bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Blockchain technology in the workflow system of higher education institutions
Authors: Vasiuta V. , Buniak M.
Published: May 2019

The article presents the results of a study of the theoretical foundations of the Blockchain technology. The analysis of the organization structure of its units and the principles of the system. Algorithms of smart contracts are considered and their advantages and disadvantages are analyzed. The purpose of the study is that based on the analysis of the theoretical foundations of building systems using blockchain technology and introducing them into various areas, to propose a system model using smart contracts on the Etherium platform for use in the workflow system in institutions of higher education. Convenient web interfaces for managing the creation of a contract and a module for the interaction of smart contracts with a Web application have been developed.
The management of an institution of higher education, namely, a department, faculty or institute, involves the correct and timely preparation of various documentation, in which the documentation on student learning outcomes holds a special place. On its basis various financial and reporting documents are being prepared. To this end, institutions of higher education are introducing workflow system and office automation systems to manage the processing of documents, as well as to organize control over the implementation of these processes. The paper proposes the introduction of a blockchain system on the Ethereum platform using smart contracts written in the Solidity language. Solidity is a tool that is used to create machine-level code that can be run on an Ethereum Virtual Machine. Solidity allows you to create and execute a smart contract without requiring centralized or trusted parties. The use of such technologies makes it possible to significantly reduce the number of paper-based information carriers and, to a significant extent, further automate the existing the workflow system in institutions of higher education.
The proposed system is a part of the workflow system of institutions of higher education, which is designed to automate the process of passing documents related to taking into account and submitting to the dean's office of the faculty or the institute the results of the final controls on academic disciplines or the results of retake of tests and exams. This process requires a large number of documents on paper. The proposed system is deployed in the local computer network of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Information Technologies and Mechatronics of Poltava National Technical Yuri Kondratyuk University and is being tested. The results allow us to draw conclusions about the reduction in the number of paper documents; time to obtain permits. In addition, the level of reliability and protection of information transmitted to the administration of the faculty or institute for further processing has increased. In the future, it is planned to introduce the proposed system for document flow automation for all institutes and faculties of the Poltava National Technical Yuri Kondratyuk University.
Blather, Razzle and Dada: Contextualizing Brian O'Nolan's Early Journalism
Authors: Harris Tobias
Published: May 2019

This essay develops recent critical discussions of Brian O'Nolan's short-lived comic periodical, Blather, by further contextualizing the magazine amidst the popular and avant-garde print culture of its period. First, I undertake a detailed comparison of Blather with the English comic periodical Razzle, revealing the features which are lifted directly from this model and exploring the significance of Razzle's use of metaleptic humour for O'Nolan's work more widely. Subsequently, I place Blather in the context of the publications and activities of the Berlin Dadaists and specifically their magazine Der Dada. I propose three characteristics it shares with Blather: what I term the ‘extended identity trope’; the subversion of popular culture with photomontage techniques; and an engagement with the creative possibilities of advertising. In conclusion, I propose that these contexts shed light on the cohabitation of modernist experimentation and a popular orientation which characterises Blather and O'Nolan's wider literary project.
Effects of Intellectual Disability on Gross Motor Function and Health Related Quality of Life in Cerebral Palsy
Authors: UNVER Banu , ERDEM Emin Ulas
Published: May 2019

Objective: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a common developmental disorder which causes intellectual and motor disability, and affects quality of life. The aim of this study was to reveal the effect of intellectual disability (ID) on motor function and quality of life in CP.Methods: Twenty-seven children with CP were divided into two groups as with or without ID. Motor function and health related quality of life was evaluated with Gross Motor Function Measurement–88 (GMFM-88) and Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form 50 (CHQ-PF50) respectively.Results: All dimensions of GMFM-88 and most of the dimensions of CHQ-PF50 were lower in children with ID compared to those without ID (p<0.05).Conclusion: ID seems to have a disruptive effect on motor function and health related quality of life in CP. Adding approaches to improve the cognitive status to the CP rehabilitation program may be beneficial for motor function and quality of life.
HOW DO I WRITE POETRY? INVESTIGATING STUDENTS’ CREATIVITY IN WRITING POETRY
Authors: Sulastri Fera , Pujasari Ratu Sarah
Published: May 2019

