bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tuning of Titanium Microfiber Scaffold with UV-Photofunctionalization for Enhanced Osteoblast Affinity and Function
Authors: Iwasaki Chika , Hirota Makoto , Tanaka Miyuki , Kitajima Hiroaki , Tabuchi Masako , Ishijima Manabu , Park Wonhee , Sugita Yoshihiko , Miyazawa Ken , Goto Shigemi , Ikeda Takayuki , Ogawa Takahiro
Published: January 2020

Titanium (Ti) is an osteoconductive material that is routinely used as a bulk implant to fix and restore bones and teeth. This study explored the effective use of Ti as a bone engineering scaffold. Challenges to overcome were: (1) difficult liquid/cell infiltration into Ti microfiber scaffolds due to the hydrophobic nature of Ti; and (2) difficult cell attachment on thin and curved Ti microfibers. A recent discovery of UV-photofunctionalization of Ti prompted us to examine its effect on Ti microfiber scaffolds. Scaffolds in disk form were made by weaving grade 4 pure Ti microfibers (125 µm diameter) and half of them were acid-etched to roughen the surface. Some of the scaffolds with original or acid-etched surfaces were further treated by UV light before cell culture. Ti microfiber scaffolds, regardless of the surface type, were hydrophobic and did not allow glycerol/water liquid to infiltrate, whereas, after UV treatment, the scaffolds became hydrophilic and immediately absorbed the liquid. Osteogenic cells from two different origins, derived from the femoral and mandibular bone marrow of rats, were cultured on the scaffolds. The number of cells attached to scaffolds during the early stage of culture within 24 h was 3–10 times greater when the scaffolds were treated with UV. The development of cytoplasmic projections and cytoskeletal, as well as the expression of focal adhesion protein, were exclusively observed on UV-treated scaffolds. Osteoblastic functional phenotypes, such as alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium mineralization, were 2–15 times greater on UV-treated scaffolds, with more pronounced enhancement on acid-etched scaffolds compared to that on the original scaffolds. These effects of UV treatment were associated with a significant reduction in atomic carbon on the Ti microfiber surfaces. In conclusion, UV treatment of Ti microfiber scaffolds tunes their physicochemical properties and effectively enhances the attachment and function of osteoblasts, proposing a new strategy for bone engineering.
The Endocannabinoid System: A Target for Cancer Treatment
Authors: Laezza Chiara , Pagano Cristina , Navarra Giovanna , Pastorino Olga , Proto Maria Chiara , Fiore Donatella , Piscopo Chiara , Gazzerro Patrizia , Bifulco Maurizio
Published: January 2020

In recent years, the endocannabinoid system has received great interest as a potential therapeutic target in numerous pathological conditions. Cannabinoids have shown an anticancer potential by modulating several pathways involved in cell growth, differentiation, migration, and angiogenesis. However, the therapeutic efficacy of cannabinoids is limited to the treatment of chemotherapy-induced symptoms or cancer pain, but their use as anticancer drugs in chemotherapeutic protocols requires further investigation. In this paper, we reviewed the role of cannabinoids in the modulation of signaling mechanisms implicated in tumor progression.
Disruption of the Unique ABCG-Family NBD:NBD Interface Impacts Both Drug Transport and ATP Hydrolysis
Authors: Kapoor Parth , Briggs Deborah A. , Cox Megan H. , Kerr Ian D.
Published: January 2020

ABCG2 is one of a triumvirate of human multidrug ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters that are implicated in the defense of cells and tissues against cytotoxic chemicals, but these transporters can also confer chemotherapy resistance states in oncology. Understanding the mechanism of ABCG2 is thus imperative if we are to be able to counter its deleterious activity. The structure of ABCG2 and its related family members (ABCG5/G8) demonstrated that there were two interfaces between the nucleotide binding domains (NBD). In addition to the canonical ATP “sandwich-dimer” interface, there was a second contact region between residues at the C-terminus of the NBD. We investigated this second interface by making mutations to a series of residues that are in close interaction with the opposite NBD. Mutated ABCG2 isoforms were expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cells and analysed for targeting to the membrane, drug transport, and ATPase activity. Mutations to this second interface had a number of effects on ABCG2, including altered drug specificity, altered drug transport, and, in two mutants, a loss of ATPase activity. The results demonstrate that this region is particularly sensitive to mutation and can impact not only direct, local NBD events (i.e., ATP hydrolysis) but also the allosteric communication to the transmembrane domains and drug transport.
Multidocument Arabic Text Summarization Based on Clustering and Word2Vec to Reduce Redundancy
Authors: Abdulateef Samer , Khan Naseer Ahmed , Chen Bolin , Shang Xuequn
Published: January 2020

