bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ultra-Short-Term Forecast of Photovoltaic Output Power under Fog and Haze Weather
Authors: Liu Weiliang , Liu Changliang , Lin Yongjun , Ma Liangyu , Xiong Feng , Li Jintuo
Published: February 2018

Fog and haze (F-H) weather has been occurring frequently in China since 2012, which affects the output power of photovoltaic (PV) generation dramatically by directly weakening solar irradiance and aggravating dust deposition on PV panels. The ultra-short-term forecast method presented in this study would help to fully reflect the dual effects of F-H on PV output power. Aiming at the weakening effect on solar irradiance, estimation models of atmospheric aerosol optical depth (AOD) based on particle matter (PM) concentration were established with machine learning (ML) method, and the total irradiance received by PV panels was calculated based on simplified REST2 model. Aiming at the aggravating effect on dust deposition on PV panels, sample set of “cumulative PM concentration—efficiency reduction” was constructed through special measurement experiments, then the efficiency reduction under certain dust deposition state was estimated with similar-day choosing method. Based on photoelectric conversion model, PM concentration prediction and weather forecast information, ultra-short-term forecast of PV output power was realized. Experimental results proved the validity and feasibility of the presented forecast method.
Biochemical and MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometric Characterization of a Novel Native and Recombinant Cystine Knot Miniprotein from Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigenum cv. Churqueña
Authors: Cotabarren Juliana , Tellechea Mariana , Tanco Sebastián , Lorenzo Julia , Garcia-Pardo Javier , Avilés Francesc , Obregón Walter
Published: February 2018

Cystine-knot miniproteins (CKMPs) are an intriguing group of cysteine-rich molecules that combine the characteristics of proteins and peptides. Typically, CKMPs are fewer than 50 residues in length and share a characteristic knotted scaffold characterized by the presence of three intramolecular disulfide bonds that form the singular knotted structure. The knot scaffold confers on these proteins remarkable chemical, thermal, and proteolytic stability. Recently, CKMPs have emerged as a novel class of natural molecules with interesting pharmacological properties. In the present work, a novel cystine-knot metallocarboxypeptidase inhibitor (chuPCI) was isolated from tubers of Solanum tuberosum, subsp. andigenum cv. Churqueña. Our results demonstrated that chuPCI is a member of the A/B-type family of metallocarboxypeptidases inhibitors. chuPCI was expressed and characterized by a combination of biochemical and mass spectrometric techniques. Direct comparison of the MALDI-TOF mass spectra for the native and recombinant molecules allowed us to confirm the presence of four different forms of chuPCI in the tubers. The majority of such forms have a molecular weight of 4309 Da and contain a cyclized Gln in the N-terminus. The other three forms are derived from N-terminal and/or C-terminal proteolytic cleavages. Taken together, our results contribute to increase the current repertoire of natural CKMPs.
Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Suwallia teleckojensis (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae) and Implications for the Higher Phylogeny of Stoneflies
Authors: Wang Ying , Cao Jin-Jun , Li Wei-Hai
Published: February 2018

Stoneflies comprise an ancient group of insects, but the phylogenetic position of Plecoptera and phylogenetic relations within Plecoptera have long been controversial, and more molecular data is required to reconstruct precise phylogeny. Herein, we present the complete mitogenome of a stonefly, Suwallia teleckojensis, which is 16146 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and a control region (CR). Most PCGs initiate with the standard start codon ATN. However, ND5 and ND1 started with GTG and TTG. Typical termination codons TAA and TAG were found in eleven PCGs, and the remaining two PCGs (COII and ND5) have incomplete termination codons. All transfer RNA genes (tRNAs) have the classic cloverleaf secondary structures, with the exception of tRNASer(AGN), which lacks the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm. Secondary structures of the two ribosomal RNAs were shown referring to previous models. A large tandem repeat region, two potential stem-loop (SL) structures, Poly N structure (2 poly-A, 1 poly-T and 1 poly-C), and four conserved sequence blocks (CSBs) were detected in the control region. Finally, both maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses suggested that the Capniidae was monophyletic, and the other five stonefly families form a monophyletic group. In this study, S. teleckojensis was closely related to Sweltsa longistyla, and Chloroperlidae and Perlidae were herein supported to be a sister group.
Gonad Transcriptome Analysis of High-Temperature-Treated Females and High-Temperature-Induced Sex-Reversed Neomales in Nile Tilapia
Authors: Sun Li , Teng Jian , Zhao Yan , Li Ning , Wang Hui , Ji Xiang
Published: February 2018

