bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surface-Wave Based Model for Estimation of Discontinuity Depth in Concrete
Authors: Ahn Eunjong , Kim Hyunjun , Sim Sung-Han , Shin Sung Woo , Popovics John S. , Shin Myoungsu
Published: August 2018

In this paper, we propose an accurate and practical model for the estimation of surface-breaking discontinuity (i.e., crack) depth in concrete through quantitative characterization of surface-wave transmission across the discontinuity. The effects of three different mixture types (mortar, normal strength concrete, and high strength concrete) and four different simulated crack depths on surface-wave transmission were examined through experiments carried out on lab-scale concrete specimens. The crack depth estimation model is based on a surface-wave spectral energy approach that is capable of taking into account a wide range of wave frequencies. The accuracy of the proposed crack depth estimation model is validated by root mean square error analysis of data from repeated spectral energy transmission ratio measurements for each specimen.
An Improved Velocity Estimation Method for Wideband Multi-Highlight Target Echoes in Active Sonar Systems
Authors: Huang Shuxia , Fang Shiliang , Han Ning
Published: August 2018

In active sonar systems, the target echoes are usually equivalent to a superposition of the Doppler-scaled reflections from multiple highlights. The reflections overlap with each other both in the time and frequency domain, which results in a decreased velocity estimation performance. Recently, the hyperbolic-frequency modulated signal has been widely employed in sonar systems for moving targets due to its Doppler tolerance, while the precise velocity estimation becomes a great challenge under such conditions. In this paper, the echo c is modeled onsidering a target with a constant velocity and multi-highlights. The velocity estimation performance is analyzed though the signal’s matched filter and the wideband ambiguity function. An improved method based on the sliding window matching algorithm is proposed to improve the performance. The method controls the energy of environmental noise and interference by focusing on the dominant target highlight, and applying a designed window which utilizes the Doppler characteristics of hyperbolic-frequency modulated signals. Simulations and lake experiment allow us to compare between the improved method and the conventional matched filter method. The results verify the influence of the multi-highlights in velocity estimation and indicate that the improved method has more effective performance.
Clutch Pedal Sensorization and Evaluation of the Main Parameters Related to Driver Posture
Authors: Olmeda Ester , Fuentes del Toro Sergio , Garrosa María , Pajares Redondo Jonatan , Díaz Vicente
Published: August 2018

An improper decision for the design, selection and adjustment of the components needed to control a vehicle could generate negative effects and discomfort to the driver, where pedals play a very important role. The aim of the study is to provide a first approach to develop an embedded monitoring device in order to evaluate the posture of the driver, the influence of the clutch pedal and to advise about the possible risk. With that purpose in mind, a testbed was designed and two different sets of tests were carried out. The first test collected information about the volunteers who were part of the experiment, like the applied force on the clutch pedal or the body measurements. The second test was carried out to provide new insight into this matter. One of the more significant findings to emerge from this study is that the force applied on the clutch pedal provides enough information to determine correct driver posture. For this reason, a system composed of a pedal force sensor and an acquisition/processing system can fulfil the requirements to create a healthcare system focused on driver posture.
Detection of Stress in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Caused by Aphids Using Leaf Level Hyperspectral Measurements
Authors: Chen Tingting , Zeng Ruier , Guo Wenxuan , Hou Xueying , Lan Yubin , Zhang Lei
Published: August 2018

Remote sensing can be a rapid, accurate, and simple method for assessing pest damage on plants. The objectives of this study were to identify spectral wavelengths sensitive to cotton aphid infestation. Then, the normalized difference spectral indices (NDSI) and ratio spectral indices (RSI) based on the leaf spectrum were obtained within 350–2500 nm, and their correlation with infestation were qualified. The results showed that leaf spectral reflectance decreased in the visible range (350–700 nm) and the near-infrared range (NIR, 700–1300 nm) as aphid damage severity increased, and significant differences were found in blue, green, red, NIR and short-wave infrared (SWIR) band regions between different grades of aphid damage severity. Decrease in Chlorophyll a (Chl a) pigment was more significant than that in Chlorophyll (Chl b) in the infested plants and the Chl a/b ratio showed a decreasing trend with increase in aphid damage severity. The sensitive spectral bands were mainly within NIR and SWIR ranges. The best spectral indices NDSI (R678, R1471) and RSI (R1975, R1904) were formulated with these sensitive spectral regions through reducing precise sampling method. These new indices along with 16 other stress related indices compiled from literature were further tested for their ability to detect aphid damage severity. The two indices in this study showed significantly higher coefficients of determination (R2 of 0.81 and 0.81, p < 0.01) and the least RMSE values (RMSE of 0.50 and 0.49), and hence have potential application in assessing aphid infestation severity in cotton.
Loneliness Makes Consumers Avoid Unsafe Food
Authors: Hu Saiquan , Chen Rui , Zhang Nan , Zhu Junming
Published: August 2018

