bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimating Chlorophyll Fluorescence Parameters Using the Joint Fraunhofer Line Depth and Laser-Induced Saturation Pulse (FLD-LISP) Method in Different Plant Species
Authors: Rahimzadeh-Bajgiran Parinaz , Tubuxin Bayaer , Omasa Kenji
Published: June 2017

A comprehensive evaluation of the recently developed Fraunhofer line depth (FLD) and laser-induced saturation pulse (FLD-LISP) method was conducted to measure chlorophyll ﬂuorescence (ChlF) parameters of the quantum yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII), non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), and the photosystem II-based electron transport rate (ETR) in three plant species including paprika (C3 plant), maize (C4 plant), and pachira (C3 plant). First, the relationships between photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and ChlF parameters retrieved using FLD-LISP and the pulse amplitude-modulated (PAM) methods were analyzed for all three species. Then the relationships between ChlF parameters measured using FLD-LISP and PAM were evaluated for the plants in different growth stages of leaves from mature to aging conditions. The relationships of ChlF parameters/PPFD were similar in both FLD-LISP and PAM methods in all plant species. ΦPSII showed a linear relationship with PPFD in all three species whereas NPQ was found to be linearly related to PPFD in paprika and maize, but not for pachira. The ETR/PPFD relationship was nonlinear with increasing values observed for PPFDs lower than about 800 μmol m−2 s−1 for paprika, lower than about 1200 μmol m−2 s−1 for maize, and lower than about 800 μmol m−2 s−1 for pachira. The ΦPSII, NPQ, and ETR of both the FLD-LISP and PAM methods were very well correlated (R2 = 0.89, RMSE = 0.05), (R2 = 0.86, RMSE = 0.44), and (R2 = 0.88, RMSE = 24.69), respectively, for all plants. Therefore, the FLD-LISP method can be recommended as a robust technique for the estimation of ChlF parameters.
Employing Crowdsourced Geographic Information to Classify Land Cover with Spatial Clustering and Topic Model
Authors: Xing Hanfa , Meng Yuan , Hou Dongyang , Song Jie , Xu Haibin
Published: June 2017

Land cover classification is the most important element of land cover mapping and is a key input to many societal benefits. Traditional classification methods require a large amount of remotely sensed images, which are time consuming and labour intensive. Recently, crowdsourcing geographic information (CGI), including geo-tagged photos and other sources, has been widely used with lower costs, but still requires extensive labour for data classification. Alternatively, CGI textual information is available from online sources containing land cover information, and it provides a useful source for land cover classification. However, the major challenge of utilising CGI is its uneven spatial distributions in land cover regions, leading to less reliability of regions for land cover classification with sparsely distributed CGI. Moreover, classifying various unorganised CGI texts automatically in each land cover region is another challenge. This paper investigates a faster and more automated method that does not require remotely sensed images for land cover classification. Spatial clustering is employed for CGI to reduce the effect of uneven spatial distributions by extracting land cover regions with high density of CGI. To classify unorganised various CGI texts in each extracted region, land cover topics are calculated using topic model. As a case study, we applied this method using points of interest (POIs) as CGI to classify land cover in Shandong province. The classification result using our proposed method achieved an overall accuracy of approximately 80%, providing evidence that CGI with textual information has a great potential for land cover classification.
CAWRES: A Waveform Retracking Fuzzy Expert System for Optimizing Coastal Sea Levels from Jason-1 and Jason-2 Satellite Altimetry Data
Authors: Idris Nurul , Deng Xiaoli , Md Din Ami , Idris Nurul
Published: June 2017

This paper presents the Coastal Altimetry Waveform Retracking Expert System (CAWRES), a novel method to optimise the Jason satellite altimetric sea levels from multiple retracking solutions. CAWRES’ aim is to achieve the highest possible accuracy of coastal sea levels, thus bringing measurement of radar altimetry data closer to the coast. The principles of CAWRES are twofold. The first is to reprocess altimeter waveforms using the optimal retracker, which is sought based on the analysis from a fuzzy expert system. The second is to minimise the relative offset in the retrieved sea levels caused by switching from one retracker to another using a neural network. The innovative system is validated against geoid height and tide gauges in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia for Jason-1 and Jason-2 satellite missions. The regional investigations have demonstrated that the CAWRES can effectively enhance the quality of 20 Hz sea level data and recover up to 16% more data than the standard MLE4 retracker over the tested region. Comparison against tide gauge indicates that the CAWRES sea levels are more reliable than those of Sensor Geophysical Data Records (SGDR) products, because the former has a higher (≥0.77) temporal correlation and smaller (≤19 cm) root mean square errors. The results demonstrate that the CAWRES can be applied to coastal regions elsewhere as well as other satellite altimeter missions.
Do Daily and Seasonal Trends in Leaf Solar Induced Fluorescence Reflect Changes in Photosynthesis, Growth or Light Exposure?
Authors: Wyber Rhys , Malenovský Zbyněk , Ashcroft Michael , Osmond Barry , Robinson Sharon
Published: June 2017

Solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) emissions of photosynthetically active plants retrieved from space-borne observations have been used to improve models of global primary productivity. However, the relationship between SIF and photosynthesis in diurnal and seasonal cycles is still not fully understood, especially at large spatial scales, where direct measurements of photosynthesis are unfeasible. Motivated by up-scaling potential, this study examined the diurnal and seasonal relationship between SIF and photosynthetic parameters measured at the level of individual leaves. We monitored SIF in two plant species, avocado (Persea Americana) and orange jasmine (Murraya paniculatta), throughout 18 diurnal cycles during the Southern Hemisphere spring, summer and autumn, and compared them with simultaneous measurements of photosynthetic yields, and leaf and global irradiances. Results showed that at seasonal time scales SIF is principally correlated with changes in leaf irradiance, electron transport rates (ETR) and constitutive heat dissipation (YNO; p < 0.001). Multiple regression models of correlations between photosynthetic parameters and SIF at diurnal time scales identified leaf irradiance as the principle predictor of SIF (p < 0.001). Previous studies have identified correlations between photosynthetic yields, ETR and SIF at larger spatial scales, where heterogeneous canopy architecture and landscape spatial patterns influence the spectral and photosynthetic measurements. Although this study found a significant correlation between leaf-measured YNO and SIF, future dedicated up-scaling experiments are required to elucidate if these observations are also found at larger spatial scales.
Spatio-Temporal Relationships between Optical Information and Carbon Fluxes in a Mediterranean Tree-Grass Ecosystem
Authors: Pacheco-Labrador Javier , El-Madany Tarek , Martín M. , Migliavacca Mirco , Rossini Micol , Carrara Arnaud , Zarco-Tejada Pablo J.
Published: June 2017

Spatio-temporal mismatches between Remote Sensing (RS) and Eddy Covariance (EC) data as well as spatial heterogeneity jeopardize terrestrial Gross Primary Production (GPP) modeling. This article combines: (a) high spatial resolution hyperspectral imagery; (b) EC footprint climatology estimates; and (c) semi-empirical models of increasing complexity to analyze the impact of these factors on GPP estimation. Analyses are carried out in a Mediterranean Tree-Grass Ecosystem (TGE) that combines vegetation with very different physiologies and structure. Half-hourly GPP (GPPhh) were predicted with relative errors ~36%. Results suggest that, at EC footprint scale, the ecosystem signals are quite homogeneous, despite tree and grass mixture. Models fit using EC and RS data with high degree of spatial and temporal match did not significantly improved models performance; in fact, errors were explained by meteorological variables instead. In addition, the performance of the different models was quite similar. This suggests that none of the models accurately represented light use efficiency or the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation. This is partly due to model formulation; however, results also suggest that the mixture of the different vegetation types might contribute to hamper such modeling, and should be accounted for GPP models in TGE and other heterogeneous ecosystems.
A Novel Laser Refractive Surgical Treatment for Presbyopia: Optics-Based Customization for Improved Clinical Outcome
Authors: Pajic Bojan , Pajic-Eggspuehler Brigitte , Mueller Joerg , Cvejic Zeljka , Studer Harald
Published: June 2017

Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) is a proven treatment method for corneal refractive surgery. Surgically induced higher order optical aberrations were a major reason why the method was only rarely used to treat presbyopia, an age-related near-vision loss. In this study, a novel customization algorithm for designing multifocal ablation patterns, thereby minimizing induced optical aberrations, was used to treat 36 presbyopic subjects. Results showed that most candidates went from poor visual acuity to uncorrected 20/20 vision or better for near (78%), intermediate (92%), and for distance (86%) vision, six months after surgery. All subjects were at 20/25 or better for distance and intermediate vision, and a majority (94%) were also better for near vision. Even though further studies are necessary, our results suggest that the employed methodology is a safe, reliable, and predictable refractive surgical treatment for presbyopia.
Ranging Consistency Based on Ranging-Compensated Temperature-Sensing Sensor for Inter-Satellite Link of Navigation Constellation
Authors: Meng Zhijun , Yang Jun , Guo Xiye , Zhou Yongbin
Published: June 2017

Global Navigation Satellite System performance can be significantly enhanced by introducing inter-satellite links (ISLs) in navigation constellation. The improvement in position, velocity, and time accuracy as well as the realization of autonomous functions requires ISL distance measurement data as the original input. To build a high-performance ISL, the ranging consistency among navigation satellites is an urgent problem to be solved. In this study, we focus on the variation in the ranging delay caused by the sensitivity of the ISL payload equipment to the ambient temperature in space and propose a simple and low-power temperature-sensing ranging compensation sensor suitable for onboard equipment. The experimental results show that, after the temperature-sensing ranging compensation of the ISL payload equipment, the ranging consistency becomes less than 0.2 ns when the temperature change is 90 °C.
A Novel Unsupervised Adaptive Learning Method for Long-Term Electromyography (EMG) Pattern Recognition
Authors: Huang Qi , Yang Dapeng , Jiang Li , Zhang Huajie , Liu Hong , Kotani Kiyoshi
Published: June 2017

