bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High Income Protects Whites but Not African Americans against Risk of Depression
Authors: Assari Shervin
Published: April 2018

Background: Built on the Blacks’ diminished return theory, defined as smaller effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on a wide range of health outcomes for African Americans compared to Whites, the current study compared African Americans and Whites for the association between household income and risk of lifetime, 12-month, and 30-day major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: For the current cross-sectional study, we used data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), 2001–2003. With a nationally representative sampling, CPES included 4746 non-Hispanic African Americans and 7587 non-Hispanic Whites. The dependent variables were lifetime, 12-month, and 30-day MDD, measured using Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). The independent variable was household income. Age, gender, education, chronic medical conditions, and obesity were covariates. Race was the focal moderator. Logistic regression models were used to test the protective effects of household income against MDD in the overall sample and also by race. Results: In the overall sample, household income was inversely associated with the risk of 12-month and 30-day MDD. We found a significant interaction between race and household income on 12-month and 30-day MDD, suggesting a smaller protective effect of household income against MDD for African Americans compared to Whites. Conclusion: In line with the Blacks’ diminished return theory, household income better protects Whites than African Americans against MDD. The contribution of diminished return of SES as an underlying mechanism behind racial disparities in health in the United States is often overlooked. Additional research is needed on why and how SES resources generate smaller health gain among minority groups.
The Social and Spatial Ecology of Dengue Presence and Burden during an Outbreak in Guayaquil, Ecuador, 2012
Authors: Lippi Catherine A. , Stewart-Ibarra Anna M. , Muñoz Ángel G. , Borbor-Cordova Mercy J. , Mejía Raúl , Rivero Keytia , Castillo Katty , Cárdenas Washington B. , Ryan Sadie J.
Published: April 2018

Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne arbovirus, is a major public health concern in Ecuador. In this study, we aimed to describe the spatial distribution of dengue risk and identify local social-ecological factors associated with an outbreak of dengue fever in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. We examined georeferenced dengue cases (n = 4248) and block-level census data variables to identify social-ecological risk factors associated with the presence/absence and burden of dengue in Guayaquil in 2012. Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA), specifically Anselin’s Local Moran’s I, and Moran’s I tests were used to locate hotspots of dengue transmission, and multimodel selection was used to identify covariates associated with dengue presence and burden at the census block level. We identified significant dengue transmission hotspots near the North Central and Southern portions of Guayaquil. Significant risk factors for presence of dengue included poor housing conditions, access to paved roads, and receipt of remittances. Counterintuitive positive correlations with dengue presence were observed with several municipal services such as garbage collection and access to piped water. Risk factors for increased burden of dengue included poor housing conditions, garbage collection, receipt of remittances, and sharing a property with more than one household. Social factors such as education and household demographics were negatively correlated with increased dengue burden. These findings elucidate underlying differences with dengue presence versus burden, and suggest that vulnerability and risk maps could be developed to inform dengue prevention and control; this is information that is also relevant for emerging epidemics of chikungunya and Zika viruses.
Evaluating the Implementation of a Twitter-Based Foodborne Illness Reporting Tool in the City of St. Louis Department of Health
Authors: Harris Jenine K. , Hinyard Leslie , Beatty Kate , Hawkins Jared B. , Nsoesie Elaine O. , Mansour Raed , Brownstein John S.
Published: April 2018

Foodborne illness is a serious and preventable public health problem affecting 1 in 6 Americans with cost estimates over $50 billion annually. Local health departments license and inspect restaurants to ensure food safety and respond to reports of suspected foodborne illness. The City of St. Louis Department of Health adopted the HealthMap Foodborne Dashboard (Dashboard), a tool that monitors Twitter for tweets about food poisoning in a geographic area and allows the health department to respond. We evaluated the implementation by interviewing employees of the City of St. Louis Department of Health involved in food safety. We interviewed epidemiologists, environmental health specialists, health services specialists, food inspectors, and public information officers. Participants viewed engaging innovation participants and executing the innovation as challenges while they felt the Dashboard had relative advantage over existing reporting methods and was not complex once in place. This study is the first to examine practitioner perceptions of the implementation of a new technology in a local health department. Similar implementation projects should focus more on process by developing clear and comprehensive plans to educate and involve stakeholders prior to implementation.
The Expansion of the Brazilian Winter Corn Crop and Its Impact on Price Transmission
Authors: Mattos Fabio L. , Franco da Silveira Rodrigo Lanna
Published: April 2018

