bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning Algorithm of Boltzmann Machine Based on Spatial Monte Carlo Integration Method
Authors: Yasuda Muneki
Published: April 2018

The machine learning techniques for Markov random fields are fundamental in various fields involving pattern recognition, image processing, sparse modeling, and earth science, and a Boltzmann machine is one of the most important models in Markov random fields. However, the inference and learning problems in the Boltzmann machine are NP-hard. The investigation of an effective learning algorithm for the Boltzmann machine is one of the most important challenges in the field of statistical machine learning. In this paper, we study Boltzmann machine learning based on the (first-order) spatial Monte Carlo integration method, referred to as the 1-SMCI learning method, which was proposed in the author’s previous paper. In the first part of this paper, we compare the method with the maximum pseudo-likelihood estimation (MPLE) method using a theoretical and a numerical approaches, and show the 1-SMCI learning method is more effective than the MPLE. In the latter part, we compare the 1-SMCI learning method with other effective methods, ratio matching and minimum probability flow, using a numerical experiment, and show the 1-SMCI learning method outperforms them.
Nonlinearities in Control Description and Design of an Electro Hydraulic Actuator for Flexible Nozzle Thrust Vector Control
Authors: Nauparac Dragan , Prsic Dragan , Milos Marko
Published: April 2018

This paper presents all the significant nonlinearities that exist in the description of an electro hydraulic actuator for flexible nozzle thrust vector control. Starting from practical possibilities of the theory of a nonlinear system (which are based on the analyses of one nonlinearity or one equivalent nonlinearity in the proximity of the linear description of an actuator), this paper explores the possibilities of additional analyses of a nonlinear electro hydraulic actuator for flexible nozzle thrust vector control. These explored possibilities can provide information that is useful for the design of the control algorithm, as well as for the general design of a flexible nozzle and actuator system.
Development of ELISA-Like Fluorescence Assay for Melamine Detection Based on Magnetic Dummy Molecularly Imprinted Polymers
Authors: Liu Guangyang , She Yongxin , Hong Sihui , Wang Jing , Xu Donghui
Published: April 2018

We present a directly competitive fluorescence assay for highly sensitive detection of melamine in milk using magnetic dummy molecularly imprinted polymers (MDMIPs). The detection principle is based on competitive binding between the fluorescent label and melamine on the MDMIPs. The fluorescent label was obtained by combining fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) with melamine in ethanol and water. MDMIPs were prepared on the surface of Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles using 2,4-diamino-6-methyl-1,3,5-triazine as dummy template. The MDMIPs were characterized and their adsorption capacity was evaluated based on their static adsorption and Scatchard analysis. Results suggest that MDMIPs were successfully coated on the Fe3O4@SiO2 surface and had a core–shell structure. Adsorption experiments suggested that the MDMIPs had higher specific recognition capacities for melamine and FITC–melamine (FITC-Mel) than did magnetic dummy molecularly non-imprinted polymers. Competitive binding between FITC-Mel and melamine was performed under the optimum conditions to determine melamine quantitatively. The linear range of this fluorescence assay was 0.1–20 mg/L for melamine detection. The detection limit was 0.05 mg/L in negative milk samples. The assay was also successfully employed to detect melamine in spiked milk samples, with satisfactory recoveries, i.e., between 70.2% and 92.7%.
Doppler Broadening of Spectral Line Shapes in Relativistic Plasmas
Authors: Meftah Mohammed Tayeb , Gossa Hadda , Touati Kamel Ahmed , Chenini Keltoum , Naam Amel
Published: April 2018

In this work, we report some relativistic effects on the spectral line broadening. In particular, we give a new Doppler broadening in extra hot plasmas that takes into account the possible high velocity of the emitters. This suggests the use of an appropriate distribution of the velocities for the emitters. Indeed, the Juttner-Maxwell distribution of the velocities is more adequate for relativistic velocities of the emitters when the latter are in plasma with an extra high temperature. We find an asymmetry in the Doppler line shapes unlike the case of the traditional Doppler effect.
Comparative Study of the Aerodynamic Performance of the New MEXICO Rotor under Yaw Conditions
Authors: Qian Yaoru , Zhang Zhenyu , Wang Tongguang
Published: April 2018

The influence of yaw misalignment on the aerodynamic performance of the New MEXICO rotor is investigated using blade-resolved Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approaches with three wind speeds considered at a fixed yaw angle of 30 degrees. The air-load predictions and near wake characteristics from the numerical results are compared and discussed against the most recent wind tunnel test data. The nacelle impact, dynamic stall phenomenon and wake characteristics are analyzed, demonstrating the yaw effects and numerical issues raised from Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) and Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) computations.
A Distributed Robust Dispatch Approach for Interconnected Systems with a High Proportion of Wind Power Penetration
Authors: Ren Jianwen , Xu Yingqiang , Wang Shiyuan
Published: April 2018