Puisi adalah salah satu karya sastra. Dalam konteks EFL, puisi diyakini dapat meningkatkan kreativitas siswa, berfikir kritis dan keterampilan bahasa, terutama membaca dan menulis. Kelas menulis kreatif disediakan sebagai tempat siswa belajar tentang puisi. Salah satu kegiatannya adalah proyek menulis puisi. Berdasarkan hasil, ada prestasi yang baik yang diperoleh siswa. Mereka menulis puisi secara kreatif dalam berbagai tema. Selain itu, umpan balik positif juga diberikan oleh siswa tentang bagaimana mereka akhirnya suka membaca. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menyelidiki kreativitas siswa dalam menulis puisi dan tantangan yang dihadapi selama proses penulisan. Metode yang dilakukan dalam penelitian ini berupa studi kasus. Lima dari tiga puluh siswa yang memperoleh nilai terbaik menjadi partisipan. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan dokumentasi dan juga interview yang dilakukan dua kali. Adapun teknik analisi yang digunakan adalah dokumentasi dan analysis tematik. hasil dari penelitian ini terungkap bahwa kreatifitas siswa sangat bervariasi dilihat dari dua aspek,; yakni pemilihan isi, struktur , language play, serta konektifitas antara gambar dan puisi yang dihasilkan. Selain itu, ada 2 tantangan yang dihadapi siwa dalam proses penulisan puisi; yaitu hambatan kosakata dan juga ide dan konsep yang terbatas.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY: GENETIC STRUCTURALISM ON JANE EYRE AND THE GREAT GATSBY
Authors: Kobis Dewi Christa
Published: May 2019

This study is comparative study which compares Jane Eyre and the Great Gatsby by using Genetic Structuralism. These two novels were written and published from different period. Different period commonly produces different culture, tradition, habit, work, creation, effort, and even different masterpiece. Most people claim that as the time goes by, the old ones will be replaced by the youths, and everything which had been done in the past, might not be done anymore in the present or even in the future. In fact, it is necessary to dig more about the history itself to know how the people at particular period live and how they contribute a society. This study is compiled as a research to study about the characteristic of the society when the novels has been published and the period when the author of the literary works lived while mainly discussed about how different periods create different kind of stories. It also mainly focuses to take a glance on how society impacts the authors’ thought and perception to create such literary works.
Triplet Loss Network for Unsupervised Domain Adaptation
Authors: Bekkouch Imad Eddine Ibrahim , Youssry Youssef , Gafarov Rustam , Khan Adil , Khattak Asad Masood
Published: May 2019

Domain adaptation is a sub-field of transfer learning that aims at bridging the dissimilarity gap between different domains by transferring and re-using the knowledge obtained in the source domain to the target domain. Many methods have been proposed to resolve this problem, using techniques such as generative adversarial networks (GAN), but the complexity of such methods makes it hard to use them in different problems, as fine-tuning such networks is usually a time-consuming task. In this paper, we propose a method for unsupervised domain adaptation that is both simple and effective. Our model (referred to as TripNet) harnesses the idea of a discriminator and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) to push the encoder to generate domain-invariant features that are category-informative. At the same time, pseudo-labelling is used for the target data to train the classifier and to bring the same classes from both domains together. We evaluate TripNet against several existing, state-of-the-art methods on three image classification tasks: Digit classification (MNIST, SVHN, and USPC datasets), object recognition (Office31 dataset), and traffic sign recognition (GTSRB and Synthetic Signs datasets). Our experimental results demonstrate that (i) TripNet beats almost all existing methods (having a similar simple model like it) on all of these tasks; and (ii) for models that are significantly more complex (or hard to train) than TripNet, it even beats their performance in some cases. Hence, the results confirm the effectiveness of using TripNet for unsupervised domain adaptation in image classification.
Innovating the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Phase through Digitalization
Authors: Esposito Marco , Lazoi Mariangela , Margarito Antonio , Quarta Lorenzo
Published: May 2019

Improving processes in a company starts from a deep knowledge of the current context, of the needs for improvement and of the objectives to be satisfied. Sometimes, traditional processes can benefit from a techno-organizational innovation that changes the way of work by introducing new routines and solutions. The service industry related to maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is characterized by performance linked with the knowledge about the components involved. The emerging technologies and the need for enhanced competitiveness has led to transform and innovate this kind of industry, introducing changes in organizational and technological aspects. MRO processes are characterized by high variability, caused by the uncertainty about the arrival status of a part to be maintained and the intervention needed. The management of MRO processes is, thus, one of the most important challenges for the research community. This paper aims to describe the result of a study carried out by university researchers and industrial engineers of an aerospace company. The proposed solution, the applied approach and expected impacts and benefits are described in the paper in order to lead future activities in the managerial and academic fields.
Road Network and the Spatial Distribution of Wildfires in the Valencian Community (1993–2015)
Authors: Zambon Ilaria , Cerdà Artemi , Cudlin Pavel , Serra Pere , Pili Silvia , Salvati Luca
Published: May 2019

Understanding the role of wildfire drivers is essential to implement more effective prevention strategies at the regional scale and to promote specific mitigation actions at the local scale. By considering municipalities as the elementary analysis domain, the present study investigates the spatial distribution of wildfires (1993–2015) in the Valencian Community, a Mediterranean fire-prone area with variable climate regimes, heterogeneous landscapes and increasing human pressure. Assuming that a denser road network increases the probability of wildfire occurrence, results of a quantitative analysis exploring the relationship between spatial location of ignition points and roads were presented. The empirical findings of this study contribute to ascertain the role of roads as a direct (or indirect) cause of wildfires in the Mediterranean region.
Detection of Spatial and Temporal Variability of Wheat Cultivars by High-Resolution Vegetation Indices
Authors: Marino Stefano , Alvino Arturo
Published: May 2019