Performance degradation will be caused by a variety of interfering factors for pattern recognition-based myoelectric control methods in the long term. This paper proposes an adaptive learning method with low computational cost to mitigate the effect in unsupervised adaptive learning scenarios. We presents a particle adaptive classifier (PAC), by constructing a particle adaptive learning strategy and universal incremental least square support vector classifier (LS-SVC). We compared PAC performance with incremental support vector classifier (ISVC) and non-adapting SVC (NSVC) in a long-term pattern recognition task in both unsupervised and supervised adaptive learning scenarios. Retraining time cost and recognition accuracy were compared by validating the classification performance on both simulated and realistic long-term EMG data. The classification results of realistic long-term EMG data showed that the PAC significantly decreased the performance degradation in unsupervised adaptive learning scenarios compared with NSVC (9.03% ± 2.23%, p < 0.05) and ISVC (13.38% ± 2.62%, p = 0.001), and reduced the retraining time cost compared with ISVC (2 ms per updating cycle vs. 50 ms per updating cycle).
Simple Smartphone-Based Guiding System for Visually Impaired People
Authors: Lin Bor-Shing , Lee Cheng-Che , Chiang Pei-Ying
Published: June 2017

Visually impaired people are often unaware of dangers in front of them, even in familiar environments. Furthermore, in unfamiliar environments, such people require guidance to reduce the risk of colliding with obstacles. This study proposes a simple smartphone-based guiding system for solving the navigation problems for visually impaired people and achieving obstacle avoidance to enable visually impaired people to travel smoothly from a beginning point to a destination with greater awareness of their surroundings. In this study, a computer image recognition system and smartphone application were integrated to form a simple assisted guiding system. Two operating modes, online mode and offline mode, can be chosen depending on network availability. When the system begins to operate, the smartphone captures the scene in front of the user and sends the captured images to the backend server to be processed. The backend server uses the faster region convolutional neural network algorithm or the you only look once algorithm to recognize multiple obstacles in every image, and it subsequently sends the results back to the smartphone. The results of obstacle recognition in this study reached 60%, which is sufficient for assisting visually impaired people in realizing the types and locations of obstacles around them.
Crop Classification in Satellite Images through Probabilistic Segmentation Based on Multiple Sources
Authors: Dalmau Oscar , Alarcón Teresa , Oliva Francisco
Published: June 2017

Classification methods based on Gaussian Markov Measure Field Models and other probabilistic approaches have to face the problem of construction of the likelihood. Typically, in these methods, the likelihood is computed from 1D or 3D histograms. However, when the number of information sources grows, as in the case of satellite images, the histogram construction becomes more difficult due to the high dimensionality of the feature space. In this work, we propose a generalization of Gaussian Markov Measure Field Models and provide a probabilistic segmentation scheme, which fuses multiple information sources for image segmentation. In particular, we apply the general model to classify types of crops in satellite images. The proposed method allows us to combine several feature spaces. For this purpose, the method requires prior information for building a 3D histogram for each considered feature space. Based on previous histograms, we can compute the likelihood of each site of the image to belong to a class. The computed likelihoods are the main input of the proposed algorithm and are combined in the proposed model using a contrast criteria. Different feature spaces are analyzed, among them are 6 spectral bands from LANDSAT 5 TM, 3 principal components from PCA on 6 spectral bands and 3 principal components from PCA applied on 10 vegetation indices. The proposed algorithm was applied to a real image and obtained excellent results in comparison to different classification algorithms used in crop classification.
Interacting Multiple Model (IMM) Fifth-Degree Spherical Simplex-Radial Cubature Kalman Filter for Maneuvering Target Tracking
Authors: Liu Hua , Wu Wen
Published: June 2017

For improving the tracking accuracy and model switching speed of maneuvering target tracking in nonlinear systems, a new algorithm named the interacting multiple model fifth-degree spherical simplex-radial cubature Kalman filter (IMM5thSSRCKF) is proposed in this paper. The new algorithm is a combination of the interacting multiple model (IMM) filter and the fifth-degree spherical simplex-radial cubature Kalman filter (5thSSRCKF). The proposed algorithm makes use of Markov process to describe the switching probability among the models, and uses 5thSSRCKF to deal with the state estimation of each model. The 5thSSRCKF is an improved filter algorithm, which utilizes the fifth-degree spherical simplex-radial rule to improve the filtering accuracy. Finally, the tracking performance of the IMM5thSSRCKF is evaluated by simulation in a typical maneuvering target tracking scenario. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has better tracking performance and quicker model switching speed when disposing maneuver models compared with the interacting multiple model unscented Kalman filter (IMMUKF), the interacting multiple model cubature Kalman filter (IMMCKF) and the interacting multiple model fifth-degree cubature Kalman filter (IMM5thCKF).
France’s State of the Art Distributed Optical Fibre Sensors Qualified for the Monitoring of the French Underground Repository for High Level and Intermediate Level Long Lived Radioactive Wastes
Authors: Delepine-Lesoille Sylvie , Girard Sylvain , Landolt Marcel , Bertrand Johan , Planes Isabelle , Boukenter Aziz , Marin Emmanuel , Humbert Georges , Leparmentier Stéphanie , Auguste Jean-Louis , Ouerdane Youcef
Published: June 2017