This paper proposes a distributed robust dispatch approach to solve the economic dispatch problem of the interconnected systems with a high proportion of wind power penetration. First of all, the basic principle of synchronous alternating direction method of multipliers (SADMM) is introduced to solve the economic dispatch problem of the two interconnected regions. Next, the polyhedron set of the robust optimization method is utilized to describe the wind power output. To adjust the conservativeness of the polyhedron set, an adjustment factor of robust conservativeness is introduced. Subsequently, considering the operation characteristics of the DC tie line between the interconnected regions, an economic dispatch model with a high proportion of wind power penetration is established and parallel iteration based on SADMM is used to solve the model. In each iteration, the optimized power of DC tie lines is exchanged between the regions without requiring the participation of the superior dispatch center. Finally, the validity of the proposed model is verified by the examples of the 2-area 6-node interconnected system and the interconnection of several modified New England 39-node systems. The results show that the proposed model can meet the needs of the independent dispatch of regional power grids, effectively deal with the uncertainty of wind power output, and maximize the wind power consumption under the condition of ensuring the safe operation of the interconnected systems.
Impedance Modelling and Parametric Sensitivity of a VSC-HVDC System: New Insights on Resonances and Interactions
Authors: Agbemuko Adedotun , Domínguez-García José , Prieto-Araujo Eduardo , Gomis-Bellmunt Oriol
Published: April 2018

Pervasiveness of power converters in the electric power system is expected in the future. Such large penetration will change the current power system dynamics leading to uncertain, unexpected, and potentially critical responses. This paper investigates the stability and resonance of a VSC-HVDC (Voltage Source Converter High Voltage Direct Current) link within an AC grid, whilst providing insights into resonances having a role on the grid. This is studied through the impedance-based modelling of the entire system (AC and DC grids), including controls of converters. Additionally, the impact of the different parameters of the hybrid AC-DC power system such as control systems and grid components on the system dynamics and stability is investigated. From this study, the impact of the system components and the controls of the converter on overall resonance response and stability is shown, including potential undesired sub-synchronous and harmonic resonances due to AC-DC system interactions. The analytical impedance-based models developed and obtained is validated through time-domain simulations, the physical model of the whole system is built in Simscape™ Power Systems™ and control systems in MATLAB/Simulink® (R2017b). This has demonstrated the validity of the model to deal with and detect such dynamics.
Recent Advances in Attention Bias Modification for Substance Addictions
Authors: Zhang Melvyn , Ying Jiang , Song Guo , Fung Daniel , Smith Helen
Published: April 2018

Research on attentional bias modification has increased since 2014. A recent meta-analysis demonstrates evidence for bias modification for substance disorders, including alcohol and tobacco use disorders. Several pharmacological trials have shown that pharmacological agents can attenuate and modify such attentional bias. The pharmacological trials that have appeared to date have produced mixed results, which has clinical implications. Developments in Internet and mobile technologies have transformed how attention bias modification is currently being achieved. There remains great potential for further research that examines the efficacy of technology-aided attention bias interventions.
Environmental Sustainability and Mold Hygiene in Buildings
Authors: Wu Haoxiang , Ng Tsz Wai , Wong Jonathan WC , Lai Ka Man
Published: April 2018

Environmental sustainability is one of the key issues in building management. In Hong Kong, one of the initiatives is to reduce the operation hours of air-conditioning in buildings to cut down energy consumption. In this study, we reported a mold contamination case in a newly refurbished laboratory, in which the air-conditioner was switched from 24- to 18-h mode after refurbishment. In order to prevent mold recurrence, the air-conditioner was switched back to 24-h mode in the laboratory. During the mold investigation, visible mold patches in the laboratory were searched and then cultured, counted and identified. Building and environmental conditions were recorded, and used to deduce different causes of mold contamination. Eight contaminated sites including a wall, a bench, some metal and plastic surfaces and seven types of molds including two Cladosporium spp., two Aspergillus spp., one Rhizopus sp., one Trichoderma sp., and one Tritirachium sp. were identified. Cladosporium spp. were the most abundant and frequently found molds in the laboratory. The contaminated areas could have one to five different species on them. Based on the mold and environmental conditions, several scenarios causing the mold contamination were deduced, and different mold control measures were discussed to compare them with the current solution of using 24-h air-conditioning to control mold growth. This study highlights the importance of mold hygiene in sustainable building management.
Effective Delivery of Arsenic Trioxide to HPV-Positive Cervical Cancer Cells Using Optimised Liposomes: A Size and Charge Study
Authors: Akhtar Anam , Wang Scarlet , Ghali Lucy , Bell Celia , Wen Xuesong
Published: April 2018

