bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Lipidome: Current Lipid Extraction Techniques for Mass Spectrometry Analysis
Authors: Aldana Julian , Romero-Otero Adriana , Cala Mónica P.
Published: June 2020

In recent years, high-throughput lipid profiling has contributed to understand the biological, physiological and pathological roles of lipids in living organisms. Across all kingdoms of life, important cell and systemic processes are mediated by lipids including compartmentalization, signaling and energy homeostasis. Despite important advances in liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, sample extraction procedures remain a bottleneck in lipidomic studies, since the wide structural diversity of lipids imposes a constrain in the type and amount of lipids extracted. Differences in extraction yield across lipid classes can induce a bias on down-stream analysis and outcomes. This review aims to summarize current lipid extraction techniques used for untargeted and targeted studies based on mass spectrometry. Considerations, applications, and limitations of these techniques are discussed when used to extract lipids in complex biological matrices, such as tissues, biofluids, foods, and microorganisms.
Bistable Threshold Humidity Sensor Switch with Rectangular Bimorph Bending Plate
Authors: Gulnizkij Nikolai , Gerlach Gerald
Published: June 2020

Energy-autonomous bistable threshold sensor switches have the potential to reduce costs because they do not need any electrical energy supply for monitoring physical quantities, such as relative humidity. In previous work, a bistable beam-like sensor switch with switching hysteresis was manufactured from sheet metal and a partially coated water vapor-sensitive hydrogel (poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acryl acid)). Based on the beam theory, a corresponding mechanical model was developed. However, bending plates should be used instead of bending beams to separate the humidity to be measured from the electrical contacts. For this reason, this work deals with the development and realization of a mechanical model based on the plate theory to describe the deflection of a silicon bimorph bending plate partially coated with hydrogel that swells with increasing humidity. For implementing a switching hysteresis a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition silicon dioxide (SiO2) layer is used, which was deposited and structured on top of the silicon plate. The hydrogel layer itself is patterned on the surface of the bending plate using a stamp technique. To validate the mechanical model, the switching hysteresis of the miniaturized sensor switch was measured optically by a camera measurement device.
NetMet: A Network-Based Tool for Predicting Metabolic Capacities of Microbial Species and their Interactions
Authors: Tal Ofir , Selvaraj Gopinath , Medina Shlomit , Ofaim Shany , Freilich Shiri
Published: June 2020

Metabolic conversions allow organisms to produce a set of essential metabolites from the available nutrients in an environment, frequently requiring metabolic exchanges among co-inhabiting organisms. Genomic-based metabolic simulations are being increasingly applied for exploring metabolic capacities, considering different environments and different combinations of microorganisms. NetMet is a web-based tool and a software package for predicting the metabolic performances of microorganisms and their corresponding combinations in user-defined environments. The algorithm takes, as input, lists of (i) species-specific enzymatic reactions (EC numbers), and (ii) relevant metabolic environments. The algorithm generates, as output, lists of (i) compounds that individual species can produce in each given environment, and (ii) compounds that are predicted to be produced through complementary interactions. The tool is demonstrated in two case studies. First, we compared the metabolic capacities of different haplotypes of the obligatory fruit and vegetable pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum to those of their culturable taxonomic relative Liberibacter crescens. Second, we demonstrated the potential production of complementary metabolites by pairwise combinations of co-occurring endosymbionts of the plant phloem-feeding whitefly Bemisia tabaci.
Identifying the Optimal Features in Multimodal Deception Detection
Authors: Derakhshan Amin , Mikaeili Mohammad , Gedeon Tom , Nasrabadi Ali Motie
Published: June 2020

Facial thermal imaging is a non-contact technology which can be useful for ubiquitous deceptive anxiety recognition. To date, studies investigating this technology have produced equivocal results in classification accuracy and finding the most correlated regions on the face. This study was conducted using our dataset with 41 subjects using two different protocols and three modalities (thermal, GSR and PPG). We selected and tracked five regions of interest (ROI) on each facial thermal imprint including periorbital, forehead, cheek, perinasal and chin that were mostly used in previous papers. By employing six statistical features, four feature reduction techniques and three classifiers, we attempted to identify the ROIs which are mostly associated with activation of the sympathetic nervous system to increase the final classification accuracy rate. The results of linear classification models show significant improvement of classification accuracy by using ROC feature selection method. We achieved 90.1% and 74.7% accuracy rate for thermal features in mock crime and best friend scenarios, respectively. Our experimental results show that perinasal and cheek areas have greater discriminatory power in comparison with other ROIs on the face.
Functionalized Graphene Derivatives and TiO2 for High Visible Light Photodegradation of Azo Dyes
Authors: Pérez-Molina Álvaro , Morales-Torres Sergio , Maldonado-Hódar Francisco , Pastrana-Martínez Luisa
Published: June 2020

