bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disaster-Resilient Optical Network Survivability: A Comprehensive Survey
Authors: Ashraf Muhammad Waqar , Idrus Sevia M. , Iqbal Farabi , Butt Rizwan Aslam , Faheem Muhammad
Published: October 2018

Network survivability endeavors to ensure the uninterrupted provisioning of services by the network operators in case of a disaster event. Studies and news reports show that network failures caused by physical attacks and natural disasters have significant impacts on the optical networks. Such network failures may lead to a section of a network to cease to function, resulting in non-availability of services and may increase the congestion within the rest of the network. Therefore, fault tolerant and disaster-resilient optical networks have grasped the attention of the research community and have been a critical concern in network studies during the last decade. Several studies on protection and restoration techniques have been conducted to address the network component failures. This study reviews related previous research studies to critically discuss the issues regarding protection, restoration, cascading failures, disaster-based failures, and congestion-aware routing. We have also focused on the problem of simultaneous cascading failures (which may disturb the data traffic within a layer or disrupt the services at upper layers) along with their mitigating techniques, and disaster-aware network survivability. Since traffic floods and network congestion are pertinent problems, they have therefore been discussed in a separate section. In the end, we have highlighted some open issues in the disaster-resilient network survivability for research challenges and discussed them along with their possible solutions.
In Situ Synthesis of Hybrid Inorganic–Polymer Nanocomposites
Authors: Adnan Mohammed M. , Dalod Antoine R. M. , Balci Mustafa H. , Glaum Julia , Einarsrud Mari-Ann
Published: October 2018

Hybrid inorganic–polymer nanocomposites can be employed in diverse applications due to the potential combination of desired properties from both the organic and inorganic components. The use of novel bottom–up in situ synthesis methods for the fabrication of these nanocomposites is advantageous compared to top–down ex situ mixing methods, as it offers increased control over the structure and properties of the material. In this review, the focus will be on the application of the sol–gel process for the synthesis of inorganic oxide nanoparticles in epoxy and polysiloxane matrices. The effect of the synthesis conditions and the reactants used on the inorganic structures formed, the interactions between the polymer chains and the inorganic nanoparticles, and the resulting properties of the nanocomposites are appraised from several studies over the last two decades. Lastly, alternative in situ techniques and the applications of various polymer–inorganic oxide nanocomposites are briefly discussed.
Effect of Chemical Composition Variant and Oxygen Plasma Treatments on the Wettability of PLGA Thin Films, Synthesized by Direct Copolycondensation
Authors: Ayyoob Muhammad , Kim Young
Published: October 2018

The synthesis of high molecular weight poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) copolymers via direct condensation copolymerization is itself a challenging task. Moreover, some of the characteristic properties of polylactide (PLA)-based biomaterials, such as brittleness, hydrophobicity, and longer degradation time, are not suitable for certain biomedical applications. However, such properties can be altered by the copolymerization of PLA with other biodegradable monomers, such as glycolic acid. A series of high molecular weight PLGAs were synthesized through the direct condensation copolymerization of lactic and glycolic acids, starting from 0 to 50 mol% of glycolic acid, and the wettability of its films was monitored as a function of the feed molar ratio. Copolymerization was performed in the presence of a bi-catalytic system using stannous chloride dihydrate and methanesulfonic acid (MSA). The viscosity average molecular weight of the resulting PLGA was in the range of 80k to 135k g/mol. The PLGA films were prepared using the solvent casting technique, and were treated with oxygen plasma for 2 min. The water contact angle of the PLGA films was determined before and after the oxygen plasma treatments, and it was observed that the wettability increased with an increase in the glycolic acid contents, however, the manifolds increased after 2 min of oxygen plasma treatments.
Linking Phenological Indices from Digital Cameras in Idaho and Montana to MODIS NDVI
Authors: St. Peter Joseph , Hogland John , Hebblewhite Mark , Hurley Mark A. , Hupp Nicole , Proffitt Kelly
Published: October 2018

Digital cameras can provide a consistent view of vegetation phenology at fine spatial and temporal scales that are impractical to collect manually and are currently unobtainable by satellite and most aerial based sensors. This study links greenness indices derived from digital images in a network of rangeland and forested sites in Montana and Idaho to 16-day normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Multiple digital cameras were placed along a transect at each site to increase the observational footprint and correlation with the coarser MODIS NDVI. Digital camera phenology indices were averaged across cameras on a site to derive phenological curves. The phenology curves, as well as green-up dates, and maximum growth dates, were highly correlated to the satellite derived MODIS composite NDVI 16-day data at homogeneous rangeland vegetation sites. Forested and mixed canopy sites had lower correlation and variable significance. This result suggests the use of MODIS NDVI in forested sites to evaluate understory phenology may not be suitable. This study demonstrates that data from digital camera networks with multiple cameras per site can be used to reliably estimate measures of vegetation phenology in rangelands and that those data are highly correlated to MODIS 16-day NDVI.
Correction: Assessment of the High Resolution SAR Mode of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission for First Year Ice and Multiyear Ice Characterization. Remote Sensing 2018, 10, 594
Authors: Dabboor Mohammed , Montpetit Benoit , Howell Stephen
Published: October 2018

