bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex-Specific Changes in Gut Microbiome Composition following Blueberry Consumption in C57BL/6J Mice
Authors: Wankhade Umesh D. , Zhong Ying , Lazarenko Oxana P. , Chintapalli Sree V. , Piccolo Brian D. , Chen Jin-Ran , Shankar Kartik
Published: February 2019

The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of blueberries improve vascular function and insulin sensitivity. However, the bioavailability of the active compounds in blueberries is largely dependent on the gut microbiota, which may themselves be altered by blueberry components. The objective of the current study was to explore a possible sex-dependent modulation of the gut microbiota following supplementation with blueberries in adult mice. Eight-week-old C57BL/6J mice (n = 7–10/group) were provided with control or blueberry-containing diets (5% freeze-dried powder) for 4 weeks. Body weight, composition, and food intake were measured weekly. Genomic DNA was isolated from the cecal contents for 16S rRNA sequencing. Blueberry feeding decreased α-diversity (operational taxonomical unit abundance) and altered β-diversity (p < 0.05). At the phylum level, the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio was significantly lower in the blueberry-fed groups (p < 0.001), along with increased Tenericutes and decreased Deferribacteres. At the genus level, blueberry feeding led to sexually-dimorphic differences, which were associated with predicted metabolic pathways. Pathways such as fatty acid and lipid metabolism were significantly different and demonstrated a stronger association with microbes in the male. To summarize, blueberry supplementation led to sexually-dimorphic global changes in the gut microbiome, which could possibly contribute to physiological changes in mice.
Comparisons of Nutrient Intakes and Diet Quality among Water-Based Beverage Consumers
Authors: Barraj Leila M. , Bi Xiaoyu , Murphy Mary M. , Scrafford Carolyn G. , Tran Nga L.
Published: February 2019

Americans are encouraged to reduce intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). Zero and low-calorie water-based beverages can provide alternative options to SSB, though limited data are available to understand measures of diet quality across different beverage consumer groups. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to quantify intake of added sugars, total sugars, carbohydrates, and diet quality among consumers of zero-calorie unsweetened beverages (ZCUB) compared to SSB; and, separately, among consumers of low- and no-calorie sweetened beverages (LNCSB) when compared to SSB. Dietary data from the 2009–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed among three life stages by SSB, ZCUB, and LNCSB consumer groups and adjusted for participant characteristics and energy intake. Across all life stages, ZCUB and LNCSB consumers had lower mean intakes of total sugars, added sugars, and carbohydrates when compared to SSB consumers. Diet quality as measured by the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) was also higher among ZCUB and LNCSB consumers compared to SSB consumers in analyses adjusted for participant characteristics. These results indicate that reduction of SSB from dietary patterns and replacement with ZCUB or LNCSB could help Americans improve overall diet quality.
Saturated Fat Intake Is Associated with Lung Function in Individuals with Airflow Obstruction: Results from NHANES 2007–2012
Authors: Cornell Kasey , Alam Morshed , Lyden Elizabeth , Wood Lisa , LeVan Tricia D. , Nordgren Tara M. , Bailey Kristina , Hanson Corrine
Published: February 2019

Nutritional status is a well-recognized prognostic indicator in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, very little is known about the relationship between lung function and saturated fat intake. We used data from the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) to assess the relationship between saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake and lung function in the general US adult population. Adults in NHANES (2007–2012) with pre-bronchodilator spirometry measurements and dietary SFA intake were included. Primary outcomes were lung function including forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1, forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC ratio, percent predicted FEV1 and percent predicted FVC. Multivariable regression models in the general population as well as those with spirometry-defined airflow obstruction were used to assess the relationship between lung function measurements and dietary SFA intake after adjustment for confounders. 11,180 eligible participants were included in this study. Univariate analysis revealed a statistically significant positive association between total SFA intake and lung function outcomes; however, these relationships were attenuated after adjustment for covariates. A secondary analysis of individuals with spirometry-defined airflow obstruction (FEV1/FVC < 0.7) revealed that a lower intake of SFA was associated with reduced FEV1 (β = −126.4, p = 0.04 for quartile 1 vs. quartile 4), FVC (β = −165.8. p = 0.01 for quartile 1 vs. quartile 4), and percent predicted FVC (β = −3.3. p = 0.04 for quartile 1 vs. quartile 4), after adjustment for relevant confounders. No associations were observed for the FEV1/FVC ratio and percent predicted FEV1. It is possible that characteristics such as food source and fatty acid chain length may influence associations between saturated fatty acid intake and health outcomes.
Transferrin-Conjugated Polymeric Nanoparticle for Receptor-Mediated Delivery of Doxorubicin in Doxorubicin-Resistant Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Soe Zar Chi , Kwon Jun Bum , Thapa Raj Kumar , Ou Wenquan , Nguyen Hanh Thuy , Gautam Milan , Oh Kyung Taek , Choi Han-Gon , Ku Sae Kwang , Yong Chul Soon , Kim Jong Oh
Published: February 2019

