bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Photonic Inverse Design of Simple Particles with Realistic Losses in the Visible Frequency Range
Authors: Valagiannopoulos Constantinos
Published: March 2019

Billions of U.S. dollars of basic and applied research funding have been invested during the last few years in ideas proposing inverse concepts. The photonics market could not make an exception to this global trend, and thus, several agenda-setting research groups have already started providing sophisticated tools, constrained optimization algorithms, and selective evolution techniques towards this direction. Here, we present an approach of inverse design based on the exhaustive trial-and-testing of the available media and changing the physical dimensions’ range according to the operational wavelength. The proposed technique is applied to the case of an optimal radiation-enhancing cylindrical particle fed by a line source of visible light and gives a two-order increase in the magnitude of the produced signal.
Comprehensive Analysis of the Chitinase Family Genes in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
Authors: Cao Jun , Tan Xiaona
Published: March 2019

Chitinase catalyzes the hydrolysis of chitin β-1,4 linkages. However, plants cannot produce chitin, suggesting that plant chitinases do not have the same function as animals. This study investigated the chitinase gene family in tomato and divided into eight groups via phylogenetic analyses with Arabidopsis and rice members. Conserved gene structures and motif arrangements indicated their functional relevance with each group. These genes were nonrandomly distributed across the tomato chromosomes, and tandem duplication contributed to the expansion of this gene family. Synteny analysis also established orthology relationships and functional linkages between Arabidopsis and tomato chitinase genes. Several positive selection sites were identified, which may contribute to the functional divergence of the protein family in evolution. In addition, differential expression profiles of the tomato chitinase genes were also investigated at some developmental stages, or under different biotic and abiotic stresses. Finally, functional network analysis found 124 physical or functional interactions, implying the diversity of physiological functions of the family proteins. These results provide a foundation for the exploration of the chitinase genes in plants and will offer some insights for further functional studies.
Fabrication of Hybrid Polymeric Micelles Containing AuNPs and Metalloporphyrin in the Core
Authors: Wang Yanxia , Yang Heng , Chen Si , Chen Hua , Chai Zhihua
Published: February 2019

Multi-structure assemblies consisting of gold nanoparticles and porphyrin were fabricated by using diblock copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PEG-b-P4VP). The copolymer of PEG-b-P4VP was used in the formation of core-shell micelles in water, in which the P4VP block serves as the core, while the PEG block forms the shell. In the micellar core, gold nanoparticle and metalloporphyrin were dispersed through the axial coordination. Structural and morphological characterizations of the complex micelle were carried out by transmission electron microscopy, laser light scatting, and UV-visible spectroscopy. Metalloporphyrin in the complex micelle exhibited excellent photostability by reducing the generation of the singlet oxygen. This strategy may provide a novel approach to design photocatalysts that have target applications in photocatalysis and solar cells.
The Effect of Glycerol, Sugar, and Maleic Anhydride on Pectin-Cellulose Thin Films Prepared from Orange Waste
Authors: Bátori Veronika , Lundin Magnus , Åkesson Dan , Lennartsson Patrik R. , Taherzadeh Mohammad J. , Zamani Akram
Published: February 2019

This study was conducted to improve the properties of thin films prepared from orange waste by the solution casting method. The main focus was the elimination of holes in the film structure by establishing better cohesion between the major cellulosic and pectin fractions. For this, a previously developed method was improved first by the addition of sugar to promote pectin gelling, then by the addition of maleic anhydride. Principally, maleic anhydride was introduced to the films to induce cross-linking within the film structure. The effects of concentrations of sugar and glycerol as plasticizers and maleic anhydride as a cross-linking agent on the film characteristics were studied. Maleic anhydride improved the structure, resulting in a uniform film, and morphology studies showed better adhesion between components. However, it did not act as a cross-linking agent, but rather as a compatibilizer. The middle level (0.78%) of maleic anhydride content resulted in the highest tensile strength (26.65 ± 3.20 MPa) at low (7%) glycerol and high (14%) sugar levels and the highest elongation (28.48% ± 4.34%) at high sugar and glycerol levels. To achieve a uniform film surface with no holes present, only the lowest (0.39%) level of maleic anhydride was necessary.
Diurnal and Seasonal Variations in Chlorophyll Fluorescence Associated with Photosynthesis at Leaf and Canopy Scales
Authors: Campbell Petya K. E. , Huemmrich Karl F. , Middleton Elizabeth M. , Ward Lauren A. , Julitta Tommaso , Daughtry Craig S. T. , Burkart Andreas , Russ Andrew L. , Kustas William P.
Published: February 2019

