bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antibiotic Susceptibility, Genetic Diversity, and the Presence of Toxin Producing Genes in Campylobacter Isolates from Poultry
Authors: Lee Jeeyeon , Jeong Jiyeon , Lee Heeyoung , Ha Jimyeong , Kim Sejeong , Choi Yukyung , Oh Hyemin , Seo Kunho , Yoon Yohan , Lee Soomin
Published: November 2017

This study examined antibiotic susceptibility, genetic diversity, and characteristics of virulence genes in Campylobacter isolates from poultry. Chicken (n = 152) and duck (n = 154) samples were collected from 18 wet markets in Korea. Campylobacter spp. isolated from the carcasses were identified by PCR. The isolated colonies were analyzed for antibiotic susceptibility to chloramphenicol, amikacin, erythromycin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, and enrofloxacin. The isolates were also used to analyze genetic diversity using the DiversiLabTM system and were tested for the presence of cytolethal distending toxin (cdt) genes. Campylobacter spp. were isolated from 45 poultry samples out of 306 poultry samples (14.7%) and the average levels of Campylobacter contamination were 22.0 CFU/g and 366.1 CFU/g in chicken and duck samples, respectively. Moreover, more than 90% of the isolates showed resistance to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin. Genetic correlation analysis showed greater than 95% similarity between 84.4% of the isolates, and three cdt genes (cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC) were present in 71.1% of Campylobacter isolates. These results indicate that Campylobacter contamination should be decreased to prevent and treat Campylobacter foodborne illness.
Incidence and Consequences of Near-Drowning–Related Pneumonia—A Descriptive Series from Martinique, French West Indies
Authors: Cerland Laura , Mégarbane Bruno , Kallel Hatem , Brouste Yanick , Mehdaoui Hossein , Resiere Dabor
Published: November 2017

Drowning represents one major cause of accidental death. Near-drowning patients are exposed to aspiration that may result in pneumonia with life-threatening consequences. We designed this descriptive study to investigate the frequency, nature, and consequences of post-drowning pneumonia. One hundred and forty-four near-drowning patients (33 children and 111 adults) admitted during four years to the University Hospital of Martinique, French Indies, were included. Patients presented pre-hospital cardiac arrest (41%) and exhibited acute respiratory failure (54%), cardiovascular failure (27%), and lactic acidosis (75%) on admission. Empirical antibiotics, as decided by the physicians in charge, were administered in 85 patients (59%). Post-drowning early onset bacterial pneumonia was diagnosed as “possible” in 13 patients (9%) and “confirmed” in 22 patients (15%). Tracheal aspiration revealed the presence of polymorphous pharyngeal flora (59%) or one predominant bacteria species (41%) including Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aeromonas hydrophilia, and Morganella morgani. Despite adequate supportive care, drowning resulted in 45 fatalities (31%). Early onset bacterial aspiration pneumonia (either possible or confirmed) did not significantly influence the risk of death. In conclusion, near-drowning–related bacterial aspiration pneumonia seems rare and does not influence the mortality rate. There is still a need for practice standardization to improve diagnosis of post-drowning pneumonia and near-drowning patient management.
Mapping and Analyzing Stream Network Changes in Watonwan River Watershed, Minnesota, USA
Authors: Yuan Fei , Larson Phillip , Mulvihill Roman , Libby Devon , Nelson Jessica , Grupa Tyler , Moore Rick
Published: November 2017

Much of the Watonwan River tributary system to the upper Mississippi River basin (UMR), and the fluvial systems to which it drains, are listed as impaired under the United States Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water Act303(d) and/or by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. In addition, eutrophic conditions and excessive sedimentation rates exist in Lake Pepin, a riverine lake to which the UMR drains. Thus, understanding the hydrogeomorphic change throughout the UMR is vital in order to establish appropriate efforts to mitigate environmental hazards downstream. This study attempts to evaluate hydrogeomorphic change at the watershed scale in the Watonwan River watershed between 1855 and the near present. Historical plat maps, digital elevation models (DEMs), aerial images, soil/topographic characteristics, land-use change, and field surveys are analyzed. Surficial hydrologic features digitized from historical plat maps are compared with contemporary stream networks extracted from high-resolution DEMs. Scale effects are investigated using multi-resolution (1 m, 3 m, 8.5 m, and 30 m) DEMs, with 8.5 m DEMs being ideal for watershed scale analysis, and 1–3 m DEMs being ideal for subwatershed analysis. There has been a substantial hydrogeomorphic change in the watershed since 1855, but most significantly, we interpret that the highest rates of erosion occur in the eastern watershed, where knickzone propagation has produced substantial relief.
Anti-Inflammatory and Antinociceptive Effects of Ethyl Acetate Fraction of an Edible Red Macroalgae Sarcodia ceylanica
Authors: Shih Chieh-Chih , Hwang Hwong-Ru , Chang Chi-I , Su Huei-Meei , Chen Pei-Chin , Kuo Hsiao-Mei , Li Pei-Jyuan , Wang Hui-Min , Tsui Kuan-Hao , Lin Yu-Chi , Huang Shi-Ying , Wen Zhi-Hong
Published: November 2017