This paper presents the state of the art distributed sensing systems, based on optical fibres, developed and qualified for the French Cigéo project, the underground repository for high level and intermediate level long-lived radioactive wastes. Four main parameters, namely strain, temperature, radiation and hydrogen concentration are currently investigated by optical fibre sensors, as well as the tolerances of selected technologies to the unique constraints of the Cigéo’s severe environment. Using fluorine-doped silica optical fibre surrounded by a carbon layer and polyimide coating, it is possible to exploit its Raman, Brillouin and Rayleigh scattering signatures to achieve the distributed sensing of the temperature and the strain inside the repository cells of radioactive wastes. Regarding the dose measurement, promising solutions are proposed based on Radiation Induced Attenuation (RIA) responses of sensitive fibres such as the P-doped ones. While for hydrogen measurements, the potential of specialty optical fibres with Pd particles embedded in their silica matrix is currently studied for this gas monitoring through its impact on the fibre Brillouin signature evolution.
Tracking the Evolution of the Internet of Things Concept Across Different Application Domains
Authors: Ibarra-Esquer Jorge , González-Navarro Félix , Flores-Rios Brenda , Burtseva Larysa , Astorga-Vargas María
Published: June 2017

Both the idea and technology for connecting sensors and actuators to a network to remotely monitor and control physical systems have been known for many years and developed accordingly. However, a little more than a decade ago the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) was coined and used to integrate such approaches into a common framework. Technology has been constantly evolving and so has the concept of the Internet of Things, incorporating new terminology appropriate to technological advances and different application domains. This paper presents the changes that the IoT has undertaken since its conception and research on how technological advances have shaped it and fostered the arising of derived names suitable to specific domains. A two-step literature review through major publishers and indexing databases was conducted; first by searching for proposals on the Internet of Things concept and analyzing them to find similarities, differences, and technological features that allow us to create a timeline showing its development; in the second step the most mentioned names given to the IoT for specific domains, as well as closely related concepts were identified and briefly analyzed. The study confirms the claim that a consensus on the IoT definition has not yet been reached, as enabling technology keeps evolving and new application domains are being proposed. However, recent changes have been relatively moderated, and its variations on application domains are clearly differentiated, with data and data technologies playing an important role in the IoT landscape.
Dynamic Speed Adaptation for Path Tracking Based on Curvature Information and Speed Limits
Authors: Gámez Serna Citlalli , Ruichek Yassine
Published: June 2017

A critical concern of autonomous vehicles is safety. Different approaches have tried to enhance driving safety to reduce the number of fatal crashes and severe injuries. As an example, Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) systems warn the driver when the vehicle exceeds the recommended speed limit. However, these systems only take into account fixed speed limits without considering factors like road geometry. In this paper, we consider road curvature with speed limits to automatically adjust vehicle’s speed with the ideal one through our proposed Dynamic Speed Adaptation (DSA) method. Furthermore, ‘curve analysis extraction’ and ‘speed limits database creation’ are also part of our contribution. An algorithm that analyzes GPS information off-line identifies high curvature segments and estimates the speed for each curve. The speed limit database contains information about the different speed limit zones for each traveled path. Our DSA senses speed limits and curves of the road using GPS information and ensures smooth speed transitions between current and ideal speeds. Through experimental simulations with different control algorithms on real and simulated datasets, we prove that our method is able to significantly reduce lateral errors on sharp curves, to respect speed limits and consequently increase safety and comfort for the passenger.
Major Depression Detection from EEG Signals Using Kernel Eigen-Filter-Bank Common Spatial Patterns
Authors: Liao Shih-Cheng , Wu Chien-Te , Huang Hao-Chuan , Cheng Wei-Teng , Liu Yi-Hung
Published: June 2017

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has become a leading contributor to the global burden of disease; however, there are currently no reliable biological markers or physiological measurements for efficiently and effectively dissecting the heterogeneity of MDD. Here we propose a novel method based on scalp electroencephalography (EEG) signals and a robust spectral-spatial EEG feature extractor called kernel eigen-filter-bank common spatial pattern (KEFB-CSP). The KEFB-CSP first filters the multi-channel raw EEG signals into a set of frequency sub-bands covering the range from theta to gamma bands, then spatially transforms the EEG signals of each sub-band from the original sensor space to a new space where the new signals (i.e., CSPs) are optimal for the classification between MDD and healthy controls, and finally applies the kernel principal component analysis (kernel PCA) to transform the vector containing the CSPs from all frequency sub-bands to a lower-dimensional feature vector called KEFB-CSP. Twelve patients with MDD and twelve healthy controls participated in this study, and from each participant we collected 54 resting-state EEGs of 6 s length (5 min and 24 s in total). Our results show that the proposed KEFB-CSP outperforms other EEG features including the powers of EEG frequency bands, and fractal dimension, which had been widely applied in previous EEG-based depression detection studies. The results also reveal that the 8 electrodes from the temporal areas gave higher accuracies than other scalp areas. The KEFB-CSP was able to achieve an average EEG classification accuracy of 81.23% in single-trial analysis when only the 8-electrode EEGs of the temporal area and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier were used. We also designed a voting-based leave-one-participant-out procedure to test the participant-independent individual classification accuracy. The voting-based results show that the mean classification accuracy of about 80% can be achieved by the KEFP-CSP feature and the SVM classifier with only several trials, and this level of accuracy seems to become stable as more trials (i.e., <7 trials) are used. These findings therefore suggest that the proposed method has a great potential for developing an efficient (required only a few 6-s EEG signals from the 8 electrodes over the temporal) and effective (~80% classification accuracy) EEG-based brain-computer interface (BCI) system which may, in the future, help psychiatrists provide individualized and effective treatments for MDD patients.
Time-Frequency Analysis of Non-Stationary Biological Signals with Sparse Linear Regression Based Fourier Linear Combiner
Authors: Wang Yubo , Veluvolu Kalyana
Published: June 2017