Arabic is one of the most semantically and syntactically complex languages in the world. A key challenging issue in text mining is text summarization, so we propose an unsupervised score-based method which combines the vector space model, continuous bag of words (CBOW), clustering, and a statistically-based method. The problems with multidocument text summarization are the noisy data, redundancy, diminished readability, and sentence incoherency. In this study, we adopt a preprocessing strategy to solve the noise problem and use the word2vec model for two purposes, first, to map the words to fixed-length vectors and, second, to obtain the semantic relationship between each vector based on the dimensions. Similarly, we use a k-means algorithm for two purposes: (1) Selecting the distinctive documents and tokenizing these documents to sentences, and (2) using another iteration of the k-means algorithm to select the key sentences based on the similarity metric to overcome the redundancy problem and generate the initial summary. Lastly, we use weighted principal component analysis (W-PCA) to map the sentences’ encoded weights based on a list of features. This selects the highest set of weights, which relates to important sentences for solving incoherency and readability problems. We adopted Recall-Oriented Understudy for Gisting Evaluation (ROUGE) as an evaluation measure to examine our proposed technique and compare it with state-of-the-art methods. Finally, an experiment on the Essex Arabic Summaries Corpus (EASC) using the ROUGE-1 and ROUGE-2 metrics showed promising results in comparison with existing methods.
Bi2O3-Modified Ceramics Based on BaTiO3 Powder Synthesized in Water Vapor
Authors: Kholodkova Anastasia , Smirnov Aleksey , Danchevskaya Marina , Ivakin Yurii , Muravieva Galina , Ponomarev Sergey , Fionov Alexandr , Kolesov Vladimir
Published: January 2020

Bi2O3 was investigated in the role of a modifier for BaTiO3 powder synthesized in a water vapor atmosphere at 200 °C and 1.55 MPa. Modification was aimed at increasing the sinterability of the powder as well as improving the structural and dielectric properties of the obtained ceramics. The morphology and phase contents of the synthesized BaTiO3 powder were controlled by the methods of SEM and XRD. Properties of pure and Bi-doped BaTiO3 ceramics were comprehensively studied by XRD, SEM, dielectric spectroscopy, and standard approaches for density and mechanical strength determination. Doping with Bi2O3 favored BaTiO3 ceramic densification and strengthening. The room-temperature dielectric constant and the loss tangent of Bi-doped BaTiO3 were shown to stabilize within the frequency range of 20 Hz to 2 MHz compared to non-doped material. The drop of dielectric constant between room temperature and Curie point was significantly reduced after Bi2O3 addition to BaTiO3. Bi2O3 appeared to be an effective modifier for BaTiO3 ceramics produced from non-stoichiometric powder synthesized in water vapor.
A Theoretical Approach for the Electrochemical Characterization of Ciliary Epithelium
Authors: Sacco Riccardo , Guidoboni Giovanna , Jerome Joseph W. , Bonifazi Giulio , Marazzi Nicholas M. , Verticchio Vercellin Alice C. , Lang Matthew S. , Harris Alon
Published: January 2020

The ciliary epithelium (CE) is the primary site of aqueous humor (AH) production, which results from the combined action of ultrafiltration and ionic secretion. Modulation of ionic secretion is a fundamental target for drug therapy in glaucoma, and therefore it is important to identify the main factors contributing to it. As several ion transporters have been hypothesized as relevant players in CE physiology, we propose a theoretical approach to complement experimental methods in characterizing their role in the electrochemical and fluid-dynamical conditions of CE. As a first step, we compare two model configurations that differ by (i) types of transporters included for ion exchange across the epithelial membrane, and by (i) presence or absence of the intracellular production of carbonic acid mediated by the carbonic anhydrase enzyme. The proposed model configurations do not include neurohumoral mechanisms such as P2Y receptor-dependent, cAMP, or calcium-dependent pathways, which occur in the ciliary epithelium bilayer and influence the activity of ion transporters, pumps, and channels present in the cell membrane. Results suggest that one of the two configurations predicts sodium and potassium intracellular concentrations and transmembrane potential much more accurately than the other. Because of its quantitative prediction power, the proposed theoretical approach may help relate phenomena at the cellular scale, that cannot be accessed clinically, with phenomena occurring at the scale of the whole eye, for which clinical assessment is feasible.
Comparison between Bioactive Sol-Gel and Melt-Derived Glasses/Glass-Ceramics Based on the Multicomponent SiO2–P2O5–CaO–MgO–Na2O–K2O System
Authors: Fiume Elisa , Migneco Carla , Verné Enrica , Baino Francesco
Published: January 2020

Bioactive sol-gel glasses are attractive biomaterials from both technological and functional viewpoints as they require lower processing temperatures compared to their melt-derived counterparts and exhibit a high specific surface area due to inherent nanoporosity. However, most of these materials are based on relatively simple binary or ternary oxide systems since the synthesis of multicomponent glasses via sol-gel still is a challenge. This work reports for the first time the production and characterization of sol-gel materials based on a six-oxide basic system (SiO2–P2O5–CaO–MgO–Na2O–K2O). It was shown that calcination played a role in inducing the formation of crystalline phases, thus generating glass-ceramic materials. The thermal, microstructural and textural properties, as well as the in vitro bioactivity, of these sol-gel materials were assessed and compared to those of the melt-derived counterpart glass with the same nominal composition. In spite of their glass-ceramic nature, these materials retained an excellent apatite-forming ability, which is key in bone repair applications.
Two-Layer Nanocomposite TiC-Based Coatings Produced by a Combination of Pulsed Cathodic Arc Evaporation and Vacuum Electro-Spark Alloying
Authors: Kiryukhantsev-Korneev Philipp , Sytchenko Alina , Sheveyko Alexander , Moskovskikh Dmitry , Vorotylo Stepan
Published: January 2020

