bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-GNSS Combined Precise Point Positioning Using Additional Observations with Opposite Weight for Real-Time Quality Control
Authors: Fu Wenju , Huang Guanwen , Yang Yuanxi , Zhang Qin , Cui Bobin , Ge Maorong , Schuh Harald
Published: February 2019

The emergence of multiple global navigation satellite systems (multi-GNSS), including global positioning system (GPS), global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), Beidou navigation satellite system (BDS), and Galileo, brings not only great opportunities for real-time precise point positioning (PPP), but also challenges in quality control because of inevitable data anomalies. This research aims at achieving the real-time quality control of the multi-GNSS combined PPP using additional observations with opposite weight. A robust multiple-system combined PPP estimation is developed to simultaneously process observations from all the four GNSS systems as well as single, dual, or triple systems. The experiment indicates that the proposed quality control can effectively eliminate the influence of outliers on the single GPS and the multiple-system combined PPP. The analysis on the positioning accuracy and the convergence time of the proposed robust PPP is conducted based on one week’s data from 32 globally distributed stations. The positioning root mean square (RMS) error of the quad-system combined PPP is 1.2 cm, 1.0 cm, and 3.0 cm in the east, north, and upward components, respectively, with the improvements of 62.5%, 63.0%, and 55.2% compared to those of single GPS. The average convergence time of the quad-system combined PPP in the horizontal and vertical components is 12.8 min and 12.2 min, respectively, while it is 26.5 min and 23.7 min when only using single-GPS PPP. The positioning performance of the GPS, GLONASS, and BDS (GRC) combination and the GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo (GRE) combination is comparable to the GPS, GLONASS, BDS and Galileo (GRCE) combination and it is better than that of the GPS, BDS, and Galileo (GCE) combination. Compared to GPS, the improvements of the positioning accuracy of the GPS and GLONASS (GR) combination, the GPS and Galileo (GE) combination, the GPS and BDS (GC) combination in the east component are 53.1%, 43.8%, and 40.6%, respectively, while they are 55.6%, 48.1%, and 40.7% in the north component, and 47.8%, 40.3%, and 34.3% in the upward component.
Low-Coherence Interferometric Fiber Optic Sensor for Humidity Monitoring Based on Nafion® Thin Film
Authors: Maciak Erwin
Published: February 2019

The main aim of this work was the design and development simple fiber optic Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) sensor devices for relative humidity (RH) sensing with emphasis on high sensitivity and good stability. The RH fiber FPI sensor is fabricated by coating the end of a cleaved standard multi-mode (MM) fiber with hydrophilic Nafion® sensing film. The Nafion® thin film acts as an active resonance cavity of the low-coherence interferometric sensing structure. The fringe pattern, which is caused by interfering light beam in the Nafion® thin film will shift as the RH changes because the water molecules will swell the Nafion® film and thus change optical pathlength of the sensing structure. The operating principle of a FPI sensor based on the adsorption and desorption of water vapour in the Nafion® and the limitations of this sensor type are discussed in this work. The fiber optic hygrometer was tested in the visible (400–900 nm) region of spectra for measurement of relative humidity (RH) in the range of 5.5–80% at room temperature (RT) in air. The fiber optic humidity sensor has a very short response time (t90 = 5–80 s) and a fast regeneration time (t10 = 5–12 s) as good as commercial sensors.
Optical Sensor for Real-Time Detection of Trichlorofluoromethane
Authors: Girschikofsky Maiko , Ryvlin Dimitrij , Waldvogel Siegfried R. , Hellmann Ralf
Published: February 2019

Trichlorofluoromethane was once a promising and versatile applicable chlorofluorocarbon. Unaware of its ozone-depleting character, for a long time it was globally applied as propellant and refrigerant and thus led to significant thinning of the ozone layer and contributed to the formation of the so-called ozone hole. Although production and application of this substance were gradually reduced at an early stage, we still face the consequences of its former careless use. Today, trichlorofluoromethane is released during recycling processes of waste cooling devices, traded on the black market, and according to recent findings still illegally manufactured. Here, we present an optical sensor device for real-time in-situ detection and measurement of this environmentally harmful chlorofluorocarbon. The described sensor is based on a planar Bragg grating that is functionalized with cyclodextrin derivatives and operates on the principle of a chemical sensor. In our study, the sensor is sensitized using per-methyl-, per-ethyl-, and per-allyl-substituted α -, β -, and γ -cyclodextrins as affinity materials for airborne trichlorofluoromethane. These functional coatings have been proven to be highly efficient, as an up to 400-times stronger signal deflection could be achieved compared to an identical but uncoated sensor. The presented sensor device shows instantaneous response to trichlorofluoromethane exposure, and features a limit-of-detection of less than 25 ppm, depending on the applied affinity material.
Global Monocular Indoor Positioning of a Robotic Vehicle with a Floorplan
Authors: Noonan John , Rotstein Hector , Geva Amir , Rivlin Ehud
Published: February 2019