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of the growth of the Brazilian winter corn crop on the dynamics between domestic Brazilian prices and international prices as well as spot and futures prices in Brazil. Econometric time-series methods tests were applied using Brazilian spot and futures prices and U.S. futures prices. The statistical analysis found evidence that a long-run relationship between Brazilian and U.S. prices had developed, and the Brazilian futures market developed a more dominant role in the relationship between spot and futures prices domestically. These findings were particularly noticeable after 2002, when expanding corn production in Brazil was leading to greater participation in the international market (exports) and increasing trading in the Brazilian futures market.
Gastroprotective and Antioxidant Activity of Kalanchoe brasiliensis and Kalanchoe pinnata Leaf Juices against Indomethacin and Ethanol-Induced Gastric Lesions in Rats
Authors: De Araújo Edilane Rodrigues Dantas , Guerra Gerlane Coelho Bernardo , Araújo Daline Fernandes de Souza , De Araújo Aurigena Antunes , Fernandes Júlia Morais , De Araújo Júnior Raimundo Fernandes , Da Silva Valéria Costa , De Carvalho Thaís Gomes , Ferreira Leandro de Santis , Zucolotto Silvana Maria
Published: April 2018

Kalanchoe brasiliensis and Kalanchoe pinnata are used interchangeably in traditional medicine for treating peptic ulcers and inflammatory problems. In this context, this study aims to characterize the chemical constituents and evaluate the gastroprotective activity of the leaf juices of the two species in acute gastric lesions models. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometer (UHPLC-MS) were performed for chemical characterization. Wistar rats were pre-treated orally with leaf juices (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) or ranitidine (50 mg/kg). The peaks observed in the chromatogram of K. brasiliensis showed similar mass spectra to flavonoid glycosides derived from patuletin and eupafolin, while K. pinnata showed mass spectra similar to compounds derived from quercetin, patuletin, eupafolin and kaempferol. K. brasiliensis at all doses and K. pinnata at doses of 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg significantly reduced the lesions in the ethanol induction model. In the indomethacin induction model, both species showed significant results at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg. Also, the pre-treatment with leaf juices increased the antioxidant defense system, glutathione (GSH), whereas malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were significantly decreased. Treatment with leaf juices led to the upregulation of zone occludes-1 (ZO-1) and the downregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and factor nuclear-κβ transcription (NF-κB-p65), while also showing a cytoprotective effect and maintaining mucus production. These findings show that the leaf juices of the two species showed gastroprotective effects on ethanol and gastric indomethacin injury which were a consequence of gastric inflammation suppression, antioxidant activity and the maintenance of cytoprotective defenses and mucosal structure architecture.
Optimum Electrode Configurations for Two-Probe, Four-Probe and Multi-Probe Schemes in Electrical Resistance Tomography for Delamination Identification in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites
Authors: Escalona-Galvis Luis Waldo , Diaz-Montiel Paulina , Venkataraman Satchi
Published: April 2018

Internal damage in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites modifies the internal electrical conductivity of the composite material. Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) is a non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique that determines the extent of damage based on electrical conductivity changes. Implementation of ERT for damage identification in CFRP composites requires the optimal selection of the sensing sites for accurate results. This selection depends on the measuring scheme used. The present work uses an effective independence (EI) measure for selecting the minimum set of measurements for ERT damage identification using three measuring schemes: two-probe, four-probe and multi-probe. The electrical potential field in two CFRP laminate layups with 14 electrodes is calculated using finite element analyses (FEA) for a set of specified delamination damage cases. The measuring schemes consider the cases of 14 electrodes distributed on both sides and seven electrodes on only one side of the laminate for each layup. The effectiveness of EI reduction is demonstrated by comparing the inverse identification results of delamination cases for the full and the reduced sets using the measuring schemes and electrode sets. This work shows that the EI measure optimally reduces electrode and electrode combinations in ERT based damage identification for different measuring schemes.
Eurotiumins A–E, Five New Alkaloids from the Marine-Derived Fungus Eurotium sp. SCSIO F452
Authors: Zhong Wei-Mao , Wang Jun-Feng , Shi Xue-Feng , Wei Xiao-Yi , Chen Yu-Chan , Zeng Qi , Xiang Yao , Chen Xia-Yu , Tian Xin-Peng , Xiao Zhi-Hui , Zhang Wei-Min , Wang Fa-Zuo , Zhang Si
Published: April 2018

Three new prenylated indole 2,5-diketopiperazine alkaloids (1–3) with nine known ones (5–13), one new indole alkaloid (4), and one new bis-benzyl pyrimidine derivative (14) were isolated and characterized from the marine-derived fungus Eurotium sp. SCSIO F452. 1 and 2, occurring as a pair of diastereomers, both presented a hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole skeleton. Their chemical structures, including absolute configurations, were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, quantum chemical calculations of electronic circular dichroism, and single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. Most isolated compounds were screened for antioxidative potency. Compounds 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12 showed significant radical scavenging activities against DPPH with IC50 values of 13, 19, 4, 3, 24, 13, and 18 µM, respectively. Five new compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic activities.
CpG Island Methylation of the MLH1, MGMT, DAPK, and CASP8 Genes in Cancerous and Adjacent Noncancerous Stomach Tissues
Authors: Kupčinskaitė-Noreikienė Rita , Skiecevičienė Jurgita , Jonaitis Laimas , Ugenskienė Rasa , Kupčinskas Juozas , Markelis Rytis , Baltrėnas Vidmantas , Linas  , Semakina Irina , Grižas Saulius , Juozaitytė Elona
Published: April 2018