A novel two-stage technology combining vacuum electro-spark alloying (VESA) and pulsed cathodic arc evaporation (PCAE) was approbated for the deposition of TiC-based coatings in inert (Ar) and reactive (C2H4) atmospheres. The deposition was carried out using a TiC-NiCr-Eu2O3 electrode and 5140 steel substrates. Structural, elemental, and phase compositions of the deposited coatings were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction. The mechanical properties of the coatings were measured by nanoindentation using a 4 mN load. The tribological properties of the coatings were measured using the pin-on-disc setup in air and in distilled water at a 5 N load. The experimental data suggest that VESA coatings are characterized by surface defects, a hardness of 12.2 GPa, and a friction coefficient of 0.4. To ensure good adhesion between the VESA coating and the upper layer containing diamond-like carbon (DLC), an intermediate layer was deposited by PCAE in the Ar atmosphere. The intermediate layer had a hardness of up to 31 GPa. The upper layer of the coating ensured a low and stable friction coefficient of 0.2 and high wear resistance due to the formation of an sp2–sp3 bound carbon phase. Multilayer TiC-based coating with the upper DLC layer, in addition to high tribological properties, was characterized by the lowest corrosion current density (12 μA/cm2).
The Use of Dijkstra’s Algorithm in Assessing the Correctness of Imaging Brittle Damage in Concrete Beams by Means of Ultrasonic Transmission Tomography
Authors: Perkowski Zbigniew , Tatara Karolina
Published: January 2020

The accuracy of transmission ultrasonic tomography for the detection of brittle damage in concrete beams can be effectively supported by the graph theory and, in particular, by Dijkstra’s algorithm. It allows determining real paths of the fastest ultrasonic wave propagation in concrete containing localized elastically degraded zones at any stage of their evolution. This work confronts this type of approach with results that can be obtained from non-local isotropic damage mechanics. On this basis, the authors developed a method of reducing errors in tomographic reconstruction of longitudinal wave velocity maps which are caused by using the simplifying assumptions of straightness of the fastest wave propagation paths. The method is based on the appropriate elongation of measured propagation times of the wave transmitted between opposite sending-receiving transducers if the actual propagation paths deviate from straight lines. Thanks to this, the mathematical apparatus used typically in the tomography, in which the straightness of the fastest paths is assumed, can be still used. The work considers also the aspect of using fictitious wave sending-receiving points in ultrasonic tomography for which wave propagation times are calculated by interpolation of measured ones. The considerations are supported by experimental research conducted on laboratory reinforced concrete (RC) beams in the test of three-point bending and a prefabricated damaged RC beam.
Design of Fungal Co-Cultivation Based on Comparative Metabolomics and Bioactivity for Discovery of Marine Fungal Agrochemicals
Authors: Oppong-Danquah Ernest , Budnicka Paulina , Blümel Martina , Tasdemir Deniz
Published: January 2020

Microbial co-cultivation is employed for awakening silent biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) to enhance chemical diversity. However, the selection of appropriate partners for co-cultivation remains a challenge. Furthermore, competitive interactions involving the suppression of BGCs or upregulation of known, functional metabolite(s) during co-cultivation efforts is also common. Herein, we performed an alternative approach for targeted selection of the best co-cultivation pair. Eight marine sediment-derived fungi were classified as strong or weak, based on their anti-phytopathogenic potency. The fungi were co-cultured systematically and analyzed for their chemical profiles and anti-phytopathogenic activity. Based on enhanced bioactivity and a significantly different metabolite profile including the appearance of a co-culture specific cluster, the co-culture of Plenodomus influorescens (strong) and Pyrenochaeta nobilis (weak) was prioritized for chemical investigation. Large-scale co-cultivation resulted in isolation of five polyketide type compounds: two 12-membered macrolides, dendrodolide E (1) and its new analog dendrodolide N (2), as well as two rare azaphilones spiciferinone (3) and its new analog 8a-hydroxy-spiciferinone (4). A well-known bis-naphtho-γ-pyrone type mycotoxin, cephalochromin (5), whose production was specifically enhanced in the co-culture, was also isolated. Chemical structures of compounds 1–5 were elucidated by NMR, HRMS and [α] D 20 analyses. Compound 5 showed the strongest anti-phytopathogenic activity against Xanthomonas campestris and Phytophthora infestans with IC50 values of 0.9 and 1.7 µg/mL, respectively.
AlGaN Nanowires for Ultraviolet Light-Emitting: Recent Progress, Challenges, and Prospects
Authors: Zhao Songrui , Lu Jiaying , Hai Xu , Yin Xue
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we discuss the recent progress made in aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) nanowire ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The AlGaN nanowires used for such LED devices are mainly grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD); and various foreign substrates/templates have been investigated. Devices on Si so far exhibit the best performance, whereas devices on metal and graphene have also been investigated to mitigate various limitations of Si substrate, e.g., the UV light absorption. Moreover, patterned growth techniques have also been developed to grow AlGaN nanowire UV LED structures, in order to address issues with the spontaneously formed nanowires. Furthermore, to reduce the quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE), nonpolar AlGaN nanowire UV LEDs exploiting the nonpolar nanowire sidewalls have been demonstrated. With these recent developments, the prospects, together with the general challenges of AlGaN nanowire UV LEDs, are discussed in the end.
Desktop Fabrication of Lab-On-Chip Devices on Flexible Substrates: A Brief Review
Authors: Qamar Ahmad Zaman , Shamsi Mohtashim Hassan
Published: January 2020

