bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is There An Overlap Between Eating Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children with Obesity?
Authors: Wentz Elisabet , Björk Anna , Dahlgren Jovanna
Published: October 2019

This study aimed at assessing the prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) and ED symptomatology in children with obesity, and at investigating whether EDs occur more often among individuals with a comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Seventy-six children (37 girls, 39 boys, age 5–16 years) were recruited at an outpatient obesity clinic. The adolescents completed ED instruments including The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and The Eating Disorder Inventory for children (EDI-C). The parents of all participants were interviewed regarding the child’s psychiatric morbidity. Diagnoses of ADHD and ASD were collected from medical records. Anthropometric data were compiled. Eight participants (11%) fulfilled the criteria for a probable ED and 16 participants (21%) had ADHD and/or ASD. Two adolescent girls had a probable ED and coexistent ADHD and ASD. No other overlaps between EDs and ADHD/ASD were observed. Loss of control (LOC) eating was present in 26 out of 40 (65%) adolescents, seven of whom had ADHD, ASD or both. LOC eating was not overrepresented among teenagers with ADHD and/or ASD. Weight and shape concerns were on a par with age-matched adolescents with EDs. EDs and ED behavior are more common among children/adolescents with obesity than in the general population. There is no substantial overlap between EDs and ADHD/ASD in adolescents with obesity.
Furcellaran-Coated Microcapsules as Carriers of Cyprinus carpio Skin-Derived Antioxidant Hydrolysate: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study
Authors: Tkaczewska Joanna , Jamróz Ewelina , Piątkowska Ewa , Borczak Barbara , Kapusta-Duch Joanna , Morawska Małgorzata
Published: October 2019

Carp skin gelatine hydrolysate (CSGH) may be a possible bioactive peptide source, as promising antioxidant properties have been noted during in vivo testing. Hence, the present study focused on improving the bioavailability of the antioxidant peptides from CSGH and on the use of furcellaran (FUR), which can protect the biopeptides during digestion in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, in this study, microcapsules coated with furcellaran and containing CSGH cores were prepared. The structural properties of the sample were determined using FT-IR and SEM analysis. The antioxidant properties of hydrolysate, uncoated, and encapsulated samples were investigated. In vivo analysis included determination of its safety in an animal organism and evaluation of the lipid profile, antioxidant blood status, and mRNA expression of some genes involved in antioxidant status in Wistar rats. The results showed no adverse effects of microencapsulated protein hydrolysates in laboratory animals. Nonetheless, there was a statistically significant rise in the level of total antioxidant status blood serum among animals consuming CSGH and not inducing oxidative stress. This can be viewed as a promising indication of the positive effects of antioxidant properties tested in vivo. The process of CSGH microencapsulation in FUR cause a decrease in antioxidant hydrolysate activity, both in vitro, as well as in healthy Wistar rats. When considering the results of the presented diverse therapeutic potential, further research on CSGH being a potential bioactive peptide source used as a functional food or nutraceutical, but with a different microencapsulation coating, is encouraged.
Beneficial Effects of Leucine Supplementation on Criteria for Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review
Authors: Martínez-Arnau Francisco M. , Fonfría-Vivas Rosa , Cauli Omar
Published: October 2019

Objective: Treating sarcopenia remains a challenge, and nutritional interventions present promising approaches. We summarize the effects of leucine supplementation in treating older individuals with sarcopenia associated with aging or to specific disorders, and we focus on the effect of leucine supplementation on various sarcopenia criteria, e.g., muscular strength, lean mass, and physical performance. Methods: A literature search for articles related to this topic was performed on the relevant databases, e.g., the PubMed/Medline, Embase, EBSCO, Cochrane, Lilacs, and Dialnet. The identified articles were reviewed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Of the 163 articles we consulted, 23 met our inclusion criteria, analysing the effect of leucine or leucine-enriched protein in the treatment of sarcopenia, and 13 of these studies were based on randomized and placebo-controlled trials (RCTs). In overall terms, the published results show that administration of leucine or leucine-enriched proteins (range 1.2–6 g leucine/day) is well-tolerated and significantly improves sarcopenia in elderly individuals, mainly by improving lean muscle-mass content and in this case most protocols also include vitamin D co-administration. The effect of muscular strength showed mix results, and the effect on physical performance has seldom been studied. For sarcopenia-associated with specific disorders, the most promising effects of leucine supplementation are reported for the rehabilitation of post-stroke patients and in those with liver cirrhosis. Further placebo-controlled trials will be necessary to determine the effects of leucine and to evaluate sarcopenia with the criteria recommended by official Working Groups, thereby limiting the variability of methodological issues for sarcopenia measurement across studies.
Oily Fish Consumption and the Risk of Dyslipidemia in Korean Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study Based on the Health Examinees Gem (HEXA-G) Study
Authors: Kim Seong-Ah , Lee Jong-koo , Kang Daehee , Shin Sangah
Published: October 2019