An on-farm research study was carried out on two small-plots cultivated with two cultivars of durum wheat (Odisseo and Ariosto). The paper presents a theoretical approach for investigating frequency vegetation indices (VIs) in different areas of the experimental plot for early detection of agronomic spatial variability. Four flights were carried out with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to calculate high-resolution normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and optimized soil-adjusted vegetation index (OSAVI) images. Ground agronomic data (biomass, leaf area index (LAI), spikes, plant height, and yield) have been linked to the vegetation indices (VIs) at different growth stages. Regression coefficients of all samplings data were highly significant for both the cultivars and VIs at anthesis and tillering stage. At harvest, the whole plot (W) data were analyzed and compared with two sub-areas characterized by high agronomic performance (H) yield 20% higher than the whole plot, and low performances (L), about 20% lower of yield related to the whole plot). The whole plot and two sub-areas were analyzed backward in time comparing the VIs frequency curves. At anthesis, more than 75% of the surface of H sub-areas showed a VIs value higher than the L sub-plot. The differences were evident also at the tillering and seedling stages, when the 75% (third percentile) of VIs H data was over the 50% (second percentile) of the W curve and over the 25% (first percentile) of L sub-plot. The use of high-resolution images for analyzing the frequency value of VIs in different areas can be a useful approach for the detection of agronomic constraints for precision agriculture purposes.
Assessment of the Standardized Precipitation and Evaporation Index (SPEI) as a Potential Management Tool for Grasslands
Authors: Starks Patrick J. , Steiner Jean L. , Neel James P. S. , Turner Kenneth E. , Northup Brian K. , Gowda Prasanna H. , Brown Michael A.
Published: May 2019

Early warning of detrimental weather and climate (particularly drought) on forage production would allow for tactical decision-making for the management of pastures, supplemental feed/forage resources, and livestock. The standardized precipitation and evaporation index (SPEI) has been shown to be correlated with production of various cereal and vegetable crops, and with above-ground tree mass. Its correlation with above-ground grassland or forage mass (AGFM) is less clear. To investigate the utility of SPEI for assessing future biomass status, we used biomass data from a site on the Konza Prairie (KP; for years 1984–1991) and from a site at the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service’s (USDA-ARS) Grazinglands Research Laboratory (GRL; for years 2009–2015), and a publicly-available SPEI product. Using discriminant analysis and artificial neural networks (ANN), we analyzed the monthly timescale SPEI to categorize AGFM into above average, average, and below average conditions for selected months in the grazing season. Assessment of the confusion matrices from the analyses suggested that the ANN better predicted class membership from the SPEI than did the discriminant analysis. Within-site cross validation of the ANNs revealed classification errors ranging from 0 to 50%, depending upon month of class prediction and study site. Across-site ANN validation indicated that the GRL ANN algorithm better predicted KP AGFM class membership than did the KP ANN prediction of GRL AGFM class membership; however, misclassification rates were ≥25% in all months. The ANN developed from the combined datasets exhibited cross-validation misclassification rates of ≤20% for three of the five months being predicted, with the remaining two months having misclassification rates of 33%. Redefinition of the AGFM classes to identify truly adequate AGFM (i.e., average to above average forage availability) improved prediction accuracy. In this regard, results suggest that the SPEI has potential for use as a predictive tool for classifying AGFM, and, thus, for grassland and livestock management. However, a more comprehensive investigation that includes a larger dataset, or combinations of datasets representing other areas, and inclusion of a bi-weekly SPEI may provide additional insights into the usefulness of the SPEI as an indicator for biomass production.
Use of Carbonized Fallen Leaves of Jatropha Curcas L. as a Soil Conditioner for Acidic and Undernourished Soil
Authors: Konaka Takafumi , Yabuta Shin , Mazereku Charles , Kawamitsu Yoshinobu , Tsujimoto Hisashi , Ueno Masami , Akashi Kinya
Published: May 2019

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.) represents a renewable bioenergy source in arid regions, where it is used to produce not only biodiesel from the seed oil, but also various non-oil biomass products, such as fertilizer, from the seed cake following oil extraction from the seeds. Jatropha plants also generate large amounts of fallen leaves during the cold or drought season, but few studies have examined the utilization of this litter biomass. Therefore, in this study, we produced biochar from the fallen leaves of jatropha using a simple and economical carbonizer that was constructed from a standard 200 L oil drum, which would be suitable for use in rural communities, and evaluated the use of the generated biochar as a soil conditioner for the cultivation of Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla “Fordhook Giant”) as a model vegetable in an acidic and undernourished soil in Botswana. Biochar application improved several growth parameters of Swiss chard, such as the total leaf area. In addition, the dry weights of the harvested shoots were 1.57, 1.88, and 2.32 fold higher in plants grown in soils containing 3%, 5%, and 10% biochar, respectively, compared with non-applied soil, suggesting that the amount of biochar applied to the soil was positively correlated with yield. Together, these observations suggest that jatropha fallen leaf biochar could function as a soil conditioner to enhance crop productivity.
Evaluating the Impacts of Continuous and Rotational Grazing on Tallgrass Prairie Landscape Using High-Spatial-Resolution Imagery
Authors: Ma Shengfang , Zhou Yuting , Gowda Prasanna H. , Chen Liangfu , Starks Patrick J. , Steiner Jean L. , Neel James P. S.
Published: May 2019

