bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Muddied Waters: Perceptions and Attitudes towards Mangroves and Their Removal in New Zealand
Authors: Dencer-Brown Amrit Melissa , Alfaro Andrea C. , Milne Simon
Published: May 2019

Seaward expansion of New Zealand’s mangrove Avicennia marina (subsp.) australasica in estuaries has led to disparity in opinion over their social-ecological value. This study investigated existing stakeholders and interested parties’ perceptions and attitudes towards mangroves, focusing on four sites in Auckland. A mixed methods design was used consisting of semi-structured interviews, ratings of importance of mangrove ecosystem services and issues and Q-sorts on mangrove social-ecological statements. 29 participants were interviewed in person. Results revealed a disparity in perceptions and attitudes towards mangroves. Community Groups displayed strongly negative opinions towards mangrove preservation and Conservation Organisations expressed a strongly positive stance. The occupation of participants was a significant factor in the ratings. Overall, sediment and nutrient retention were rated as the most important ecosystem services. The desire for reversion of estuaries to a “pre-mangrove” state is the greatest issue affecting mangroves. Q-analysis revealed loading of participants onto two factors representing (1) a pro-preservation attitude towards mangrove and (2) a neutral view. Managing sediment loads and nutrient run-off in the wider catchment were highlighted as ways to reduce mangrove expansion. Improving water quality and the health of the harbour was of utmost priority to kaitiaki (Māori guardians of the environment). This study provides critical insights into the management of mangroves as social-ecological systems.
Assessing Changes in Ecosystem Services Provision in Coastal Waters
Authors: Inácio Miguel , Schernewski Gerald , Pliatsika Dimitra Alkisti , Benz Juliane , Friedland René
Published: May 2019

Coastal ecosystems are important ecosystem services (ES) suppliers. The degradation of these ecosystems jeopardizes the quality of ES provision. The Biodiversity 2020 Strategy aims at maintaining and restoring ES, although clear guidelines are missing on how to define the state to which ES should be restored. In this respect, synergies between ES assessments and the Water Framework Directive (WFD) exist, but methodological approaches to connect both are lacking. The Marine Ecosystem Services Assessment Tool (MESAT) can overcome this problem. In this study, the tool is applied to semi-open and open coastal water bodies in the Southern Baltic Sea, the Greifswald Bay and Pomeranian Bay. The resulting changes in ES provision confirm the ability of MESAT to be applied in all WFD water body types and a multitude of environmental and anthropogenic gradients. Nevertheless, problems such as data scarcity, spatial extent and historical background of the case studies require adaptations in the assessment process. The spatial extent of all case studies allowed to cover a connected system with a strong environmental (salinity) gradient. Analyzing changes in ES provision in connected systems can help to better understand linkages between ES provision and environmental and anthropogenic stressors as well as trade-offs between ES across water bodies. This information can be further used to support the design of management plans. From the analysis of all MESAT case studies, major factors were identified for the tool to be transfered into a European context, as well as potential problems and solutions. Following the WFD is a strong advantage, which ensures the tool’s transferability to other areas.
Addressing Energy Poverty through Transitioning to a Carbon-Free Environment
Authors: Papadopoulou Sofia-Despoina , Kalaitzoglou Niki , Psarra Maria , Lefkeli Sideri , Karasmanaki Evangelia , Tsantopoulos Georgios
Published: May 2019

The excessive consumption of fossil fuels not only leads to resource depletion, but also involves negative environmental effects on both public health and the climate. However, Greece’s renewable energy (RE) capacity is considerable and could meet a great part of the country’s energy needs while helping to tackle the ecological problem our planet faces. At the same time, the deployment of renewable energy sources (RES) can facilitate the creation of new jobs and enable households to become energy independent, while addressing energy poverty. The present study investigates the views and attitudes of citizens of the Thessaloniki conurbation towards RES. To collect the data, structured questionnaires were used, which were completed through personal interviews. Moreover, random sampling was performed to select the sample, and in total 420 citizens participated in the survey. Results showed that the respondents supported the replacement of lignite plants with renewable energy sources since they perceived that they constitute a necessary solution providing opportunities for economic growth and improvement to their quality of life. Finally, the vast majority expressed increased interest in future investment in photovoltaic systems, which in their opinion could contribute to improving air quality and increasing the energy independence not only of Greece but also of households.
Innovative Upscaling of Architectural Elements for Strengthening Building Structures
Authors: Tsang Hing-Ho
Published: May 2019