In Figure 5 of [1], we detected a minor mistake in the visualization of the Spearman correlation related to the color bar.[...]
The NEWA Ferry Lidar Experiment: Measuring Mesoscale Winds in the Southern Baltic Sea
Authors: Gottschall Julia , Catalano Eleonora , Dörenkämper Martin , Witha Björn
Published: October 2018

This article presents the Ferry Lidar Experiment, which is one of the NEWA Experiments, a set of unique flow experiments conducted as part of the New European Wind Atlas (NEWA) project. These experiments have been prepared and conducted to create adequate datasets for mesoscale and microscale model validation. For the Ferry Lidar Experiment a Doppler lidar instrument was placed on a ferry connecting Kiel and Klaipeda in the Southern Baltic Sea from February to June 2017. A comprehensive set of all relevant motions was recorded together with the lidar data and processed in order to obtain and provide corrected wind time series. Due to the existence of the motion effects, the obtained data are essentially different from typical on-site data used for wind resource assessments in the wind industry. First comparisons show that they can be well related to mapped wind trajectories from the output of a numerical weather prediction model showing a reasonable correlation. More detailed validation studies are planned for the future.
Modeling Microseism Generation by Inhomogeneous Ocean Surface Waves in Hurricane Bonnie Using the Non-Linear Wave Equation
Authors: Wilson Joshua D.
Published: October 2018

It has been shown that hurricanes generate seismic noise, called microseisms, through the creation and non-linear interaction of ocean surface waves. Here we model microseisms generated by the spatially inhomogeneous waves of a hurricane using the non-linear wave equation where a second-order acoustic field is created by first-order ocean surface wave motion. We treat range-dependent waveguide environments to account for microseisms that propagate from the deep ocean to a receiver on land. We compare estimates based on the ocean surface wave field measured in hurricane Bonnie in 1998 with seismic measurements made roughly 1000 km away in Florida.
Comments on “Wind Gust Detection and Impact Prediction for Wind Turbines”
Authors: Mayor Shane D. , Dérian Pierre
Published: October 2018

We refute statements in “Zhou, K., et al. Wind gust detection and impact prediction for wind turbines. Remote Sens. 2018, 10, 514.” about the impracticality of motion estimation methods to derive two-component vector wind fields from single scanning aerosol lidar data. Our assertion is supported by recently published results on the performance of two image-based motion estimation methods: cross-correlation (CC) and wavelet-based optical flow (WOF). The characteristics and performances of CC and WOF are compared with those of a two-dimensional variational (2D-VAR) method that was applied to radial velocity fields from a single scanning Doppler lidar. The algorithmic aspects of WOF and 2D-VAR are reviewed and we conclude that these two approaches are in fact similar and practical.
Towards Operational Satellite-Based Damage-Mapping Using U-Net Convolutional Network: A Case Study of 2011 Tohoku Earthquake-Tsunami
Authors: Bai Yanbing , Mas Erick , Koshimura Shunichi
Published: October 2018

The satellite remote-sensing-based damage-mapping technique has played an indispensable role in rapid disaster response practice, whereas the current disaster response practice remains subject to the low damage assessment accuracy and lag in timeliness, which dramatically reduces the significance and feasibility of extending the present method to practical operational applications. Therefore, a highly efficient and intelligent remote-sensing image-processing framework is urgently required to mitigate these challenges. In this article, a deep learning algorithm for the semantic segmentation of high-resolution remote-sensing images using the U-net convolutional network was proposed to map the damage rapidly. The algorithm was implemented within a Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit framework in the GeoAI platform provided by Microsoft. The study takes the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake-Tsunami as a case study, for which the pre- and post-disaster high-resolution WorldView-2 image is used. The performance of the proposed U-net model is compared with that of deep residual U-net. The comparison highlights the superiority U-net for tsunami damage mapping in this work. Our proposed method achieves the overall accuracy of 70.9% in classifying the damage into “washed away,” “collapsed,” and “survived” at the pixel level. In future disaster scenarios, our proposed model can generate the damage map in approximately 2–15 min when the preprocessed remote-sensing datasets are available. Our proposed damage-mapping framework has significantly improved the application value in operational disaster response practice by substantially reducing the manual operation steps required in the actual disaster response. Besides, the proposed framework is highly flexible to extend to other scenarios and various disaster types, which can accelerate operational disaster response practice.
Adoption and Utilization of Cactus Pear in South Asia—Smallholder Farmers’ Perceptions
Authors: Louhaichi Mounir , Kumar Suresh , Tiwari Sunil , Islam Muhammad , Hassan Sawsan , Yadav Om Parkash , Dayal Devi , Peter Moyo Hloniphani , Dev Rahul , Sarker Ashutosh
Published: October 2018