This paper presents a global monocular indoor positioning system for a robotic vehicle starting from a known pose. The proposed system does not depend on a dense 3D map, require prior environment exploration or installation, or rely on the scene remaining the same, photometrically or geometrically. The approach presents a new way of providing global positioning relying on the sparse knowledge of the building floorplan by utilizing special algorithms to resolve the unknown scale through wall–plane association. This Wall Plane Fusion algorithm presented finds correspondences between walls of the floorplan and planar structures present in the 3D point cloud. In order to extract planes from point clouds that contain scale ambiguity, the Scale Invariant Planar RANSAC (SIPR) algorithm was developed. The best wall–plane correspondence is used as an external constraint to a custom Bundle Adjustment optimization which refines the motion estimation solution and enforces a global scale solution. A necessary condition is that only one wall needs to be in view. The feasibility of using the algorithms is tested with synthetic and real-world data; extensive testing is performed in an indoor simulation environment using the Unreal Engine and Microsoft Airsim. The system performs consistently across all three types of data. The tests presented in this paper show that the standard deviation of the error did not exceed 6 cm.
Learning Wireless Sensor Networks for Source Localization
Authors: Javadi S. , Moosaei Hossein , Ciuonzo Domenico
Published: February 2019

Source localization and target tracking are among the most challenging problems in wireless sensor networks (WSN). Most of the state-of-the-art solutions are complicated and do not meet the processing and memory limitations of the existing low-cost sensor nodes. In this paper, we propose computationally-cheap solutions based on the support vector machine (SVM) and twin SVM (TWSVM) learning algorithms in which network nodes firstly detect the desired signal. Then, the network is trained to specify the nodes in the vicinity of the source (or target); hence, the region of event is detected. Finally, the centroid of the event region is considered as an estimation of the source location. The efficiency of the proposed methods is shown by simulations.
Embedded Processing and Compression of 3D Sensor Data for Large Scale Industrial Environments
Authors: Dybedal Joacim , Aalerud Atle , Hovland Geir
Published: February 2019

This paper presents a scalable embedded solution for processing and transferring 3D point cloud data. Sensors based on the time-of-flight principle generate data which are processed on a local embedded computer and compressed using an octree-based scheme. The compressed data is transferred to a central node where the individual point clouds from several nodes are decompressed and filtered based on a novel method for generating intensity values for sensors which do not natively produce such a value. The paper presents experimental results from a relatively large industrial robot cell with an approximate size of 10 m × 10 m × 4 m. The main advantage of processing point cloud data locally on the nodes is scalability. The proposed solution could, with a dedicated Gigabit Ethernet local network, be scaled up to approximately 440 sensor nodes, only limited by the processing power of the central node that is receiving the compressed data from the local nodes. A compression ratio of 40.5 was obtained when compressing a point cloud stream from a single Microsoft Kinect V2 sensor using an octree resolution of 4 cm.
Virtual Antenna Array and Fractional Fourier Transform-Based TOA Estimation for Wireless Positioning
Authors: Chen Zhigang , Wang Lei , Zhang Mengya
Published: February 2019

In this paper, a novel virtual antenna array and fractional Fourier transform (FRFT)-based 2-dimension super-resolution time-of-arrival (TOA) estimation algorithm for OFDM WLAN systems has been proposed. The proposed algorithm employs channel frequency responses (CFRs) at the equi-spaced positions on a line or quasi-line moving trajectory, i.e., the CFRs of a virtual antenna array, to extract multipaths’ TOA information. Meanwhile, a new chirp-like quadratic function is used to approximate the channel multipaths’ phase variation across the space dimension, which is more reasonable than the traditional linear function, especially for relatively big virtual antenna array sizes. By exploiting the property of chirp-like multipaths’ energy concentration in the FRFT domain, the FRFT can be first used to separate chirp-like multipath components, then the existing TOA estimation methods in frequency domain can be further employed on the separated multipath components to obtain the multipaths’ TOA estimates. Therefore, the proposed algorithm can make more use of the multipaths’ characteristics in the space dimension, thus it can efficiently enhance the multipath resolution and achieve better multipaths’ TOA estimation performance without requiring a real antenna array. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Ionic Liquid-Polypyrrole-Gold Composites as Enhanced Enzyme Immobilization Platforms for Hydrogen Peroxide Sensing
Authors: Li Meng , Wu Jing , Su Haiping , Tu Yan , Shang Yazhuo , He Yifan , Liu Honglai
Published: February 2019