In this study, a transferrin (Tf)-conjugated polymeric nanoparticle was developed for the targeted delivery of the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (Dox) in order to overcome multi-drug resistance in cancer treatment. Our objective was to improve Dox delivery for producing significant antitumor efficacy in Dox-resistant (R) breast cancer cell lines with minimum toxicity to healthy cells. The results of our experiments revealed that Dox was successfully loaded inside a transferrin (Tf)-conjugated polymeric nanoparticle composed of poloxamer 407 (F127) and 123 (P123) (Dox/F127&P123-Tf), which produced nanosized particles (~90 nm) with a low polydispersity index (~0.23). The accelerated and controlled release profiles of Dox from the nanoparticles were characterized in acidic and physiological pH and Dox/F127&P123-Tf enhanced Dox cytotoxicity in OVCAR-3, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-231(R) cell lines through induction of cellular apoptosis. Moreover, Dox/F127&P123-Tf inhibited cell migration and altered the cell cycle patterns of different cancer cells. In vivo study in MDA-MB-231(R) tumor-bearing mice demonstrated enhanced delivery of nanoparticles to the tumor site when coated in a targeting moiety. Therefore, Dox/F127&P123-Tf has been tailored, using the principles of nanotherapeutics, to overcome drug-resistant chemotherapy.
Consultant Pharmacist–Provider Collaboration in U.S. Assisted Living Facilities: A Pilot Study
Authors: Hohmeier Kenneth C. , Frederick Kelsey D. , Patel Krishna , Summers Kristi , Honeycutt Morgan
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the impact of pharmacist-provided recommendations to general practitioners (GPs) of patients living in assisted living facilities (ALFs). A secondary objective of this study was to explore prescriber and ALF staff perceptions. This was a mixed-method, quasi experimental 1-group pre/post-test study with an explanatory qualitative arm using in-depth semi-structured interviews at five regional ALFs and one independent community pharmacy in East Tennessee. Residents older than 65 years of age, with confirmed diagnosis of Type II diabetes in the pharmacy’s medical record, taking anti-diabetic medication for at least 14 days and resident of affiliated ALF for at least past 30 days were enrolled. Phase 1 demonstrated a 35.1% (13/37 recommendations) acceptance rate of pharmacist recommendations. Phase 2 demonstrated a similar 31.3% acceptance rate of pharmacist recommendations (5/16 recommendations). The mean pre–post difference in average 30-day FBG was greater in the accepted group than the rejected recommendation group (−9.1 vs. −2.3 mg/dL). Pharmacist–GP collaboration in the ALF population was feasible and may improve the quality of patient care of these residents.
Electrospun Poly(γ–glutamic acid)/β–Tricalcium Phosphate Composite Fibrous Mats for Bone Regeneration
Authors: Yao Chun-Hsu , Yang Shau-Pei , Chen Yueh-Sheng , Chen Kuo-Yu
Published: February 2019

A poly(γ–glutamic acid)/β–tricalcium phosphate (γ–PGA/β–TCP) composite fibrous mat was fabricated using the electrospinning technique as a novel bone substitute. The mat was then cross-linked with cystamine in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide to improve its water-resistant ability. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that the γ–PGA/β–TCP fibers had a uniform morphology with diameters ranging from 0.64 ± 0.07 µm to 1.65 ± 0.16 µm. The average diameter of the fibers increased with increasing cross-linking time. Moreover, increasing the cross-linking time and decreasing the γ–PGA/β–TCP weight ratio decreased the swelling ratio and in vitro degradation rate of the composite fibrous mat. In vitro experiments with osteoblast-like MG-63 cells demonstrated that the mat with a γ–PGA/β–TCP weight ratio of 20 and cross-linked time of 24 h had a higher alkaline phosphatase activity and better cell adhesion. Furthermore, the rat cranial bone defect was created and treated with the γ–PGA/β–TCP composite fibrous mat to evaluate its potential in bone regeneration. After 8 weeks of implantation, micro computed tomography showed that the γ–PGA/β–TCP composite fibrous mat promoted new bone growth. These observations suggest that the γ–PGA/β–TCP composite fibrous mat has a potential application in bone tissue engineering.
The Application of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Bone Tissue Repair Hybrid Scaffolds and the Effect on Cell Growth In Vitro
Authors: Xu Jie , Hu Xueyan , Jiang Siyu , Wang Yiwei , Parungao Roxanne , Zheng Shuangshuang , Nie Yi , Liu Tianqing , Song Kedong
Published: February 2019

In this study, composite scaffolds with different multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) content were prepared by freeze-drying. These scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), porosity, hydrophilicity, mechanical strength, and degradation. The MWCNTs scaffolds were structurally sound and had porous structures that offered ample space for adherence, proliferation, and differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells, and also supported the transport of nutrients and metabolic waste. CS/Gel/nHAp/0.3%MWCNTs scaffolds provided the best outcomes in terms of scaffold porosity, hydrophilicity, and degradation rate. However, CS/Gel/nHAp/0.6%MWCNTs scaffolds were found to support the optimal growth, homogenous distribution, and biological activity of MC3T3-E1 cells. The excellent properties of CS/Gel/nHAp/0.6%MWCNTs scaffolds for the adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenesis differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells in vitro highlights the potential applications of this scaffold in bone tissue regeneration.
Development of Flame-Retarded Nanocomposites from Recycled PET Bottles for the Electronics Industry
Authors: Ronkay Ferenc , Molnár Béla , Szalay Ferenc , Nagy Dóra , Bodzay Brigitta , Sajó István E. , Bocz Katalin
Published: February 2019