Background: Nowadays, the molecular mechanisms governing TSD (temperature-dependent sex determination) or GSD + TE (genotypic sex determination + temperature effects) remain a mystery in fish. Methods: We developed three all-female families of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), and the family with the highest male ratio after high-temperature treatment was used for transcriptome analysis. Results: First, gonadal histology analysis indicated that the histological morphology of control females (CF) was not significantly different from that of high-temperature-treated females (TF) at various development stages. However, the high-temperature treatment caused a lag of spermatogenesis in high-temperature-induced neomales (IM). Next, we sequenced the transcriptome of CF, TF, and IM Nile tilapia. 79, 11,117, and 11,000 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in the CF–TF, CF–IM, and TF–IM comparisons, respectively, and 44 DEGs showed identical expression changes in the CF–TF and CF–IM comparisons. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that three individuals in CF and three individuals in TF formed a cluster, and three individuals in IM formed a distinct cluster, which confirmed that the gonad transcriptome profile of TF was similar to that of CF and different from that of IM. Finally, six sex-related genes were validated by qRT-PCR. Conclusions: This study identifies a number of genes that may be involved in GSD + TE, which will be useful for investigating the molecular mechanisms of TSD or GSD + TE in fish.
Overexpression of HvIcy6 in Barley Enhances Resistance against Tetranychus urticae and Entails Partial Transcriptomic Reprogramming
Authors: Santamaria M. , Diaz-Mendoza Mercedes , Perez-Herguedas David , Hensel Goetz , Kumlehn Jochen , Diaz Isabel , Martinez Manuel
Published: March 2018

Cystatins have been largely used for pest control against phytophagous species. However, cystatins have not been commonly overexpressed in its cognate plant species to test their pesticide capacity. Since the inhibitory role of barley HvCPI-6 cystatin against the phytophagous mite Tetranychus urticae has been previously demonstrated, the purpose of our study was to determine if barley transgenic lines overexpressing its own HvIcy6 gene were more resistant against this phytophagous infestation. Besides, a transcriptomic analysis was done to find differential expressed genes among wild-type and transformed barley plants. Barley plants overexpressing HvIcy6 cystatin gene remained less susceptible to T. urticae attack when compared to wild-type plants, with a significant lesser foliar damaged area and a lower presence of the mite. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a certain reprogramming of cellular metabolism and a lower expression of several genes related to photosynthetic activity. Therefore, although caution should be taken to discard potential deleterious pleiotropic effects, cystatins may be used as transgenes with impact on agricultural crops by conferring enhanced levels of resistance to phytophagous pests.
Complete Chloroplast Genome Sequences of Four Meliaceae Species and Comparative Analyses
Authors: Mader Malte , Pakull Birte , Blanc-Jolivet Céline , Paulini-Drewes Maike , Bouda Zoéwindé , Degen Bernd , Small Ian , Kersten Birgit
Published: March 2018

The Meliaceae family mainly consists of trees and shrubs with a pantropical distribution. In this study, the complete chloroplast genomes of four Meliaceae species were sequenced and compared with each other and with the previously published Azadirachta indica plastome. The five plastomes are circular and exhibit a quadripartite structure with high conservation of gene content and order. They include 130 genes encoding 85 proteins, 37 tRNAs and 8 rRNAs. Inverted repeat expansion resulted in a duplication of rps19 in the five Meliaceae species, which is consistent with that in many other Sapindales, but different from many other rosids. Compared to Azadirachta indica, the four newly sequenced Meliaceae individuals share several large deletions, which mainly contribute to the decreased genome sizes. A whole-plastome phylogeny supports previous findings that the four species form a monophyletic sister clade to Azadirachta indica within the Meliaceae. SNPs and indels identified in all complete Meliaceae plastomes might be suitable targets for the future development of genetic markers at different taxonomic levels. The extended analysis of SNPs in the matK gene led to the identification of four potential Meliaceae-specific SNPs as a basis for future validation and marker development.
Nanosystems in Edible Coatings: A Novel Strategy for Food Preservation
Authors: Zambrano-Zaragoza María , González-Reza Ricardo , Mendoza-Muñoz Néstor , Miranda-Linares Verónica , Bernal-Couoh Tania , Mendoza-Elvira Susana , Quintanar-Guerrero David
Published: March 2018

Currently, nanotechnology represents an important tool and an efficient option for extending the shelf life of foods. Reducing particle size to nanometric scale gives materials distinct and improved properties compared to larger systems. For food applications, this technology allows the incorporation of hydrophilic and lipophilic substances with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties that can be released during storage periods to increase the shelf life of diverse products, including whole and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and cheese, among others. Edible coatings are usually prepared with natural polymers that are non-toxic, economical, and readily available. Nanosystems, in contrast, may also be prepared with biodegradable synthetic polymers, and liquid and solid lipids at room temperature. In this review, recent developments in the use of such nanosystems as nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanocomposites, and nanoemulsions, are discussed critically. The use of polymers as the support matrix for nanodispersions to form edible coatings for food preservation is also analyzed, but the central purpose of the article is to describe available information on nanosystems and their use in different food substrates to help formulators in their work.
Comparison of Tumor- and Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells from Patients with High-Grade Osteosarcoma
Authors: Le Nail Louis-Romée , Brennan Meadhbh , Rosset Philippe , Deschaseaux Frédéric , Piloquet Philippe , Pichon Olivier , Le Caignec Cédric , Crenn Vincent , Layrolle Pierre , Hérault Olivier , De Pinieux Gonzague , Trichet Valérie
Published: March 2018