Despite the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oil on cardiovascular diseases, limited information is available regarding the effects of oily fish in the diet on the risk of dyslipidemia. This study aimed to investigate the association between oily fish consumption and the incidence of dyslipidemia among Korean adults included in the Health Examinees Gem (HEXA-G) cohort during 5 years of follow-up. In total, 20,670 participants (5710 men and 14,960 women) were included in this study. The average intake of oily fish including dark meat fish, such as mackerel, pacific saury, and Spanish mackerel, and eel, was estimated using food frequency questionnaires. Oily fish consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of hypertriglyceridemia in both men (Relative risk (RR) comparing extreme quintiles = 0.75; 95% CI 0.60–0.95; P for trend = 0.0121) and women (RR comparing extreme quintiles = 0.81; 95% CI 0.69–0.96; P for trend = 0.0110) after adjusting for potential confounders. In conclusion, increased consumption of oily fish was significantly associated with a lower risk of hypertriglyceridemia in the general Korean population. Future randomized clinical trials or prospective studies are required to confirm these findings in the Korean or other Asian populations.
Current Understanding of West Nile Virus Clinical Manifestations, Immune Responses, Neuroinvasion, and Immunotherapeutic Implications
Authors: Bai Fengwei , Thompson E. Ashley , Vig Parminder J. S. , Leis A. Arturo
Published: October 2019

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most common mosquito-borne virus in North America. WNV-associated neuroinvasive disease affects all ages, although elderly and immunocompromised individuals are particularly at risk. WNV neuroinvasive disease has killed over 2300 Americans since WNV entered into the United States in the New York City outbreak of 1999. Despite 20 years of intensive laboratory and clinical research, there are still no approved vaccines or antivirals available for human use. However, rapid progress has been made in both understanding the pathogenesis of WNV and treatment in clinical practices. This review summarizes our current understanding of WNV infection in terms of human clinical manifestations, host immune responses, neuroinvasion, and therapeutic interventions.
In Vitro Methods for Evaluating Drug Release of Vaginal Ring Formulations—A Critical Review
Authors: Tietz Katharina , Klein Sandra
Published: October 2019

The vagina is a promising site for both local and systemic drug delivery and represents an interesting administration route for compounds with poor oral bioavailability. Whereas most of the currently marketed dosage forms were designed as immediate release formulations, intravaginal rings (IVRs) offer the possibility of a controlled vaginal drug delivery over several weeks or months. For a long time, the development of IVRs was limited to steroid-releasing formulations. Recently, IVRs have witnessed a surge of new interest as promising delivery systems for microbicides. Therefore, various novel IVR designs have been introduced. To ensure that only safe and effective IVRs will be administered to patients, it is important to properly distinguish between IVRs with desired and undesired release performance. In vitro methods for evaluating drug release of IVRs that present with sufficient predictive capacity for in vivo drug release, and discriminatory power with regard to IVRs quality, are an essential tool for this purpose. The objective of the present review article is to present the current status of in vitro drug release testing of IVRs and to critically discuss current compendial and non-official in vitro drug release methods with regard to their discriminatory power and in vivo predictivity.
Vegetation Heterogeneity Effects on Soil Macro-Arthropods in an Alpine Tundra of the Changbai Mountains, China
Authors: Tao Yan , Wang Zhongqiang , Ma Chen , He Hongshi , Xu Jiawei , Jin Yinghua , Wang Haixia , Zheng Xiaoxue
Published: October 2019

The harsh environmental conditions in alpine tundra exert a significant influence on soil macro-arthropod communities, yet few studies have been performed regarding the effects of vegetation heterogeneity on these communities. In order to better understand this question, a total of 96 soil macro-arthropod samples were collected from four habitats in the Changbai Mountains in China, namely, the Vaccinium uliginosum habitat, Sanguisorba sitchensis habitat, Rhododendron aureum habitat, and Deyeuxia angustifolia habitat. The results revealed that the taxonomic composition of the soil macro-arthropods varied among the habitats, and that dissimilarities existed in these communities. The abundance, richness and diversity in the D. angustifolia habitat were all at their maximum during the sampling period. The vegetation heterogeneity affected the different taxa of the soil macro-arthropods at various levels. In addition, the vegetation heterogeneity had direct effects not only on soil macro-arthropod communities, but also indirectly impacted the abundance, richness and diversity by altering the soil fertility and soil texture. Overall, our results provide experimental evidence that vegetation heterogeneity can promote the abundance, richness and diversity of soil macro-arthropods, yet the responses of soil macro-arthropods to vegetation heterogeneity differed among their taxa.
Global Actions for Managing Cactus Invasions
Authors: Novoa Ana , Brundu Giuseppe , Day Michael D. , Deltoro Vicente , Essl Franz , Foxcroft Llewellyn C. , Fried Guillaume , Kaplan Haylee , Kumschick Sabrina , Lloyd Sandy , Marchante Elizabete , Marchante Hélia , Paterson Iain D. , Pyšek Petr , Richardson David M. , Witt Arne , Zimmermann Helmuth G. , Wilson John R. U.
Published: October 2019