For conservation of heritages or life prolongation of aged buildings that contributes to environmental sustainability, there is a global need of structural strengthening or upgrading so as to restore their original functions or fulfil more stringent performance requirements stipulated in modern design codes of practice. However, the actual implementation is usually met with resistance from the property owner; hence, it is desirable to adopt an effective, economical and less invasive technique. In order to provide a further incentive, this article explores an innovative idea of upscaling decorative architectural elements, such as brackets, knee braces and corbels, in order that they also possess adequate strength capacity to resist extreme loadings such as earthquake actions. The required dimensions of architectural brackets for seismic retrofitting of concrete beam-column joints are calculated for different levels of seismicity through a parametric study. It is demonstrated that the proposed design can enhance both the aesthetics and structural performance of a building. This exemplifies how art can be integrated into engineering design for solving real-world problems.
The Importance of Cultural Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity for Landscape Visitors in the Biosphere Reserve Swabian Alb (Germany)
Authors: Müller Sarah Marie , Peisker Jasmin , Bieling Claudia , Linnemann Kathrin , Reidl Konrad , Schmieder Klaus
Published: May 2019

Agricultural landscapes play an important role in providing different ecosystem services. However, the current trend of land use intensification in Central Europe involves the risk of trade-offs between them. Since cultural ecosystem services (CES) are less tangible, they are often underrepresented in landscape management decisions. To highlight this subject we evaluated CES in agro-ecosystems in the biosphere reserve Swabian Alb (Southwestern Germany). We conducted a survey among visitors to investigate their usage of the landscape, their perception as well as valuation of CES, and interrelations with biodiversity. The results show the presence of various types of usage related to cultural services, the most prominent being recreation and landscape aesthetics. People declared a high affinity to nature and biodiversity awareness. A participatory mapping task revealed their appreciation of biodiverse and ecologically relevant places such as protected species-rich grasslands, traditional orchards and hedgerows. Several socio-demographic differences emerged, e.g., between age classes and local/non-local visitors. We conclude that our exemplary methodical approach was successful in capturing the CES and their link to biodiversity in the investigated biosphere reserve, while identifying priority fields of action concerning the integration of CES into management and planning of cultural landscapes, ultimately serving as guides for local decision-makers.
Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Integrating Sustainability across the Curriculum at a Teaching-Oriented University
Authors: Pompeii Brian , Chiu Yi-Wen , Neill Dawn , Braun David , Fiegel Gregg , Oulton Rebekah , Ragsdale Joseph , Singh Kylee
Published: May 2019

This research collects and analyzes student and faculty knowledge and perceptions toward sustainability education at a predominately undergraduate, teaching-oriented university. In-depth, qualitative methods distinguish low- and high-knowledge student and faculty cohorts, identify perceived barriers to sustainability education in each cohort, and recognize strategies to overcome the barriers identified by each cohort. Data collected from recorded and transcribed semi-structured interviews of student and faculty subjects underwent analysis via repeated readings to uncover key themes. Results required developing metrics for student and faculty sustainability knowledge and attitudes across disciplines, determining discipline-specific gaps in sustainability knowledge and differences in attitudes, and relating implementation barriers to general or specific knowledge gaps and attitudes. Findings identified low and high levels of sustainability knowledge within the student and faculty subject population and revealed barriers in pursuing interdisciplinary sustainability curricula across disciplines and among both students and faculty at the study university. Overall, higher sustainability knowledge participants tend to identify barriers related to institutional accountability while lower sustainability knowledge participants tend to identify barriers related to personal responsibility. Distributing barriers and solutions along a continuum from personal responsibility to educational institution responsibility reveals more recognition of barriers at the personal level and more solutions proposed at the institutional level. This result may reflect a common tendency to deny personal responsibility when addressing sustainability challenges.
Augmented Reality in the Integrative Internet of Things (AR-IoT): Application for Precision Farming
Authors: Phupattanasilp Pilaiwan , Tong Sheau-Ru
Published: May 2019

Benefitted by the Internet of Things (IoT), visualization capabilities facilitate the improvement of precision farming, especially in dynamic indoor planting. However, conventional IoT data visualization is usually carried out in offsite and textual environments, i.e., text and number, which do not promote a user’s sensorial perception and interaction. This paper introduces the use of augmented reality (AR) as a support to IoT data visualization, called AR-IoT. The AR-IoT system superimposes IoT data directly onto real-world objects and enhances object interaction. As a case study, this system is applied to crop monitoring. Multi-camera, a non-destructive and low-cost imaging platform of the IoT, is connected to the internet and integrated into the system to measure the three-dimensional (3D) coordinates of objects. The relationships among accuracy, object coordinates, augmented information (e.g., virtual objects), and object interaction are investigated. The proposed system shows a great potential to integrate IoT data with AR resolution, which will effectively contribute to updating precision agricultural techniques in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Intrusion Detection Based on Device-Free Localization in the Era of IoT
Authors: Zhao Lingjun , Su Chunhua , Huang Huakun , Han Zhaoyang , Ding Shuxue , Li Xiang
Published: May 2019