Livestock production in arid and semi-arid regions is facing the challenges of low and erratic rainfall, poor nutrient soils, and high temperatures, which all contribute to inadequate forage production to support livestock. Under these challenging conditions, promoting forage species, such as cacti, that are tolerant and well adapted is important to sustain and improve livestock production. This study analyzes the potential of adopting a spineless cactus through analysis of smallholder farmers’ perceptions with respect to its potential use as a livestock feed in South Asia. A total of 456 households were stratified into three groups in 2017: Farmers not familiar with cactus (non-adopters), farmers familiar with cactus but not growing it (potential adopters), and those already growing it (actual adopters). Main findings confirm that farmers already growing cactus are satisfied with its potential. A considerable proportion of non-adopter farmers cited the unavailability of plant material and technical information as the main reason for their lack of interest in cultivating spineless cactus. Therefore, the potential gains of livestock farming from spineless cactus production in the world’s dry areas could be immense, although more efforts, through farmer education and information sharing, are needed to ensure that the plant’s potential is effectively realized.
Disorder or Reorder? The Spatial Production of State-Level New Areas in China
Authors: Zhuang Liang , Ye Chao
Published: October 2018

With rapid urbanization in the world, new town construction has become prosperous. In particular, new emerging towns in China are unique because of the most significant movement of “building cities”. Over four decades of reform and opening-up, this movement has brought about a special development model known as State-level New Area (SLNA) which, like a new town, is causing a growth spurt in national and regional economic development. By applying the critical theory of production of space, this paper gives an overall analysis. SLNAs generate a new expansion pattern of urban space in the regionalization process dominated by governments. To reveal the spatiotemporal evolution logic of SLNA, the framework identifies the main characteristics contributing to spatial production: both bottom-up and top-down project on construction; a sharp and unordered trend of increment in time scale; an unbalanced regional distribution in the sequential order of “Eastern–Western–Northeastern–Central” among regions; complex spatial overlaying with different development zones and administrative divisions; and large-scale spatial expanding. This paper finds that the ongoing growth of SLNAs is a rapid process of spatial production with more contradictions, which is especially marked by tension between disorder and reorder. We hope to provide theoretical reference and practical guidance for the sustainable urbanization and orderly regional development of SLNAs.
Design of an Extended Experiment with Electrical Double Layer Capacitors: Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices in Green Chemistry
Authors: Lin Yannan , Zhao Hongxia , Yu Feng , Yang Jinfeng
Published: October 2018

An extended undergraduate experiment involving electrochemical energy storage devices and green energy is described herein. This experiment allows for curriculum design of specific training modules in the field of green chemistry. Through the study of electrical double layer capacitors, students learned to assemble an electrical double layer capacitor and perform electrochemical measurements (cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge) to evaluate the effect of various electrolytes. In addition, students powered a diode with the electrical double layer capacitors. We use the laboratory module to successfully connect electrochemistry with green chemistry through the study of a real-world application. In addition, a green chemistry case study was introduced to the laboratory curriculum. During the experiment, students acquired fundamental experience in electrochemistry and gained analysis skills, critical thinking, and scientific literacy. The results of this work can be used as a case study on green chemical education that considers the students’ awareness of renewable and clean energy fields.
Physical Activity and Academic Performance: The Mediating Effect of Self-Esteem and Depression
Authors: Kayani Sumaira , Kiyani Tayyaba , Wang Jin , Zagalaz Sánchez María Luisa , Kayani Saima , Qurban Haroona
Published: October 2018

An important step to enhance the academic efficiency of students is increasing their physical activity. For this reason, it is necessary to see to what extent physical activity is related to the academic performance of the students and what might mediate this. A major objective of the study is to explore self-esteem and depression as mediators between physical activity and academic performance. On the basis of informed consent to participate in the study, 358 participants have been selected from Universities in Pakistan, and they were asked about their physical activity, depression during their study and self-esteem through self-report. Participants self-reported their self-esteem, level of depression and their physical activity through standardized measures; the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale (1965), the University stress scale (2016), and the short form of the International Physical Activity questionnaire (2003), respectively. Academic performance had been measured as the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of the last two consecutive semesters. Self-esteem and depression were found to be significant mediators between physical activity and academic performance. The total effect of physical activity on academic performance was significant but smaller than the total indirect effect through mediators. Though total indirect effect is the combination of the effect of self-esteem and depression, but the larger contribution is of self-esteem which has been found to be the strongest mediator between physical activity and academic performance. The study has implications for future research, both in terms of testing the model and testing psychological constructs. Also, the study emphasizes that the importance of physical activity has to be kept in mind while designing a curriculum of an educational institution in order to foster sustainable development.
How to Model Uncertain Service Life and Durability of Components in Life Cycle Cost Analysis Applications? The Stochastic Approach to the Factor Method
Authors: Fregonara Elena , Ferrando Diego Giuseppe
Published: October 2018

