bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incremental Transformations: Education for Resiliency in Post-War Sri Lanka
Authors: Kovinthan Levi Thursica
Published: January 2019

There is growing evidence to support the relationship between levels of gender inequality in a society and its potential for conflict. Positive attitudes to gender equality in and through education strengthen social cohesion; consequently, there is a need for gender-transformative education for peacebuilding. Drawing on the 4Rs (representation, redistribution, recognition, and reconciliation) framework in conjunction with the idea of incremental transformation with a focus on resilience, this study examines how eleven ethnic minority high school girls from Sri Lanka understand the transformative role of education in their lives as it relates to peace and gender equality. Education was a source of hope for the participants of this study and thus contributed to their resilience. However, rather than fostering and capitalizing on this resilience to build social cohesion and peace, education and the school systems are silencing them. This silencing is evident in the acceptance and normalization of militarization in their communities, daily experiences of gender-based violence (GBV), and the message, through the formal and informal curriculum, that gender equality has been achieved in Sri Lanka.
Financial Literacy Education with an Aboriginal Community: Identifying Critical Moments for Enabling Praxis
Authors: Blue Levon Ellen
Published: January 2019

Conventional financial literacy education (FLE) practices promote individual choice and responsibility for financial circumstances. The untruth connected to conventional FLE is that achieving financial well-being is possible after acquiring financial skills and knowledge and choosing to make effective financial decisions. In this article, I share an exploration of FLE practices with an Aboriginal community that unfolded after a conventional train-the-trainer financial literacy workshop failed to gain traction. Nineteen semi-structured interviews took place with community members to understand their experiences, interest and perceived relevance of FLE. The importance of site-specific FLE was revealed as the tension between individual wealth accumulation practices promoted in conventional FLE collided with Indigenous ways of being, knowing and doing. Identified are critical moments for reflection that may enable praxis in FLE. By enabling praxis an educator moves away from conventional one-size-fits-all approaches to FLE, where participants’ needs are assumed, and towards more tailored approaches.
An Oscillatory Neural Network Based Local Processing Unit for Pattern Recognition Applications
Authors: Zhang Ting , Haider Mohammad R. , Massoud Yehia , Alexander J. Iwan D.
Published: January 2019

Prolific growth of sensors and sensor technology has resulted various applications in sensing, monitoring, assessment and control operations. Owing to the large number of sensing units the the aggregate data volume creates a burden to the central data processing unit. This paper demonstrates an analog computational platform using weakly coupled oscillator neural network for pattern recognition applications. The oscillator neural network (ONN) has been studied over the last couple of decades for it’s increasing computational efficiency. The coupled ONN can realize the classification and pattern recognition functionalities based on its synchronization phenomenon. The convergence time and frequency of synchronization are considered as the indicator of recognition. For hierarchical sensing, the synchronization is detected in the first layer, and then the classification is accomplished in the second layer. In this work, a Kuramoto model based frequency synchronization approach is utilized, and simulation results indicate less than 160 ms convergence time and close frequency match for a simplified pattern recognition application. An array of 10 sensors is considered to affect the coupling weights of the oscillating nodes, and demonstrate network level computation. Based on MATLAB simulations, the proposed ONN architecture can successfully detect the close-in-match pattern through synchronization, and differentiate the far-out-match pattern through loss of synchronization in the oscillating nodes.
An Efficient CMOS Dual Switch Rectifier for Piezoelectric Energy-Harvesting Circuits
Authors: Ud Din Amad , Kamran Muhammad , Mahmood Waqar , Aurangzeb Khursheed , Saud Altamrah Abdulaziz , Lee Jong-Wook
Published: January 2019

In this research work, we investigated a dual switch (DS) active rectifier for the piezoelectric (PE) energy scavenging system. In the proposed DS active rectifier configuration, two extra switches are shunted across the PE transducer which helps the PE transducer’s capacitor in charging and discharging which results in maximum power extraction from the PE transducer. Moreover, in the proposed rectifier configuration comparator controlled active diodes are used instead of conventional/passive diodes to minimize the threshold voltage V T H drop. The proposed DS active rectifier design is fabricated in a 1-poly 6-metal 180-nm standard CMOS process. The simulation and measured results of the proposed DS active rectifier design have the better power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 91.5 %, which definitely helps in extracting more power than the conventional full bridge rectifier (FBR).
Design of High Frequency, Low Phase Noise LC Digitally Controlled Oscillator for 5G Intelligent Transport Systems
Authors: Macaitis Vytautas , Navickas Romualdas
Published: January 2019

