bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Escaping Our Shitty Reality: Counterpublics, Orange Is the New Black, and Religion
Authors: Shoemaker Terry
Published: December 2017

Recognizing popular culture as an increasingly valuable discursive site, this article argues that Orange Is the New Black, the popular Netflix series, intentionally attempts to operate as a counterpublic discursive engagement to challenge tacitly held opinions about female prisoners and the carceral system of the United States. To unfold this counterpublic discourse, this article explores the utility of religion within the third season of Orange Is the New Black as a means of constructing the counterpublic. Through characters of the series using religion as a creative means of resistance, consumers of the series come to understand the humanity of female prisoners, the complexity of prisoner narratives, and the injustice of the American carceral system. At the end, I explore why religion might be a space of creative agency for depictions pertaining to the American carceral system.
Gabrielle Roy's Prophetic Vision: How a Canadian Novelist Anticipated Vatican II
Authors: Kelly Darlene
Published: December 2017

Wyndham Lewis argued that the artist is always writing a “detailed history of the future” because only the artist is fully aware of the present. The Canadian novelist Gabrielle Roy is a case in point. Reacting to the racism and bigotry of the world around her, she created a quasi-utopian fiction purged of those elements in Where Nests the Water Hen. Its two main characters and their Jewish and Protestant acquaintances presciently act out the ecumenical directives of Vatican II (1962–1965) well over a decade before they were formulated. To read the novel today is to experience both eras at one sitting.
L’American Field Service
Authors: Marques Yannick
Published: December 2017

En septembre 1914, à la suite des combats de la Marne, la très influente communauté américaine de France se mobilise afin de venir en aide aux blessés laissés sur le champ de bataille. L’ambassadeur des États-Unis, Myron T. Herrick, fait appel à des compatriotes propriétaires de véhicules automobiles afin d’improviser un service d’évacuation sanitaire entre Meaux et l’Hôpital américain de Neuilly. De cette première initiative va naître le corps des ambulances de l’Hôpital américain.
Solidarité avec l’engagement total des soldats américains
Authors: Raynaud Anaïs
Published: December 2017

Trois portraits de soldats américains en uniforme sont représentés dans des médaillons sur lesquels sont inscrits leurs noms. Ces médaillons sont disposés devant un drapeau des États-Unis en une composition qui occupe la moitié supérieure de l’affiche. Dans la partie inferieure, un slogan, presque un cri, « The First Three! » fait référence à ces hommes dont on comprend, à la phrase inscrite dessous, qu’ils sont décédés.
Les volontaires américains de 1914 à 1924 dans les archives du Musée franco-américain de Blérancourt
Authors: Gragez Carole
Published: December 2017

Aux Invalides, sur une plaque commémorative on peut lire « (...) Anne Morgan, 1873-1952, citoyenne américaine, commandeur de la Légion d’honneur, Croix de guerre 14-18 et 39-45, intrépide et généreuse amie de la France, secourable aux blessés et réfugiés, aux prisonniers. Insigne bienfaitrice des populations éprouvées et des régions dévastées par deux guerres, fondatrice du Musée franco-américain de Blérancourt ».
Des États-Unis vers l’Europe : colis alimentaires et secours humanitaires durant la Première Guerre mondiale et l’après-guerre
Authors: Farre Sébastien
Published: December 2017

L’histoire de l’humanitaire s’écrit souvent à partir du parcours exemplaire de ses principales figures. Ce récit poursuit l’intention d’affirmer les principes d’action des institutions de secours en tissant des continuités ou des ruptures avec les idées et les valeurs à l’origine de leur fondation. Elaborée souvent par les acteurs humanitaires, cette généalogie est sélective au prix de laisser dans l’oubli certaines actions significatives.
Tocqueville, Dicey et le «problème» du droit administratif
Authors: Simard Augustin
Published: December 2017

« Il y a sur ce sujet non pas un chapitre, mais un livre à faire, et l’un des plus importants que l’on puisse imaginer ». C’est lors de son second séjour en Angleterre, quelques heures avant de quitter Birmingham pour Manchester, que Tocqueville note cette phrase dans son carnet. Ce qui suscite l’émoi de notre voyageur, ce n’est pas l’industrialisation rapide, le dynamisme économique ou la misère ouvrière qui s’installe, mais le spectacle plus prosaïque de l’administration locale.
Philanthropy in Britain during the First World War
Authors: Grant Peter
Published: December 2017

The First World War saw the greatest act of volunteering ever in Britain. Two-and-a-half million men volunteered to fight in a conflict that cost more than 700,000 of them their lives. But there was another act of volunteering between 1914 and 1918 on at least the same scale, though without the same life-and-death consequences. This was the voluntary effort at home especially to support the men at the front, in health and sickness, but also to aid numerous other causes. Yet this remains a phenomenon about which little has been written.
Avant-propos
Authors: Perreten Aurélie
Published: December 2017

Depuis sa création, le musée de la Grande Guerre à Meaux s’attache à montrer comment le premier conflit mondial a fait basculer le monde dans le XXe siècle. L’héritage de ce conflit est multiple. Si certains aspects sont connus – modernisation de l’armement, accélération des progrès de la médecine et des moyens de communication –, d’autres conséquences ou innovations ont jusqu’ici été moins étudiées. C’est le cas de l’essor de la philanthropie.
“A fool for peace”
Authors: Nasaw David
Published: December 2017