There is a critical need for sensitive remote sensing approaches to monitor the parameters governing photosynthesis, at the temporal scales relevant to their natural dynamics. The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) and chlorophyll fluorescence (F) offer a strong potential for monitoring photosynthesis at local, regional, and global scales, however the relationships between photosynthesis and solar induced F (SIF) on diurnal and seasonal scales are not fully understood. This study examines how the fine spatial and temporal scale SIF observations relate to leaf level chlorophyll fluorescence metrics (i.e., PSII yield, YII and electron transport rate, ETR), canopy gross primary productivity (GPP), and PRI. The results contribute to enhancing the understanding of how SIF can be used to monitor canopy photosynthesis. This effort captured the seasonal and diurnal variation in GPP, reflectance, F, and SIF in the O2A (SIFA) and O2B (SIFB) atmospheric bands for corn (Zea mays L.) at a study site in Greenbelt, MD. Positive linear relationships of SIF to canopy GPP and to leaf ETR were documented, corroborating published reports. Our findings demonstrate that canopy SIF metrics are able to capture the dynamics in photosynthesis at both leaf and canopy levels, and show that the relationship between GPP and SIF metrics differs depending on the light conditions (i.e., above or below saturation level for photosynthesis). The sum of SIFA and SIFB (SIFA+B), as well as the SIFA+B yield, captured the dynamics in GPP and light use efficiency, suggesting the importance of including SIFB in monitoring photosynthetic function. Further efforts are required to determine if these findings will scale successfully to airborne and satellite levels, and to document the effects of data uncertainties on the scaling.
Mapping Annual Forest Change Due to Afforestation in Guangdong Province of China Using Active and Passive Remote Sensing Data
Authors: Shen Wenjuan , Li Mingshi , Huang Chengquan , Tao Xin , Li Shu , Wei Anshi
Published: February 2019

Accurate acquisition of spatial distribution of afforestation in a large area is of great significance to contributing to the sustainable utilization of forest resources and the evaluation of the carbon accounting. Annual forest maps (1986–2016) of Guangdong, China were generated using time series Landsat images and PALSAR data. Initially, four PALSAR-based classifiers were used to classify land cover types. Then, the optimal mapping algorithm was determined. Next, an accurate identification of forest and non-forest was carried out by combining Landsat-based phenological variables and PALSAR-based land cover classifications. Finally, the spatio-temporal distribution of forest cover change due to afforestation was created and its forest biomass dynamics changes were detected. The results indicated that the overall accuracy of forest classification of the improved model based on the PALSAR-based stochastic gradient boosting (SGB) classification and the maximum value of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI; SGB-NDVI) were approximately 75–85% in 2005, 2010, and 2016. Compared with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) PALSAR-forest/non-forest, the SGB-NDVI-based forest product showed great improvement, while the SGB-NDVI product was the same or slightly inferior to the Global Land Cover (GLC) and vegetation tracker change (VCT)-based land cover types, respectively. Although this combination of multiple sources contained some errors, the SGB-NDVI model effectively identified the distribution of forest cover changes by afforestation events. By integrating aboveground biomass dynamics (AGB) change with forest cover, the trend in afforestation area closely corresponded with the trend in forest AGB. This technique can provide an essential data baseline for carbon assessment in the planted forests of southern China.
A Novel Adversarial Based Hyperspectral and Multispectral Image Fusion
Authors: Luo Xukun , Yin Jihao , Luo Xiaoyan , Jia Xiuping
Published: March 2019

In order to reconstruct a high spatial and high spectral resolution image (H2SI), one of the most common methods is to fuse a hyperspectral image (HSI) with a corresponding multispectral image (MSI). To effectively obtain both the spectral correlation of bands in HSI and the spatial correlation of pixels in MSI, this paper proposes an adversarial selection fusion (ASF) method for the HSI–MSI fusion problem. Firstly, the unmixing based fusion (UF) method is adopted to dig out the spatial correlation in MSI. Then, to acquire the spectral correlation in HSI, a band reconstruction-based fusion (BRF) method is proposed, regarding H2SI as the product of the optimized band image dictionary and reconstruction coefficients. Finally, spectral spatial quality (SSQ) index is designed to guide the adversarial selection process of UF and BRF. Experimental results on four real-world images demonstrate that the proposed strategy achieves smaller errors and better reconstruction results than other comparison methods.
Aggregated Deep Local Features for Remote Sensing Image Retrieval
Authors: Imbriaco Raffaele , Sebastian Clint , Bondarev Egor , de With Peter H. N.
Published: March 2019

Remote Sensing Image Retrieval remains a challenging topic due to the special nature of Remote Sensing imagery. Such images contain various different semantic objects, which clearly complicates the retrieval task. In this paper, we present an image retrieval pipeline that uses attentive, local convolutional features and aggregates them using the Vector of Locally Aggregated Descriptors (VLAD) to produce a global descriptor. We study various system parameters such as the multiplicative and additive attention mechanisms and descriptor dimensionality. We propose a query expansion method that requires no external inputs. Experiments demonstrate that even without training, the local convolutional features and global representation outperform other systems. After system tuning, we can achieve state-of-the-art or competitive results. Furthermore, we observe that our query expansion method increases overall system performance by about 3%, using only the top-three retrieved images. Finally, we show how dimensionality reduction produces compact descriptors with increased retrieval performance and fast retrieval computation times, e.g., 50% faster than the current systems.
Verification of a Portable Motion Tracking System for Remote Management of Physical Rehabilitation of the Knee
Authors: Bell Kevin M. , Onyeukwu Chukwudi , McClincy Michael P. , Allen Marcus , Bechard Laura , Mukherjee Abhigyan , Hartman Robert A. , Smith Clair , Lynch Andrew D. , Irrgang James J.
Published: March 2019