This paper presents the design, simulation, and measurements of a low power, low phase noise 10.25–11.78 GHz LC digitally controlled oscillator (LC DCO) with extended true single phase clock (E-TSPC) frequency divider in 130 nm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology for 5G intelligent transport systems. The main goal of this work was to design the LC DCO using a mature and low-cost 130 nm CMOS technology. The designed integrated circuit (IC) consisted of two parts: the LC DCO frequency generation and division circuit and an independent frequency divider testing circuit. The proposed LC DCO consisted of the following main blocks: the high Q-factor inductor, switched-capacitors block, cross-coupled transistors, and the current control block. Inductors with switched-capacitors block formed an LC tank. The designed E-TSPC frequency divider consisted of eight blocks connected in a series; each block increased the division ratio by a factor of two. The frequency of the input signal was divided in the region from two to 256 times using the designed divider. The main parameters of the designed E-TSPC divider and the LC DCO measurements were given as follows: LC DCO achieved a wide tuning range from 10.25 GHz to 11.78 GHz (1.53 GHz, 15.28% bandwidth); phase noise at 1 MHz offset frequency from LC DCO lowest carrier frequency was −113.42 dBc/Hz; phase noise at 1 MHz offset frequency from LC DCO highest carrier frequency was −110.51 dBc/Hz; The average power consumption of the designed LC DCO core and E-TSPC divider were 10.02 mW and 97.52 mW, respectively; the figure of merit (FOM) and the extended FOMT values of the proposed LC DCO were −183.52 dBc/Hz and −187.20 dBc/Hz, respectively. These FOM and FOMT results were achieved due to very low phase noise (−113.52 dBc/Hz) and a wide frequency tuning range (15.28%). The total layout area including the pads was 1.5 mm × 1.5 mm, with the largest part of the layout occupied by the proposed LC DCO (193 µm × 311 µm). The largest part of the LC DCO was occupied by the inductor 184 µm × 184 µm. The manufactured chip was packed into a quad flat no-leads (QFN) 20 pads package.
A Highly Selective and Compact Bandpass Filter with a Circular Spiral Inductor and an Embedded Capacitor Structure Using an Integrated Passive Device Technology on a GaAs Substrate
Authors: Quan Chun-He , Wang Zhi-Ji , Lee Jong-Chul , Kim Eun-Seong , Kim Nam-Young
Published: January 2019

As one of the most commonly used devices in microwave systems, bandpass filters (BPFs) directly affect the performance of these systems. Among the processes for manufacturing filters, integrated passive device (IPD) technology provides high practicality and accuracy. Thus, to comply with latest development trends, a resonator-based bandpass filter with a high selectivity and a compact size, fabricated on a gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrate is developed. An embedded capacitor is connected between the ends of two divisions in a circular spiral inductor, which is intertwined to reduce its size to 0.024 λg × 0.013 λg with minimal loss, and along with the capacitor, it generates a center frequency of 1.35 GHz. The strong coupling between the two ports of the filter results in high selectivity, to reduce noise interference. The insertion loss and return loss are 0.26 dB and 25.6 dB, respectively, thus facilitating accurate signal propagation. The filter was tested to verify its high performance in several aspects, and measurement results showed good agreement with the simulation results.
Accelerating Deep Neural Networks by Combining Block-Circulant Matrices and Low-Precision Weights
Authors: Qin Zidi , Zhu Di , Zhu Xingwei , Chen Xuan , Shi Yinghuan , Gao Yang , Lu Zhonghai , Shen Qinghong , Li Li , Pan Hongbing
Published: January 2019

As a key ingredient of deep neural networks (DNNs), fully-connected (FC) layers are widely used in various artificial intelligence applications. However, there are many parameters in FC layers, so the efficient process of FC layers is restricted by memory bandwidth. In this paper, we propose a compression approach combining block-circulant matrix-based weight representation and power-of-two quantization. Applying block-circulant matrices in FC layers can reduce the storage complexity from O ( k 2 ) to O ( k ) . By quantizing the weights into integer powers of two, the multiplications in the reference can be replaced by shift and add operations. The memory usages of models for MNIST, CIFAR-10 and ImageNet can be compressed by 171 × , 2731 × and 128 × with minimal accuracy loss, respectively. A configurable parallel hardware architecture is then proposed for processing the compressed FC layers efficiently. Without multipliers, a block matrix-vector multiplication module (B-MV) is used as the computing kernel. The architecture is flexible to support FC layers of various compression ratios with small footprint. Simultaneously, the memory access can be significantly reduced by using the configurable architecture. Measurement results show that the accelerator has a processing power of 409.6 GOPS, and achieves 5.3 TOPS/W energy efficiency at 800 MHz.
A Capacitance-to-Time Converter-Based Electronic Interface for Differential Capacitive Sensors
Authors: De Marcellis Andrea , Reig Càndid , Cubells-Beltrán María-Dolores
Published: January 2019