The durability of components is characterized by uncertainty, and, consequently, their estimated service life is critical for building project evaluation. Data on the durability of components used as life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) model input are able to influence model construction, model outputs, and residual value calculations. This implies dealing with uncertainty in cost estimates, according to the real estate market dynamics and the economic trends of the construction sector, and in service life estimates during the project time-horizon. This paper acknowledges the methodology presented in previous studies, based on the stochastic global cost calculation. The aim is to propose a methodological step forward by introducing flexibility over time in model input, through a stochastic approach to the Factor Method (FM). This represents an advancement in respect to the FM normed by ISO 15686—part 1:2000. Two different frames, timber and aluminum, as components of a glass façade of an office building project (located in Turin, Northern Italy), are proposed as a case study. The results give full evidence of the capacity of lifespan variables to affect the global cost calculation, overcoming the effects of environmental and financial elements, in contrast with the consolidated literature. The study demonstrates that beta and gamma distributions are preferable when introducing flexibility over time during the building construction processes, confirming the literature on the topic. The methodology adopted is demonstrated to be an effective tool when in presence of alternative investment options, enforcing decision-making in a temporal perspective.
Development of Multivariate Ordered Probit Model to Understand Household Vehicle Ownership Behavior in Xiaoshan District of Hangzhou, China
Authors: Ma Jie , Ye Xin , Shi Cheng
Published: October 2018

With the rapid increase of motorization in China, transitions have taken place in regards to traditional private transportation modes. This paper aims to understand four types of vehicle ownership within a household, including automobile, motorcycle, electric bicycle and human-powered bicycle. This study presents a cross-sectional multivariate ordered probit model, with a composite marginal likelihood estimation approach that accommodates the effects of explanatory variables, and capturing the dependence among the propensity to household vehicle ownership. The sample data are obtained from the residents’ household travel survey of Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, in 2015, which can analyze the significant effects of sociodemographic attributes and built environment attributes. Interestingly, the major findings suggest that: (1) The households with higher income tend to own more automobiles, yet the effect is not obvious with a small value of elasticity, which is similar to developed countries. (2) The household education level, which takes a positive effect on automobile ownership, is a more elastic factor than income. (3) The higher population density contributes to less ownership of automobiles and motorcycles, due to traffic congestions and parking challenges. (4) There is a large substitutive relation between automobile and electric bicycle/motorcycle, and the vehicle ownership of electric bicycle/motorcycle and bicycle are mutually promoted, while motorcycle and electric-bicycle are mutually substituted.
Optimal Reliable Point-in-Polygon Test and Differential Coding Boolean Operations on Polygons
Authors: Hao Jianqiang , Sun Jianzhi , Chen Yi , Cai Qiang , Tan Li
Published: October 2018

This paper provides a full theoretical and experimental analysis of a serial algorithm for the point-in-polygon test, which requires less running time than previous algorithms and can handle all degenerate cases. The serial algorithm can quickly determine whether a point is inside or outside a polygon and accurately determine the contours of input polygon. It describes all degenerate cases and simultaneously provides a corresponding solution to each degenerate case to ensure the stability and reliability. This also creates the prerequisites and basis for our novel boolean operations algorithm that inherits all the benefits of the serial algorithm. Using geometric probability and straight-line equation F ( P ) = ( y i − y i + 1 ) ( x p − x i ) − ( y i − y p ) ( x i + 1 − x i ) , it optimizes our two algorithms that avoid the division operation and do not need to compute any intersection points. Our algorithms are applicable to any polygon that may be self-intersecting or with holes nested to any level of depth. They do not have to sort the vertices clockwise or counterclockwise beforehand. Consequently, they process all edges one by one in any order for input polygons. This allows a parallel implementation of each algorithm to be made very easily. We also prove several theorems guaranteeing the correctness of algorithms. To speed up the operations, we assign each vector a number code and derive two iterative formulas using differential calculus. However, the experimental results as well as the theoretical proof show that our serial algorithm for the point-in-polygon test is optimal and the time complexities of all algorithms are linear. Our methods can be extended to three-dimensional space, in particular, they can be applied to 3D printing to improve its performance.
Local Importance Representation Convolutional Neural Network for Fine-Grained Image Classification
Authors: Yang Yadong , Wang Xiaofeng , Zhang Hengzheng
Published: October 2018

Compared with ordinary image classification tasks, fine-grained image classification is closer to real-life scenes. Its key point is how to find the local areas with sufficient discrimination and perform effective feature learning. Based on a bilinear convolutional neural network (B-CNN), this paper designs a local importance representation convolutional neural network (LIR-CNN) model, which can be divided into three parts. Firstly, the super-pixel segmentation convolution method is used for the input layer of the model. It allows the model to receive images of different sizes and fully considers the complex geometric deformation of the images. Then, we replaced the standard convolution of B-CNN with the proposed local importance representation convolution. It can score each local area of the image using learning to distinguish their importance. Finally, channelwise convolution is proposed and it plays an important role in balancing lightweight network and classification accuracy. Experimental results on the benchmark datasets (e.g., CUB-200-2011, FGVC-Aircraft, and Stanford Cars) showed that the LIR-CNN model had good performance in fine-grained image classification tasks.
Accessibility Evaluation of High Order Urban Hospitals for the Elderly: A Case Study of First-Level Hospitals in Xi’an, China
Authors: Ruan Ke , Zhang Qi
Published: October 2018