Recycled polyethylene-terephthalate (rPET) nanocomposites of reduced flammability were prepared by combining aluminum-alkylphosphinate (AlPi) flame retardant (FR) and natural montmorillonite (MMT), in order to demonstrate that durable, technical products can be produced from recycled materials. During the development of the material, by varying the FR content, the ratio and the type of MMTs, rheological, morphological, mechanical and flammability properties of the nanocomposites were comprehensively investigated. Related to the differences between the dispersion and nucleation effect of MMT and organo-modified MMT (oMMT) in rPET matrix, analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), mechanical properties of the nanocomposites changed differently. The flexural strength and modulus were increased more significantly by adding untreated MMT than by the oMMT, however the impact strength was decreased by both types of nanofillers. The use of different type of MMTs resulted in contradictory flammability test result; time-to-ignition (TTI) during cone calorimeter tests decreased when oMMT was added to the rPET, however MMT addition resulted in an increase of the TTI also when combined with 4% FR. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the oMMT containing composites decreased independently from the FR content, however, the MMT increased it noticeably. V0 classification according to the UL-94 standard was achieved with as low as 4% FR and 1% MMT content. The applicability of the upgraded recycled material was proved by a pilot experiment, where large-scale electronic parts were produced by injection molding and characterized with respect to the commercially available counterparts.
The Application of Polymer Inclusion Membranes Based on CTA with 1-alkylimidazole for the Separation of Zinc(II) and Manganese(II) Ions from Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Radzyminska-Lenarcik Elzbieta , Ulewicz Malgorzata
Published: February 2019

Polymer cellulose triacetate membranes doped with 1-alkylimidazole as fixed carriers were applied for the investigation of the facilitated transport of Zn(II) and Mn(II) ions from an aqueous sulphate feed phase (cM = 0.001 mol/dm3). For the polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) doped with 1-alkylimidazole (alkyl – from hexyl up to decyl), the following patterns of transport selectivity were found: Zn(II) > Mn(II). The highest initial flux of Zn(II) ions (2.65 µmol/m2·s) was found for PIMs doped with 1-decyl-imidazole, whereas the best Zn(II)/Mn(II) selectivity coefficients equal to 19.7 were found for 1-hexyl-imidazole. Permeability coefficients for Zn(II) and Mn(II) ions transported across PIMs increase with an increase in the pKa values of 1-alkylimidazole. The polymer membranes of cellulose triacetate-o-NPPE with 1-alkylimidazole were characterised by scanning electron microscopy, non-contact atomic force microscopy and thermal analysis techniques. The influence of membrane morphology on the Zn(II) and Mn(II) transport process was discussed.
The Institutional Context of ‘Linguistic Injustice’: Norwegian Social Scientists and Situated Multilingualism
Authors: Nygaard Lynn P.
Published: February 2019

The debate about ‘linguistic injustice’ centers on whether or not English as an additional language (EAL) writers face challenges in writing academically that are qualitatively different from those of novice academic writers irrespective of language background. This study aims to add nuance to this debate by looking at range of writers (from novice to expert) within an interdisciplinary social science research institute in Norway in order to investigate the mediating role of the institutional context. Using an ethnographic approach with an academic literacies perspective, it examines the challenges these writers face and discusses them in light of tensions between identity and institutional environment. It argues that the high degree of immersion in English causes ‘situated multilingualism’, where their ability to write about their topic in English surpasses their ability to write about it in Norwegian. Nonetheless, even the expert writers, particularly those in disciplines that value a unique authorial voice, demonstrated insecurity and lack of ownership to their writing in English. Moreover, the pressure to also sometimes write in Norwegian represented an additional site of negotiation not faced by their non-Norwegian counterparts. This suggests that the challenges EAL writers face are not determined by their language background alone, but also by their institutional environment—including the pressure to publish ‘internationally’, the amount of writing expected, and their immersion in English.
Enough Metals? Resource Constraints to Supply a Fully Renewable Energy System
Authors: Moreau Vincent , Dos Reis Piero Carlo , Vuille François
Published: February 2019