Historians have been harshly—and often rightly—accused by their critics for their reluctance, perhaps their disciplinary incapacity, to break free of their forebears’ commitment to mapping a straight road from past to present by excluding those paths not taken; to following in the grand tradition of Hegel and Ranke and writing a history which, often unintentionally, provides an apologia for what is by arguing that it had to be; to marginalizing the unfulfilled but imagined visions of the dreamers, the utopians, the cranks, the holy fools.
Tirelire à l’effigie de Pershing
Authors: Jonard Stéphane
Published: December 2017

Né en 1860, John Joseph Pershing sort à 20 ans diplômé de la State Normal School à Kirksville dans le Missouri et rejoint la prestigieuse académie militaire de West Point sans grande passion mais avec la volonté de recevoir une formation de qualité. Six ans plus tard, ses qualités de meneur d’hommes lui valent d’être nommé capitaine des cadets, la plus haute distinction de West Point. Déjà on le promet à une grande carrière militaire.
A multi-institutional analysis of the untreated course of cerebral dural arteriovenous fistulas
Authors: Gross Bradley A. , Albuquerque Felipe C. , McDougall Cameron G. , Jankowitz Brian T. , Jadhav Ashutosh P. , Jovin Tudor G. , Du Rose
Published: December 2017

OBJECTIVE

The rarity of cerebral dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) has precluded analysis of their natural history across large cohorts. Investigators from a considerable proportion of the few reports that do exist have evaluated heterogeneous groups of untreated and partially treated lesions. In the present study, the authors exclusively evaluated the untreated course of dAVFs across a multi-institutional data set to delineate demographic, angiographic, and natural history data.

METHODS

A multi-institutional database of dAVFs was queried for demographic and angiographic data as well as untreated disease course. After dAVFs were stratified by Djindjian type, annual nonhemorrhagic neurological deficit (NHND) and hemorrhage rates were derived, as were risk factors for each. A multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression model was used to calculate hazard ratios.

RESULTS

Two hundred ninety-five dAVFs had at least 1 month of untreated follow-up. For 126 Type I dAVFs, there were no episodes of NHND or hemorrhage over 177 lesion-years. Respective annualized NHND and hemorrhage rates were 4.5% and 3.4% for Type II, 6.0% and 4.0% for Type III, and 4.5% and 9.1% for Type IV dAVFs. The respective annualized NHND and hemorrhage rates were 2.3% and 2.9% for asymptomatic Type II–IV dAVFs, 23.1% and 3.3% for dAVFs presenting with NHND, and 0% and 46.2% for lesions presenting with hemorrhage. On multivariate analysis, NHND presentation (HR 11.49, 95% CI 3.19–63) and leptomeningeal venous drainage (HR 5.03, 95% CI 0.42–694) were significant risk factors for NHND; hemorrhagic presentation (HR 17.67, 95% CI 2.99–117) and leptomeningeal venous drainage (HR 10.39, 95% CI 1.11–1384) were significant risk factors for hemorrhage.

CONCLUSIONS

All Type II–IV dAVFs should be considered for treatment. Given the high risk of rebleeding, lesions presenting with NHND and/or hemorrhage should be treated expediently.
Comparative Therapeutic Effects of Plant-Extract Synthesized and Traditionally Synthesized Gold Nanoparticles on Alcohol-Induced Inflammatory Activity in SH-SY5Y Cells In Vitro
Authors: Singh Ashok K.
Published: December 2017

The present study describes potential beneficial and adverse effects of plant-extract synthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on ethanol toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Although kudzu root extract (K), edible-gum extract (G), alone or in combination (KG), reduced Au3+ into AuNPs, the extract’s composition and the reaction temperature determined their size (AuNPKG(90<50<37) << AuNPK (90,50<37) < AuNPG (90<50); the subscript KG, K, or G is extract identification and numerical vales are reaction temperature in Celsius) and biological properties (AuNPKG (90,50>37) << AuNPK (90,50>37) < AuNPG (90,50)). The surface of each AuNP contained the extract’s active ingredients, that were analyzed and confirmed using laser desorption ionization (LDI)) and low-matrix laser desorption-ionization (LMALDI). AuNPKG-50 was (i) least toxic to SH-SY5Y cells, but most effective in suppressing the adverse effects of ethanol on SH-SY5Y cells, and (ii) more effective than a combination of free kudzu and gum extracts. The beneficial and adverse effects of AuNPs may have been modified by the formation of proteins corona. This study provides a proof of concept for possible application of plant-extract synthesized AuNPs in mitigating ethanol toxicity.
Spin Interaction under the Collision of Two Kerr-(Anti-)de Sitter Black Holes
Authors: Gwak Bogeun , Ro Daeho
Published: December 2017