Device-free localization (DFL) locates targets without being equipped with the attached devices, which is of great significance for intrusion detection or monitoring in the era of the Internet-of-Things (IoT). Aiming at solving the problems of low accuracy and low robustness in DFL approaches, in this paper, we first treat the RSS signal as an RSS-image matrix and conduct a process of eliminating the background to dig out the variation component with distinguished features. Then, we make use of these feature-rich images by formulating DFL as an image classification problem. Furthermore, a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) is designed to extract features automatically for classification. The localization performance of the proposed background elimination-based CNN (BE-CNN) scheme is validated with a real-world dataset of outdoor DFL. In addition, we also validate the robust performance of the proposal by conducting numerical experiments with different levels of noise. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme has an obvious advantage in terms of improving localization accuracy and robustness for DFL. Particularly, the BE-CNN can maintain the highest localization accuracy of 100%, even in noisy conditions when the SNR is over −5 dB. The BE-based methods can outperform all the corresponding raw data-based methods in terms of the localization accuracy. In addition, the proposed method can outperform the comparison methods, deep neural network with autoencoder, K-nearest-neighbor (KNN), support vector machines (SVM), etc., in terms of the localization accuracy and robustness.
London Penetration Depth as a Test of Order Parameter Symmetry in Sodium Cobaltate Superconductors
Authors: Dzebisashvili Dmitry M. , Klyuchantsev Andrey B.
Published: May 2019

Temperature dependence of the magnetic field penetration depth λ was calculated for water intercalated sodium cobaltate superconductor Na x CoO 2 · y H 2 O. Assuming that the system is in the chiral d+id–wave superconducting state, it was shown that the shifting of the excitation spectrum nodal points off the normal phase Fermi surface due to variation of the sodium content x changes the functional form of the temperature dependence of λ − 2 from exponential to linear in the low temperatures region. It is argued that this change in the functional form of T–dependence of the λ − 2 can serve as a proof for the chiral symmetry of the superconducting order parameter in the sodium cobaltate.
Improved Sparse Coding Algorithm with Device-Free Localization Technique for Intrusion Detection and Monitoring
Authors: Huang Huakun , Han Zhaoyang , Ding Shuxue , Su Chunhua , Zhao Lingjun
Published: May 2019

Device-free localization (DFL) locates target in a wireless sensors network (WSN) without equipping with wireless devices or tags, which is an emerging technology in the fields of intrusion detection and monitoring. In order to achieve an accurate result of DFL, the conventional works adopt l 1 norm as a regularizer to take the full potential of sparsity for locating targets. Contrasting to the previous works, we exploit the l 2 , 1 norm as the regularizer and devise an efficient optimization method with a proximal operator-based scheme, which leads the proposed improved-sparse-coding algorithm with proximal operator (ISCPO). Compared with the state-of-the-art methods that adopt l 1 norm as the regularizer, the proposed algorithm can improve the joint sparsity of sparse solution. Experimental results on our real testbeds of indoor DFL show that, in scenarios of living room and corridor, the proposed approach can achieve high localization accuracies of about 100% and 90%, respectively. In addition, the proposed ISCPO algorithm outperforms the compared state-of-the-art methods and has a more robust performance in challenged environments for target localization.
Small-Deviation Inequalities for Sums of Random Matrices
Authors: Gao Xianjie , Zhang Chao , Zhang Hongwei
Published: May 2019

Random matrices have played an important role in many fields including machine learning, quantum information theory, and optimization. One of the main research focuses is on the deviation inequalities for eigenvalues of random matrices. Although there are intensive studies on the large-deviation inequalities for random matrices, only a few works discuss the small-deviation behavior of random matrices. In this paper, we present the small-deviation inequalities for the largest eigenvalues of sums of random matrices. Since the resulting inequalities are independent of the matrix dimension, they are applicable to high-dimensional and even the infinite-dimensional cases.
Integer and Non-Integer Order Study of the GO-W/GO-EG Nanofluids Flow by Means of Marangoni Convection
Authors: Gul Taza , Anwar Haris , Khan Muhammad Altaf , Khan Ilyas , Kumam Poom
Published: May 2019

Characteristically, most fluids are not linear in their natural deeds and therefore fractional order models are very appropriate to handle these kinds of marvels. In this article, we studied the base solvents of water and ethylene glycol for the stable dispersion of graphene oxide to prepare graphene oxide-water (GO-W) and graphene oxide-ethylene glycol (GO-EG) nanofluids. The stable dispersion of the graphene oxide in the water and ethylene glycol was taken from the experimental results. The combined efforts of the classical and fractional order models were imposed and compared under the effect of the Marangoni convection. The numerical method for the non-integer derivative that was used in this research is known as a predictor corrector technique of the Adams–Bashforth–Moulton method (Fractional Differential Equation-12) or shortly (FDE-12). The impact of the modeled parameters were analyzed and compared for both GO-W and GO-EG nanofluids. The diverse effects of the parameters were observed through a fractional model rather than the traditional approach. Furthermore, it was observed that GO-EG nanofluids are more efficient due to their high thermal properties compared with GO-W nanofluids.
Histological and Histomorphometric Analyses of Two Bovine Bone Blocks Implanted in Rabbit Calvaria
Authors: Gehrke Sergio , Mazón Patricia , Del Fabbro Massimo , Tumedei Margherita , Aramburú Júnior Jaime , Pérez-Díaz Leticia , De Aza Piedad
Published: May 2019