In this work, three different aqueous solutions containing imidazole-based ILs with different alkyl chain lengths ([Cnmim]Br, n = 2, 6, 12) were adopted as the medium for the synthesis of ionic liquid-polypyrrole (IL-PPy) composites. Herein, the ILs undertook the roles of the pyrrole solvent, the media for emulsion polymerization of PPy and PPy dopants, respectively. The electrochemical performances of the three IL-PPy composites on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) were investigated by electrochemical experiments, which indicated that [C12mim]Br-PPy (C12-PPy) composites displayed better electrochemical performance due to their larger surface area and firmer immobilization on the GCE. Further, C12-PPy/GCE were decorated with Au microparticles by electrodeposition that can not only increase the conductivity, but also immobilize sufficient biomolecules on the electrode. Then, the obtained C12-PPy-Au/GCE with outstanding electrochemical performance was employed as a horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immobilization platform to fabricate a novel C12-PPy-Au-HRP/GCE biosensor for H2O2 detection. The results showed that the prepared C12-PPy-Au-HRP/GCE biosensor exhibited high sensitivity, fast response, and a wide detection range as well as low detection limit towards H2O2. This work not only provides an outstanding biomolecule immobilization matrix for the fabrication of highly sensitive biosensors, but also advances the understanding of the roles of ILs in improving the electrochemical performance of biosensors.
Sliding Mode Fault Tolerant Control for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with Sensor and Actuator Faults
Authors: Tan Juan , Fan Yonghua , Yan Pengpeng , Wang Chun , Feng Hao
Published: February 2019

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been developing rapidly recently, and the safety and the reliability of the UAV are significant to the mission execution and the life of UAV. Sensor and actuator failures of a UAV are one of the most common malfunctions, threating the safety and life of the UAV. Fault-tolerant control technology is an effective method to improve the reliability and safety of UAV, which also contributes to vehicle health management (VHM). This paper deals with the sliding mode fault-tolerant control of the UAV, considering the failures of sensor and actuator. Firstly, a terminal sliding surface is designed to ensure the state of the system on the sliding mode surface throughout the control process based on the simplified coupling dynamic model. Then, the sliding mode control (SMC) method combined with the RBF neural network algorithm is used to design the parameters of the sliding mode controller, and with this, the efficiency of the design process is improved and system chattering is minimized. Finally, the Simulink simulations are carried out using a fault tolerance controller under the conditions where accelerometer sensor, gyroscope sensor or actuator failures is assumed. The results show that the proposed control strategy is quite an effective method for the control of UAVs with accelerometer sensor, gyroscope sensor or actuator failures.
An Automatic Surface Defect Inspection System for Automobiles Using Machine Vision Methods
Authors: Zhou Qinbang , Chen Renwen , Huang Bin , Liu Chuan , Yu Jie , Yu Xiaoqing
Published: February 2019

Automobile surface defects like scratches or dents occur during the process of manufacturing and cross-border transportation. This will affect consumers’ first impression and the service life of the car itself. In most worldwide automobile industries, the inspection process is mainly performed by human vision, which is unstable and insufficient. The combination of artificial intelligence and the automobile industry shows promise nowadays. However, it is a challenge to inspect such defects in a computer system because of imbalanced illumination, specular highlight reflection, various reflection modes and limited defect features. This paper presents the design and implementation of a novel automatic inspection system (AIS) for automobile surface defects which are the located in or close to style lines, edges and handles. The system consists of image acquisition and image processing devices, operating in a closed environment and noncontact way with four LED light sources. Specifically, we use five plane-array Charge Coupled Device (CCD) cameras to collect images of the five sides of the automobile synchronously. Then the AIS extracts candidate defect regions from the vehicle body image by a multi-scale Hessian matrix fusion method. Finally, candidate defect regions are classified into pseudo-defects, dents and scratches by feature extraction (shape, size, statistics and divergence features) and a support vector machine algorithm. Experimental results demonstrate that automatic inspection system can effectively reduce false detection of pseudo-defects produced by image noise and achieve accuracies of 95.6% in dent defects and 97.1% in scratch defects, which is suitable for customs inspection of imported vehicles.
Design of Non-Uniform Antenna Arrays for Improved Near-Field MultiFocusing
Authors: González-Ayestarán Rafael , Álvarez Jana , Las-Heras Fernando
Published: February 2019

An extended method for Near-Field Multifocusing on antenna arrays, including the optimization of the locations for the elements of the array, is proposed. Multifocusing is gaining attention in recent years due to the growth of applications such as Internet of Things, or 5G, where a wireless link between a number of sensors and devices must be established, and energy or interference must be managed efficiently. Multifocusing requirements may be addressed by optimizing the feeding weights that must be applied to the elements of an array, but the proposed methodology also optimizes their locations, increasing the degrees of freedom by allowing a non-uniform structure for the array, leading to more efficient structures or better compliance with the specifications. Some experiments are presented to validate the method, showing that it is able to determine the weights and mesh of the array to fulfill the requirements, both obtaining an arbitrary distribution of elements or following a predefined geometric model.
Perceived Job Insecurity and Sustainable Wellbeing: Do Coping Strategies Help?
Authors: Giunchi Marianna , Vonthron Anne-Marie , Ghislieri Chiara
Published: February 2019

