bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self-Propagating Synthesis and Characterization Studies of Gd-Bearing Hf-Zirconolite Ceramic Waste Forms
Authors: Zhang Kuibao , Yin Dan , Xu Kai , Zhang Haibin
Published: January 2019

Synroc is recognized as the second-generation waste matrice for nuclear waste disposal. Zirconolite is one of the most durable Synroc minerals. In this study, Gd and Hf were selected as the surrogates of trivalent and tetravalent actinide nuclides. Gd-bearing Hf-zirconolite (Ca1−xHf1−xGd2xTi2O7) ceramic waste forms were rapidly synthesized from a self-propagating technique using CuO as the oxidant. The results indicate that Gd can concurrently replace the Ca and Hf sites. However, Gd2O3 could not completely be incorporated into the lattice structure of zirconolite when the x value is higher than 0.8. The aqueous durability of selected Gd-Hf codoped sample (Hf-Gd-0.6) was tested, where the 42 days normalized leaching rates (LRi) of Ca, Cu, Gd and Hf are measured to be 1.57, 0.13, 4.72 × 10−7 and 1.59 × 10−8 g·m−2·d−1.
Letter to the Editor Re: Billeaud et al. Nutrients 2018, 10, 690
Authors: Bernhard Wolfgang , Poets Christian F. , Franz Axel R.
Published: January 2019

Billeaud and co-authors recently described the effects of a new middle-chain fatty acid and docosahexaenoic acid enriched breast milk fortifier to improve preterm infants’ lipid nutrition [1] [...]
Early Administration of Protein in Critically Ill Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Bendavid Itai , Zusman Oren , Kagan Ilya , Theilla Miriam , Cohen Jonathan , Singer Pierre
Published: January 2019

It is currently uncertain whether early administration of protein improves patient outcomes. We examined mortality rates of critically ill patients receiving early compared to late protein administration. This was a retrospective cohort study of mixed ICU patients receiving enteral or parenteral nutritional support. Patients receiving >0.7 g/kg/d protein within the first 3 days were considered the early protein group and those receiving less were considered the late protein group. The latter were subdivided into late-low group (LL) who received a low protein intake (<0.7 g/kg/d) throughout their stay and the late-high group (LH) who received higher doses (>0.7 g/kg/d) of protein following their first 3 days of admission. The outcome measure was all-cause mortality 60 days after admission. Of the 2253 patients included in the study, 371 (36%) in the early group, and 517 (43%) in the late-high group had died (p < 0.001 for difference). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, while controlling for confounders, early protein administration was associated with increased survival (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.71–0.97, p = 0.017). Administration of protein early in the course of critical illness appears to be associated with improved survival in a mixed ICU population, even after adjusting for confounding variables.
Dietary Protein Intake, Protein Energy Wasting, and the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease: Analysis from the KNOW-CKD Study
Authors: Lee Sung Woo , Kim Yong-Soo , Kim Yeong Hoon , Chung Wookyung , Park Sue K. , Choi Kyu Hun , Ahn Curie , Oh Kook-Hwan
Published: January 2019

Studies on the effect of dietary protein intake (DPI) on chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, along with the potential hazard of protein-energy wasting (PEW), are scarce. We evaluated the association between DPI and kidney function both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, particularly emphasizing the role of PEW, in a large-scale, observational, multicenter, prospective study. We enrolled 1572 patients with non-dialysis CKD between 2011 and 2016. CKD progression was defined by a >50% estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decrease, serum creatinine doubling, or dialysis initiation. A Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was conducted. During the mean follow-up period of 41.6 months, CKD progression was observed in 296 patients. Cross-sectionally, increased DPI was significantly associated with increased eGFR. Similarly, increased DPI tertile was significantly associated with increased renal survival in a Kaplan–Meier curve analysis. In the multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, the statistical significance of the DPI tertile group in CKD progression was lost when PEW-related variables were added as covariates. In penalized spline curve analysis, the adjusted odds ratio of PEW significantly increased as DPI decreased. DPI, per se was not a major determinant of CKD progression. An intimate association between reduced DPI and PEW may be a more important predictor of CKD progression than DPI.
Microencapsulation and Nanoencapsulation Using Supercritical Fluid (SCF) Techniques
Authors: Soh Soon Hong , Lee Lai Yeng
Published: January 2019

The unique properties of supercritical fluids, in particular supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2), provide numerous opportunities for the development of processes for pharmaceutical applications. One of the potential applications for pharmaceuticals includes microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation for drug delivery purposes. Supercritical CO2 processes allow the design and control of particle size, as well as drug loading by utilizing the tunable properties of supercritical CO2 at different operating conditions (flow ratio, temperature, pressures, etc.). This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the processes and techniques using supercritical fluid processing based on the supercritical properties, the role of supercritical carbon dioxide during the process, and the mechanism of formulation production for each process discussed. The considerations for equipment configurations to achieve the various processes described and the mechanisms behind the representative processes such as RESS (rapid expansion of supercritical solutions), SAS (supercritical antisolvent), SFEE (supercritical fluid extraction of emulsions), PGSS (particles from gas-saturated solutions), drying, and polymer foaming will be explained via schematic representation. More recent developments such as fluidized bed coating using supercritical CO2 as the fluidizing and drying medium, the supercritical CO2 spray drying of aqueous solutions, as well as the production of microporous drug releasing devices via foaming, will be highlighted in this review. Development and strategies to control and optimize the particle morphology, drug loading, and yield from the major processes will also be discussed.
Light-Responsive Nanocapsule-Coated Polymer Films for Antimicrobial Active Packaging
Authors: Marturano Valentina , Bizzarro Valentina , Ambrogi Veronica , Cutignano Adele , Tommonaro Giuseppina , Abbamondi Gennaro Roberto , Giamberini Marta , Tylkowski Bartosz , Carfagna Cosimo , Cerruti Pierfrancesco
Published: January 2019