The family Cactaceae Juss. contains some of the most widespread and damaging invasive alien plant species in the world, with Australia (39 species), South Africa (35) and Spain (24) being the main hotspots of invasion. The Global Cactus Working Group (IOBC GCWG) was launched in 2015 to improve international collaboration and identify key actions that can be taken to limit the impacts caused by cactus invasions worldwide. Based on the results of an on-line survey, information collated from a review of the scientific and grey literature, expertise of the authors, and because invasiveness appears to vary predictably across the family, we (the IOBC GCWG): (1) recommend that invasive and potentially invasive cacti are regulated, and to assist with this, propose five risk categories; (2) recommend that cactus invasions are treated physically or chemically before they become widespread; (3) advocate the use of biological control to manage widespread invasive species; and (4) encourage the development of public awareness and engagement initiatives to integrate all available knowledge and perspectives in the development and implementation of management actions, and address conflicts of interest, especially with the agricultural and ornamental sectors. Implementing these recommendations will require global co-operation. The IOBC GCWG aims to assist with this process through the dissemination of information and experience.
Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Orange Trees to Different Deficit Irrigation Regimes
Authors: Puglisi Ivana , Nicolosi Elisabetta , Vanella Daniela , Lo Piero Angela Roberta , Stagno Fiorella , Saitta Daniela , Roccuzzo Giancarlo , Consoli Simona , Baglieri Andrea
Published: October 2019

The article presents the results of research consisting of the application of deficit irrigation (DI) criteria, combined with the adoption of micro-irrigation methods, on orange orchards (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) in Sicily (Italy) during the irrigation season of 2015. Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI, T3) and partial root-zone drying (PRD, T4) strategies were compared with full irrigation (T1) and sustained deficit irrigation (SDI, T2) treatments in terms of physiological, biochemical, and productive crop response. A geophysical survey (electrical resistivity tomography, ERT) was carried out to identify a link between the percentages of drying soil volume in T4 with leaves abscisic acid (ABA) signal. Results highlight that the orange trees physiological response to water stress conditions did not show particular differences among the different irrigation treatments, not inducing detrimental effects on crop production features. ABA levels in leaves were rather constant in all the treatments, except in T4 during late irrigation season. ERT technique identified that prolonged drying cycles during alternate PRD exposed more roots to severe soil drying, thus increasing leaf ABA accumulation.
In-Line Monitoring the Degradation of Polypropylene under Multiple Extrusions Based on Raman Spectroscopy
Authors: Guo Xuemei , Lin Zenan , Wang Yingjun , He Zhangping , Wang Mengmeng , Jin Gang
Published: October 2019

Polymer degradation is a common problem in the extrusion process. In this work, Raman spectroscopy, a robust, rapid, and non-destructive tool for in-line monitoring, was utilized to in-line monitor the degradation of polypropylene (PP) under multiple extrusions. Raw spectra were pretreated by chemometrics methods to extract variations of spectra and eliminate noise. The variation of Raman intensity with the increasing number of extrusions was caused by the scission of PP chains and oxidative degradation, and the variation trend of Raman intensity indicated that long chains were more likely to be damaged by the extrusion. For the quantitative analysis of degradation, the partial least square was used to build a model to predict the degree of PP degradation measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). For the calibration set, the coefficient of determination (R2) and the root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) were 0.9859 and 1.2676%, and for the prediction set, R2 and the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) were 0.9752 and 1.7228%, which demonstrated the accuracy of the proposed model. The in-line Raman spectroscopy combined with the chemometrics methods was proved to be an accurate and highly effective tool, which can monitor the degradation of polymer in real time.
The Thermoviscosifying Behavior of Water-Soluble Polymer Based on Graft Polymerization of Pluronic F127 with Acrylamide and 2-Acrylamido-2-methylpropane Sulfonic Acid Sodium Salt
Authors: Quan Hongping , Xie Luyao , Su Xin , Feng Yujun
Published: October 2019

A new concept of thermoviscosifying polymers is proposed to address the problems about decreasing viscosity of polymer solution under high temperatures. However, existing thermoviscosifying polymers have complicated synthesis processes and high costs, and both of them restrict the wide practical applications of thermoviscosifying polymers. Although polyethers have the characteristics of thermal gelatinization, they just display thermoviscosifying behaviors only under extremely high concentrations (>15 wt %). Therefore, the graft copolymerization of the commercialized Pluronic F127 (PEO100-PPO65-PEO100) with acrylamide and 2-acrylamide-methylpropionic acid sodium salt was studied here. A series of graft modified polyether polymers were prepared and it was expected to get thermoviscosifying polymers with high molecular weights and low association temperatures. Several factors on thermoviscosifying behaviors were investigated, such as polymerization condition, polymer concentration, hydrophilic monomer, molecular structure and molecular weight. It was also proven that the apparent viscosity of polymer solution is influenced by polymer concentration, molecular weight of polymer, and content of anion groups.
Preparation of Progressive Antibacterial LDPE Surface via Active Biomolecule Deposition Approach
Authors: Habib Salma , Lehocky Marian , Vesela Daniela , Humpolíček Petr , Krupa Igor , Popelka Anton
Published: October 2019