Osteosarcoma (OS) is suspected to originate from dysfunctional mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSC). We sought to identify OS-derived cells (OSDC) with potential cancer stem cell (CSC) properties by comparing OSDC to MSC derived from bone marrow of patients. This study included in vitro characterization with sphere forming assays, differentiation assays, cytogenetic analysis, and in vivo investigations of their tumorigenicity and tumor supportive capacities. Primary cell lines were isolated from nine high-grade OS samples. All primary cell lines demonstrated stromal cell characteristics. Compared to MSC, OSDC presented a higher ability to form sphere clones, indicating a potential CSC phenotype, and were more efficient at differentiation towards osteoblasts. None of the OSDC displayed the complex chromosome rearrangements typical of high grade OS and none of them induced tumors in immunodeficient mice. However, two OSDC demonstrated focused genomic abnormalities. Three out of seven, and six out of seven OSDC showed a supportive role on local tumor development, and on metastatic progression to the lungs, respectively, when co-injected with OS cells in nude mice. The observation of OS-associated stromal cells with rare genetic abnormalities and with the capacity to sustain tumor progression may have implications for future tumor treatments.
The Complete Plastome Sequence of an Antarctic Bryophyte Sanionia uncinata (Hedw.) Loeske
Authors: Park Mira , Park Hyun , Lee Hyoungseok , Lee Byeong-ha , Lee Jungeun
Published: March 2018

Organellar genomes of bryophytes are poorly represented with chloroplast genomes of only four mosses, four liverworts and two hornworts having been sequenced and annotated. Moreover, while Antarctic vegetation is dominated by the bryophytes, there are few reports on the plastid genomes for the Antarctic bryophytes. Sanionia uncinata (Hedw.) Loeske is one of the most dominant moss species in the maritime Antarctic. It has been researched as an important marker for ecological studies and as an extremophile plant for studies on stress tolerance. Here, we report the complete plastome sequence of S. uncinata, which can be exploited in comparative studies to identify the lineage-specific divergence across different species. The complete plastome of S. uncinata is 124,374 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure of 114 unique genes including 82 unique protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and four rRNA genes. However, two genes encoding the α subunit of RNA polymerase (rpoA) and encoding the cytochrome b6/f complex subunit VIII (petN) were absent. We could identify nuclear genes homologous to those genes, which suggests that rpoA and petN might have been relocated from the chloroplast genome to the nuclear genome.
Graphene Oxide–Silver Nanocomposite Enhances Cytotoxic and Apoptotic Potential of Salinomycin in Human Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells (OvCSCs): A Novel Approach for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Choi Yun-Jung , Gurunathan Sangiliyandi , Kim Jin-Hoi
Published: March 2018

The use of graphene to target and eliminate cancer stem cells (CSCs) is an alternative approach to conventional chemotherapy. We show the biomolecule-mediated synthesis of reduced graphene oxide–silver nanoparticle nanocomposites (rGO–Ag) using R-phycoerythrin (RPE); the resulting RPE–rGO–Ag was evaluated in human ovarian cancer cells and ovarian cancer stem cells (OvCSCs). The synthesized RPE–rGO–Ag nanocomposite (referred to as rGO–Ag) was characterized using various analytical techniques. rGO–Ag showed significant toxicity towards both ovarian cancer cells and OvCSCs. After 3 weeks of incubating OvCSCs with rGO–Ag, the number of A2780 and ALDH+CD133+ colonies was significantly reduced. rGO–Ag was toxic to OvCSCs and reduced cell viability by mediating the generation of reactive oxygen species, leakage of lactate dehydrogenase, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, and enhanced expression of apoptotic genes, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and possibly triggering apoptosis. rGO–Ag showed significant cytotoxic potential towards highly tumorigenic ALDH+CD133+ cells. The combination of rGO–Ag and salinomycin induced 5-fold higher levels of apoptosis than each treatment alone. A combination of rGO–Ag and salinomycin at very low concentrations may be suitable for selectively killing OvCSCs and sensitizing tumor cells. rGO–Ag may be a novel nano-therapeutic molecule for specific targeting of highly tumorigenic ALDH+CD133+ cells and eliminating CSCs. This study highlights the potential for targeted therapy of tumor-initiating cells.
Children’s Allocation of Study Time during the Solution of Raven’s Progressive Matrices
Authors: Perret Patrick , Dauvier Bruno
Published: February 2018