Rehabilitation following knee injury or surgery is critical for recovery of function and independence. However, patient non-adherence remains a significant barrier to success. Remote rehabilitation using mobile health (mHealth) technologies have potential for improving adherence to and execution of home exercise. We developed a remote rehabilitation management system combining two wireless inertial measurement units (IMUs) with an interactive mobile application and a web-based clinician portal (interACTION). However, in order to translate interACTION into the clinical setting, it was first necessary to verify the efficacy of measuring knee motion during rehabilitation exercises for physical therapy and determine if visual feedback significantly improves the participant’s ability to perform the exercises correctly. Therefore, the aim of this study was to verify the accuracy of the IMU-based knee angle measurement system during three common physical therapy exercises, quantify the effect of visual feedback on exercise performance, and understand the qualitative experience of the user interface through survey data. A convenience sample of ten healthy control participants were recruited for an IRB-approved protocol. Using the interACTION application in a controlled laboratory environment, participants performed ten repetitions of three knee rehabilitation exercises: heel slides, short arc quadriceps contractions, and sit-to-stand. The heel slide exercise was completed without feedback from the mobile application, then all exercises were performed with visual feedback. Exercises were recorded simultaneously by the IMU motion tracking sensors and a video-based motion tracking system. Validation showed moderate to good agreement between the two systems for all exercises and accuracy was within three degrees. Based on custom usability survey results, interACTION was well received. Overall, this study demonstrated the potential of interACTION to measure range of motion during rehabilitation exercises for physical therapy and visual feedback significantly improved the participant’s ability to perform the exercises correctly.
Erratum: Wang, P., et al. Monitoring of the Pesticide Droplet Deposition with a Novel Capacitance Sensor. Sensors 2019, 19, 537
Authors: Wang Pei , Yu Wei , Ou Mingxiong , Gong Chen , Jia Weidong
Published: March 2019

The authors wish to make the following correction to this paper [...]
Modified Surface Relief Layer Created by Holographic Lithography: Application to Selective Sodium and Potassium Sensing
Authors: Gul Sabad-E , O’Neill Luke , Cassidy John , Naydenova Izabela
Published: March 2019

Point-of-care diagnostics will rely upon the development of low-cost, noncomplex, and easily integrated systems in order to examine biological samples such as blood and urine obtained from the patient. The development of metal ion sensors is a subject of significant relevance for physiological samples. The level of different blood electrolytes, mainly H+, Na+, K+ and Cl− is considerably used to monitor irregular physiologies. The particular challenge in biosensing, and in fact for any other sensor, is signal differentiation between non-specifically bound material and the specific detecting of the target molecule/ion. The biosensors described in this paper are fabricated by a holographic recording of surface relief structures in a photopolymer material. The surface structures are modified by coating with either dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DC) or tetraethyl 4-tert-butylcalix[4]arene (TBC), which are embedded in a polymer matrix. Interrogation of these structures by light allows indirect measurement of the concentration of the analyte. The influence of polymer matrices with different porosities, plasticised polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and a sol-gel matrix, on the performance of the sensors for detection of K+ and Na+ is examined. Here we demonstrate a proof of concept that by using a matrix with higher porosity one can increase the sensitivity of the sensor. The results showed that the DC sensing layer provides a selective response to K+ over Na+ and the TBC modified grating is more responsive to Na+ over K+. The sensor responds to K+ and Na+ within the physiological concentration ranges.
Correction: García-Balboa, J.L., et al. A Field Procedure for the Assessment of the Centring Uncertainty of Geodetic and Surveying Instruments. Sensors 2018, 18, 3187
Authors: García-Balboa José , Ruiz-Armenteros Antonio , Rodríguez-Avi José , Reinoso-Gordo Juan , Robledillo-Román Juan
Published: March 2019

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]
Imbibition, Germination, and Early Seedling Growth Responses of Light Purple and Yellow Seeds of Red Clover to Distilled Water, Sodium Chloride, and Nutrient Solution
Authors: Costa Ana Sofia , Dias Luís Silva , Dias Alexandra Soveral
Published: March 2019