Flexible microfluidic devices are currently in demand because they can be mass-produced in resource-limited settings using simple and inexpensive fabrication tools. Finding new ways to fabricate microfluidic platforms on flexible substrates has been a hot area. Integration of customized detection tools for different lab-on-chip applications has made this area challenging. Significant advancements have occurred in the area over the last decade; therefore, there is a need to review such interesting fabrication tools employed on flexible substrates, such as paper and plastics. In this short review, we review individual fabrication tools and their combinations that have been used to develop such platforms in the past five years. These tools are not only simple and low-cost but also require minimal skills for their operation. Moreover, key examples of plastic-based flexible substrates are also presented, because a diverse range of plastic materials have prevailed recently for a variety of lab-on-chip applications. This review should attract audience of various levels, i.e., from hobbyists to scientists, and from high school students to postdoctoral researchers, to produce their own flexible devices in their own settings.
Study on the High-Pressure Behavior of Goethite up to 32 GPa Using X-Ray Diffraction, Raman, and Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy
Authors: Tang Ruilian , Chen Jiuhua , Zeng Qiaoshi , Li Yan , Liang Xue , Yang Bin , Wang Yu
Published: January 2020

Goethite is a major iron-bearing sedimentary mineral on Earth. In this study, we conducted in situ high-pressure x-ray diffraction, Raman, and electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements of goethite using a diamond anvil cell (DAC) at room temperature and high pressures up to 32 GPa. We observed feature changes in both the Raman spectra and electrical resistance at about 5 and 11 GPa. However, the x-ray diffraction patterns show no structural phase transition in the entire pressure range of the study. The derived pressure-volume (P-V) data show a smooth compression curve with no clear evidence of any second-order phase transition. Fitting the volumetric data to the second-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state yields V0 = 138.9 ± 0.5 Å3 and K0 = 126 ± 5 GPa.
A Rapid and Accurate Bioluminescence-Based Migration Assay Permitting Analysis of Tumor Cell/Stromal Cell Interactions
Authors: Yoon Jinsoo , Parish Christopher R. , Coupland Lucy A.
Published: January 2020

Bioluminescent tumor cell lines are used extensively in vivo to monitor tumor growth and metastasis but rarely used in vitro to follow tumor cell behavior. Tumor cell migration is frequently studied in vitro using transwell assays, however, current methods do not permit the co-incubation of tumor cells with different stromal cell types for analysis of the effects of intercellular cross-talk on tumor cell migration. We describe a novel migration assay using bioluminescent tumor cell lines that is rapid, accurate, and permits the study of the effects of tumor cell-stromal cell interactions on tumor cell migratory behavior.
Almond Shell-Derived, Biochar-Supported, Nano-Zero-Valent Iron Composite for Aqueous Hexavalent Chromium Removal: Performance and Mechanisms
Authors: Shu Yaorong , Ji Bin , Cui Baihui , Shi Yuting , Wang Jian , Hu Mian , Luo Siyi , Guo Dabin
Published: January 2020

Nano-zero-valent iron biochar derived from almond shell (nZVI-ASBC) was used for hexavalent chromium (CR) removal. Experiments showed that pH was the main factor (p < 0.01) that affected the experimental results. At a dosage of 10 mg·L−1 and pH of 2–6, in the first 60 min, nZVI-ASBC exhibited a removal efficiency of 99.8%, which was approximately 20% higher than the removal yield at pH 7–11. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results indicated N-H was the main functional group that influenced the chemisorption process. The pseudo second-order dynamics and Langmuir isotherm models proved to be the most suitable. Thermodynamic studies showed that the reaction was exothermic and spontaneous at low temperatures (T < 317 K). Various interaction mechanisms, including adsorption and reduction, were adopted for the removal of Cr(VI) using the nZVI-ASBC composite. The findings showed that the BC-modified nZVI prepared with almond shell exerts a good effect and could be used for the removal of Cr(VI).
Eu-Doped Citrate-Coated Carbonated Apatite Luminescent Nanoprobes for Drug Delivery
Authors: Jabalera Ylenia , Oltolina Francesca , Prat Maria , Jimenez-Lopez Concepcion , Fernández-Sánchez Jorge F. , Choquesillo-Lazarte Duane , Gómez-Morales Jaime
Published: January 2020