The acuity of reasoning on Raven’s Progressive Matrices is strongly influenced by strategic determinants. Building on metamemory studies that highlight the influence of study-time allocation on memory development, we investigated children’s allocation of study time while solving these matrices. A total of 170 children aged 6–12 years completed a computerized short-form version of the standard matrices featuring items selected to represent a broad range of difficulties. Beyond analyzing changes in mean latencies and performances with age, we used generalized additive mixed models to explore within-participant variability in response times as a function of both item complexity and overall individual efficiency. Results revealed that individual differences in performances were significantly associated with children’s adaptive modulation of response times. Mediation analysis further indicated that response-time modulation contributed to age-related changes in performance. Taking account of study-time allocation in reasoning tasks may open up new avenues for the study of reasoning development and the assessment of intellectual functioning.
Mechanistic Insight into the Degradation of Nitrosamines via Aqueous-Phase UV Photolysis or a UV-Based Advanced Oxidation Process: Quantum Mechanical Calculations
Authors: Minakata Daisuke , Coscarelli Erica
Published: February 2018

Nitrosamines are a group of carcinogenic chemicals that are present in aquatic environments that result from byproducts of industrial processes and disinfection products. As indirect and direct potable reuse increase, the presence of trace nitrosamines presents challenges to water infrastructures that incorporate effluent from wastewater treatment. Ultraviolet (UV) photolysis or UV-based advanced oxidation processes that produce highly reactive hydroxyl radicals are promising technologies to remove nitrosamines from water. However, complex reaction mechanisms involving radicals limit our understandings of the elementary reaction pathways embedded in the overall reactions identified experimentally. In this study, we perform quantum mechanical calculations to identify the hydroxyl radical-induced initial elementary reactions with N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomethylethylamine, and N-nitrosomethylbutylamine. We also investigate the UV-induced NDMA degradation mechanisms. Our calculations reveal that the alkyl side chains of nitrosamine affect the reaction mechanism of hydroxyl radicals with each nitrosamine investigated in this study. Nitrosamines with one- or two-carbon alkyl chains caused the delocalization of the electron density, leading to slower subsequent degradation. Additionally, three major initial elementary reactions and the subsequent radical-involved reaction pathways are identified in the UV-induced NDMA degradation process. This study provides mechanistic insight into the elementary reaction pathways, and a future study will combine these results with the kinetic information to predict the time-dependent concentration profiles of nitrosamines and their transformation products.
Six Heterocyclic Metabolites from the Myxobacterium Labilithrix luteola
Authors: Mulwa Lucky , Jansen Rolf , Praditya Dimas , Mohr Kathrin , Wink Joachim , Steinmann Eike , Stadler Marc
Published: February 2018

Two new secondary metabolites, labindole A [2-methyl-3-(2-nitroethyl)-3H-indole] (1) and labindole B [2-methyl-3-(2-nitrovinyl)-3H-indole] (2), were isolated from the myxobacterium Labilithrix luteola (DSM 27648T). Additionally, four metabolites 3, 4, 5 and 6 already known from other sources were obtained. Their structures were elucidated from high resolution electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (HRESIMS) and 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy data and their relative configuration was assigned based on nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) and vicinal 1H-NMR coupling data. The compounds where tested for biological activities; labindoles A (1) and B (2) exhibited significant activity against Hepatitis C Virus, 9H-carbazole (3), 3-chloro-9H-carbazole (4) and 4-hydroxymethyl-quinoline (5) showed antifungal activities. Moreover, compound 3 had weak to moderate antibacterial activities, while labindoles A (1) and B (2) were devoid of significant antifungal and antibacterial effects.
Three-Dimensional SnS Decorated Carbon Nano-Networks as Anode Materials for Lithium and Sodium Ion Batteries
Authors: Zhou Yanli , Wang Qi , Zhu Xiaotao , Jiang Fuyi
Published: February 2018

The three-dimensional (3D) SnS decorated carbon nano-networks (SnS@C) were synthesized via a facile two-step method of freeze-drying combined with post-heat treatment. The lithium and sodium storage performances of above composites acting as anode materials were investigated. As anode materials for lithium ion batteries, a high reversible capacity of 780 mAh·g−1 for SnS@C composites can be obtained at 100 mA·g−1 after 100 cycles. Even cycled at a high current density of 2 A·g−1, the reversible capacity of this composite can be maintained at 610 mAh·g−1 after 1000 cycles. The initial charge capacity for sodium ion batteries can reach 333 mAh·g−1, and it retains a reversible capacity of 186 mAh·g−1 at 100 mA·g−1 after 100 cycles. The good lithium or sodium storage performances are likely attributed to the synergistic effects of the conductive carbon nano-networks and small SnS nanoparticles.
Sensing Magnetic Fields with Magnetosensitive Ion Channels
Authors: Goychuk Igor
Published: February 2018