Despite the success of arsenic trioxide (ATO) in treating haematological malignancies, its potential to treat solid tumours has not been fully exploited, owing to its dose-limiting toxicity and poor pharmacokinetics. In order to overcome this hurdle, liposomal encapsulation of the drug with different surface charges (neutral, negative, and positive) and sizes (100, 200 and 400 nm) were synthesised and tested on human papilloma virus (HPV)-positive HeLa and HPV-negative HT-3 cervical cancer cell lines. Two epithelial cell lines—human keratinocytes (HK) and human colon cells (CRL-1790)—were used as controls. The synthesised liposomes were tested for their physico-chemical characteristics, drug loading efficiency, and toxicity on the studied cell lines. Neutral liposomes of 100 nm in size were the chosen formulation for delivering ATO into the studied cells, as they showed the least intrinsic cytotoxicity and the highest loading efficiency. The findings demonstrated that the optimised formulation of liposomes was an effective drug delivery method for HPV-infected cervical cancer cells. Furthermore, the toxicity vs. uptake ratio was highest for HeLa cells, while a reduced or minimal toxic effect was observed for non-HPV-infected cervical cancer cells and control cells. These findings may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for effectively managing cervical cancers.
Loss of ISWI Function in Drosophila Nuclear Bodies Drives Cytoplasmic Redistribution of Drosophila TDP-43
Authors: Lo Piccolo Luca , Bonaccorso Rosa , Attardi Andrea , Li Greci Lorenzo , Romano Giulia , Sollazzo Martina , Giurato Giorgio , Ingrassia Antonia , Feiguin Fabian , Corona Davide , Onorati Maria
Published: April 2018

Over the past decade, evidence has identified a link between protein aggregation, RNA biology, and a subset of degenerative diseases. An important feature of these disorders is the cytoplasmic or nuclear aggregation of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Redistribution of RBPs, such as the human TAR DNA-binding 43 protein (TDP-43) from the nucleus to cytoplasmic inclusions is a pathological feature of several diseases. Indeed, sporadic and familial forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and fronto-temporal lobar degeneration share as hallmarks ubiquitin-positive inclusions. Recently, the wide spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by RBPs functions’ alteration and loss was collectively named proteinopathies. Here, we show that TBPH (TAR DNA-binding protein-43 homolog), the Drosophila ortholog of human TDP-43 TAR DNA-binding protein-43, interacts with the arcRNA hsrω and with hsrω-associated hnRNPs. Additionally, we found that the loss of the omega speckles remodeler ISWI (Imitation SWI) changes the TBPH sub-cellular localization to drive a TBPH cytoplasmic accumulation. Our results, hence, identify TBPH as a new component of omega speckles and highlight a role of chromatin remodelers in hnRNPs nuclear compartmentalization.
Detection of Orientation-Modulation Embedded Data in Color Printed Natural Images
Authors: Kitanovski Vlado , Pedersen Marius
Published: April 2018

This article addresses methods for detection of orientation-modulation data embedded in color dispersed-dot-halftone images. Several state-of-the-art methods for detection of orientation-embedded data in printed halftone images have been proposed, however they have only been evaluated independently without comparing with each other. We propose an improved detection method, which is using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) components as oriented-feature extractors, and a probabilistic model for the print-and-scan channel for maximum likelihood detection. The proposed detector and four state-of-the-art detectors are compared with each other in terms of correct detection rate, using a comprehensive testing set of printed natural images captured with three different devices. The proposed detector achieves highest correct detection rate using fewer feature extractors than the other methods, and it is significantly more robust to non-calibrated devices used for capturing the printed images. This is mostly due to the improved PCA-based oriented-feature extractors that are responsive to the embedded orientations and robust and insensitive to the other visual content.
Stress-Corrosion Cracking Behaviour of Lean-Duplex Stainless Steels in Chloride/Thiosulphate Environments
Authors: Zanotto Federica , Grassi Vincenzo , Balbo Andrea , Monticelli Cecilia , Zucchi Fabrizio
Published: April 2018

The stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) behaviour of two lean-duplex stainless steels (DSS 2304 and LDSS 2404) was studied by slow strain-rate tests (SSRT) in 20% NaCl solution at 80 °C (pH about 6) and in NACE TM-0177 solution at 25 °C (pH 2.7), both in the absence and in the presence of thiosulphate ions (S2O32−). The SCC susceptibility of the two alloys was compared to that of LDSS 2101 investigated in a previous study. LDSS 2404 was always immune to SCC, while DSS 2304 (and LDSS 2101) suffered this corrosion form at specific concentrations. The high SCC resistance of DSS 2404 in both environments was connected to its high Mo content, while the significant SCC susceptibility of LDSS 2101 in NACE TM-0177 solution was likely due to the high Mn content of the alloy.
Exosome-Mediated Transfer of Cancer Cell Resistance to Antiestrogen Drugs
Authors: Semina Svetlana E. , Scherbakov Alexander M. , Vnukova Anna A. , Bagrov Dmitry V. , Evtushenko Evgeniy G. , Safronova Vera M. , Golovina Daria A. , Lyubchenko Ludmila N. , Gudkova Margarita V. , Krasil’nikov Mikhail A.
Published: April 2018