For workers, perceived job insecurity represents a threat and an obstacle towards achieving a decent and sustainable dimension of wellbeing at work and in life. Using the theoretical background of the psychology of sustainability and sustainable development, the aim of this study is to deepen the relation between subjective job insecurity, self-related health and life satisfaction considering the effect of personal resources, such as specific coping strategies that people may undertake facing job insecurity perceptions. The hypotheses were tested in a convenience sample of 769 employees in France. Data were collected with a self-report questionnaire and analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Science (IBM SPSS). Results showed that job insecurity was negatively related to self-reported health and life satisfaction; furthermore, problem-focused coping of the type of job, social support and training searching behaviors resulted in worsening this negative relationship. This study expanded the understanding of coping in the context of job insecurity and showed the limitations that proactive coping strategies have against job insecurity. These results encourage the debate on how far is it possible to attain sustainable wellbeing by relying on personal resources when job insecurity is experienced.
Agroecology as a Practice-Based Tool for Peacebuilding in Fragile Environments? Three Stories from Rural Zimbabwe
Authors: McAllister Georgina , Wright Julia
Published: February 2019

This paper investigates how transformative agroecology may contribute to the critical reframing of social–ecological relationships, and how this might in turn create a foundation for bottom-up peace formation in fragile environments, within which rural communities are often habituated to conditions of control, violence and mistrust that drive social division. Here, we consider the value of social farming in reforging relationships through which social–ecological change may be negotiated and alternative sources of agency and identity may be cultivated in order to transcend entrenched patterns of division. Three case studies are presented, drawing on primary data from participatory action research with farming communities in Zimbabwe that also consider the differential attitudes and experiences of agroecological and conventional farmers. The study finds that, where agroecological farmers were exposed to more plural ways of thinking, being and acting together, levels of autonomy from coercive structures were increasing, as were both a sense of efficacy and optimism to effect social–ecological change. This was particularly pronounced where collective processes to shape physical landscapes were forging bonds of solidarity, reciprocity and trust. In these cases, agroecological farmers were increasingly able to envisage a future together shaped by collective endeavour, evidenced by changing attitudes and relationships with one another and their environment. The paper explores the extent to which farmers in each location were able to instrumentalise resilience and agency for everyday peace, and the variances found according to historical context and local power dynamics that represent barriers to change.
Sustainability Implications of the Incorporation of a Biogas Trapping System into a Conventional Crude Palm Oil Supply Chain
Authors: Lim Chye Ing , K. Biswas Wahidul
Published: February 2019

This paper presents the sustainability implications of installing biogas trapping systems in palm oil mills of a crude palm oil production supply chains in Malaysia. The study evaluates the impact of this mitigation strategy on the existing supply chains published by Lim and Biswas. The experience of a local palm oil mill installed with the KUBOTA biogas trapping system was incorporated into a typical 60 metric tonne per hour palm oil mill for effluent treatment. This allowed us to assess the changes in sustainability performance of the whole crude palm oil supply chain using the Palm Oil Sustainability Assessment (POSA) framework. Installing the biogas trapping system increased waste recycling and reuse percentage of the mill from 81.81% to 99.99% and the energy ratio (energy output/fossil fuel and biomass energy input) from 2.45 to 2.56; and reduced the Greenhouse Gas emission of the supply chain from 0.814 tonne CO2eq to 0.196 tonne CO2eq per tonne of Crude Palm Oil. This system could also potentially increase the mill’s annual revenue by 2.3%, while sacrificing the sustainability performance of other economic indicators (i.e., a further 3% negative deviation of actual growth rate from sustainable growth rate). Overall, sustainability score of the supply chain improved from 3.47/5 to 3.59/5 on the 5-level-Likert-scale due to environmental improvement strategy consideration. Finally, this paper shows that the POSA framework is capable of capturing changes in the sustainability performance of triple bottom line indicators associated with the use or incorporation of any improvement strategy in the crude palm oil supply chain.
Emergency Evacuation Simulation and Management Optimization in Urban Residential Communities
Authors: Chu Hao , Yu Jia , Wen Jiahong , Yi Min , Chen Yun
Published: February 2019

Timely and secure evacuation of residents in communities is of great importance during unexpected disasters or emergency events. This study proposes a framework of evacuation simulation for optimizing emergency management in urban residential communities. Compared to traditional methods, the advantage of our framework lies in three aspects: (1) The method highlights easy-crowded areas in both indoor and outdoor evacuations. (2) Family behaviors are considered and implemented in evacuations. (3) Detailed measures on management optimization are spatially mapped based on a multi-level analysis and the comparison of evacuation simulation results in different scenarios. A case study in Changhongfang residential community, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China, was conducted to demonstrate the method feasibility. Simulation results have exposed potential evacuation problems in the community. A series of detailed recommended measures have been generated. These measures can help to create better emergency management for the community.
Stakeholder Participation and Advocacy Coalitions for Making Sustainable Fiji Mineral Royalty Policy
Authors: Qiolevu Venina Sucu , Lim Seunghoo
Published: February 2019