Sustainable food consumption is an essential component of sustainable development. Previous literature mainly focused on consumers’ environmentally friendly consumption, and paid less attention to their avoidance of unsafe consumption. This article investigated the effect of loneliness—an important psychological and social trend—on consumers’ avoidance of unsafe food and the associated mechanisms. Based on a survey with 120 student participants and an experimental study with 315 non-student participants, we found that loneliness made consumers avoid unsafe food, but not safe food. We further verified that consumers’ perceived immune status and concern for negative impression worked as two mechanisms between the relationship of loneliness and food avoidance. Moreover, we revealed a moderating mediation effect of food safety risk, where the indirect effect of loneliness on food avoidance via both perceived immune status and concern for negative impression only existed for unsafe food. This article extended the research setting of sustainable consumption from increasing positive consumptions to decreasing negative ones, and identified the influential factors from the interaction of consumer characteristics and food features.
Modeling the Taxi Drivers’ Customer-Searching Behaviors outside Downtown Areas
Authors: Zhang Wenbo , Ukkusuri Satish V. , Yang Chao
Published: August 2018

A popular phenomenon in the street-hailing taxi system is the imbalanced mobility services between city central and outside downtown areas, which leads to unmet demand outside downtown areas and competitions in city central areas. Understanding taxi drivers’ customer-searching behaviors is crucial to addressing the phenomenon and redistributing the taxi supply. However, the current literature ignores or simply models the taxi drivers’ behaviors, in particular, lacks the in-depth discussions on individuals’ heterogeneity. This study introduces the latent class model to identify the internal and external factors influencing the taxi drivers’ destination choice after the last drop-offs. Beyond the influencing factors, the modeling structure captures the heterogeneity in vacant taxicab drivers through introducing latent classes. The proposed model outperforms other discrete choice models, for instance, multinomial logit, nested logit, and mixed logit, based on the two study cases developed from the New York City yellow taxicab system. The empirical results first statistically indicate the existence of latent classes, which further empirically prove the heterogeneity in the choices by vacant taxicab drivers while searching customers. Moreover, we obtain a set of internal and external factors influencing the customer searching behaviors. For example, the taxicab drivers are sensitive to the demand at the search destination areas and the distance from the last drop-off location to the search destination areas and behave identically in particular under the conditions of high demand and short search distance. On the other hand, the external variables have different impacts on customer searching behaviors across the different groups of drivers in the both study cases, including peak hours, weekday, holiday, earned fare from last occupied trip, raining hours, and flight arrivals at airports. In final, the proposed modeling structure and findings are useful as a sub-model of taxi system modeling while developing strategies, as well as as a regional planning tool for taxi supply estimations.
The ‘Invisible’ Subsoil: An Exploratory View of Societal Acceptance of Subsoil Management in Germany
Authors: Frelih-Larsen Ana , Hinzmann Mandy , Ittner Sophie
Published: August 2018

Subsoil, commonly defined as horizons below the working depth of 30 cm, has traditionally received little explicit attention in policy discussions on soils. Recently, however, there has been growing recognition among scientists of the issues of subsoil (re-)compaction and of the role of subsoil as a resource that can offer valuable nutrients and water for plants. Subsoil management could provide an option to sustainably maintain yields in the context of climate change and resource scarcity, and it is a central question in addressing subsoil compaction. Yet how socially acceptable are different methods for subsoil management? Drawing on in-depth interviews with farmers and stakeholders in Germany, we show that biophysical conditions, the timing of operations, economic considerations, and awareness of subsoil functions are key factors in the acceptance of management methods. Views towards methods involving mechanical intervention are more diverse and in some cases more critical because the benefits are not always certain, the costs can outweigh the benefits, and/or because they entail risks for soil structure and functions. Alfalfa cultivation is seen to be beneficial for yields without risks for soil structure and functions; however, economic barriers limit its uptake. Awareness of multiple subsoil functions is associated with more critical views of mechanical interventions.
Durability Studies of Solar Reflectors Used in Concentrating Solar Thermal Technologies under Corrosive Sulfurous Atmospheres
Authors: García-Segura Alejandro , Fernández-García Aránzazu , Buendía-Martínez Francisco , Ariza María Jesús , Sutter Florian , Valenzuela Loreto
Published: August 2018

Concentrating solar thermal (CST) technologies are a feasible and promising option to tackle worldwide energy problems. These solar facilities are sometimes located near industrial sites, where their main components—including concentrating solar reflectors—are prone to significant degradation caused by corrosive agents, especially in the presence of sulfurous atmospheres such as H2S and SO2. This paper focuses on analyzing the influence of sulfurous atmospheres on the durability of reflector materials used in CST technologies. To this end, accelerated aging tests were performed on the most commonly used materials found in solar reflectors (i.e., thick silvered glass and aluminum-based reflectors) by applying the same concentrations of H2S and SO2 under the same conditions of temperature and relative humidity. The results showed that the solar reflectors based on a silver reflective layer are significantly corroded by H2S atmospheres—several corrosion defects were found in the samples tested. However, those based on aluminum were barely affected by sulfurous environments in the conditions tested. Nonetheless, the study suggests that both reflector types are suitable candidates, depending on the purpose of the CST technology in question and the specific environmental conditions.
How Social Capital Affects the Quality Performance of Agricultural Products: Evidence from a Binary Perspective of China
Authors: Fu Shaoling , Liu Hua , Tan Kim Hua , Zhan Yuanzhu , Ding Yalan , Qi Wene
Published: August 2018