The development of antimicrobial active packaging constitutes a powerful tool to reduce waste and increase quality standards of perishable goods. Among numerous available antimicrobial agents, essential oils stand out for their renowned efficiency, and their use is beneficial due to their sustainability compared to other oil-based antimicrobials. In this work, we report on the use of photo-responsive nanocapsules containing thyme essential oil as functional coatings for polyethylene and polylactic acid films to obtain antimicrobial active packaging. Polymer surface activation treatment enhanced compatibility with nanocapsules solution. The films were analyzed to assess the structural and functional properties of the coating, evaluate morphological changes due to their photo-responsive behavior, and monitor the light-induced release of volatile thyme oil. It was found that 24 h after a 15-min UV exposure of the coated films, the concentration of thyme oil in the headspace was eight times higher with respect to un-irradiated films, thus confirming the efficiency of the light-triggered release system. Therefore, the manufactured films are proposed as on-demand release devices for application in non-contact antimicrobial active packaging.
Electrochromism in Electropolymerized Films of Pyrene-Triphenylamine Derivatives
Authors: Sun Tian-Ge , Li Zhi-Juan , Shao Jiang-Yang , Zhong Yu-Wu
Published: January 2019

Two star-shaped multi-triphenylamine derivatives 1 and 2 were prepared, where 2 has an additional phenyl unit between a pyrene core and surrounding triphenylamine units. The oxidative electropolymerization of 1 and 2 occurred smoothly to give thin films of polymers P1 and P2. The electrochemistry and spectroelectrochemistry of P1 and P2 were examined, showing two-step absorption spectral changes in the near-infrared region. The electrochromic properties, including contrast ratio, response time, and cyclic stability of P1 and P2 were investigated and compared. Thin film of P2 displays slightly better electrochromic performance than P1, with a contrast ratio of 45% at 1475 nm being achieved.
Investigation of Flame Retardant Flexible Polyurethane Foams Containing DOPO Immobilized Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles
Authors: Dong Quanxiao , Chen Keyu , Jin Xiaodong , Sun Shibing , Tian Yingliang , Wang Feng , Liu Peng , Yang Mingshu
Published: January 2019

In this work, a multi-functional nanoparticle (TiO2-KH570-DOPO) has been successfully synthesized through the attachment of 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO)-methacryloxy propyl trimethoxyl silane on the surface of titanium dioxide (TiO2). Supercritical carbon dioxide was used as the solvent in order to increase the grafting level. The chemical structure of TiO2-KH570-DOPO was fully characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectra, thermogravimetric analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The modified TiO2 was incorporated into flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF). The fire performance of FPUF blends was evaluated using microscale combustion calorimetry. Peak heat release rate and total heat release values were reduced from 657.0 W/g and 28.9 kJ/g for neat FPUF sample to 519.2 W/g and 26.8 kJ/g of FPUF specimen containing 10 wt % of TiO2-KH570-DOPO. Analysis of thermal stability and the observation of char formation suggests that TiO2-KH570-DOPO is active in the condensed phase.
Evaluating the Effects of Nanosilica on Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Polyacrylamide Polymer Composites for Artificial Cartilage from an Atomic Level
Authors: Wei Qinghua , Wang Yanen , Rao Yiwen , Jiang Anguo , Zhang Kun , Lu Tingli , Chen Xiongbiao
Published: January 2019

Due to the superior performances of nanosilica particles, this research has been designed to study their effects on the mechanical and trigological properties of a PVA/PAM polymer composite by a molecular dynamics simulation method. To realize the research objectives mentioned above, the molecular models of amorphous cells and sandwiched friction models for pure polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/polyacrylamide (PAM) (component weight ratio is 1:1) and PVA/PAM/nanosilica (component weight ratio is 5.75:5.75:1) polymer composites were constructed and simulated, respectively. The simulation results of the mechanical properties show increases about 31.6% in the bulk modulus, 53.1% in the shear modulus, and 50.1% in the Young’s modulus by incorporating a nanosilica particle into a pure PVA/PAM polymer composite. Meanwhile, the changes in Cauchy pressure, B/G ratio, and Poisson’s ratio values indicate that incorporating a nanosilica particle into pure PVA/PAM weakened the ductility of the composite. Incorporating a nanosilica particle into a pure PVA/PAM composite also showed a decrease about 28.2% in the abrasion rates and relative concentration distributions of polymer molecules in the final friction models. Additionally, the binding energy and the pair correlation functions between a nanosilica particle and the polymer chains in a cubic cell demonstrate that incorporating nanosilica into PVA/PAM polymer composites improves the internal binding strength between different components through the forming hydrogen bonds. As a result, the mechanical and tribological properties of PVA/PAM polymer composites can be enhanced by incorporating nanosilica particles.
Clog and Release, and Reverse Motions of DNA in a Nanopore
Authors: Kubota Tomoya , Lloyd Kento , Sakashita Naoto , Minato Seiya , Ishida Kentaro , Mitsui Toshiyuki
Published: January 2019