This study compared the osteogenic potential of two types of bovine bone blocks. Blocks were obtained by either sintered or a nonsintered process. Calvaria were surgically exposed in 20 rabbits. In each animal, six 0.5-mm-diameter cortical microperforations were drilled with a carbide bur before grafting to promote graft irrigation. The sintered (group 1) and nonsintered (group 2) bovine bone blocks (6 mm diameter, 5 mm high) were bilaterally screwed onto calvarial bone. Blocks were previously prepared from a larger block using a trephine bur. Rabbits were sacrificed after 6 and 8 weeks for the histological and histomorphometric analyses. Samples were processed using the historesin technique. The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the newly formed bone were undertaken using light microscopy. Both groups showed modest new bone formation and remodeling. At the 8-week follow-up, the sintered group displayed significantly lower bone resorption (average of 10% in group 1 and 25% in group 2) and neo-formation (12.86 ± 1.52%) compared to the nonsintered group (16.10 ± 1.29%) at both follow-ups (p < 0.05). One limitation of the present animal model is that the study demonstrates that variations in the physico-chemical properties of the bone substitute material clearly influence the in vivo behavior.
End-to-End Mandarin Speech Recognition Combining CNN and BLSTM
Authors: Wang Dong , Wang Xiaodong , Lv Shaohe
Published: May 2019

Since conventional Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems often contain many modules and use varieties of expertise, it is hard to build and train such models. Recent research show that end-to-end ASRs can significantly simplify the speech recognition pipelines and achieve competitive performance with conventional systems. However, most end-to-end ASR systems are neither reproducible nor comparable because they use specific language models and in-house training databases which are not freely available. This is especially common for Mandarin speech recognition. In this paper, we propose a CNN+BLSTM+CTC end-to-end Mandarin ASR. This CNN+BLSTM+CTC ASR uses Convolutional Neural Net (CNN) to learn local speech features, uses Bidirectional Long-Short Time Memory (BLSTM) to learn history and future contextual information, and uses Connectionist Temporal Classification (CTC) for decoding. Our model is completely trained on the by-far-largest open-source Mandarin speech corpus AISHELL-1, using neither any in-house databases nor external language models. Experiments show that our CNN+BLSTM+CTC model achieves a WER of 19.2%, outperforming the exiting best work. Because all the data corpora we used are freely available, our model is reproducible and comparable, providing a new baseline for further Mandarin ASR research.
Parameter Estimation of Multi Frequency Hopping Signals Based on Space-Time-Frequency Distribution
Authors: Wan Jian , Zhang Dianfei , Xu Wei , Guo Qiang
Published: May 2019

Frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) communication is widely used in military and civil communication, and the parameter estimation of frequency hopping (HF) signals is of great significance. In order to estimate the parameters of multiple frequency hopping signals effectively, a blind parameter estimation algorithm based on space-time frequency analysis (STFA) and matrix joint diagonalization (JDM) is proposed. Firstly, the time domain signal received by the linear array is converted to the space-time frequency domain through the space-time frequency transformation, and the space-time frequency distribution (STFD) of the signal is obtained. Then the time-frequency point is extracted from the space-time frequency distribution map, the extraction of the hop is completed by the method of finding an “island”, and the space-time frequency matrix of each hop is constructed, and then the preliminary estimation of each jump frequency, jump time and jump period is completed. Finally, the space-time-frequency matrix of the same hop received by different array elements is jointly diagonalized by the matrix joint diagonalization algorithm, and the diagonalization matrix is obtained. On the basis of the diagonalization matrix, the root-MUSIC algorithm is used to complete the direction of arrival (DOA) estimation of the frequency hopping signal and the separation of the frequency hopping radio. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is effective in parameter estimation of multi-hopping signals. It can estimate the parameters of −4 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The accuracy rate of parameter (hop period, DOA, hop start time, hop end time, frequency hopping frequency set) estimation reaches 73.26%, and the sparse linear regression (SLR) algorithm reaches 70.15%. When the signal-to-noise ratio reaches 5 dB, the accuracy of estimation can reach 94.74%, and the SLR reach 85.64%. It has a good effect on parameter estimation of multi-hopping signals.
Сhiral and Racemic Fields Concept for Understanding of the Homochirality Origin, Asymmetric Catalysis, Chiral Superstructure Formation from Achiral Molecules, and B-Z DNA Conformational Transition
Authors: Pavlov Valerii A. , Shushenachev Yaroslav V. , Zlotin Sergey G.
Published: May 2019

