bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental Investigation on the Geometrical Accuracy of the CNC Multi-Pass Sheet Metal Spinning Process
Authors: Abd-Alrazzaq Mohamed , Ahmed Mahmoud , Younes Mohamed
Published: September 2018

The geometrical accuracy of multi-pass sheet metal spinning products is crucial in many applications. Aerospace, petroleum, and chemical industries motivated the development of modern spun components of complicated shapes with special functionality, but a substantial research lag exists behind this progress. Due to the localized plastic deformation involved, careful control of dimensions and form is required in spinning procedures. In this study, two sets of experiments were implemented for cup manufacturing using a retrofitted computer numerically controlled (CNC) spinning machine to identify the critical factors affecting product geometry and reveal their influence on the shape accuracy of the spun cups. The first set is a screening experiment to determine the most significant parameters and the second provides the optimum processing conditions affecting cup quality. The feed ratio, number of spin-forming passes, spinning ratio, and lubrication were found to have the most important effect on the geometry of the spun cups. Optimum quality with a higher processing speed (productivity) was achieved under a lubricated condition using a larger number of spin-forming passes at a high feed ratio, diminishing the commonly adopted rule of slow spinning for accurate products and reflecting a significance for state-of-the-art spinning practice. The findings of this paper introduce a basis for a spinning quality database.
Features of Compressed Natural Gas Physical Distribution: A Bulgarian Case Study
Authors: Stefanov Miroslav
Published: September 2018

Building a competitive and resource-efficient transportation system involves the achievement of a number of ambitious goals. Two of the main instruments in the European transportation policy in this field address the significant reduction of GHG emissions and oil dependency in transportation. Alternative fuels and compressed natural gas (CNG) in particular have huge potential for achieving these goals. The main problem that limits its wide utilization is related to the insufficient number of CNG refueling stations, especially along highways and routes from the core TEN-T network where no gas pipelines are available. Therefore, the aim of this research is to study a possible solution to building daughter CNG refueling stations which can be used as basis for formulating some recommendations for their accelerated construction along TEN-T core network as well as providing some initial knowledge to be used later for more comprehensive research. The research is based on the case-study method, which allows the presentation of the described best practice. The process of data collection is based on semi-structured interviews, study of normative documents, observation of daily sales and direct observations which were processed with the help of qualitative and quantitative methods for time series analysis—trend and seasonal component as well as descriptive statistics tools. Scientific literature and research as well as secondary data provided by international institutions are also used.
Parametric and Optimization Study of Rectangular-Rounded, Hydraulic, Elastomeric, Reciprocating Seals at Temperatures between −54 and +135 °C
Authors: Nikas George K.
Published: September 2018

Hydraulic, reciprocating, polymeric seals are met in many engineering applications and are critical components for mechanism and machine reliability in industries including the automotive, marine, and aerospace industries. A parametric and optimization study of rectangular-rounded, hydraulic, reciprocating, elastomeric rod seals at −54, +23, and +135 °C is presented, which is particularly relevant to hydraulic actuators in aircraft landing gear. Parametric optimization not only improves performance, but also helps avoid sealing failures. The calculations were based on a physically based, deterministic mathematical model of such seals, experimentally validated at the aforementioned temperatures and recently published by the author. The parameters varied were the seal axial width and corner radius, seal elastic modulus, sealed pressure, stroking velocity, operating temperature, rod surface roughness, seal radial interference, and seal swelling by fluid uptake. Their influence was established based on the following performance variables: leakage rate, frictional force, coefficient of friction, temperature rise in the sealing contact, lambda ratio (proportional to the average film thickness in the contact), and ratio of the asperity friction force to the total friction force. The parametric study greatly facilitates the selection of optimal values of the analyzed parameters to minimize leakage, friction, and wear, either concurrently as a set or individually, depending on application priorities.
On the Two-Scale Modelling of Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication in Tilted-Pad Bearings
Authors: De Boer Gregory , Almqvist Andreas
Published: September 2018

A two-scale method for modelling the Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication (EHL) of tilted-pad bearings is derived and a range of solutions are presented. The method is developed from previous publications and is based on the Heterogeneous Multiscale Methods (HMM). It facilitates, by means of homogenization, incorporating the effects of surface topography in the analysis of tilted-pad bearings. New to this article is the investigation of three-dimensional bearings, including the effects of both ideal and real surface topographies, micro-cavitation, and the metamodeling procedure used in coupling the problem scales. Solutions for smooth bearing surfaces, and under pure hydrodynamic operating conditions, obtained with the present two-scale EHL model, demonstrate equivalence to those obtained from well-established homogenization methods. Solutions obtained for elastohydrodynamic operating conditions, show a dependency of the solution to the pad thickness and load capacity of the bearing. More precisely, the response for the real surface topography was found to be stiffer in comparison to the ideal. Micro-scale results demonstrate periodicity of the flow and surface topography and this is consistent with the requirements of the HMM. The means of selecting micro-scale simulations based on intermediate macro-scale solutions, in the metamodeling approach, was developed for larger dimensionality and subsequent calibration. An analysis of the present metamodeling approach indicates improved performance in comparison to previous studies.
A Lattice Model for Elastic Particulate Composites
Authors: Zabulionis Darius , Rimša Vytautas
Published: September 2018