Motions of circular and linear DNA molecules of various lengths near a nanopore of 100 or 200 nm diameter were experimentally observed and investigated by fluorescence microscopy. The movement of DNA molecules through nanopores, known as translocation, is mainly driven by electric fields near and inside the pores. We found significant clogging of nanopores by DNA molecules, particularly by circular DNA and linear T4 DNA (165.65 kbp). Here, the probabilities of DNA clogging events, depending on the DNA length and shape—linear or circular—were determined. Furthermore, two distinct DNA motions were observed: clog and release by linear T4 DNA, and a reverse direction motion at the pore entrance by circular DNA, after which both molecules moved away from the pore. Finite element method-based numerical simulations were performed. The results indicated that DNA molecules with pores 100–200 nm in diameter were strongly influenced by opposing hydrodynamic streaming flow, which was further enhanced by bulky DNA configurations.
An Industrial Scale Synthesis of Adipicdihydrazide (ADH)/Polyacrylate Hybrid with Excellent Formaldehyde Degradation Performance
Authors: Zhu Rui , Chen Renjie , Duo Yunxia , Zhang Saigang , Xie Delong , Mei Yi
Published: January 2019

A simple and versatile route for industrial scale synthesis of adipicdihydrazide (ADH)/polymer hybrids with excellent performance of formaldehyde degradation is proposed in this paper. The ADH compound is uniformly dispersed in poly(methyl methacrylate-butyl acrylate-methacrylic acid) (P(MMA-BA-MAA)) latex, which is validated by UV and dispersibility tests. The results illustrate that ADH has excellent compatibility and dispersion stability without affecting the film formation of the polymer latex. Furthermore, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and mapping analysis of the hybrid films also demonstrate that ADH is homogenously dispersed in the polymer matrix. Compared with neat polymers, the thermal properties of hybrid films are improved, for example, T0.5 increases by 8.3 °C. According to qualitative tests of the 4-amino-3-hydrazino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazol-red/green/blue (AHMT-RGB) method, the hybrid films demonstrate high formaldehyde removal efficiency. On the basis of the semi-quantitative test of Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements, the rate of formaldehyde degradation can reach 1.034 × 102 mol/(h·m3) for the hybrid film with 5 wt% ADH.
Comparison of Fire Behaviors of Thermally Thin and Thick Rubber Latex Foam under Bottom Ventilation
Authors: Yuan Qi , Huang Dongmei , Hu Yiwei , Shen Liming , Shi Long , Zhang Mingzhen
Published: January 2019

Fire behaviors of rubber latex foam under different thickness conditions (d = 1, 2, and 5 cm) were explored by using a self-built small-scale experimental platform. It can be shown that the flame spread menchanism of thermally thin and thermally thick rubber latex foam is different. Rubber latex foam with a thickness of 2 cm shows higher fire risk, whose value of flame spread rate, maximum flame height, maximum mass loss rate, and maximum temperature are 2.93 × 10−3 m/s, 851.88 mm, and 1.83 g/s, 948.00 °C, respectively. On the one hand, this may due to the different mechanisms of flame spread, resulting in different preheating zones on the surface. On the other hand, this may because the thickness of residue formed by thermally thick materials is larger than the thin ones, obstructing the contact of the rubber latex foam with fresh air. In addition, a special phenomenon is noticed during the stage II, where the bottom unburned zone is located in the four edges (thermally thin material) and middle player (thermally thick material).
Characterization and Actuation of Ionic Polymer Metal Composites with Various Thicknesses and Lengths
Authors: Li Shufeng , Yip Joanne
Published: January 2019

Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) with various thicknesses of 1, 2, 4, and 6 nafion films (denoted as 1-film, 2-film, 4-film and 6-film, respectively) are fabricated, and their characterization and actuation performances are then investigated. The effects of the thickness of the IPMCs on their morphology, surface resistance, and water uptake capability are studied. Their actuation performances are further evaluated by examining the tip force and displacement in terms of the length and the thickness of the IPMCs, under a direct current (DC) power of 3.0 or 4.5 V. In comparison with the 1-film, the 2-film shows a six-fold increase in the maximum tip force, but the response time increases from 2 to 9 s. The 4-film doubles the maximum tip force of the 2-film at 21 s. On the other hand, a reduction of the length of the IPMC from 30 to 15 mm also results in a double-maximum tip force, but this never increases the response time. Repeated actuations of the IPMCs with various thicknesses are performed by three actuation methods of no treatment, treatment in deionized water, and treatment in a NaCl solution. The relationships between the repeated actuation methods and actuations of the IPMCs with various thicknesses are also investigated.
Nanocrystalline Hydroxyapatite Loaded with Resveratrol in Colloidal Suspension Improves Viability, Metabolic Activity and Mitochondrial Potential in Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Stem Cells (hASCs)
Authors: Marycz Krzysztof , Smieszek Agnieszka , Trynda Justyna , Sobierajska Paulina , Targonska Sara , Grosman Lukasz , Wiglusz Rafal J.
Published: January 2019