Background and Objective. Many factors are involved in the development of gastric adenocarcinoma. The CpG island methylation of apoptosis and mismatch repair genes by the loss of their function is important in gastric adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to determine the methylation frequency of MLH1, MGMT, CASP8, and DAPK in cancerous and adjacent noncancerous stomach tissues, to determine possible associations with the selected clinicopathological characteristics, and to identify possible correlation between the methylation of individual genes. Material and Methods. The methylation status of MLH1, MGMT, DAPK, and CASP8 was investigated in 69 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma by using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. The associations between patients’ clinical characteristics and methylation status were assessed. Results. The methylation frequency of the MLH1, DAPK, MGMT, and CASP8 gene promoters in cancerous and adjacent noncancerous tissues was 31.9% and 27.5%; 47.8% and 46.4%; 36.2% and 44.9%; and 5.8% and 5.8%, respectively, but the differences were not significant. There was no significant association between the methylation status of the mentioned genes and clinicopathological characteristics, such as age, sex, tumor type by the Lauren classification, degree of differentiation G, and TNM staging. An inverse correlation between the methylation of the DAPK and MLH1 gene promoters in cancerous and surrounding noncancerous tissues was found. Conclusions. The methylation of the MLH1, MGMT, DAPK, and CASP8 genes was found to occur both in cancerous and noncancerous stomach tissues. These findings provide additional insights into gene methylation patterns in gastric adenocarcinoma.
Role of Multimodal Analgesia in the Evolving Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Pathways
Authors: Gelman David , Gelmanas Arūnas , Urbanaitė Dalia , Tamošiūnas Ramūnas , Sadauskas Saulius , Bilskienė Diana , Naudžiūnas Albinas , Širvinskas Edmundas , Benetis Rimantas , Macas Andrius
Published: April 2018

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) are specially designed multimodal perioperative care pathways which are intended to attain and improve rapid recovery after surgical interventions by supporting preoperative organ function and attenuating the stress response caused by surgical trauma, allowing patients to get back to normal activities as soon as possible. Evidence-based protocols are prepared and published to implement the conception of ERAS. Although they vary amongst health care institutions, the main three elements (preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative components) remain the cornerstones. Postoperative pain influences the quality and length of the postoperative recovery period, and later, the quality of life. Therefore, the optimal postoperative pain management (PPM) applying multimodal analgesia (MA) is one of the most important components of ERAS. The main purpose of this article is to discuss the concept of MA in PPM, particularly reviewing the use of opioid-sparing measures such as paracetamol, nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), other adjuvants, and regional techniques.
Does the World Need Plant Medicines?
Authors: Adams James David
Published: April 2018

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Adipose Tissue Lactate Clearance but Not Blood Lactate Clearance Is Associated with Clinical Outcome in Sepsis or Septic Shock during the Post-Resuscitation Period
Authors: Ilias Ioannis , Apollonatou Sofia , Vassiliadi Dimitra-Argyro , Nikitas Nikitas , Theodorakopoulou Maria , Diamantakis Argyris , Kotanidou Anastasia , Dimopoulou Ioanna
Published: April 2018

No study has directly measured tissue lactate clearance in patients with sepsis during the post-resuscitation period. In this study we aimed to assess in ICU patients with sepsis (n = 32) or septic shock (n = 79)—during the post-resuscitation phase—the relative kinetics of blood/tissue lactate clearances and to examine whether these are associated with outcome. We measured serially—over a 48-h period—blood and adipose tissue interstitial fluid lactate levels (with microdialysis) and we calculated lactate clearance. Statistics included mixed model analysis, Friedman’s analysis of variance, Wilcoxon’s test, Mann-Whitney’s test, receiver operating characteristics curves and logistic regression. Forty patients died (28-day mortality rate = 28%). Tissue lactate clearance was higher compared to blood lactate clearance at 0–8, 0–12, 0–16, 0–20 and 0–24 h (all p < 0.05). Tissue lactate clearance was higher in survivors compared to non-survivors at 0–12, 0–20 and 0–24 h (all p = 0.02). APACHE II along with tissue lactate clearance <30% at 0–12, 0–20 and 0–24 h were independent outcome predictors. We did not find blood lactate clearance to be related to survival. Thus, in critically ill septic patients, elevated tissue (but not blood) lactate clearance, was associated with a favorable clinical outcome.
An Analysis of the Relationship between the Learning Process and Learning Motivation Profiles of Japanese Pharmacy Students Using Structural Equation Modeling
Authors: Yamamura Shigeo , Takehira Rieko
Published: April 2018