Exosomes are small vesicles which are produced by the cells and released into the surrounding space. They can transfer biomolecules into recipient cells. The main goal of the work was to study the exosome involvement in the cell transfer of hormonal resistance. The experiments were performed on in vitro cultured estrogen-dependent MCF-7 breast cancer cells and MCF-7 sublines resistant to SERM tamoxifen and/or biguanide metformin, which exerts its anti-proliferative effect, at least in a part, via the suppression of estrogen machinery. The exosomes were purified by differential ultracentrifugation, cell response to tamoxifen was determined by MTT test, and the level and activity of signaling proteins were determined by Western blot and reporter analysis. We found that the treatment of the parent MCF-7 cells with exosomes from the resistant cells within 14 days lead to the partial resistance of the MCF-7 cells to antiestrogen drugs. The primary resistant cells and the cells with the exosome-induced resistance were characterized with these common features: decrease in ERα activity and parallel activation of Akt and AP-1, NF-κB, and SNAIL1 transcriptional factors. In general, we evaluate the established results as the evidence of the possible exosome involvement in the transferring of the hormone/metformin resistance in breast cancer cells.
Applications of Cancer Cell-Specific Aptamers in Targeted Delivery of Anticancer Therapeutic Agents
Authors: Kim Minhee , Kim Dong-Min , Kim Keun-Sik , Jung Woong , Kim Dong-Eun
Published: April 2018

Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides that specifically bind and interact with their corresponding targets, including proteins and cells, through unique three-dimensional structures. Numerous aptamers have been developed to target cancer biomarkers with high specificity and affinity, and some are employed as versatile guiding ligands for cancer-specific drug delivery and anti-cancer therapeutics. In this review, we list the aptamers that target tumor surface biomarkers and summarize the representative applications of aptamers as agonists and antagonists that activate anti-cancer and inactivate pro-cancer biomarkers, respectively. In addition, we describe applications of aptamer-drug or aptamer-oligonucleotide conjugates that can deliver therapeutic agents, including small interfering RNAs, micro RNAs, short hairpin RNAs, and chemotherapeutic molecules, to cancer cells. Moreover, we provide examples of aptamer- conjugated nano-vehicles, in which cancer-targeting oligonucleotide aptamers are conjugated with nano-vehicles such as liposomes, micelles, polymeric nanoparticles, and quantum dots. Conjugation of aptamers with anti-cancer drugs and nano-vehicles will facilitate innovative applications of aptamer-based cancer therapeutics.
Heading to Chaityabhoomi: Pilgrimages of Remembrance
Authors: Bochkovskaya Anna
Published: April 2018

This article explores individual and collective pilgrimages to the Mumbai-based cremation ground (samādhi) of Bhimrao Ramji (Babasaheb) Ambedkar (1891–1956), a renowned economist and lawyer, academician and philosopher, political leader and social reformer who dedicated his life to the struggle for rights of the untouchables (Dalits) in India. In October 1956, Dr. Ambedkar together with almost half a million of low-caste followers converted to Buddhism. After Babasaheb’s death on 6 December, 1956, his cremation ground became an object of worship for Buddhists and adherents of other religions. In December 1971, on the eve of the 15th year of his demise, the Chaityabhoomi memorial was inaugurated there. A dramatic increase in the number of pilgrims coming from all across India to Dr. Ambedkar’s samādhi as well as to other places associated with him has become instrumental in building up Dalits’ sites of memory/lieux de mémoire in contemporary India. The growing interest to Chaityabhoomi has also acquired a political dimension in contemporary India.
The King Must Protect the Difference: The Juridical Foundations of Tantric Knowledge
Authors: Schwartz Jason
Published: April 2018

Drawing upon inscriptional, art historical, as well as largely unstudied and unpublished textual evidence, this paper examines the conceptualization of religious diversity in the Medieval Deccan prior to the Islamic invasions. What our archive suggests, somewhat counterintuitively, is that from the perspective of the state and other disciplinary institutions, religious difference was conceived of in primarily juridical as opposed to doxographical terms; it was a matter of law rather than belief. In other words, in practice, the social performance of the religious identities of particular communities proved inseparable from the delineation of the highly specific legal rights and obligations to which those communities were entitled to adhere. Succinctly, medieval India’s religious diversity was inextricable from the widespread acceptance of a rather capaciously imagined emic form of legal pluralism. The early medieval Dharmaśāstric commentarial tradition locates the textual foundation of this approach to legal pluralism in a discrete and consistent canon of textual resources. As the present work demonstrates, by the eighth century—from the perspective of the Brahmanical legalists themselves—it is this internally coherent body of dharma knowledge that emerges as the key conceptual resource that makes a place within the wider social ecologies of the medieval Deccan for the Tantric knowledge systems and those who practice them.
New Water Regimes: An Editorial
Authors: Cantor Alida , Emel Jacque
Published: April 2018