It is often difficult to analyze biological signals because of their nonlinear and non-stationary characteristics. This necessitates the usage of time-frequency decomposition methods for analyzing the subtle changes in these signals that are often connected to an underlying phenomena. This paper presents a new approach to analyze the time-varying characteristics of such signals by employing a simple truncated Fourier series model, namely the band-limited multiple Fourier linear combiner (BMFLC). In contrast to the earlier designs, we first identified the sparsity imposed on the signal model in order to reformulate the model to a sparse linear regression model. The coefficients of the proposed model are then estimated by a convex optimization algorithm. The performance of the proposed method was analyzed with benchmark test signals. An energy ratio metric is employed to quantify the spectral performance and results show that the proposed method Sparse-BMFLC has high mean energy (0.9976) ratio and outperforms existing methods such as short-time Fourier transfrom (STFT), continuous Wavelet transform (CWT) and BMFLC Kalman Smoother. Furthermore, the proposed method provides an overall 6.22% in reconstruction error.
An LMS Programming Scheme and Floating-Gate Technology Enabled Trimmer-Less and Low Voltage Flame Detection Sensor
Authors: Iglesias-Rojas Juan , Gomez-Castañeda Felipe , Moreno-Cadenas Jose
Published: June 2017

In this paper, a Least Mean Square (LMS) programming scheme is used to set the offset voltage of two operational amplifiers that were built using floating-gate transistors, enabling a 0.95 VRMS trimmer-less flame detection sensor. The programming scheme is capable of setting the offset voltage over a wide range of values by means of electron injection. The flame detection sensor consists of two programmable offset operational amplifiers; the first amplifier serves as a 26 μV offset voltage follower, whereas the second amplifier acts as a programmable trimmer-less voltage comparator. Both amplifiers form the proposed sensor, whose principle of functionality is based on the detection of the electrical changes produced by the flame ionization. The experimental results show that it is possible to measure the presence of a flame accurately after programming the amplifiers with a maximum of 35 LMS-algorithm iterations. Current commercial flame detectors are mainly used in absorption refrigerators and large industrial gas heaters, where a high voltage AC source and several mechanical trimmings are used in order to accurately measure the presence of the flame.
Functional Movement Screening and Paddle-Sport Performance
Authors: Hatchett Andrew , Allen Charles , St. Hilaire Jake , LaRochelle Alex
Published: June 2017

The purpose of the study reported here was to determine the relationship between an endurance paddle-sport athlete’s total functional movement screening (FMS) score and individual race performance. Fifty elite level endurance canoeists and kayakers completed the seven-stage FMS protocol prior to the 2016 United States Canoe and Kayak Association National Championship race. Time taken to finish the race was then associated to overall FMS score and respective sub-scores. Total FMS score and various sub-scores were significantly related to race performance. Female and male athletes differed in which sub-scores were shown to be significantly correlated to finishing time. Outcomes from this study indicate that limitations in functional movement are related to endurance paddle-sport race performance.
An Analysis of CSR on Firm Financial Performance in Stakeholder Perspectives
Authors: Oh Seungwoo , Hong Ahreum , Hwang Junseok
Published: June 2017

Sustainable growth can be a source of success for firms. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a key tool for sustainable growth. However, should firms invest in CSR without having confidence in the effects and methods of CSR? This study explored the R&D, technology commercialization, and CSR motivation as core competencies that enhance corporate performance through CSR from a normative perspective—the stakeholder’s perspective. The purpose of this study was to investigate both strategic and traditional CSR’s relationships with financial performance based on the confidence in the effectiveness of CSR. Another important objective of this study was to explore management factors that influence strategic CSR. Firms consider R&D and technology commercialization as strategic management factors. Therefore, this study analyzed the influence of these strategic management factors along with CSR motivations, which may influence strategic and traditional CSR.
Focus Assessment Method of Gaze Tracking Camera Based on ε-Support Vector Regression
Authors: Luong Duc , Kang Jeon , Nguyen Phong , Lee Min , Park Kang
Published: June 2017