Functionalized graphene derivatives including graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and heteroatom (nitrogen/sulphur (N/S) or boron (B))-doped graphene were used to synthesize composites with TiO2 (T). The photocatalytic performance of composites was assessed for the degradation of Orange G dye (OG) under simulated solar light. All the prepared graphene derivatives—TiO2 composites showed better photocatalytic performance than bare TiO2. A higher photocatalytic activity was found for the composites containing GO and N/S co-doped rGO (kapp = 109.2 × 10−3 and 48.4 × 10−3 min−1, for GO-T and rGONS-T, respectively). The influence of both initial solution pH and the reactive species involved in the OG degradation pathway were studied. The photocatalytic activity of the samples decreased with the increase of the initial pH (from 3.0 to 10.0) due to the occurrence of electrostatic repulsive forces between the photocatalysts surface and the molecules of OG, both negatively charged. The use of selective scavengers showed that although the photogenerated holes dominate the degradation mechanism, radicals and singlet oxygen also participate in the OG degradation pathway. In addition, reutilization experiments indicated that the samples were stable under the reaction conditions used.
Overcoming the Inflammatory Stage of Non-Healing Wounds: In Vitro Mechanism of Action of Negatively Charged Microspheres (NCMs)
Authors: Santos-Vizcaino Edorta , Salvador Aiala , Vairo Claudia , Igartua Manoli , Hernandez Rosa Maria , Correa Luis , Villullas Silvia , Gainza Garazi
Published: June 2020

Negatively charged microspheres (NCMs) represent a new therapeutic approach for wound healing since recent clinical trials have shown NCM efficacy in the recovery of hard-to-heal wounds that tend to stay in the inflammatory phase, unlocking the healing process. The aim of this study was to elucidate the NCM mechanism of action. NCMs were extracted from a commercial microsphere formulation (PolyHeal® Micro) and cytotoxicity, attachment, proliferation and viability assays were performed in keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts, while macrophages were used for the phagocytosis and polarization assays. We demonstrated that cells tend to attach to the microsphere surface, and that NCMs are biocompatible and promote cell proliferation at specific concentrations (50 and 10 NCM/cell) by a minimum of 3 fold compared to the control group. Furthermore, NCM internalization by macrophages seemed to drive these cells to a noninflammatory condition, as demonstrated by the over-expression of CD206 and the under-expression of CD64, M2 and M1 markers, respectively. NCMs are an effective approach for reverting the chronic inflammatory state of stagnant wounds (such as diabetic wounds) and thus for improving wound healing.
Erratum: Canle, M., et al. Improved Photocatalyzed Degradation of Phenol, as a Model Pollutant, over Metal-Impregnated Nanosized TiO2. Nanomaterials 2020, 10, 996
Authors: Belekbir S. , El Azzouzi M. , El Hamidi A. , Rodríguez-Lorenzo L. , Santaballa J. Arturo , Canle M.
Published: June 2020

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper: [...]
Non-Dairy Fermented Beverages as Potential Carriers to Ensure Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Bioactive Compounds Arrival to the Gut and Their Health Benefits
Authors: Valero-Cases Estefanía , Cerdá-Bernad Débora , Pastor Joaquín-Julián , Frutos María-José
Published: June 2020

In alignment with Hippocrates’ aphorisms “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food” and “All diseases begin in the gut”, recent studies have suggested that healthy diets should include fermented foods to temporally enhance live microorganisms in our gut. As a result, consumers are now demanding this type of food and fermented food has gained popularity. However, certain sectors of population, such as those allergic to milk proteins, lactose intolerant and strict vegetarians, cannot consume dairy products. Therefore, a need has arisen in order to offer consumers an alternative to fermented dairy products by exploring new non-dairy matrices as probiotics carriers. Accordingly, this review aims to explore the benefits of different fermented non-dairy beverages (legume, cereal, pseudocereal, fruit and vegetable), as potential carriers of bioactive compounds (generated during the fermentation process), prebiotics and different probiotic bacteria, providing protection to ensure that their viability is in the range of 106–107 CFU/mL at the consumption time, in order that they reach the intestine in high amounts and improve human health through modulation of the gut microbiome.
Vitamin C in Home Parenteral Nutrition: A Need for Monitoring
Authors: Grillot Julienne , Ait Sabrina , Bergoin Charlotte , Couronne Thomas , Blond Emilie , Peraldi Catherine , Barnoud Didier , Chambrier Cécile , Lauverjat Madeleine
Published: June 2020