This editorial is an introduction to the special issue of Resources on New Water Regimes. The special issue explores legal geographies of water resource management with the dual goals of providing critiques of existing water management practices as well as exploring potential alternatives. The papers in the special issue draw from numerous theoretical perspectives, including decolonial and post-anthropocentric approaches to water governance; social and environmental justice in water management; and understanding legal ecologies. A variety of themes of water governance are addressed, including water allocation, groundwater management, collaborative governance, drought planning, and water quality. The papers describe and analyze water issues and new ideas in multiple countries, including Australia, Ecuador, New Zealand, India, and the United States.
Simplified Normalization of C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar Data for Terrestrial Applications in High Latitude Environments
Authors: Widhalm Barbara , Bartsch Annett , Goler Robert
Published: April 2018

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) applications often require normalization to a common incidence angle. Angular signatures of radar backscatter depend on surface roughness and vegetation cover, and thus differ, from location to location. Comprehensive reference datasets are therefore required in heterogeneous landscapes. Multiple acquisitions from overlapping orbits with sufficient incidence angle range are processed in order to obtain parameters of the location specific normalization function. We propose a simpler method for C-band data, using single scenes only. It requires stable dielectric properties (no variations of liquid water content). This method is therefore applicable for frozen conditions. Winter C-band data have been shown of high value for a number of applications in high latitudes before. In this paper we explore the relationship of incidence angle and Sentinel-1 backscatter across the tundra to boreal transition zone. A linear relationship (coefficient of determination R 2 = 0.64) can be found between backscatter and incidence angle dependence (slope of normalization function) as determined by multiple acquisitions on a pixel by pixel basis for typical land cover classes in these regions. This allows a simplified normalization and thus reduced processing effort for applications over larger areas.
Wide-Baseline Stereo-Based Obstacle Mapping for Unmanned Surface Vehicles
Authors: Mou Xiaozheng , Wang Han
Published: April 2018

This paper proposes a wide-baseline stereo-based static obstacle mapping approach for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). The proposed approach eliminates the complicated calibration work and the bulky rig in our previous binocular stereo system, and raises the ranging ability from 500 to 1000 m with a even larger baseline obtained from the motion of USVs. Integrating a monocular camera with GPS and compass information in this proposed system, the world locations of the detected static obstacles are reconstructed while the USV is traveling, and an obstacle map is then built. To achieve more accurate and robust performance, multiple pairs of frames are leveraged to synthesize the final reconstruction results in a weighting model. Experimental results based on our own dataset demonstrate the high efficiency of our system. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to address the task of wide-baseline stereo-based obstacle mapping in a maritime environment.
3D Laser Scanner for Underwater Manipulation
Authors: Palomer Albert , Ridao Pere , Youakim Dina , Ribas David , Forest Josep , Petillot Yvan
Published: April 2018

Nowadays, research in autonomous underwater manipulation has demonstrated simple applications like picking an object from the sea floor, turning a valve or plugging and unplugging a connector. These are fairly simple tasks compared with those already demonstrated by the mobile robotics community, which include, among others, safe arm motion within areas populated with a priori unknown obstacles or the recognition and location of objects based on their 3D model to grasp them. Kinect-like 3D sensors have contributed significantly to the advance of mobile manipulation providing 3D sensing capabilities in real-time at low cost. Unfortunately, the underwater robotics community is lacking a 3D sensor with similar capabilities to provide rich 3D information of the work space. In this paper, we present a new underwater 3D laser scanner and demonstrate its capabilities for underwater manipulation. In order to use this sensor in conjunction with manipulators, a calibration method to find the relative position between the manipulator and the 3D laser scanner is presented. Then, two different advanced underwater manipulation tasks beyond the state of the art are demonstrated using two different manipulation systems. First, an eight Degrees of Freedom (DoF) fixed-base manipulator system is used to demonstrate arm motion within a work space populated with a priori unknown fixed obstacles. Next, an eight DoF free floating Underwater Vehicle-Manipulator System (UVMS) is used to autonomously grasp an object from the bottom of a water tank.
Biosensing Based on Nanoparticles for Food Allergens Detection
Authors: Gómez-Arribas Lidia Nazaret , Benito-Peña Elena , Hurtado-Sánchez María del Carmen , Moreno-Bondi María Cruz
Published: April 2018