Magnetic nanoparticles are met across many biological species ranging from magnetosensitive bacteria, fishes, bees, bats, rats, birds, to humans. They can be both of biogenetic origin and due to environmental contamination, being either in paramagnetic or ferromagnetic state. The energy of such naturally occurring single-domain magnetic nanoparticles can reach up to 10–20 room

k
B

T

in the magnetic field of the Earth, which naturally led to supposition that they can serve as sensory elements in various animals. This work explores within a stochastic modeling framework a fascinating hypothesis of magnetosensitive ion channels with magnetic nanoparticles serving as sensory elements, especially, how realistic it is given a highly dissipative viscoelastic interior of living cells and typical sizes of nanoparticles possibly involved.
Event-Triggered Fault Estimation for Stochastic Systems over Multi-Hop Relay Networks with Randomly Occurring Sensor Nonlinearities and Packet Dropouts
Authors: Li Yunji , Peng Li
Published: February 2018

Wireless sensors have many new applications where remote estimation is essential. Considering that a remote estimator is located far away from the process and the wireless transmission distance of sensor nodes is limited, sensor nodes always forward data packets to the remote estimator through a series of relays over a multi-hop link. In this paper, we consider a network with sensor nodes and relay nodes where the relay nodes can forward the estimated values to the remote estimator. An event-triggered remote estimator of state and fault with the corresponding data-forwarding scheme is investigated for stochastic systems subject to both randomly occurring nonlinearity and randomly occurring packet dropouts governed by Bernoulli-distributed sequences to achieve a trade-off between estimation accuracy and energy consumption. Recursive Riccati-like matrix equations are established to calculate the estimator gain to minimize an upper bound of the estimator error covariance. Subsequently, a sufficient condition and data-forwarding scheme are presented under which the error covariance is mean-square bounded in the multi-hop links with random packet dropouts. Furthermore, implementation issues of the theoretical results are discussed where a new data-forwarding communication protocol is designed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms and communication protocol are extensively evaluated using an experimental platform that was established for performance evaluation with a sensor and two relay nodes.
Design and Fabrication of a Miniaturized GMI Magnetic Sensor Based on Amorphous Wire by MEMS Technology
Authors: Chen Jiawen , Li Jianhua , Li Yiyuan , Chen Yulong , Xu Lixin
Published: March 2018

A miniaturized Co-based amorphous wire GMI (Giant magneto-impedance) magnetic sensor was designed and fabricated in this paper. The Co-based amorphous wire was used as the sense element due to its high sensitivity to the magnetic field. A three-dimensional micro coil surrounding the Co-based amorphous wire was fabricated by MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) technology, which was used to extract the electrical signal. The three-dimensional micro pick-up coil was designed and simulated with HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulator) software to determine the key parameters. Surface micro machining MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) technology was employed to fabricate the three-dimensional coil. The size of the developed amorphous wire magnetic sensor is 5.6 × 1.5 × 1.1 mm3. Helmholtz coil was used to characterize the performance of the device. The test results of the sensor sample show that the voltage change is 130 mV/Oe and the linearity error is 4.83% in the range of 0~45,000 nT. The results indicate that the developed miniaturized magnetic sensor has high sensitivity. By testing the electrical resistance of the samples, the results also showed high uniformity of each device.
Partial Discharge Spectral Characterization in HF, VHF and UHF Bands Using Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Robles Guillermo , Fresno José , Martínez-Tarifa Juan , Ardila-Rey Jorge , Parrado-Hernández Emilio
Published: March 2018

The measurement of partial discharge (PD) signals in the radio frequency (RF) range has gained popularity among utilities and specialized monitoring companies in recent years. Unfortunately, in most of the occasions the data are hidden by noise and coupled interferences that hinder their interpretation and renders them useless especially in acquisition systems in the ultra high frequency (UHF) band where the signals of interest are weak. This paper is focused on a method that uses a selective spectral signal characterization to feature each signal, type of partial discharge or interferences/noise, with the power contained in the most representative frequency bands. The technique can be considered as a dimensionality reduction problem where all the energy information contained in the frequency components is condensed in a reduced number of UHF or high frequency (HF) and very high frequency (VHF) bands. In general, dimensionality reduction methods make the interpretation of results a difficult task because the inherent physical nature of the signal is lost in the process. The proposed selective spectral characterization is a preprocessing tool that facilitates further main processing. The starting point is a clustering of signals that could form the core of a PD monitoring system. Therefore, the dimensionality reduction technique should discover the best frequency bands to enhance the affinity between signals in the same cluster and the differences between signals in different clusters. This is done maximizing the minimum Mahalanobis distance between clusters using particle swarm optimization (PSO). The tool is tested with three sets of experimental signals to demonstrate its capabilities in separating noise and PDs with low signal-to-noise ratio and separating different types of partial discharges measured in the UHF and HF/VHF bands.
What about Gender in Climate Change? Twelve Feminist Lessons from Development
Authors: Jerneck Anne
Published: February 2018