To date, there are no recommendations about screening plasma vitamin C concentration and adjust its supplementation in patients on long-term home parenteral nutrition (HPN). The aim of this study was to evaluate vitamin C status and determine if a commercial multivitamin preparation (CMVP) containing 125 mg of vitamin C is sufficient in stable patients on HPN. All clinically stable patients receiving HPN or an intravenous fluid infusion at least two times per week for at least 6 months, hospitalized for nutritional assessment, were retrospectively included, for a total of 186 patients. We found that 29% of the patients had vitamin C insufficiency (i.e., <25 µmol/L). In univariate analysis, C-reactive protein (CRP) (p = 0.002) and intake of only 125 mg of vitamin C (p = 0.001) were negatively associated with vitamin C levels, and duration of follow-up in our referral center (p = 0.009) was positively associated with vitamin C levels. In multivariate analysis, only CRP (p = 0.001) and intake of 125 mg of vitamin C (p < 0.0001) were independently associated with low plasma vitamin C concentration. Patients receiving only CMVP with a low plasma vitamin C level significantly received personal compounded HPN (p = 0.008) and presented an inflammatory syndrome (p = 0.002). Vitamin C insufficiency is frequent in individuals undergoing home parenteral nutrition; therefore, there is a need to monitor plasma vitamin C levels, especially in patients on HPN with an inflammatory syndrome and only on CMVP.
The Role of Metagenomics in Precision Nutrition
Authors: Iizuka Katsumi , Yabe Daisuke
Published: June 2020

Conventional recommendations for dietary intervention have been generally based on population groups divided by gender and age [...]
Human T leukaemia Type 1 and COVID-19
Authors: Araujo Abelardo , Martin Fabiola
Published: June 2020

In the absence of clinical data on Human T leukaemia Type 1 and COVID-19 infection, we are providing guidance to clinicians who look after people living with HTLV-1.
Micromeria fruticosa Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Breast and Colorectal Cancer Cells
Authors: El-Huneidi Waseem , Shehab Naglaa G. , Bajbouj Khuloud , Vinod Arya , El-Serafi Ahmed , Shafarin Jasmin , Bou Malhab Lara J. , Abdel-Rahman Wael M. , Abu-Gharbieh Eman
Published: June 2020

Micromeria fruticosa (L.) Druce subsp. serpyllifolia (Lamiaceae) has been used widely in folk medicine to alleviate various ailments such as abdominal pains, diarrhea, colds, eye infections, heart disorders and wounds. A few reports have confirmed different therapeutic potentialities of its extracts, including the anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, analgesic, antiobesity and antidiabetic activities. This study aimed to investigate the mechanistic pathway of the antiproliferative activity of the ethanolic extract of M. fruticosa on two different cancer cell lines, namely human breast (mammary carcinoma F7 (MCF-7)) and human colorectal (human colon tumor cells (HCT-116)) cell lines. The 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide tetrazolium (MTT) assay, Annexin V-FITC/PI, caspases 8/9 and cell cycle analyses, qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to assess the effect of M. fruticosa on cytotoxicity, apoptosis, cell cycle, cell cycle-related genes and protein expression profiles in MCF-7 and HCT-116. The extract inhibits cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) for both cell lines was found to be 100 μg/mL. Apoptosis induction was confirmed by Annexin V-FITC/PI, that was related to caspases 8 and 9 activities induction. Furthermore, the cell cycle analysis revealed arrest at G2/M phase. The underlying mechanism involved in the G2/M arrest was found to be associated with the downregulation of CDK1, cyclin B1 and survivin that was confirmed by qRT-PCR and Western blotting.
Oral Administration of Artemisone for the Treatment of Schistosomiasis: Formulation Challenges and In Vivo Efficacy
Authors: Zech Johanna , Gold Daniel , Salaymeh Nadeen , Sasson Netanel Cohen , Rabinowitch Ithai , Golenser Jacob , Mäder Karsten
Published: June 2020

Artemisone is an innovative artemisinin derivative with applications in the treatment of malaria, schistosomiasis and other diseases. However, its low aqueous solubility and tendency to degrade after solubilisation limits the translation of this drug into clinical practice. We developed a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS), which is easy to produce (simple mixing) with a high drug load. In addition to known pharmaceutical excipients (Capmul MCM, Kolliphor HS15, propylene glycol), we identified Polysorb ID 46 as a beneficial new additional excipient. The physicochemical properties were characterized by dynamic light scattering, conductivity measurements, rheology and electron microscopy. High storage stability, even at 30 °C, was achieved. The orally administrated artemisone SMEDDS formulation was highly active in vivo in S. mansoni infected mice. Thorough elimination of the adult worms, their eggs and prevention of the deleterious granuloma formation in the livers of infected mice was observed even at a relatively low dose of the drug. The new formulation has a high potential to accelerate the clinical use of artemisone in schistosomiasis and malaria.
In Vitro Propagation of an Endangered Helianthus verticillatus by Axillary Bud Proliferation
Authors: Nowakowska Marzena , Pavlović Žaklina , Nowicki Marcin , Boggess Sarah L. , Trigiano Robert N.
Published: June 2020