Research so far has only shown that edible red macroalgae, Sarcodia ceylanica has the ability to eliminate free radicals and anti-diabetic, anti-bacterial properties. This study was conducted both in vitro and in vivo on the ethyl acetate extract (PD1) of farmed red macroalgae in order to explore its anti-inflammatory properties. In order to study the in vitro anti-inflammatory effects of PD1, we used lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammatory responses in murine macrophages. For evaluating the potential in vivo anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of PD1, we used carrageenan-induced rat paw edema to produce inflammatory pain. The in vitro results indicated that PD1 inhibited the LPS-induced pro-inflammatory protein, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in macrophages. Oral PD1 can reduce carrageenan-induced paw edema and inflammatory nociception. PD1 can significantly inhibit carrageenan-induced leukocyte infiltration, as well as the protein expression of inflammatory mediators (iNOS, interleukin-1β, and myeloperoxidase) in inflammatory tissue. The above results indicated that PD1 has great potential to be turned into a functional food or used in the development of new anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive agents. The results from this study are expected to help scientists in the continued development of Sarcodia ceylanica for other biomedical applications.
Non-Catalytic Roles of the Topoisomerase IIα C-Terminal Domain
Authors: Clarke Duncan , Azuma Yoshiaki
Published: November 2017

DNA Topoisomerase IIα (Topo IIα) is a ubiquitous enzyme in eukaryotes that performs the strand passage reaction where a double helix of DNA is passed through a second double helix. This unique reaction is critical for numerous cellular processes. However, the enzyme also possesses a C-terminal domain (CTD) that is largely dispensable for the strand passage reaction but is nevertheless important for the fidelity of cell division. Recent studies have expanded our understanding of the roles of the Topo IIα CTD, in particular in mitotic mechanisms where the CTD is modified by Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO), which in turn provides binding sites for key regulators of mitosis.
Changes of Cerebral and/or Peripheral Adenosine A1 Receptor and IGF-I Concentrations under Extended Sleep Duration in Rats
Authors: Chennaoui Mounir , Arnal Pierrick , Dorey Rodolphe , Sauvet Fabien , Ciret Sylvain , Gallopin Thierry , Leger Damien , Drogou Catherine , Gomez-Merino Danielle
Published: November 2017

Extended sleep improves sustained attention and reduces sleep pressure in humans. Downregulation of adenosine A1 receptor (A1R) and modulation of the neurotrophic factor insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-I) in brain structures controlling attentional capacities could be involved. In the frontal cortex and hippocampus of rats, we measured adenosine A1R and IGF-I protein concentrations after photoperiod-induced sleep extension. Two groups of twelve rats were adapted over 14 days to a habitual (CON) 12:12 light–dark (LD) schedule and an extended (EXT) 16:8 LD schedule. IGF-I content was also measured in plasma, liver, and skeletal muscle. In EXT, compared to CON rats, A1R content in the frontal cortex was significantly lower (p < 0.05), while IGF-I content was higher (p < 0.001), and no significant change was observed in the hippocampus. IGF-I content in plasma and muscle was higher (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01), while it was lower in liver (p < 0.001). The absolute weight and weight gain were higher in EXT rats (p < 0.01). These data suggest that 14 days under a 16:8 LD photoperiod respectively down- and upregulated cortical A1R and IGF-I levels. This photoperiod induced an anabolic profile with increased weight gain and circulating and muscular IGF-I levels. An extension of sleep duration might favor cerebral and peripheral anabolism, which may help attentional and physical capacities.
Computational Methods for Modeling Aptamers and Designing Riboswitches
Authors: Gong Sha , Wang Yanli , Wang Zhen , Zhang Wenbing
Published: November 2017