In this paper we present an oscillating conditioning circuit, operating a capacitance-to-time conversion, which is suitable for the readout of differential capacitive sensors. The simple architecture, based on a multiple-feedbacks structure that avoids ground noise disturbs and system calibrations, employs only three Operational Amplifiers (OAs) and a mixer implementing a square wave oscillator that provides an AC sensor excitation voltage. It performs a Period Modulation (PM) and a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) of the output signal proportionally to the sensor differential capacitance values. The sensor variation range and the detection sensitivity can be easily set through the additional resistors. Preliminary PSpice simulation results have shown a good agreement with theoretical calculations as well as a linear response with a high detection sensitivity of differential capacitive sensors having a baseline in the range [2.2 ÷ 180 pF]. Moreover, different experimental measurements have been also performed by implementing the circuit on a laboratory breadboard using commercial discrete components so validating the idea and providing the circuit performances with different kind of differential capacitive sensors achieving detection resolutions of about 0.1 fF in an overall differential capacitive variation range that is equal to ±15.8 pF. The achieved results demonstrate that the proposed interface solution is suitable for on-chip integration with different kinds of differential capacitive sensing devices, such as Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS), force/position, and humidity sensors in biomedical and robotics applications.
The Reentrant Four-Layer Quasi-Elliptic Bandstop Filter
Authors: Atuchin Victor V. , Gorbachev Anatoly P. , Khrustalev Vladimir A. , Tarasenko Natalya V.
Published: January 2019

The novel microwave quasi-elliptic bandstop filter, which uses the initially uncoupled strip transmission lines, is considered in this work. The proposed filter is based on the reentrant structure, where the metallic body with a floating potential is asymmetric. Generally speaking, the internal and external dielectric fillings must have their unequal relative permittivities. As a result, additional symmetrical reflection zeros are reached at the lower and upper pass bands of the stop band leading to the quasi-elliptic function response that improves the filter selectivity. The general transverse electromagnetic (TEM) circuit model for the proposed filter in terms of a series connection of the multi-ports is presented and then used to predict the initial electrical and geometrical parameters. An experimental printed circuit prototype has been manufactured and evaluated to validate the design concept. The measured filter parameters correlate well with the simulation-derived ones and that increases the degree of freedom in the fabrication of microwave frequency selective components.
Efficient Large Sparse Arrays Synthesis by Means of Smooth Re-Weighted L1 Minimization
Authors: Pinchera Daniele , Migliore Marco Donald , Lucido Mario , Schettino Fulvio , Panariello Gaetano
Published: January 2019

In this paper, we present an efficient technique for the synthesis of very large sparse arrays, with arbitrary circularly-symmetrical upper bounds for the pattern specifications. The algorithm, which is based on iterative smooth re-weighted L1 minimizations, is very flexible and is capable of achieving very good performances with respect to competitive algorithms. Furthermore, thanks to its efficiency, planar arrays of hundreds of wavelengths can be synthesized with limited computational effort.
Combustion of Miscanthus: Composition of the Ash by Particle Size
Authors: Lanzerstorfer Christof
Published: January 2019

Miscanthus is an energy crop considered to show potential for a substantial contribution to sustainable energy production. In miscanthus combustion, 2.0% to 3.5% of the mass of the fuel remains as ash. This ash is less contaminated by heavy metals than ash from wood combustion. The concentrations are well below the typical limit concentrations for use as a soil conditioner on agricultural land and forests. The potassium concentration in the investigated miscanthus ash of 14.1% K2O was significantly higher than the typical concentration of potassium in ashes from wood combustion (3% to 7% K2O). However, in comparison to wood ashes, only very little enrichment of potassium in the fine size fractions of miscanthus ash was found. For most of the other elements, the enrichment in the fine size fractions was also low. Therefore, the production of a potassium-rich material by classification for the production of potassium fertilizer is not feasible. The absence of such an enrichment can be explained on the one hand by the significantly lower combustion temperature in the miscanthus combustion plant and, on the other hand, by the higher molar ratio of K to Cl and the low ratio of K to Si. Thus, the most sensible utilization of miscanthus ash is its direct recycling to the soil such as where the miscanthus plants are grown.
Inverse-System Decoupling Control of DC/DC Converters
Authors: Lu Yimin , Zhu Haimeng , Huang Xianfeng , Lorenz Robert D.
Published: January 2019

Existing large-signal control schemes for DC/DC converters formulate control strategies based primarily on nonlinear control theory, and the associated design and implementation are relatively complex. In this work, a decomposition modeling and inverse-system decoupling control method is proposed for DC/DC converters that operate under large-signal disturbances. First, a large-signal circuit-averaged model for DC/DC converters is established. The proposed control system has a double closed-loop control structure composed of a voltage loop and a current loop. Then, the voltage-loop and current-loop controlled subsystems are decoupled and compensated to first-order integral elements using the inverse system method. Several linear feedback controllers are designed for first-order integral systems under various optimization criteria using the optimal control theory. Simulation and experiment were performed on buck–boost converters with resistive and constant power loads. The results show that under the control of the proposed controller, all systems exhibited excellent dynamic and steady-state performance. The proposed method allows the disturbance control of the DC/DC converter, the dynamic behavior control of the voltage loop, and the current loop to become independent processes. The local controller design follows the classical linear control design method and is a simple and effective large-signal control strategy.
Numerical Simulation Three-Dimensional Nonlinear Seepage in a Pumped-Storage Power Station: Case Study
Authors: Hu Shaohua , Zhou Xinlong , Luo Yi , Zhang Guang
Published: January 2019