In order to capture an eye image of high quality in a gaze-tracking camera, an auto-focusing mechanism is used, which requires accurate focus assessment. Although there has been previous research on focus assessment in the spatial or wavelet domains, there are few previous studies that combine all of the methods of spatial and wavelet domains. Since all of the previous focus assessments in the spatial or wavelet domain methods have disadvantages, such as being affected by illumination variation, etc., we propose a new focus assessment method by combining the spatial and wavelet domain methods for the gaze-tracking camera. This research is novel in the following three ways, in comparison with the previous methods. First, the proposed focus assessment method combines the advantages of spatial and wavelet domain methods by using ε-support vector regression (SVR) with a symmetrical Gaussian radial basis function (RBF) kernel. In order to prevent the focus score from being affected by a change in image brightness, both linear and nonlinear normalizations are adopted in the focus score calculation. Second, based on the camera optics, we mathematically prove the reason for the increase in the focus score in the case of daytime images or a brighter illuminator compared to nighttime images or a darker illuminator. Third, we propose a new criterion to compare the accuracies of the focus measurement methods. This criterion is based on the ratio of relative overlapping amount (standard deviation of focus score) between two adjacent positions along the Z-axis to the entire range of focus score variety between these two points. Experimental results showed that the proposed method outperforms other methods.
Recombinant Phospholipase D from Loxosceles gaucho Binds to Platelets and Promotes Phosphatidylserine Exposure
Authors: Fukuda Daniel , Caporrino Maria , Barbaro Katia , Della-Casa Maisa , Faquim-Mauro Eliana , Magalhaes Geraldo
Published: June 2017

Spider envenomation, from the genus Loxosceles, is frequently reported as a cause of necrotic lesions in humans around the world. Among the many components found in the venom of Loxosceles genus, phospholipases D (PLDs) are the most investigated, since they can cause a massive inflammatory response, dermonecrosis, hemolysis and platelet aggregation, among other effects. Even though the PLDs induce strong platelet aggregation, there are no studies showing how the PLDs interact with platelets to promote this effect. Since many agonists must interact with specific receptors on the platelet membrane to induce aggregation, it is reasonable to expect that the PLDs may, in some way, also interact with platelets, to induce this activity. Therefore, to address this possibility, in this work, a recombinant PLD, called LgRec1, from L. gaucho was fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and used as a probe to detect the interaction of LgRec1 to platelets, by fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) and confocal microscopy. The preservation of biological activities of this chimera toxin was also analyzed. As a first, the results show that LgRec1 does not require plasma components to bind to platelets, although these components are necessary to LgRec1 to induce platelet aggregation. Also, the attachment of LgRec1 to human platelets’ cell membranes suggests that the exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) may act as a scaffold for coagulation factors. Therefore, the results add new information about the binding of Loxosceles PLDs to platelets, which may help unravel how these toxins promote platelet aggregation.
Talaromyces marneffei Genomic, Transcriptomic, Proteomic and Metabolomic Studies Reveal Mechanisms for Environmental Adaptations and Virulence
Authors: Lau Susanna , Tsang Chi-Ching , Woo Patrick
Published: June 2017

Talaromyces marneffei is a thermally dimorphic fungus causing systemic infections in patients positive for HIV or other immunocompromised statuses. Analysis of its ~28.9 Mb draft genome and additional transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic studies revealed mechanisms for environmental adaptations and virulence. Meiotic genes and genes for pheromone receptors, enzymes which process pheromones, and proteins involved in pheromone response pathway are present, indicating its possibility as a heterothallic fungus. Among the 14 Mp1p homologs, only Mp1p is a virulence factor binding a variety of host proteins, fatty acids and lipids. There are 23 polyketide synthase genes, one for melanin and two for mitorubrinic acid/mitorubrinol biosynthesis, which are virulence factors. Another polyketide synthase is for biogenesis of the diffusible red pigment, which consists of amino acid conjugates of monascorubin and rubropunctatin. Novel microRNA-like RNAs (milRNAs) and processing proteins are present. The dicer protein, dcl-2, is required for biogenesis of two milRNAs, PM-milR-M1 and PM-milR-M2, which are more highly expressed in hyphal cells. Comparative transcriptomics showed that tandem repeat-containing genes were overexpressed in yeast phase, generating protein polymorphism among cells, evading host’s immunity. Comparative proteomics between yeast and hyphal cells revealed that glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, up-regulated in hyphal cells, is an adhesion factor for conidial attachment.
Impact of Parvovirus B19 Viremia in Liver Transplanted Children on Anemia: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Würdinger Michael , Modrow Susanne , Plentz Annelie
Published: June 2017