We investigate herein the spin interaction during collisions between Kerr-(anti-)de Sitter black holes. The spin interaction potential depends on the relative rotation directions of the black holes, and this potential can be released as gravitational radiation upon collision. The energy of the radiation depends on the cosmological constant and corresponds to the spin interaction potential in the limit that one of the black holes has negligibly small mass and angular momentum. We then determine the approximate overall behaviors of the upper bounds on the radiation using thermodynamics. The results indicate that the spin interaction can consistently contribute to the radiation. In addition, the radiation depends on the stability of the black hole produced by the collision.
Estimating Human Health Impacts and Costs Due to Iranian Fossil Fuel Power Plant Emissions through the Impact Pathway Approach
Authors: Jorli Mojtaba , Van Passel Steven , Sadeghi Hossein , Nasseri Alireza , Agheli Lotfali
Published: December 2017

Air pollutants from fossil fuel fired power plants harm the environment and human health. More than 91% of Iran’s electricity production is from thermal power plants that use natural gas, diesel, and fuel oil. We apply the impact pathway approach to estimate the health impacts arising from Iranian fossil-based electricity generation emission, and in a next step, we calculate monetary costs of the estimated damages, for a one-year period starting from 20 March 2016 through 2017. We use the new version of SIMPACTS (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria) to investigate the health effects from 61 major Iran fossil-based power plants separately. The selected plants represent 95.6% of total Iran fossil-based power generation. Using the individual and different power plant estimates, we avoid extrapolation and our results can be considered more reliable, taking into account spatial differences. The total damage cost is 723.42 million USD (2000). The damage cost per generated electricity varies from 0.06 to 22.41 USD/MWh and average plant damage cost is 2.85 USD/MWh. Accounting for these external costs indicates the actual costs of fossil energy. The results are useful for policy makers to compare the health costs from these plants and to decide on cleaner energy sources and to take measures to increase benefits for society.
Multi-Objective Optimized Aggregation of Demand Side Resources Based on a Self-organizing Map Clustering Algorithm Considering a Multi-Scenario Technique
Authors: Gao Yajing , Sun Yanping , Wang Xiaodan , Chen Feifan , Ehsan Ali , Li Hongmei , Li Hong
Published: December 2017

To fully investigate the characteristics and the complementarities of demand side resources (DSRs), and to achieve efficient utilization of resources, the aggregation of DSRs is studied in this paper. Considering the uncertainty of DSRs, the characteristics analysis and the selection of relevant daily feature corresponding to various types of DSR are carried out. Then a multi-scenario model based on quarter division and self-organizing map (SOM) neural network algorithm is proposed. In the model, the clustering feature vector is selected as the input vector of the SOM algorithm to perform DSR clustering analysis to get the different scenarios. In addition, to obtain the resource aggregation (RA) with good load characteristics, response characteristics and distributed generation (DG) consumption, a multi-scenario objective optimization aggregation model of DSR based on scenario partition is established, and an the model is solved by an improved niche evolutionary multi-objective immune algorithm. Finally, the case studies are given to verify the validity of the model.
Estimation of Conservation Voltage Reduction Factors Using Measurement Data of KEPCO System
Authors: Shim Kwan-Shik , Go Seok-Il , Yun Sang-Yun , Choi Joon-Ho , Nam-Koong Won , Shin Chang-Hoon , Ahn Seon-Ju
Published: December 2017

This paper describes a method to estimate conservation voltage reduction (CVR) factors using data measured in power distribution systems. A direct method is proposed to estimate CVR factors using only data measured at the moment of the transformer tap change. The mean absolute deviation (MAD) direct method is proposed to consider direct methods and load variations. The proposed methods do not necessitate intentional tap changes for testing purposes. Instead, the voltage and load changes that occur when the tap changes, for voltage regulation purposes, are measured and utilized in the CVR factor calculation. The proposed methods were tested using data obtained from the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) system, and the results revealed that CVR factors for both active power and reactive power could be estimated using data measured in power distribution systems. Results of the CVR factor estimation for the active power revealed that the highest CVR factors occurred in winter, during which a large quantity of heating loads exist. In addition, the estimated CVR factors for the reactive power were higher than the estimated CVR factors for the active power because reactive power is more sensitive to voltage changes.
Lightning Surge Analysis on a Large Scale Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic System
Authors: Zaini Nur , Ab. Kadir Mohd Zainal Abidin , Mohd Radzi Mohd Amran , Izadi Mahdi , Azis Norhafiz , Ahmad Nor Izzati , Nasir Mohd Solehin Mohd
Published: December 2017

Solar photovoltaic (PV) farms currently play a vital role in the generation of electrical power in different countries, such as Malaysia, which is moving toward the use of renewable energy. Malaysia is one of the countries with abundant sunlight and thus can use solar PV farms as alternative sources for electricity generation. However, lightning strikes frequently occur in the country. Being installed in open and flat areas, solar PV farms, especially their electronic components, are at great risk of damage caused by lightning. In this paper, the effects of lightning currents with different peak currents and waveshapes on grid-connected solar PV farms were determined to approximate the level of transient effect that can damage solar PV modules, inverters and transformers. Depending on the location of the solar PV farm, engineer can obtain information on the peak current and median current of the site from the lightning location system (LLS) and utilise the results obtained in this study to appropriately assign an SPD to protect the solar panel, inverter and the main panel that connected to the grid. Therefore, the simulation results serve as the basis for controlling the effects of lightning strikes on electrical equipment and power grids where it provides proper justification on the ‘where to be installed’ and ‘what is the rating’ of the SPD. This judgment and decision will surely reduce the expensive cost of repair and replacement of electrical equipment damages due to the lightning.
Development of the Precision Link Biobank at Boston Children’s Hospital: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Bourgeois Florence , Avillach Paul , Kong Sek Won , Heinz Michelle , Tran Tram , Chakrabarty Ramkrishna , Bickel Jonathan , Sliz Piotr , Borglund Erin , Kornetsky Susan , Mandl Kenneth
Published: December 2017