In the present article, a version of the lattice or spring network method is proposed to model the mechanical response of elastic particulate composites with a high volume fraction of spherical particles and with a much weaker matrix compared to the stiffness of the particles. The main subject of the article is the determination of the axial stiffnesses of the springs of the cell. A comparison of the mechanical response of a three-dimensional particulate composite cube obtained using the finite element method and the proposed methodology showed that the efficiency of the proposed methodology increases with an increasing volume fraction of the particles.
Study on Formation Process and Models of Linear Fe Cluster Structure on a Si(111)-7 × 7-CH3OH Surface
Authors: Li Wenxin , Ding Wanyu , Ju Dongying , Tanaka Ken-ichi , Komori Fumio
Published: September 2018

STM results showed that Fe atoms were deposited on a Si(111)-7 × 7 reconstructed surface, which was saturated with CH3OH molecules. Fe atomic linear structure was composed of stable clusters and in-situ observed by the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The aim to improve its application of magnetic memory material, both formation process and models, has been explored in this paper. By combining surface images and mass spectrometer data, an intermediate layer model was established. In terms of thermal stability, the most favorable adsorption sites of CH3OH were further explored. After that, Fe atoms were deposited on the Si(111)-7 × 7-CH3OH surface, forming a linear cluster structure. On the one hand, a new Fe cluster model was put forward in this paper, which was established with height measurement and 3D surface display technology. This model is also affected by the evaporation temperature, which can be consistent with the atomic stacking pattern of face centered cubic structures. On the other hand, the slight height change suggested the stability of linear structures. Even in the condition of thin air introduction, Fe cluster showed a good performance, which suggested the possibility of magnetic memory application in the future. These investigations are believed to have, to a certain extent, increased the probability of forming Fe linear clusters on the surface of silicon substrate, especially according to the models and surface technology we adjusted.
Metal-Based Graphical SiO2/Ag/ZnS/Ag Hetero-Structure for Visible-Infrared Compatible Camouflage
Authors: Qi Dong , Wang Xian , Chen Fu , Cheng Yongzhi , Gong Rongzhou
Published: September 2018

A brand-new approach to realizing visible-infrared compatible camouflage is proposed based on a metal-based graphical hetero-structure (MGHS) SiO2/Ag/ZnS/Ag. For different thicknesses (20, 40, and 60 nm) of color-controlling sub-layer, high-contract and large-span structure colors (yellow, navy, and cyan) were observed due to reintroducing constructive interference with a matching intensity of reflected waves. Ultra-low infrared emissivity values of 0.04, 0.05, and 0.04 (with high average reflectance values of 95.46%, 95.31%, and 95.09%) were obtained at 3–14 μm. In addition, the well-performing trisecting-circle structure further indicates that it is feasible to design on-demand compatible camouflage patterns using the easily-prepared MGHS.
Experimental Parametric Model for Adhesion Wear Measurements in the Dry Turning of an AA2024 Alloy
Authors: Batista Ponce Moises , Del Sol Illana Irene , Fernandez-Vidal Severo Raul , Salguero Gomez Jorge
Published: September 2018

Adhesion wear is the main wear mechanism in the dry turning of aluminium alloys. This type of wear produces an adhesion of the machining material on the cutting tool, decreasing the final surface quality of the machining parts and making it more difficult to maintain industrial tolerances. This work studies the influence of the cutting parameters on the volume of material adhered to the cutting tool surface for dry machining of AA2024 (Al-Cu). For that purpose, a specific methodology based on the automatic image processing method that can obtain the area and the thickness of the adhered material has been designed. This methodology has been verified with the results obtained through 3D analysis techniques and compared with the adhered volume. The results provided experimental parametric models for this wear mechanism. These models are analytic approximations of experimental data. The feed rate mainly results in low cutting speed, while low depths of cut presents a different behaviour due to the low contact pressure. The unstable behaviour of aluminium adhesion on the cutting tool produces a high variability of results. This continuous change introduces variation in the process caused by the continuous change of the cutting tool geometry.
Time Evolution Characterization of Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Jet (APPJ)-Synthesized Pt-SnOx Catalysts
Authors: Lee Chia-Chun , Huang Tzu-Ming , Cheng I-Chun , Hsu Cheng-Che , Chen Jian-Zhang
Published: September 2018

We characterize the time evolution (≤120 s) of atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ)-synthesized Pt-SnOx catalysts. A mixture precursor solution consisting of chloroplatinic acid and tin(II) chloride is spin-coated on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates, following which APPJ is used for converting the spin-coated precursors. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicates the conversion of a large portion of metallic Pt and a small portion of metallic Sn (most Sn is in oxidation states) from the precursors with 120 s APPJ processing. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) efficiency with APPJ-synthesized Pt-SnOx CEs is improved greatly with only 5 s of APPJ processing. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Tafel experiments confirm the catalytic activities of Pt-SnOx catalysts. The DSSC performance can be improved with a short APPJ processing time, suggesting that a DC-pulse nitrogen APPJ can be an efficient tool for rapidly synthesizing catalytic Pt-SnOx counter electrodes (CEs) for DSSCs.
Native V. californicum Alkaloid Combinations Induce Differential Inhibition of Sonic Hedgehog Signaling
Authors: Turner Matthew W. , Cruz Roberto , Elwell Jordan , French John , Mattos Jared , McDougal Owen M.
Published: September 2018