Helianthus verticillatus (Asteraceae), whorled sunflower, is a perennial species restricted to a few locations in the Southeastern United States. Habitat loss has caused H. verticillatus to become rare, and since 2014, it has been federally listed as an endangered species. As a part of the recovery plan for the restoration and protection of H. verticillatus, an efficient micropropagation protocol based on axillary shoot proliferation was developed. Various concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP; 0 to 4.44 µM) were examined for their morphogenetic potential in the regeneration of six genotypes of H. verticillatus from the nodal explants derived from greenhouse-grown plants. Both the BAP concentration and genotype had significant effects on the regeneration capacity of H. verticillatus. Although the induced buds were observed on ½-strength Murashige and Skoog medium without plant growth regulators, a higher rate of induction and bud development were achieved on media with either 0.88 or 2.22 µM BAP, regardless of the genotype. Successful rooting of the induced shoots was achieved within four weeks after the transfer from the induction medium to the fresh ½-strength MS medium, but the rooting efficiency was dependent on the plant’s genetic background. Regenerated plantlets, with well-developed shoots and roots, were acclimatized successfully to greenhouse conditions with a 97% survival rate. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers were employed to assess the genetic uniformity of the micropropagated plants of H. verticillatus. No extraneous bands were detected between regenerants and their respective donor plants, confirming the genetic fidelity and stability of regenerated plants. To our knowledge, the protocol developed in this study is the first such report for this endangered species.
Optimization of Polyamide Pulp-Reinforced Silica Aerogel Composites for Thermal Protection Systems
Authors: Ghica Mariana E. , Almeida Cláudio M.R. , Fonseca Mariana , Portugal António , Durães Luísa
Published: June 2020

The present work describes for the first time the preparation of silica-based aerogel composites containing tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) reinforced with Kevlar® pulp. The developed system was extensively investigated, regarding its physical, morphological, thermal and mechanical features. The obtained bulk density values were satisfactory, down to 208 kg·m−3, and very good thermal properties were achieved—namely a thermal conductivity as low as 26 mW·m−1·K−1 (Hot Disk®) and thermal stability up to 550 °C. The introduction of VTMS offers a better dispersion of the polyamide fibers, as well as a higher hydrophobicity and thermal stability of the composites. The aerogels were also able to withstand five compression-decompression cycles without significant change of their size or microstructure. A design of experiment (DOE) was performed to assess the influence of different synthesis parameters, including silica co-precursors ratio, pulp amount and the solvent/Si molar ratio on the nanocomposite properties. The data obtained from the DOE allowed us to understand the significance of each parameter, offering reliable guidelines for the adjustment of the experimental procedure in order to achieve the optimum properties of the studied aerogel composites.
Interpretation and Physical Meaning of Kinetic Parameters Obtained from Isoconversional Kinetic Analysis of Polymers
Authors: Sbirrazzuoli Nicolas
Published: June 2020

Several successful examples—where physically sounded kinetic information was obtained from thermoanalytical data in different application fields, such as polymerization of thermosetting resins, biobased polymers and nanocomposites, crystallization and glass transition of semi-crystalline polymers and their nanocomposites—are here presented and discussed. It is explained how the kinetic parameters obtained from advanced isoconversional methods can be interpreted in terms of reaction mechanisms or changes in the rate-limiting step of the overall process, in the case of complex chemical reactions or complex physical transitions, and how these parameters can be used to extract model-fitting parameters.
Synthesis and Gas Transport Properties of Addition Polynorbornene with Perfluorophenyl Side Groups
Authors: Karpov Gleb O. , Borisov Ilya L. , Volkov Alexey V. , Finkelshtein Eugene Sh. , Bermeshev Maxim V.
Published: June 2020

Polynorbornenes represent a fruitful class of polymers for structure–property study. Recently, vinyl-addition polynorbornenes bearing side groups of different natures were observed to exhibit excellent gas permeation ability, along with attractive C4H10/CH4 and CO2/N2 separation selectivities. However, to date, the gas transport properties of fluorinated addition polynorbornenes have not been reported. Herein, we synthesized addition polynorbornene with fluoroorganic substituents and executed a study on the gas transport properties of the polymer for the first time. A norbornene-type monomer with a C6F5 group, 3-pentafluorophenyl-exo-tricyclononene-7, was successfully involved in addition polymerization, resulting in soluble, high-molecular-weight products obtained in good or high yields. By varying the monomer concentration and monomer/catalyst ratio, it was possible to reach Mw values of (2.93–4.35) × 105. The molecular structure was confirmed by NMR and FTIR analysis. The contact angle with distilled water revealed the hydrophobic nature of the synthesized polymer as expected due to the presence of fluoroorganic side groups. A study of the permeability of various gases (He, H2, O2, N2, CO2, and CH4) through the prepared polymer disclosed a synergetic effect, which was achieved by the presence of both bulky perfluorinated side groups and rigid saturated main chains. Addition poly(3-pentafluorophenyl-exo-tricyclononene-7) was more permeable than its metathesis analogue by a factor of 7–21, or the similar polymer with flexible main chains, poly(pentafluorostyrene), in relation to the gases tested. Therefore, this investigation opens the door to fluorinated addition polynorbornenes as new potential polymeric materials for membrane gas separation.
A Review on the Kenaf/Glass Hybrid Composites with Limitations on Mechanical and Low Velocity Impact Properties
Authors: Ahmad Nadzri Seri Nur Zumaimi , Hameed Sultan Mohamed Thariq , Md Shah Ain Umaira , Safri Syafiqah Nur Azrie , Basri Adi Azriff
Published: June 2020