In the field of Nanomedicine, there is an increasing demand for new inorganic nanophosphors with low cytotoxicity and efficient loading-release ability of drugs for applications in bioimaging and drug delivery. This work assesses the potentiality of matured Eu-doped citrate-coated carbonated apatite nanoparticles to be used as theranostic platforms, for bioimaging, as luminescent nanoprobes, and for drug delivery applications, using Doxorubicin as a model drug. The drug adsorption isotherm fits the Langmuir–Freundlich (LF) model, showing that the Eu:cit-cAp nanoparticles can carry a maximum of 0.29 ± 0.02 mg Doxo mg Eu:cit-cAp−1 (Qmax). The affinity constant KFL for this binding is 44 ± 2 mL mg−1, and the cooperativity coefficient r is 6 ± 1. The nanoparticle suspensions presented charge reversion from negative to positive after loading with Doxo as revealed by the ζ-potential versus pH characterization. The release of drug from the loaded nanoparticles was found to be strongly pH-dependent, being around 5 wt % at physiological pH 7.4 and 20 wt % at pH 5, in experiments lasting 24 h. Luminescence spectroscopic measurements of Doxo-loaded nanoparticles revealed the increase of luminescence with a decrease in the amount of adsorbed Doxo, due to the so-called inner filter effect. The nanoparticles free of Doxo were cytocompatible when interacted with two human cell lines derived respectively from a gastric carcinoma (GTL-16), and a hepatocarcinoma (Huh7), while Doxo-loaded nanoparticles displayed significant toxicity in a dose-dependent relationship. Therefore, the new nanoassemblies might have a dual function, as nanoprobes in bioimaging by detecting the fate of the nanoparticles in biological environments, and for monitoring the delivery of the drug in such environments, by measuring the rise of the luminescence provided by the desorption of Doxo.
Cloud Detection Based on High Resolution Stereo Pairs of the Geostationary Meteosat Images
Authors: Dehnavi Sahar , Maghsoudi Yasser , Zakšek Klemen , Valadan Zoej Mohammad Javad , Seckmeyer Gunther , Skripachev Vladimir
Published: January 2020

Due to the considerable impact of clouds on the energy balance in the atmosphere and on the earth surface, they are of great importance for various applications in meteorology or remote sensing. An important aspect of the cloud research studies is the detection of cloudy pixels from the processing of satellite images. In this research, we investigated a stereographic method on a new set of Meteosat images, namely the combination of the high resolution visible (HRV) channel of the Meteosat-8 Indian Ocean Data Coverage (IODC) as a stereo pair with the HRV channel of the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) Meteosat-10 image at 0° E. In addition, an approach based on the outputs from stereo analysis was proposed to detect cloudy pixels. This approach is introduced with a 2D-scatterplot based on the parallax value and the minimum intersection distance. The mentioned scatterplot was applied to determine/detect cloudy pixels in various image subsets with different amounts of cloud cover. Apart from the general advantage of the applied stereography method, which only depends on geometric relationships, the cloud detection results are also improved because: (1) The stereo pair is the HRV bands of the Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) sensor, with the highest spatial resolution available from the Meteosat geostationary platform; and (2) the time difference between the image pairs is nearly 5 s, which improves the matching results and also decreases the effect of cloud movements. In order to prove this improvement, the results of this stereo-based approach were compared with three different reflectance-based target detection techniques, including the adaptive coherent estimator (ACE), constrained energy minimization (CEM), and matched filter (MF). The comparison of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) detection curves and the area under these curves (AUC) showed better detection results with the proposed method. The AUC value was 0.79, 0.90, 0.90, and 0.93 respectively for ACE, CEM, MF, and the proposed stereo-based detection approach. The results of this research shall enable a more realistic modelling of down-welling solar irradiance in the future.
Intercomparison of Machine-Learning Methods for Estimating Surface Shortwave and Photosynthetically Active Radiation
Authors: Brown Meredith G. L. , Skakun Sergii , He Tao , Liang Shunlin
Published: January 2020