The four most important and well-studied phenomena of mirror symmetry breaking of molecules were analyzed for the first time in terms of available common features and regularities. Mirror symmetry breaking of the primary origin of biological homochirality requires the involvement of an external chiral inductor (environmental chirality). All reviewed mirror symmetry breaking phenomena were considered from that standpoint. A concept of chiral and racemic fields was highly helpful in this analysis. A chiral gravitational field in combination with a static magnetic field (Earth’s environmental conditions) may be regarded as a hypothetical long-term chiral inductor. Experimental evidences suggest a possible effect of the environmental chiral inductor as a chiral trigger on the mirror symmetry breaking effect. Also, this effect explains a conformational transition of the right-handed double DNA helix to the left-handed double DNA helix (B-Z DNA transition) as possible DNA damage.
Analysis of Toxigenic Fusarium Species Associated with Wheat Grain from Three Regions of Russia: Volga, Ural, and West Siberia
Authors: Gagkaeva Tatiana , Gavrilova Olga , Orina Aleksandra , Lebedin Yuri , Shanin Ilya , Petukhov Pavel , Eremin Sergei
Published: May 2019

Wheat grains collected in three regions of Russia—Volga, Ural, and West Siberia—were analyzed for triangulation of methods in analysis of toxigenic Fusarium species. The presence of fungi and quantitative content of their biomass were detected by using various analytical methods, including a mycological and immunochemical methods, and quantitative PCR. Additionally, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry were applied for determination of mycotoxins. Regional differences were found regarding the contamination of wheat grain by Fusarium fungi and their toxins. The most important observation was the detection of F. graminearum in the Ural and West Siberian regions, where this pathogen had not been found previously. A maximum damaged grains by F. graminearum and F. sporotrichioides was found in the grain samples from West Siberia. The DNA of F. graminearum was detected in 19.2% and DNA of F. sporotrichioides was found in 84.1% of the analyzed grain samples. The amount of Fusarium antigens in the grain samples from the West Siberian region was 7–8 times higher than in the grain samples from the other two regions. Significant contamination of the grain with deoxynivalenol and T-2/HT-2 toxins (maximum contents were 2239 ppb and 199 ppb, respectively) was detected in the West Siberian region.
Occurrence and Risk Assessment of Mycotoxins through Polish Beer Consumption
Authors: Grajewski Jan , Kosicki Robert , Twarużek Magdalena , Błajet-Kosicka Anna
Published: May 2019

Poland is one of Europe’s leading producers and exporters of beer. The study, herein, describes the measurement of ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, and zearalenone levels in 69 Polish beers. Analytical methodologies based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and fluorescence detection were developed, validated, and used to perform the above determinations. The most prevalent mycotoxins were deoxynivalenol (96%), ochratoxin A (93%), and HT-2 toxin (74%), respectively. Three quarters of the samples contained at least three analytes. The mean ochratoxin A concentration was 0.057 (SD 0.065) ng/mL, and in four beer samples its level exceeded 0.2 ng/mL, a value postulated in the literature to be the maximum limit. Deoxynivalenol was found at a maximum level of 56.2 ng/mL, and its mean concentration was 17.1 (SD 9.0) ng/mL. An evaluation of the estimated daily intake (EDI) of mycotoxins from beer in different European populations was made using food-consumption data prepared by WHO. Based on the mean ochratoxin A concentration in beers, the EDI represented 0.8–1.1% of the tolerable daily intake (TDI), while in a worst-case scenario (maximum concentration) it reached 5.0–7.5% of TDI. For deoxynivalenol, the EDI was in the range of 4.1–6.0% of TDI, whereas, based on maximum values, it reached the level of 14–21% of TDI. There were no significant differences between “scenarios” in the HT-2 case (mean—5.0–7.5% of TDI; maximum—6.5–9.7% of TDI) due to the fact that its concentration was near the limit of quantification (LOQ) value taken for calculation. The significance of these results are discussed, herein.
Hydrophobized Reversed-Phase Adsorbent for Protection of Dairy Cattle against Lipophilic Toxins from Diet. Efficiensy In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Sotnichenko Alexander , Pantsov Evgeny , Shinkarev Dmitry , Okhanov Victor
Published: May 2019

The steady growth of inflammatory diseases of the udder in dairy cattle forces us to look for the causes of this phenomenon in the context of growing chemical pollution of the environment and feeds. Within the framework of this concept, an analysis was made of the polarity level of the three toxic impurity groups, which are commonly present in dairy cattle feeds. These impurities are presented by mycotoxins, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and persistent organic pollutants (POP). It has been determined that 46% of studied mycotoxins (n = 1500) and 100% of studied polyaromatic hydrocarbons (n = 45) and persistent organic pollutants (n = 55) are lipophilic compounds, prone to bioaccumulation. A comparative evaluation of the sorption capacity of four adsorbents of a different nature and polarity with respect to the simplest PAH, naphthalene and lipophilic estrogenic mycotoxin, zearalenone in vitro has been carried out. The highest efficiency in these experiments was demonstrated by the reversed-phase polyoctylated polysilicate hydrogel (POPSH). The use of POPSH in a herd of lactating cows significantly reduced the transfer of aldrin, dieldrin and heptachlor, typical POPs from the “dirty dozen”, to the milk. The relevance of protecting the main functional systems of animals from the damaging effects of lipophilic toxins from feeds using non-polar adsorbents, and the concept of evaluating the effectiveness of various feed adsorbents for dairy cattle by their influence on the somatic cell count in the collected milk are discussed.
Another Approach to Track Reconstruction: Cluster Analysis
Authors: Siklér Ferenc
Published: May 2019