Improving the quality of agricultural products is the key factor in promoting agricultural development in the Belt and Road program. Although many studies have investigated the relationship between social capital and performance, the findings are inconsistent. Moreover, the mechanism of how social capital affects the quality performance of agricultural products remains unclear. Accordingly, this study developed a theoretical model with propositions from a social capital-quality performance of agricultural products paradigm for examining and comparing the three dimensions of social capital: The relationships among cognitive (measured by shared values), relational (measured by reciprocity) and structural (measured by communication), and their role in ensuring quality performance of agricultural products from the company and farmer perspectives. This study selected the companies and farmers in “A company + farmers” model. The data analysis is based on a sample of 184 companies and 414 farmers. The results show that shared values and communication have a significant positive effect on reciprocity. In terms of the influence on reciprocity, communication is higher than shared values from both the corporate and farmer perspectives. The three dimensions of social capital have different effects on quality performance of agricultural products. On the company side, communication and reciprocity in social capital have a significant positive effect on the quality performance of agricultural products, with the order of effect being communication first followed by reciprocity. On the farmer side, reciprocity and shared values have a significant positive effect on the quality performance of agricultural products, with the order of effect being reciprocity first followed by shared values. These findings have positive theoretical and practical significance for companies and farmers aiming to improve the quality of agricultural products.
The Effects of Featured Advertising and Package Labeling on Sustainability of Cause-Related Marketing (CRM) Products
Authors: Choi Sunhee , Lee Sangno , Friske Wesley
Published: August 2018

This paper seeks to examine the relative efficacy of cause-related marketing (CRM) product package labeling versus featured advertising efficacy on market performance. One natural setting using scanner data from a grocery store chain and an open-ended survey were conducted to evaluate the financial performance of featured advertising and product labeling in terms of sustainability of cause-related marketing products. Our findings suggest that cause-related marketing product package labeling without featured advertising appears to provide a competitive advantage resulting in superior financial performance. Also, featured advertising without product package labeling boosts products sales. However, when featured advertising is applied to cause-related marketing product package labeling, the effect of such labeling is diminished. Based on our findings, we suggest that final and intermediate sellers of cause-related marketing products should deliver a persuasive message about the sustainability of cause-related marketing products in the context of a conspicuous environment (e.g., Facebook and Twitter). Although featured advertisements and product package labels are two of the most widely-used tools to promote cause-related marketing products, the cause-related marketing literature has largely neglected a meaningful comparison between the two. This paper seeks to fill the gap in the literature.
Draft Animals, Farm Machines and Sustainable Agricultural Production: Insight from China
Authors: Zhou Xiaoshi , Ma Wanglin , Li Gucheng
Published: August 2018

Although draft animals have been playing an essential role in agricultural production worldwide, in recent decades there has been a trend towards replacing draft animals with farm machines. In the areas facing labour shortage due to rural-to-urban migration, the use of farm machines is especially expected to enhance agricultural production and productivity. However, little is known about the extent to which the farm machine use substitutes draft animal use and how the two production activities jointly affect agricultural performance. To fill this gap, this paper attempts to examine the long-run and short-run effects of farm machine use on draft animal use using a pooled mean group estimator, and to estimate the joint effects of farm machine use and draft animal use on agricultural productivity using a panel production function model. The empirical results show that a 1% increase in farm machine use rate tends to decrease draft animal use by 2.82% in the long-run, but it does not have a statistically significant impact on draft animal use in the short-run. In addition, we find that output elasticity of farm machine use has increased from −0.161 in 1978 to 0.170 in 2012, while that of draft animal use has decreased from 0.185 to −0.129 over the same time period. Our findings highlight the importance of government’s efforts in promoting an agricultural transition from animal power to machine power in order to increase sustainable agricultural production.
Do Online Comments Affect Environmental Management? Identifying Factors Related to Environmental Management and Sustainability of Hotels
Authors: Saura Jose Ramon , Reyes-Menendez Ana , Alvarez-Alonso Cesar
Published: August 2018