In response to the demand for new multifunctional materials characterized by high biocompatibility, hydrogel (HG) nanocomposites as a platform for bioactive compound delivery have been developed and fabricated. A specific crosslinking/copolymerization chemistry was used to construct hydrogels with a controlled network organization. The hydrogels were prepared using 3,6-anhydro-α-l-galacto-β-d-galactan (galactose hydrogel) together with resveratrol (trans-3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene) and calcium hydroxyapatite nanoparticles. The resveratrol was introduced in three different concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, and 1 mM. Nanosized calcium hydroxyapatite was synthesized by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal technique, annealed at 500 °C for 3 h, and introduced at a concentration 10% (m/v). The morphology and structural properties of Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 and its composite were determined by using XRPD (X-ray powder diffraction) techniques, as well as the absorption and IR (infrared) spectroscopy. The average nanoparticle size was 35 nm. The water affinity, morphology, organic compound release profile, and cytocompatibility of the obtained materials were studied in detail. The designed hydrogels were shown to be materials of biological relevance and of great pharmacological potential as carriers for bioactive compound delivery. Their cytocompatibility was tested using a model of human multipotent stromal cells isolated from adipose tissue (hASCs). The biomaterials increased the proliferative activity and viability of hASCs, as well as reduced markers of oxidative stress. In light of the obtained results, it has been thought that the designed materials meet the requirements of the tissue engineering triad, and may find application in regenerative medicine, especially for personalized therapies.
Combining Binary and Post-Classification Change Analysis of Augmented ALOS Backscatter for Identifying Subtle Land Cover Changes
Authors: Panuju Dyah R. , Paull David J. , Trisasongko Bambang H.
Published: January 2019

This research aims to detect subtle changes by combining binary change analysis, the Iteratively Reweighted Multivariate Alteration Detection (IRMAD), over dual polarimetric Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) backscatter with augmented data for post-classification change analysis. The accuracy of change detection was iteratively evaluated based on thresholds composed of mean and a range constant of standard deviation. Four datasets were examined for post-classification change analysis including the dual polarimetric backscatter as the benchmark and its augmented data with indices, entropy alpha decomposition and selected texture features. Variable importance was then evaluated to build a best subset model employing seven classifiers, including Bagged Classification and Regression Tree (CAB), Extreme Learning Machine Neural Network (ENN), Bagged Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline (MAB), Regularised Random Forest (RFG), Original Random Forest (RFO), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Extreme Gradient Boosting Tree (XGB). The best accuracy was 98.8%, which resulted from thresholding MAD variate-2 with constants at 1.7. The highest improvement of classification accuracy was obtained by amending the grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture. The identification of variable importance (VI) confirmed that selected GLCM textures (mean and variance of HH or HV) were equally superior, while the contribution of index and decomposition were negligible. The best model produced similar classification accuracy at about 90% for both years 2007 and 2010. Tree-based algorithms including RFO, RFG and XGB were more robust than SVM and ENN. Subtle changes indicated by binary change analysis were somewhat hidden in post-classification analysis. Reclassification by combining all important variables and adding five classes to include subtle changes assisted by Google Earth yielded an accuracy of 82%.
Incremental 3D Cuboid Modeling with Drift Compensation
Authors: Mishima Masashi , Uchiyama Hideaki , Thomas Diego , Taniguchi Rin-ichiro , Roberto Rafael , Lima João Paulo , Teichrieb Veronica
Published: January 2019

This paper presents a framework of incremental 3D cuboid modeling by using the mapping results of an RGB-D camera based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) system. This framework is useful in accurately creating cuboid CAD models from a point cloud in an online manner. While performing the RGB-D SLAM, planes are incrementally reconstructed from a point cloud in each frame to create a plane map. Then, cuboids are detected in the plane map by analyzing the positional relationships between the planes, such as orthogonality, convexity, and proximity. Finally, the position, pose, and size of a cuboid are determined by computing the intersection of three perpendicular planes. To suppress the false detection of the cuboids, the cuboid shapes are incrementally updated with sequential measurements to check the uncertainty of the cuboids. In addition, the drift error of the SLAM is compensated by the registration of the cuboids. As an application of our framework, an augmented reality-based interactive cuboid modeling system was developed. In the evaluation at cluttered environments, the precision and recall of the cuboid detection were investigated, compared with a batch-based cuboid detection method, so that the advantages of our proposed method were clarified.
Cascaded-Microrings Biosensors Fabricated on a Polymer Platform
Authors: Liang Yuxin , Liu Qi , Wu Zhenlin , Morthier Geert , Zhao Mingshan
Published: January 2019