The transition from a fossil fuel base to a renewable energy system relies on materials and, in particular, metals to manufacture and maintain energy conversion technologies. Supply constraints shift from fossil fuels to mineral resources. We assess the availability of metal reserves and resources to build an energy system based exclusively on renewable energy technologies. A mass balance of 29 metals embodied in renewable energy technologies is compiled in order to satisfy global energy demand, based on five authoritative energy scenarios for 2050. We expand upon these scenarios by modeling the storage capacity needed to support high shares of intermittent renewables (wind and solar). The metal requirements are then compared with the current demand and proven reserves and ultimate mineable resources. This allows us to distinguish between constraints related to renewable energy sources from those linked to technology mixes. The results show that proven reserves and, in specific cases, resources of several metals are insufficient to build a renewable energy system at the predicted level of global energy demand by 2050. The comparison between reserves and resources shows that scarcity relates sometimes more to techno economic supply than to raw material availability. Our results also highlight the importance of substitution among technologies and metals as well as the limited impact of recycling on the depletion of scarce metals.
Disassociation of the Kuroshio Current with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation Since 1999
Authors: Wu Chau-Ron , Wang You-Lin , Chao Shenn-Yu
Published: February 2019

Variability of the Kuroshio Current along the margin of the East China Sea was examined using principal component analysis of 21-year (1993–2013) multi-satellite geostrophic velocity data. Its seasonal zonal migration agrees with previous observations and model simulations. Beyond seasonal time scales, the influence of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) on the Kuroshio decreased considerably since 1999. Wind patterns over the North Pacific varied primarily in the meridional direction before 1999, but exhibited strong zonal variation thereafter. Post-1998 climate variability was particularly evident over the central and eastern Pacific. The strong association between PDO and Kuroshio variability also deteriorated after that time.
IoU-Adaptive Deformable R-CNN: Make Full Use of IoU for Multi-Class Object Detection in Remote Sensing Imagery
Authors: Yan Jiangqiao , Wang Hongqi , Yan Menglong , Diao Wenhui , Sun Xian , Li Hao
Published: February 2019

Recently, methods based on Faster region-based convolutional neural network (R-CNN) have been popular in multi-class object detection in remote sensing images due to their outstanding detection performance. The methods generally propose candidate region of interests (ROIs) through a region propose network (RPN), and the regions with high enough intersection-over-union (IoU) values against ground truth are treated as positive samples for training. In this paper, we find that the detection result of such methods is sensitive to the adaption of different IoU thresholds. Specially, detection performance of small objects is poor when choosing a normal higher threshold, while a lower threshold will result in poor location accuracy caused by a large quantity of false positives. To address the above issues, we propose a novel IoU-Adaptive Deformable R-CNN framework for multi-class object detection. Specially, by analyzing the different roles that IoU can play in different parts of the network, we propose an IoU-guided detection framework to reduce the loss of small object information during training. Besides, the IoU-based weighted loss is designed, which can learn the IoU information of positive ROIs to improve the detection accuracy effectively. Finally, the class aspect ratio constrained non-maximum suppression (CARC-NMS) is proposed, which further improves the precision of the results. Extensive experiments validate the effectiveness of our approach and we achieve state-of-the-art detection performance on the DOTA dataset.
Evaluating Combinations of Temporally Aggregated Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 for Land Cover Mapping with Google Earth Engine
Authors: Carrasco Luis , O’Neil Aneurin W. , Morton R. Daniel , Rowland Clare S.
Published: February 2019

Land cover mapping of large areas is challenging due to the significant volume of satellite data to acquire and process, as well as the lack of spatial continuity due to cloud cover. Temporal aggregation—the use of metrics (i.e., mean or median) derived from satellite data over a period of time—is an approach that benefits from recent increases in the frequency of free satellite data acquisition and cloud-computing power. This enables the efficient use of multi-temporal data and the exploitation of cloud-gap filling techniques for land cover mapping. Here, we provide the first formal comparison of the accuracy between land cover maps created with temporal aggregation of Sentinel-1 (S1), Sentinel-2 (S2), and Landsat-8 (L8) data from one-year and test whether this method matches the accuracy of traditional approaches. Thirty-two datasets were created for Wales by applying automated cloud-masking and temporally aggregating data over different time intervals, using Google Earth Engine. Manually processed S2 data was used for comparison using a traditional two-date composite approach. Supervised classifications were created, and their accuracy was assessed using field-based data. Temporal aggregation only matched the accuracy of the traditional two-date composite approach (77.9%) when an optimal combination of optical and radar data was used (76.5%). Combined datasets (S1, S2 or S1, S2, and L8) outperformed single-sensor datasets, while datasets based on spectral indices obtained the lowest levels of accuracy. The analysis of cloud cover showed that to ensure at least one cloud-free pixel per time interval, a maximum of two intervals per year for temporal aggregation were possible with L8, while three or four intervals could be used for S2. This study demonstrates that temporal aggregation is a promising tool for integrating large amounts of data in an efficient way and that it can compensate for the lower quality of automatic image selection and cloud masking. It also shows that combining data from different sensors can improve classification accuracy. However, this study highlights the need for identifying optimal combinations of satellite data and aggregation parameters in order to match the accuracy of manually selected and processed image composites.
Identification of Linear Vegetation Elements in a Rural Landscape Using LiDAR Point Clouds
Authors: Lucas Chris , Bouten Willem , Koma Zsófia , Kissling W. Daniel , Seijmonsbergen Arie C.
Published: February 2019