The seeds of red clover are heteromorphic and two color morphs can be visually recognized, light purple and yellow, resulting from heterozygosity and recessive homozygosity at two loci. Here, we report the responses of seed imbibition, seed germination, and early seedling growth of the two morphs to distilled water, sodium chloride, and complete nutrient solution. The sensitivity of red clover seeds to treatments increased with the stage of development in what seems to be a cumulative process. No differences were found in seed imbibition between morphs or between treatments. In seedling growth, on the contrary, treatments were always effective, but differences between morphs were only observed in seeds that were treated with nutrient solution, whereas in the intermediate stage of seed germination, the effects by treatments were observed together with the appearance of differences between morphs in distilled water and in the treatment by sodium chloride solution. Simultaneously, the superior performance of the yellow morph that was found in germination, which appears to be a trait stable across cultivars of red clover seeds, turned into a superior performance of the light purple morph in seedling growth.
Flexible Mobility On-Demand: An Environmental Scan
Authors: Liyanage Sohani , Dia Hussein , Abduljabbar Rusul , Bagloee Saeed
Published: February 2019

On-demand shared mobility is increasingly being promoted as an influential strategy to address urban transport challenges in large and fast-growing cities. The appeal of this form of transport is largely attributed to its convenience, ease of use, and affordability made possible through digital platforms and innovations. The convergence of the shared economy with a number of established and emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and Cloud and Fog computing—is helping to expedite their deployment as a new form of public transport. Recently, this has manifested itself in the form of Flexible Mobility on Demand (FMoD) solutions, aimed at meeting personal travel demands through flexible routing and scheduling. Increasingly, these shared mobility solutions are blurring the boundaries with existing forms of public transport, particularly bus operations. This paper presents an environmental scan and analysis of the technological, social, and economic impacts surrounding disruptive technology-driven shared mobility trends. Specifically, the paper includes an examination of current and anticipated external factors that are of direct relevance to collaborative and low carbon mobility. The paper also outlines how these trends are likely to influence the mobility industries now and into the future. The paper collates information from a wide body of literature and reports on findings from actual ‘use cases’ that exist today which have used these disruptive mobility solutions to deliver substantial benefits to travellers around the world. Finally, the paper provides stakeholders with insight into identifying and responding to the likely needs and impacts of FMoD and informs their policy and strategy positions on the implementation of smart mobility systems in their cities and jurisdictions.
The Application of Material Flow Cost Accounting in Waste Reduction
Authors: Huang Shaio Yan , Chiu An An , Chao Po Chi , Wang Ni
Published: March 2019

Due to the rise in environmental awareness, corporate companies have shifted their focus from an obsession with short-term profits to contemplating long-term strategies to achieve sustainable management. Effective use of resources is the primary indicator of this achievement. Fulfillment of corporate social responsibility and thinking beyond the regulatory aspects of corporate sustainable management are goals that have continually attracted attention worldwide. Material flow cost accounting based on ISO 14051, which was announced by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), is a tool that can be used to achieve a balance between the environment and economy. We focused on using ISO 14051-based material flow cost accounting as an analytical evaluation tool from the perspectives of finance and accounting personnel. We conducted a case study on a flat-panel parts supplier to determine whether the efficient use of recycled glass could reduce company costs. The primary finding is that the film layer on recycled washed glass tends to be stripped during the production process, causing increased reprocessing costs and thus rendering the cost of renewable cleaning higher than that of reworking. This study revealed that the ISO 14051-based material flow cost accounting analysis constitutes a valuable management tool, thereby facilitating the promotion of sustainable development.
Innovation Trajectories and Sustainability in the Food System
Authors: Sodano Valeria
Published: March 2019

The goal of the study is to answer the question of whether the current processes of technological change and innovation within the agri-food system could help to increase its sustainability. Four strands of literature are used to unveil the nexus between sustainability and innovation: models of technical change and innovation, sustainability definitions, agroecology as a science and political movement, and the conceptualization of food regimes. The results indicate that innovation processes in the system follow two innovation trajectories, leading to two different food regimes, with opposite effects on sustainability. Since market forces push towards the less sustainable regime, adequate interventions are required in order to assure the sustainability of the system.
Are We Objective? A Study into the Effectiveness of Risk Measurement in the Water Industry
Authors: Kosovac Anna , Davidson Brian , Malano Hector
Published: March 2019

A survey of 77 water practitioners within Melbourne, Australia, highlighted the lack of objectiveness within current risk scoring processes. Each water authority adopted similar processes, all of which adhere to the ISO31000 standard on Risk Management, and these were tested within this study to determine the “objective” nature of technical risk assessments such as these. The outcome of the study indicated that current risk measurement approaches cannot be seen as objective. This is due to the high variation in risk scores between individuals, which indicates a level of subjectivity. The study confirms previous research that has been undertaken in assessing the effectiveness of risk matrices. This research is novel in its testing of the water sector’s risk measuring practices and may be of value to other industries that utilize similar risk approaches. This research posits whether this subjectivity is due to inherent bias of either a psychological or cultural risk nature that could produce the varied scores.
Drought Under Global Warming and Climate Change: An Empirical Study of the Loess Plateau
Authors: Li Yang , Xie Zhixiang , Qin Yaochen , Xia Haoming , Zheng Zhicheng , Zhang Lijun , Pan Ziwu , Liu Zhenzhen
Published: March 2019