Adaptation and mitigation are two key responses to climate change. In the global South they prompt many questions: what is the direction and degree of change needed? How can new climate change policies be aligned with existing development initiatives? How are core social relations such as gender understood and prioritized in relation to technical and other solutions? In search of synergies between adaptation, development and mitigation, this article asks a pertinent question for sub-Saharan small-scale agriculture in particular: what can adaptation and mitigation learn from development debates on social goal setting, institutional change and gender equality? From the perspective of sustainability science and feminist literature, three main findings emerge. First, as regards social goal setting, adaptation and mitigation should, like development, support the escape out of poverty, ill-health and food-insecurity. Second, as regards institutions, adaptation and mitigation should address how gender regulates access to, use of and control over resources in terms of labor, land and strategic decision-making power. Third, as regards gender equality, adaptation and mitigation should learn from how development in theory and practice has addressed gender, women, nature and the environment. At its core, the analysis contributes twelve salient themes that can significantly inform adaptation and mitigation in research, policy and practice, thus serving as inspiration for a critical debate on much needed synergetic trajectories.
Can the SDGs Provide a Basis for Supply Chain Decisions in the Construction Sector?
Authors: Russell Erica , Lee Jacquetta , Clift Roland
Published: February 2018

The Construction sector is characterised by complex supply networks delivering unique end products over short time scales. Sustainability has increased in importance but continues to be difficult to implement in this sector; thus, new approaches and practices are needed. This paper reports an empirical investigation into the value of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG12), when used as a framework for action by organisations to drive change towards sustainability in global supply networks. Through inductive research, two different and contrasting approaches to improving the sustainability of supply networks have been revealed. One approach focuses on the “bottom up” ethical approach typified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of timber products, and the other on “top-down” regulations exemplified by the UK Modern Slavery Act. In an industry noted for complex supply networks and characterised by adversarial relationships, the findings suggest that, in the long term, promoting shared values aligned with transparent, third-party monitoring will be more effective than imposing standards through legislation and regulation in supporting sustainable consumption and production.
Effects of Bank Lending on Urban Housing Prices for Sustainable Development: A Panel Analysis of Chinese Cities
Authors: Jiang Yongsheng , Zhao Dong , Sanderford Andrew , Du Jing
Published: February 2018

Stable home prices are critical to a healthy housing market and sustainable development. Home prices in many Chinese cities have increased dramatically in past decades. The China’s central bank uses two primary monetary controls on overheated housing prices: the bank lending supply and lending rate. However, little to no evidence informs whether the nation-level bank lending controls are effective at the city level. Unlike extant studies that only focus on nation-level effects of such controls, this research analyzes long-run effects on housing prices at the national, regional, and city levels. The authors perform cross-sectional time-series regressions on empirical data from 35 major Chinese cities for the period 2003 to 2015. Results confirm that controlling lending rates is effective as a long-term measure at the national, regional, and city levels, whereas controlling the lending supply is effective as a short-term measure for many cities. Results also reveal that housing prices cause lending supply changes for many regions in a long run and indicate that credit policy often lags in response to housing price changes. Findings show that the effectiveness of bank lending largely varies at the city level, suggesting city-tailed bank lending rather than the centralized controls at the national level.
An Exploratory Study of Cooperative Survival: Strategic Adaptation to External Developments
Authors: Grashuis Jasper
Published: February 2018

Farmer cooperatives have been portrayed in the literature as flawed and complex organizations with ambiguous objectives. However, research on the observed survival of farmer cooperatives in spite of their weaknesses and limitations is scarce, in part because academic attention to cooperative performance has been static and introspective. Using evidence collected from case studies and print media publications, this paper contributes to the literature with a qualitative study of farmer cooperatives which spurred survival and longevity by means of strategic adaptation in response to four current developments in the external environment: industry consolidation, consumer segmentation, price volatility, and policy change. The qualitative study concludes farmer cooperatives in general respond to such developments by means of organizational growth. Common strategies are vertical integration, geographic expansion, and portfolio diversification. While survival and longevity are promoted in theory, strategic adaptation also often facilitates the pursuit of investor-oriented as opposed to user-oriented objectives. In some scenarios, member ownership and control may become burdensome to the business and prompt conversion to another structure if further adaptation to internal and external developments is unsuccessful. More research is therefore needed to explore the dynamic and variable impact of strategy on cooperative survival.
Active Transportation Decision-Making against the Background of Air Quality Information Provision: Walking Route Preferences of German Residents
Authors: Koenigstorfer Joerg
Published: February 2018

The study aims to assess whether, and how, provision of information about air quality along inner-city roads influences individuals’ intentions to walk further away from traffic-dense roads. In an experiment, German residents (n = 597) were either exposed to a map that showed, or a map that did not show, air pollution levels along two routes. The routes had the same starting and end points but differed with respect to expected traffic density. Furthermore, the availability of green space (i.e., a park environment) and two air pollution information provision elements—traffic light color-coding and explanations about the relationship between air pollution and health—were experimentally manipulated. Both the availability of green space and the provision of air quality information along the two routes increased the intentions to walk along the low (vs. high) traffic density road. Spatial psychological distance mediated the effect of the availability of green space on intentions to walk along the low traffic density road. The mediation effect disappeared when traffic lights were used for informing individuals about air pollution levels. Public policy makers can therefore be recommended to increase availability of green space and raise awareness of air quality conditions along roads via intuitively interpretable schemes.
Complexity and naturalness biases in phonotactics: Hayes and White (2013) revisited
Authors: Prickett Brandon
Published: March 2018