Environmental awareness and trends to develop sustainable resources have directed much research attention towards kenaf fibre as an alternative reinforcement in composite manufacturing. Numerous studies have been conducted on kenaf and its hybrid composites. Most studies were conducted on kenaf/glass hybrid composites compared to other kenaf/synthetic hybrid composites. Similar with other materials, mechanical properties were the fundamental knowledge identified by the researcher. Limited studies conducted on other properties have restricted the use of kenaf composites to non-structural applications. To extend the potential of kenaf composites to automotive exterior or other critical applications, studies on impact properties can be a valuable contribution in the material field. This review discusses the mechanical and low velocity impact properties of kenaf/glass hybrid composites reported previously. Percentage loading of fibre, the angle of orientation in woven fibres and the chemical treatment applied to the fibre before compounding are the three major parameters that affect the mechanical and impact properties of the composites. This review provides insights into the mechanical and impact properties of kenaf/glass hybrid composites for future research.
Influences of West Pacific Sea Surface Temperature on Covarying Eurasian Droughts Since the Little Ice Age
Authors: Li Huanhuan , Fang Keyan , Du Jianhua , Zhou Feifei , Dong Zhipeng , Zhang Peng , Huang Gang
Published: June 2020

The Western Pacific Warm Pool (WP), with the highest sea surface temperature (SST) in the world, has strong impacts on the drought variations in Eurasia. However, since the little ice age (1250–1850, LIA), the co-climatic drought pattern due to WP warming in Eurasia remains unclear. This is a long-term warming background for the current warming period (CWP). In this paper, we use both instrumental data and 1625 tree-ring width records from Eurasia to investigate the drought patterns in both modern and historical periods. This study revealed two seesaw precipitation patterns, namely the Central Asia–Mongolia (CAMO) and Northern Europe–Southern Europe (NESE) patterns. When the Western Pacific Warm Pool sea surface temperature (WPSST) is high, precipitation increases in Central Asia and Northern Europe, and decreases in Mongolia and southern Europe. When the positive (negative) phase event of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) occurs, the WPSST is reduced (increased), and the decreases (increases) of precipitation in Central Asia and Northern Europe and the increases (decreases) in precipitation in Mongolia and southern Europe are more obvious. The CAMO dipole has been strengthened since the LIA. The CAMO dipole is positively correlated with solar radiation and Northern Hemisphere temperature, and negatively correlated with Pacific decadal oscillations (PDO).
The Absence of Presence and the Presence of Absence: Social Distancing, Sacraments, and the Virtual Religious Community during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Parish Helen
Published: June 2020

The response of churches to the challenges presented by the global COVID-19 pandemic invites a closer examination of the relationships between virtual and embodied religious communities during a time of social distancing. The speed and the scale of the closure of church buildings during Easter 2020 sheds light upon the multiplicity of practical, emotional, and spiritual responses to a relationship between church and people that is increasingly dominated by online interactions. Such a seismic shift in social culture opens up the possibility and challenges of a new understanding of belonging and participation in a religious community. Given its liturgical, pastoral, and sacramental significance, Easter 2020 was a highly charged moment for the relationship between the Christian churches and the faithful, and between religious worship and social media. In the shift from embodied community to virtual congregation that followed, the material absence of physical presence in collective worship was striking, as was the psychological presence of that absence. This paper analyses different understandings of religion, church, and community in the period of a pandemic, and argues for the value of an approach that situates the debates spawned in the context of historical precedent, personal experience, and theoretical approaches to networks, communities, religion, and social media.
Assessment of the Characteristics of Recent Major Wildfires in the USA, Australia and Brazil in 2018–2019 Using Multi-Source Satellite Products
Authors: Kganyago Mahlatse , Shikwambana Lerato
Published: June 2020

This study analysed the characteristics of the recent (2018–2019) wildfires that occurred in the USA, Brazil, and Australia using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) active fires (AF), fire radiative power (FRP, MW) and burned area (BA) products. Meteorological and environmental parameters were also analysed. The study found various patterns in the spatial distribution of fires, FRP and BA at the three sites, associated with various vegetation compositions, prevailing meteorological and environmental conditions and anthropogenic activities. We found significant fire clusters along the western and eastern coasts of the USA and Australia, respectively, while vastly distributed clusters were found in Brazil. Across all sites, significant fire intensity was recorded over forest cover (FC) and shrublands (SL), attributed to highly combustible tree crown fuel load characterised by leafy canopies and thin branches. In agreement, BA over FC was the highest in the USA and Australia, while Brazil was dominated by the burning of SL, characteristic of fire-tolerant Cerrado. The relatively lower BA over FC in Brazil can be attributed to fuel availability and proximity to highly flammable cover types such as cropland, SL and grasslands rather than fuel flammability. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of wildfires in various regions and the underlying environmental and meteorological causal factors, towards better wildfire disaster management strategies and habitat-specific firefighting.
Detailed Lacustrine Calving Iceberg Inventory from Very High Resolution Optical Imagery and Object-Based Image Analysis
Authors: Podgórski Julian , Pętlicki Michał
Published: June 2020