The use of polymers in all aspects of daily life is increasing considerably, so there is high demand for polymers with specific properties. Polymers with antibacterial properties are highly needed in the food and medical industries. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is widely used in various industries, especially in food packaging, because it has suitable mechanical and safety properties. Nevertheless, the hydrophobicity of its surface makes it vulnerable to microbial attack and culturing. To enhance antimicrobial activity, a progressive surface modification of LDPE using the antimicrobial agent grafting process was applied. LDPE was first exposed to nonthermal radio-frequency (RF) plasma treatment to activate its surface. This led to the creation of reactive species on the LDPE surface, resulting in the ability to graft antibacterial agents, such as ascorbic acid (ASA), commonly known as vitamin C. ASA is a well-known antioxidant that is used as a food preservative, is essential to biological systems, and is found to be reactive against a number of microorganisms and bacteria. The antimicrobial effect of grafted LDPE with ASA was tested against two strong kinds of bacteria, namely, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), with positive results. Surface analyses were performed thoroughly using contact angle measurements and peel tests to measure the wettability or surface free energy and adhesion properties after each modification step. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to analyze the surface morphology or topography changes of LDPE caused by plasma treatment and ASA grafting. Surface chemistry was studied by measuring the functional groups and elements introduced to the surface after plasma treatment and ASA grafting, using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These results showed wettability, adhesion, and roughness changes in the LDPE surface after plasma treatment, as well as after ASA grafting. This is a positive indicator of the ability of ASA to be grafted onto polymeric materials using plasma pretreatment, resulting in enhanced antibacterial activity.
Recent Progress in Polymer-Containing Soft Matters for Safe Mining of Coal
Authors: Wang Hetang , Du Yunhe , Wang Deming , Qin Botao
Published: October 2019

Safe mining is the premise and guarantee of sustainable development of coal energy. Due to the combination of excellent properties of polymers and traditional soft matters, polymer-containing soft matters are playing an increasingly important role in mine disaster and hazard control. To summarize the valuable work in recent years and provide reference and inspiration for researchers in this field, this paper reviewed the recent research progress in polymer-containing soft matters with respect to mine dust control, mine fire control, mine gas control and mine roadway support. From the perspective role of polymers in a material system, we classify mine polymer-containing soft matters into two categories. The first is polymer additive materials, in which polymers are used as additives to modify fluid-like soft matters, such as dust-reducing agents (surfactant solution) and dust-suppressing foams. The second is polymer-based materials, in which polymers are used as a main component to form high performance solid-like soft matters, such as fire prevention gels, foam gels, gas hole sealing material and resin anchorage agent. The preparation principle, properties and application of these soft matters are comprehensively reviewed. Furthermore, future research directions are also suggested.
Kenaf Composites for Automotive Components: Enhancement in Machinability and Moldability
Authors: Mohd Radzuan Nabilah Afiqah , Ismail Nur Farhani , Fadzly Md Radzi Mohd Khairul , Razak Zakaria Bin , Tharizi Izdihar Binti , Sulong Abu Bakar , Che Haron Che Hassan , Muhamad Norhamidi
Published: October 2019

To date, the mechanical performance of kenaf composites is still unsatisfied in term of its mechanical performance. Therefore, research focuses on kenaf composites fabrication through the selection of polymer resin, including epoxy, polypropylene, and polylactic acid. The incorporated kenaf fibre at 10 wt % to 40 wt % loadings was conducted using injection and a compression moulding process. The compressed materials indicated high tensile strength at 240 MPa compared to inject materials (60 MPa). Significant improvement on impact strength (9 kJ/m2) was due to the unpulled-out fibre that dispersed homogenously and hence minimize the microcrack acquire. Meanwhile, high flexural strength (180 MPa) obtained by kenaf/epoxy composites due to the fibre orientate perpendicular to the loading directions, which improve its mechanical properties. The findings indicate that the kenaf fibre reinforced thermoset materials exhibit better mechanical properties as a function to the battery tray applications.
Deep Self-Learning Network for Adaptive Pansharpening
Authors: Hu Jie , He Zhi , Wu Jiemin
Published: October 2019

Deep learning (DL)-based paradigms have recently made many advances in image pansharpening. However, most of the existing methods directly downscale the multispectral (MSI) and panchromatic (PAN) images with default blur kernel to construct the training set, which will lead to the deteriorative results when the real image does not obey this degradation. In this paper, a deep self-learning (DSL) network is proposed for adaptive image pansharpening. First, rather than using the fixed blur kernel, a point spread function (PSF) estimation algorithm is proposed to obtain the blur kernel of the MSI. Second, an edge-detection-based pixel-to-pixel image registration method is designed to recover the local misalignments between MSI and PAN. Third, the original data is downscaled by the estimated PSF and the pansharpening network is trained in the down-sampled domain. The high-resolution result can be finally predicted by the trained DSL network using the original MSI and PAN. Extensive experiments on three images collected by different satellites prove the superiority of our DSL technique, compared with some state-of-the-art approaches.
Extracting Khmer Rouge Irrigation Networks from Pre-Landsat 4 Satellite Imagery Using Vegetation Indices
Authors: Coakley Corrine , Munro-Stasiuk Mandy , Tyner James , Kimsroy Sokvisal , Chhay Chhunly , Rice Stian
Published: October 2019