Acute parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection in immunocompromised patients may lead to severe anemia. However, in adult transplant recipients, B19V reactivations without anemia and low-level viremia are common. The impact of B19V in pediatric transplant patients, with high risk of primary infection, is investigated here. In a six-month period, 159 blood samples of 54 pediatric liver transplant recipients were tested for B19V DNA by quantitative real-time PCR. Viremia was correlated with anemia and immunosuppression and compared with rates in adult transplant recipients. B19V DNA was detected in 5/54 patients. Primary B19V infections were observed in four patients prior to and in one patient after transplantation. Rates of viremia were significantly higher in pediatric recipients than in adults. Prolonged virus shedding after primary infection prior to transplantation accounts for most viremic cases. Anemia was significantly more frequent in samples from viremic patients, but remained mild. In 15% of anemic samples, B19V DNA was detected. Therefore, in anemic pediatric transplant recipients, diagnostics for B19V seem reasonable.
Development of Resilience Index Based on Flooding Damage in Urban Areas
Authors: Lee Eui , Kim Joong
Published: June 2017

Flooding volume in urban areas is not linearly proportional to flooding damage because, in some areas, no flooding damage occurs until the flooding depth reaches a certain point, whereas flooding damage occurs in other areas whenever flooding occurs. Flooding damage is different from flooding volume because each subarea has different components. A resilience index for urban drainage systems was developed based on flooding damage. In this study, the resilience index based on flooding damage in urban areas was applied to the Sintaein basin in Jeongup, Korea. The target watershed was divided into five subareas according to the status of land use in each subarea. The damage functions between flooding volume and flooding damage were calculated by multi-dimensional flood damage analysis. The extent of flooding damage per minute was determined from the results of flooding volume per minute using damage functions. The values of the resilience index based on flooding damages were distributed from 0.797292 to 0.933741. The resilience index based on flooding damage suggested in this study can reflect changes in urban areas and can be used for the evaluation of flood control plans such as the installation, replacement, and rehabilitation of drainage facilities.
Temps et lieux d'histoires bouddhiques. À propos de quelques « chroniques » inédites du Lanna
Authors: Lagirarde François
Published: June 2017

François Lagirarde

« Temps et lieux d'histoires bouddhiques. À propos de quelques “chroniques” inédites du Lanna »

La littérature du Nord de la Thaïlande (le Lanna), conservée sous la forme de manuscrits dans les monastères de la région, est riche et variée. Avec deux ou trois cents titres encore mal connus et fort loin d'être publiés, les tamnan ou chroniques traditionnelles en constituent l'un des genres principaux. Ce genre demeure difficile à caractériser, malgré de nombreuses tentatives, car il englobe les véritables chroniques officielles, les annales religieuses, les récits édifiants composés autour de la fondation de sites bouddhiques et les histoires merveilleuses de toutes sortes. À l'évidence, les « auteurs-compilateurs » de ces textes n'ont pas cherché à distinguer entre mythe et histoire.

En prenant pour exemple plusieurs chroniques inédites, l'auteur de cet article tente de montrer tendances et constantes qui fixent les contours du genre tamnan. Il s'agit essentiellement d'un cadre temporel et géographique établi par la tradition bouddhique dont le texte est une répétition rituelle mais modulable. À l'intérieur de ce cadre sont exposés des séries d'événements réels ou imaginaires, vécus, craints ou souhaités par le « chroniqueur » qui construit alors son récit original.

L'analyse est ici essentiellement philologique mais l'auteur signale que les textes de tamnan ne peuvent être véritablement compris sans tenir compte de l'usage social qui en était fait : si quelques chroniques politiquement utiles (que ce soit au « prince » ou aux dignitaires religieux) réclamaient des comptes rendus factuels pour une lecture technique légitimisante, la grande majorité des textes de tamnan furent composés dans un but édifiant pour des lectures publiques.
Compiler, éditer, illustrer : les monographies du district de Xiuning
Authors: Bussotti Michela
Published: June 2017

Huizhou has long been an important centre of publication for local monographs, often compiled and printed under administrative auspices. Among the districts in the ancient prefecture, Xiuning preserves the most ancient such monograph — one of the works signed by the great local literary figure, Cheng Minzheng. After a general introduction to the Huizhou monographs, this article discusses the introductory texts to works drawn up during the Ming, along with the contents and organization of the material presented, as well as their evolution during the last two dynasties. The question of the organization of labour in compilation, publishing, and block carving is also taken up, providing data on practices which, while mostly concerning Huizhou and its districts, also shed light in a more general way on such official publications. The final part of the article deals with illustrations — maps and landscapes of Xiuning — and the way such local, familiar spaces were represented by the authors of the works in question.
Huizhou Natives and the Publishing World of Late Ming China
Authors: Chia Lucille
Published: June 2017

Cet article analyse l'implication des gens de Huizhou (Anhui) dans le monde de l'édition de la Chine de la fin des Ming. Il se fonde sur la vie de quatre personnes en particulier : Wu Mianxue, Zheng Siming, Wu Huaibao et Cheng Juan. Les deux premiers travaillèrent presque exclusivement à Nankin, tandis que les deux autres furent, selon toute vraisemblance, basés à Huizhou. Tous eurent cependant des échanges professionnels avec d'autres régions de la Chine centrale et méridionale, voire avec le reste du pays. Le pragmatisme dont ces hommes ont fait preuve dans l'utilisation de leur réseau de Huizhou montre qu'ils aspiraient à jouer un rôle dans la culture écrite chinoise à un niveau national. Cela expliquerait pourquoi ils n'ont pas jugé bon que leur production porte de signe distinctif de leur région d'origine. Ainsi, leur solidarité régionale s'exprimait essentiellement via des réseaux intellectuels, sociaux et d'affaires de haute volée, qui facilitaient l'ascension des gens de Hui vers les plus hauts sommets culturels, économiques et politiques du pays.
Le gouvernement de la Mongolie sous les Qing : du contrôle sur les hommes à l'administration des territoires
Authors: Constant Frédéric
Published: June 2017