The Fiji government perceived mining as a means to accelerate economic growth because of its potential to generate great wealth for the Fijian economy. However, the environmental and social impacts associated with mining is of great concern. Mining activities have caused immense environmental degradations that affect livelihoods. One way to recompense these mining impacts is to provide a source of income to the landowners that can substitute the providence of natural resources that were damaged or completely taken away by mining activities. From the current revenue earned from mining, only land leases have been paid out to landowners and no royalty payments as yet, because there are no specific guidelines to determine the distributions. These have brought about the great need to determine the fair share of mineral royalties between the Fiji Government and the landowners in Fiji. This paper will therefore explicate the formation of coalitions based on similarities in policy beliefs, the various strategies undertaken to interact and network with each coalition in efforts to advocate core policy beliefs to obtain government’s attention for the formulation of Fiji’s Mineral Royalty Policy, based on the analytical lenses of Advocacy Coalition Framework and Issue Network Theory, at both the problem definition and agenda setting stages. Moreover, this paper also investigates the impacts of political instability in formulating Fiji’s first ever Mineral Royalty Policy.
The Wellbeing Benefits Associated with Perceived and Measured Biodiversity in Australian Urban Green Spaces
Authors: Schebella Morgan Faith , Weber Delene , Schultz Lisa , Weinstein Philip
Published: February 2019

There are few studies examining the wellbeing benefits from exposure to natural environments differing in ecological attributes, such as biodiversity, and they have not had consistent results. This study progresses our understanding of the nuanced relationship between nature and wellbeing by analyzing the self-reported benefits derived from urban green spaces varying in a range of objectively measured biodiversity attributes such as bird species richness, habitat diversity, and structural heterogeneity. Respondents’ (n = 840) perceptions of biodiversity and naturalness were also examined. We identified the biodiversity attributes most strongly associated with particular benefits, as well as the types of parks where those benefits were significantly more likely to occur. Findings suggest that perceived, rather than objective measures of biodiversity are better predictors of subjective wellbeing benefits. Of the assessed biodiversity attributes, vegetation cover consistently correlated most strongly with psychological benefits. Stress reduction and mood improvement were greatest in nature parks and lowest in pocket parks. Increases in each biodiversity attribute significantly affected psychological wellbeing at different thresholds, suggesting the relationship between biodiversity and wellbeing is not linear. Thresholds of sensitivity for park attributes are discussed, with vegetation cover, naturalness, structural heterogeneity, and park type emerging as the most useful differentiators for studying human responses to nature. Our findings can help inform green space planning to maximize environmental benefits and health benefits concurrently.
Towards Sustainable Organizations: Supervisor Support, Commitment to Change and the Mediating Role of Organizational Identification
Authors: Zappalà Salvatore , Toscano Ferdinando , Licciardello Simone Alfio
Published: February 2019

According to psychology of sustainability, healthy organizations conduct successful businesses, regenerate employees’ belongingness, and promote organizational and individual growth and change. In line with this assumption, this study investigates: a) The relation between perceived supervisor support and the affective, normative, and continuance components of commitment to change (CtC), and b) the mediating role of organizational identification on the relation between perceived supervisor support and components of CtC. Participants were 243 employees of a company that, in order to introduce a new organizational vision, was implementing multiple change initiatives. Results show the direct effect of perceived supervisor support on affective and normative CtC, the partial mediating effect of organizational identification on affective and normative CtC, and the full mediating effect on continuance CtC. Such results extend previous studies and are in line with the assumptions of the psychology of sustainability: Supervisor support can be considered as a primary preventive intervention that increases employees’ belongingness and encourages them to commit to change initiatives.
Justice Implications of Clean Energy Policies and Programs in the United States: A Theoretical and Empirical Exploration
Authors: Zhou Shan , Noonan Douglas S.
Published: February 2019

This paper offers both theoretical and empirical analyses to explore energy justice from a policy perspective. We first propose a framework that explicitly connects core functions of clean energy policy instruments (i.e., regulation, financial incentive, government provision, information, and education program) to philosophical groundings of energy justice—distributive, procedural, and recognition justice. To empirically explore distributive energy justice, we examine the racial and socioeconomic disparities in three government-driven clean energy programs in the United States, including (1) the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) smart-grid investment grant (SGIG); (2) utility smart-meter roll out programs; and (3) city government adoption of green buildings. Results showed that the amount of ARRA funding awarded to utilities was closely related to racial composition. Inequalities were also found in utility smart-meter programs. Utilities operating in communities with a larger Hispanic population were less likely to initiate smart-meter roll out. The intensity of smart-meter technology implementation was positively correlated with education levels. Our third empirical case showed that government procurement policy can improve distributive equity for energy-efficient buildings. However, its spillover effects on the private sector can result in more adoptions in areas with fewer minorities and more highly-educated residents.
A Modified PML Acoustic Wave Equation
Authors: Kim Dojin
Published: February 2019

In this paper, we consider a two-dimensional acoustic wave equation in an unbounded domain and introduce a modified model of the classical un-split perfectly matched layer (PML). We apply a regularization technique to a lower order regularity term employed in the auxiliary variable in the classical PML model. In addition, we propose a staggered finite difference method for discretizing the regularized system. The regularized system and numerical solution are analyzed in terms of the well-posedness and stability with the standard Galerkin method and von Neumann stability analysis, respectively. In particular, the existence and uniqueness of the solution for the regularized system are proved and the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) condition of the staggered finite difference method is determined. To support the theoretical results, we demonstrate a non-reflection property of acoustic waves in the layers.
Optimal Control of Nonsmooth Production Systems with Deteriorating Items, Stock-Dependent Demand, with or without Backorders
Authors: Bounkhel Messaoud , Tadj Lotfi , Benhadid Yacine , Hedjar Ramdane
Published: February 2019