A novel combination of data analysis techniques is introduced for the reconstruction of primary charged particles and of daughters of photon conversions, created in high energy collisions. Instead of performing a classical trajectory building or an image transformation, efficient use of both local and global information is undertaken while keeping competing choices open. The measured hits in silicon-based tracking detectors are clustered with the help of a k-medians clustering. It proceeds by alternating between the hit-to-track assignment and the track-fit update steps, until convergence. The clustering is complemented with the possibility of adding new track hypotheses or removing unnecessary ones. A simplified model of a silicon tracker is employed to test the performance of the proposed method, showing good efficiency and purity characteristics.
Taming the Energy Rise of the Total Proton-Proton Cross-Section
Authors: Ostapchenko Sergey , Bleicher Marcus
Published: May 2019

Steep rise of parton densities in the limit of small parton momentum fraction x poses a challenge for describing the observed energy-dependence of the total and inelastic proton-proton cross sections σ p p tot / inel : considering a realistic parton spatial distribution, one obtains a too-strong increase of σ p p tot / inel in the limit of very high energies. We discuss various mechanisms which allow one to tame such a rise, paying special attention to the role of parton-parton correlations. In addition, we investigate a potential impact on model predictions for σ p p tot, related to dynamical higher twist corrections to parton-production processes.
Induced Gravitational Collapse, Binary-Driven Hypernovae, Long Gramma-ray Bursts and Their Connection with Short Gamma-ray Bursts
Authors: Rueda J. A. , Ruffini R. , Wang Y.
Published: May 2019

There is increasing observational evidence that short and long Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) originate in different subclasses, each one with specific energy release, spectra, duration, etc, and all of them with binary progenitors. The binary components involve carbon-oxygen cores (CO core ), neutron stars (NSs), black holes (BHs), and white dwarfs (WDs). We review here the salient features of the specific class of binary-driven hypernovae (BdHNe) within the induced gravitational collapse (IGC) scenario for the explanation of the long GRBs. The progenitor is a CO core -NS binary. The supernova (SN) explosion of the CO core , producing at its center a new NS ( ν NS), triggers onto the NS companion a hypercritical, i.e., highly super-Eddington accretion process, accompanied by a copious emission of neutrinos. By accretion the NS can become either a more massive NS or reach the critical mass for gravitational collapse with consequent formation of a BH. We summarize the results on this topic from the first analytic estimates in 2012 all the way up to the most recent three-dimensional (3D) smoothed-particle-hydrodynamics (SPH) numerical simulations in 2018. Thanks to these results it is by now clear that long GRBs are richer and more complex systems than thought before. The SN explosion and its hypercritical accretion onto the NS explain the X-ray precursor. The feedback of the NS accretion, the NS collapse and the BH formation produce asymmetries in the SN ejecta, implying the necessity of a 3D analysis for GRBs. The newborn BH, the surrounding matter and the magnetic field inherited from the NS, comprises the inner engine from which the GRB electron-positron ( e + e − ) plasma and the high-energy emission are initiated. The impact of the e + e − on the asymmetric ejecta transforms the SN into a hypernova (HN). The dynamics of the plasma in the asymmetric ejecta leads to signatures depending on the viewing angle. This explains the ultrarelativistic prompt emission in the MeV domain and the mildly-relativistic flares in the early afterglow in the X-ray domain. The feedback of the ν NS pulsar-like emission on the HN explains the X-ray late afterglow and its power-law regime. All of the above is in contrast with a simple GRB model attempting to explain the entire GRB with the kinetic energy of an ultrarelativistic jet extending through all of the above GRB phases, as traditionally proposed in the “collapsar-fireball” model. In addition, BdHNe in their different flavors lead to ν NS-NS or ν NS-BH binaries. The gravitational wave emission drives these binaries to merge producing short GRBs. It is thus established a previously unthought interconnection between long and short GRBs and their occurrence rates. This needs to be accounted for in the cosmological evolution of binaries within population synthesis models for the formation of compact-object binaries.
Revisiting the Role of Transcription Factors in Coordinating the Defense Response Against Citrus Bark Cracking Viroid Infection in Commercial Hop (Humulus Lupulus L.)
Authors: Sukumari Nath Vishnu , Kumar Mishra Ajay , Kumar Atul , Matoušek Jaroslav , Jakše Jernej
Published: May 2019