Veratrum californicum is a rich source of steroidal alkaloids such as cyclopamine, a known inhibitor of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway. Here we provide a detailed analysis of the alkaloid composition of V. californicum by plant part through quantitative analysis of cyclopamine, veratramine, muldamine and isorubijervine in the leaf, stem and root/rhizome of the plant. To determine whether additional alkaloids in the extracts contribute to Hh signaling inhibition, the concentrations of these four alkaloids present in extracts were replicated using commercially available standards, followed by comparison of extracts to alkaloid standard mixtures for inhibition of Hh signaling using Shh-Light II cells. Alkaloid combinations enhanced Hh signaling pathway antagonism compared to cyclopamine alone, and significant differences were observed in the Hh pathway inhibition between the stem and root/rhizome extracts and their corresponding alkaloid standard mixtures, indicating that additional alkaloids present in these extracts are capable of inhibiting Hh signaling.
Ball Milling’s Effect on Pine Milled Wood Lignin’s Structure and Molar Mass
Authors: Zinovyev Grigory , Sumerskii Ivan , Rosenau Thomas , Balakshin Mikhail , Potthast Antje
Published: September 2018

The effect of ball milling expressed as the yield of milled wood lignin (MWL) on the structure and molar mass of crude milled wood lignin (MWLc) preparation is studied to better understand the process’ fundamentals and find optimal conditions for MWL isolation (i.e., to obtain the most representative sample with minimal degradation). Softwood (loblolly pine) MWLc preparations with yields of 20–75% have been isolated and characterized based on their molar mass distribution (by Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC)), hydroxyl groups of different types (31P NMR), methoxyl groups (HS-ID GC-MS), and sugar composition (based on methanolysis). Classical MWL purification is not used to access the whole extracted lignin. The results indicate that lignin degradation during ball milling occurs predominantly in the high molar mass fraction and is less pronounced in the low molar mass fraction. This results in a significant decrease in the Mz and Mw of the extracted MWLc with an increase in the yield of MWLc, but has only a very subtle effect on the lignin structure if the yield of MWLc is kept below about 55%. Therefore, no tedious optimization of process variables is necessary to achieve the required MWLc yield in this range for structural studies of softwood MWL. The sugar composition shows higher amounts of pectin components in MWLs of low yields and higher amounts of glucan and mannan in high-yield MWLs, confirming that lignin extraction starts from the middle lamella in the earlier stages of MWL isolation, followed by lignin extraction from the secondary wall region.
Heck Transformations of Biological Compounds Catalyzed by Phosphine-Free Palladium
Authors: Tarnowicz-Ligus Stanisława , Trzeciak Anna M.
Published: September 2018

The development and optimization of synthetic methods leading to functionalized biologically active compounds is described. Two alternative pathways based on Heck-type reactions, employing iodobenzene or phenylboronic acid, were elaborated for the arylation of eugenol and estragole. Cinnamyl alcohol was efficiently transformed to saturated arylated aldehydes in reaction with iodobenzene using the tandem arylation/isomerization sequential process. The arylation of cinnamyl alcohol with phenylboronic acid mainly gave unsaturated alcohol, while the yield of saturated aldehyde was much lower. Catalytic reactions were carried out using simple, phosphine-free palladium precursors and water as a cosolvent, following green chemistry rules as much as possible.
Oxidative Asymmetric Formal Aza-Diels–Alder Reactions of Tetrahydro-β-carboline with Enones in the Synthesis of Indoloquinolizidine-2-ones
Authors: Wu Xiang , Zhao Shi-Bao , Zheng Lang-Lang , Li You-Gui
Published: September 2018

Ru-catalyzed tandem amine oxidative dehydrogenation/formal aza-Diels–Alder reaction for enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of indoloquinolizidine-2-ones from tetrahydro-β-carbolines and α,β-unsaturated ketones is described. The reaction proceeds via tandem ruthenium-catalyzed amine dehydrogenation using tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as the oxidant and a chiral thiourea-catalyzed formal aza-[4 + 2] cycloaddition, providing a step-economical strategy for the synthesis of these valuable heterocyclic products.
Fluorescent Thienothiophene-Containing Squaraine Dyes and Threaded Supramolecular Complexes with Tunable Wavelengths between 600–800 nm
Authors: Liu Wenqi , McGarraugh Hannah H. , Smith Bradley D.
Published: September 2018