In the field of iceberg and glacier calving studies, it is important to collect comprehensive datasets of populations of icebergs. Particularly, calving of lake-terminating glaciers has been understudied. The aim of this work is to present an object-based method of iceberg detection and to create an inventory of icebergs located in a proglacial lagoon of San Quintín glacier, Northern Patagonia Icefield, Chile. This dataset is created using high-resolution WorldView-2 imagery and a derived DEM. We use it to briefly discuss the iceberg size distribution and area–volume scaling. Segmentation of the multispectral imagery produced a map of objects, which were classified with use of Random Forest supervised classification algorithm. An intermediate classification product was corrected with a ruleset exploiting contextual information and a watershed algorithm that was used to divide multiple touching icebergs into separate objects. Common theoretical heavy-tail statistical distributions were tested as descriptors of iceberg area and volume distributions. Power law models were proposed for the area–volume relationship. The proposed method performed well over the open lake detecting correctly icebergs in all size bands except 5–15 m2 where many icebergs were missed. A section of the lagoon with ice melange was not reliably mapped due to uniformity of the area in the imagery and DEM. The precision of the DEM limited the scaling effort to icebergs taller than 1.7 m and larger than 99 m2, despite the inventory containing icebergs as small as 4 m2. The work demonstrates viability of object-based analysis for lacustrine iceberg detection and shows that the statistical properties of iceberg population at San Quintín glacier match those of populations produced by tidewater glaciers.
A Regional NWP Tropospheric Delay Inversion Method Based on a General Regression Neural Network Model
Authors: Li Lei , Xu Ying , Yan Lizi , Wang Shengli , Liu Guolin , Liu Fan
Published: June 2020

Tropospheric delay is a major error source that affects the initialization and re-initialization speed of the Global Navigation Satellite System’s (GNSS) medium-/long-range baseline in Network Real-Time Kinematic (NRTK) positioning. Fusing the meteorological data from the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model to estimate the zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) is one of the current research hotspots. However, research has shown that the ZTD derived from NWP models is still not accurate enough for high-precision GNSS positioning applications without the estimation of the residual tropospheric delay. To date, General Regression Neural Network (GRNN) has been applied in many fields. It has a high learning speed and simple structure, and can approximate any function with arbitrary precision. In this study, we developed a regional NWP tropospheric delay inversion method based on a GRNN model to improve the accuracy of the tropospheric delay derived from the NWP model. The accuracy of the tropospheric delays derived from reanalysis data of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) was assessed through comparisons with the results of the International GPS Service (IGS). The variation characteristics of the residual of the ZTD inverted by NWP data were analyzed considering the factors of temperature, humidity, latitude, and season. To evaluate the performance of this new method, the National Center Atmospheric Research (NCAR) troposphere data of 650 stations in Japan in 2005 were collected as a reference to compare the accuracy of the ZTD before and after using the new method. The experimental results showed that the GRNN model has obvious advantages in fitting the NWP ZTD residual. The mean residual and the root mean square deviation (RMSD) of the ZTD inverted using the method of this study were 9.5 mm and 12.7 mm, respectively, showing reductions of 20.8% and 19.1%, respectively, as compared to the standard NWP model. For long-range baseline (155 km and 207 km), the corrected NWP-constrained RTK showed a reduction of over 43% in the initialization time compared with the standard RTK, and showed a reduction of over 24% in the initialization time compared with the standard NWP-constrained RTK.
Sensor Failure Tolerable Machine Learning-Based Food Quality Prediction Model
Authors: Kaya Aydin , Keçeli Ali Seydi , Catal Cagatay , Tekinerdogan Bedir
Published: June 2020

For the agricultural food production sector, the control and assessment of food quality is an essential issue, which has a direct impact on both human health and the economic value of the product. One of the fundamental properties from which the quality of the food can be derived is the smell of the product. A significant trend in this context is machine olfaction or the automated simulation of the sense of smell using a so-called electronic nose or e-nose. Hereby, many sensors are used to detect compounds, which define the odors and herewith the quality of the product. The proper assessment of the food quality is based on the correct functioning of the adopted sensors. Unfortunately, sensors may fail to provide the correct measures due to, for example, physical aging or environmental factors. To tolerate this problem, various approaches have been applied, often focusing on correcting the input data from the failed sensor. In this study, we adopt an alternative approach and propose machine learning-based failure tolerance that ignores failed sensors. To tolerate for the failed sensor and to keep the overall prediction accuracy acceptable, a Single Plurality Voting System (SPVS) classification approach is used. Hereby, single classifiers are trained by each feature and based on the outcome of these classifiers, and a composed classifier is built. To build our SPVS-based technique, K-Nearest Neighbor (kNN), Decision Tree, and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) classifiers are applied as the base classifiers. Our proposed approach has a clear advantage over traditional machine learning models since it can tolerate the sensor failure or other types of failures by ignoring and thus enhance the assessment of food quality. To illustrate our approach, we use the case study of beef cut quality assessment. The experiments showed promising results for beef cut quality prediction in particular, and food quality assessment in general.
Improvement of Model Predictive Current Control Sensing Strategy for a Developed Small Flux-Switching Permanent Magnet Motor
Authors: Pan Cheng-Tang , Wang Shao-Yu , Chang Chun-Chieh , Yen Chung-Kun , Wu Jyun-Yi , Ju Shin-Pon , Lee Roger Cheng-Lung
Published: June 2020