Modernization of agricultural land use across Europe is responsible for a substantial decline of linear vegetation elements such as tree lines, hedgerows, riparian vegetation, and green lanes. These linear objects have an important function for biodiversity, e.g., as ecological corridors and local habitats for many animal and plant species. Knowledge on their spatial distribution is therefore essential to support conservation strategies and regional planning in rural landscapes but detailed inventories of such linear objects are often lacking. Here, we propose a method to detect linear vegetation elements in agricultural landscapes using classification and segmentation of high-resolution Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) point data. To quantify the 3D structure of vegetation, we applied point cloud analysis to identify point-based and neighborhood-based features. As a preprocessing step, we removed planar surfaces such as grassland, bare soil, and water bodies from the point cloud using a feature that describes to what extent the points are scattered in the local neighborhood. We then applied a random forest classifier to separate the remaining points into vegetation and other. Subsequently, a rectangularity-based region growing algorithm allowed to segment the vegetation points into 2D rectangular objects, which were then classified into linear objects based on their elongatedness. We evaluated the accuracy of the linear objects against a manually delineated validation set. The results showed high user’s (0.80), producer’s (0.85), and total accuracies (0.90). These findings are a promising step towards testing our method in other regions and for upscaling it to broad spatial extents. This would allow producing detailed inventories of linear vegetation elements at regional and continental scales in support of biodiversity conservation and regional planning in agricultural and other rural landscapes.
Vehicle Detection in Urban Traffic Surveillance Images Based on Convolutional Neural Networks with Feature Concatenation
Authors: Zhang Fukai , Li Ce , Yang Feng
Published: February 2019

Vehicle detection with category inference on video sequence data is an important but challenging task for urban traffic surveillance. The difficulty of this task lies in the fact that it requires accurate localization of relatively small vehicles in complex scenes and expects real-time detection. In this paper, we present a vehicle detection framework that improves the performance of the conventional Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SSD), which effectively detects different types of vehicles in real-time. Our approach, which proposes the use of different feature extractors for localization and classification tasks in a single network, and to enhance these two feature extractors through deconvolution (D) and pooling (P) between layers in the feature pyramid, is denoted as DP-SSD. In addition, we extend the scope of the default box by adjusting its scale so that smaller default boxes can be exploited to guide DP-SSD training. Experimental results on the UA-DETRAC and KITTI datasets demonstrate that DP-SSD can achieve efficient vehicle detection for real-world traffic surveillance data in real-time. For the UA-DETRAC test set trained with UA-DETRAC trainval set, DP-SSD with the input size of 300 × 300 achieves 75.43% mAP (mean average precision) at the speed of 50.47 FPS (frames per second), and the framework with a 512 × 512 sized input reaches 77.94% mAP at 25.12 FPS using an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080Ti GPU. The DP-SSD shows comparable accuracy, which is better than those of the compared state-of-the-art models, except for YOLOv3.
Improving Regional and Teleseismic Detection for Single-Trace Waveforms Using a Deep Temporal Convolutional Neural Network Trained with an Array-Beam Catalog
Authors: Dickey Joshua , Borghetti Brett , Junek William
Published: February 2019

The detection of seismic events at regional and teleseismic distances is critical to Nuclear Treaty Monitoring. Traditionally, detecting regional and teleseismic events has required the use of an expensive multi-instrument seismic array; however in this work, we present DeepPick, a novel seismic detection algorithm capable of array-like detection performance from a single-trace. We achieve this performance through three novel steps: First, a high-fidelity dataset is constructed by pairing array-beam catalog arrival-times with single-trace waveforms from the reference instrument of the array. Second, an idealized characteristic function is created, with exponential peaks aligned to the cataloged arrival times. Third, a deep temporal convolutional neural network is employed to learn the complex non-linear filters required to transform the single-trace waveforms into corresponding idealized characteristic functions. The training data consists of all arrivals in the International Seismological Centre Database for seven seismic arrays over a five year window from 1 January 2010 to 1 January 2015, yielding a total training set of 608,362 detections. The test set consists of the same seven arrays over a one year window from 1 January 2015 to 1 January 2016. We report our results by training the algorithm on six of the arrays and testing it on the seventh, so as to demonstrate the generalization and transportability of the technique to new stations. Detection performance against this test set is outstanding, yielding significant improvements in recall over existing techniques. Fixing a type-I error rate of 0.001, the algorithm achieves an overall recall (true positive rate) of 56% against the 141,095 array-beam arrivals in the test set, yielding 78,802 correct detections. This is more than twice the 37,572 detections made by an STA/LTA detector over the same period, and represents a 35% improvement over the 58,515 detections made by a state-of-the-art kurtosis-based detector. Furthermore, DeepPick provides at least a 4 dB improvement in detector sensitivity across the board, and is more computationally efficient, with run-times an order of magnitude faster than either of the other techniques tested. These results demonstrate the potential of our algorithm to significantly enhance the effectiveness of the global treaty monitoring network.
Design, Fabrication, and Evaluation of Multifocal Point Transducer for High-Frequency Ultrasound Applications
Authors: Nguyen Thanh Phuoc , Truong Nguyen Thanh Phong , Bui Nhat Quang , Nguyen Van Tu , Hoang Giang , Choi Jaeyeop , Phan Thi Tuong Vy , Pham Van Hiep , Kim Byung-Gak , Oh Junghwan
Published: February 2019