Often discussed, the spatial extent and scope of the Khmer Rouge irrigation network has not been previously mapped on a national scale. Although low resolution, early Landsat images can identify water features accurately when using vegetation indices. We discuss the methods involved in mapping historic irrigation on a national scale, as well as comparing the performance of several vegetation indices at irrigation detection. Irrigation was a critical component of the Communist Part of Kampuchea (CPK)’s plan to transform Cambodia into an ideal communist society, aimed at providing surplus for the nation by tripling rice production. Of the three indices used, normalized difference, corrected transformed, and Thiam’s transformed vegetation indexes, (NDVI, CTVI, and TTVI respectively), the CTVI provided the clearest images of water storage and transport. This method for identifying anthropogenic water features proved highly accurate, despite low spatial resolution. We were successful in locating and identifying both water storage and irrigation canals from the time that the CPK regime was in power. In many areas these canals and reservoirs are no longer visible, even with high resolution modern satellites. Most of the structures built at this time experienced some collapse, either during the CPK regime or soon after, however many have been rehabilitated and are still in use, in at least a partial capacity.
Benefits of a Closely-Spaced Satellite Constellation of Atmospheric Polarimetric Radio Occultation Measurements
Authors: Turk F. Joseph , Padullés Ramon , Ao Chi O. , Juárez Manuel de la Torre , Wang Kuo-Nung , Franklin Garth W. , Lowe Stephen T. , Hristova-Veleva Svetla M. , Fetzer Eric J. , Cardellach Estel , Kuo Yi-Hung , Neelin J. David
Published: October 2019

The climate and weather forecast predictive capability for precipitation intensity is limited by gaps in the understanding of basic cloud-convective processes. Currently, a better understanding of the cloud-convective process lacks observational constraints, due to the difficulty in obtaining accurate, vertically resolved pressure, temperature, and water vapor structure inside and near convective clouds. This manuscript describes the potential advantages of collecting sequential radio occultation (RO) observations from a constellation of closely spaced low Earth-orbiting satellites. In this configuration, the RO tangent points tend to cluster together, such that successive RO ray paths are sampling independent air mass quantities as the ray paths lie “parallel” to one another. When the RO train orbits near a region of precipitation, there is a probability that one or more of the RO ray paths will intersect the region of heavy precipitation, and one or more would lie outside. The presence of heavy precipitation can be discerned by the use of the polarimetric RO (PRO) technique recently demonstrated by the Radio Occultations through Heavy Precipitation (ROHP) receiver onboard the Spanish PAZ spacecraft. This sampling strategy provides unique, near-simultaneous observations of the water vapor profile inside and in the environment surrounding heavy precipitation, which are not possible from current RO data.
Error Budget in the Validation of Radiometric Products Derived from OLCI around the China Sea from Open Ocean to Coastal Waters Compared with MODIS and VIIRS
Authors: Li Jun , Jamet Cédric , Zhu Jianhua , Han Bing , Li Tongji , Yang Anan , Guo Kai , Jia Di
Published: October 2019

The accuracy of remote-sensing reflectance ( R r s ) estimated from ocean color imagery through the atmospheric correction step is essential in conducting quantitative estimates of the inherent optical properties and biogeochemical parameters of seawater. Therefore, finding the main source of error is the first step toward improving the accuracy of R r s . However, the classic validation exercises provide only the total error of the retrieved R r s . They do not reveal the error sources. Moreover, how to effectively improve this satellite algorithm remains unknown. To better understand and improve various aspects of the satellite atmospheric correction algorithm, the error budget in the validation is required. Here, to find the primary error source from the OLCI R r s , we evaluated the OLCI R r s product with in-situ data around the China Sea from open ocean to coastal waters and compared them with the MODIS-AQUA and VIIRS products. The results show that the performances of OLCI are comparable to those MODIS-AQUA. The average percentage difference (APD) in R r s is lowest at 490 nm (18%), and highest at 754 nm (79%). A more detailed analysis reveals that open ocean and coastal waters show opposite results: compared to coastal waters the satellite R r s in open seas are higher than the in-situ measured values. An error budget for the three satellite-derived R r s products is presented, showing that the primary error source in the China Sea was the aerosol estimation and the error on the Rayleigh-corrected radiance for OLCI, as well as for MODIS and VIIRS. This work suggests that to improve the accuracy of Sentinel-3A in the coastal waters of China, the accuracy of aerosol estimation in atmospheric correction must be improved.
RadCalNet: A Radiometric Calibration Network for Earth Observing Imagers Operating in the Visible to Shortwave Infrared Spectral Range
Authors: Bouvet Marc , Thome Kurtis , Berthelot Béatrice , Bialek Agnieszka , Czapla-Myers Jeffrey , Fox Nigel , Goryl Philippe , Henry Patrice , Ma Lingling , Marcq Sébastien , Meygret Aimé , Wenny Brian , Woolliams Emma
Published: October 2019