Pharmacy students in Japan have to maintain strong motivation to learn for six years during their education. The authors explored the students’ learning structure. All pharmacy students in their 4th through to 6th year at Josai International University participated in the survey. The revised two factor study process questionnaire and science motivation questionnaire II were used to assess their learning process and learning motivation profiles, respectively. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine a causal relationship between the latent variables in the learning process and those in the learning motivation profile. The learning structure was modeled on the idea that the learning process affects the learning motivation profile of respondents. In the multi-group SEM, the estimated mean of the deep learning to learning motivation profile increased just after their clinical clerkship for 6th year students. This indicated that the clinical experience benefited students’ deep learning, which is probably because the experience of meeting with real patients encourages meaningful learning in pharmacy studies.
The Role of Magnetic Islands in Collisionless Driven Reconnection: A Kinetic Approach to Multi-Scale Phenomena
Authors: Horiuchi Ritoku
Published: April 2018

The role of magnetic islands in collisionless driven reconnection has been investigated from the standpoint of a kinetic approach to multi-scale phenomena by means of two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. There are two different types of the solutions in the evolution of the reconnection system. One is a steady solution in which the system relaxes into a steady state, and no island is generated (the no-island case). The other is an intermittent solution in which the system does not reach a steady state, and magnetic islands are frequently generated in the current sheet (the multi-island case). It is found that the electromagnetic energy is more effectively transferred to the particle energy in the multi-island case compared with the no-island case. The transferred energy is stored inside the magnetic island in the form of the thermal energy through compressional heating, and is carried away together with the magnetic island from the reconnection region. These results suggest that the formation of a magnetic island chain may have a potential to bridge the energy gap between macroscopic and microscopic physics by widening the dissipation region and strengthening the energy dissipation rate.
Measuring Cellular Biomass Composition for Computational Biology Applications
Authors: Beck Ashley , Hunt Kristopher , Carlson Ross
Published: April 2018

Computational representations of metabolism are increasingly common in medical, environmental, and bioprocess applications. Cellular growth is often an important output of computational biology analyses, and therefore, accurate measurement of biomass constituents is critical for relevant model predictions. There is a distinct lack of detailed macromolecular measurement protocols, including comparisons to alternative assays and methodologies, as well as tools to convert the experimental data into biochemical reactions for computational biology applications. Herein is compiled a concise literature review regarding methods for five major cellular macromolecules (carbohydrate, DNA, lipid, protein, and RNA) with a step-by-step protocol for a select method provided for each macromolecule. Additionally, each method was tested on three different bacterial species, and recommendations for troubleshooting and testing new species are given. The macromolecular composition measurements were used to construct biomass synthesis reactions with appropriate quality control metrics such as elemental balancing for common computational biology methods, including flux balance analysis and elementary flux mode analysis. Finally, it was demonstrated that biomass composition can substantially affect fundamental model predictions. The effects of biomass composition on in silico predictions were quantified here for biomass yield on electron donor, biomass yield on electron acceptor, biomass yield on nitrogen, and biomass degree of reduction, as well as the calculation of growth associated maintenance energy; these parameters varied up to 7%, 70%, 35%, 12%, and 40%, respectively, between the reference biomass composition and ten test biomass compositions. The current work furthers the computational biology community by reviewing literature regarding a variety of common analytical measurements, developing detailed procedures, testing the methods in the laboratory, and applying the results to metabolic models, all in one publicly available resource.
FluxVisualizer, a Software to Visualize Fluxes through Metabolic Networks
Authors: Rose Tim Daniel , Mazat Jean-Pierre
Published: April 2018

FluxVisualizer (Version 1.0, 2017, freely available at https://fluxvisualizer.ibgc.cnrs.fr) is a software to visualize fluxes values on a scalable vector graphic (SVG) representation of a metabolic network by colouring or increasing the width of reaction arrows of the SVG file. FluxVisualizer does not aim to draw metabolic networks but to use a customer’s SVG file allowing him to exploit his representation standards with a minimum of constraints. FluxVisualizer is especially suitable for small to medium size metabolic networks, where a visual representation of the fluxes makes sense. The flux distribution can either be an elementary flux mode (EFM), a flux balance analysis (FBA) result or any other flux distribution. It allows the automatic visualization of a series of pathways of the same network as is needed for a set of EFMs. The software is coded in python3 and provides a graphical user interface (GUI) and an application programming interface (API). All functionalities of the program can be used from the API and the GUI and allows advanced users to add their own functionalities. The software is able to work with various formats of flux distributions (Metatool, CellNetAnalyzer, COPASI and FAME export files) as well as with Excel files. This simple software can save a lot of time when evaluating fluxes simulations on a metabolic network.
The Combined ASTER MODIS Emissivity over Land (CAMEL) Part 1: Methodology and High Spectral Resolution Application
Authors: Borbas E. Eva , Hulley Glynn , Feltz Michelle , Knuteson Robert , Hook Simon
Published: April 2018