Due to high water pressure in the concrete reinforced hydraulic tunnels, surrounding rocks are confronted with nonlinear seepage problem in the pumped storage power station. In this study, to conduct nonlinear seepage numerical simulation, a nonlinear seepage numerical model combining the Forchheimer nonlinear flow theory, the discrete variational inequality formulation of Signorini’s type and an adaptive penalized Heaviside function is established. This numerical seepage model is employed to the seepage analysis of the hydraulic tunnel surrounding rocks in the Yangjiang pumped-storage power station, which is the highest water pressure tunnel under construction in China. Moreover, the permeability of the surrounding rocks under high water pressure is determined by high pressure packer test and its approximate analytical model. It is shown that the flow in the surrounding rocks is particularly prone to become nonlinear as a result of the high flow velocities and hydraulic gradients in the nearby of the seepage-control measures and the high permeability fault. The nonlinear flow theory generates smaller flow rate than the Darcy flow theory. With the increase of nonlinear flow, this observation would become more remarkable.
Application of Spectral Kurtosis to Characterize Amplitude Variability in Power Systems’ Harmonics
Authors: Sierra-Fernández Jose-María , Rönnberg Sarah , González de la Rosa Juan-José , H. J. Bollen Math , Palomares-Salas José-Carlos
Published: January 2019

The highly-changing concept of Power Quality (PQ) needs to be continuously reformulated due to the new schemas of the power grid or Smart Grid (SG). In general, the spectral content is characterized by their averaged or extreme values. However, new PQ events may consist of large variations in amplitude that occur in a short time or small variations in amplitude that take place continuously. Thus, the former second-order techniques are not suitable to monitor the dynamics of the power spectrum. In this work, a strategy based on Spectral Kurtosis (SK) is introduced to detect frequency components with a constant amplitude trend, which accounts for amplitude values’ dispersion related to the mean value of that spectral component. SK has been proven to measure frequency components that follow a constant amplitude trend. Two practical real-life cases have been considered: electric current time-series from an arc furnace and the power grid voltage supply. Both cases confirm that the more concentrated the amplitude values are around the mean value, the lower the SK values are. All this confirms SK as an effective tool for evaluating frequency components with a constant amplitude trend, being able to provide information beyond maximum variation around the mean value and giving a progressive index of value dispersion around the mean amplitude value, for each frequency component.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Energies in 2018
Authors:   Energies Editorial Office
Published: January 2019

Rigorous peer-review is the corner-stone of high-quality academic publishing[...]
Distributed Settlement of Frequency Regulation Based on a Battery Energy Storage System
Authors: Lin Houfei , Jin Jianxin , Lin Qidai , Li Bo , Wei Chengzhi , Kang Wenfa , Chen Minyou
Published: January 2019

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) have wide applicability for frequency regulation services in power systems, owing to their fast response and flexibility. In this paper, a distributed method for frequency regulation based on the BESS is proposed, where the method includes two layers. The upper layer is a communication network composed of agents, which is used to transmit and process information, whilst the bottom layer comprises the power system with the BESS, which provides a frequency regulation service for the system. Furthermore, a set of fully distributed control laws for the BESS are derived from the proposed distributed method, where economic power dispatch and frequency recovery are simultaneously achieved. Finally, simulations were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the system frequency regulation and economic power dispatch are achieved after considering the limits of the battery state of charge and communication delays.
Speed Control for Turbine-Generator of ORC Power Generation System and Experimental Implementation
Authors: Park Hyung-Seok , Heo Hong-Jun , Choi Bum-Seog , Kim Kyung Chun , Kim Jang-Mok
Published: January 2019

This paper presents a rotation speed estimation and an indirect speed control method for a turbine-generator in a grid-connected 3-phase electrical power conversion system of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) generation system. In addition to the general configuration mechanism and control techniques that are required in the grid-connected ORC power generation system, the indirect speed control method using the grid-side electric power control and the speed estimation method is proposed for the proper speed control of turbine-generators. The speed estimation method utilizes a digital phase-locked loop (PLL) method that uses a state observer to detect the positive-sequence voltages. A 10 kW system where a Motor-Generator set is used as a turbine simulator and a 23 kW actual system for the grid-connected ORC power generation were designed and manufactured, respectively. This paper includes various experimental results obtained from field tests conducted on actual installed ORC systems.
Linear Optimisation of a Settlement Towards the Energy-Plus House Standard
Authors: Slonski Matthias , Schrag Tobias
Published: January 2019