Polymer-based single-microring biosensors usually have a small free spectral range (FSR) that hampers the tracing of the spectrum shifting in the measurement. A cascade of two microring resonators based on the Vernier effect, is applied in this article in order to make up for this defect. A small FSR difference between the reference microring and the sensing microring is designed, in order to superpose the periodic envelope signal onto the constituent peaks, which makes it possible to continuously track the spectrum of the sensor. The optical polymer material, Ormocore, which has a large transparent window, is used in the fabrication. The biosensor is fabricated by using an UV-based soft imprint technique, which is considered to be cost-effective and suitable for mass production. By optimizing the volume ratio of Ormocore and the maT thinner, the device can be fabricated almost without a residual layer. The device works at a wavelength of 840 nm, where water absorption loss is much lower than at the infrared wavelengths. A two-step fitting method, including single-peak fitting and whole-envelope fitting, is applied in order to trace the spectral shift accurately. Finally, the two-cascaded-microrings biosensor is characterized, and the obtained FSR is 4.6 nm, which is 16 times larger than the FSR of the single microring biosensor demonstrated in our previous work. Moreover, the sensitivity can also be amplified by 16-fold, thanks to the Vernier effect.
A Polling-Based Transmission Scheme Using a Network Traffic Uniformity Metric for Industrial IoT Applications
Authors: Igarashi Yuichi , Nakano Ryo , Wakamiya Naoki
Published: January 2019

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications are required to provide precise measurement functions as feedback for controlling devices. The applications traditionally use polling-based communication protocols. However, in polling-based communication over current industrial wireless network protocols such as ISA100.11a, WirelessHART have difficulty in realizing both scheduled periodic data collection at high success ratio and unpredictable on-demand communications with short latency. In this paper, a polling-based transmission scheme using a network traffic uniformity metric is proposed for IIoT applications. In the proposed scheme, a center node controls the transmission timing of all polling-based communication in accordance with a schedule that is determined by a Genetic Algorithm. Communication of both periodic and unpredictable on-demand data collection are uniformly assigned to solve the above difficulties in the schedule. Simulation results show that network traffic is generated uniformly and a center node can collect periodic data from nodes at high success ratio. The average success probability of periodical data collection is 97.4 % and the lowest probability is 95.2 % .
Highly Sensitive Diode-Based Micro-Pirani Vacuum Sensor with Low Power Consumption
Authors: Wei Debo , Fu Jianyu , Liu Ruiwen , Hou Ying , Liu Chao , Wang Weibing , Chen Dapeng
Published: January 2019

Micro-Pirani vacuum sensors usually operate at hundreds of microwatts, which limits their application in battery-powered sensor systems. This paper reports a diode-based, low power consumption micro-Pirani vacuum sensor that has high sensitivity. Optimizations to the micro-Pirani vacuum sensor were made regarding two aspects. On the one hand, a greater temperature coefficient was obtained without increasing power consumption by taking advantage of series diodes; on the other hand, the sensor structure and geometries were redesigned to enlarge temperature variation. After that, the sensor was fabricated and tested. Test results indicated that the dynamic vacuum pressure range of the sensor was from 10−1 to 104 Pa when the forward bias current was as low as 10 μA with a power consumption of 50 μW. Average sensitivity was up to 90 μV/Pa and the sensitivity of unit power consumption increased to 1.8 V/W/Pa. In addition, the sensor could also work at a greater forward bias current for better sensor performance.
Correction: Yan, Y.; et al. A Dynamic Multi-Projection-Contour Approximating Framework for the 3D Reconstruction of Buildings by Super-Generalized Optical Stereo-Pairs. Sensors 2017, 17, 2153
Authors: Yan Yiming , Su Nan , Zhao Chunhui , Wang Liguo
Published: January 2019

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]
Wireless Sensor Networks Intrusion Detection Based on SMOTE and the Random Forest Algorithm
Authors: Tan Xiaopeng , Su Shaojing , Huang Zhiping , Guo Xiaojun , Zuo Zhen , Sun Xiaoyong , Li Longqing
Published: January 2019

With the wide application of wireless sensor networks in military and environmental monitoring, security issues have become increasingly prominent. Data exchanged over wireless sensor networks is vulnerable to malicious attacks due to the lack of physical defense equipment. Therefore, corresponding schemes of intrusion detection are urgently needed to defend against such attacks. Considering the serious class imbalance of the intrusion dataset, this paper proposes a method of using the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) to balance the dataset and then uses the random forest algorithm to train the classifier for intrusion detection. The simulations are conducted on a benchmark intrusion dataset, and the accuracy of the random forest algorithm has reached 92.39%, which is higher than other comparison algorithms. After oversampling the minority samples, the accuracy of the random forest combined with the SMOTE has increased to 92.57%. This shows that the proposed algorithm provides an effective solution to solve the problem of class imbalance and improves the performance of intrusion detection.
A Multiscale Denoising Framework Using Detection Theory with Application to Images from CMOS/CCD Sensors
Authors: Naveed Khuram , Ehsan Shoaib , McDonald-Maier Klaus D. , Ur Rehman Naveed
Published: January 2019