Vicarious calibration approaches using in situ measurements saw first use in the early 1980s and have since improved to keep pace with the evolution of the radiometric requirements of the sensors that are being calibrated. The advantage of in situ measurements for vicarious calibration is that they can be carried out with traceable and quantifiable accuracy, making them ideal for interconsistency studies of on-orbit sensors. The recent development of automated sites to collect the in situ data has led to an increase in the available number of datasets for sensor calibration. The current work describes the Radiometric Calibration Network (RadCalNet) that is an effort to provide automated surface and atmosphere in situ data as part of a network including multiple sites for the purpose of optical imager radiometric calibration in the visible to shortwave infrared spectral range. The key goals of RadCalNet are to standardize protocols for collecting data, process to top-of-atmosphere reflectance, and provide uncertainty budgets for automated sites traceable to the international system of units. RadCalNet is the result of efforts by the RadCalNet Working Group under the umbrella of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Working Group on Calibration and Validation (WGCV) and the Infrared Visible Optical Sensors (IVOS). Four radiometric calibration instrumented sites located in the USA, France, China, and Namibia are presented here that were used as initial sites for prototyping and demonstrating RadCalNet. All four sites rely on collection of data for assessing the surface reflectance as well as atmospheric data over that site. The data are converted to top-of-atmosphere reflectance within RadCalNet and provided through a web portal to allow users to either radiometrically calibrate or verify the calibration of their sensors of interest. Top-of-atmosphere reflectance data with associated uncertainties are available at 10 nm intervals over the 400 nm to 1000 nm spectral range at 30 min intervals for a nadir-viewing geometry. An example is shown demonstrating how top-of-atmosphere data from RadCalNet can be used to determine the interconsistency between two sensors.
Monitoring of Urban Black-Odor Water Based on Nemerow Index and Gradient Boosting Decision Tree Regression Using UAV-Borne Hyperspectral Imagery
Authors: Wei Lifei , Huang Can , Wang Zhengxiang , Wang Zhou , Zhou Xiaocheng , Cao Liqin
Published: October 2019

The formation of black-odor water in urban rivers has a long history. It not only seriously affects the image of the city, but also easily breeds germs and damages the urban habitat. The prevention and treatment of urban black-odor water have long been important topics nationwide. “Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Water Pollution” issued by the State Council shows Chinese government’s high attention to this issue. However, treatment and monitoring are inextricably linked. There are few studies on the large-scale monitoring of black-odor water, especially the cases of using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to efficiently and accurately monitor the spatial distribution of urban river pollution. Therefore, in order to get rid of the limitations of traditional ground sampling to evaluate the point source pollution of rivers, the UAV-borne hyperspectral imagery was applied in this paper. It is hoped to grasp the pollution status of the entire river as soon as possible from the surface. However, the retrieval of multiple water quality parameters will lead to cumulative errors, so the Nemerow comprehensive pollution index (NCPI) is introduced to characterize the pollution level of urban water. In the paper, the retrieval results of six regression models including gradient boosting decision tree regression (GBDTR) were compared, trying to find a regression model for the retrieval NCPI in the current scenario. In the first study area, the retrieval accuracy of the training dataset (adjusted_R2 = 0.978), and test dataset (adjusted_R2 = 0.974) was higher than that of the other regression models. Although the retrieval effect of random forest is similar to that of GBDTR in both training accuracy and image inversion, it is more computationally expensive. Finally, the spatial distribution graphs of NCPI and its technical feasibility in monitoring pollution sources were investigated, in combination with field observations.
Satellite Remote Sensing of the Greenland Ice Sheet Ablation Zone: A Review
Authors: Cooper Matthew , Smith Laurence
Published: October 2019

The Greenland Ice Sheet is now the largest land ice contributor to global sea level rise, largely driven by increased surface meltwater runoff from the ablation zone, i.e., areas of the ice sheet where annual mass losses exceed gains. This small but critically important area of the ice sheet has expanded in size by ~50% since the early 1960s, and satellite remote sensing is a powerful tool for monitoring the physical processes that influence its surface mass balance. This review synthesizes key remote sensing methods and scientific findings from satellite remote sensing of the Greenland Ice Sheet ablation zone, covering progress in (1) radar altimetry, (2) laser (lidar) altimetry, (3) gravimetry, (4) multispectral optical imagery, and (5) microwave and thermal imagery. Physical characteristics and quantities examined include surface elevation change, gravimetric mass balance, reflectance, albedo, and mapping of surface melt extent and glaciological facies and zones. The review concludes that future progress will benefit most from methods that combine multi-sensor, multi-wavelength, and cross-platform datasets designed to discriminate the widely varying surface processes in the ablation zone. Specific examples include fusing laser altimetry, radar altimetry, and optical stereophotogrammetry to enhance spatial measurement density, cross-validate surface elevation change, and diagnose radar elevation bias; employing dual-frequency radar, microwave scatterometry, or combining radar and laser altimetry to map seasonal snow depth; fusing optical imagery, radar imagery, and microwave scatterometry to discriminate between snow, liquid water, refrozen meltwater, and bare ice near the equilibrium line altitude; combining optical reflectance with laser altimetry to map supraglacial lake, stream, and crevasse bathymetry; and monitoring the inland migration of snowlines, surface melt extent, and supraglacial hydrologic features.
Dense Image-Matching via Optical Flow Field Estimation and Fast-Guided Filter Refinement
Authors: Yuan Wei , Yuan Xiuxiao , Xu Shu , Gong Jianya , Shibasaki Ryosuke
Published: October 2019