Future buildings will use technologies that are either well-known, innovative, or a combination thereof in order to be environmentally friendly and feasible at the same time. To evaluate and compare such systems through simulation, adaptive tools need to be available. This paper describes a conceived method for planning quarters and settlements. The novelty of this work emerges from the combination of a building simulation with a linear economic optimisation of the energy system, to achieve the energy-plus house standard for a settlement. Furthermore, the tools applied are adaptive or open source. In this article, a hypothetical basic example is given for a predefined idealised settlement, which consists of 132 single-family houses of one building type. The hourly demand for electrical energy and heat is established for three energy-efficiency classes for the building type with a dynamic simulation in MATLAB/SIMULINK using the CARNOT toolbox. This toolbox is also used to calculate the specific electrical energy production by photovoltaics. The components for the energy system of the settlement are implemented in the open source linear optimisation tool URBS. An economic optimum for the energy system of the settlement is found for each of the energy efficiency classes for an accumulated energy demand of the buildings. In this way, a lossless energy hub between the buildings is assumed. The results of the conducted simulations indicate that the optimal ratio of air/water to ground/water heat pumps shifts towards air/water heat pumps with more energy efficient houses. This is due to the lower specific investment costs, which outweigh the operational costs when less energy is required. The lowest costs for the entire energy system are for the one with the most energy efficient settlement. This is the case, as the costs for the higher energy standard of the buildings are not considered in the calculations. The behaviour of the optimisation is tested and discussed through a sensitivity analysis for one efficiency class. By presenting this simple, comprehensible example, an impression of the possible applications for this methodology is conveyed.
Design and Analysis of Non-Isolated Three-Port SEPIC Converter for Integrating Renewable Energy Sources
Authors: Anuradha C. , Chellammal N. , Saquib Maqsood Md , Vijayalakshmi S.
Published: January 2019

An efficient way of synthesizing a three port non-isolated converter from a single-ended primary inductor converter (SEPIC) is proposed in this paper. The primary SEPIC converter is split into a source cell and a load cell. Two such source cells are integrated through direct current (DC) link capacitors with a common load cell to generate a three-port SEPIC converter. The derived converter features single-stage power conversion with reduced structural complexity and bidirectional power flow capability. For bidirectional power flow, it incorporates a battery along with an auxiliary photovoltaic source. Mathematical analyses were carried out to describe the operating principles and design considerations. Experiments were performed on an in-house-built prototype three-port unidirectional converter, and the results are presented to validate the feasibility of the designed converter.
Determination of Transient Fluid Temperature and Thermal Stresses in Pressure Thick-Walled Elements Using a New Design Thermometer
Authors: Jaremkiewicz Magdalena , Taler Dawid , Dzierwa Piotr , Taler Jan
Published: January 2019

In both conventional and nuclear power plants, the high thermal load of thick-walled elements occurs during start-up and shutdown. Therefore, thermal stresses should be determined on-line during plant start-up to avoid shortening the lifetime of critical pressure elements. It is necessary to know the fluid temperature and heat transfer coefficient on the internal surface of the elements, which vary over time to determine transient temperature distribution and thermal stresses in boilers critical pressure elements. For this reason, accurate measurement of transient fluid temperature is very significant, and the correct determination of transient thermal stresses depends to a large extent on it. However, thermometers used in power plants are not able to measure the transient fluid temperature with adequate accuracy due to their massive housing and high thermal inertia. The article aims to present a new technique of measuring transient superheated steam temperature and the results of its application on a real object.
First-Principles Study of the Structural Stability and Dynamic Properties of Li2MSiO4 (M = Mn, Co, Ni) Polymorphs
Authors: Vajeeston Ponniah , Bianchini Federico , Fjellvåg Helmer
Published: January 2019

In recent years, the scientific community has shown an increasing interest in regards to the investigation of novel materials for the intercalation of lithium atoms, suitable for application as cathodes in the new generations of Li-ion batteries. Within this framework, we have computed the relative structural stability, the electronic structure, the elastic and dynamic properties of Li2MSiO4 compounds (M = Mn, Co, Ni) by means of first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The so-obtained structural parameters of the examined phases are in agreement with previous reports. The energy differences between different polymorphs are found to be small, and most of these structures are dynamically stable. The band structures and density of states are computed to analyse the electronic properties and characterise the chemical bonding. The single crystal elastic constants are calculated for all the examined modifications, proving their mechanical stability. These Li2MSiO4 materials are found to present a ductile behaviour upon deformation. The diffusion coefficients of Li ions, calculated at room temperature for all the examined modifications, reveal a poor conductivity for this class of materials.
Variation in Photosynthetic Traits and Correlation with Growth in Teak (Tectona grandis Linn.) Clones
Authors: Huang Guihua , Liang Kunnan , Zhou Zaizhi , Yang Guang , Muralidharan Enarth Maviton
Published: January 2019