The Loess Plateau is located at the transition zone between agriculture and livestock farming; its spatial and temporal pattern of drought is the key for an appropriate adaptation to climate change. This study investigated monthly meteorological observation data of 79 meteorological stations from 1955 to 2014 to calculate the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index at different time scales. The spatial and temporal characteristics and persistence of drought were analyzed. The results showed the following: (i) The drought trend is most apparent in spring (0.096/10a) and lower in summer (0.036/10a) and autumn (0.009/10a). (ii) A higher drought level indicates a lower frequency of droughts occurrence and vice versa. The frequency of light drought was highest (11.36%), while that of extreme drought was lowest (0.12%). (iii) The mean drought intensity was highest in summer, followed by spring, autumn, and winter. The drought intensity was mainly light, showing a pattern of severe drought in the northwest and light drought in the southeast. (iv) The Loess Plateau will continue a trend of drought in the future, but the season of the continuous intensity will differ. Droughts in spring and summer are highly persistent, autumn drought trends continue but may slow, and winter droughts become random events.
Evolution of Conformity Dynamics in Complex Social Networks
Authors: Gong Yuhui , Yu Qian
Published: March 2019

Conformity is a common phenomenon among people in social networks. In this paper, we focus on customers’ conformity behaviors in a symmetry market where customers are located in a social network. We establish a conformity model and analyze it in ring network, random network, small-world network, and scale-free network. Our simulations shown that topology structure, network size, and initial market share have significant effects on the evolution of customers’ conformity behaviors. The market will likely converge to a monopoly state in small-world networks but will form a duopoly market in scale networks. As the size of the network increases, there is a greater possibility of forming a dominant group of preferences in small-world network, and the market will converge to the monopoly of the product which has the initial selector in the market. Also, network density will become gradually significant in small-world networks.
Reconstructing Three-Dimensional Human Poses:
A Combined Approach of Iterative Calculation on
Skeleton Model and Conformal Geometric Algebra
Authors: Huang Xin , Gao Lei
Published: March 2019

Reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) human poses is an essential step in human bodyanimation. The purpose of this paper is to fill the gap in virtual reality research by reconstructingpostures in a high-precision human model. This paper presents a new approach for 3D human posereconstruction based on the iterative calculation of a skeleton model and conformal geometric algebra,captured by a monocular camera. By introducing the strip information of clothes and prior data ofdifferent human limbs, the location of joint points on the human body will not be affected by theocclusion problem. We then calculate the 3D coordinates of joint points based on the proposed methodof the iterative calculation of the skeleton model, which can solve the high-cost problem caused by theneed for multiple cameras or a depth camera. Subsequently, we utilize high-performance conformalgeometric algebra (CGA) in relation to rotation transformations in order to improve the adjustmentof the postures of the human limbs. Finally, realistic 3D human poses are reconstructed—specifically,the motion of the human limbs—using a rigid transformation of CGA and a smooth connection ofthe limb parts based on a high-precision model. Compared with the existing methods, the proposedapproach can obtain satisfactory and realistic 3D human pose estimation results using grid models.
Correction: Ingenbleek, L. et al. Regional Sub-Saharan Africa Total Diet Study in Benin, Cameroon, Mali, and Nigeria Reveals the Presence of 164 Mycotoxins and Other Secondary Metabolites in Foods
Authors: Ingenbleek Luc , Sulyok Michael , Adegboye Abimbola , Hossou Sètondji Epiphane , Koné Abdoulaye Zié , Oyedele Awoyinka Dada , K. J. Kisito Chabi Sika , Koreissi Dembélé Yara , Eyangoh Sara , Verger Philippe , Leblanc Jean-Charles , Le Bizec Bruno , Krska Rudolf
Published: March 2019

The authors wish to make the following corrections to their paper [...]
Vacuum Effective Actions and Mass-Dependent Renormalization in Curved Space
Authors: Franchino-Viñas Sebastián A. , de Paula Netto Tibério , Zanusso Omar
Published: March 2019

We review past and present results on the non-local form-factors of the effective action of semiclassical gravity in two and four dimensions computed by means of a covariant expansion of the heat kernel up to the second order in the curvatures. We discuss the importance of these form-factors in the construction of mass-dependent beta functions for the Newton’s constant and the other gravitational couplings.
Pneumococcal Vaccines: Challenges and Prospects
Authors: Licciardi Paul , Papadatou Ioanna
Published: February 2019

Infections with the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae are one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in children less than five years of age worldwide, mostly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) [...]
Comparison of Flow-Dependent Controllers for Remote Real-Time Pressure Control in a Water Distribution System with Stochastic Consumption
Authors: Page Philip R. , Creaco Enrico
Published: February 2019