Transcription factors (TFs) play a major role in controlling gene expression by intricately regulating diverse biological processes such as growth and development, the response to external stimuli and the activation of defense responses. The systematic identification and classification of TF genes are essential to gain insight into their evolutionary history, biological roles, and regulatory networks. In this study, we performed a global mining and characterization of hop TFs and their involvement in Citrus bark cracking viroid CBCVd infection by employing a digital gene expression analysis. Our systematic analysis resulted in the identification of a total of 3,818 putative hop TFs that were classified into 99 families based on their conserved domains. A phylogenetic analysis classified the hop TFs into several subgroups based on a phylogenetic comparison with reference TF proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana providing glimpses of their evolutionary history. Members of the same subfamily and subgroup shared conserved motif compositions. The putative functions of the CBCVd-responsive hop TFs were predicted using their orthologous counterparts in A. thaliana. The analysis of the expression profiling of the CBCVd-responsive hop TFs revealed a massive differential modulation, and the expression of the selected TFs was validated using qRT-PCR. Together, the comprehensive integrated analysis in this study provides better insights into the TF regulatory networks associated with CBCVd infections in the hop, and also offers candidate TF genes for improving the resistance in hop against viroids.
The Third Annual Meeting of the European Virus Bioinformatics Center
Authors: Hufsky Franziska , Ibrahim Bashar , Modha Sejal , Clokie Martha R. J. , Deinhardt-Emmer Stefanie , Dutilh Bas E. , Lycett Samantha , Simmonds Peter , Thiel Volker , Abroi Aare , Adriaenssens Evelien M. , Escalera-Zamudio Marina , Kelly Jenna Nicole , Lamkiewicz Kevin , Lu Lu , Susat Julian , Sicheritz Thomas , Robertson David L. , Marz Manja
Published: May 2019

The Third Annual Meeting of the European Virus Bioinformatics Center (EVBC) took place in Glasgow, United Kingdom, 28–29 March 2019. Virus bioinformatics has become central to virology research, and advances in bioinformatics have led to improved approaches to investigate viral infections and outbreaks, being successfully used to detect, control, and treat infections of humans and animals. This active field of research has attracted approximately 110 experts in virology and bioinformatics/computational biology from Europe and other parts of the world to attend the two-day meeting in Glasgow to increase scientific exchange between laboratory- and computer-based researchers. The meeting was held at the McIntyre Building of the University of Glasgow; a perfect location, as it was originally built to be a place for “rubbing your brains with those of other people”, as Rector Stanley Baldwin described it. The goal of the meeting was to provide a meaningful and interactive scientific environment to promote discussion and collaboration and to inspire and suggest new research directions and questions. The meeting featured eight invited and twelve contributed talks, on the four main topics: (1) systems virology, (2) virus-host interactions and the virome, (3) virus classification and evolution and (4) epidemiology, surveillance and evolution. Further, the meeting featured 34 oral poster presentations, all of which focused on specific areas of virus bioinformatics. This report summarizes the main research findings and highlights presented at the meeting.
Fuzzy AHP Integrated with GIS Analyses for Drought Risk Assessment: A Case Study from Upper Phetchaburi River Basin, Thailand
Authors: Wijitkosum Saowanee , Sriburi Thavivongse
Published: May 2019

This study aimed to analyse and assess desertification risks in the Upper Phetchaburi River Basin. Upstream areas are especially crucial for aquatic ecosystems since the mid- and downstream areas are continuously being utilized for agricultural and community purposes. Many parts of the basin have been at moderate risk of drought. The fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) is an effective and widely accepted model used to identify complicated environmental problems and disasters and prioritize factors in environmental studies. This study emphasized on four main factors influencing drought: Climate, physical factors, soil and land utilization factors. Each factor contains ten sub-criteria to identify severity levels and specific issues. The major areas of the basin were facing different risk levels: moderate (21%), high (5.79%) and severe (0.07%). Precipitation and slope gradient were the main factors affecting drought risks. The problematic areas were agricultural areas located in midstream and downstream areas. Therefore, spatial mitigations and possible ways forward should focus on increasing moisture contents—to reduce soil erosion and enhance soil fertility—and create restrictions to ensure appropriate land use. The mitigations must take into account spatially critical factors and must also include an integrated plan for the entire basin area.
Effect of Dissolved Silicon on the Removal of Heavy Metals from Aqueous Solution by Aquatic Macrophyte Eleocharis acicularis
Authors: Nguyen Ha T.H. , Sakakibara Masayuki , Nguyen Minh N. , Mai Nhuan T. , Nguyen Vinh T.
Published: May 2019

Silicon (Si) has been recently reconsidered as a beneficial element due to its direct roles in stimulating the growth of many plant species and alleviating metal toxicity. This study aimed at validating the potential of an aquatic macrophyte Eleocharis acicularis for simultaneous removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions under different dissolved Si. The laboratory experiments designed for determining the removal efficiencies of heavy metals were conducted in the absence or presence of Si on a time scale up to 21 days. Eleocharis acicularis was transplanted into the solutions containing 0.5 mg L−1 of indium (In), gallium (Ga), silver (Ag), thallium (Tl), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) with various Si concentrations from 0 to 4.0 mg L−1. The results revealed that the increase of dissolved Si concentrations enhanced removal efficiencies of E. acicularis for Ga, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb, while this increase did not show a clear effect for In, Tl, and Ag. Our study presented a notable example of combining E. acicularis with dissolved Si for more efficient removals of Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Ga from aqueous solutions. The findings are applicable to develop phytoremediation or phytomining strategy for contaminated environment.
Determination of Spatial and Temporal Variability of Soil Hydraulic Conductivity for Urban Runoff Modelling
Authors: Radinja Matej , Vidmar Ines , Atanasova Nataša , Mikoš Matjaž , Šraj Mojca
Published: May 2019