The development of an efficient and robust method for dense image-matching has been a technical challenge due to high variations in illumination and ground features of aerial images of large areas. In this paper, we propose a method for the dense matching of aerial images using an optical flow field and a fast-guided filter. The proposed method utilizes a coarse-to-fine matching strategy for a pixel-wise correspondence search across stereo image pairs. The pyramid Lucas–Kanade (L–K) method is first used to generate a sparse optical flow field within the stereo image pairs, and an adjusted control lattice is then used to derive the multi-level B-spline interpolating function for estimating the dense optical flow field. The dense correspondence is subsequently refined through a combination of a novel cross-region-based voting process and fast guided filtering. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated on three bases, namely, the matching accuracy, the matching success rate, and the matching efficiency. The evaluative experiments were performed using sets of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images and aerial digital mapping camera (DMC) images. The results showed that the proposed method afforded the root mean square error (RMSE) of the reprojection errors better than ±0.5 pixels in image, and a height accuracy within ±2.5 GSD (ground sampling distance) from the ground. The method was further compared with the state-of-the-art commercial software SURE and confirmed to deliver more complete matches for images with poor-texture areas, the matching success rate of the proposed method is higher than 97% while SURE is 96%, and there is 47% higher matching efficiency. This demonstrates the superior applicability of the proposed method to aerial image-based dense matching with poor texture regions.
Marine NMEA 2000 Smart Sensors for Ship Batteries Supervision and Predictive Fault Diagnosis
Authors: García Emilio , Quiles Eduardo , Correcher Antonio , Morant Francisco
Published: October 2019

In this paper, an application for the management, supervision and failure forecast of a ship’s energy storage system is developed through a National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) 2000 smart sensor network. Here, the NMEA 2000 network sensor devices for the measurement and supervision of the parameters inherent to energy storage and energy supply are reviewed. The importance of energy storage systems in ships, the causes and models of battery aging, types of failures, and predictive diagnosis techniques for valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries used for assisted and safe navigation are discussed. In ships, battery banks are installed in chambers that normally do not have temperature regulation and therefore are significantly conditioned by the outside temperature. A specific method based on the analysis of the time-series data of random and seasonal factors is proposed for the comparative trend analyses of both the battery internal temperature and the battery installation chamber temperature. The objective is to apply predictive fault diagnosis to detect any undesirable increase in battery temperature using prior indicators of heat dissipation process failure—to avoid the development of the most frequent and dangerous failure modes of VRLA batteries such as dry out and thermal runaway. It is concluded that these failure modes can be conveniently diagnosed by easily recognized patterns, obtained by performing comparative trend analyses to the variables measured onboard by NMEA sensors.
Characteristics of a Magnetic Field Sensor with a Concentrating-Conducting Magnetic Flux Structure
Authors: Li Xuelei , Zhao Xiaofeng , Wen Dianzhong
Published: October 2019

A magnetic field sensor with a new concentrating-conducting magnetic flux structure (CCMFS) is proposed in this paper, using a silicon-on insulator (SOI) Hall element fabricated by complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology as a magnetic sensitive unit. By fixing the CCMFS above the Hall element packaged on a printed circuit board (PCB) based on inner-connect wire bonding technology, a non-magnetized package can subsequently be obtained. To analyze the inner magnetic field vector distribution of the CCMFS, a simulation model was built based on a finite element software, where the CCMFS was processed using Ni-Fe alloys material by a low speed wire-cut electric discharge technology. The test results showed that the measurement of magnetic fields along a sensitive and a non-sensitive axis can be achieved when VDD = 5.0 V at room temperature, with magnetic sensitivities of 122 mV/T and 132 mV/T in a testing range from −30 mT to 30 mT, respectively. This study makes it possible to not only realize the detection of magnetic field, but also to significantly improve the sensitivity of the sensor along a non-sensitive axis.
Towards a Portable Model to Discriminate Activity Clusters from Accelerometer Data
Authors: Jones Petra , Mirkes Evgeny M. , Yates Tom , Edwardson Charlotte L. , Catt Mike , Davies Melanie J. , Khunti Kamlesh , Rowlands Alex V.
Published: October 2019

