manner. Finally, further research perspectives on polymer-treated GCLs are presented. This paper provides general insights that help readers gain a state-of-the-art overview of GCLs and trends for future development.
Quantifying the Overlap between Cadastral and Visual Boundaries: A Case Study from Vanuatu
Authors: Luo Xianghuan , Bennett Rohan , Koeva Mila , Lemmen Christiaan , Quadros Nathan
Published: November 2017

Cadastres are argued as an essential tool to support land tenure security. Low cadastral coverage in developing countries creates a driver for innovative methods to expedite the mapping processes. As a human construct, the morphology of parcel boundaries is a diverse and complex topic: there are limited generalized rules for identifying, describing, and classifying them. This paper studies both the institutional and spatial aspects of cadastral boundaries, in order to provide more contemporary knowledge about the morphology of cadastral boundaries. This study inspects the relationship between topographic objects and general boundaries in the case context of Port Vila, Vanuatu. Statistical analysis reveals that under a dialectical error tolerance, large percentages of cadastral boundaries coincide with topographic objects. Specifically, in dense urban regions, road edges and building walls coincide with the majority of cadastral boundaries, with proportions of 49% and 35%, respectively. In suburban regions, the fence (25%), instead of buildings, plays an important role in marking a parcel border. The landscape is observed to have significant impact on parcel morphology. Therefore, constructing a map based on automatic or semi-automatic identification and classification of these features could significantly contribute to cadastral mapping in developing countries.
Epstein–Barr Virus Hijacks DNA Damage Response Transducers to Orchestrate Its Life Cycle
Authors: Hau Pok , Tsao Sai
Published: November 2017

The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous virus that infects most of the human population. EBV infection is associated with multiple human cancers, including Burkitt’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a subset of gastric carcinomas, and almost all undifferentiated non-keratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Intensive research has shown that EBV triggers a DNA damage response (DDR) during primary infection and lytic reactivation. The EBV-encoded viral proteins have been implicated in deregulating the DDR signaling pathways. The consequences of DDR inactivation lead to genomic instability and promote cellular transformation. This review summarizes the current understanding of the relationship between EBV infection and the DDR transducers, including ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated), ATR (ATM and Rad3-related), and DNA-PK (DNA-dependent protein kinase), and discusses how EBV manipulates the DDR signaling pathways to complete the replication process of viral DNA during lytic reactivation.
The Non-Homologous End Joining Protein PAXX Acts to Restrict HSV-1 Infection
Authors: Trigg Ben , Lauer Katharina , Fernandes dos Santos Paula , Coleman Heather , Balmus Gabriel , Mansur Daniel , Ferguson Brian
Published: November 2017

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) has extensive interactions with the host DNA damage response (DDR) machinery that can be either detrimental or beneficial to the virus. Proteins in the homologous recombination pathway are known to be required for efficient replication of the viral genome, while different members of the classical non-homologous end-joining (c-NHEJ) pathway have opposing effects on HSV-1 infection. Here, we have investigated the role of the recently-discovered c-NHEJ component, PAXX (Paralogue of XRCC4 and XLF), which we found to be excluded from the nucleus during HSV-1 infection. We have established that cells lacking PAXX have an intact innate immune response to HSV-1 but show a defect in viral genome replication efficiency. Counterintuitively, PAXX−/− cells were able to produce greater numbers of infectious virions, indicating that PAXX acts to restrict HSV-1 infection in a manner that is different from other c-NHEJ factors.
Effect of Water Quality Sampling Approaches on Nitrate Load Predictions of a Prominent Regression-Based Model
Authors: Sharifi Amirreza , Yen Haw , Wallace Carlington , McCarty Gregory , Crow Wade , Momen Bahram , Lang Megan , Sadeghi Ali , Lee Sangchul , Denver Judith , Rabenhorst Martin
Published: November 2017