The present study illustrates the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a novel multifocal point (MFP) transducer based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film for high-frequency ultrasound application. The fabricated MFP surface was press-focused using a computer numerical control (CNC) machining tool-customized multi-spherical pattern object. The multi-spherical pattern has five spherical surfaces with equal area and connected continuously to have the same energy level at focal points. Center points of these spheres are distributed in a linear pattern with 1 mm distance between each two points. The radius of these spheres increases steadily from 10 mm to 13.86 mm. The designed MFP transducer had a center frequency of 50 MHz and a −6 dB bandwidth of 68%. The wire phantom test was conducted to study and demonstrate the advantages of this novel design. The obtained results for MFP transducer revealed a significant increase (4.3 mm) of total focal zone in the near-field and far-field area compared with 0.48 mm obtained using the conventional single focal point transducer. Hence, the proposed method is promising to fabricate MFP transducers for deeper imaging depth applications.
Synergistic Myoelectrical Activities of Forearm Muscles Improving Robust Recognition of Multi-Fingered Gestures
Authors: Luo Xiuying , Wu Xiaoying , Chen Lin , Zhao Yun , Zhang Li , Li Guanglin , Hou Wensheng
Published: February 2019

Currently, surface electromyography (sEMG) features of the forearm multi-tendon muscles are widely used in gesture recognition, however, there are few investigations on the inherent physiological mechanism of muscle synergies. We aimed to study whether the muscle synergies could be used for gesture recognition. Five healthy participants executed five gestures of daily life (pinch, fist, open hand, grip, and extension) and the sEMG activity was acquired from six forearm muscles. A non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm was employed to decompose the pre-treated six-channel sEMG data to obtain the muscle synergy matrixes, in which the weights of each muscle channel determined the feature set for hand gesture classification. The results showed that the synergistic features of forearm muscles could be successfully clustered in the feature space, which enabled hand gestures to be recognized with high efficiency. By augmenting the number of participants, the mean recognition rate remained at more than 96% and reflected high robustness. We showed that muscle synergies can be well applied to gesture recognition.
Outage Performance Analysis and SWIPT Optimization in Energy-Harvesting Wireless Sensor Network Deploying NOMA
Authors: Nguyen Hoang-Sy , Ly Tran Thai Hoc , Nguyen Thanh-Sang , Huynh Van Van , Nguyen Thanh-Long , Voznak Miroslav
Published: February 2019

Thanks to the benefits of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in wireless communications, we evaluate a wireless sensor network deploying NOMA (WSN-NOMA), where the destination can receive two data symbols in a whole transmission process with two time slots. In this work, two relaying protocols, so-called time-switching-based relaying WSN-NOMA (TSR WSN-NOMA) and power-splitting-based relaying WSN-NOMA (PSR WSN-NOMA) are deployed to study energy-harvesting (EH). Regarding the system performance analysis, we obtain the closed-form expressions for the exact and approximate outage probability (OP) in both protocols, and the delay-limited throughput is also evaluated. We then compare the two protocols theoretically, and two optimization problems are formulated to reduce the impact of OP and optimize the data rate. Our numerical and simulation results are provided to prove the theoretical and analytical analysis. Thanks to these results, a great performance gain can be achieved for both TSR WSN-NOMA and PSR WSN-NOMA if optimal values of TS and PS ratios are found. In addition, the optimized TSR WSN-NOMA outperforms that of PSR WSN-NOMA in terms of OP.
Power Consumption Modeling of Discontinuous Reception for Cellular Machine Type Communications
Authors: Mehmood Yasir , Zhang Lei , Förster Anna
Published: February 2019

Machine-type communication (MTC) is an emerging communication trend where intelligent machines are capable of communicating with each other without human intervention. Mobile cellular networks, with their wide range, high data rates, and continuously decreasing costs, offer a good infrastructure for implementing them. However, power consumption is a great issue, which has recently been addressed by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) by defining power-saving mechanisms. In this paper, we address the problem of modeling these power-saving mechanisms. Currently existing modeling schemes do not consider the full range of states in the discontinuous reception (DRX) mechanism in LTE-A networks. We propose a semi-Markov based analytical model, which closes this gap and shows very good results in terms of predicting performance evaluation metrics, such as the power-saving factor and wake-up latency of MTC devices compared to simulation experiments. Furthermore, we offer an evaluation of the DRX parameters and their impact on power consumption of MTC devices.
Variability and Site Dependence of Grain Mineral Contents in Tetraploid Wheats
Authors: Del Coco Laura , Laddomada Barbara , Migoni Danilo , Mita Giovanni , Simeone Rosanna , Fanizzi Francesco Paolo
Published: February 2019