A new family of fluorescent thiophene and thienothiophene-containing squaraine dyes is described with tunable wavelengths that cover the absorption/emission range of 600–800 nm. The deep-red and near-infrared fluorescent compounds were easily prepared by simple synthesis and purification methods. Spectral studies showed that each squaraine was rapidly encapsulated by a tetralactam macrocycle, with nanomolar affinity in water, to produce a threaded supramolecular complex with high chemical stability, increased fluorescence quantum yield, and decreased fluorescence quenching upon dye self-aggregation. Energy transfer within the supramolecular complex permitted multiplex emission. That is, two separate dyes with fluorescence emission bands that match the popular Cy5 and Cy7 channels, could be simultaneously excited with a beam of 375 nm light. A broad range of practical applications is envisioned in healthcare diagnostics, microscopy, molecular imaging, and fluorescence-guided surgery.
Influence of Glutaraldehyde Cross-Linking Modes on the Recyclability of Immobilized Lipase B from Candida antarctica for Transesterification of Soy Bean Oil
Authors: A. Modenez Iago , Sastre Diego , C. Moraes Fernando , Marques Netto Caterina
Published: September 2018

Lipase B from Candida antarctica (CAL-B) is largely employed as a biocatalyst for hydrolysis, esterification, and transesterification reactions. CAL-B is a good model enzyme to study factors affecting the enzymatic structure, activity and/or stability after an immobilization process. In this study, we analyzed the immobilization of CAL-B enzyme on different magnetic nanoparticles, synthesized by the coprecipitation method inside inverse micelles made of zwitterionic surfactants, with distinct carbon chain length: 4 (ImS4), 10 (ImS10) and 18 (ImS18) carbons. Magnetic nanoparticles ImS4 and ImS10 were shown to cross-link to CAL-B enzyme via a Michael-type addition, whereas particles with ImS18 were bond via pyridine formation after glutaraldehyde cross-coupling. Interestingly, the Michael-type cross-linking generated less stable immobilized CAL-B, revealing the influence of a cross-linking mode on the resulting biocatalyst behavior. Curiously, a direct correlation between nanoparticle agglomerate sizes and CAL-B enzyme reuse stability was observed. Moreover, free CAL-B enzyme was not able to catalyze transesterification due to the high methanol concentration; however, the immobilized CAL-B enzyme reached yields from 79.7 to 90% at the same conditions. In addition, the transesterification of lipids isolated from oleaginous yeasts achieved 89% yield, which confirmed the potential of immobilized CAL-B enzyme in microbial production of biodiesel.
Ferrocene-Containing Impiridone (ONC201) Hybrids: Synthesis, DFT Modelling, In Vitro Evaluation, and Structure–Activity Relationships
Authors: Bárány Péter , Oláh Rita Szabó , Kovács Imre , Czuczi Tamás , Szabó Csenge Lilla , Takács Angéla , Lajkó Eszter , Láng Orsolya , Kőhidai László , Schlosser Gitta , Bősze Szilvia , Mező Gábor , Hudecz Ferenc , Csámpai Antal
Published: September 2018

Inspired by the well-established clinical evidence about the interplay between apoptotic TRAIL (tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) mechanism and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress, a set of novel ONC201 hybrids containing the impiridone core and one or two differently positioned ferrocenylalkyl groups were synthesised in our present work. These two types of residues have been implicated in the aforementioned mechanisms associated with cytotoxic activity. A straightforward, primary amine-based synthetic approach was used allowing the introduction of a variety of N-substituents into the two opposite regions of the heterocyclic skeleton. Reference model compounds with benzyl and halogenated benzyl groups were also synthesised and tested. The in vitro assays of the novel impiridones on five malignant cell lines disclosed characteristic structure-activity relationship (SAR) featuring significant substituent-dependent activity and cell-selectivity. A possible contribution of ROS-mechanism to the cytotoxicity of the novel metallocenes was suggested by density functional theory (DFT)studies on simplified models. Accordingly, unlike the mono-ferrocenylalkyl-substituted products, the compounds containing two ferrocenylalkyl substituents in the opposite regions of the impiridone core display a much more pronounced long-term cytotoxic effect against A-2058 cell line than do the organic impiridones including ONC201 and ONC212. Furthermore, the prepared bis-metallocene derivatives also present substantial activity against COLO-205- and EBC-1 cell lines.
Animals Make Music: A Look at Non-Human Musical Expression
Authors: Gupfinger Reinhard , Kaltenbrunner Martin
Published: September 2018

The use of musical instruments and interfaces that involve animals in the interaction process is an emerging, yet not widespread practice. The projects that have been implemented in this unusual field are raising questions concerning ethical principles, animal-centered design processes, and the possible benefits and risks for the animals involved. Animal–Computer Interaction is a novel field of research that offers a framework (ACI manifesto) for implementing interactive technology for animals. Based on this framework, we have examined several projects focusing on the interplay between animals and music technology in order to arrive at a better understanding of animal-based musical projects. Building on this, we will discuss how the implementation of new musical instruments and interfaces could provide new opportunities for improving the quality of life for grey parrots living in captivity.
One-Step Acidic Hydrothermal Preparation of Dendritic Rutile TiO2 Nanorods for Photocatalytic Performance
Authors: Gong Cheng , Du Jun , Li Xiuyun , Yu Zhenjie , Ma Jiansong , Qi Wenqian , Zhang Kai , Yang Jin , Luo Mei , Peng Hailong
Published: September 2018