This study evaluated the impacts of different grazing treatments (continuous (C) and rotational (R) grazing) on tallgrass prairie landscape, using high-spatial-resolution aerial imagery (1-m at RGB and near-infrared bands) of experimental C and R pastures within two replicates (Rep A and Rep B) in the southern Great Plains (SGP) of the United States. The imagery was acquired by the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) during the agricultural growing season of selected years (2010, 2013, 2015, and 2017) in the continental United States. Land cover maps were generated by combining visual interpolation, a support vector machine, and a decision tree classifier. Landscape metrics (class area, patch number, percentage of landscape, and fragmentation indices) were calculated from the FRAGSTATS (a computer software program designed to compute a wide variety of landscape metrics for categorical map patterns) based on land cover results. Both the metrics and land cover results were used to analyze landscape dynamics in the experiment pastures. Results showed that both grass and shrubs of different pastures differed largely in the same year and had significant annual dynamics controlled by climate. High stocking intensity delayed grass growth. A large proportion of bare soil occurred in sub-paddocks of rotational grazing that were just grazed or under grazing. Rep A experienced rapid shrub encroachment, with a large proportion of shrub at the beginning of the experiment. Shrub may occupy 41% of C and 15% of R in Rep A by 2030, as revealed by the linear regression analysis of shrub encroachment. In contrast, shrub encroachment was not significant in Rep B, which only had a small number of shrub patches at the beginning of the experiment. This result indicates that the shrub encroachment is mainly controlled by the initial status of the pastures instead of grazing management. However, the low temporal resolution of the NAIP imagery (one snapshot in two or three years) limits our comparison of the continuous and rotational grazing at the annual scale. Future studies need to combine NAIP imagery with other higher temporal resolution imagery (e.g., WorldView), in order to better evaluate the interannual variabilities of grass productivity and shrub encroachment.
Effects of Dietary Taurine Supplementation to Gilts during Late Gestation and Lactation on Offspring Growth and Oxidative Stress
Authors: Xu Mengmeng , Che Long , Gao Kaiguo , Wang Li , Yang Xuefen , Wen Xiaolu , Jiang Zongyong , Wu De
Published: May 2019

Birth is one of the most important events of animal production agriculture, as newborns are abruptly forced to adapt to environmental and nutritional disruptions that can lead to oxidative damage and delay in growth. Taurine (Tau) is an important regulator of oxidative stress and possesses growth-enhancing properties. In the present study, we investigated the effects of dietary Tau supplementation in gilts during late gestation and lactation on the growth performance of piglets by assessing intestinal morphology and barrier function, and oxidative stress status. Sixteen gilts were randomly allocated to the Con (basal diet) and Tau (basal diet with 1% Tau) groups from 75 d of gestation to weaning. Maternal dietary Tau supplementation significantly increased weaning weight and average daily gain weight in piglets. Piglets in the Tau group had higher villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio (VCR), ZO-1 protein expression, and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) content in the jejunum. Meanwhile, Tau bebeficial affected the milk quality of gilts, as indicated by decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and increased total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidative capability (T-AOC), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) activity. Furthermore, Tau supplementation increased T-SOD activity in plasma and SOD2 protein expression in the jejunum in the piglets. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that dietary Tau supplementation to gilts improves growth performance in piglets, owing to improved intestinal morphology and barrier function, as well as inhibition of oxidative stress.
Text Mining Analysis to Evaluate Stakeholders’ Perception Regarding Welfare of Equines, Small Ruminants, and Turkeys
Authors: Dalla Costa Emanuela , Tranquillo Vito , Dai Francesca , Minero Michela , Battini Monica , Mattiello Silvana , Barbieri Sara , Ferrante Valentina , Ferrari Lorenzo , Zanella Adroaldo , Canali Elisabetta
Published: May 2019