Increasingly, biobanks are being developed to support organized collections of biological specimens and associated clinical information on broadly consented, diverse patient populations. We describe the implementation of a pediatric biobank, comprised of a fully-informed patient cohort linking specimens to phenotypic data derived from electronic health records (EHR). The Biobank was launched after multiple stakeholders’ input and implemented initially in a pilot phase before hospital-wide expansion in 2016. In-person informed consent is obtained from all participants enrolling in the Biobank and provides permission to: (1) access EHR data for research; (2) collect and use residual specimens produced as by-products of routine care; and (3) share de-identified data and specimens outside of the institution. Participants are recruited throughout the hospital, across diverse clinical settings. We have enrolled 4900 patients to date, and 41% of these have an associated blood sample for DNA processing. Current efforts are focused on aligning the Biobank with other ongoing research efforts at our institution and extending our electronic consenting system to support remote enrollment. A number of pediatric-specific challenges and opportunities is reviewed, including the need to re-consent patients when they reach 18 years of age, the ability to enroll family members accompanying patients and alignment with disease-specific research efforts at our institution and other pediatric centers to increase cohort sizes, particularly for rare diseases.
4-Phenethylthio-2-phenylpyrazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazin-7(6H)-one
Authors: Smolnikov Sergey , Gorgopina Ekaterina , Lezhnyova Vera , Ong Gwyneth , Chui Wai-Keung , Dolzhenko Anton
Published: December 2017

Exploring the pharmacologically important pyrazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazin-7(6H)-one scaffold for the construction of new bioactive compounds, we developed a synthesis of 4-phenethylthio-2-phenylpyrazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazin-7(6H)-one (4) via S-alkylation of 2-phenyl-4-thioxopyrazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazine-7(6H)-one (3), prepared by the double ring closure of pyrazole and triazine rings upon the treatment of 1-cyanoacetyl-4-benzoylthiosemicarbazide (2) with alkali. The antiproliferative activity of 4 against human lung cancer (A549) and human breast cancer (MDA-MB231) cell lines was investigated. Compound 4 was found to be more active against lung cancer cells than breast cancer cells.
The Association of Triiodothyronine-to-Thyroxine Ratio with Body Mass Index in Obese Nigerian Children and Adolescents
Authors: Emokpae Mathias Abiodun , Obazelu Progress Arhenrhen
Published: December 2017

The interest in the relationship between thyroid dysfunction and obesity is on the increase. This study compares the triiodothyronine-to-thyroxine (T3/T4) ratio in obese and lean children and adolescents, and correlates thyroid hormones with body mass index (BMI) in obese Nigerian children. It is a retrospective study of records of 76 obese children and adolescents with a BMI of 31.7 ± 0.1 kg/m2 (26 males aged 10.9 ± 0.35 years, and 50 females aged 10.8 ± 0.4 years) that were referred to the laboratory for thyroid hormone evaluation because of their obese status. The controls were 20 age-matched non-obese apparently healthy subjects, with a mean age of 11.0 ± 0.47 years and a BMI of 20.2 ± 0.2 kg/m2. Serum T3, T4, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were determined using ELECSYS 1010 auto-analyzer (Roche Diagnostics, Penzberg, Germany). The BMI (p < 0.001), T3 (p < 0.01), TSH (p < 0.001) and T3/T4 ratio (p < 0.001) were significantly higher in obese than non-obese children and adolescents. Triiodothyronine (r = 0.230; p < 0.05), TSH (r = 0.272; p < 0.02), and T3/T4 ratio (r = 0.232; p < 0.05) correlated positively with BMI in obese children and adolescents. The T3/T4 ratio (p < 0.005) was significantly higher in obese boys than obese girls. Serum T3, TSH, and T3/T4 ratio correlated positive with BMI in obese Nigerian children and adolescents. Since thyroid dysfunction represents a continuum from asymptomatic to clinical symptomatic disease, it is suggested that obese children be counseled on the need to maintain ideal BMI in order to avoid the risks associated with obesity.
3DCONS-DB: A Database of Position-Specific Scoring Matrices in Protein Structures
Authors: Sanchez-Garcia Ruben , Sorzano Carlos , Carazo Jose , Segura Joan
Published: December 2017

Many studies have used position-specific scoring matrices (PSSM) profiles to characterize residues in protein structures and to predict a broad range of protein features. Moreover, PSSM profiles of Protein Data Bank (PDB) entries have been recalculated in many works for different purposes. Although the computational cost of calculating a single PSSM profile is affordable, many statistical studies or machine learning-based methods used thousands of profiles to achieve their goals, thereby leading to a substantial increase of the computational cost. In this work we present a new database compiling PSSM profiles for the proteins of the PDB. Currently, the database contains 333,532 protein chain profiles involving 123,135 different PDB entries.
HIGA: A Running History Information Guided Genetic Algorithm for Protein–Ligand Docking
Authors: Guan Boxin , Zhang Changsheng , Zhao Yuhai
Published: December 2017