Three-dimensional and dendritic rutile TiO2 nanorods were successfully fabricated on a Ti foil surface using a one-step acidic hydrothermal method. The TiO2 nanorods were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical contact angle testing. The results showed that the nanorods with diameters of 100–500 nm and lengths of 100 nm to 1 μm were obtained on the Ti foil surface. The length and density of the TiO2 nanorods were perfect at the conditions of HCl concentration 0.5 mol/L, temperature 220 °C, and reaction time 12 h. The TiO2 nanorods formed parallel to the consumption of Ti and grew along the (110) direction having a tetragonal rutile crystal. The morphology of the nanorods possessed a three-dimensional structure. The contact angle of the nanorods was only 13 ± 3.1°. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic activities of the TiO2 nanorods were carried out using ultraviolet fluorescence spectrophotometry for the methyl orange detection, and the degradation was found to be about 71.00% ± 2.43%. Thus, TiO2 nanorods can be developed by a one-step acidic hydrothermal method using Ti foil simultaneously as the substrate with a TiO2 source; the TiO2 nanorods exhibited photocatalytic performance while being environment-friendly.
Simultaneous Determination of Chlorogenic Acid Isomers and Metabolites in Rat Plasma Using LC-MS/MS and Its Application to A Pharmacokinetic Study Following Oral Administration of Stauntonia Hexaphylla Leaf Extract (YRA-1909) to Rats
Authors: Choi Won-Gu , Kim Ju-Hyun , Kim Dong Kyun , Lee Yongnam , Yoo Ji Seok , Shin Dae Hee , Lee Hye Suk
Published: September 2018

Stauntonia hexaphylla leaf extract (YRA-1909), which is widely used for the antirheumatic properties, has been under phase 2 clinical trials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis since April 2017. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method while using liquid–liquid extraction with ethyl acetate was validated for the simultaneous determination of the major active components of YRA-1909, including chlorogenic acid (CGA), neochlorogenic acid (NCGA), cryptochlorogenic acid (CCGA), and their metabolites (i.e., caffeic acid (CA), caffeic acid 3-O-glucuronide (CA-3-G), caffeic acid 4-O-glucuronide (CA-4-G), and ferulic acid (FA)) in rat plasma and applied to a pharmacokinetic study of YRA-1909 in rats. Seven analytes were separated on Halo C18 while using gradient elution of formic acid and methanol, and then quantified in selected reaction monitoring mode whle using negative electrospray ionization. Following oral administration of YRA-1909 at doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg to male Sprague-Dawley rats, CGA, NCGA, and CCGA were rapidly absorbed and metabolized to CA, CA-3-G, and CA-4-G. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUClast) of CGA, NCGA, CCGA, and three metabolites linearly increased as the YRA-1909 dose increased. Other pharmacokinetic parameters were comparable among three doses studied. AUClast values for CA, CA-3-G, and CA-4-G exceeded those for CGA, NCGA, and CCGA.
Lignin Structure and Solvent Effects on the Selective Removal of Condensed Units and Enrichment of S-Type Lignin
Authors: Gao Si , Zhao Ji , Wang Xing , Guo Yanzhu , Han Ying , Zhou Jinghui
Published: September 2018

This study focused on the structural differences of lignin after pyridine–acetic acid–water (PAW) and dioxane–acidic water (DAW) purification processes. These structural differences included the S/G ratio, condensed structure, weight-average (MW) molecular weights, β-O-4 linkages and sugar content. The chemical structure of the isolated crude lignin (CL), PAW purified lignin (PPL) and DAW purified lignin (DPL) was elucidated using quantitative 13C NMR, 2D-HSQC NMR spectra, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that the PPL fractions contain fewer condensed structures, higher S/G ratios, more β-O-4 linkages, higher average MW and lower thermal degradation properties compared to the CL and DPL fractions. Furthermore, the PAW process was more selective in removing condensed units and enriching S-type lignin from CL compared to the DAW process. These results provide valuable information for understanding which purification process is more suitable to be applied for lignin.
Satellite-Based Water Consumption Dynamics Monitoring in an Extremely Arid Area
Authors: Tan Shen , Wu Bingfang , Yan Nana , Zeng Hongwei
Published: September 2018

Evapotranspiration (ET) involves actual water consumption directly from the land surface; however, regional ET maps are usually neglected during water management and allocation. In this study, an integrated satellite-based ET monitoring approach with two spatial resolutions is proposed over an extremely arid basin in China that has experienced crop area expansion and has been the focus of a water-saving project since 2012. The proposed ETWatch approach combined with an empirical downscaling strategy based on vegetation condition was employed to produce monthly ET maps. This method achieves satisfactory accuracy and is validated by its reasonable spatial and temporal pattern results. Yearly results exhibit an increasing ET trend before 2012, which subsequently gradually decrease. This trend fits well with the dynamics of the basin-wide vegetation condition, indicating that there is a stronger correlation between water consumption and vegetation than between other environmental indicators. The average ET over three main crop types in the region (grape, cotton, and melon) decreased by approximately 5% due to optimizations of the irrigation timeline during the project, while 13% of the water savings can be attributed to the fallowing of crop areas. Based on the irrigation distribution in 2012, a comparison between drip and border irrigation that achieves water savings of 3.6% from grape and 5.8% from cotton is conducted. However, an afforestation project that involved planting young trees led to an approximate 25% increase in water consumption. Overall, since 2012, the water-saving project has achieved satisfactory performance regarding excessive groundwater withdrawal, showing a reduction trend of 3 million m3/year and an increase in Lake Aiding water levels since 2011. The results reveal the potential of the ET monitoring strategy as a basis for basin-scale water management.
Comparison and Feasibility of Various RFID Authentication Methods Using ECC
Authors: Alexander Pagán , Baashirah Rania , Abuzneid Abdelshakour
Published: September 2018