Welfare of animals significantly depends on how stakeholders perceive their needs and behave in a way to favor production systems that promote better welfare outcomes. This study aimed at investigating stakeholders’ perception of the welfare of equines, small ruminants, and turkeys using text mining analysis. A survey composed by open-ended questions referring to different aspects of animal welfare was carried out. Text mining analysis was performed. A total of 270 surveys were filled out (horses = 122, sheep = 81, goats = 36, turkeys = 18, donkeys = 13). The respondents (41% veterinarians) came from 32 different countries. To describe welfare requirements, the words “feeding” and “water” were the most frequently used in all the species, meaning that respondents considered the welfare principle “good feeding” as the most relevant. The word “environment” was considered particularly important for turkeys, as well as the word “dry”, never mentioned for other species. Horses stakeholders also considered “exercise” and “proper training” important. Goat stakeholders’ concerns are often expressed by the word “space”, probably because goats are often intensively managed in industrialized countries. Although the sample was too small to be representative, text mining analysis seems to be a promising method to investigate stakeholders’ perception of animal welfare, as it emphasizes their real perception, without the constraints deriving by close-ended questions.
An RF-MEMS-Based Digitally Tunable SIW Filter in X-Band for Communication Satellite Applications
Authors: El Mostrah Abbas , Muller Andrei , Favennec Jean-François , Potelon Benjamin , Manchec Alexandre , Rius Eric , Quendo Cédric , Clavet Yann , Doukhan Francis , Le Nezet Johann
Published: May 2019

This paper presents a digitally tunable SIW (substrate integrated waveguide) filter designed for X-band, based on RF-MEMS (radio frequency micro-electrical-mechanical systems) technology. Four commercial off-the-shelf RF-MEMS single-pole single-throw (SPST) switches were directly mounted on the upper surface of the filter, with metallic tuning posts specifically located within each cavity to define the potential achievable frequency range. Fabricated on standard alumina substrate, the design of the filter and the biasing network enabled fine digital frequency control of up to four functional states by the inclusion of wire bondings between each switch and the substrate. A relative tuning range of 2.3% was achieved between the lower and upper discrete states of 2.76% and 2.89% in the 3 dB fractional bandwidths.
Comprehensive Evaluation of Fatigue Performance of Modified Asphalt Mixtures in Different Fatigue Tests
Authors: Li Kun , Huang Ming , Zhong Haobai , Li Benliang
Published: May 2019

The four-point bending beam fatigue test (4PB), two-point bending trapezoidal beam fatigue test (Trapezoidal Beam), and Overlay Tester (OT) are used to evaluate the fatigue performance of six kinds of asphalt mixtures that are widely used in engineering, and newly developed ones. The result shows that, in all three kinds of fatigue tests, the fatigue performances of the 6% SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer) modified asphalt mixture is the best, and those of the 10% WPE (waxed polyethylene) + 3% SBS, 4% SBS + 0.4% PA610, and 4% SBS modified asphalt mixture are good. The fatigue performances of the warm modified mixing agent and the base asphalt mixture are the worst. An increase in SBS content can effectively improve the fatigue performance of the asphalt mixture. The fatigue performance of the SBS-modified asphalt mixture can be improved by the addition of WPE and PA610. In different tests, the ranking of fatigue performance of the asphalt mixture is similar, and the specific ranking is slightly different. The three different fatigue tests can be used simultaneously to obtain a more comprehensive and objective evaluation in the R&D process for a new modified asphalt. The three fatigue tests process shows that more precise forming and cutting technology is needed, as the strain range used in the 4PB test is very wide, and the number of samples used in each group is small. The preparation of the Trapezoidal Beam test samples is complex; the amount of test data is huge and has high precision, which is suitable for scientific research instead of a field laboratory, and the strain range of the test is moderate in the three methods. The strain range of the OT test is the narrowest; the test specimen is relatively simple to prepare, and the fatigue performance of a specific modified asphalt mixture can be obtained quickly in a simple laboratory.
Complex Human–Object Interactions Analyzer Using a DCNN and SVM Hybrid Approach
Authors: Phyo Cho Nilar , Zin Thi Thi , Tin Pyke
Published: May 2019

Nowadays, with the emergence of sophisticated electronic devices, human daily activities are becoming more and more complex. On the other hand, research has begun on the use of reliable, cost-effective sensors, patient monitoring systems, and other systems that make daily life more comfortable for the elderly. Moreover, in the field of computer vision, human action recognition (HAR) has drawn much attention as a subject of research because of its potential for numerous cost-effective applications. Although much research has investigated the use of HAR, most has dealt with simple basic actions in a simplified environment; not much work has been done in more complex, real-world environments. Therefore, a need exists for a system that can recognize complex daily activities in a variety of realistic environments. In this paper, we propose a system for recognizing such activities, in which humans interact with various objects, taking into consideration object-oriented activity information, the use of deep convolutional neural networks, and a multi-class support vector machine (multi-class SVM). The experiments are performed on a publicly available cornell activity dataset: CAD-120 which is a dataset of human–object interactions featuring ten high-level daily activities. The outcome results show that the proposed system achieves an accuracy of 93.33%, which is higher than other state-of-the-art methods, and has great potential for applications recognizing complex daily activities.
Soft Sensor with Adaptive Algorithm for Filter Gain Correction in the Online Monitoring System of a Polluted River
Authors: Hawro Przemysław , Kwater Tadeusz , Pękala Robert , Twaróg Bogusław
Published: May 2019