The main aim of this study was to identify the key indicators related to environmental management and sustainability of hotels as perceived by travelers during their trips. The methodology used was a sentiment analysis with an algorithm developed in Python trained with data mining and machine learning, with the MonkeyLearn library in the hotel industry sector under the eWOM model (e-Word of Mouth). The results with negative, positive and neutral feelings were submitted to a textual analysis with the qualitative analysis software Nvivo Pro 12. The sample consisted of the 25 best hotels in Switzerland according to Traveler’s Choice from TripAdvisor ranking 2018 that draws from more than 500,000 reviews. For data extraction, we connected to the TripAdvisor API, obtaining a sample of n = 8331 reviews of the hotels that made up the ranking. The results of the study highlight the key factors related to environmental management detected by travelers during their stay in hotels and can be meaningfully used by managers or hotel managers to improve their services and enhance the value provided by their policies of sustainability and respect for the environment. The limitations of the present study relate to the size of the sample and the number of hotels included in the present analysis.
Governing the Moral Hazard in China’s Sponge City Projects: A Managerial Analysis of the Construction in the Non-Public Land
Authors: Ma Tianyu , Wang Zhuofu , Ding Jiyong
Published: August 2018

As a new development mode for solving urban water control problems, a sponge city has been widely concerned and steadily promoted in China. The source engineering in the non-public land is called a low-impact development system. Although it is an important part of a sponge city, the effect of its construction and operation is not ideal at present. The main reason for this lies in the moral hazard behavior of the developer who is the responsible party and the agent. In this research, governance mechanisms for preventing the moral hazard behavior are put forward. Additionally, corresponding models are constructed and designed based on incentive theory and project governance theory. Furthermore, the existence constraint conditions of different governance mechanisms are obtained, as well as the optimal reward and punishment of the government. Meanwhile, this paper calculated the expected returns of the government and the developer. The result shows that project completion probability and supervision cost are two key factors affecting the choice of the governance mechanisms. According to different value of project completion probability and supervision cost, this paper evaluated the selection conditions of different governance mechanisms. Moreover, this research puts forward some governing tactics and suggestions for preventing the developer’s moral hazard behavior, in order to improve the effect of project construction, and promote sponge cities to develop in a more efficient and sustainable manner.
Farmer Field Schools (FFSs): A Tool Empowering Sustainability and Food Security in Peasant Farming Systems in the Nicaraguan Highlands
Authors: Arnés Esperanza , Díaz-Ambrona Carlos G. H. , Marín-González Omar , Astier Marta
Published: August 2018

Farmer field schools (FFSs) emerged in response to the gap left by the worldwide decline in agricultural extension services. With time, this methodology has been adapted to specific rural contexts to solve problems related to the sustainability of peasant-farming systems. In this study we draw upon empirical data regarding the peasant-farming system in the Nicaraguan highlands to evaluate whether FFSs have helped communities improve the sustainability of their systems and the food security of their residents using socioeconomic, environmental, and food and nutrition security (FNS) indicators. In order to appreciate the long-term impact, we studied three communities where FFSs were implemented eight, five, and three years ago, respectively, and we included participants and nonparticipants from each community. We found that FFSs have a gradual impact, as there are significant differences between participants and nonparticipants, and it is the community that first implemented FFSs that scores highest. The impact of FFSs is broad and long lasting for indicators related to participation, access to basic services, and conservation of natural resources. Finally, this paper provides evidence that FFSs have the potential to empower farmers; however, more attention needs to be paid to critical indicators like production costs and the use of external inputs in order to scale up their potential in the future.
Positive Solutions for a Three-Point Boundary Value Problem of Fractional Q-Difference Equations
Authors: Yang Chen
Published: August 2018

In this work, a three-point boundary value problem of fractional q-difference equations is discussed. By using fixed point theorems on mixed monotone operators, some sufficient conditions that guarantee the existence and uniqueness of positive solutions are given. In addition, an iterative scheme can be made to approximate the unique solution. Finally, some interesting examples are provided to illustrate the main results.
Hyperbolicity on Graph Operators
Authors: Méndez-Bermúdez J. A. , Reyes Rosalío , Rodríguez José M. , Sigarreta José M.
Published: August 2018

A graph operator is a mapping F : Γ → Γ ′ , where Γ and Γ ′ are families of graphs. The different kinds of graph operators are an important topic in Discrete Mathematics and its applications. The symmetry of this operations allows us to prove inequalities relating the hyperbolicity constants of a graph G and its graph operators: line graph, Λ ( G ) ; subdivision graph, S ( G ) ; total graph, T ( G ) ; and the operators R ( G ) and Q ( G ) . In particular, we get relationships such as δ ( G ) ≤ δ ( R ( G ) ) ≤ δ ( G ) + 1 / 2 , δ ( Λ ( G ) ) ≤ δ ( Q ( G ) ) ≤ δ ( Λ ( G ) ) + 1 / 2 , δ ( S ( G ) ) ≤ 2 δ ( R ( G ) ) ≤ δ ( S ( G ) ) + 1 and δ ( R ( G ) ) − 1 / 2 ≤ δ ( Λ ( G ) ) ≤ 5 δ ( R ( G ) ) + 5 / 2 for every graph which is not a tree. Moreover, we also derive some inequalities for the Gromov product and the Gromov product restricted to vertices.
Temperature Variability of Poisson’s Ratio and Its Influence on the Complex Modulus Determined by Dynamic Mechanical Analysis
Authors: Carneiro Vitor H. , Puga Helder
Published: August 2018

Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) is the usual technology for the thermomechanical viscoelastic characterization of materials. This method monitors the instant values of load and displacement to determine the instant specimen stiffness. Posteriorly, it recurs to those values, the geometric dimensions of the specimen, and Poisson’s ratio to determine the complex modulus. However, during this analysis, it is assumed that Poisson’s ratio is constant, which is not always true, especially in situations where the temperature can change and promote internal modification in the specimens. This study explores the error that is imposed in the results by the determination of the real values of complex moduli due to variable Poisson’s ratios arising from temperature variability using a constant frequency. The results suggest that the evolution of the dynamic mechanical analysis should consider the Poisson’s ratio input as a variable to eliminate this error in future material characterization.
Urban Heat Island and Mitigation Technologies in Asian and Australian Cities—Impact and Mitigation
Authors: Yang Junjing , Santamouris Mat
Published: August 2018

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Characterization of Unknown Orthobunya-Like Viruses from India
Authors: Whitmer Shannon L. M. , Yadav Pragya D. , Sarkale Prasad , Chaubal Gouri Y. , Francis Alicia , Klena John , Nichol Stuart T. , Ströher Ute , Mourya Devendra T.
Published: August 2018

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of agents causing idiopathic human diseases has been crucial in the identification of novel viruses. This study describes the isolation and characterization of two novel orthobunyaviruses obtained from a jungle myna and a paddy bird from Karnataka State, India. Using an NGS approach, these isolates were classified as Cat Que and Balagodu viruses belonging to the Manzanilla clade of the Simbu serogroup. Closely related viruses in the Manzanilla clade have been isolated from mosquitos, humans, birds, and pigs across a wide geographic region. Since Orthobunyaviruses exhibit high reassortment frequency and can cause acute, self-limiting febrile illness, these data suggest that human and livestock infections of the Oya/Cat Que/Manzanilla virus may be more widespread and/or under-reported than anticipated. It therefore becomes imperative to identify novel and unknown viruses in order to understand their role in human and animal pathogenesis. The current study is a step forward in this regard and would act as a prototype method for isolation, identification and detection of several other emerging viruses.
Tracking Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara in the Chicken Embryo: In Vivo Tropism and Pathogenesis of Egg Infections
Authors: Langenmayer Martin C. , Lülf-Averhoff Anna-Theresa , Adam-Neumair Silvia , Sutter Gerd , Volz Asisa
Published: August 2018

The Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is a highly attenuated vaccinia virus serving as a promising vector vaccine platform to develop vaccines against infectious diseases. In contrast to the well-established replication deficiency and safety of MVA in mammals, much less is known about MVA infection in avian hosts. Here, we used a recombinant MVA expressing fluorescent reporter proteins under transcriptional control of specific viral early and late promoters to study in vivo tropism, distribution, and pathogenesis of MVA infections in embryonated chicken eggs. The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of embryonated chicken eggs was inoculated with recombinant MVA, MVA or phosphate-buffered saline. The infection was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy, histology, immunohistochemistry, and virus titration of embryonic tissues. After infection of the CAM, MVA spread to internal and external embryonic tissues with the liver as a major target organ. Macrophages and hematopoietic cells were identified as primary target cells of MVA infection and may be involved in virus spread. Increasing doses of MVA did not result in increased lesion severity or embryonic death. Despite MVA generalization to embryonic tissues, the CAM seems to be the major site of MVA replication. The absence of considerable organ lesions and MVA-associated mortality highlights an excellent safety profile of MVA in chicken hosts.
Accurate Model-Based Point of Gaze Estimation on Mobile Devices
Authors: Brousseau Braiden , Rose Jonathan , Eizenman Moshe
Published: August 2018

The most accurate remote Point of Gaze (PoG) estimation methods that allow free head movements use infrared light sources and cameras together with gaze estimation models. Current gaze estimation models were developed for desktop eye-tracking systems and assume that the relative roll between the system and the subjects’ eyes (the ’R-Roll’) is roughly constant during use. This assumption is not true for hand-held mobile-device-based eye-tracking systems. We present an analysis that shows the accuracy of estimating the PoG on screens of hand-held mobile devices depends on the magnitude of the R-Roll angle and the angular offset between the visual and optical axes of the individual viewer. We also describe a new method to determine the PoG which compensates for the effects of R-Roll on the accuracy of the POG. Experimental results on a prototype infrared smartphone show that for an R-Roll angle of 90 ° , the new method achieves accuracy of approximately 1 ° , while a gaze estimation method that assumes that the R-Roll angle remains constant achieves an accuracy of 3.5 ° . The manner in which the experimental PoG estimation errors increase with the increase in the R-Roll angle was consistent with the analysis. The method presented in this paper can improve significantly the performance of eye-tracking systems on hand-held mobile-devices.
Transient Analysis of Grout Penetration With Time-Dependent Viscosity Inside 3D Fractured Rock Mass by Unified Pipe-Network Method
Authors: Sun Zizheng , Yan Xiao , Liu Rentai , Xu Zhenhao , Li Shucai , Zhang Yiming
Published: August 2018