The control of pressure at a remote critical node using a pressure control valve is a highly effective way to attain pressure management. To perform real-time control, various kinds of controllers can be used, including flow-dependent controllers. These controllers calculate valve setting adjustment based both on the deviation of the pressure from the set-point and on the flow rate at the valve site. After putting all the flow-dependent controllers present in the scientific literature within the same framework, this paper presents a numerical comparison of their performance under realistic conditions of stochastic demand. Two controllers were selected for the comparison, namely the simple LCF (parameter-less proportional controller with known constant pressure control valve flow); and LVF (parameter-less controller with known variable pressure control valve flow), which uses a flow rate forecast. Indeed, this study considered an upgrade of LVF, in which the flow rate forecast was tailored to the conditions of stochastic demand. The application in a specific example network proved the performance of these controllers to be quite similar, although LCF was preferable due to its simple structure. For LCF, the average pressure at the critical node had a clear relationship to the consumption pattern. LVF outperformed when the hourly variation dominates the fluctuations in the flow. The conditions under which this out-performance occurred are comprehensively discussed.
Hydrologic Response of Meadow Restoration the First Year Following Removal of Encroached Conifers
Authors: Surfleet Christopher , Sanford Thomas , VanOosbree Gregory , Jasbinsek John
Published: March 2019

This study examines the hydrologic response of a montane meadow the first winter following restoration by removal of encroached conifers. Hydrologic change was evaluated through statistical comparison of soil moisture and water table depths between the restored meadow, Marian Meadow, and a Control Meadow before and after restoration. Meadow water budgets and durations of water table depths during the growing season were evaluated. Electrical resistivity tomography profiles were collected to improve the spatial interpretation of subsurface water beyond well measurements. The first year following restoration Marian Meadow had a statistically significant increase in volumetric soil moisture content of 4% with depth to the water table decreasing on average by 0.15 m. The water budget for the meadows demonstrated that the hydrologic change following removal of encroached conifers was primarily due to a reduction of vegetation interception capture. Soil evapotranspiration rates in both the Control and Marian Meadows were relatively stable ranging from 268–288 mm/yr with the exception of the year following conifer removal in Marian Meadow with 318 mm/yr. The increase in soil evapotranspiration in the first post restoration year is attributed to loss of vegetation cover and higher proportions of bare soil created from the harvest operations. The duration of post-restoration water table depths during the growing season at Marian Meadow were less than or equal to 0.7 m and 0.3 m for 85 days and 50 days, respectively, indicating hydrologic conditions conducive to meadow vegetation.
Biological Health Assessments of Lotic Waters by Biotic Integrity Indices and their Relations to Water Chemistry
Authors: Atique Usman , Lim Byungjin , Yoon Johee , An Kwang-Guk
Published: March 2019

Biological health assessment (BHA) has developed as an imperative gauge in efficient management of freshwater resources and fish assemblages. The principal objective of this research is directed at the development and application of a new index under the umbrella of the famous index of biological integrity (IBI). Further, we intended to carry out comparative assessments of the new index with two existing indices and testified to their rational in Geum River watershed, which is the third largest river water basin in South Korea. We analyzed the biotic integrity of 149 different study sites in the streams and rivers of Geum River watershed, perusing fish assemblages and water quality data. The results revealed the newer index, i.e., multi-metric (mm) IBI 06 (mmIBI 06 metrics), as comparatively more efficient than previously used indices, i.e., mmIBI 08 and mmIBI 11. Furthermore, the linear regression and correlational analyses indicated harmonic relation of mmIBI 06 with mmIBI 08 (R2 = 0.85) and mmIBI 11 (R2 = 0.87). Nonetheless, linear regression modeling discovered a very strong positive relation between mmIBI 08 and mmIBI 11 (R2 = 0.91), thereby implying previously used indices demonstrate better approximation. In significant contrast to both old indices, the newer index exhibited improved facility to better classify the study sites between the assortments of ‘excellent to very poor’ compared to old indices elucidated one-step lower, i.e., from ‘excellent to poor’. For instance, the newer index categorized 60 sites as ‘very poor’, requiring immediate attention owing to biological degradation. Additionally, the newer index endures grander ability to indicate sites requiring immediate management or restoration attention with a plausible site classification, especially in relation to the invasive alien species (IAS). The water chemistry was mainly influenced by rampant anthropogenic actions compounded by intensive monsoon precipitation that may relinquish highly suitable grounds for invasive alien fish species. This may eventually lead to severe biological degradation and successive deterioration of habitat by the IAS. In conclusion, the newer index endures ample capacity to indicate the fish community disturbances in rivers and streams. Further, correlation, linear regression, as well as principal component analysis (PCA) analyses on biotic indices and water chemistry showed higher approximations. Therefore, our newer index would be a valuable BHA tool to classify and elucidate the streams and rivers by indicating sites necessitating preferred attention and restoration measures.
Comparison of Conventional Deterministic and Entropy-Based Methods for Predicting Sediment Concentration in Debris Flow
Authors: Zhu Zhongfan , Wang Hongrui , Pang Bo , Dou Jie , Peng Dingzhi
Published: March 2019