This paper proposes the realization of a soft sensor using an adaptive algorithm with proportional correction of the gain coefficient for monitoring river water quality. This algorithm makes it possible to monitor online signals of an object described by nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Simulation studies of a biochemically polluted river, for which the water quality was represented by biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) indices and the dissolved oxygen (DO) deficit, were carried out. The algorithm concept uses only online measurements of the object, and adaptive changes in the gain coefficient are determined based on the adaptation error adopted for this purpose. Simulation results indicated the correct functioning of the soft sensor even for inaccurately identified parameters of the mathematical model and for unknown values and intensity of disturbances affecting the object. The quality of the signals monitored via a soft sensor implemented in this way was determined with the root-mean-squared error (RMSE) and mean percentage error (MPE) indicators and compared with the Kalman filter.
Two-Dimensional Constellation Shaping in Fiber-Optic Communications
Authors: Qu Zhen , Djordjevic Ivan B. , Anderson Jon
Published: May 2019

Constellation shaping has been widely used in optical communication systems. We review recent advances in two-dimensional constellation shaping technologies for fiber-optic communications. The system architectures that are discussed include probabilistic shaping, geometric shaping, and hybrid probabilistic-geometric shaping solutions. The performances of the three shaping schemes are also evaluated for Gaussian-noise-limited channels.
Generalized Boundary Conditions in Surface Electromagnetics: Fundamental Theorems and Surface Characterizations
Authors: Liu Xiao , Yang Fan , Li Maokun , Xu Shenheng
Published: May 2019

Generalized boundary conditions (GBCs) for electromagnetic surfaces are investigated in this paper, which can be used to analytically characterize field discontinuities across two-dimensional surfaces. First, five representative features are described to categorize various surface problems which require proper GBC-based characterization procedures. Next, the generalized boundary conditions are discussed in details, in association with impedance boundary conditions, generalized sheet transition conditions, and surface scattering coefficients. Then an extraction method for surface susceptibilities, the characteristic parameters of surfaces in GBCs, are proposed and validated. Finally, to illustrate the applications of GBCs, two representative surface problems are demonstrated, namely, isolated-aperture surface analysis and surface-wave mode characterization. For the isolated-aperture surface, a characterization procedure is derived based on GBCs and Babinet’s principle, and the accuracy is validated through comparison with full-wave simulations. For surface wave analysis, a characterization procedure is also developed from GBCs, and the feasibility is verified by numerical examples as well.
Contamination Improvement of Touch Panel and Color Filter Production Processes of Lean Six Sigma
Authors: Wang Chia-Nan , Chiu Po-Chih , Cheng I-Fang , Huang Ying-Fang
Published: May 2019

Color filter (CF) and touch panel (or touch sensor (TS)) are important components for optoelectronic materials and component manufacturing. Due to the cut-throat world of market in the manufacturing, the processes of color filters are similar to touch sensors. The case invested in the production of touch panels in 2009. After a long period of quality improvement, the problem of contamination pollution still accounts for ~30% of the total variation. In addition to the external problem, there is also the fail of communication caused by dirt or peeling. Therefore, the case was established to improve the dirt defect by setting up Lean Six Sigma project, and the project goal was to reduce the proportion to 0.18%. After three months of improvement and three months of continuous observation, the abnormal proportion of pollution decreased from 0.35% of the overall average defect loss to 0.13% (the improvement rate reached 63%). It is estimated that the entire product can generate 3 million (USD) of performance for the case in one year. It is also possible to increase the customer’s satisfaction and the company’s technical competitiveness by improving yield and achieving the continuous improvement of objectives.
Optimum Method Uploaded Nutrient Solution for Blended Biochar Pellet with Application of Nutrient Releasing Model as Slow Release Fertilizer
Authors: Shin JoungDu , Park SangWon , Lee SunIl
Published: May 2019

The nutrient releasing characteristics of a blended biochar pellet comprising a mixture of biochar and pig manure compost ratio (4:6) uploaded with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) nutrient solutions were investigated with the application of a modified Hyperbola model during a 77-day precipitation period. The experiment consisted of five treatments, i.e., the control, as 100% pig manure compost pellet (PMCP), a urea solution made at room temperature (TN), a urea solution heated to 60 °C (HTN), N, P and K solutions made at room temperature (TNPK), and N, P and K solutions heated to 60 °C (HTNPK). The cumulative ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) in the blended biochar pellets was slow released over the 77 days of precipitation period, but nitrite nitrogen (NO3-N) was rapidly released, i.e., within 15 days of precipitation (Phase I), close behind on a slower release rate within the final precipitation (Phase II). Accumulated phosphate phosphorus (PO4-P) concentrations were not much different, and slowly released until the final precipitation period, while the highest accumulated K amount was 2493.8 mg L−1 in the TNPK at 8 days, which then remained at a stage state of K. Accumulated silicon dioxide (SiO2) concentrations abruptly increased until 20 days of precipitation, regardless of treatments. For the application of the releasing model for nutrient releasing characteristics, the estimations of accumulated NH4-N, NO3-N, PO4-P, K and SiO2 in all the treatments were significantly (p < 0.01) fitted with a modified Hyperbola model. These findings indicate that blended biochar pellets can be used as a slow release fertilizer for agricultural practices.
Analysis of a Customized Clutch Joint Designed for the Safety Management of an Ultrasound Robot
Authors: Wang Shuangyi , Housden Richard James , Noh Yohan , Singh Anisha , Lindenroth Lukas , Liu Hongbin , Althoefer Kaspar , Hajnal Joseph , Singh Davinder , Rhode Kawal
Published: May 2019