As part of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) MEaSUREs (Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments) Land Surface Temperature and Emissivity project, the Space Science and Engineering Center (UW-Madison) and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) developed a global monthly mean emissivity Earth System Data Record (ESDR). This new Combined ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Emissivity over Land (CAMEL) ESDR was produced by merging two current state-of-the-art emissivity datasets: the UW-Madison MODIS Infrared emissivity dataset (UW BF) and the JPL ASTER Global Emissivity Dataset Version 4 (GEDv4). The dataset includes monthly global records of emissivity and related uncertainties at 13 hinge points between 3.6–14.3 µm, as well as principal component analysis (PCA) coefficients at 5-km resolution for the years 2000 through 2016. A high spectral resolution (HSR) algorithm is provided for HSR applications. This paper describes the 13 hinge-points combination methodology and the high spectral resolutions algorithm, as well as reports the current status of the dataset.
Impacts of 3D Aerosol, Cloud, and Water Vapor Variations on the Recent Brightening during the South Asian Monsoon Season
Authors: Pan Zengxin , Mao Feiyue , Wang Wei , Zhu Bo , Lu Xin , Gong Wei
Published: April 2018

South Asia is experiencing a levelling-off trend in solar radiation and even a transition from dimming to brightening. Any change in incident solar radiation, which is the only significant energy source of the global ecosystem, profoundly affects our habitats. Here, we use multiple observations of the A-Train constellation to evaluate the impacts of three-dimensional (3D) aerosol, cloud, and water vapor variations on the changes in surface solar radiation during the monsoon season (June–September) in South Asia from 2006 to 2015. Results show that surface shortwave radiation (SSR) has possibly increased by 16.2 W m−2 during this period. However, an increase in aerosol loading is inconsistent with the SSR variations. Instead, clouds are generally reduced and thinned by approximately 8.8% and 280 m, respectively, with a decrease in both cloud water path (by 34.7 g m−2) and particle number concentration under cloudy conditions. Consequently, the shortwave cloud radiative effect decreases by approximately 45.5 W m−2 at the surface. Moreover, precipitable water in clear-sky conditions decreases by 2.8 mm (mainly below 2 km), and related solar brightening increases by 2.5 W m−2. Overall, the decreases in 3D water vapor and clouds distinctly result in increased absorption of SSR and subsequent surface brightening.
Target Reconstruction Based on Attributed Scattering Centers with Application to Robust SAR ATR
Authors: Fan Jihong , Tomas Andrew
Published: April 2018

This paper proposes a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) automatic target recognition (ATR) method by target reconstruction based on attributed scattering centers (ASCs). The extracted ASCs can effectively describe the electromagnetic scattering characteristics of the target, while eliminating the background clutters and noises. Therefore, the ASCs are discriminative features for SAR ATR. The neighbor matching algorithm was used to build the correspondence between the test ASC set and corresponding template ASC set. Afterwards, the selected template ASCs were used to reconstruct the template image, whereas all the test ASCs were used to reconstruct the test image based on the ASC model. A similarity measure was further designed based on the reconstructed images for target recognition. Compared with traditional ASC matching methods, the complex one-to-one correspondence between two ASC sets was avoided. Moreover, all the attributes of the ASCs were utilized during the target reconstruction. Therefore, the proposed method can better exploit the discriminability of ASCs to improve the ATR performance. To evaluate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method, extensive experiments on the moving and stationary target acquisition and recognition (MSTAR) dataset were conducted under both the standard operating condition (SOC) and typical extended operating conditions (EOCs).
Effect of Tree Phenology on LiDAR Measurement of Mediterranean Forest Structure
Authors: Simonson William , Allen Harriet , Coomes David
Published: April 2018

Retrieval of forest biophysical properties using airborne LiDAR is known to differ between leaf-on and leaf-off states of deciduous trees, but much less is understood about the within-season effects of leafing phenology. Here, we compare two LiDAR surveys separated by just six weeks in spring, in order to assess whether LiDAR variables were influenced by canopy changes in Mediterranean mixed-oak woodlands at this time of year. Maximum and, to a slightly lesser extent, mean heights were consistently measured, whether for the evergreen cork oak (Quercus suber) or semi-deciduous Algerian oak (Q. canariensis) woodlands. Estimates of the standard deviation and skewness of height differed more strongly, especially for Algerian oaks which experienced considerable leaf expansion in the time period covered. Our demonstration of which variables are more or less affected by spring-time leafing phenology has important implications for analyses of both canopy and sub-canopy vegetation layers from LiDAR surveys.
A Wearable Gait Phase Detection System Based on Force Myography Techniques
Authors: Jiang Xianta , Chu Kelvin H.T. , Khoshnam Mahta , Menon Carlo
Published: April 2018