In this study, the distribution of sediment concentration and the mean sediment concentration in debris flow were investigated using deterministic and probabilistic approaches. Tsallis entropy and Shannon entropy have recently been employed to estimate these parameters. However, other entropy theories, such as the general index entropy and Renyi entropy theories, which are generalizations of the Shannon entropy, have not been used to derive the sediment concentration in debris flow. Furthermore, no comprehensive and rigorous analysis has been conducted to compare the goodness of fit of existing conventional deterministic methods and different entropy-based methods using experimental data collected from the literature. Therefore, this study derived the analytical expressions for the distribution of sediment concentration and the mean sediment concentration in debris flow based on the general index entropy and Renyi entropy theories together with the principle of maximum entropy and tested the validity of existing conventional deterministic methods as well as four different entropy-based expressions for the limited collected observational data. This study shows the potential of using the Tsallis entropy theory together with the principle of maximum entropy to predict sediment concentration in debris flow over an erodible channel bed.
Effect of Stoniness on the Hydraulic Properties of a Soil from an Evaporation Experiment Using the Wind and Inverse Estimation Methods
Authors: Arias Nerea , Virto Iñigo , Enrique Alberto , Bescansa Paloma , Walton Riley , Wendroth Ole
Published: March 2019

Stony soils are distributed all over the world. The study of their characteristics has gained importance lately due to their increasing use as agricultural soils. The effect that rock fragments exert on the soil hydraulic properties is difficult to measure in situ, and is usually derived from the fine earth properties. However, the corrections used so far do not seem accurate for all types of stony soils. Our objective was to assess the adequacy of estimating the hydraulic properties of a stony soil from the fine earth ones by correcting the latter by the volume occupied by rock fragments. To do that, we first assessed the validity of different approaches for estimating the hydraulic properties of a stone-free and a stony (40% rock fragments) cylinder prepared with samples from the same silt loam soil. The functions relating to the soil hydraulic properties (θ-h, K-h-θ) were estimated by the Wind method and by inverse estimation, using data from an evaporation experiment where the soil water content and pressure head were measured at different soil depths over time. Results from the evaporation experiment were compared to those obtained by applying the equation that corrects fine earth properties by the rock fragments volume. Wind and the Inverse Estimation methods were successfully applied to estimate soil water content and hydraulic conductivity from the stony soil experiment, except for some uncertainties caused by the limited range of suction in which the experiment was conducted. The application of an equation for adjusting the soil water content at different pressure heads (allowing for defining the soil water retention curve, SWRC), and the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (K) directly from the stone content was not satisfactory. K values obtained from the measured data were higher than those inferred by the correcting equation in the wet range, but decreased much faster with a decreasing pressure head. The use of this equation did therefore not take into account the effect that the creation of lacunar pores by the presence of rock fragments likely exerts on water flow processes. The use of such correction needs therefore to be revised and new approaches are needed for estimating the hydraulic conductivity in stony soils. In relation to SWRC, a new equation to calculate the water content of a stony soil accounting for the influence of possible lacunar pores is proposed.
ECONOMIC BASE OF BUILDINGS PURCHASE CONTRACT/STATYBOS VIEŠŲJŲ PIRKIMŲ KONTRAKTŲ EKONOMINIS PAGRINDIMAS
Authors: Bagdonas Vilhelmas
Published: March 2019

In the article, the organisation of procedures of public purchases and the economical effectiveness of purchase as well as economical substantiation are investigated. Public purchases in Lithuania are compared with the EU and with world countries experience and provide principles of their harmonisation. Public purchases organised in a proper way allow to save from 5% up to 50% of taxpayers' means.

Public purchases are organised in all the EU countries, that's why it is necessary to manage and to compare their procedures in order to harmonise principles. In the article, the order of public purchases, economic substantiation according to concrete competition data are analysed. It is suggested to evaluate the results as a complex, that is not only by the lowest price, but also by functional qualities of the building, operational expenditures, service capacity of the object, aesthetic and ecologic qualities and the specific methods are suggested for the evaluation of qualities mentioned.
PROBABILISTIC AND STATISTICAL METHODS FOR DESIGNING AND ANALYZING LIMIT STATES/TIKIMYBINIS IR STATISTINIS RIBINŲ BŪVIŲ PROJEKTAVIMO IR ANALIZĖS METODAI
Authors: Užpolevičius Benediktas
Published: March 2019

Errors of partial reliability factor (PRF) method, being used in operating codes to provide required reliability of construction work (foundations, structures and their systems), are discussed. It is pointed out that additional resistance (strength, stiffness, etc) of the members to compensate these errors is required, and it makes much more than 10%. The main cause of these shortcomings is that in the PRF method, for the sake of simplicity, independent partial coefficients and limited number of these coefficients are applied.