Output from imaging sensors based on CMOS and CCD devices is prone to noise due to inherent electronic fluctuations and low photon count. The resulting noise in the acquired image could be effectively modelled as signal-dependent Poisson noise or as a mixture of Poisson and Gaussian noise. To that end, we propose a generalized framework based on detection theory and hypothesis testing coupled with the variance stability transformation (VST) for Poisson or Poisson–Gaussian denoising. VST transforms signal-dependent Poisson noise to a signal independent Gaussian noise with stable variance. Subsequently, multiscale transforms are employed on the noisy image to segregate signal and noise into separate coefficients. That facilitates the application of local binary hypothesis testing on multiple scales using empirical distribution function (EDF) for the purpose of detection and removal of noise. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework with different multiscale transforms and on a wide variety of input datasets.
Synthesis of Cu2O/CuO Nanocrystals and Their Application to H2S Sensing
Authors: Mikami Kazuki , Kido Yuta , Akaishi Yuji , Quitain Armando , Kida Tetsuya
Published: January 2019

Semiconducting metal oxide nanocrystals are an important class of materials that have versatile applications because of their useful properties and high stability. Here, we developed a simple route to synthesize nanocrystals (NCs) of copper oxides such as Cu2O and CuO using a hot-soap method, and applied them to H2S sensing. Cu2O NCs were synthesized by simply heating a copper precursor in oleylamine in the presence of diol at 160 °C under an Ar flow. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results indicated the formation of monodispersed Cu2O NCs having approximately 5 nm in crystallite size and 12 nm in colloidal size. The conversion of the Cu2O NCs to CuO NCs was undertaken by straightforward air oxidation at room temperature, as confirmed by XRD and UV-vis analyses. A thin film Cu2O NC sensor fabricated by spin coating showed responses to H2S in dilute concentrations (1–8 ppm) at 50–150 °C, but the stability was poor because of the formation of metallic Cu2S in a H2S atmosphere. We found that Pd loading improved the stability of the sensor response. The Pd-loaded Cu2O NC sensor exhibited reproducible responses to H2S at 200 °C. Based on the gas sensing mechanism, it is suggested that Pd loading facilitates the reaction of adsorbed oxygen with H2S and suppresses the irreversible formation of Cu2S.
Integration of a Mobile Node into a Hybrid Wireless Sensor Network for Urban Environments
Authors: Socarrás Bertiz Carlos Alberto , Fernández Lozano Juan Jesús , Gomez-Ruiz Jose Antonio , García-Cerezo Alfonso
Published: January 2019

Robots, or in general, intelligent vehicles, require large amounts of data to adapt their behavior to the environment and achieve their goals. When their missions take place in large areas, using additional information to that gathered by the onboard sensors frequently offers a more efficient solution of the problem. The emergence of Cyber-Physical Systems and Cloud computing allows this approach, but integration of sensory information, and its effective availability for the robots or vehicles is challenging. This paper addresses the development and implementation of a modular mobile node of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), designed to be mounted onboard vehicles, and capable of using different sensors according to mission needs. The mobile node is integrated with an existing static network, transforming it into a Hybrid Wireless Sensor Network (H-WSN), and adding flexibility and range to it. The integration is achieved without the need for multi-hop routing. A database holds the data acquired by both mobile and static nodes, allowing access in real-time to the gathered information. A Human–Machine Interface (HMI) presents this information to users. Finally, the system is tested in real urban scenarios in a use-case of measurement of gas levels.
Repeated Bouts of Advanced Strength Training Techniques: Effects on Volume Load, Metabolic Responses, and Muscle Activation in Trained Individuals
Authors: Wallace William , Ugrinowitsch Carlos , Stefan Matt , Rauch Jacob , Barakat Christopher , Shields Kevin , Barninger Andrew , Barroso Renato , De Souza Eduardo O.
Published: January 2019

This study investigated the effects of advanced training techniques (ATT) on muscular responses and if performing a second training session would negatively affect the training stimulus. Eleven strength-trained males performed a traditional strength training session (TST) and four different ATT: pre-exhaustion A (PE-A), pre-exhaustion B (PE-B), forced repetitions (FR), and super-set (SS). On day 1, SS produced lower volume load than TST, FR, and PE-B (−16.0%, p ≤ 0.03; −14.9, p ≤ 0.03 and −18.2%, p ≤ 0.01, respectively). On day 2, SS produced lower volumes than all the other ATT (−9.73–−18.5%, p ≤ 0.03). Additionally, subjects demonstrated lower perceived exertion on day 1 compared to day 2 (6.5 ± 0.4 AU vs. 8.7 ± 0.3 AU, p = 0.0001). For blood lactate concentration [La-] on days 1 and 2, [La-] after the tenth set was the highest compared to all other time points (baseline: 1.7 ± 0.2, fifth-set: 8.7 ± 1.0, tenth-set 9.7 ± 0.9, post-5 min: 8.7 ± 0.7 mmol∙L−1, p ≤ 0.0001). Acute muscle swelling was greater immediately and 30-min post compared to baseline (p ≤ 0.0001). On day 2, electromyography (EMG) amplitude on the clavicular head of the pectoralis major was lower for SS than TST, PE-A, and PE-B (−11.7%, p ≤ 0.01; −14.4%, p ≤ 0.009; −20.9%, p = 0.0003, respectively). Detrimental effects to the training stimulus were not observed when ATT (besides SS) are repeated. Strength trained individuals can sustain performance, compared to TST, when they are using ATT in an acute fashion. Although ATT have traditionally been used as a means to optimize metabolic stress, volume load, and neuromuscular responses, our data did not project differences in these variables compared to TST. However, it is important to note that different ATT might produce slight changes in volume load, muscle excitation, and fluid accumulation in strength-trained individuals from session to session.
Coach Competences to Induce Positive Affective Reactions in Sport and Exercise—A Qualitative Study
Authors: Strauch Ulrich Georg , Wäsche Hagen , Jekauc Darko
Published: January 2019