Food allergy is one of the major health threats for sensitized individuals all over the world and, over the years, the food industry has made significant efforts and investments to offer safe foods for allergic consumers. The analysis of the concentration of food allergen residues in processing equipment, in raw materials or in the final product, provides analytical information that can be used for risk assessment as well as to ensure that food-allergic consumers get accurate and useful information to make their food choices and purchasing decisions. The development of biosensors based on nanomaterials for applications in food analysis is a challenging area of growing interest in the last years. Research in this field requires the combined efforts of experts in very different areas including food chemistry, biotechnology or materials science. However, the outcome of such collaboration can be of significant impact on the food industry as well as for consumer’s safety. These nanobiosensing devices allow the rapid, selective, sensitive, cost-effective and, in some cases, in-field, online and real-time detection of a wide range of compounds, even in complex matrices. Moreover, they can also enable the design of novel allergen detection strategies. Herein we review the main advances in the use of nanoparticles for the development of biosensors and bioassays for allergen detection, in food samples, over the past few years. Research in this area is still in its infancy in comparison, for instance, to the application of nanobiosensors for clinical analysis. However, it will be of interest for the development of new technologies that reduce the gap between laboratory research and industrial applications.
A Fiber Optic Interferometric Sensor Platform for Determining Gas Diffusivity in Zeolite Films
Authors: Yang Ruidong , Xu Zhi , Zeng Shixuan , Jing Wenheng , Trontz Adam , Dong Junhang
Published: April 2018

Fiber optic interferometer (FOI) sensors have been fabricated by directly growing pure-silica MFI-type zeolite (i.e., silicalite) films on straight-cut endfaces of single-mode communication optical fibers. The FOI sensor has been demonstrated for determining molecular diffusivity in the zeolite by monitoring the temporal response of light interference from the zeolite film during the dynamic process of gas adsorption. The optical thickness of the zeolite film depends on the amount of gas adsorption that causes the light interference to shift upon loading molecules into the zeolitic channels. Thus, the time-dependence of the optical signal reflected from the coated zeolite film can represent the adsorption uptake curve, which allows computation of the diffusivity using models derived from the Fick’s Law equations. In this study, the diffusivity of isobutane in silicalite has been determined by the new FOI sensing method, and the results are in good agreement with literature values obtained by various conventional macroscopic techniques. The FOI sensor platform, because of its robustness and small size, could be useful for studying molecular diffusion in zeolitic materials under conditions that are inaccessible to the existing techniques.
Structural Health Monitoring in Composite Structures by Fiber-Optic Sensors
Authors: Güemes Alfredo , Fernández-López Antonio , Díaz-Maroto Patricia , Lozano Angel , Sierra-Perez Julian
Published: April 2018

Fiber-optic sensors cannot measure damage; to get information about damage from strain measurements, additional strategies are needed, and several alternatives are available in the existing literature. This paper discusses two independent procedures. The first is based on detecting new strains appearing around a damage spot. The structure does not need to be under loads, the technique is very robust, and damage detectability is high, but it requires sensors to be located very close to the damage, so it is a local technique. The second approach offers wider coverage of the structure; it is based on identifying the changes caused by damage on the strain field in the whole structure for similar external loads. Damage location does not need to be known a priori, and detectability is dependent upon the sensor’s network density, the damage size, and the external loads. Examples of application to real structures are given.
Flame Retardant Contamination and Seafood Sustainability
Authors: Noziglia Andrea J. , Abbott Joshua K. , Polidoro Beth , Gerber Leah R.
Published: April 2018

A growing body of evidence for chemical contamination in seafood has raised concerns about the safety of seafood consumption. Available data also indicate that some fishery stocks that are overharvested are also the most laden with certain contaminants. Flame retardant chemicals, used in textiles, plastics, and other products are a class of these seafood contaminants that are particularly concerning as they are linked to cancer and endocrine disruption. To investigate the potentially useful relationship between fishery sustainability and flame retardant concentration in seafood, we used polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) as a case study to assess how fishery status and species vulnerability coincide with levels of brominated flame retardants found in the tissue of popularly consumed fish. While none of our metrics of sustainability showed strong relationships to PBDE contamination rates, our results suggest that the same intrinsic biological and ecological traits, which facilitate the uptake of chemicals, also contribute to how species respond to fishing pressures. Given the dual challenges of ensuring seafood sustainability and protecting human health, we then explored the implications of bundling the public good of conservation with the private good of health.
Assessment of Building Damage Risk by Natural Disasters in South Korea Using Decision Tree Analysis
Authors: Kim KeumJi , Yoon SeongHwan
Published: April 2018