Protein-ligand docking is an essential part of computer-aided drug design, and it identifies the binding patterns of proteins and ligands by computer simulation. Though Lamarckian genetic algorithm (LGA) has demonstrated excellent performance in terms of protein-ligand docking problems, it can not memorize the history information that it has accessed, rendering it effort-consuming to discover some promising solutions. This article illustrates a novel optimization algorithm (HIGA), which is based on LGA for solving the protein-ligand docking problems with an aim to overcome the drawback mentioned above. A running history information guided model, which includes CE crossover, ED mutation, and BSP tree, is applied in the method. The novel algorithm is more efficient to find the lowest energy of protein-ligand docking. We evaluate the performance of HIGA in comparison with GA, LGA, EDGA, CEPGA, SODOCK, and ABC, the results of which indicate that HIGA outperforms other search algorithms.
rLj-RGD3 Suppresses the Growth of HeyA8 Cells in Nude Mice
Authors: Zheng Yuanyuan , Lv Li , Yi Longda , Wu Rui , Xiao Rong , Wang Jihong
Published: December 2017

In the previous study, rLj-RGD3, a recombinant toxin protein which contains three RGD motifs, was reported to not only inhibit the proliferation of an ovarian cancer cell line, HeyA8 cells, by inducing apoptosis, but also block their adhesion, migration and invasion processes. However, whether rLj-RGD3 could also suppress the tumor growth in HeyA8 xenografted mice has not been reported yet. In the present study, rLj-RGD3 was intraperitoneally injected in the nude mice bearing HeyA8 tumors. Compared with the control group (normal saline), rLj-RGD3 inhibited the tumor growth significantly in the HeyA8 xenografted mice in a dose-dependent manner without affecting their body weights. Based on the H&E, Hoechst 33258 and TUNEL staining assays, as well as western blot analysis, rLj-RGD3 reduced the weight and volume of the solid tumors, probably by disturbing the tissue structure, inducing apoptosis and suppressing the FAK/PI3K/AKT pathway. Most importantly, rLj-RGD3 was found to prolong the survival days of the ovarian tumor xenografted mice, which suggested rLj-RGD3 might act as an effective and safe drug to treat ovarian cancer patients.
Frequency of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and the Oral Health-Related Quality of Life among Japanese Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Study from the Kyoto-Kameoka Study
Authors: Nanri Hinako , Yamada Yosuke , Itoi Aya , Yamagata Emi , Watanabe Yuya , Yoshida Tsukasa , Miyake Motoko , Date Heiwa , Ishikawa-Takata Kazuko , Yoshida Mitsuyoshi , Kikutani Takeshi , Kimura Misaka
Published: December 2017

Objective: Many previous studies have reported that fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a reduced risk of various disease, but whether or not their consumption is associated with the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the association between the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption and the OHRQoL in elderly subjects by sex. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from a population-based Kyoto-Kameoka Study in 2012 of 3112 men and 3439 women (age ≥ 65 years). The frequencies of fruit and vegetable consumption were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. We evaluated the OHRQoL using the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI), a self-reported measure designed to assess the oral health problems in old adults. Results: After adjusting for age, body mass index, alcohol, smoking, education, socioeconomic status, history of disease, medication use, mobility disability, and total energy intake, a higher frequency of combined fruit and vegetable consumption showed a significant positive association with the GOHAI score in both men and women (p-trend < 0.001 in both sexes). These associations remained significant after adjustment for poor mastication and denture use (p-trend all < 0.05 in both sexes). We observed a significant positive association even when the frequencies of fruit or vegetable consumption were analyzed separately (all p-trend < 0.05 in both sexes). Conclusions: A higher frequency of fruit and/or vegetable consumption independently showed a strong positive association with the OHRQoL in both men and women. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.
UAV Remote Sensing Surveillance of a Mine Tailings Impoundment in Sub-Arctic Conditions
Authors: Rauhala Anssi , Tuomela Anne , Davids Corine , Rossi Pekka
Published: December 2017

Mining typically involves extensive areas where environmental monitoring is spatially sporadic. New remote sensing techniques and platforms such as Structure from Motion (SfM) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may offer one solution for more comprehensive and spatially continuous measurements. We conducted UAV campaigns in three consecutive summers (2015–2017) at a sub-Arctic mining site where production was temporarily suspended. The aim was to monitor a 0.5 km2 tailings impoundment and measure potential subsidence of tailings. SfM photogrammetry was used to produce yearly topographical models of the tailings surface, which allowed the amount of surface displacement between years to be tracked. Ground checkpoints surveyed in stable areas of the impoundment were utilized in assessing the vertical accuracy of the models. Observed surface displacements were linked to a combination of erosion, tailings settlement, and possible compaction of the peat layer underlying the tailings. The accuracy obtained indicated that UAV-assisted monitoring of tailings impoundments is sufficiently accurate for supporting impoundment management operations and for tracking surface displacements in the decimeter range.
Radiometric Correction of Simultaneously Acquired Landsat-7/Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2A Imagery Using Pseudoinvariant Areas (PIA): Contributing to the Landsat Time Series Legacy
Authors: Padró Joan-Cristian , Pons Xavier , Aragonés David , Díaz-Delgado Ricardo , García Diego , Bustamante Javier , Pesquer Lluís , Domingo-Marimon Cristina , González-Guerrero Òscar , Cristóbal Jordi , Doktor Daniel , Lange Maximilian
Published: December 2017