Hayes and White (2013) found that English speakers rate words that violate natural phonotactic constraints as worse than words that violate unnatural ones. Their “natural” constraints both enforced typologically common restrictions and were phonetically grounded, while their unnatural constraints met neither criterion. They used this experimental finding as evidence for a learning bias in favor of natural constraints. The strength of this conclusion was weakened by the presence of a confound: the unnatural constraints were also more structurally complex. This paper presents the results from an experiment that replicated Hayes and White, but added complexity as a variable of interest. The results suggest that naturalness and complexity both affect phonological acquisition: supporting the conclusions of Hayes and White (2013), but differing from the findings of most artificial language learning studies.
The Godparent Plan: A Pedagogical Strategy for CS1 Accompaniment and CS2 Pedagogical Enhancement
Authors: Feijóo-García Pedro Guillermo , Ortíz-Buitrago Carlos Hernán
Published: February 2018

Courses such as CS1 and CS2 can present an interesting pedagogical challenge when it comes to the theory-practice relationship, along with aspects that involve the course's logistics, the programming language used, and the characteristics of the students involved in the process. This study presents an innovative didactic approach, oriented towards the accompaniment of CS1 students by CS2 students at Universidad El Bosque, Colombia, seeking with this Godparent Plan, to provide a personalized accompaniment to first semester students, whereby CS2 students enhance their domain over concepts and skills while accompanying, explaining and teaching younger peers. The results of this study are favorable, outlining a didactic scheme that can be adapted and replicated in other curricular scenarios.
Initial Validation of a Technical Writing Rubric for Engineering Design
Authors: Bodnar Cheryl , Kadlowec Jennifer
Published: February 2018

Engineering design serves as the capstone experience of most undergraduate engineering programs. One of the key elements of the engineering design process is the compilation of results obtained into a technical report that can be shared and distributed to interested stakeholders including industry, faculty members and other relevant parties. In an effort to expand the tools available for assessment of engineering design technical reports, this study performed an initial validation of a previously developed Technical Writing rubric. The rubric was evaluated for its reliability to measure the intended construct, inter-rater reliability and external validity in comparison to an existing generalized written communication rubric. It was found that the rubric was reliable with Cronbach’s alpha for all dimensions between 0.817 and 0.976. The inter-rater reliability for the overall instrument was also found to be excellent at 0.85. Finally, it was observed that there were no statistically significant differences observed between the measurements obtained on the Technical Writing rubric in comparison to the more generalized Written Communication Value rubric. This demonstrates that although specific to engineering design environments the Technical Writing rubric was able to measure key constructs associated with written communication practice. This rubric can now serve as one additional tool for assessment of communication skills within engineering capstone design experiences.
REMLABNET – User Experience and Mixed Reality Continuum
Authors: Komenda Tomas , Schauer Franz
Published: February 2018

Our recent research in remote laboratory management systems (REMLABNET - www.remlabnet.eu) deals with questions such as how to make the user experience stronger and how to help users understand complex phenomena behind remote experiments and the laws of physics governing the experiment. At our current stage of technological development, we have both sufficiently powerful hardware and software to create an impressive virtual user interface which could be a help to this mission. An extended mixed reality taxonomy for remote physical experiments was proposed to identify goals of the future REMLABNET research and development. The first part of this paper describes classes of taxonomy and reasons why they were set up in this way. The second part mentions the chosen method of our research and our current progress.
Project EXCEL
Authors: Miles Annette Deborah , Shockley Ebony Terrell
Published: March 2018

This chapter outlines the initial findings of Project EXCEL, a collaborative partnership that explores how institutions of higher education (IHEs) can better serve surrounding communities and schools seeking to enhance and diversify the teacher education population. The possibilities for teachers, teacher candidates, and partnerships in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and the surrounding metropolitan areas show the next steps for Project EXCEL. The findings serve as an opportunity for other IHEs to consider for partnerships and recruitment.
Manufacturing Information and Database Systems Adoption and Usage Trends in Developing Countries
Authors: Gwangwava Norman
Published: February 2018

Data and information has become a central productive and strategic asset, and the success of the organization depends on its ability to gather, produce, maintain, and disseminate this information for its benefit and those in its value chain. The chapter details the results from a study concerning different types of software packages used by manufacturing and engineering firms in developing countries. The participants were categorized into six industries: academic, power generation, manufacturing chemicals, manufacturing engineering, mining, and transportation. The study revealed that 97% of the companies had a software package installed for their operations. The “big six” software packages found to be in use are Syspro, Sage, SAP, ELLIPSE, Navision, and SCADA DELTA. In the manufacturing sector, Syspro has the largest market share: 86%. ELLIPSE is largely used in the mining sectors. Companies spend about $20,000 as initial investment on the software and about $2,000 annually on license fees. More than 50% of the software users are satisfied with the performance of their software packages.
Design of Cloud-Based CAPP System to Aid Process Planning for Sheet Metal Products
Authors: Gwangwava Norman
Published: February 2018