Satellite-derived estimates of downward surface shortwave radiation (SSR) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) are a part of the surface radiation budget, an essential climate variable (ECV) required by climate and vegetation models. Ground measurements are insufficient for generating long-term, global measurements of surface radiation, primarily due to spatial limitations; however, remotely sensed Earth observations offer freely available, multi-day, global coverage of radiance that can be used to derive SSR and PAR estimates. Satellite-derived SSR and PAR estimates are generated by computing the radiative transfer inversion of top-of-atmosphere (TOA) measurements, and require ancillary data on the atmospheric condition. To reduce computational costs, often the radiative transfer calculations are done offline and large look-up tables (LUTs) are generated to derive estimates more quickly. Recently studies have begun exploring the use of machine-learning techniques, such as neural networks, to try to improve computational efficiency. Here, nine machine-learning methods were tested to model SSR and PAR using minimal input data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) observations at 1 km spatial resolution. The aim was to reduce the input data requirements to create the most robust model possible. The bootstrap aggregated decision tree (Bagged Tree), Gaussian Process Regression, and Neural Network yielded the best results with minimal training data requirements: an R 2 of 0.77, 0.78, and 0.78 respectively, a bias of 0 ± 6, 0 ± 6, and 0 ± 5 W / m 2 , and an RMSE of 140 ± 7, 135 ± 8, and 138 ± 7 W / m 2 , respectively, for all-sky condition total surface shortwave radiation and viewing angles less than 55°. Viewing angles above 55° were excluded because the residual analysis showed exponential error growth above 55°. A simple, robust model for estimating SSR and PAR using machine-learning methods is useful for a variety of climate system studies. Future studies may focus on developing high temporal resolution direct and diffuse estimates of SSR and PAR as most current models estimate only total SSR or PAR.
An in-Process Inspection System to Detect Noise Originating from within the Interior Trim Panels of Car Doors
Authors: Baek Woonsang , Kim Duck Young
Published: January 2020

Car body parts are sometimes responsible for irritating noise caused by assembly defects. Typically, various types of noise are known to originate from within the interior trim panels of car doors. This noise is considered to be an important factor that degrades the emotional satisfaction of the driver of the car. This research suggests an in-process inspection system consisting of an inspection workstation and a noise detection method. The inspection workstation presses down the car door trim panel by using a pneumatic pusher while microphones record the acoustic signals directly above the door trim panel and on the four sides of the workstation. The collected signals are analyzed by the proposed noise detection method after applying noise reduction. The noise detection method determines the presence of irritating noise by using noise source localization in combination with the time difference of arrival method and the relative signal strengths. The performance of the in-process noise detection system was evaluated by conducting experiments on faulty and healthy car door trim panels.
A Range-Independent Disparity-Based Calibration Model for Structured Light Pattern-Based RGBD Sensor
Authors: Li Wenbin , Li Yaxin , Darwish Walid , Tang Shengjun , Hu Yuling , Chen Wu
Published: January 2020

Consumer-grade RGBD sensors that provide both colour and depth information have many potential applications, such as robotics control, localization, and mapping, due to their low cost and simple operation. However, the depth measurement provided by consumer-grade RGBD sensors is still inadequate for many high-precision applications, such as rich 3D reconstruction, accurate object recognition and precise localization, due to the fact that the systematic errors of RGB sensors increase exponentially with the ranging distance. Most existing calibration models for depth measurement must be carried out with different distances. In this paper, we reveal the mechanism of how an infrared (IR) camera and IR projector contribute to the overall non-centrosymmetric distortion of a structured light pattern-based RGBD sensor. Then, a new two-step calibration method for RGBD sensors based on the disparity measurement is proposed, which is range-independent and has full frame coverage. Three independent calibration models are used for the calibration for the three main components of the RGBD sensor errors: the infrared camera distortion, the infrared projection distortion, and the infrared cone-caused bias. Experiments show the proposed calibration method can provide precise calibration results in full-range and full-frame coverage of depth measurement. The offset in the edge area of long-range depth (8 m) is reduced from 86 cm to 30 cm, and the relative error is reduced from 11% to 3% of the range distance. Overall, at far range the proposed calibration method can improve the depth accuracy by 70% in the central region of depth frame and 65% in the edge region.
Social Responsibility Attitudes and Behaviors’ Influence on University Students’ Satisfaction
Authors: Gallardo-Vázquez Dolores , Folgado-Fernández José Antonio , Hipólito-Ojalvo Francisco , Valdez-Juárez Luis Enrique
Published: January 2020

This study focused on university social responsibility (USR). Corporate social responsibility is currently an extremely common strategy implemented by organizations. Higher education institutions are also introducing this strategy to enhance their performance, seeking to ensure that every university action is socially responsible and oriented toward achieving advantages over competitors. This competitive advantage is the result of a social responsibility vision, which has an ethical core, that the University has implemented or is implementing among all its stakeholders. These institutions work in four areas: instruction, research, management, and projection to society. Universities must thus strive to meet the interests of different stakeholders’ interests. This research concentrated on university students as an important stakeholder. The main objective was to evaluate university students’ participation in USR activities, as well as assessing the impact of relevant university practices. In addition, the study sought to measure the existing causal relationship between students’ participation and their university’s practices in terms of student satisfaction. The fieldwork was conducted with an electronic survey distributed to a group of University of Extremadura students in Spain. A total of 362 valid questionnaires were collected, which were processed using structural equation modeling and partial least squares. The results have implications for university management in the area of social responsibility, with regard to the new USR trends are revealed. In terms of originality and value, this research emphasized a specific stakeholder in universities, namely students, and ways their satisfaction can be achieved through USR.
Managing Sustainable Urban Tourism Development: The Case of Ljubljana
Authors: Grah Barbara , Dimovski Vlado , Peterlin Judita
Published: January 2020