Positive affective reactions are a crucial aspect in physical activity maintenance. Affective reactions to sport and exercise were found to be important factors of physical activity. Coaches could be an important medium to induce positive affective reactions of participants in sport and exercise. Understanding how coaches trigger positive affective reactions (AR) during physical activity is a crucial aspect for increasing maintenance in sport and exercise. The aim of this study is to identify the competences of the coaches which are associated with perceived positive AR of participants during sport and exercise. To identify these factors, semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 participants, who take part in sport and exercise (nine female and nine male) of heterogeneous age (mean age 42.6; SD = 19.25; under 30 years, 30 to 60 years, 60 years and above) and who have different athletic backgrounds (individual sports, team sports, and gym classes). Four key coach competence factors were identified and used to design an integrated model. Three general competences: context sensitivity, social–emotional competences, professional competences, and the specific competences in the behaviour-related competences.
Segmentation by Motivation in Ecotourism: Application to Protected Areas in Guayas, Ecuador
Authors: Carvache-Franco Mauricio , Segarra-Oña Marival , Carrascosa-López Conrado
Published: January 2019

Among tourists, there is recently a growing interest in the environment and enjoying the natural world. This study analyzed the motivations and segmentation of the demand for ecotourism, using functional theory as a reference point. Empirical analysis was carried out in Santay National Recreation Area, Morro Mangrove Wildlife Refuge, and Samanes National Recreation Area. The sample included 382 surveys, obtained in situ using the simple random sampling method. Factorial analysis and non-hierarchical segmentation were performed to analyze the data. The results indicate that there are several motivational dimensions in ecotourism, including self-development, interpersonal relationships and ego-defensive function, building personal relationships, escape reward, and nature appreciation. We also identified three different segments of ecotourists based on their motivations—nature, multiple motives, and reward and escape—as well as the characteristics of the different segments. The present investigation will help public institutions and private companies improve their tourism offerings and develop more efficient marketing plans.
Achieving Environmentally Sustainable Livestock Production
Authors: Leinonen Ilkka
Published: January 2019

Livestock production is a major global source of greenhouse gas emissions [...]
Are Grassroots Sports Events Good for Migrant Cities’ Sustainable Development? A Case Study of the Shenzhen 100 km Hikathon
Authors: Wang Hui , Ju Peng , Xu Honggang , Wong Donna
Published: January 2019

Compared to official sports mega events, grassroots sports events are attractive to participants because of their universality, accessibility, and casual nature. Taking the Shenzhen 100 km Hikathon as an example, this study investigates the effect of grassroots sports events on sustainable development in migrant cities through residents’ perceptions of such events, and how these affect support. We collected 59 questionnaires in a pre-survey and 612 surveys for formal analysis, and used SPSS and AMOS software to construct a structural equation model. The results indicate that the Hikathon’s popularity, low media impact, small scale of investment and construction, and short duration had fewer negative effects and was beneficial to sustainable development for the migrant city. Residents perceived more positive benefits (improved city image and economic, environmental and cultural benefits) and less negative costs (environmental and traffic costs), which lead to broader support for such events. Among residents’ sociodemographic characteristics, only age was found to moderate the relationship between perceived effects and support. The findings suggest that residents generally perceive grassroots sports events positively, especially in migrant cities, such as Shenzhen, where community events are considered to serve an important role in the construction of place identity.
Cordon- or Link-Based Pricing: Environment-Oriented Toll Design Models Development and Application
Authors: Li Xijie , Lv Ying , Sun Wei , Zhou Li
Published: January 2019

This study focuses on an environment-friendly toll design problem, where an acceptable road network performance is promised. First, a Traffic Performance Index (TPI)-based evaluation method is developed to help identify the optimal congestion level and the management target of a transportation system. Second, environment-oriented cordon- and link-based road toll design models are respectively proposed through the use of bi-level programming. Both upper-level submodel objectives are to minimize gross revenue (the total collected toll minus the emissions treatment cost) under different pricing strategies. Both lower-level submodels quantify the user equilibrium (UE) condition under elastic demand. Moreover, the TPI-related constraints for the management requirements of the network performance are incorporated into the bi-level programming modeling framework, which can lead to 0–1 mixed integer bi-level nonlinear programming for toll design problems. Accordingly, a genetic algorithm-based heuristic searching method is proposed for the two pricing models. The proposed cordon- and link-based pricing models were then applied to a real-world road network in Beijing, China. The effects of the toll schemes generated from the two models were compared in terms of emissions reduction and congestion mitigation. In this study, it was indicated that a higher total collected toll may lead to more emissions and related treatment costs. Tradeoffs existed between the toll scheme, emissions reduction, and congestion mitigation.
Ecolabelling in the Romanian Seaside Hotel Industry—Marketing Considerations, Financial Constraints, Perspectives
Authors: Barbulescu Alina , Moraru Andreea-Daniela , Duhnea Cristina
Published: January 2019