Robotic systems have great potential to assist ultrasound (US) examination. Currently, the safety management method to limit the force that a US robot can apply mostly relies on force sensing and software-based algorithms. This causes the concern that the potential failure of sensors, electrical systems, or software could lead to patient injuries. In this paper, we investigated a customized spring-loaded ball clutch joint designed for a newly developed US robot to passively limit the force applied. The working mechanism of the clutch was modelled and the kinematic-based analysis was performed to understand the variation of the limited force at different postures of the robot. The triggering torque of the clutch was found to be 3928 N·mm, which results in the mean limited force 22.10 ± 1.76 N at the US probe end based on potential postures. The real measurement of the implemented design indicated that the limited force could be set between 17 and 24 N at the neutral posture depending on the preload. With the maximum preload, the mean limited force was found to be 21.98 ± 0.96 N based on 30 repeated measurements. The practically measured results meet the expectation from the theoretical calculation, and the resulting small variation has indicated a good repeatability of the clutch. Based on this evidence, it is concluded that the proposed clutch meets the design aim that it can limit the force applied within a safe range while at the same time ensuring that the required force is applied at different postures.
A Review of the Role of Critical Parameters in the Design and Operation of Biogas Production Plants
Authors: Sarker Shiplu , Lamb Jacob J. , Hjelme Dag R. , Lien Kristian M.
Published: May 2019

Many operating parameters, individually or together, may influence the performance of anaerobic digestion towards biogas or digestate yield and quality maximization. The most preferred method of optimizing an anaerobic digestion plant often relies on how carefully the crucial parameters, such as pH, temperature, organic loading rate, hydraulic retention time, and pressure, are chosen. There is a large amount of literature available on optimization of anaerobic digestion; however, given the continued development and implementation of innovative technologies, together with the introduction of increasingly complex systems, it is necessary to update present knowledge on process parameters and their role on operational ranges and flexibilities in real-life anaerobic digestion system. Accordingly, the present review discusses the importance of the selection of operational parameters in existing technologies and their impact on biogas yield. Notably, the four broad areas of feedstock utilization (substrate, inoculum, codigestion and pretreatment), process condition (pH, temperature, pressure, and reactor design), reactor control (HRT and OLR) and inhibition (Ammonia and VFAs) are covered in this review. In addition, particular emphasis is placed on the most recent innovations that have been or may be implemented in current or future biogas plants.
An Integrated Adaptive Kalman Filter for High-Speed UAVs
Authors: Huang Tiantian , Jiang Hui , Zou Zhuoyang , Ye Lingyun , Song Kaichen
Published: May 2019

In order to solve the problems of filtering divergence and low accuracy in Kalman filter (KF) applications in a high-speed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), this paper proposed a new method of integrated robust adaptive Kalman filter: strong adaptive Kalman filter (SAKF). The simulation of two high-dynamic conditions and a practical experiment were designed to verify the new multi-sensor data fusion algorithm. Then the performance of the Sage–Husa adaptive Kalman filter (SHAKF), strong tracking filter (STF), H∞ filter and SAKF were compared. The results of the simulation and practical experiments show that the SAKF can automatically select its filtering process under different conditions, according to an anomaly criterion. SAKF combines the advantages of SHAKF, H∞ filter and STF, and has the characteristics of high accuracy, robustness and good tracking skill. The research has proved that SAKF is more appropriate in high-speed UAV navigation than single filter algorithms.
Variation in Dipole Blocking Associated with Arctic Warming in Winter: Potential Contributions to Cold and Extremely Cold Events over Eurasia
Authors: Liu Chun , Li Yuefeng , Song Wei
Published: May 2019