With reference to the hospitalizing trips made by the elderly, the impedance of these trips that require the use of public transportation, is introduced. An evaluation model that can accurately detect the accessibility of high order urban hospitals (HOUHs) for the elderly is established with the help of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Furthermore, the established model is employed to detect the accessibility of first-level hospitals in Xi’an City. Results showed that the traffic connection between hospitals and their service objects is an important factor for the feasibility and effectiveness of an accessibility evaluation. It is suggested that special evaluations of the accessibility of hospitals for the elderly are needed to achieve the human-oriented goal of urban traffic planning. The well-served spatial pattern of hospitalizing accessibility for the elderly in Xi’an City has been established in recent years because of the strategies for public transit metropolis. The accessibility constraints can be divided into three types: The imprisonment, the antagonism and the running-in, for which the corresponding countermeasures to settle the low accessibility of hospitals will be taken by the planning administration. Attention is paid to specific population groups during their hospitalizing trips in the accessibility research, which is beneficial for enabling the improvement of the current traditional method which is mainly based on travel facilities.
Tools for Communicating Agricultural Drought over the Brazilian Semiarid Using the Soil Moisture Index
Authors: Zeri Marcelo , S. Alvalá Regina Célia , Carneiro Rogério , Cunha-Zeri Gisleine , Costa José Maria , Rossato Spatafora Luciana , Urbano Domingos , Vall-Llossera Mercè , Marengo José
Published: October 2018

Soil moisture over the Brazilian semiarid region is presented in different visualizations that highlight spatial, temporal and short-term agricultural risk. The analysis used the Soil Moisture Index (SMI), which is based on a normalization of soil moisture by field capacity and wilting point. The index was used to characterize the actual soil moisture conditions into categories from severe drought to very wet. In addition, the temporal evolution of SMI was implemented to visualize recent trends in short-term drought and response to rainfall events at daily time steps, as new data are available. Finally, a visualization of drought risk was developed by considering a critical value of SMI (assumed as 0.4), below which water stress is expected to be triggered in plants. A novel index based on continuous exposure to critical SMI was developed to help bring awareness of real time risk of water stress over the region: the Index of Stress in Agriculture (ISA). The index was tested during a drought over the region and successfully identified locations under water stress for periods of three days or more. The monitoring tools presented here help to describe the real time conditions of drought over the region using daily observations. The information from those tools support decisions on agricultural management such as planting dates, triggering of irrigation, or harvesting.
Risk-Based Decision-Making for Evacuation in Case of Imminent Threat of Flooding
Authors: Kolen Bas , Van Gelder P.H.A.J.M.
Published: October 2018

It is important for decision-makers in emergency response situations to determine the scope, scale, timing, path and resettlement area of an evacuation decision when there is an imminent threat of flooding. In this paper, a method called the “Evacuation Diagram” is described to support risk-based evacuation planning and decision-making. In case of an imminent threat of flooding, we refer to the conditional risk, which is the risk given the forecasted water levels and potential consequences during the next days of the event. Given the threat and potential costs and benefits, evacuation decisions have to mitigate this conditional risk. Since evacuation can be costly, decision-makers have to make a trade-off between costs and benefits. In this research we present a method using a cost–benefit analysis approach, in which we adopt the “Dutch flood risk approach” to define the required strength of levees based on flood risk considerations. The “Evacuation Diagram” method is derived from analytical derivations, based on differential weighing of costs and benefits, which have an impact on a binary choice (or a set of discrete choices) as to whether to instruct an area to evacuate or not. Basically, this is an analysis of behavioural decision-making under risk, investigating how a cost–benefit analysis can yield higher cost effectiveness in risk reduction for human lives lost during possible evacuation incidents. The method is applied to a Dutch case study and the results are compared to the outcomes of the largest evacuation exercise ever held in the Netherlands, called ‘Waterproef’. It is concluded that the risk-based evacuation method, as presented in this paper, provides useful insight into collective and authoritative evacuation order decisions.
Efficiency of Flood Control Measures in a Sewer System Located in the Mediterranean Basin
Authors: Hermoso Martín , García-Ruiz María Jesús , Osorio Francisco
Published: October 2018