(1) Background: Quantitative evaluation of gait parameters can provide useful information for constructing individuals’ gait profile, diagnosing gait abnormalities, and better planning of rehabilitation schemes to restore normal gait pattern. Objective determination of gait phases in a gait cycle is a key requirement in gait analysis applications; (2) Methods: In this study, the feasibility of using a force myography-based technique for a wearable gait phase detection system is explored. In this regard, a force myography band is developed and tested with nine participants walking on a treadmill. The collected force myography data are first examined sample-by-sample and classified into four phases using Linear Discriminant Analysis. The gait phase events are then detected from these classified samples using a set of supervisory rules; (3) Results: The results show that the force myography band can correctly detect more than 99.9% of gait phases with zero insertions and only four deletions over 12,965 gait phase segments. The average temporal error of gait phase detection is 55.2 ms, which translates into 2.1% error with respect to the corresponding labelled stride duration; (4) Conclusions: This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the feasibility of force myography techniques as viable solutions in developing wearable gait phase detection systems.
Enhanced Pedestrian Navigation Based on Course Angle Error Estimation Using Cascaded Kalman Filters
Authors: Song Jin Woo , Park Chan Gook
Published: April 2018

An enhanced pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) based navigation algorithm, which uses two cascaded Kalman filters (TCKF) for the estimation of course angle and navigation errors, is proposed. The proposed algorithm uses a foot-mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU), waist-mounted magnetic sensors, and a zero velocity update (ZUPT) based inertial navigation technique with TCKF. The first stage filter estimates the course angle error of a human, which is closely related to the heading error of the IMU. In order to obtain the course measurements, the filter uses magnetic sensors and a position-trace based course angle. For preventing magnetic disturbance from contaminating the estimation, the magnetic sensors are attached to the waistband. Because the course angle error is mainly due to the heading error of the IMU, and the characteristic error of the heading angle is highly dependent on that of the course angle, the estimated course angle error is used as a measurement for estimating the heading error in the second stage filter. At the second stage, an inertial navigation system-extended Kalman filter-ZUPT (INS-EKF-ZUPT) method is adopted. As the heading error is estimated directly by using course-angle error measurements, the estimation accuracy for the heading and yaw gyro bias can be enhanced, compared with the ZUPT-only case, which eventually enhances the position accuracy more efficiently. The performance enhancements are verified via experiments, and the way-point position error for the proposed method is compared with those for the ZUPT-only case and with other cases that use ZUPT and various types of magnetic heading measurements. The results show that the position errors are reduced by a maximum of 90% compared with the conventional ZUPT based PDR algorithms.
Nonlinear Blind Compensation for Array Signal Processing Application
Authors: Huang Jialu , Ma Hong , Jin Jiang , Zhang Hua
Published: April 2018

Recently, nonlinear blind compensation technique has attracted growing attention in array signal processing application. However, due to the nonlinear distortion stemming from array receiver which consists of multi-channel radio frequency (RF) front-ends, it is too difficult to estimate the parameters of array signal accurately. A novel nonlinear blind compensation algorithm aims at the nonlinearity mitigation of array receiver and its spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) improvement, which will be more precise to estimate the parameters of target signals such as their two-dimensional directions of arrival (2-D DOAs). Herein, the suggested method is designed as follows: the nonlinear model parameters of any channel of RF front-end are extracted to synchronously compensate the nonlinear distortion of the entire receiver. Furthermore, a verification experiment on the array signal from a uniform circular array (UCA) is adopted to testify the validity of our approach. The real-world experimental results show that the SFDR of the receiver is enhanced, leading to a significant improvement of the 2-D DOAs estimation performance for weak target signals. And these results demonstrate that our nonlinear blind compensation algorithm is effective to estimate the parameters of weak array signal in concomitance with strong jammers.
Intelligent Fault Diagnosis of Delta 3D Printers Using Attitude Sensors Based on Support Vector Machines
Authors: He Kun , Yang Zhijun , Bai Yun , Long Jianyu , Li Chuan
Published: April 2018

Health condition is a vital factor affecting printing quality for a 3D printer. In this work, an attitude monitoring approach is proposed to diagnose the fault of the delta 3D printer using support vector machines (SVM). An attitude sensor was mounted on the moving platform of the printer to monitor its 3-axial attitude angle, angular velocity, vibratory acceleration and magnetic field intensity. The attitude data of the working printer were collected under different conditions involving 12 fault types and a normal condition. The collected data were analyzed for diagnosing the health condition. To this end, the combination of binary classification, one-against-one with least-square SVM, was adopted for fault diagnosis modelling by using all channels of attitude monitoring data in the experiment. For comparison, each one channel of the attitude monitoring data was employed for model training and testing. On the other hand, a back propagation neural network (BPNN) was also applied to diagnose fault using the same data. The best fault diagnosis accuracy (94.44%) was obtained when all channels of the attitude monitoring data were used with SVM modelling. The results indicate that the attitude monitoring with SVM is an effective method for the fault diagnosis of delta 3D printers.
Development and Hybrid Position/Force Control of a Dual-Drive Macro-Fiber-Composite Microgripper
Authors: Zhang Jin , Yang Yiling , Lou Junqiang , Wei Yanding , Fu Lei
Published: April 2018