In this study, the barotropic mode of thermal forcing responsible for the difference in temperature between the Arctic and midlatitude regions was simplified by the nonlinear Schrӧdinger equation with disturbance terms using multiscale perturbation methods. The impact of Arctic warming on dipole blocking, which results in temperature anomalies over the midlatitudes of Eurasia, was studied using the direct perturbation theory for solitons. The results showed: (1) if only nonlinear effects exist between waves and zonal flows, a dipole blocking structure can present in the westerly air flows; (2) the temperature gradient between midlatitude warming and Arctic cooling inhibits the development of dipole blocking structures; and (3) Arctic warming is theoretically more conducive to intensifying the strength of dipole blocking and meridional activities over Eurasia and is more likely to cause the southward invasion of cold air from the Arctic, thereby inducing regionally cold and even extremely cold events in the mid- and low latitudes of Eurasia, including eastern China.
Air Mass Trajectories to Estimate the “Most Likely” Areas to Be Affected by the Release of Hazardous Materials in the Atmosphere—Feasibility Study
Authors: Hernández-Ceballos Miguel Ángel , De Felice Luca
Published: May 2019

Countries continuously review and improve their Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) arrangements and capabilities to take agile and rapid actions with the intent of minimizing health, environmental and economic impacts of potential harmful releases into the atmosphere. One of the specific topics within the EP&R field is the estimation of the areas that might be affected. A proposal is presented to estimate the spatial distribution of the released material. The methodology combines the computation of air mass trajectories and the elaboration of density maps from the corresponding end-point positions. To this purpose, density maps are created in a three-way procedure; first, forward trajectories are calculated from a certain location and for a long period of time, e.g., a decade; second, the selected end-point positions are aggregated in a density field by applying the kernel density estimation method, and then the density field is visualized. The final product reports the areas with the longest residence time of air masses, and hence, the areas “most likely” to be affected and where the deposit may be substantial. The usefulness of this method is evaluated taking as reference a ten-year period (2007–2016) and against two different radioactive release scenarios, such as the Chernobyl accident and the Algeciras release. While far from being fully comprehensive, as only meteorological data are used, the performance of this method is reasonably efficient, and hence, it is a desirable alternative to estimating those areas potentially affected by a substantial deposit following the releases of a harmful material in the atmosphere.
Adaptability of Narrow-Crowned Norway Spruce Ideotype (Picea abies (L.) Karst. pendula Form) in 25 Years Half-Sib Comparative Trials in the Eastern Carpathians
Authors: Apostol Ecaterina , Budeanu Marius
Published: May 2019

This study analysed the stability of the narrow-crowned Norway spruce (pendula form) compared with the classic form of spruce (pyramidalis form) in two half-sib field trials located in the Romanian Carpathians. From eight natural populations, representative of three of the four large spruce spread areas in Romania, open-pollinated seeds from 48 trees (24 pendula ideotype and 24 pyramidalis form) were collected to install the Maneciu and Soveja trials. In these trials, at age 25 years, measurements were performed for the following traits: tree height, breast height diameter, crown diameter, number of branches per whorl and dominant branch diameter. Some important traits were calculated: average volume per tree, trees’ slenderness, crown slenderness and branches’ finesse. Pearson’s simple correlations between the analysed traits were calculated and also the correlations between traits and geographic and climatic gradients of provenances’ origin. In addition, cores were collected to compare the wood density of the two forms of spruce. In both trials, but especially in the limitative environmental conditions of the Soveja trial, the narrow crowned form of Norway spruce (Picea abies f. pendula) presented more favourable average results than the normal crown spruce form for the most important stand stability traits: trees’ slenderness, wood density, branches’ diameter and branches’ finesse. Between spruce crown forms, in both trials, no significant differences were observed for the growth traits, but between trials, higher results resulted in optimal environmental conditions of the Măneciu test (+89% for the trees’ volume). The trees from different provenances and with specific forms of the crown reacted differently to the changing of the testing site, which required the adoption of maximum caution for decisions regarding the transfer of forest reproductive materials. The correlations between the analysed traits converge towards the adoption of a two-step breeding strategy, starting by selection of narrow crowned trees after stability traits.
Role of Plant Traits in Photosynthesis and Thermal Damage Avoidance under Warmer and Drier Climates in Boreal Forests
Authors: Ruiz-Pérez Guiomar , Launiainen Samuli , Vico Giulia
Published: May 2019

In the future, boreal forests will face warmer and in some cases drier conditions, potentially resulting in extreme leaf temperatures and reduced photosynthesis. One potential and still partially unexplored avenue to prepare boreal forest for future climates is the identification of plant traits that may support photosynthetic rates under a changing climate. However, the interplay among plant traits, soil water depletion and the occurrence of heat stress has been seldom explored in boreal forests. Here, a mechanistic model describing energy and mass exchanges among the soil, plant and atmosphere is employed to identify which combinations of growing conditions and plant traits allow trees to simultaneously keep high photosynthetic rates and prevent thermal damage under current and future growing conditions. Our results show that the simultaneous lack of precipitation and warm temperatures is the main trigger of thermal damage and reduction of photosynthesis. Traits that facilitate the coupling of leaves to the atmosphere are key to avoid thermal damage and guarantee the maintenance of assimilation rates in the future. Nevertheless, the same set of traits may not maximize forest productivity over current growing conditions. As such, an effective trait selection needs to explicitly consider the expected changes in the growing conditions, both in terms of averages and extremes.