The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between weather variables and buildings damaged in natural disasters. We used four datasets on building damage history and 33 weather datasets from 230 regions in South Korea in a decision tree analysis to evaluate the risk of building damage. We generated the decision tree model to determine the risk of rain, gale, and typhoon (excluding gale with less damage). Using the weight and limit values of the weather variables derived using the decision tree model, the risk of building damage was assessed for 230 regions in South Korea until 2100. The number of regions at risk of rain damage increased by more than 30% on average. Conversely, regions at risk of damage from snowfall decreased by more than 90%. The regions at risk of typhoons decreased by 57.5% on average, while those at high risk of the same increased by up to 62.5% under RCP 8.5. The results of this study are highly fluid since they are based on the uncertainty of future climate change. However, the study is meaningful because it suggests a new method for assessing disaster risk using weather indices.
Research on the Topological Properties of Air Quality Index Based on a Complex Network
Authors: Zhang Yongli , Na Sanggyun
Published: April 2018

To analyze the dynamic characteristics of air quality for enforcing effective measures to prevent and evade air pollution harm, air quality index (AQI) time series data was selected and transformed into a symbol sequence consisting of characters (H, M, L) through the coarse graining process; then each 6-symbols series was treated as one vertex by time sequence to construct the AQI directed-weighted network; finally the centrality, clusterability, and ranking of the AQI network were analyzed. The results indicated that vertex strength and cumulative strength distribution, vertex strength and strength rank presented power law distributions, and the AQI network is a scale-free network. Only 17 vertices possessed a higher weighted clustering coefficient; meanwhile weighted clustering coefficient and vertex strength didn’t show a strong correlation. The AQI network did not have an obvious central tendency towards intermediaries in general, but 20.55% of vertices accounted for nearly 1/2 of the intermediaries, and the varieties still existed. The mean distance of 68.4932% of vertices was 6.120–9.973, the AQI network did not have obvious small-world phenomena, the conversion of AQI patterns presented the characteristics of periodicity and regularity, and 20.2055% of vertices had high proximity prestige. The vertices fell into six islands, the AQI pattern indicating heavy or serious air pollution lasting six days always lingered for a long time. The number of triads 2-012 was the largest, and the AQI network followed the transitivity model. The study has instructional significance in understanding time change regulation of air quality in Beijing, opening a new way for time series prediction research. Additionally, the factors causing the change of topological properties should be analyzed in the future research.
Estimating the Efficiency and Impacts of Petroleum Product Pricing Reforms in China
Authors: Deng Chuxiong , Jiang Zhujun , Sun Chuanwang
Published: April 2018

The efficiency and effects analysis of a new pricing mechanism would have significant policy implications for the further design of a pricing mechanism in an emerging market. Unlike most of the existing literature, which focuses on the impacts to the macro-economy, this paper firstly uses an econometrics model to discuss the efficiency of the new pricing mechanism, and then establishes an augmented Phillips curve to estimate the impact of pricing reform on inflation in China. The results show that: (1) the new pricing mechanism would strengthen the linkage between Chinese oil prices and international oil prices; (2) oil price adjustments are still inadequate in China. (3) The lag in inflation is the most important factor that affects inflation, while the impact of the Chinese government’s price adjustments on inflation is limited and insignificant. In order to improve the efficiency of the petroleum products pricing mechanism and shorten lags, government should shorten the adjustment period and diminish the fluctuation threshold.
Fine-Scale Evaluation of Giant Panda Habitats and Countermeasures against the Future Impacts of Climate Change and Human Disturbance (2015–2050): A Case Study in Ya’an, China
Authors: Zhen Jing , Wang Xinyuan , Meng Qingkai , Song Jingwei , Liao Ying , Xiang Bo , Guo Huadong , Liu Chuansheng , Yang Ruixia , Luo Lei
Published: April 2018

The accelerating impact of climate change on giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) habitats have become an international research topic. Recently, many studies have also focused on medium-sized mountain ranges or entire giant panda habitats to predict how habitats will change as the climate warms, but few say in detail what to do or where to focus efforts. To fill this gap, this paper presents a new method to take comprehensive, fine-scale evaluations incorporating climate change, human disturbance, and current conservation networks and translate them into practical countermeasures in order to help decision-makers set priority regions for conservation. This study looked at the core area of the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Natural Heritage site, namely Ya’an Prefecture, as a case study. The research employs the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modeling algorithm to analyze how climate change will affect the habitats by 2050 under two scenarios: only considering the influence of climate change, and thinking about the coupled influence of climate change and human disturbance together. The results showed the following: (1) only considering climate change, the overall habitat that can be used by giant pandas in this region will increase, which differs from most of the previous results showing a decrease; (2) the new suitable habitat will shift westward, northward and eastward in this region; (3) conversely, the suitable habitat will be significantly reduced (about 58.56%) and fragmentized when taking into account human disturbance factors; (4) at present, the three small nature reserves are far from each other and cannot cover the present habitat well nor protect the potentially suitable habitats. Based on the comprehensive analysis of habitat shifts and our two field investigations, we suggest two regions that can be expanded into the conservation network to contain more potentially suitable habitats in the future. Furthermore, we used a geographical information system to incorporate high-resolution remote-sensing images from the GF-1 satellite, land-cover maps, and a digital elevation model (DEM) to verify the possibility of our two suggested regions.
Cooperative Secret Sharing Using QR Codes and Symmetric Keys
Authors: Chow Yang-Wai , Susilo Willy , Tonien Joseph , Vlahu-Gjorgievska Elena , Yang Guomin
Published: April 2018