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology that has grown in popularity and in the applications of use. However, there are major issues regarding security and privacy with respect to RFID technology which have caught the interest of many researchers. There are significant challenges which must be overcome to resolve RFID security and privacy issues. One reason is the constraints attached to the provision of security and privacy in RFID systems. Along with meeting the security and privacy needs of RFID technology, solutions must be inexpensive, practical, reliable, scalable, flexible, inter-organizational, and long-lasting. To make RFID identifiers effective and efficient they must identify the item(s) while resisting attacks aimed at obtaining the tag’s information and compromising the system or making it possible to bypass the protection RFID tags are supposed to provide. Different authentication methods have been proposed, researched, and evaluated in the literature. In this work, we proposed our methodology in evaluating RFID authentication, and a few of the most promising authentication methods are reviewed, compared, and ranked in order to arrive at a possible best choice of protocol to use.
Early Fault Diagnosis for Planetary Gearbox Based Wavelet Packet Energy and Modulation Signal Bispectrum Analysis
Authors: Guo Junchao , Shi Zhanqun , Li Haiyang , Zhen Dong , Gu Fengshou , Ball Andrew D.
Published: September 2018

The planetary gearbox is at the heart of most rotating machinery. The premature failure and subsequent downtime of a planetary gearbox not only seriously affects the reliability and safety of the entire rotating machinery but also results in severe accidents and economic losses in industrial applications. It is an important and challenging task to accurately detect failures in a planetary gearbox at an early stage to ensure the safety and reliability of the mechanical transmission system. In this paper, a novel method based on wavelet packet energy (WPE) and modulation signal bispectrum (MSB) analysis is proposed for planetary gearbox early fault diagnostics. First, the vibration signal is decomposed into different time-frequency subspaces using wavelet packet decomposition (WPD). The WPE is calculated in each time-frequency subspace. Secondly, the relatively high energy vectors are selected from a WPE matrix to obtain a reconstructed signal. The reconstructed signal is then subjected to MSB analysis to obtain the fault characteristic frequency for fault diagnosis of the planetary gearbox. The validity of the proposed method is carried out through analyzing the vibration signals of the test planetary gearbox in two fault cases. One fault is a chipped sun gear tooth and the other is an inner-race fault in the planet gear bearing. The results show that the proposed method is feasible and effective for early fault diagnosis in planetary gearboxes.
Ship Classification in High-Resolution SAR Images Using Deep Learning of Small Datasets
Authors: Wang Yuanyuan , Wang Chao , Zhang Hong
Published: September 2018

With the capability to automatically learn discriminative features, deep learning has experienced great success in natural images but has rarely been explored for ship classification in high-resolution SAR images due to the training bottleneck caused by the small datasets. In this paper, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are applied to ship classification by using SAR images with the small datasets. First, ship chips are constructed from high-resolution SAR images and split into training and validation datasets. Second, a ship classification model is constructed based on very deep convolutional networks (VGG). Then, VGG is pretrained via ImageNet, and fine tuning is utilized to train our model. Six scenes of COSMO-SkyMed images are used to evaluate our proposed model with regard to the classification accuracy. The experimental results reveal that (1) our proposed ship classification model trained by fine tuning achieves more than 95% average classification accuracy, even with 5-cross validation; (2) compared with other models, the ship classification model based on VGG16 achieves at least 2% higher accuracies for classification. These experimental results reveal the effectiveness of our proposed method.
Skin Penetration and Stability Enhancement of Celastrus paniculatus Seed Oil by 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex for Cosmeceutical Applications
Authors: Ruksiriwanich Warintorn , Sirithunyalug Jakkapan , Khantham Chiranan , Leksomboon Krot , Jantrawut Pensak
Published: September 2018