Crop production and natural resource use, especially in developing countries, represents one of the most important food sources for humans. In particular, two wheat species (tetraploid, which is mostly used for pasta and hexaploid, which is primarily used for bread) account for about 20% of the whole calories consumed worldwide. In order to assess the mineral accumulation capability of some popular tetraploid wheat genotypes, a metabolomic (metallomic) approach was used in this study. The metallomic profile related to micro- (Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Ni and Cr), macro- (Ca, Mg and K) and toxic trace elements (Cd and Pb) was obtained by ICP-AES analysis in a large set of tetraploid wheat genotypes (Triticum turgidum L.) that were grown in two different experimental fields. Correlations and multivariate statistical analyses were performed, grouping the samples under two wheat sets, comprising cultivated durum cultivars (T. turgidum subsp. durum) and wild accessions (T. turgidum subsp. dicoccum and subsp. dicoccoides). The site dependence ranking for the selected genotypes with the highest nutrient accumulation was obtained. The significantly higher content of Mg (among the macronutrients) and the highest levels of Mn, Fe and Zn (among the micronutrients) were found for wild accessions with respect to durum cultivars. Moreover, the former genotypes were also the ones with the lowest level of accumulation of the trace toxic elements, in particular Cd. According to the performed statistical analyses, the wild accessions appeared also to be less influenced by the different environmental conditions. This is in accord with literature data, indicating the superiority of “old” with respect to modern wheat cultivars for mineral content. Although further studies are required on a wider range of genotypes to confirm these findings, the obtained results could be used to better select the less demanding and better performing cultivars in specific target wheat growing environments.
Sustainability of Historical Heritage: The Conservation of the Xi’an City Wall
Authors: Wang Shusheng , Jiang Yuan , Xu Yuqian , Zhang Linjie , Li Xinpeng , Zhu Ling
Published: February 2019

This paper studies the Xi’an City Wall (XCW) as a sustainable historical heritage. Based on the conservation process of XCW, the study is focused on four experiences that drive its sustainable development. First, the opening of gates through XCW helped to maximize its preservation while meeting the needs for urban transportation. Second, transforming XCW into an urban public space facilitated the gradual building of its camp into a city-dominated landscape. Furthermore, integrating social activities into the public space carried by XCW brought people closer to the heritage. Moreover, the use of XCW as the benchmark for the modern Xi’an urban space pattern ensured the continuation of its historical coordinates on the basis. In order to maintain the sustainability of XCW, a future sustainable development plan is put forward according to the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach proposed by UNESCO. This plan has a generalization guiding significance for the future policy formulation of XCW. Findings from this study serve as a reference for the planning and conservation of historical heritage in cities.
Empirical Analysis of the Driving Factors of China’s ‘Land Finance’ Mechanism Using Soft Budget Constraint Theory and the PLS-SEM Model
Authors: Zhu Xinhua , Wei Yigang , Lai Yani , Li Yan , Zhong Sujuan , Dai Chun
Published: February 2019

“Land finance” refers to the key fiscal strategy in which local governments in China generate revenue through land grant premiums and land tax revenues. A burgeoning body of literature has focused on the driving factors of China’s land finance from different aspects including fiscal decentralization, revenue decentralization, competition among local governments, land marketization, infrastructure development, and economic development. However, little research has provided a comprehensive perspective integrating social, economic and institutional aspects to investigate the driving forces of these unique and profound issues in China. This study aims to investigate the driving factors and working mechanism of land finance. A theoretical and empirical model was proposed using soft budget constraint theory and least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The panel data of 35 Chinese major cities were assessed between 2006 and 2015. The empirical results contend the following: (1) the land transfer and fiscal systems provide the key impetus for land financing because the land transfer system forms a stable modality, and the fiscal system is an important incentive for land financing; (2) the effects of the economic development and political system are insignificant; and (3) the political and land systems significantly influence economic development. Our contributions focus on two aspects. Firstly, a comprehensive framework of factors germane to land finance is constructed. Secondly, a new research methodology for land use study is proposed. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first to employ the PLS-SEM method to delineate and verify the influence paths between multiple driving factors and land finance in different cities. Hence, research reliability can be improved.
The Responses of Soil N2O Emissions to Residue Returning Systems: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Hu Naijuan , Chen Qian , Zhu Liqun
Published: February 2019

Background: Much attention has been focused on the influences of residue returning on N2O emissions. However, comprehensive quantification of the effect size on N2O emission following crop residue returning in subtropical, tropical and warm temperate conditions remains untested. Methods: To identify site-specific factors that influence N2O emission (kg N2O-N ha−1) in residue returning systems, we performed a meta-analysis involving 260 comparisons from 72 studies. Results: The data indicated that significant promoting effects were observed under residue returning by rotary tillage, no-tillage and mulch, whereas N2O release was significantly inhibited by 8% under residue returning by plough. For other contributors, the stimulatory and significant effects occurred in upland fields, under short- and medium-term residue returning durations, acidic/neutral soils, medium organic C and clay content. Nitrogen fertilizer application significantly stimulated N2O emission, even though application rate at 100–150 kg N ha−1 was inhibitory. Although a negative correlation between residue C/N ratio and N2O emission has been shown, residue returning could not reduce N2O emission with a higher C/N ratio and amount. Conclusions: Some options, such as converting residue returning methods, decreasing N fertilizer application rate, and regulating soil C/N ratio could be adopted to mitigate soil N2O emission following residue returning.
Observing the Impact of WWF Earth Hour on Urban Light Pollution: A Case Study in Berlin 2018 Using Differential Photometry
Authors: Jechow Andreas
Published: February 2019