Pollution induced by surface runoff in urban areas constitutes a significant problem. The adoption of control measures aimed at improving the quality of recipient water bodies is a fundamental issue in the management of Mediterranean Basin sewer systems. Previous research in Mediterranean areas using small virtual basins has shown that rainfall regimes have a limited impact on the pollutant load and discharge flowing into a receiving body. The aim of our research was to identify a sizing methodology for stormwater tanks located in the Mediterranean Basin. To achieve this, a numerical model of a sewer system, located in the Southern Iberian Peninsula, was developed. Different patterns related to peak periods of rainfall were considered. Furthermore, efficiency indices were used to evaluate and compare the effects of having a stormwater tank in the system. In our study (which considered a real area), significantly varied values were obtained for the pollution load removal rate (η) and the receiver overflow rate (θ). We nevertheless observed that, in our catchment, at a specific volume of V = 60 m3/ha, η and θ reached constant values without experiencing any significant improvement (η = 0.673 and θ = 0.133). Based on our model, this volume was proposed for the stormwater tank. The ATV (German Association for Water Pollution Control) A 128 standard was applied in order to validate the results, and the specific volume obtained (V = 60 m3/ha) matched with the one proposed. Thus, our proposed methodology is simple and different, and it is very easy to apply by obtaining the values of the efficiency indices η and θ through the development of a Storm Water Management Model (SWMM).
Study of Cavitation Bubble Collapse near a Wall by the Modified Lattice Boltzmann Method
Authors: Mao Yunfei , Peng Yong , Zhang Jianmin
Published: October 2018

In this paper, an improved lattice Boltzmann Shan‒Chen model coupled with Carnahan-Starling equation of state (C-S EOS) and the exact differential method (EDM) force scheme is used to simulate the cavitation bubble collapse in the near-wall region. First, the collapse of a single cavitation bubble in the near-wall region was simulated; the results were in good agreement with the physical experiment and the stability of the model was verified. Then the simulated model was used to simulate the collapse of two cavitation bubbles in the near-wall region. The main connection between the two cavitation bubble centre lines and the wall surface had a 45° angle and parallel and the evolution law of cavitation bubbles in the near-wall region is obtained. Finally, the effects of a single cavitation bubble and double cavitation bubble on the wall surface in the near-wall region are compared, which can be used to study the method to reduce the influence of cavitation on solid materials in practical engineering. The cavitation bubble collapse process under a two-dimensional pressure field is visualized, and the flow field is used to describe the morphological changes of cavitation bubble collapse in the near-wall region. The improved lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) Shan‒Chen model has many advantages in simulating cavitation problems, and will provide a reference for further simulations.
What pd Research in China Tells Us
Authors: Yao Qiang , Dong Jie , Feng Tao , Lindholm Bengt
Published: October 2018

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) was introduced in China later than in most Western countries, and PD research activity was quite limited until the 1990s. However, in the 2000s, and even more so during the last decade, there has been an unsurpassed increase in the number of PD patients, paralleled by a substantial increase in PD research activity reflected by an increasing number of PD papers from China. In this brief review, we describe some of the factors that may explain the dramatic developments in PD research in mainland China, such as the focus on basic research using scientific approaches that subsequently could be applied also in clinical studies. Another important factor was the growing interactions with international PD research centers in Hong Kong and in Western countries. Thanks to strong support from Chinese national and regional funding sources, a growing number of young Chinese researchers went to key international PD centers to learn about novel advanced research techniques. This paved the way for long-lasting, productive collaborations with benefits also for the foreign host institutions. Finally, we present some current research projects, including basic research that may contribute to the understanding of mechanisms behind complications such as peritonitis, and clinical projects aiming at improving PD management guidelines and better understanding of the potential of PD in China. Because of the size of the PD population, now the largest in the world, and the increasing number, and quality, of researchers in the PD field, PD research in China is destined to be a major contributor to advancements in PD in the near future.
PROBABILITY OF OCCURRENCE OF HEALTH AND SAFETY RISKS ON SCAFFOLDING CAUSED BY NOISE EXPOSURE
Authors: Jabłoński Marek , Szer Iwona , Szer Jacek
Published: October 2018

The paper presents the results of measurements for one hundred and ten scaffolds located in five cities in different parts of Poland. Measurements were made between April of 2016 and October of 2017. The environmental tests performed on scaffoldings were focused mainly on the sound level. The parameters on which we base our analysis are the value of C-weighted peak sound levels and daily noise exposure level. The noise that affects construction workers on scaffolding may influence the behaviour of workers and increase the risk of accidents. And at the same time, noise exposure laws facilitate identification of high noise-emitting activities and provide effective preventive measures that reduce noise pollution and improve work environments. The analyses carried out confirmed the qualitatively expected dependencies, and allowed us to quantify the impact of noise to which scaffolding workers are exposed. In summary, noise measurements on scaffoldings can be a valuable aid in improving working conditions. The analysis of research results allows understanding hazards related to noise in an accessible way. They provide the opportunity to modify the professional environment so that it is more employee-friendly and does not expose them to problems occurring in a noisy work environment.
FLYBACK MIKROINVERTERIO, SUDARYTO IŠ DVIEJŲ RAKTŲ, MODELIO MATLAB SIMULINK APLINKOJE SUDARYMAS IR TYRIMAS / DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH OF TWO SWITCH BASED FLYBACK MICROCONVERTER’S MATLAB SIMULINK MODEL
Authors: Bielskis Edvardas , Šapurov Martynas , Valiulis Gediminas , Balbonas Dainius
Published: October 2018