In the design of new products, it is usual for different planners to specify different processing routes for the same part, which do not always incorporate the optimal solution to the problem. Computerization of process planning has evolved as a solution to speed up planning for new products. The essence of the chapter is to explore machine capabilities, parameters, and constrains inherent in sheet metal forming processes and then illustrate CAPP software design for process sequencing for new products to support standardisation of production routes. The verification of the designed CAPP system has realised significant savings of 40% reduction in process planning effort, 5% in material, 15% in scrap and 10% in tooling. In order to design the cloud-based CAPP system, data was gathered on the machinery capabilities for the sheet metal operations in a case study company that manufactures sheet metal accessories for the construction industry. A computer-based system was developed to store the machinery tool capabilities and their functional parameters and to facilitate sharing of information across the system modules. Autodesk Inventor® was used as the source of input for the CAD models into the system. Visual Basic.NET programming language was used to design a module for feature recognition (FR) to capture characteristics from a CAD model drawing of the new sheet metal product. A module was then developed to sequence the process operations for the CAD model based on the part features. The process sequencing system helps designers and process planners to link the new model design with the production path, the tools, and equipment required in order to improve their design and planning in the early stages of the product life cycle.
Open Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) for Cloud Manufacturing and Cloud-Based Maintenance Integration Using XML
Authors: Gwangwava Norman
Published: February 2018

Product lifecycle management (PLM) is concerned with managing all the processes of product transition from cradle to the grave. Phases of a product life are inception, engineering design, manufacture, service, and disposal. A product passes through different systems, organisations, and users as it completes the life cycle. Global markets of today have increased the complex nature of a product path. All the life cycle phases rely upon product data for efficient management. In order to ease the strain of managing products throughout the lifecycle, a common product data schema is needed. Currently many platforms for product design use different proprietary schemas that make it difficult to have smooth lifecycle management. The chapter illustrates applications of an open source, XML-based schema for product lifecycle management. The main focus is on the inclusion of the Cloud in order to have new generation cloud product life cycle management (CPLM). The main driver of CPLM is cloud-model-based systems engineering (CMBSE). Within the framework of CMBSE are cloud-based design (CBD), cloud manufacturing (CM), and cloud-based maintenance (CBM). The three subsystems of CMBSE can be combined to form a single term, cloud-based design, manufacturing, and maintenance (CBDMM). Cloud computing, manufacturing, and maintenance are not new concepts, but many enterprises have not yet embraced them because of lack of complete seamless integration across various levels and processes in the product life. Many systems are still being run in silos of automation. CPLM is a service-oriented (SOA) model comprised of a pool of technologies such as cloud computing (CC), IoT, virtualization, and service-oriented technologies to support collaboration, sharing, and management across PLM phases.
Network Security
Authors: Rath Mamata , Swain Jhum , Pati Bibudhendu , Pattanayak Binod Kumar
Published: February 2018

This chapter describes how with the rapid increase of internet users, more people have access to global information and communication technology. As a result of which, the issues of using the internet as a global platform for the enabling of smart objects and machines to coordinate, communicate, compute and calculate, gradually emerge. In Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs) the individual nodes are self-reconfigurable according to the changes of the network topology. Joint effort between portable hubs is more critical because they face major challenges such as powerlessness to work safely while protecting its assets and performing secure steering among hubs. With the existence of malicious nodes, one of the principal challenges in MANETs is to outline powerful security arrangement that can shield MANETs from various routing attacks. This chapter highlights major attacks and control mechanism in MANETs with an intention that it will open directions for researchers to explore more in the field of network security. At the end of this chapter, basic security mechanisms and issues related to emergence of IoT from Mobile networks has been highlighted.
Cross-Layer Based Intrusion Detection and Prevention for Network
Authors: Kumari Reema , Sharma Kavita
Published: February 2018

Day by day technologies for mobile computing growing rapidly and its network security changed according to their need. The attacker always trying to learn some new techniques to break those security walls of the wireless network. To prevent our network from attacker various defense techniques are used. Firewalls and encryption are used to prevent our network from malware but it is not sufficient for protecting the networks. Many researchers implement new architecture and techniques or mechanism that protect and detect malicious node and their activity over the network that is intrusion detection system (IDS). IDS provides security wall and it provides network security as well as it has continuously monitored and taken appropriate action against the threat. In this Chapter, we are trying to explain some network attack that is resolved or detect through intrusion detection system by exploiting the technology or information that available across different layers of the protocol stack in order to improve the accuracy of detection.