In order to interpret the patterns of genetic variation of photosynthesis and the relationships with growth traits within gene resources of teak (Tectona grandis Linn.), gas exchange, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, growth traits of plants in nursery and field trials were measured for 20 teak clones originated from different countries. The results show that there was abundant genetic variation in gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, and growth among the teak clones. The measured traits were found to have generally high heritability (h2) except for intercellular concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) (Ci). The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), seedling height, and individual volume of wood were significantly correlated with each other, and seedling height was significantly correlated with plant height in field trials, suggesting that Pn and seedling height can be useful in teak breeding. Teak clones 7029, 71-5, 7219, 7412, and 7122, and provenances 3070, 3074, and 3071 had higher photosynthetic rates, and can be regarded as a key resource in teak improvement programs. This work provides useful information for teak breeding and germplasm resource management.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Tropical Forests: Management and Ecology in the Anthropocene
Authors: Lugo Ariel E. , González Grizelle
Published: January 2019

This Special Issue of Forests is based on papers presented at the 75th anniversary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry as well as other papers relevant to the topic of the Special Issue. The Institute is but one leg of a conservation relay among cultures and institutions that began in Puerto Rico a millennium ago. The Institute began operations in 1939 and celebrated its 75th anniversary on May, 2014. Over its 75 years of operation, the Institute has focused its research on tropical forests, with the scope of the research expanding over the years. An analysis of the lines of research of the Institute showed that over its history about 69 lines of research have been established and that of the original 17 lines of research between 1939 and 1949, all but one remained active in 2014. This history and continuity of the research program has allowed the Institute to observe ecological phenomena over decades, including the evolving forest structure and functioning on degraded land restoration experiments that began before the formal establishment of the Institute and are now over 80 years old.
Growth and Needle Properties of Young Pinus koraiensis Sieb. et Zucc. Trees across an Elevational Gradient
Authors: Fan Ying , Moser W. Keith , Cheng Yanxia
Published: January 2019

A better understanding of the response of plant growth to elevational gradients may shed light on how plants respond to environmental variation and on the physiological mechanisms underlying these responses. This study analyzed whole plant growth and physiological and morphological properties of needles in young Pinus koraiensis Sieb. et Zucc. trees at thirteen points along an elevational gradient ranging from 750 to 1350 m above sea level (a.s.l.) at the end of a growing season on Changbai Mountain in northeastern China. Sampling and analyses indicated the following; (1) many needle properties of P. koraiensis varied with forest type along the elevational gradient though some needle properties (e.g., intrinsic water use efficiency, concentration of chlorophyll, and leaf mass per area) did not change with elevation and forest types; (2) growth was significantly influenced by both forest type and elevation and growth of saplings in P. koraiensis and mixed broadleaved forests was greater than that in evergreen forests and increased with elevation in both forest types; (3) in P. koraiensis and mixed broadleaved forests, there were significant correlations between growth properties and light saturation point, leaf water potential, mean within-crown humidity, annual precipitation, cumulative temperature (≥5 ∘ C), within-crown air temperature, and atmospheric pressure; while in evergreen forests, the leaf C, leaf P content, net rate of light saturation in photosynthesis, water content of soil, within-crown humidity, annual precipitation, cumulative temperature (≥5 ∘ C), within-crown air temperature, and total soil P content displayed a significant relationship with plant growth. These results may help illuminate how P. koraiensis responds to environmental variation and evaluate the adaptive potential of Pinus koraiensis to climate change. Data presented here could also contribute to the more accurate estimation of carbon stocks in this area and to refinement of a plant trait database.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Fermentation in 2018
Authors:   Fermentation Editorial Office
Published: January 2019

Rigorous peer-review is the corner-stone of high-quality academic publishing. [...]
Quality Ingredients and Safety Concerns for Traditional Fermented Foods and Beverages from Asia: A Review
Authors: Anal Anil Kumar
Published: January 2019

Fermented foods and beverages serve as vehicles for beneficial microorganisms that play an important role in human health and remain the oldest prevalent means of food processing and preservation. Traditional fermented foods are popular in Asia for their nutritional balance and food security. Techniques for preserving cereals, vegetables, and meat products are well developed in many Asian countries. Due to their cultural and nutritional significance, many of these foods have been studied in detail and their quality and safety have also been improved. These fermented foods and beverages provide benefits through enhanced nutritional content, digestibility, microbial stability, and detoxification. They represent is thus one of the most affordable and suitable methods to maintain hygiene condition and food quality and security in poor and underdeveloped countries. There is an industrial interest and scope related to traditional fermented foods and beverages in Asia. However, urgent attention is required to improve the quality of the ingredients and the integration of food safety management systems for industrial growth.
Free-Flowing Shear-Thinning Liquid Film in Inclined μ-Channels
Authors: Koupa Angeliki T. , Stergiou Yorgos G. , Mouza Aikaterini A.
Published: January 2019