Darbe pateikti siūlomo flyback tipo mikroinverterio, sudaryto iš dviejų raktų, modeliavimo rezultatai Matlab
Simulink aplinkoje. Tyrimo tikslas – įvertinti siūlomo flyback mikroinverterio modelio veikimą virtualioje Matlab Simulink
aplinkoje, kai mikroinverteris veikia autonomiškai (energetinėje saloje) ir lygiagrečiai su vietiniu elektros tinklu. Darbe
imituojamas autonomiškas mikroinverterio darbas su netiesiniais elektros tinklo apkrovos elementais ir harmonikomis
užterštame elektros tinkle. Taip siekiama įvertinti mikroinverterio tiekiamos į tinklą sinusinės formos srovės reakciją į tinklo
įtampos harmoninius iškraipymus. Ištyrus pasiūlyto flyback mikroinverterio eksperimentinį modelį Matlab Simulink
aplinkoje, nustatytas mikroinverterio išėjimo signalo atsparumas iškraipymams jam veikiant autonomiškai ir imituojant
elektros tinklą, paveiktą aukštesniosiomis eilės harmonikomis.
On GW170817 and the Galactic Binary Neutron Star Population
Authors: Pankow Chris
Published: October 2018

GW170817/GRB170817A, a short gamma-ray burst arising from a low-mass compact object merger was the first multimessenger discovery of a compact binary system outside the local galactic neighborhood. From gravitational-wave (GW) measurements, we know GW170817 has a wide range of plausible component masses, depending also on less well-constrained properties such as the spin and tidal deformability of the component stars. The kilonova light curve—and hence the total ejecta mass from a given source—depends on the relative contribution of dynamical ejecta and other sources such as disk winds. Electromagnetic observations and model fitting of the ejecta properties from the subsequent kilonova detection provided values of the ejecta mass from the merger. These values, when combined with the GW measurement disfavor an equal-mass configuration, with the level of disagreement dependent on the assumed amount of ejecta mass of dynamical origin. Within the confines of our own galaxy, several binary neutron star (BNS) systems along with measurements of their component masses have been made. If those distributions are indicative of a universal distribution, the joint measurement of the component masses of GW170817 represents an outlier. This tension is not easily resolvable from physical arguments, as the proposed pathways that form BNSs do not often produce very asymmetrical pairs. Even accounting for the uncertainty associated with the total mass of the dynamical ejecta, this tension suggests that the distribution of BNS masses in the galaxy is not indicative of those in other galaxies.
Overcoming the Limitations of the Energy-limited Approximation for Planet Atmospheric Escape
Authors: Kubyshkina D. , Fossati L. , Erkaev N. V. , Cubillos P. E. , Johnstone C. P. , Kislyakova K. G. , Lammer H. , Lendl M. , Odert P.
Published: October 2018

Studies of planetary atmospheric composition, variability, and evolution require appropriate theoretical and numerical tools to estimate key atmospheric parameters, among which the mass-loss rate is often the most important. In evolutionary studies, it is common to use the energy-limited formula, which is attractive for its simplicity but ignores important physical effects and can be inaccurate in many cases. To overcome this problem, we consider a recently developed grid of about 7000 one-dimensional upper-atmosphere hydrodynamic models computed for a wide range of planets with hydrogen-dominated atmospheres from which we extract the mass-loss rates. The grid boundaries are [1:39]

in planetary mass, [1:10]

in planetary radius, [300:2000] K in equilibrium temperature, [0.4:1.3]

in host star’s mass, [0.002:1.3] au in orbital separation, and about [1026:5×1030] erg s−1 in stellar X-ray and extreme ultraviolet luminosity. We then derive an analytical expression for the atmospheric mass-loss rates based on a fit to the values obtained from the grid. The expression provides the mass-loss rates as a function of planetary mass, planetary radius, orbital separation, and incident stellar high-energy flux. We show that this expression is a significant improvement to the energy-limited approximation for a wide range of planets. The analytical expression presented here enables significantly more accurate planetary evolution computations without increasing computing time.
Atypical presentation of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in a Lebanese patient returning from Saudi Arabia
Authors: El Zein Saeed , Khraibani Jinane , Zahreddine Nada , Mahfouz Rami , Ghosn Nada , Kanj Souha S
Published: October 2018