Soil hydraulic conductivity has a direct influence on infiltration rate, which is of great importance for modelling and design of surface runoff and stormwater control measures. In this study, three measuring techniques for determination of soil hydraulic conductivity were compared in an urban catchment in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Double ring (DRI) and dual head infiltrometer (DHI) were applied to measure saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and mini disk infiltrometer (MDI) was applied to measure unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (K), which was recalculated in Ks in order to compare the results. Results showed significant differences between investigated techniques, namely DHI showed 6.8 times higher values of Ks in comparison to DRI. On the other hand, Ks values obtained by MDI and DRI exhibited the lowest difference. MDI measurements in 12 locations of the small plot pointed to the spatial variability of K ranging between 73%–89% as well as to temporal variability within a single location of 27%–99%. Additionally, a reduction of K caused by the effect of drought-induced water repellency was observed. Moreover, results indicate that hydrological models could be enhanced using different scenarios by employing a range of K values based on soil conditions.
A Complicated Karst Spring System: Identified by Karst Springs Using Water Level, Hydrogeochemical, and Isotopic Data in Jinan, China
Authors: Guo Yi , Qin Dajun , Li Lu , Sun Jie , Li Fulin , Huang Jiwen
Published: May 2019

The Jinan karst spring system, discharged by 108 springs in 2.6 km2 city center area of Jinan, China, has been suffering lower regional groundwater levels, which threatens the karst springs outflowing and aquatic ecological civilization. For better spring protection, monthly hydrogeochemical and isotopic investigations were conducted in four representative karst springs (Baotu Spring (BTQ), Heihu Spring (HHQ), Zhenzhu (ZZQ), and Wulongtan Springs (WLT)) in 2016. Results showed that the BTQ, WLT, and ZZQ had similar hydrogeochemical and isotopic behaviors, which were different with that of HHQ. By combining the daily water level data with monthly hydrogeochemical and isotopic data of BTQ and HHQ, the hydrogeological processes of the two neighboring karst springs (470 m apart) are distinguished. (a) BTQ is recharged by two sources of precipitation and river water, while HHQ is recharged mainly by precipitation. (b) Hydrogeochemical characteristics of Baotu Spring are mainly controlled by calcite, dolomite, and gypsum dissolution mixture with river water and agricultural activity, while the hydrogeochemical characteristics of Heihu Spring are mainly controlled by calcite, dolomite, and gypsum dissolution in dry season, and dilution in wet season. (c) The discharge component of both springs is storage water by diffuse flow which is pressured by new infiltration rain water. The ratio of rain water is 14% in Baotu Spring and 9% in Heihu Spring calculated by a binary mixture model. Overall, this study puts forward the standpoint that neighboring karst springs with the same geological condition, can show different hydrogeological characteristics, which is a useful evidence for understanding the heterogeneity/complexity of karst aquifers.
Distributive Characteristics of Riverine Nutrients in the Mun River, Northeast Thailand: Implications for Anthropogenic Inputs
Authors: Liu Jinke , Han Guilin , Liu Xiaolong , Liu Man , Song Chao , Yang Kunhua , Li Xiaoqiang , Zhang Qian
Published: May 2019

The nutrient contents of Mun River water in northeast Thailand during the dry season were measured to investigate the effect of human activities on dissolved load species. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) values varied from 2.5 to 17.1 mg/L, averaging 9.0 mg/L; dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) ranged between 0.12 and 0.11 mg/L; Cl− values ranged from 1.7 to 668.6 mg/L, with an average value of 84.8 mg/L; dissolved silicon (DSi) varied from 1.7 to 9.9 mg/L; and SO42− values averaged 8.9 mg/L. DOC, Cl−, and SO42− contents decreased with the flow direction. The high concentrations of DOC, K+, Cl−, and SO42− in the upper reaches were closely related to anthropogenic inputs, specifically industrial sewage. The covariation demonstrated that these dissolved loads may have the same sources. In other regions, Cl− contents were derived from weathering products. DIN contents maintained the same level on the river, and few sampling sites with high concentrations of DIN were influenced by point source pollution. The extremely low P concentrations limited algal growth, and the DSi showed no clear relationship with N and K, indicating that DSi in the Mun River was controlled by the weathering input rather than biological effects. The exact reverse spatial distributions of DOC between the wet and dry seasons (which increased with the flow direction in the wet season) were due to different precipitation rates, and the rare rainfall in the dry season had difficulty flushing the soil and transporting soil organic matter into the rivers. The local government should control sewage discharge and optimize farming methods.