The use of Pseudoinvariant Areas (PIA) makes it possible to carry out a reasonably robust and automatic radiometric correction for long time series of remote sensing imagery, as shown in previous studies for large data sets of Landsat MSS, TM, and ETM+ imagery. In addition, they can be employed to obtain more coherence among remote sensing data from different sensors. The present work validates the use of PIA for the radiometric correction of pairs of images acquired almost simultaneously (Landsat-7 (ETM+) or Landsat-8 (OLI) and Sentinel-2A (MSI)). Four pairs of images from a region in SW Spain, corresponding to four different dates, together with field spectroradiometry measurements collected at the time of satellite overpass were used to evaluate a PIA-based radiometric correction. The results show a high coherence between sensors (r2 = 0.964) and excellent correlations to in-situ data for the MiraMon implementation (r2 > 0.9). Other methodological alternatives, ATCOR3 (ETM+, OLI, MSI), SAC-QGIS (ETM+, OLI, MSI), 6S-LEDAPS (ETM+), 6S-LaSRC (OLI), and Sen2Cor-SNAP (MSI), were also evaluated. Almost all of them, except for SAC-QGIS, provided similar results to the proposed PIA-based approach. Moreover, as the PIA-based approach can be applied to almost any image (even to images lacking of extra atmospheric information), it can also be used to solve the robust integration of data from new platforms, such as Landsat-8 or Sentinel-2, to enrich global data acquired since 1972 in the Landsat program. It thus contributes to the program’s continuity, a goal of great interest for the environmental, scientific, and technical community.
Recent Progress in Biosensors for Environmental Monitoring: A Review
Authors: Justino Celine , Duarte Armando , Rocha-Santos Teresa
Published: December 2017

The environmental monitoring has been one of the priorities at the European and global scale due to the close relationship between the environmental pollution and the human health/socioeconomic development. In this field, the biosensors have been widely employed as cost-effective, fast, in situ, and real-time analytical techniques. The need of portable, rapid, and smart biosensing devices explains the recent development of biosensors with new transduction materials, obtained from nanotechnology, and for multiplexed pollutant detection, involving multidisciplinary experts. This review article provides an update on recent progress in biosensors for the monitoring of air, water, and soil pollutants in real conditions such as pesticides, potentially toxic elements, and small organic molecules including toxins and endocrine disrupting chemicals.
Internet of Things (IoT) Based Design of a Secure and Lightweight Body Area Network (BAN) Healthcare System
Authors: Deng Yong-Yuan , Chen Chin-Ling , Tsaur Woei-Jiunn , Tang Yung-Wen , Chen Jung-Hsuan
Published: December 2017

As sensor networks and cloud computation technologies have rapidly developed over recent years, many services and applications integrating these technologies into daily life have come together as an Internet of Things (IoT). At the same time, aging populations have increased the need for expanded and more efficient elderly care services. Fortunately, elderly people can now wear sensing devices which relay data to a personal wireless device, forming a body area network (BAN). These personal wireless devices collect and integrate patients’ personal physiological data, and then transmit the data to the backend of the network for related diagnostics. However, a great deal of the information transmitted by such systems is sensitive data, and must therefore be subject to stringent security protocols. Protecting this data from unauthorized access is thus an important issue in IoT-related research. In regard to a cloud healthcare environment, scholars have proposed a secure mechanism to protect sensitive patient information. Their schemes provide a general architecture; however, these previous schemes still have some vulnerability, and thus cannot guarantee complete security. This paper proposes a secure and lightweight body-sensor network based on the Internet of Things for cloud healthcare environments, in order to address the vulnerabilities discovered in previous schemes. The proposed authentication mechanism is applied to a medical reader to provide a more comprehensive architecture while also providing mutual authentication, and guaranteeing data integrity, user untraceability, and forward and backward secrecy, in addition to being resistant to replay attack.
A Highly Sensitive Two-Dimensional Inclinometer Based on Two Etched Chirped-Fiber-Grating Arrays
Authors: Chang Hung-Ying , Chang Yu-Chung , Liu Wen-Fung
Published: December 2017

We present a novel two-dimensional fiber-optic inclinometer with high sensitivity by crisscrossing two etched chirped fiber Bragg gratings (CFBG) arrays. Each array is composed of two symmetrically-arranged CFBGs. By etching away most of the claddings of the CFBGs to expose the evanescent wave, the reflection spectra are highly sensitive to the surrounding index change. When we immerse only part of the CFBG in liquid, the effective index difference induces a superposition peak in the refection spectrum. By interrogating the peak wavelengths of the CFBGs, we can deduce the tilt angle and direction simultaneously. The inclinometer has a resolution of 0.003° in tilt angle measurement and 0.00187 rad in tilt direction measurement. Due to the unique sensing mechanism, the sensor is temperature insensitive. This sensor can be useful in long term continuous monitoring of inclination or in real-time feedback control of tilt angles, especially in harsh environments with violent temperature variation.
Middleware for Plug and Play Integration of Heterogeneous Sensor Resources into the Sensor Web
Authors: Martínez Enoc , Toma Daniel , Jirka Simon , Del Río Joaquín
Published: December 2017