This study aimed to encapsulate Celastrus paniculatus seed oil (CPSO) in 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) cavities and investigate their biological activity, physicochemical stability, and skin penetration by vertical Franz diffusion cells of the CPSO-HPβCD inclusion complex formulations. For biological activity studies—including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging, metal ion chelating, and inhibition of lipid and tyrosinase inhibition activities—the CPSO-HPβCD inclusion complex exhibited lower inhibition activity than free CPSO. CPSO-HPβCD dispersion, serum, and gel formulations were prepared. All formulations containing the CPSO-HPβCD inclusion complex showed no significant changes in physical characteristics after three months’ storage. The percentages of oleic acid remaining in all formulations were over 80% of the initial amount during a three-month stability study. For the skin-penetration study, compared to other formulations, the CPSO-HPβCD serum formulation exhibited the highest cumulative amount of oleic acid in the whole skin and flux through receptor fluid, after six hours, of 32.75 ± 1.25 µg/cm2 and 1.02 ± 0.15 µg/cm2/h, respectively. The CPSO-HPβCD serum formulation also showed the proper viscosity. Hence, the CPSO-HPβCD inclusion complex will be beneficial for the further development of cosmeceutical products.
The Role of Trust in Sustainable Management of Land, Fish, and Wildlife Populations in the Arctic
Authors: Schmidt Jennifer I. , Clark Douglas , Lokken Nils , Lankshear Jessica , Hausner Vera
Published: September 2018

Sustainable resource management depends on support from the public and local stakeholders. Fish, wildlife, and land management in remote areas face the challenge of working across vast areas, often with limited resources, to monitor land use or the status of the fish-and-wildlife populations. Resource managers depend on local residents, often Indigenous, to gain information about environmental changes and harvest trends. Developing mutual trust is thus important for the transfer of knowledge and sustainable use of land resources. We interviewed residents of eight communities in Arctic Alaska and Canada and analyzed their trust in resource governance organizations using mixed-methods. Trust was much greater among Alaska (72%) and Nunavut (62%) residents than Churchill (23%). Trust was highest for organizations that dealt with fish and wildlife issues, had no legal enforcement rights, and were associated with Indigenous peoples. Local organizations were trusted more than non-local in Alaska and Nunavut, but the opposite was true in Churchill. Association tests and modeling indicated that characteristics of organizations were significantly related to trust, whereas education was among the few individual-level characteristics that mattered for trust. Familiarity, communication, and education are crucial to improve, maintain, or foster trust for more effective management of natural resources in such remote communities.
Analyzing the Global Risks for the Financial Crisis after the Great Depression Using Comparative Hybrid Hesitant Fuzzy Decision-Making Models: Policy Recommendations for Sustainable Economic Growth
Authors: Dinçer Hasan , Yüksel Serhat , Şenel Seçil
Published: September 2018

The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of global risks on financial crises. For this purpose, five different outstanding crises after the Great Depression of 1929 are taken into the consideration. Additionally, four different dimensions are selected regarding global risk by considering the Global Risk Report. Moreover, the hesitant fuzzy DEMATEL, the hesitant fuzzy VIKOR, and the hesitant fuzzy TOPSIS methodologies are used to reach this objective. We concluded that, with respect to global risks, the industry-based dimension has the highest importance in comparison to other dimensions. In addition, we also identified that the 2010 European debt crisis and the 1982 Latin American debt crisis were the most influenced crises in terms of global risk. The main reason for this is that the macroeconomic problems such as high inflation and unemployment had negative impacts on the industries of these countries. Another important point is that the results of the hesitant fuzzy VIKOR and hesitant fuzzy TOPSIS models are quite different, but they are the most similar when the experts do not reach the consensus. This situation shows that this analysis is quite appropriate with respect to the hesitant approach. While considering these aspects, we recommended that countries should firstly focus on the solutions related to industry level problems in order to minimize the global risk. Owing to this issue, it can be more possible to reach sustainable economic growth in the world.
The Impact of Risk Perceptions of Food Ingredients on the Restaurant Industry: Focused on the Moderating Role of Corporate Social Responsibility
Authors: Koo Dong-Woo
Published: September 2018

This study investigated the causal relationships between international tourists’ perceived sustainability of Jeju Island, South Korea and environmentally responsible behavior, revisit intention, and positive word-of-mouth communication. Perceived sustainability was employed as a multidimensional construct comprised of economic, cultural, and environmental aspects. Data were collected from international tourists that visited Jeju Island. The results indicated that environmentally responsible behavior was influenced positively by cultural sustainability, and negatively by environmental sustainability. Revisit intention and positive word-of-mouth communication were significantly affected by the three dimensions of sustainability. Based on the findings, associated implications were suggested for sustainable destination management of Jeju Island.
Evolution of the Scientific Literature on Input–Output Analysis: A Bibliometric Analysis of 1990–2017
Authors: Xie Yulei , Ji Ling , Zhang Beibei , Huang Gordon
Published: September 2018

This study attempts to characterize the literature related to input–output analysis between 1990–2017 through bibliometric analysis technology based on the Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index databases. By means of bibliometric tools, this paper provides deep insights on the patterns of these articles, the most influential works and authors, and the emerging research topics. The results imply that China and the United States (USA) are the leading countries in terms of publication output. The Chinese Academy of Sciences is the most productive research institution, followed by Beijing Normal University and the University of Sydney. The Journal of Cleaner Production, Ecological Economics, and Energy Policy are the top mainstream journals in the input–output analysis-related field. Based on network analysis, this paper also discovers the hidden collaboration patterns and interrelations of countries, institutions, and authors. The bibliographic coupling and keywords concurrence networks are adopted to illustrate the input–output analysis evolution over time, and identify the current key research hotspots. The obtained results will help scientific researchers better understand the research status and frontier trends in this field, permit researchers to know the current research interests in the input–output analysis field, and provide useful information for further investigation and publication strategies.
Analysis of the Characteristics of Stone Signposts in Korean Rural Landscapes
Authors: Lee Young-Chang , Jung Hae-Joon , Kim Keun-Ho
Published: September 2018