We propose a nonsmooth dynamic system integrating production and inventory where the items may deteriorate and the demand is stock-dependent. We aim to derive the optimal production rate. In our first model, backorders are not allowed, while in the second model they are. Using optimal control, necessary optimality conditions are obtained for general forms of the cost, demand, and deterioration rates and closed form solutions are derived for specific forms of these rates. Numerical simulations are presented and sensitivity of the solutions are examined.
A New Ellipse or Math Porcelain Service
Authors: Ochkov Valery , Nori Massimiliano , Borovinskaya Ekaterina , Reschetilowski Wladimir
Published: February 2019

Egglipse was first explored by Maxwell, but Descartes discovered a way to modify the pins-and-string construction for ellipses to produce more egg-shaped curves. There are no examples of serious scientific and practical applications of Three-foci ellipses until now. This situation can be changed if porcelain and ellipses are combined. In the introduced concept of the egg-ellipse, unexplored points are observed. The new Three-foci ellipse with an equilateral triangle, a square, and a circle as “foci” are presented for this application and can be transformed by animation. The new elliptic-hyperbolic oval is presented. The other two similar curves, hyperbola and parabola, can be also used to create new porcelain designs. Curves of the order of 3, 4, 5, etc. are interesting for porcelain decoration. An idea of combining of 3D printer and 2D colour printer in the form of 2.5D Printer for porcelain production and painting is introduced and listings functions in Mathcad are provided.
Comparative Proteomics of Peritrophic Matrix Provides an Insight into its Role in Cry1Ac Resistance of Cotton Bollworm Helicoverpa armigera
Authors: Jin Minghui , Liao Chongyu , Chakrabarty Swapan , Wu Kongming , Xiao Yutao
Published: February 2019

Crystalline (Cry) proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are widely used in sprays and transgenic crops to control insect pests, but the evolution of insect resistance threatens their long-term use. Different resistance mechanisms have been identified, but some have not been completely elucidated. Here, the transcriptome of the midgut and proteome of the peritrophic matrix (PM) were comparatively analyzed to identify potential mechanism of resistance to Cry1Ac in laboratory-selected strain XJ10 of Helicoverpa armigera. This strain had a 146-fold resistance to Cry1Ac protoxin and 45-fold resistance to Cry1Ac activated toxin compared with XJ strain. The mRNA and protein levels for several trypsin genes were downregulated in XJ10 compared to the susceptible strain XJ. Furthermore, 215 proteins of the PM were identified, and nearly all had corresponding mRNAs in the midgut. These results provide new insights that the PM may participate in Bt resistance.
Immunogenicity and Efficacy of a Novel Multi-Antigenic Peptide Vaccine Based on Cross-Reactivity between Feline and Human Immunodeficiency Viruses
Authors: Sahay Bikash , Aranyos Alek M. , Mishra Meerambika , McAvoy Andrew C. , Martin Marcus M. , Pu Riuyu , Shiomitsu Sayaka , Shiomitsu Keijiro , Dark Michael J. , Sanou Missa P. , Roff Shannon R. , Rathore Mobeen H. , Yamamoto Janet K.
Published: February 2019

For the development of an effective HIV-1 vaccine, evolutionarily conserved epitopes between feline and human immunodeficiency viruses (FIV and HIV-1) were determined by analyzing overlapping peptides from retroviral genomes that induced both anti-FIV/HIV T cell-immunity in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the FIV-vaccinated cats and the HIV-infected humans. The conserved T-cell epitopes on p24 and reverse transcriptase were selected based on their robust FIV/HIV-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), CD4+ CTL, and polyfunctional T-cell activities. Four such evolutionarily conserved epitopes were formulated into four multiple antigen peptides (MAPs), mixed with an adjuvant, to be tested as FIV vaccine in cats. The immunogenicity and protective efficacy were evaluated against a pathogenic FIV. More MAP/peptide-specific CD4+ than CD8+ T-cell responses were initially observed. By post-third vaccination, half of the MAP/peptide-specific CD8+ T-cell responses were higher or equivalent to those of CD4+ T-cell responses. Upon challenge, 15/19 (78.9%) vaccinated cats were protected, whereas 6/16 (37.5%) control cats remained uninfected, resulting in a protection rate of 66.3% preventable fraction (p = 0.0180). Thus, the selection method used to identify the protective FIV peptides should be useful in identifying protective HIV-1 peptides needed for a highly protective HIV-1 vaccine in humans.
Subterranean Clover Stunt Virus Revisited: Detection of Two Missing Genome Components
Authors: Knierim Dennis , Barrière Quentin , Grigoras Ioana , Winter Stephan , Vetten Heinrich-Josef , Schwinghamer Mark , Thomas John , Chu Paul , Gronenborn Bruno , Timchenko Tatiana
Published: February 2019