This paper presents an improved control system for a small flux-switching permanent magnet motor (FSPM) to enhance its performance and torque sensing. The analytical magnetic circuit design was used to determine the related motor parameters, such as the air gap flux density, permeance coefficient (Pc), torque, winding turns, pole number, width, length, magnet geometry, and the current density of FSPM. The electromagnetic analysis of this motor was performed by software (ANSYS Maxwell) to optimize the motor performance. In this study, the performance of FSPM was investigated by the uniform design experimentation (UDE). For the control system, the model predictive current control (MPCC) is currently recognized as a high-performance control strategy, due to its quick response and simple principle. This model contained the nonlinear part of the system, to improve the torque ripple of FSPM. A modified MPCC strategy was proposed to improve the distortion of the current waveform and decrease the computational burden. The new modified control architecture was mainly composed of three parts, such as the estimation of electromotive force (EMF), current prediction, and optimal vector selection/vector duration. When the reference voltage vector was obtained, the three-phase duties were easily determined by the principle of space vector modulation (SVM). The results show the different strategy methods between the newly proposed modified MPCC and traditional proportional integral (PI) controller. In the control of FSPM, a modified MPCC strategy was able to achieve a better performance response and decrease the computational burden. At a low speed of 350 rpm, the proposed modified MPCC can achieve a better dynamic response. The nonlinear problem of the startup speed was also effectively resolved. The torque sensing performance of the simulation and the experimental test value were compared. The torque sensing performance of the simulation and the actual test value were also examined. In this study, the optimization focused not only on the motor design and fabrication, but also on an improved motor control strategy and torque sensing, in order to achieve the integrity of the FSPM system.
MRI Reconstruction Using Markov Random Field and Total Variation as Composite Prior
Authors: Panić Marko , Jakovetić Dušan , Vukobratović Dejan , Crnojević Vladimir , Pižurica Aleksandra
Published: June 2020

Reconstruction of magnetic resonance images (MRI) benefits from incorporating a priori knowledge about statistical dependencies among the representation coefficients. Recent results demonstrate that modeling intraband dependencies with Markov Random Field (MRF) models enable superior reconstructions compared to inter-scale models. In this paper, we develop a novel reconstruction method, which includes a composite prior based on an MRF model and Total Variation (TV). We use an anisotropic MRF model and propose an original data-driven method for the adaptive estimation of its parameters. From a Bayesian perspective, we define a new position-dependent type of regularization and derive a compact reconstruction algorithm with a novel soft-thresholding rule. Experimental results show the effectiveness of this method compared to the state of the art in the field.
Automatic Detection of Dynamic and Static Activities of the Elderly using a Wearable Sensor and Support Vector Machines
Authors: Zhang Jian , Soangra Rahul , E. Lockhart Thurmon E.
Published: June 2020

Although Support Vector Machines (SVM) are widely used for classifying human motion patterns, their application in the automatic recognition of dynamic and static activities of daily life in the elderly is limited. Using a body mounted wireless inertial measurement unit (IMU), this paper explores the use of an SVM approach for classifying dynamic (walking) and static (sitting, standing and lying) activities of the elderly. Specifically, data formatting and feature extraction methods associated with IMU signals are discussed. To evaluate the performance of the SVM algorithm, the effects of two parameters involved in SVM algorithm—the soft margin constant C and the kernel function parameter —are investigated. The changes associated with adding white-noise and pink-noise on these two parameters along with adding different sources of movement variations (i.e., localized muscle fatigue and mixed activities) are further discussed. The results indicate that the SVM algorithm is capable of keeping high overall accuracy by adjusting the two parameters for dynamic as well as static activities, and may be applied as a tool for automatically identifying static and dynamic activities of daily life in the elderly.
A Comparison of Denoising Methods in Onset Determination in Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle Activations during Stance
Authors: Zhang Jian , Soangra Rahul , E. Lockhart Thurmon
Published: June 2020