Grouting is widely used for mitigating the seepage of underground water and enhancing the stability of fractured rock mass. After injection, the viscosity of the grout gradually increases until solidification. Conventional multifield analysis models ignoring such effects greatly overestimate the penetration region of the grout and the stability of the grouted rock structures. Based on the 3D unified pipe-network method (UPM), we propose a novel numerical model considering the time-dependent viscosity of the grout, therein being a quasi-implicit approach of high efficiency. The proposed model is verified by comparing with analytical results and a time-wise method. Several large-scale 3D examples of fractured rock mass are considered in the numerical studies, demonstrating the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method. The influence of the time-dependent viscosity, fracture properties, and grouting operation methods are discussed for the grout penetration process.
Evaluation of Potential Evapotranspiration Based on CMADS Reanalysis Dataset over China
Authors: Tian Ye , Zhang Kejun , Xu Yue-Ping , Gao Xichao , Wang Jie
Published: August 2018

Potential evapotranspiration (PET) is used in many hydrological models to estimate actual evapotranspiration. The calculation of PET by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Penman–Monteith method requires data for several meteorological variables that are often unavailable in remote areas. The China Meteorological Assimilation Driving Datasets for the SWAT model (CMADS) reanalysis datasets provide an alternative to the use of observed data. This study evaluates the use of CMADS reanalysis datasets in estimating PET across China by the Penman–Monteith equation. PET estimates from CMADS data (PET_cma) during the period 2008–2016 were compared with those from observed data (PET_obs) from 836 weather stations in China. Results show that despite PET_cma overestimating average annual PET and average seasonal in some areas (in comparison to PET_obs), PET_cma well matches PET_obs overall. Overestimation of average annual PET occurs mainly for western inland China. There are more meteorological stations in southeastern China for which PET_cma is a large overestimate, with percentage bias ranging from 15% to 25% for spring but a larger overestimate in the south and underestimate in the north for the winter. Wind speed and solar radiation are the climate variables that contribute most to the error in PET_cma. Wind speed causes PET to be underestimated with percentage bias in the range −15% to −5% for central and western China whereas solar radiation causes PET to be overestimated with percentage bias in the range 15% to 30%. The underestimation of PET due to wind speed is offset by the overestimation due to solar radiation, resulting in a lower overestimation overall.
Policy Considerations for Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Incentives: Case Study in Canada
Authors: Maroufmashat Azadeh , Fowler Michael
Published: August 2018

Transportation accounts for more than 20% of the total Greenouse Gas (GHG) emissions in Canada. Switching from fossil fuels to more environmentally friendly energy sources and to Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) is a promising option for future transportation but well to wheel emission and charging/refuelling patterns must also be considered. This paper investigates the barriers to and opportunities for electric charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure incentives in Ontario, Canada and estimates the number of Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEVs) that would be offset by infrastructure incentives. The paper also assesses the potential of electric and hybrid-electric powertrains to enable GHG reductions, explores the impact of the electricity supply mix for supporting zero-emission vehicles in different scenarios and studies the effect of the utility factor for PHEVs in Ontario. The authors compare the use of electric vehicle charging infrastructures and hydrogen refueling stations regarding overall GHG emission reductions for an infrastructure incentive funded by a 20-million-dollar government grant. The results suggest that this incentive can provide infrastructure that can offset around 9000 ICEVs vehicles using electricity charging infrastructure and 4000–8700 when using hydrogen refuelling stations. Having appropriate limitations and policy considerations for the potential 1.7 million electric-based vehicles that may be in use by 2024 in Ontario would result in 5–7 million tonne GHG avoidances in different scenarios, equivalent to the removal of 1–1.5 million ICEVs from the road.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Patients Before and After a Cancer Diagnosis
Authors: Buckner C. A. , Lafrenie R. M. , Dénommée J. A. , Caswell J. M. , Want D. A.
Published: August 2018

Background: Cancer patients are increasingly seeking out complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and might be reluctant to disclose its use to their oncology treatment team. Often, CAM agents are not well studied, and little is known about their potential interactions with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or biologic therapies, and their correlations with outcomes. In the present study, we set out to determine the rate of CAM use in patients receiving treatment at a Northern Ontario cancer centre. Methods: Patients reporting for treatment at the Northeast Cancer Centre (NECC) in Sudbury, Ontario, were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire to assess CAM use. Changes in CAM use before, compared with after, diagnosis were also assessed. Results: Patients in Northern Ontario reported significant CAM use both before and after diagnosis. However, as a function of the CAM type, CAM use was greatly enhanced after cancer diagnosis. For example, the number of patients who reported use of biologic products increased to 51.8% after a cancer diagnosis from 15.6% before a cancer diagnosis. Patients reported much smaller changes in the use of alternative medical systems or spiritual therapy after diagnosis. Vitamin use was reported by 66% of respondents, and the number of different CAMS used correlated significantly with the reported number of vitamins used. Conclusions: Use of CAM, particularly biologic products, increased significantly after a cancer diagnosis. Further studies are required to examine the effect of CAM use on the efficacy and safety of cancer therapies.
First Case of Sternum Replacement with a Bioceramic Prosthesis after Radio-Induced Sarcoma
Authors: Bertin F. , Deluche E. , Tricard J. , Piccardo A. , Denes E.
Published: August 2018