This paper reports on the development, implementation and hybrid control of a new micro-fiber-composite microgripper with synchronous position and force control capabilities. In particular, the micro-fiber-composite actuator was composed of rectangular piezoelectric fibers covered by interdigitated electrodes and embedded in structural epoxy. Thus, the micro-fiber-composite microgripper had a larger displacement-volume ratio (i.e., the ratio of the output displacement to the volume of the microgripper) than that of a traditional piezoelectric one. Moreover, to regulate both the gripper position and the gripping force simultaneously, a hybrid position/force control scheme using fuzzy sliding mode control and the proportional-integral controller was developed. In particular, the fuzzy sliding mode control was used to achieve the precision position control under the influence of the system disturbances and uncertainties, and the proportional-integral controller was used to guarantee the force control accuracy of the microgripper. A series of experimental investigations was performed to verify the feasibility of the developed microgripper and the control scheme. The experimental results validated the effectiveness of the designed microgripper and hybrid control scheme. The developed microgripper was capable of precision and multiscale micromanipulation tasks.
Is Innovation Destroying Jobs? Firm-Level Evidence from the EU
Authors: Piva Mariacristina , Vivarelli Marco
Published: April 2018

Using a unique firm-level database comprising the top European R&D investors over the period 2002–2013 and running LSDVC estimates, this study finds a significant labor-friendly impact of R&D expenditures. However, this positive employment effect appears limited in magnitude and entirely due to the medium- and high-tech sectors, while no effect can be detected in the low-tech industries. From a policy point of view, this outcome supports the EU2020 strategy but—taking into account that most European economies are specialized in low-tech activities—is also worrying in terms of future perspectives of the European labor market.
Reaching Sustainable Financial Health: Gender Differences in Risk-Taking Patterns of Financially Excluded People
Authors: Kim Eunmi , Lee Sejoong , Lee Joonwhan David
Published: April 2018

Providing sufficient financial accessibility to low-income individuals is considered a way to decrease income inequality and could be a key factor in sustainable economic growth. To make the financial accessibility policy more effective, analyses of individuals’ understanding of financial risk within low-income groups need to be conducted. The current authors investigated individuals’ attitudes towards loan financial risk in terms of gender difference. Using South Korean survey data, we examined the relationship between gender and attitude towards loan financial risk with a regression analysis. We found that within a low-income group, males were more willing to pay higher interest rates than females. In addition, males’ willingness to pay high interest rates became stronger when their current financial costs were high. The results indicate that males are less careful with the risks that high interest rates can bring. Thus, the results imply that interventions, such as more substantial financial education, are required for males to make financial accessibility polices more effective.
Simulating Spatial-Temporal Changes of Land-Use Based on Ecological Redline Restrictions and Landscape Driving Factors: A Case Study in Beijing
Authors: Jia Zimu , Ma Bingran , Zhang Jing , Zeng Weihua
Published: April 2018

A change in the usage of land is influenced by a variety of driving factors and policies on spatial constraints. On the basis of considering the conventional natural and socio-economic indicators, the landscape pattern indicators were considered as new driving forces in the conversion of land use and its effects at small regional extent (CLUE-S) model to simulate spatial and temporal changes of land-use in Beijing. Compared with traditional spatial restrictions characterized by small and isolated areas, such as forest parks and natural reserves, the ecological redline areas increase the spatial integrity and connectivity of ecological and environmental functions at a regional scale, which were used to analyze the distribution patterns and behaviors of land use conversion in the CLUE-S model. The observed results indicate that each simulation scenario has a Kappa coefficient of more than 0.76 beyond the threshold value of 0.6 and represents high agreements between the actual and simulated land use maps. The simulation scenarios including landscape pattern indicators are more accurate than those without consideration of these new driving forces. The simulation results from using ecological redline areas as space constraints have the highest precision compared with the unrestricted and traditionally restricted scenarios. Therefore, the CLUE-S model based on the restriction of ecological redline and the consideration of landscape pattern factors has shown better effectiveness in simulating the future land use change. The conversion of land use types mainly occurred between construction land and cropland during the period from 2010 to 2020. Meanwhile, a large number of grasslands are being changed to construction lands in the mountain towns of northwest Beijing and large quantities of water bodies have disappeared and been replaced by construction lands due to rapid urbanization in the eastern and southern plains. To improve the sustainable use of land resources, it is necessary to adopt the construction and development mode of satellite towns rather than encouraging a disorderly expansion of downtown areas.
Results from On-The-Ground Efforts to Promote Sustainable Cattle Ranching in the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Zu Ermgassen Erasmus K.H.J. , Alcântara Melquesedek Pereira de , Balmford Andrew , Barioni Luis , Neto Francisco Beduschi , Bettarello Murilo M. F. , Brito Genivaldo de , Carrero Gabriel C. , Florence Eduardo de A.S. , Garcia Edenise , Gonçalves Eduardo Trevisan , Da Luz Casio Trajano , Mallman Giovanni M. , Strassburg Bernardo B.N. , Valentim Judson F. , Latawiec Agnieszka
Published: April 2018