Among the most important variables in the design of falling film microreactors (FFMRs) is the liquid film thickness as well as the gas/liquid interfacial area, which dictate the mass and heat transfer rates. In a previous work conducted in our lab the characteristics of a free-falling Newtonian liquid film have been studied and appropriate correlations have been proposed. In this work the geometrical characteristics of a non-Newtonian shear thinning liquid, flowing in an inclined open microchannel, have been experimentally investigated and design correlations that can predict with reasonable accuracy the features of a FFMR have been proposed. The test section used was an open μ-channel with square cross section (WO = 1200 μm) made of brass which can be set to various inclination angles. The liquid film characteristics were measured by a non-intrusive technique that is based on the features of a micro Particle Image Velocimetry (μ-PIV) system. Relevant computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations revealed that the volume average dynamic viscosity over the flow domain is practically the same as the corresponding asymptotic viscosity value, which can thus be used in the proposed design equations. Finally, a generalized algorithm for the design of FFMRs, containing non-Newtonian shear thinning liquids, is suggested.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Fluids in 2018
Authors:   Fluids Editorial Office
Published: January 2019

Rigorous peer-review is the corner-stone of high-quality academic publishing [...]
The Determination of Some Microbiological and Chemical Features in Herby Cheese
Authors: Ekici Kamil , Okut Hayrettin , Isleyici Ozgur , Sancak Yakup Can , Tuncay Rabia Mehtap
Published: January 2019

The objective of this study is to measure the amounts of biogenic amines, microbial counts, values of pH, titratable acidity, dry matter, and salt (%) in herby cheese, a very popular staple in the Turkish diet, and to evaluate the concentration of biogenic amines in terms of public health risks. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was used for the determination of eight biogenic amines in 100 herby cheeses sold in the local markets of Van. The bacterial load of the herby cheeses ranged between 4.0 and 8.90 log CFU/g for viable total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB), <1 and 7.0 log CFU/g for lactic bacteria (LAB), <1 and 6.08 log CFU/g for coliform bacteria, <1 and 5.81 log CFU/g for Enterobacteriaceae, <1 and 2.60 log CFU/g for Staphylococcus aureus, and 3.70 and 8.05 log CFU/g for yeasts and molds. The results obtained suggested significant changes in the pH, titratable acidity, dry matter, and salt contents of the examined herby cheese samples. The detection levels of biogenic amines in the samples ranged from <0.025 to 33.36 mg/kg for tryptamine, from <0.038 to 404.57 mg/kg for β-phenylethylamine, from 0.03 to 426.35 mg/kg for putrescine, from <0.039 to 1438.22 mg/kg for cadaverine, from <0.033 to 469 mg/kg for histamine, from <0.309 to 725.21 mg/kg for tyramine, from <0.114 to 1.70 mg/kg for spermidine, and from <0.109 to 1.88 mg/kg for spermine. As a result, these cheeses are fit for consumption in terms of the amounts of biogenic amines they contain.
Characterisation of Uruguayan Honeys by Multi-Elemental Analyses as a Basis to Assess Their Geographical Origin
Authors: Berriel Verónica , Barreto Patricia , Perdomo Carlos
Published: January 2019

In this work, we evaluated the possibility of predicting the geographic origin of Uruguayan honeys using discriminant analysis (DA) on mineral concentration. Although the DA results appeared to discriminate between honeys from the south, central and north, the subsequent cross-validation analysis did not confirm this result. We also compared honeys from Uruguay and the Buenos Aires province (Argentina) using DA on mineral composition data. In this case, a clear difference between these two origins was observed. It seems possible to differentiate between Uruguayan honeys and those produced in a neighbouring country based on multivariate statistical methods.
High KRT8 Expression Independently Predicts Poor Prognosis for Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients
Authors: Xie Longxiang , Dang Yifang , Guo Jinshuai , Sun Xiaoxiao , Xie Tiantian , Zhang Lu , Yan Zhongyi , Amin Hamel , Guo Xiangqian
Published: January 2019