The study of global phenomena requires the combination of a considerable amount of data coming from different sources, acquired by different observation platforms and managed by institutions working in different scientific fields. Merging this data to provide extensive and complete data sets to monitor the long-term, global changes of our oceans is a major challenge. The data acquisition and data archival procedures usually vary significantly depending on the acquisition platform. This lack of standardization ultimately leads to information silos, preventing the data to be effectively shared across different scientific communities. In the past years, important steps have been taken in order to improve both standardization and interoperability, such as the Open Geospatial Consortium’s Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) framework. Within this framework, standardized models and interfaces to archive, access and visualize the data from heterogeneous sensor resources have been proposed. However, due to the wide variety of software and hardware architectures presented by marine sensors and marine observation platforms, there is still a lack of uniform procedures to integrate sensors into existing SWE-based data infrastructures. In this work, a framework aimed to enable sensor plug and play integration into existing SWE-based data infrastructures is presented. First, an analysis of the operations required to automatically identify, configure and operate a sensor are analysed. Then, the metadata required for these operations is structured in a standard way. Afterwards, a modular, plug and play, SWE-based acquisition chain is proposed. Finally different use cases for this framework are presented.
Operation Performance Evaluation of Power Grid Enterprise Using a Hybrid BWM-TOPSIS Method
Authors: You Peipei , Guo Sen , Zhao Haoran , Zhao Huiru
Published: December 2017

Electricity market reform is in progress in China, and the operational performance of power grid enterprises are vital for its healthy and sustainable development in the current electricity market environment. In this paper, a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework for operational performance evaluation of a power grid enterprise is proposed from the perspective of sustainability. The latest MCDM method, namely the best-worst method (BWM) was employed to determine the weights of all criteria, and the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) was applied to rank the operation performance of a power grid enterprise. The evaluation index system was built based on the concept of sustainability, which includes three criteria (namely economy, society, and environment) and seven sub-criteria. Four power grid enterprises were selected to perform the empirical analysis, and the results indicate that power grid enterprise A1 has the best operation performance. The proposed hybrid BWM-TOPSIS-based framework for operation performance evaluation of a power grid enterprise is effective and practical.
Community Leadership in Rural Tourism Development: A Tale of Two Ancient Chinese Villages
Authors: Xu Keshuai , Zhang Jin , Tian Fengjun
Published: December 2017

Researchers are paying increasing attention to questions of community leadership and rural tourism development. Based on leadership theories and the literature on community leadership and tourism development, this study developed a framework for community leadership in rural tourism development and used it to examine two ancient Chinese villages. We used the longitudinal case study method to collect data, and we used textual analysis to analyze these data. The results show that the rebel leadership characteristic of confrontational actions played an important role in starting the tourism industry in both villages. However, this leadership was difficult to maintain because community leaders and residents had limited power compared to that of outsiders. Losing control of tourism development in the two villages led to banal management, which prevented the emergence of strong community leadership. In the future, we argue that resilient community leadership should be nurtured in the two villages to address more complex problems occurring in tourism development, such as those characterized by vision tensions and conflicts of interest among the stakeholders affected by tourism development. Finally, we suggest that, based on the longitudinal method, future research can focus on the relationship between resilient leadership and the resilience of tourism communities.
Sexual expression and reproductive output in the ephemeral Geranium transversale are correlated with environmental conditions
Authors: Abdusalam Aysajan , Tan Dunyan , Chang Shu‐Mei
Published: December 2017

PREMISE OF THE STUDY:

Abiotic environmental factors are often considered to be important in the distribution and maintenance of variation in sexual systems in flowering plants. Associations between sexes and abiotic factors are well documented in dioecious systems, but much less is known about this relationship in other sexually polymorphic systems. Species that are highly variable in sexual expression and habitat distribution can provide insights into the role of abiotic factors in maintaining variation in sexual expression.

METHODS:

Focusing on a sexually polymorphic species, Geranium transversale, we measured sexual expression at both the flower and the plant level and examined vegetative and floral traits, pollen deposition, and reproductive success. We also tested for correlations between sexual expression and other traits and examined whether and how these traits covaried with abiotic environmental conditions.

KEY RESULTS:

We identified unique variation of sexual expression in G. transversale. There are four sexual morphs that display different combinations of the three flower types (pistillate, staminate, and perfect). Sexual morphs that are phenotypically more female (i.e., female and gynomonoecious morphs) are found in wetter and milder environments, and flower earlier than morphs that are more male (i.e., hermaphroditic and andromonoecious morphs). Additionally, floral organ size and reproductive success are influenced not only by the flower type but also by the sexual morph of the plant.