Objectives: To date, no “gold standard” technique has been developed for sternum replacement in cases of radioinduced sarcoma, which is a rare and aggressive disease. Current techniques rely on metallic prostheses, meshes, or bone grafts—procedures that that are associated with several complications. We therefore tried a new solution that might simplify and optimize this surgery. Methods: We used a porous alumina ceramic prosthesis (Ceramil: I.CERAM, Limoges, France) that has several interesting characteristics, such as osseointegration, biocompatibility, radiolucency, and high mechanical strength. Results: We report the first case of sternal replacement surgery involving the implantation of a ceramic prosthesis after radio-induced sternal sarcoma. In 2005, a 54-year-old woman was diagnosed with local breast cancer for which she underwent all appropriate treatment. Ten years later, she developed radio-induced sarcoma of the sternum. A complete sternal replacement was performed on 24 April 2015, with no postoperative complications. Imaging by 18F-flurodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography–computed tomography performed 26 months after the surgery showed no local recurrence. The patient seems to have fully recovered and has resumed normal activity. Conclusions: This new technique is promising. For the first time, we highlight the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of sternal replacement using a porous alumina ceramic prosthesis.
Report from the 19th Annual Western Canadian Gastrointestinal Cancer Consensus Conference; Winnipeg, Manitoba; 29–30 September 2017
Authors: Kim C. A. , Ahmed S. , Ahmed S. , Brunet B. , Chalchal H. , Deobald R. , Doll C. , Dupre M. P. , Gordon V. , Lee-Ying R. M. , Lim H. , Liu D. , Loree J. M. , McGhie J. P. , Mulder K. , Park J. , Yip B. , Wong R. P. , Zaidi A.
Published: August 2018

The 19th annual Western Canadian Gastrointestinal Cancer Consensus Conference (WCGCCC) was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, 29–30 September 2017. The WCGCCC is an interactive multidisciplinary conference attended by health care professionals from across Western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba) who are involved in the care of patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists; pathologists; radiologists; and allied health care professionals participated in presentation and discussion sessions for the purpose of developing the recommendations presented here. This consensus statement addresses current issues in the management of colorectal cancer.
General Practitioners in Oncology: Their Valuable Role Throughout the Cancer Care Trajectory
Authors: Chaput G. , Broad K.
Published: August 2018

In the past decade, evidence has emerged to demonstrate a growing trend throughout Canada: family physicians choosing to tailor their clinical practice to include focused practices such as cancer care [...]
Erratum: Cost-Effectiveness of Everolimus for the Treatment of Advanced Neuroendocrine Tumours of Gastrointestinal or Lung Origin in Canada
Authors: Chua A. , Perrin A. , Ricci J.F. , Neary M.P. , Thabane M.
Published: August 2018

In the initially submitted manuscript, two figures were included: [...]
A general and atom-efficient continuous-flow approach to prepare amines, amides and imines via reactive N-chloramines
Authors: Jolley Katherine E , Chapman Michael R , Blacker A John
Published: August 2018

Chloramines are an important class of reagents, providing a convenient source of chlorine or electrophilic nitrogen. However, the instability of these compounds is a problem which makes their isolation and handling difficult. To overcome these hazards, a continuous-flow approach is reported which generates and immediately reacts N-chloramines directly, avoiding purification and isolation steps. 2-Chloramines were produced from the reaction of styrenes with N-alkyl-N-sulfonyl-N-chloramines, whilst N-alkyl or N,N’-dialkyl-N-chloramines reacted with anisaldehyde in the presence of t-BuO2H oxidant to afford amides. Primary and secondary imines were produced under continuous conditions from the reaction of N-chloramines with base, with one example subsequently reduced under asymmetric conditions to produce a chiral amine in 94% ee.
Evaluating methodologies for species delimitation: the mismatch between phenotypes and genotypes in lichenized fungi (Bryoria sect. Implexae, Parmeliaceae)
Authors: Boluda C.G. , Rico V.J. , Divakar P.K. , Nadyeina O. , Myllys L. , McMullin R.T. , Zamora J.C. , Scheidegger C. , Hawksworth D.L.
Published: August 2018