Subterranean clover stunt virus (SCSV) is a type species of the genus Nanovirus in the family Nanoviridae. It was the first single-stranded DNA plant virus with a multipartite genome, of which genomic DNA sequences had been determined. All nanoviruses have eight genome components except SCSV, for which homologs of two genome components present in all other nanovirus genomes, DNA-U2 and DNA-U4, were lacking. We analysed archived and more recent samples from SCSV-infected legume plants to verify its genome composition and found the missing genome components. These results indicated that SCSV also has eight genome components and is a typical member of the genus Nanovirus.
A Spatial Analysis to Define Data Requirements for Hydrological and Water Quality Models in Data-Limited Regions
Authors: D’Ambrosio Ersilia , De Girolamo Anna Maria , Spanò Marinella , Corbelli Vera , Capasso Gennaro , Morea Massimo , Velardo Raffaele , Abdelwahab Ossama M.M. , Lonigro Antonio , Milillo Fabio , Ricci Giovanni Francesco , Romano Giovanni , Calabrese Angelantonio , Casale Barbara , Mauro Roberto , Pappagallo Giuseppe , Gentile Francesco
Published: February 2019

The objective of the present work is a spatial analysis aimed at supporting hydrological and water quality model applications in the Canale d’Aiedda basin (Puglia, Italy), a data-limited area. The basin is part of the sensitive environmental area of Taranto that requires remediation of the soil, subsoil, surface water, and groundwater. A monitoring plan was defined to record the streamflow and water quality parameters needed for calibrating and validating models, and a database archived in a GIS environment was built, which includes climatic data, soil hydraulic parameters, groundwater data, surface water quality parameters, point-source parameters, and information on agricultural practices. Based on a one-year monitoring of activities, the average annual loads of N-NO3 and P-PO4 delivered to the Mar Piccolo amounted to about 42 t year−1, and 2 t year−1, respectively. Knowledge uncertainty in monthly load estimation was found to be up to 25% for N-NO3 and 40% for P-PO4. The contributions of point sources in terms of N-NO3 and P-PO4 were estimated at 45% and 77%, respectively. This study defines a procedure for supporting modelling activities at the basin scale for data-limited regions.
Effects of the Three Gorges Project on Runoff and Related Benefits of the Key Regions along Main Branches of the Yangtze River
Authors: Gao Yanjun , Zhang Yongqiang
Published: February 2019

The Three Gorges Project (TGP) is the largest hydroelectric project in the world. It is crucial to understand the relationship between runoff regime changes and TGP’s full operation after 2009 in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB). This paper defines core, extended and buffer areas of YRB, analyzes the effects of TGP on runoff anomaly (RA), runoff variation (RV) and change of coefficient of variation (CCV) between two periods (2003–2008 and 2009–2016), takes percentage of runoff anomaly (PRA) as the evaluation standard, assures alleviation effect on severe dry and wet years of the research area, and finally summarizes related benefits of flood control from TGP. Our results indicate the inter-annual fluctuation of runoff in the core and extended areas expanded, but reduced in the buffer areas, and the frequencies of severe dry and wet years alleviated in the buffer, core and extended areas. Generally, the extended and core areas become less wet, and the buffer areas become less dry. The RV and CCV are both strengthened in the extended and core areas, but are weakened in the buffer areas, and RV is well positively correlated (R2 = 0.80) to CCV. Furthermore, the main benefits of TGP on flood control are remarkable in the reduction of disaster affected population, the decrease of agricultural disaster-damaged area, and the decline of direct economic loss. However, due to torrentially seasonal and non-seasonal precipitation, the sharp rebounds of three standards for Hubei and Anhui occurred in 2010 and 2016, and the percentage of agricultural damage area of five regions in the core and extended areas did not decline synchronously and performed irregularly. Our results suggest that the five key regions along the main branches of the Yangtze River should establish a flood control system and promote the connectivity of infrastructures at different levels to meet the significant functions of TGP. It is a great challenge for TGP operation to balance the benefits and conflicts among flood control, power generation and water resources supply in the future.
Emerging Players in Autophagy Deficiency-Induced Liver Injury and Tumorigenesis
Authors: Yang Hua , Ni Hong-Min , Ding Wen-Xing
Published: February 2019

Studies using genetic mouse models that have defective autophagy have led to the conclusion that macroautophagy/autophagy serves as a tumor suppressor. One of such models is the liver-specific Atg5 or Atg7 knockout mice, and these knockout mice develop spontaneous liver tumors. It has
been generally agreed that p62-mediated Nrf2 activation plays a critical role in promoting autophagy deficiency-induced liver injury and liver tumorigenesis. The mechanisms of how persistent Nrf2 activation induces liver injury and tumorigenesis are incompletely known. We discuss the recent
progress on the new roles of HMGB1 and Yap in regulating liver injury and tumorigenesis in mice with liver-specific autophagy deficiency.
Effects of post-lithography cleaning on the yield and performance of CVD graphene-based devices
Authors: de Araujo Eduardo Nery Duarte , de Sousa Thiago Alonso Stephan Lacerda , de Moura Guimarães Luciano , Plentz Flavio
Published: February 2019