The tendency to implement diverse environmental tools and promote the adoption of environmentally friendly practices in tourism activities is relatively new. One such tool is the EU Ecolabel used in the hotel industry as a voluntary European initiative meant to attest to the responsible attitude towards the environment. Since holding the ecolabel by the Romanian accommodation units is rather an exception, our aim was to investigate the views of industry managers on environmental issues, focusing on the EU Ecolabel, and get a glimpse of the challenges and prospects of ecolabelling within the seaside hotel industry. To this end, the study was designed and conducted on 60 hotel managers. The research results gave evidence to the measures already implemented, those pending implementation, reasons for not applying for the EU Ecolabel, and the most challenging criteria. The potential impact of the EU Ecolabel on the economic activity efficiency, and its role in customer decision processes and in marketing communication, was highlighted. Subsequently, a mathematical model was proposed, revealing that the intention to meet the criteria and obtain the EU Ecolabel depends on the managers’ level of knowledge of the EU Ecolabel, their opinion on whether holding the EU Ecolabel represents a competitive advantage, and the current efficiency level of the hotels’ economic activity. Considering the research findings, it is obvious that the industry would benefit from ampler and more sustained information campaigns on the EU Ecolabel.
Pressure Fluctuation and Flow Characteristics in a Two-Stage Double-Suction Centrifugal Pump
Authors: Wei Zhicong , Yang Wei , Xiao Ruofu
Published: January 2019

Pressure fluctuation is the primary factor that affects the stability of turbomachines. The goal of the present work is to explore the propagation of pressure fluctuations in a two-stage double-suction centrifugal pump. The pressure fluctuation characteristics of each component of a two-stage double-suction centrifugal pump are simulated under four typical flow rates based on the SST k-ω turbulence model. It is shown that the pressure fluctuation frequency at blade passing frequency and its first harmonic is the same at the suction chamber, the leading edge, and the middle of the first-stage impeller, which is different from the rotor–stator interaction. Moreover, the uneven impeller inlet flow distribution will produce fluctuations with rotation frequency and its harmonics at the leading edge of the impellers in both stages. Finally, broadband frequency is found at the trailing edge of the impellers in both stages associated with the first harmonic of the rotation frequency, especially under the part load condition. The large size backflow vortex appears in the blade flow channel leading to the low-pressure zone between the impeller, the tongue, and the start of the partition. That is why the pressure drops significantly twice in one rotation period when the blades pass through the tongue and the start of the partition.
Route Choice Behavior: Understanding the Impact of Asymmetric Preference on Travelers’ Decision Making
Authors: Liu Kai , Xu Yuan
Published: January 2019

This paper investigated the impact of asymmetric preference on travelers’ route choices. Firstly, a status quo-dependent route choice mode was developed to describe travelers’ route choices. Then, based on that model, a route choice experiment was conducted, and during the experiment, participants were requested to choose a route from two arbitrary non-dominated routes. Finally, according to the observation data, data analysis and model parameter estimation were conducted. The results show that participants used different measures to trade off travel cost and travel time. Additionally, there was a gap between most participants’ willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept (WTA). Moreover, participants’ WTP greater than their own WTA was the key reason resulting in the inertial route choices. The empirical results in this paper can help the traffic manager to understand travelers’ inertial route choice behavior from a different perspective.
An Efficient Essential Secret Image Sharing Scheme Using Derivative Polynomial
Authors: Wu Zhen , Liu Yi-Ning , Wang Dong , Yang Ching-Nung
Published: January 2019

As a popular technology in information security, secret image sharing is a method to guarantee the secret image’s security. Usually, the dealer would decompose the secret image into a series of shadows and then assign them to a number of participants, and only a quorum of participants could recover the secret image. Generally, it is assumed that every participant is equal. Actually, due to their position in many practical applications, some participants are given special privileges. Therefore, it is desirable to give an approach to generate shadows with different priorities shadows. In this paper, an efficient essential secret image sharing scheme using a derivative polynomial is proposed. Compared with existing related works, our proposed scheme can not only create the same-sized shadows with smaller size but also removes the concatenation operation in the sharing phase. Theoretical analysis and simulations confirm the security and effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Pseudomonas Exotoxin Immunotoxins and Anti-Tumor Immunity: From Observations at the Patient’s Bedside to Evaluation in Preclinical Models
Authors: Leshem Yasmin , Pastan Ira
Published: January 2019

Immunotoxins are protein drugs composed of a targeting domain genetically fused to a protein toxin. One killing domain being explored is a truncated Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE). PE based immunotoxins are designed to kill cells directly by inhibiting their ability to synthesize proteins. However, observations from clinical trials suggest that this alone cannot explain their anti-tumor activity. Here we discuss patterns of clinical responses suggesting that PE immunotoxins can provoke anti-tumor immunity, and review murine models that further support this ability. In addition, we describe our preclinical effort to develop a combination therapy of local PE immunotoxins with a systemic anti-CTLA-4 immune check point blocking antibody. The combination eradicated murine tumors and prolonged the survival of mice. Clinical trials that test the ability of immunotoxins to augment immunotherapy have been recently opened.