One of the most basic pieces of information gained from dynamic electromyography is accurately defining muscle action and phase timing within the gait cycle. The human gait relies on selective timing and the intensity of appropriate muscle activations for stability, loading, and progression over the supporting foot during stance, and further to advance the limb in the swing phase. A common clinical practice is utilizing a low-pass filter to denoise integrated electromyogram (EMG) signals and to determine onset and cessation events using a predefined threshold. However, the accuracy of the defining period of significant muscle activations via EMG varies with the temporal shift involved in filtering the signals; thus, the low-pass filtering method with a fixed order and cut-off frequency will introduce a time delay depending on the frequency of the signal. In order to precisely identify muscle activation and to determine the onset and cessation times of the muscles, we have explored here onset and cessation epochs with denoised EMG signals using different filter banks: the wavelet method, empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method, and ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method. In this study, gastrocnemius muscle onset and cessation were determined in sixteen participants within two different age groups and under two different walking conditions. Low-pass filtering of integrated EMG (iEMG) signals resulted in premature onset (28% stance duration) in younger and delayed onset (38% stance duration) in older participants, showing the time-delay problem involved in this filtering method. Comparatively, the wavelet denoising approach detected onset for normal walking events most precisely, whereas the EEMD method showed the smallest onset deviation. In addition, EEMD denoised signals could further detect pre-activation onsets during a fast walking condition. A comprehensive comparison is discussed on denoising EMG signals using EMD, EEMD, and wavelet denoising in order to accurately define an onset of muscle under different walking conditions.
Development of Alternative Green Sample Preparation Techniques
Authors: Gionfriddo Emanuela
Published: June 2020

Although chemistry disciplines are often regarded by the public as polluting sciences, in the last three decades, the concept of “Green Chemistry” has fueled the development of more sustainable and environmentally friendly chemical processes that are mainly aimed at minimizing the production of toxic laboratory waste, to maximize pollution prevention [...]
Rebuilding Relocated Tribal Communities Better via Culture: Livelihood and Social Resilience for Disaster Risk Reduction
Authors: Lin Pei-Shan , Lin Wei-Cheng
Published: June 2020

Building back better is the goal of post-disaster recovery. However, most of the extant literature focuses on hardware reconstruction and there is a lack of attention on the social aspect of recovery. This study aims to understand the role of culture in the recovery process of relocating indigenous communities through tourism livelihood. A Tsou indigenous settlement, relocated after the 2009 Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan, was used as a case study. Field data were collected through participant observations in tourism and community activities as well as semi-structured interviews over a period of 15 months. The study found that appealing to a relocated tribe’s culture, not their land, as their community’s foundation could reduce conflicts within the community and increase social resilience. Indigenous culture-based tourism could serve as an important source of livelihood for such tribes, supporting long-term development. This study highlights community-based cultural tourism as a post-disaster livelihood revival approach which is beneficial for a resilient recovery. Culture could reduce disaster risk through a transformation to a livelihood source and further become the base of community resilience. Instead of promoting detached culture preservation, this study argues that a livelihood-relevant culturally innovative transformation could create a win–win situation for both post-disaster community recovery and culture inheritance.
Hiking, Sense of Place, and Place Attachment in the Age of Globalization and Digitization: The Israeli Case
Authors: Collins-Kreiner Noga
Published: June 2020

Based on the premise that hiking in Israel is strongly related to constructs of sense of place and place attachment, this study analyzes the motivations and experiences of hikers along the Israel National Trail. To this end, it employs diverse methods, including ethnographic methods such as participant observations and informal interviews, questionnaires, analysis of digital communications, diary analysis, and autoethnography. The findings indicate that the main motivations and experiences of Israeli hikers pertain to “getting to know” the Land of Israel “with their feet,” becoming connected to the land, and feeling a strong sense of Israeli identity. They also indicate that the current relationships among different concepts of “sense of place,” “place identity,” “place dependence,” and “place attachment” in the age of globalization and digitization are blurred and unclear, but that they nonetheless play a significant role in hiking in Israel and Israeli leisure activities in general.
Overview of the Policies for Phasing Out Ocean Dumping of Sewage Sludge in the Republic of Korea
Authors: Chung Chang Soo , Choi Ki-Young , Kim Chang-Joon , Jung Jun-Mo , Chang Yeon S.
Published: June 2020

Ocean dumping of municipal sewage sludge (MSS) that was treated in wastewater treatment plants in the Republic of Korea (ROK) began in 1993 and has sharply increased thereafter; this deteriorated the benthic environment of the dumping sites, consequently necessitating relevant policies to be developed to reduce dumping. This review introduces the outcomes of policies used to phase out ocean dumping of MSS in ROK and provides a method for improving contaminated environments. We first review a previous report submitted under the London Protocol in 2016 and then provide additional data collected since then. In addition, we introduce a scientific research result that reduced the concentration of harmful substances in the dumping sites by capping the dumping area. ROK established policies to phase out the dumping in 2006, which had immediate impacts, with dumping of MSS terminated in 2012. These policies were then expanded to terminate dumping of all types of sewage sludge in 2016, due to the fast and strict application of actions based on intergovernmental cooperation and societal consensus. In addition, the capping method that covered the contaminated sediments with dredged materials was effective. The success of the evaluated policies and research could be effectively applied to areas with similar circumstances.