Around 2090 confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) from 27 countries have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) between September 2012 and October 2017, the majority of whom occurring in countries in the Arabian Peninsula, mainly in Saudi Arabia. MERS- CoV can have atypical and misleading presentations resulting in delays in diagnosis and is associated with a high mortality rate especially in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities. Herein, we present the first case of confirmed MERS-CoV infection diagnosed at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) - Lebanon in June 2017 presenting without any respiratory symptoms. This is the second confirmed case of MERS-CoV infection in Lebanon since 2014. The first case presented with a febrile respiratory infection with persistent symptoms despite antibiotic treatment.
Correlation between 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Lipid Profile among Children with Beta Thalassemia Major
Authors: Nasir Christian , Rosdiana Nelly , Lubis Aridamuriany Dwiputri
Published: October 2018

BACKGROUND: Beta thalassemia major is associated with lipid profile abnormalities, presented as a lower level of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and higher triglyceride level; increasing risk for cardiovascular complications. The previous studies indicated that Vitamin D give a positive impact on the lipid profile in healthy children population. However, its role needs to be determined in a high-risk group of children with beta-thalassemia major.
AIM: To determine the correlation between vitamin D (25-OHD) and lipid profile among children with beta-thalassemia major.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a general tertiary hospital in Medan, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia from January to March 2018. Subjects were children aged below 18-year-old with beta-thalassemia major. The measurement of vitamin D (25-OHD) level and 10-12 hour overnight fasting serum lipid profile including total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, and LDL were performed. The analysis was done using Pearson’s correlation and Fisher test. P value < 0.05 was considered significant.
RESULTS: Forty-five subjects were enrolled in this study, with serum ferritin level ranged from 1017 to 13372 ng/mL. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (a 25-OHD level less than 20 ng/mL) in this study was 40%, with mean value at 20.6 (SD 5.3) ng/mL. The markers for cardiovascular risk were observed to be elevated, both in Atherogenic Index Plasma (0.32 ± 0.25) and TC: HDL ratio (4.2 ± 1.5). Statistical analysis revealed that Vitamin D had positive correlation with total cholesterol (r = 0.302, p = 0.044) and HDL (r = 0.297, p = 0.048). There was no significant correlation between both vitamin D and triglyceride (p = 0.305), or vitamin D and LDL (p = 0.727).
CONCLUSION: Vitamin D correlated positively with total cholesterol and HDL in children with beta-thalassemia major. Positive correlation to HDL indicated a beneficial effect of vitamin D to reduce the risk of cardiovascular complication.
Giant Mushroom-Like Cutaneous Cylindroma of the Head
Authors: Wollina Uwe , Schönlebe Jacqueline
Published: October 2018

BACKGROUND: Dermal cylindroma is a rare benign skin tumour.
CASE REPORT: We report a giant stalked, mush-room-like cylindroma of the head-and-neck region in a 73-year-old female patient. A tumour was surgically removed, and the defect could be closed by a cheek transposition flap.
CONCLUSION: The mushroom-like growth pattern has yet not been described for cylindroma.
The Role of TNF-α induced MSCs on Suppressive Inflammation by Increasing TGF-β and IL-10
Authors: Putra Agung , Ridwan Fatkhan Baitul , Putridewi Allisha Irwaniyanti , Kustiyah Azizah Retno , Wirastuti Ken , Sadyah Nur Anna Chalimah , Rosdiana Ika , Munir Delfitri
Published: October 2018

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may serve as immunoregulators by producing various anti-inflammatory molecules. Under sufficient level of TNF-α, MSCs become activated and adopt immune-suppressive phenotype (MSCs type-2) by releasing various anti-inflammatory molecule including TGF-β and IL-10. However, the ability of MSC itself to produce IL-10 under TNF-α stimulation and the correlation of TGF-β production of MSCs to IL-10 level remains to be elucidated.
AIM: In this study, MSCs were activated with various TNF-α doses to determine the increase of IL-10 and TGF-β level as well as its correlation.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study used post-test only control group design, by using 3 study groups, consist of 1 control (C) and 2 treatments (T) (TNF-α = 5 and 10 ng/mL) with triplicate induced in MSC for 24 hours, then the levels of IL-10 and TGF-β were measured by using ELISA assay.
RESULTS: The results of this study showed a significant increase of TGF-β and IL-10 levels (p < 0.05) at TNF-α 5 and 10 ng/mL dose of TNF-α. Moreover, there was a significant negative correlation between TGF-β and IL-10 level on 5 and 10 ng/mL dose TNF-α treatment.
CONCLUSION: Based on our study, we conclude that the 5 ng/mL dose of TNF-α is a sufficient dose for MSCs to suppress the inflammatory milieu. The higher increase of TGF beta is due to the controlled inflammation by IL-10.
Trampolines: What's the Harm?
Authors: Dowd M. Denise
Published: October 2018

Trampolines hold the promise of fun and enjoyment for many children, but they are associated with a significant number of orthopedic and other injuries. Injuries vary from minor to severe, and the most common are extremity injuries. Although most injuries are associated with residential (ie, backyard) trampolines, a growing number of injuries now occur in trampoline parks. Adult supervision has not been effective for prevention. Emerging data on trampoline park-related injuries indicate that caution should be exercised in these settings as well.

[
Pediatr Ann.
2018;47(10):e385–e387.]