The interest in sustainable urban development and sustainable tourism development is growing. Yet, according to our knowledge, only a limited number of studies combining those two areas exist, and the holistic model for sustainable urban tourism development has not been introduced. Our study aims to integrate sustainable urban development scientific area with sustainable tourism development scientific area and to integrate and advance the existing models for sustainable urban tourism development. As a method for analyzing the results of 322 interviews, we used content analysis. Based on the analyzed data, the conceptual sustainable urban tourism model is proposed and applied to the case of Ljubljana. The results show that Ljubljana needs more emphasis on sustainable urban tourism development by considering different dimensions of sustainability, stakeholders, as well as types of tourism. Specifically, respondents took into consideration social, environmental, as well as economic sustainability. The most often mentioned stakeholders were local communities and companies; meanwhile, according to their opinion, Ljubljana has the greatest potential in cultural, green, and sports tourism. Finally, the study integrates sustainable urban development and sustainable tourism development scientific areas by providing a conceptual model and taking into consideration the need for proper management, ranging from planning to education and policy-making.
Identifying the Financial Risk Factors of Excessive Indebtedness of Rural Communes in Poland
Authors: Standar Aldona , Kozera Agnieszka
Published: January 2020

The purpose of this paper is to identify the financial risk factors of excessive indebtedness of Polish rural communes. The objective of this research task is to verify the following research hypothesis: the main determinant of the risk of excessive indebtedness is the rural communes’ own income potential. To meet the objective of this research, an empirical study was carried out in three steps. The first step of the research procedure was the analysis of the operation of Polish rural communes in the context of financial management. In the second step was the analysis of indebtedness of rural communes compared to other types of Polish administrative units in 2007–2017. The evolution of the level and share of total debt in total incomes of entities studied was analyzed, and the share of overindebted rural communes was identified. In the third step, a discriminatory analysis was performed to build a model able to forecast the financial risk factors of excessive indebtedness for Polish rural communes. The problem of increasing indebtedness can be observed in a growing number of communes and on an increasing scale in Poland. The discriminant analysis showed that the share of the operating surplus and own income in total income, as well as the amount of the EU funds per capita (in zlotys), are particularly significant. The study reveals that the smaller the share of the operating surplus in total income is as well as the greater the share of own income in total income and the amount of the EU funds in zlotys per capita are, the lower the value of the estimated discriminatory function is and the higher the risk of excessive indebtedness of a rural commune is.
The Involvement of Real Estate Companies in Sustainable Development—An Analysis from the SDGs Reporting Perspective
Authors: Ionașcu Elena , Mironiuc Marilena , Anghel Ion , Huian Maria Carmen
Published: January 2020

As transparency has become the new paradigm of economic activities, we set out to analyse the extent to which the EU real estate companies legitimise their role in society through the sustainable development goals (SDGs) while meeting stakeholders’ information needs. Applying the content analysis, the sustainability reports and the annual reports of the entities from the real estate sector, from 2016 to 2018, were studied in order to highlight the priority SDGs of the field and the extent to which they are integrated in their business models. In addition, we evaluated, based on a quality score, the depth with which the entities report their sustainability commitments. The results of the study show that although more and more real estate entities are expressing their interest for sustainable development, there is still a large gap between the assumed intentions and the real actions undertaken by the companies. Most of them do not have the strategy, culture and tools needed to turn sustainability commitments into concrete actions. According to the average quality score (2.99 out of 5), the entities present their sustainability aspirations mostly qualitatively and report few quantitative key performance indicators (KPIs) to reveal the degree of achievement of the priority SDGs, such as: SDG 11—Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 13—Climate action and SDG 8—Decent work and economic growth.
Research on the Relationship between the Individual Characteristics of Electric Bike Riders and Illegal Speeding Behavior: A Questionnaire-Based Study
Authors: Ma Changxi , Zhou Jibiao , Yang Dong , Fan Yuanyuan
Published: January 2020

To examine the relationship between electric bike riders’ individual characteristics and their riding speed, this paper obtained 350 valid survey responses from e-bike riders using an on-site sampling survey method. Using the non-aggregate theory, we take the individual attributes of the rider’s age, driving age, personality, and corrective vision as potential influencing factors. The metric model of the influencing factors of the rider’s personal characteristics on riding speed is established, and we analyze the sensitivity of many influencing factors by using the theory of elasticity. The results show that the absolute value of the elasticity value corresponding to the rider’s gender, age, corrected visual acuity, and other factors is less than 1, which indicates that the above factors have no flexibility regarding the rider’s riding speed selection behavior. However, in four selection intervals, the elasticity values of the rider’s education level are 1.577, 2.484, 1.810, and 1.667; those of their driving age are −1.537, −2.061, −1.547, and −1.606, and those of their riding proficiency are 3.302, 12.038, 10.370, and 11.177, which indicate that the three factors of rider’s education level, driving age, and riding proficiency have a significant impact on the riding speed choice behavior. The finding of the study is helpful for the relevant government departments to formulate more accurate classified intervention measures, and effectively prevent the occurrence of illegal speeding behavior.
Restricting Our Consumption of Material Goods: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Santor Darcy A. , Fethi Ihssane , McIntee Sara-Emilie
Published: January 2020