Korean rural landscapes have been influenced by major events in modern Korean history, and have undergone many sociocultural and lifestyle changes. This study examines the characteristics of stone signposts, which physically represent the landscape entrance to Korean rural villages, and provide comprehensive information for the sustainable management of rural landscape elements having heritage value. We conducted field surveys and interviews in 313 rural villages in Korea and cross-tabulated the collected data with five question items. We designed one descriptive variable for the cause, set four question items for dependent variables, and analyzed the relationship among the variables. This study reveals that the installation times of stone signposts are related to the major issues of modern Korean history, and discusses how the signposts evolved into rural landscape elements. In addition, the study reveals that stone signposts can be considered a tactic designed to preserve regional identities in modern society and improve the quality of rural village landscapes. Over time, due to the complex long-term interactions that occurred between the landscape and the sociocultural environment of such regions, stone signposts evolved into elements of cultural heritage and representations of regional knowledge and history. Therefore, in order to improve Korean rural landscapes, their value must be assessed and managed independently based on historical, regional, and landscape considerations.
Population Aging, Mobility, and Real Estate Price: Evidence from Cities in China
Authors: Wang Xinrui , Hui Eddie Chi-Man , Sun Jiuxia
Published: September 2018

Demographic factors are crucial to the sustainable development of one country. China’s population is aging at an accelerating rate and, together with the increasing mobility between cities, some special demographic issues have formed, which is quite related to the urban real estate market. The paper aims to investigate how the population aging and mobility affect housing prices at the city level, by using a set of two-period panel data of 294 prefecture-level cities in China. The results show that an increase in elderly dependency ratio by 1% leads to a rise in housing prices by 0.368%. Meanwhile, an increase in urbanization level by 1% drives up housing prices by about 0.139%, and a rise in the ratio of inter-regional migration by 1% will increase housing prices by about 1.038%. Furthermore, the policy of purchase limits could weaken the positive impacts of elderly dependency ratio and inter-regional migration on housing prices and, thus, plays a moderating role on the relationship between demographic structure and housing prices.
Railway Freight Transport and Logistics: Methods for Relief, Algorithms for Verification and Proposals for the Adjustment of Tunnel Inner Surfaces
Authors: Loprencipe Giuseppe , Moretti Laura , Pestillo Tiziana , Ferraro Ricardo
Published: September 2018

In Europe, the attention to efficiency and safety of international railway freight transport has grown in recent years and this has drawn attention to the importance of verifying the clearance between vehicle and lining, mostly when different and variable rolling stock types are expected. This work consists of defining an innovative methodology, with the objective of surveying the tunnel structures, verifying the clearance conditions, and designing a retrofitting work if necessary. The method provides for the use of laser scanner, thermocameras, and ground penetrating radar to survey the geometrical and structural conditions of the tunnel; an algorithm written by the authors permits to verify the clearances. Two different types of works are possible if the inner tunnel surfaces interfere with the profile of the rolling stock passing through: modification of the railroad track or modification of the tunnel intrados by mean milling of its lining. The presented case study demonstrates that the proposed methodology is useful for verifying compatibility between the design vehicle gauge and the existing tunnel intrados, and to investigate the chance to admit rolling stocks from different states. Consequently, the results give the railway management body a chance to perform appropriate measurements in those cases where the minimum clearance requirements are not achieved.
Effective Blind Frequency Offset Estimation Scheme for BST-OFDM Based HDTV Broadcast Systems
Authors: Jung Yong-An , You Young-Hwan
Published: September 2018

The integrated services digital broadcasting-terrestrial (ISDB-T) system is designed in order to accommodate high-quality video/audio and multimedia services, using band segmented transmission orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (BST-OFDM) scheme. In the ISDB-T system, the pilot configuration varies depending on whether a segment uses a coherent or differential modulation. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a joint estimation of carrier frequency offset (CFO) and sampling frequency offset (SFO) independent of the segment format in the ISDB-T system. The goal is to complete those synchronization tasks while considering an information-carrying transmission and multiplexing configuration control (TMCC) signal as pilot symbols. It is demonstrated through numerical simulations that the differential BPSK-modulated TMCC information can be efficiently used for a least-squares estimation of CFO and SFO, offering an acceptable performance.
Correction: Hou, B. et al. Conceptual Framework and Computational Research of Hierarchical Residential Household Water Demand. Water 2018, 10, 696
Authors: Pan Wenxiang , Hou Baodeng , Yang Ruixiang , Zhan Xuzhu , Tian Wenkai , Li Baoqi , Xiao Weihua , Wang Jianhua , Zhou Yuyan , Zhao Yong , Gao Xuerui
Published: September 2018

We wish to make the following correction to the published paper[...]