High frequency in-situ measurements of nitrate can greatly reduce uncertainty in nitrate flux estimates. Water quality databases maintained by various federal and state agencies often consist of pollutant concentration data obtained from periodic grab samples collected from gauged reaches of a stream. Regression models, such as the LOAD ESTimator (LOADEST), are frequently used to model variations in concentrations associated with changes in water discharge to provide integrated solute flux measurements. However, uncertainty in the relationships between nutrient concentration and flow may lead to errors in the corresponding flux estimates. In this study, a high frequency, in-situ measurement of nitrate concentration was implemented to ascertain uncertainty in the concentration/discharge relationship caused by nitrate hysteresis. It was found that observed nitrate hysteresis, as influenced by complex storm/watershed interactions, was not readily predictable. Therefore, it can lead to substantial nitrate flux uncertainty, based on periodic grab sample monitoring approaches. Scientists and engineers should take advantage of the proposed findings in future studies to enhance the quality of the associated decision making processes.
Fabrication of CeO2–MOx (M = Cu, Co, Ni) composite yolk–shell nanospheres with enhanced catalytic properties for CO oxidation
Authors: Liu Ling , Shi Jingjing , Cao Hongxia , Wang Ruiyu , Liu Ziwu
Published: November 2017

CeO2–MOx (M = Cu, Co, Ni) composite yolk–shell nanospheres with uniform size were fabricated by a general wet-chemical approach. It involved a non-equilibrium heat-treatment of Ce coordination polymer colloidal spheres (Ce-CPCSs) with a proper heating rate to produce CeO2 yolk–shell nanospheres, followed by a solvothermal treatment of as-synthesized CeO2 with M(CH3COO)2 in ethanol solution. During the solvothermal process, highly dispersed MOx species were decorated on the surface of CeO2 yolk–shell nanospheres to form CeO2–MOx composites. As a CO oxidation catalyst, the CeO2–MOx composite yolk–shell nanospheres showed strikingly higher catalytic activity than naked CeO2 due to the strong synergistic interaction at the interface sites between MOx and CeO2. Cycling tests demonstrate the good cycle stability of these yolk–shell nanospheres. The initial concentration of M(CH3COO)2·xH2O in the synthesis process played a significant role in catalytic performance for CO oxidation. Impressively, complete CO conversion as reached at a relatively low temperature of 145 °C over the CeO2–CuOx-2 sample. Furthermore, the CeO2–CuOx catalyst is more active than the CeO2–CoOx and CeO2–NiO catalysts, indicating that the catalytic activity is correlates with the metal oxide. Additionally, this versatile synthesis approach can be expected to create other ceria-based composite oxide systems with various structures for a broad range of technical applications.
A Hybrid Algorithm for Period Analysis from Multiband Data with Sparse and Irregular Sampling for Arbitrary Light-curve Shapes
Authors: Saha Abhijit , Vivas A. Katherina
Published: November 2017

Ongoing and future surveys with repeat imaging in multiple bands are producing (or will produce) time-spaced measurements of brightness, resulting in the identification of large numbers of variable sources in the sky. A large fraction of these are periodic variables: compilations of these are of scientific interest for a variety of purposes. Unavoidably, the data sets from many such surveys not only have sparse sampling, but also have embedded frequencies in the observing cadence that beat against the natural periodicities of any object under investigation. Such limitations can make period determination ambiguous and uncertain. For multiband data sets with asynchronous measurements in multiple passbands, we wish to maximally use the information on periodicity in a manner that is agnostic of differences in the light-curve shapes across the different channels. Given large volumes of data, computational efficiency is also at a premium. This paper develops and presents a computationally economic method for determining periodicity that combines the results from two different classes of period-determination algorithms. The underlying principles are illustrated through examples. The effectiveness of this approach for combining asynchronously sampled measurements in multiple observables that share an underlying fundamental frequency is also demonstrated.
Near Mean-motion Resonances in the System Observed by Kepler: Affected by Mass Accretion and Type I Migration
Authors: Wang Su , Ji Jianghui
Published: November 2017