Secret sharing is an information security technique where a dealer divides a secret into a collection of shares and distributes these to members of a group. The secret will only be revealed when a predefined number of group members cooperate to recover the secret. The purpose of this study is to investigate a method of distributing shares by embedding them into cover Quick Response (QR) codes in a secure manner using cryptographic keys. The advantage of this approach is that the shares can be disseminated over public channels, as anyone who scans the QR codes will only obtain public information. Only authorized individuals who are in possession of the required keys will be able to recover the shares. This also means that when group members cooperate to recover a secret, the group can determine the presence of an illegitimate participant if the person does not produce a valid share. This study proposes a protocol for accomplishing this and discusses the underlying security of the protocol.
Oropouche Fever: A Review
Authors: Sakkas Hercules , Bozidis Petros , Franks Ashley , Papadopoulou Chrissanthy
Published: April 2018

Oropouche fever is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by Oropouche virus (OROV), an arthropod transmitted Orthobunyavirus circulating in South and Central America. During the last 60 years, more than 30 epidemics and over half a million clinical cases attributed to OROV infection have been reported in Brazil, Peru, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago. OROV fever is considered the second most frequent arboviral febrile disease in Brazil after dengue fever. OROV is transmitted through both urban and sylvatic transmission cycles, with the primary vector in the urban cycle being the anthropophilic biting midge Culicoides paraensis. Currently, there is no evidence of direct human-to-human OROV transmission. OROV fever is usually either undiagnosed due to its mild, self-limited manifestations or misdiagnosed because its clinical characteristics are similar to dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever, including malaria as well. At present, there is no specific antiviral treatment, and in the absence of a vaccine for effective prophylaxis of human populations in endemic areas, the disease prevention relies solely on vector control strategies and personal protection measures. OROV fever is considered to have the potential to spread across the American continent and under favorable climatic conditions may expand its geographic distribution to other continents. In view of OROV’s emergence, increased interest for formerly neglected tropical diseases and within the One Health concept, the existing knowledge and gaps of knowledge on OROV fever are reviewed.
An Experimental Water Consumption Regression Model for Typical Administrative Buildings in the Czech Republic
Authors: Rucka Jan , Holesovsky Jan , Suchacek Tomas , Tuhovcak Ladislav
Published: April 2018

Pressure management is the basic step of reducing water losses from water supply systems (WSSs). The reduction of direct water losses is reliably achieved by reducing pressure in the WSSs. There is also a slight decrease in water consumption in connected properties. Nevertheless, consumption is also affected by other factors, the quantification of which is not trivial. However, there is still a lack of much relevant information to enter into this analysis and subsequent decision making. This article focuses on water consumption and its prediction, using regression models designed for an experiment regarding an administrative building in the Czech Republic (CZ). The variables considered are pressure and climatological factors (temperature and humidity). The effects of these variables on the consumption are separately evaluated, subsequently multidimensional models are discussed with the common inclusion of selected combinations of predictors. Separate evaluation results in a value of the N3 coefficient, according to the FAVAD concept used for prediction of changes in water consumption related to pressure. The statistical inference is based on the maximum likelihood method. The proposed regression models are tested to evaluate their suitability, particularly, the models are compared using a cross-validation procedure. The significance tests for parameters and model reduction are based on asymptotic properties of the likelihood ratio statistics. Pressure is confirmed in each regression model as a significant variable.
Review of River Basin Water Resource Management in China
Authors: Zhang Hong , Jin Gui , Yu Yan
Published: April 2018

Water resources are the basis for supporting the entire life system of the Earth. However, with the frequent global water crises—especially in the river basins of China—the issue of water resources has become a bottleneck that limits its development. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out relevant research. In this paper, we systematically analyzed different classification methods of the service functions of water ecosystems as well as factors that affect it. Results showed that climate, land cover, human activities, and their own endowment conditions were the main factors affecting the service functions of water ecosystems. Based on these, water resource management in China river basins was expounded from three aspects: water resources protection, allocation, and utilization. At the same time, the impacts of water resource management on land use in China were also summarized. Finally, the key trends of the next study were summarized as follows: improvement of the classification system of basin water ecosystem service functions, improvement of the mechanism of the basin water market; comprehensive tradeoff of water resource exploitation and protection in basins; and basin water resource management from the perspective of multidisciplinary crossing.