Earth Hour is one of the most successful coordinated mass efforts worldwide to raise awareness of environmental issues, with excessive energy consumption being one driver of climate change. The campaign, first organized by the World Wildlife Fund in Australia in 2007, has grown across borders and cultures and was celebrated in 188 countries in 2018. It calls for voluntarily reduction of electricity consumption for a single hour of one day each year. Switching off non-essential electric lights is a central theme and resulted in 17,900 landmarks going dark in 2018. This switch-off of lights during Earth Hour also leads to reduction of light pollution for this specific period. In principle, Earth Hour allows the study of light pollution and the linkage to electricity consumption of lighting. However, quantitative analysis of the impact of Earth Hour on light pollution (and electricity consumption) are sparse, with only a few studies published showing no clear impact or the reverse, suffering from residual twilight and unstable weather conditions. In this work, light pollution measurements during Earth Hour 2018 in an urban park (Tiergarten) in Berlin, Germany, are reported. A novel light measurement method using differential photometry with calibrated digital cameras enables tracking of the switching off and switching back on of the lights of Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate and the buildings of Potsdamer Platz adjacent to the park. Light pollution reduction during the event was measurable, despite the presence of moonlight. Strategies for future work on light pollution using such events are discussed.
From Psychology of Sustainability to Sustainability of Urban Spaces: Promoting a Primary Prevention Approach for Well-Being in the Healthy City Designing. A Waterfront Case Study in Livorno
Authors: Leporelli Emanuele , Santi Giovanni
Published: February 2019

One of the main objectives of contemporary society and international research is to improve the physical and psychological health and well-being of the population, especially within the urban space. An effective approach to address this complex issue must necessarily be trans-disciplinary, and must be framed in the broader perspective of the Science of Sustainability, in particular the Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development, as a frame of reference. The study shows the first results of research, in terms of methodology and qualitative analysis, with the following objectives—identification of the criteria for intervention for a healthy city design, with particular attention to the psychological, architectural, and construction aspects, and an initial verification of these criteria, through a case study consisting of a section of the city’s waterfront, in the city of Livorno. This case study has enabled, both, the definition of an innovative design and implementation of solutions, for the correct use, accessibility, and management of spaces. It provides the first evaluation of a possible digital analyses of a waterfront, before and after intervention; and highlights the potential and the critical aspects of the process of recovery and re-appropriation of an urban space, for a new social life, within it.
Self-Perceived Employability and Meaningful Work: The Mediating Role of Courage on Quality of Life
Authors: Magnano Paola , Santisi Giuseppe , Zammitti Andrea , Zarbo Rita , Di Nuovo Santo
Published: February 2019

The concept of sustainability, from a psychological point of view, can be related to the promotion of personal resources that help people to find decent and meaningful work and live quality lives. In the psychological concept of sustainability and sustainable development, the sustainability of careers is related not only to individual career management, but also to the possibility for individuals to obtain a good quality of life despite the frequent changes and the unpredictability of the work context. The present study focuses on the constructs of self-perceived employability and meaningful work, analyzing their relationships with workers’ quality of life. An empirical study was conducted on 660 Italian workers using the following measures: Self-perceived employability scale, work and meaning inventory, courage measure, satisfaction with life scale, and the flourishing scale. The results showed direct effects of employability and meaningful work on the indicators of quality of life (life satisfaction and flourishing); moreover, indirect effects of employability and meaningful work on the quality of life were found to be caused by the mediation of courage.
Integrating Sustainability into Higher Education Curricula through the Project Method, a Global Learning Strategy
Authors: Fuertes-Camacho M. Teresa , Graell-Martín Mariona , Fuentes-Loss Mariana , Balaguer-Fàbregas M. Carmen
Published: February 2019

Higher levels of material well-being lead almost inevitably to giving priority to individualism and personal advancement, often at the expense of civic conscience. A proposal for integrating sustainability into the curriculum is presented in the third year of the degree in Early Childhood Education at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC). Projects on sustainable food are planned and elaborated to this aim. This study seeks to apply a global and systemic approach to solving socio-environmental problems and to check whether education for sustainable development (ESD) helps to develop and encourage actions that promote sustainable development. Quantitative research was conducted using a pre-test/post-test quasi experimental design separated by a period of didactic training in the project method. The results presented in this article show the students’ sustainability competencies (SC) improve after working on didactic proposals in a global manner. It is concluded that elaborating competencies in education for sustainable development enables an integrated approach of knowledge, procedures, attitudes and values in teaching through promoting the project method in multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams, which enhances future teachers’ sustainability competencies.