Few methods for classifying physical activity from accelerometer data have been tested using an independent dataset for cross-validation, and even fewer using multiple independent datasets. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether unsupervised machine learning was a viable approach for the development of a reusable clustering model that was generalisable to independent datasets. We used two labelled adult laboratory datasets to generate a k-means clustering model. To assess its generalised application, we applied the stored clustering model to three independent labelled datasets: two laboratory and one free-living. Based on the development labelled data, the ten clusters were collapsed into four activity categories: sedentary, standing/mixed/slow ambulatory, brisk ambulatory, and running. The percentages of each activity type contained in these categories were 89%, 83%, 78%, and 96%, respectively. In the laboratory independent datasets, the consistency of activity types within the clusters dropped, but remained above 70% for the sedentary clusters, and 85% for the running and ambulatory clusters. Acceleration features were similar within each cluster across samples. The clusters created reflected activity types known to be associated with health and were reasonably robust when applied to diverse independent datasets. This suggests that an unsupervised approach is potentially useful for analysing free-living accelerometer data.
A Low-Cost Vision-Based Monitoring of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machine Tools for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)
Authors: Kim Hyungjung , Jung Woo-Kyun , Choi In-Gyu , Ahn Sung-Hoon
Published: October 2019

In the new era of manufacturing with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the smart factory is getting much attention as a solution for the factory of the future. Despite challenges in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), such as short-term strategies and labor-intensive with limited resources, they have to improve productivity and stay competitive by adopting smart factory technologies. This study presents a novel monitoring approach for SMEs, KEM (keep an eye on your machine), and using a low-cost vision, such as a webcam and open-source technologies. Mainly, this idea focuses on collecting and processing operational data using cheaper and easy-to-use components. A prototype was tested with the typical 3-axis computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine. From the evaluation, availability of using a low-cost webcam and open-source technologies for monitoring of machine tools was confirmed. The results revealed that the proposed system is easy to integrate and can be conveniently applied to legacy machine tools on the shop floor without a significant change of equipment and cost barrier, which is less than $500 USD. These benefits could lead to a change of monitoring operations to reduce time in operation, energy consumption, and environmental impact for the sustainable production of SMEs.
A Meta-Review of Indoor Positioning Systems
Authors: Mendoza-Silva Germán Martín , Torres-Sospedra Joaquín , Huerta Joaquín
Published: October 2019

An accurate and reliable Indoor Positioning System (IPS) applicable to most indoor scenarios has been sought for many years. The number of technologies, techniques, and approaches in general used in IPS proposals is remarkable. Such diversity, coupled with the lack of strict and verifiable evaluations, leads to difficulties for appreciating the true value of most proposals. This paper provides a meta-review that performed a comprehensive compilation of 62 survey papers in the area of indoor positioning. The paper provides the reader with an introduction to IPS and the different technologies, techniques, and some methods commonly employed. The introduction is supported by consensus found in the selected surveys and referenced using them. Thus, the meta-review allows the reader to inspect the IPS current state at a glance and serve as a guide for the reader to easily find further details on each technology used in IPS. The analyses of the meta-review contributed with insights on the abundance and academic significance of published IPS proposals using the criterion of the number of citations. Moreover, 75 works are identified as relevant works in the research topic from a selection of about 4000 works cited in the analyzed surveys.
Centralized Energy Harvesting-Based TDMA Protocol for Terahertz NanoSensor Networks
Authors: Xu Juan , Kan Jiali , Zhang Yan
Published: October 2019

Terahertz wireless nano-sensor networks (WNSNs) are novel networks interconnecting multiple nano-devices by means of wireless communication. In this paper, a centralized energy harvesting-based time division multiple access (TDMA) protocol, called CEH-TDMA is proposed. This protocol examines the data transmission process from a global perspective, where the nano-controller regulates the channel access and allocates time slots for all nano-nodes. First, each nano-node sends the remaining energy and the number of packets in its data buffer to the nano-controller, and then, the nano-controller constructs a Markov decision process (MDP) model according to the state information of all nano-nodes, where the energy consumption and the number of transmitted packets in the entire network are considered as impact factors in designing the award function in the MDP model. Finally, a globally optimal slot allocation strategy is obtained, which maximizes the amount of packet transmission in the perpetual WNSNs.
Laser-Induced Deposition of Carbon Nanotubes in Fiber Optic Tips of MMI Devices
Authors: Cuando-Espitia Natanael , Bernal-Martínez Juan , Torres-Cisneros Miguel , May-Arrioja Daniel
Published: October 2019

The integration of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into optical fibers allows the application of their unique properties in robust and versatile devices. Here, we present a laser-induced technique to obtain the deposition of CNTs onto the fiber optics tips of multimode interference (MMI) devices. An MMI device is constructed by splicing a section of no-core fiber (NCF) to a single-mode fiber (SMF). The tip of the MMI device is immersed into a liquid solution of CNTs and laser light is launched into the MMI device. CNTs solutions using water and methanol as solvents were tested. In addition, the use of a polymer dispersant polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in the CNTs solutions was also studied. We found that the laser-induced deposition of CNTs performed in water-based solutions generates non-uniform deposits. On the other hand, the laser-induced deposition performed with methanol solutions generates uniform deposits over the fiber tip when no PVP is used and deposition at the center of the fiber when PVP is present in the CNTs solution. The results show the crucial role of the solvent on the spatial features of the laser-induced deposition process. Finally, we register and study the reflection spectra of the as-fabricated CNTs deposited MMI devices.