CONCLUSIONS:

Environmental conditions are likely to cause some of the variation in sexual expression found in G. transversale. Both genetic and ecological factors likely contribute to the maintenance of sexual variation in this species.
Light-curve Modulation of Low-mass Stars in K2. I. Identification of 481 Fast Rotators in the Solar Neighborhood
Authors: Saylor Dicy , Lepine Sebastien , Crossfield Ian , Petigura Erik A.
Published: December 2017

The K2 mission is targeting large numbers of nearby (d < 100 pc) GKM dwarfs selected from the SUPERBLINK proper motion survey (μ > 40 mas yr−1, V < 20). Additionally, the mission is targeting low-mass, high proper motion stars associated with the local (d < 500 pc) Galactic halo population also selected from SUPERBLINK. K2 campaigns 0 through 8 monitored a total of 26,518 of these cool main-sequence stars. We used the auto-correlation function to search for fast rotators by identifying short-period photometric modulations in the K2 light curves. We identified 481 candidate fast rotators with rotation periods <4 days that show light-curve modulations consistent with starspots. Their kinematics show low average transverse velocities, suggesting that they are part of the young disk population. A subset (13) of the fast rotators is found among those targets with colors and kinematics consistent with the local Galactic halo population and may represent stars spun up by tidal interactions in close binary systems. We further demonstrate that the M dwarf fast rotators selected from the K2 light curves are significantly more likely to have UV excess and discuss the potential of the K2 mission to identify new nearby young GKM dwarfs on the basis of their fast rotation rates. Finally, we discuss the possible use of local halo stars as fiducial, non-variable sources in the Kepler fields.
Pre-discovery Observations and Orbit of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS)
Authors: Hui 許文 Man-To 韜 , Jewitt David , Clark David
Published: December 2017

We present a study of comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) using pre-discovery archival data taken from 2013 to 2017. Our measurements show that the comet has been marginally increasing in activity since at least 2013 May (heliocentric distance of

pre-perihelion). We estimate the mass-loss rate during the period 2013–2017 as

kg s−1, which requires a minimum active surface area of ∼10–102 km2 for sublimation of supervolatiles such as CO and CO2, by assuming a nominal cometary albedo

. The corresponding lower limit to the nucleus radius is a few kilometers. Our Monte Carlo dust simulations show that dust grains in the coma are

in radius, with ejection speeds from ∼1 to 3 m s−1, and have been emitted in a protracted manner since 2013, confirming estimates by Jewitt et al. The current heliocentric orbit is hyperbolic. Our N-body backward dynamical integration of the orbit suggests that the comet is most likely (with a probability of ∼98%) from the Oort spike. The calculated median reciprocal of the semimajor axis 1 Myr ago was

au−1 (in a reference system centered on the solar-system barycenter).
Protoplanetary Disks in ρ Ophiuchus as Seen from ALMA
Authors: Cox Erin G. , Harris Robert J. , Looney Leslie W. , Chiang Hsin-Fang , Chandler Claire , Kratter Kaitlin , Li Zhi-Yun , Perez Laura , Tobin John J.
Published: December 2017

We present a high angular resolution (

), high-sensitivity (

mJy) survey of the 870 μm continuum emission from the circumstellar material around 49 pre-main-sequence stars in the ρ Ophiuchus molecular cloud. Because most millimeter instruments have resided in the northern hemisphere, this represents the largest high-resolution, millimeter-wave survey of the circumstellar disk content of this cloud. Our survey of 49 systems comprises 63 stars; we detect disks associated with 29 single sources, 11 binaries, 3 triple systems, and 4 transition disks. We present flux and radius distributions for these systems; in particular, this is the first presentation of a reasonably complete probability distribution of disk radii at millimeter wavelengths. We also compare the flux distribution of these protoplanetary disks with that of the disk population of the Taurus–Auriga molecular cloud. We find that disks in binaries are both significantly smaller and have much less flux than their counterparts around isolated stars. We compute truncation calculations on our binary sources and find that these disks are too small to have been affected by tidal truncation and posit some explanations for this. Lastly, our survey found three candidate gapped disks, one of which is a newly identified transition disk with no signature of a dip in infrared excess in extant observations.
Constraining Hot Jupiter Atmospheric Structure and Dynamics through Doppler-shifted Emission Spectra
Authors: Zhang Jisheng , Kempton Eliza M.-R. , Rauscher Emily
Published: December 2017

We present a coupled 3D atmospheric dynamics and radiative transfer model to predict the disk-integrated thermal emission spectra of transiting exoplanets in edge-on orbits. We calculate spectra at high resolution to examine the extent to which high-resolution emission spectra are influenced by 3D atmospheric dynamics and planetary rotation and to determine whether and how we can constrain thermal structures and atmospheric dynamics through high-resolution spectroscopy. This study represents the first time that the line-of-sight geometry and resulting Doppler shifts from winds and rotation have been treated self-consistently in an emission spectrum radiative transfer model, which allows us to assess the impact of the velocity field on thermal emission spectra. We apply our model to predict emission spectra as a function of orbital phase for three hot Jupiters: HD 209458b, WASP-43b, and HD 189733b. We find net Doppler shifts in modeled spectra due to a combination of winds and rotation at a level of 1–3 km s−1. These Doppler signatures vary in a quasi-sinusoidal pattern over the course of the planets’ orbits as the hot spots approach and recede from the observer’s viewpoint. We predict that WASP-43b produces the largest Doppler shift due to its fast rotation rate. We find that the net Doppler shift in an exoplanet’s disk-integrated thermal emission spectrum results from a complex combination of winds, rotation, and thermal structure. However, we offer a simple method that estimates the magnitude of equatorial wind speeds in hot Jupiters through measurements of net Doppler shifts and lower-resolution thermal phase curves.