Keratin 8 (KRT8), a type II basic intermediate filament (IF) protein, is essential for the development and metastasis of various cancers. In this study, by analyzing RNA-seq data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), we have determined the expression profile of KRT8, and assessed its prognostic significance and the possible mechanism underlying the dysregulation. Our results showed that KRT8 mRNA expression was significantly up-regulated in both LUAD and LUSC tissues compared with normal lung tissues. The high KRT8 expression group for LUAD patients significantly reduced overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that KRT8 expression was an independent prognostic indicator for poor OS and RFS in LUAD patients. However, KRT8 expression had no prognostic value in terms of OS and RFS for LUSC. By exploring DNA copy number alterations (CNAs) of the KRT8 gene in LUAD, we found that DNA low copy gain (+1 and +2) was associated with elevated KRT8 mRNA expression. From the above findings, we have deduced that KRT8 is aberrantly expressed in LUAD tissues and that its expression might independently predict poor OS and RFS for LUAD patients, but not for LUSC patients.
Insights into the Oroville Dam 2017 Spillway Incident
Authors: Koskinas Aristotelis , Tegos Aristoteles , Tsira Penelope , Dimitriadis Panayiotis , Iliopoulou Theano , Papanicolaou Panos , Koutsoyiannis Demetris , Williamson Tracey
Published: January 2019

In February 2017, a failure occurring in Oroville Dam’s main spillway risked causing severe damages downstream. A unique aspect of this incident was the fact that it happened during a flood scenario well within its design and operational procedures, prompting research into its causes and determining methods to prevent similar events from reoccurring. In this study, a hydroclimatic analysis of Oroville Dam’s catchment is conducted, along with a review of related design and operational manuals. The data available allows for the comparison of older flood-frequency analyses to new alternative methods proposed in this paper and relevant literature. Based on summary characteristics of the 2017 floods, possible causes of the incident are outlined, in order to understand which factors contributed more significantly. It turns out that the event was most likely the result of a structural problem in the dam’s main spillway and detrimental geological conditions, but analysis of surface level data also reveals operational issues that were not present during previous larger floods, promoting a discussion about flood control design methods, specifications, and dam inspection procedures, and how these can be improved to prevent a similar event from occurring in the future.
Public Hospitals in China: Is There a Variation in Patient Experience with Inpatient Care
Authors: Wang Wenhua , Loban Ekaterina (Katya) , Dionne Emilie
Published: January 2019

In China, public hospitals are the main provider of inpatient service. The Chinese public hospital reform has recently shifted towards health care organizations and delivery to improve health care quality. This study analyzes the variation of one of the dimensions of health care quality, patient-centeredness, among inpatients with different socioeconomic status and geographical residency in China. 1471 respondents who received inpatient care in public hospitals were included in our analysis. Patient-centeredness performance was assessed on the dimensions of Communication, Autonomy, Dignity, and Confidentiality. Variations of inpatient experience were estimated using binary logistic regression models according to: residency, region, age, gender, education, income quintile, self-rated health, and number of hospital admissions. Our results indicate that older patients, and patients living in rural areas and Eastern China are more likely to report positive experience of their public hospital stay according to the care aspects of Dignity, Communication, Confidentiality and Autonomy. However, there remains a gap between China and other countries in relation to inpatient experience. Noticeable disparities in inpatient experience also persist between different geographical regions in China. These variations of patient experience pose a challenge that China’s health policy makers would need to consider in their future reform efforts.
Interactive and Online Buffer-Overlay Analytics of Large-Scale Spatial Data
Authors: Ma Mengyu , Wu Ye , Chen Luo , Li Jun , Jing Ning
Published: January 2019

Buffer and overlay analysis are fundamental operations which are widely used in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for resource allocation, land planning, and other relevant fields. Real-time buffer and overlay analysis for large-scale spatial data remains a challenging problem because the computational scales of conventional data-oriented methods expand rapidly with data volumes. In this paper, we present HiBO, a visualization-oriented buffer-overlay analysis model which is less sensitive to data volumes. In HiBO, the core task is to determine the value of pixels for display. Therefore, we introduce an efficient spatial-index-based buffer generation method and an effective set-transformation-based overlay optimization method. Moreover, we propose a fully optimized hybrid-parallel processing architecture to ensure the real-time capability of HiBO. Experiments on real-world datasets show that our approach is capable of handling ten-million-scale spatial data in real time. An online demonstration of HiBO is provided (http://www.higis.org.cn:8080/hibo).
A Comparison of Standard Modeling Techniques Using Digital Aerial Imagery with National Elevation Datasets and Airborne LiDAR to Predict Size and Density Forest Metrics in the Sapphire Mountains MT, USA
Authors: Ahl Robert , Hogland John , Brown Steve
Published: January 2019

In recent years airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has received a great deal of attention. Using airborne LiDAR, analysts have successfully related height measurements to forest characteristics such as tree size, basal area, and number of trees. Similarly, National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) digital aerial imagery in combination with elevation datasets such as the National Elevation Dataset (NED) have been used to estimate similar forest characteristics. Few comparisons, however, have been made between using airborne LiDAR, NAIP, and NED to estimate forest characteristics. In this study we compare airborne LiDAR, NAIP, and NAIP assisted NED based models of forest characteristics commonly used within forest management at the spatial scale of field plots and forest stands. Our findings suggest that there is a high degree of similarity in model fit and estimated values when using LiDAR, NAIP, and NAIP assisted NED predictor variables.