Agriculture in Brazil is booming. Brazil has the world’s second largest cattle herd and is the second largest producer of soybeans, with the production of beef, soybeans, and bioethanol forecast to increase further. Questions remain, however, about how Brazil can reconcile increases in agricultural production with protection of its remaining natural vegetation. While high hopes have been placed on the potential for intensification of low-productivity cattle ranching to spare land for other agricultural uses, cattle productivity in the Amazon biome (29% of the Brazilian cattle herd) remains stubbornly low, and it is not clear how to realize theoretical productivity gains in practice. We provide results from six initiatives in the Brazilian Amazon, which are successfully improving cattle productivity in beef and dairy production on more than 500,000 hectares of pastureland, while supporting compliance with the Brazilian Forest Code. Spread across diverse geographies, and using a wide range of technologies, participating farms have improved productivity by 30–490%. High-productivity cattle ranching requires some initial investment (R$1300–6900/ha or US$410–2180/ha), with average pay-back times of 2.5–8.5 years. We conclude by reflecting on the challenges that must be overcome to scale up these young initiatives, avoid rebound increases in deforestation, and mainstream sustainable cattle ranching in the Amazon.
Therapeutic Approaches of Botulinum Toxin in Gynecology
Authors: Moga Marius , Dimienescu Oana , Bălan Andreea , Scârneciu Ioan , Barabaș Barna , Pleș Liana
Published: April 2018

Botulinum toxins (BoNTs) are produced by several anaerobic species of the genus Clostridium and, although they were originally considered lethal toxins, today they find their usefulness in the treatment of a wide range of pathologies in various medical specialties. Botulinum neurotoxin has been identified in seven different isoforms (BoNT-A, BoNT-B, BoNT-C, BoNT-D, BoNT-E, BoNT-F, and BoNT-G). Neurotoxigenic Clostridia can produce more than 40 different BoNT subtypes and, recently, a new BoNT serotype (BoNT-X) has been reported in some studies. BoNT-X has not been shown to actually be an active neurotoxin despite its catalytically active LC, so it should be described as a putative eighth serotype. The mechanism of action of the serotypes is similar: they inhibit the release of acetylcholine from the nerve endings but their therapeutically potency varies. Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) is the most studied serotype for therapeutic purposes. Regarding the gynecological pathology, a series of studies based on the efficiency of its use in the treatment of refractory myofascial pelvic pain, vaginism, dyspareunia, vulvodynia and overactive bladder or urinary incontinence have been reported. The current study is a review of the literature regarding the efficiency of BoNT-A in the gynecological pathology and on the long and short-term effects of its administration.
Formation mechanisms of boron oxide films fabricated by large-area electron beam-induced deposition of trimethyl borate
Authors: Martin Aiden A , Depond Philip J
Published: April 2018

Boron-containing materials are increasingly drawing interest for the use in electronics, optics, laser targets, neutron absorbers, and high-temperature and chemically resistant ceramics. In this article, the first investigation into the deposition of boron-based material via electron beam-induced deposition (EBID) is reported. Thin films were deposited using a novel, large-area EBID system that is shown to deposit material at rates comparable to conventional techniques such as laser-induced chemical vapor deposition. The deposition rate and stoichiometry of boron oxide fabricated by EBID using trimethyl borate (TMB) as precursor is found to be critically dependent on the substrate temperature. By comparing the deposition mechanisms of TMB to the conventional, alkoxide-based precursor tetraethyl orthosilicate it is revealed that ligand chemistry does not precisely predict the pathways leading to deposition of material via EBID. The results demonstrate the first boron-containing material deposited by the EBID process and the potential for EBID as a scalable fabrication technique that could have a transformative effect on the athermal deposition of materials.
Volatiles from three genome sequenced fungi from the genus Aspergillus
Authors: Dickschat Jeroen S , Celik Ersin , Brock Nelson L
Published: April 2018

The volatiles emitted by agar plate cultures of three genome sequenced fungal strains from the genus Aspergillus were analysed by GC–MS. All three strains produced terpenes for which a biosynthetic relationship is discussed. The obtained data were also correlated to genetic information about the encoded terpene synthases for each strain. Besides terpenes, a series of aromatic compounds and volatiles derived from fatty acid and branched amino acid metabolism were identified. Some of these compounds have not been described as fungal metabolites before. For the compound ethyl (E)-hept-4-enoate known from cantaloupe a structural revision to the Z stereoisomer is proposed. Ethyl (Z)-hept-4-enoate also occurs in Aspergillus clavatus and was identified by synthesis of an authentic standard.