In many lichen-forming fungi, molecular phylogenetic analyses lead to the discovery of cryptic species within traditional morphospecies. However, in some cases, molecular sequence data also questions the separation of phenotypically characterised species. Here we apply an integrative
taxonomy approach – including morphological, chemical, molecular, and distributional characters – to re-assess species boundaries in a traditionally speciose group of hair lichens, Bryoria sect. Implexae. We sampled multilocus sequence and microsatellite data from
142 specimens from a broad intercontinental distribution. Molecular data included DNA sequences of the standard fungal markers ITS, IGS, GAPDH, two newly tested loci (FRBi15 and FRBi16), and SSR frequencies from 18 microsatellite markers. Datasets were analysed with Bayesian and maximum
likelihood phylogenetic reconstruction, phenogram reconstruction, STRUCTURE Bayesian clustering, principal coordinate analysis, haplotype network, and several different species delimitation analyses (ABGD, PTP, GMYC, and DISSECT). Additionally, past population demography and divergence times
are estimated. The different approaches to species recognition do not support the monophyly of the 11 currently accepted morphospecies, and rather suggest the reduction of these to four phylogenetic species. Moreover, three of these are relatively recent in origin and cryptic, including phenotypically
and chemically variable specimens. Issues regarding the integration of an evolutionary perspective into taxonomic conclusions in species complexes, which have undergone recent diversification, are discussed. The four accepted species, all epitypified by sequenced material, are Bryoria fuscescens,
B. glabra, B. kockiana, and B. pseudofuscescens. Ten species rank names are reduced to synonymy. In the absence of molecular data, they can be recorded as the B. fuscescens complex. Intraspecific phenotype plasticity and factors affecting the speciation of different
morphospecies in this group of Bryoria are outlined.
Principal Component Analysis as a Tool for Characterizing Black Hole Images and Variability
Authors: Medeiros Lia , Lauer Tod R. , Psaltis Dimitrios , Özel Feryal
Published: August 2018

We explore the use of principal component analysis (PCA) to characterize high-fidelity simulations and interferometric observations of the millimeter emission that originates near the horizons of accreting black holes. We show mathematically that the Fourier transforms of eigenimages derived from PCA applied to an ensemble of images in the spatial domain are identical to the eigenvectors of PCA applied to the ensemble of the Fourier transforms of the images, which suggests that this approach may be applied to modeling the sparse interferometric Fourier-visibilities produced by an array such as the Event Horizon Telescope. We also show that the simulations in the spatial domain can themselves be compactly represented with a PCA-derived basis of eigenimages, which allows for detailed comparisons to be made between variable observations and time-dependent models, as well as for detection of outliers or rare events within a time series of images. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the spectrum of PCA eigenvalues is a diagnostic of the power spectrum of the structure and, hence, of the underlying physical processes in the simulated and observed images.
An Explosion is Triggered by the Late Collapse of the Compact Remnant from a Neutron Star Merger
Authors: Nathanail Antonios
Published: August 2018

It is known that a binary neutron star (BNS) merger produces a hypermassive neutron star. The lifetime of this compact remnant depends on the total mass and the equation of state. The collapse of this compact remnant to a black hole torus system is expected to give rise to a powerful jet and a short gamma-ray burst. Nevertheless, if the collapse is delayed half a second or so, the surrounding matter would already be accreted and/or expelled, hence no significant torus is formed. However, the collapse itself gives rise to a quasi-isotropic magnetized fireball. This magnetic bomb dissipates much of its energy due to magnetic reconnection and produces the prompt emission. The energy range of such an explosion depends on the initial magnetic field strength and the amplification of the magnetic energy during merger. We briefly estimate the physical parameters at the time of collapse. We discuss the production of a quasi-isotropic magnetized fireball and its subsequent interaction with the ejected matter during merger as the outcome of the coalescence of a BNS system. We further suggest the radial stratification of the outflow, following the quasi-normal modes of the black hole.
Effect of Magnetic Field Strength on Solar Differential Rotation and Meridional Circulation
Authors: Imada S. , Fujiyama M.
Published: August 2018

We studied the solar surface flows (differential rotation and meridional circulation) using a magnetic element feature tracking technique by which the surface velocity is obtained using magnetic field data. We used the line-of-sight magnetograms obtained by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory from 2010 May 01 to 2017 August 16 (Carrington rotations 2096 to 2193) and tracked the magnetic element features every hour. Using our method, we estimated the differential rotation velocity profile. We found rotation velocities of ∼30 and −170 m s−1 at latitudes of 0° and 60° in the Carrington rotation frame, respectively. Our results are consistent with previous results obtained by other methods, such as direct Doppler, time-distance helioseismology, or cross-correlation analyses. We also estimated the meridional circulation velocity profile and found that it peaked at ∼12 m s−1 at a latitude of 45°, which is also consistent with previous results. The dependence of the surface flow velocity on the magnetic field strength was also studied. In our analysis, the magnetic elements with stronger and weaker magnetic fields largely represent the characteristics of the active region remnants and solar magnetic networks, respectively. We found that magnetic elements with a strong (weak) magnetic field show a faster (slower) rotation speed. On the other hand, magnetic elements with a strong (weak) magnetic field show slower (faster) meridional circulation velocity. These results might be related to the Sun’s internal dynamics.