La perception que les Mandchous eurent de la Mongolie en tant que territoire évolua au cours de leur règne en Chine, en même temps que leur pouvoir se consolidait aux marches de l'empire. L'étude des sources administratives et juridiques montre ainsi que l'État sino-mandchou accorda de plus en plus d'importance à l'administration des territoires, alors que les relations personnelles entre les noblesses mandchoues et mongoles étaient à l'origine primordiales. Ce glissement se traduit notamment par une évolution de l'opposition entre les deux concepts d'« intérieur » et d'« extérieur », omniprésents dans les textes administratifs et juridiques ; par une mutation des règles d'application du droit, le principe de la personnalité des lois ayant progressivement été remplacé par celui de la territorialité des lois ; mais aussi par les solutions adoptées pour la résolution des conflits territoriaux et le rôle joué par la cartographie comme instrument de contrôle des territoires.
Construction, organisation et histoire du territoire liturgique de la Dame du Yaoshan
Authors: Bujard Marianne
Published: June 2017

The temple of the Holy Mother of Yao Mountain is located to the north of the city of Pucheng in Shaanxi province. The cult of the Goddess, who is famous for bestowing rain and children, is managed by a network of eleven ritual associations, including their subordinate villages. These ritual associations rotate control of the goddess' statue annually, in a three-day ritual that involves a large procession attended by several thousands of worshippers and spectators. At the latest from 1652, one after the other, one of the eleven ritual associations carries the statue of the deity in a palanquin, from the mountain to its main village temple, and after one year returns it to the mountain, from where the next association takes it away to its temple.

A survey and fieldwork conducted from 1999 to 2003 on the spot reveal the mechanisms which have governed the size, the frontiers and the internal structure of the ritual associations and the network. Observing the festival has enabled us to understand the strategies at work for containing the rivalries and conflicts accompanying the transportation of the palanquin. The history of the cult offered in this article is based on the rock inscriptions and the stelae discovered on the mountain and in the villages. Their study shows that the cult of the Holy Mother of Yao Mountain, which has been going on from the Tang dynasty until the present day, has always been vital to the local people. The reader will find in an appendix a translation of 14 representative inscriptions.
Glycoscience@Synchrotron: Synchrotron radiation applied to structural glycoscience
Authors: Pérez Serge , de Sanctis Daniele
Published: June 2017

Synchrotron radiation is the most versatile way to explore biological materials in different states: monocrystalline, polycrystalline, solution, colloids and multiscale architectures. Steady improvements in instrumentation have made synchrotrons the most flexible intense X-ray source. The wide range of applications of synchrotron radiation is commensurate with the structural diversity and complexity of the molecules and macromolecules that form the collection of substrates investigated by glycoscience. The present review illustrates how synchrotron-based experiments have contributed to our understanding in the field of structural glycobiology. Structural characterization of protein–carbohydrate interactions of the families of most glycan-interacting proteins (including glycosyl transferases and hydrolases, lectins, antibodies and GAG-binding proteins) are presented. Examples concerned with glycolipids and colloids are also covered as well as some dealing with the structures and multiscale architectures of polysaccharides. Insights into the kinetics of catalytic events observed in the crystalline state are also presented as well as some aspects of structure determination of protein in solution.
Distributional learning on Mechanical Turk and effects of attentional shifts
Authors: Moeng Emily
Published: June 2017

This study seeks to determine whether distributional learning can be replicated on an online platform like Mechanical Turk. In doing so, factors that may affect distributional learning, such as level of attention, participant age, and stimuli, are explored. It is found that even distributional learning, which requires making fine phonetic distinctions, can be replicated on Mechanical Turk, and that attention may nullify the effect of distributional learning.
SELECTION OF THE INSULATION MATERIALS FOR REFURBISHMENT PURPOSES
Authors: LILL Irene , KANAPECKIENE Loreta , TUPENAITE Laura , NAIMAVICIENE Jurga
Published: June 2017

Refurbishment of the building facades of residential buildings, including insulation, is often considered as the most energy efficient renovation measure with the largest potential. One of the solutions to increase energy efficiency is the selection of the appropriate insulation materials of the external walls. The article proposes the approach for selection of the insulation material based on SAW multiple criteria assessment method. The proposed methodology is applied for the case of insulation material selection in refurbishment of 12-storey building in Vilnius, Lithuania. Research reveals that rock wool outperforms other materials by thermal conductivity, light weigh, water vapour diffusion resistance, highest flammability class, durability and lowest emission of CO2 and is an efficient insulation to be used for sustainable refurbishment solutions.