Despite the increasing number of studies investigating environmentally friendly behavior, relatively little research has examined the attitudes, subjective norms, perceived ability, and intentions of individuals to restrict their consumption. The current study validated a new measure of consumption restriction developed from the Theory of Planned Behavior. A total of 243 college-aged students completed the Consumption Restriction Questionnaire (CRQ), in addition to measures of greed, frugality, materialism, and consumption. Results confirmed the importance of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived control as determinants of both intentions to restrict consumption in addition to actual consumption, and also demonstrated the superiority of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived control in predicting consumption related to individual differences in greed, frugality and materialism. However, intentions to restrict consumption were modest. Results have implications for both our understanding of environmentally friendly behavior, as well as for the targets that interventions designed to restrict our consumption should address.
The Influence of Traffic Noise on Apartment Prices on the Example of a European Urban Agglomeration
Authors: Szczepańska Agnieszka , Senetra Adam , Wasilewicz-Pszczółkowska Monika
Published: January 2020

Traffic noise is one of the key determinants of apartment prices. The real estate market is highly sensitive to adverse environmental factors, which explains significant variations in apartment prices. The aim of this study was to identify the correlations between traffic noise levels and the prices of apartments traded on a local real estate market. The study analyzed three residential districts in the city of Olsztyn in north-eastern Poland. The database covered 5259 transactions concluded in 2005–2018. The collected data were standardized in terms of technical and functional parameters, and noise was the key factor differentiating the evaluated property. The relationships between the explained variable (apartment price) and the explanatory variable (traffic noise) were determined by linear correlation analysis. A negative correlation was noted, which confirms that a building’s location relative to the road network and, consequently, the level of traffic noise, is one of the factors that play a role in the potential buyers’ choice of property. The results of the study also indicate that the impact of traffic noise on the decisions made by real estate buyers continued to decrease in the analyzed period. Infrastructure projects in the city (construction of tramway lines and a ring road) have visibly reversed the previously observed trends and have decreased the strength of the above correlations in the evaluated residential districts. The values of the correlation coefficient were stabilized below the level noted in earlier stages of the analysis after the completion of the major infrastructure projects.
Quantitative Assessment for the Dynamics of the Main Ecosystem Services and their Interactions in the Northwestern Arid Area, China
Authors: Kang Tingting , Yang Shuai , Bu Jingyi , Chen Jiahao , Gao Yanchun
Published: January 2020

Evaluating changes in the spatial–temporal patterns of ecosystem services (ESs) and their interrelationships provide an opportunity to understand the links among them, as well as to inform ecosystem-service-based decision making and governance. To research the development trajectory of ecosystem services over time and space in the northwestern arid area of China, three main ecosystem services (carbon sequestration, soil retention, and sand fixation) and their relationships were analyzed using Pearson’s coefficient and a time-lagged cross-correlation analysis based on the mountain–oasis–desert zonal scale. The results of this study were as follows: (1) The carbon sequestration of most subregions improved, and that of the oasis continuously increased from 1990 to 2015. Sand fixation decreased in the whole region except for in the Alxa Plateau–Hexi Corridor area, which experienced an “increase–decrease” trend before 2000 and after 2000; (2) the synergies and trade-off relationships of the ES pairs varied with time and space, but carbon sequestration and soil retention in the most arid area had a synergistic relationship, and most oases retained their synergies between carbon sequestration and sand fixation over time. Most regional relationships of sand fixation and soil retention with a weak trade-off during the before-2000 stage turned into weak synergies at the after-2000 stage; (3) the ES pairs of carbon sequestration and sand fixation had significant time-lagged trade-off relationships in most arid areas, and these time trade-offs were generally maintained for 2–6 years, where a higher absolute value of the maximum time-lagged correlation coefficient corresponded to a longer time-lag. This study could assist us in understanding the trade-off and synergy of ESs and will provide quantitative zonal information for the ecosystem-services-based ecomanagement of arid areas.
Effect of Religious and Cultural Information of Olive Oil on Consumer Behavior: Evidence from Japan
Authors: Kitagawa Tamaki , Kashiwagi Kenichi , Isoda Hiroko
Published: January 2020

The olive tree and oil are iconic in the Mediterranean culture and religions, and producers incorporate those associations into the packaging of olive oil products they distribute regionally. This study examines the impact of religious and cultural information about olive oil on consumer behavior. A choice experiment was conducted to survey Japanese consumers’ willingness to pay for olive oil products. Results show that consumers respond with varying degrees of favor to the characteristic of “produced in pilgrimage destination,” but if cultural and religious information related to olive is provided, their willingness to pay increases 6.7 times. Measurements of cross-effects show that consumers that are more educated respond favorably to cultural and religious imagery, whereas older consumers and those with more children respond less favorably. Empirical results imply those regional religious and cultural allusions could be used to differentiate and promote olive oil products in a culturally distinct market.