The Kepler mission has released over 4496 planetary candidates, among which 3483 planets have been confirmed as of 2017 April. The statistical results of the planets show that there are two peaks around 1.5 and 2.0 in the distribution of orbital period ratios. The observations indicate that plenty of planet pairs could have first been captured into mean-motion resonances (MMRs) in planetary formation. Subsequently, these planets depart from exact resonant locations to be near-MMR configurations. Through type I migration, two low-mass planets have a tendency to be trapped in first-order MMRs (2:1 or 3:2 MMRs); however, two scenarios of mass accretion of planets and potential outward migration play important roles in reshaping their final orbital configurations. Under the scenario of mass accretion, the planet pairs can cross 2:1 MMRs and then enter into 3:2 MMRs, especially for the inner pairs. With such a formation scenario, the possibility that two planets are locked into 3:2 MMRs can increase if they are formed in a flat disk. Moreover, the outward migration can make planets have a high likelihood to be trapped into 3:2 MMRs. We perform additional runs to investigate the mass relationship for those planets in three-planet systems, and we show that two peaks near 1.5 and 2.0 for the period ratios of two planets can be easily reproduced through our formation scenario. We further show that the systems in chain resonances (e.g., 4:2:1, 3:2:1, 6:3:2, and 9:6:4 MMRs), have been observed in our simulations. This mechanism can be applicable to understand the formation of systems of Kepler-48, Kepler-53, Kepler-100, Kepler-192, Kepler-297, Kepler-399, and Kepler-450.
The Kepler Eclipsing Binary V2281 Cygni with Twin Stars
Authors: Koo Jae-Rim , Lee Jae Woo , Hong Kyeongsoo
Published: November 2017

We present the physical properties of the eclipsing binary V2281 Cyg, which shows a light-time effect due to a supposed tertiary component from its eclipse timing variation according to the Kepler observations. The high-resolution spectra and BVR photometric data of the system were obtained at Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory and Mount Lemmon Optical Astronomy Observatory, respectively. To determine the fundamental parameters of the eclipsing pair and its circumbinary object, we simultaneously analyzed the radial velocities, light curves, and eclipse times including the Kepler data. The masses and radii for the primary and secondary stars were determined with accuracy levels of approximately 2% and 1%, respectively, as follows:

and

,

and

. If its orbit is coplanar with the eclipsing binary, the period and semimajor axis of the third body were calculated to be

years and

, respectively, and its mass is

. The evolutionary state of the system was investigated by comparing the masses and radii with theoretical models. The results demonstrate that V2281 Cyg is a detached eclipsing binary, which consists of twin main-sequence stars with an age of 1.5 Gyr.
An Explanation of the Very Low Radio Flux of Young Planet-mass Companions
Authors: Wu Ya-Lin , Close Laird M. , Eisner Josh A. , Sheehan Patrick D.
Published: November 2017

We report Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1.3 mm continuum upper limits for five planetary-mass companions DH Tau B, CT Cha B, GSC 6214-210 B, 1RXS 1609 B, and GQ Lup B. Our survey, together with other ALMA studies, have yielded null results for disks around young planet-mass companions and placed stringent dust mass upper limits, typically less than 0.1 M
⊕, when assuming dust continuum is optically thin. Such low-mass gas/dust content can lead to a disk lifetime estimate (from accretion rates) much shorter than the age of the system. To alleviate this timescale discrepancy, we suggest that disks around wide companions might be very compact and optically thick in order to sustain a few Myr of accretion, yet have very weak (sub)millimeter flux so as to still be elusive to ALMA. Our order-of-magnitude estimate shows that compact optically thick disks might be smaller than 1000 R
Jup and only emit ∼μJy of flux in the (sub)millimeter, but their average temperature can be higher than that of circumstellar disks. The high disk temperature could impede satellite formation, but it also suggests that mid- to far-infrared might be more favorable than radio wavelengths to characterize disk properties. Finally, the compact disk size might imply that dynamical encounters between the companion and the star, or any other scatterers in the system, play a role in the formation of planetary-mass companions.