The large-scale production of high-quality and clean graphene devices, aiming at technological applications, has been a great challenge over the last decade. This is due to the high affinity of graphene with polymers that are usually applied in standard lithography processes and that, inevitably, modify the electrical proprieties of graphene. By Raman spectroscopy and electrical-transport investigations, we correlate the room-temperature carrier mobility of graphene devices with the size of well-ordered domains in graphene. In addition, we show that the size of these well-ordered domains is highly influenced by post-photolithography cleaning processes. Finally, we show that by using poly(dimethylglutarimide) (PMGI) as a protection layer, the production yield of CVD graphene devices is enhanced. Conversely, their electrical properties are deteriorated as compared with devices fabricated by conventional production methods.
Tandem copper and photoredox catalysis in photocatalytic alkene difunctionalization reactions
Authors: Reed Nicholas L , Herman Madeline I , Miltchev Vladimir P , Yoon Tehshik P
Published: February 2019

Oxidative alkene difunctionalization reactions are important in synthetic organic chemistry because they can install polar functional groups onto simple non-polar alkene moieties. Many of the most common methods for these reactions rely upon the reactivity of pre-oxidized electrophilic heteroatom donors that can often be unstable, explosive, or difficult to handle. Herein, we describe a method for alkene oxyamination and diamination that utilizes simple carbamate and urea groups as nucleophilic heteroatom donors. This method uses a tandem copper–photoredox catalyst system that is operationally convenient. The identity of the terminal oxidant is critical in these studies. Ag(I) salts proved to be unique in their ability to turn over the copper cocatalyst without deleteriously impacting the reactivity of the organoradical intermediates.
MODELLING OF ELECTROMECHANICAL DRIVE SYSTEMS WITH THE USE OF MODAL CONDENSATION
Authors: Gasiorek Damian , Mežyk Arkadiusz , Switoński Eugeniusz
Published: February 2019

This paper presents a method of developing a dynamic model enabling the study of the effect of the flexibility of the housing on dynamic phenomena in electromechanical drive systems. The research was performed on the basis of an electromechanical model with feedback between the mechanical subsystem (toothed gear with housing) and the electrical subsystem using a software package developed by the author in MATLAB environment.
FUZZY INFERENCE DRIVEN INTERNET BASED BRIDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Authors: Yadav Deepesh , Barai Sudhirkumar V.
Published: February 2019

Bridges form an integral part of any country's transportation scheme, be it a railway network or a highway network. Periodic evaluation and subsequent maintenance can sometimes increase the life of a bridge to a great extent. Quantitative evaluation, however accurate, is too cumbersome, hence, in the present system the procedure of inspection is standardized and the analysis is done qualitatively. The qualitative data are converted to a mathematical format for the assessment by the use of popular Fuzzy logic approach. The whole system is based on the principle of evaluation from parts to the whole bridge structure. The method of calculation is based on Vertex method for fuzzy functions. The prototype system is the Internet based systemand it can be accessed from anywhere as long as the area has the Internet access. The prototype system is an attempt in the direction of an organized and well‐documented bridge management system.
HAULAGE TRUCKS MODEL WITH FOUR ELECTRIC SEPARATE WHEEL DRIVES
Authors: Setlak Rafal
Published: February 2019

This article contains a course of work of the construction of a vehicle model that has four electrical motors built into each wheel. During the project two models of a vehicle were constructed (Figs 3,5). A microprocessor based control system has also been designed and built. A vehicle is controlled by a steering unit (Fig 8) which contains a steering wheel with a force feedback system, push buttons, an accelerator and a brake. The connection between a steering unit and a model is realized by interface RS‐485. The driving motors are dc motors with permanent magnets. Power supply consists of an acid battery located in the vehicle. The vehicle control system is divided into two parts. The first part is built into the vehicle (Fig 7) and operates as a vehicle main control system and the second is built into a steering unit and operates as the main control steering system.
INVESTIGATING THE CURRENT BUSINESS MODEL INNOVATION TRENDS IN THE BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY
Authors: Horvath Balint , Khazami Nesrine , Ymeri Prespa , Fogarassy Csaba
Published: February 2019

The current trend of business model research shows an increased endeavour of conceptualizing business frameworks for circular economy (CE). While previous sustainability paradigms have failed to attract market stakeholders, their reaction differ regarding this concept. The reason is discovering that the benefits of former industrial systems have turned to be threats for modern companies. Thus, a circular transition seems beneficial not only in environmental but also in financial dimensions. Closing material and energy flows results in reduced costs and enables businesses to propose novel values to customers. The present study aims to investigate the current stage of circular transformation on a corporate level. In order to do that, it thoroughly analyses the business model evolution of an innovative and knowledge-intensive industry, biotechnology. The research employs a circular evaluation method to detect which parts of the applied business structures show the signs of transition. The findings indicate that the business innovation process in the sector is in line with the disciplines of CE. However, this phenomenon is rather the result of striving for market competitiveness, than making efforts for sustainable development. It proves the emergence of CE to be as much an economic concern as it is an environmental one.