Direct probabilistic and statistical methods (without application of partial coefficients and design values) are proposed. It is demonstrated that these methods are free of systematic errors which are characteristic of the known codified (standardized) probability calculations. The proposed methods make up a unified method used for foundations and structures, uniformly based on theoretical conclusions of probability theory and mathematical statistics. These economy seeking methods are intended for effective use (without change of codes) of available additional information, which is made of different amount of data of statistical measurements or statistical observations on minimal values of soils and building material mechanical characteristics of structures and maximum values of loads, actions and their combinations during the operation period, geometrical dimensions of critical cross-sections, errors of algorithms for calculation of resistance and action effects, control errors made by people during design, construction, operation of construction works, etc. In case of a limited amount of information the proposed statistical model is to be used. In addition, the proposed method is adjusted for effective use of the known reliability solutions of economical and social optimisation (in relation to economical and social damage caused by the limit state, human safety and other factors) co-ordinating them with application experience of PRF code method and statistical multidimensional data of limit state frequency. Areas of application and economy of the proposed probabilistic and statistical methods are presented in Table 1. National and established specifications prepared for probabilistic and statistical calculation design and tests of foundations, structures and their systems are discussed.

Practical application and economical comparison of calculation of construction members by PRF, probabilistic and statistical methods (area of the cross-section, foundation pad base A % in relation to that determined by SNiP codes)
USING FUZZY ANALYTIC NETWORK PROCESS AND ISM METHODS FOR RISK ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP: A CHINA PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Li Yan , Wang Xinyu
Published: February 2019

The public-private partnership (PPP) has been adopted globally to meet intensifying demands for public facilities and services. However, PPP projects contain a variety of risks which may lead to project failure. Many researchers have explored risk factors associated with PPP projects in developing countries. However, these investigations have limited their aim to understanding risk impact without considering the interactions of these factors. Hence, to fill this gap, this study proposes a risk assessment method, addressing vital interrelationships and interdependencies. Two methodologies, fuzzy analytic network process (F-ANP) and interpretive structural modeling (ISM), were applied to avoid vagueness and data inaccuracies. The primary contributions of this paper were considering the relationships among risk factors and risk priority; and offering a risk analysis approach based on linguistic scales and fuzzy numbers to reflect different neutral, optimistic and pessimistic viewpoints from expert respondents’ judgments. Results from this analysis showed that legal and policy risk was the most influential and interdependent risk, and interest rate risk was the most essential risk in Chinese PPP projects. The ISM structure diagram demonstrated that most of 35 identified risk factors had high driving and dependence power. This study proposed a systematic and practical method to identify and assess PPP risk factors, utilizing an integrated approach consisting of F-ANP and ISM, which has not been used for risk assessment in the construction field. This paper provides a new risk assessment tool and a basis for risk management strategies in the construction engineering and management field.
Constraining Cosmological Parameters in the FLRW Metric with Lensed GW+EM Signals
Authors: Li Yufeng , Fan Xilong , Gou Lijun
Published: March 2019

We proposed a model-independent method to constrain cosmological parameters using the Distance Sum Rule of the Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker metric by combining the time delay distances and the comoving distances through a multi-messenger approach. The time delay distances are measured from lensed gravitational wave (GW) signals together with their corresponding electromagnetic wave (EM) counterparts, while the comoving distances are obtained from a parameterized fitting approach with independent supernova observations. With a series of simulations based on the Einstein Telescope, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, and The Dark Energy Survey, we find that only 10 lensed GW+EM systems can achieve the constraining power comparable to and even stronger than 300 lensed quasar systems due to the more precise time delay from lensed GW signals. Specifically, the cosmological parameters can be constrained to  

and  

(1σ).5
Our results show that more precise time delay measurements could provide more stringent cosmological parameter values, and lensed GW+EM systems therefore can be applied as a powerful tool in the future precision cosmology.
The Dark Matter Distributions in Low-mass Disk Galaxies. I. Hα Observations Using the Palomar Cosmic Web Imager
Authors: Relatores Nicole C. , Newman Andrew B. , Simon Joshua D. , Ellis Richard , Truong Phuongmai , Blitz Leo , Bolatto Alberto , Martin Christopher , Morrissey Patrick
Published: February 2019

Dark-matter-only simulations predict that dark matter halos have cusp-like inner density profiles, while observations of low-mass galaxies have found a range of inner slopes that are typically much shallower. It is still not well established whether this discrepancy can be explained by baryonic feedback or if it may require modified dark matter models. To better understand the diversity of dark matter profiles in dwarf galaxies, we undertook a survey of 26 low-mass galaxies (

, v
max = 50–140 km s−1) within 30 Mpc using the Palomar Cosmic Web Imager, which is among the largest integral field spectroscopic surveys of its type. In this paper, we derive Hα velocity fields for the full sample with a typical spatial resolution of ∼160 pc. We extract rotation curves and verify their robustness to several choices in the analysis. We present a method for improving the velocity precision obtained from image slicing spectrographs using narrowband Hα images. For 11 galaxies, we compare the Hα velocity fields to CO kinematics measured using CARMA, finding the maps to be in good agreement. The standard deviation of the difference is typically ∼7 km s−1, comparable to the level of turbulence in the interstellar medium, showing that the two tracers have substantially the same bulk kinematics. In a companion paper, we will use the rotation curves produced here to construct mass models of the galaxies and determine their dark matter density profiles.