Riboswitches, which are located within certain noncoding RNA region perform functions as genetic “switches”, regulating when and where genes are expressed in response to certain ligands. Understanding the numerous functions of riboswitches requires computation models to predict structures and structural changes of the aptamer domains. Although aptamers often form a complex structure, computational approaches, such as RNAComposer and Rosetta, have already been applied to model the tertiary (three-dimensional (3D)) structure for several aptamers. As structural changes in aptamers must be achieved within the certain time window for effective regulation, kinetics is another key point for understanding aptamer function in riboswitch-mediated gene regulation. The coarse-grained self-organized polymer (SOP) model using Langevin dynamics simulation has been successfully developed to investigate folding kinetics of aptamers, while their co-transcriptional folding kinetics can be modeled by the helix-based computational method and BarMap approach. Based on the known aptamers, the web server Riboswitch Calculator and other theoretical methods provide a new tool to design synthetic riboswitches. This review will represent an overview of these computational methods for modeling structure and kinetics of riboswitch aptamers and for designing riboswitches.
Energy-Efficient FPGA-Based Parallel Quasi-Stochastic Computing
Authors: Seva Ramu , Metku Prashanthi , Choi Minsu
Published: November 2017

The high performance of FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) in image processing applications is justified by its flexible reconfigurability, its inherent parallel nature and the availability of a large amount of internal memories. Lately, the Stochastic Computing (SC) paradigm has been found to be significantly advantageous in certain application domains including image processing because of its lower hardware complexity and power consumption. However, its viability is deemed to be limited due to its serial bitstream processing and excessive run-time requirement for convergence. To address these issues, a novel approach is proposed in this work where an energy-efficient implementation of SC is accomplished by introducing fast-converging Quasi-Stochastic Number Generators (QSNGs) and parallel stochastic bitstream processing, which are well suited to leverage FPGA’s reconfigurability and abundant internal memory resources. The proposed approach has been tested on the Virtex-4 FPGA, and results have been compared with the serial and parallel implementations of conventional stochastic computation using the well-known SC edge detection and multiplication circuits. Results prove that by using this approach, execution time, as well as the power consumption are decreased by a factor of 3.5 and 4.5 for the edge detection circuit and multiplication circuit, respectively.
Syntactic Variation in Diminutive Suffixes: Russian, Kolyma Yukaghir, and Itelmen
Authors: Steriopolo Olga
Published: November 2017

This article presents a syntactic analysis and comparison of diminutive suffixes in Russian, Kolyma Yukaghir, and Itelmen, three genetically unrelated languages of the Russian Federation. Kolyma Yukaghir and Itelmen are on the verge of extinction. This article investigates how contact with Russian (specifically the syntax of Russian diminutives) has influenced the syntax of diminutives in Kolyma Yukaghir and Itlemen. Adopting the framework of Distributed Morphology, a syntactic analysis of diminutives across the three languages reveals that they share the same manner of syntactic attachment, but differ in regards to the site or place of attachment. Specifically, it is proposed that diminutives in all three languages are syntactic modifiers; however, in relation to the place of attachment, in Russian, diminutives attach below the functional category of Number, while diminutives in Kolyma Yukaghir and Itelmen attach above the Number category. This article contributes to our understanding of variation in universal grammar and linguistic outcomes of the syntactic feature ‘diminutive’ in a multilingual situation where a majority language is in contact with two genetically unrelated endangered languages.
Multiferroic Hysteresis Loop
Authors: Ruff Alexander , Loidl Alois , Krohns Stephan
Published: November 2017

Multiferroics, showing both ferroelectric and magnetic order, are promising candidates for future electronic devices. Especially, the fundamental understanding of ferroelectric switching is of key relevance for further improvements, which however is rarely reported in literature. On a prime example for a spin-driven multiferroic, LiCuVO4, we present an extensive study of the ferroelectric order and the switching behavior as functions of external electric and magnetic fields. From frequency-dependent polarization switching and using the Ishibashi-Orihara theory, we deduce the existence of ferroelectric domains and domain-walls. These have to be related to counterclockwise and clockwise spin-spirals leading to the formation of multiferroic domains. A novel measurement—multiferroic hysteresis loop—is established to analyze the electrical polarization simultaneously as a function of electrical and magnetic fields. This technique allows characterizing the complex coupling between ferroelectric and magnetic order in multiferroic LiCuVO4.
Oleanane-Type Saponins from the Roots of Ligulariopsis shichuana and Their α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activities
Authors: Wu Hai-Bo , Liu Ting-Ting , Wang Wen-Shu , Feng Jin-Chao , Tian Hong-Mei
Published: November 2017

Five new oleanane-type saponins, named ligushicosides A-E, and three known oleanane-type saponins were isolated from the roots of Ligulariopsis shichuana. Their structures were established by a combination of spectroscopic techniques, including 1D and 2D NMR and high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HR-ESI-MS). Furthermore, all isolates were evaluated for their yeast α-glucosidase inhibitory effects and exhibited potent inhibition against α-glucosidase, while compounds 1 and 2 showed excellent inhibitory activities. The 3-O-glycoside moiety in oleanane-type saponin is important for the α-glucosidase inhibitory effects.
A New UPLC-MS/MS Method for the Characterization and Discrimination of Polysaccharides from Genus Ephedra Based on Enzymatic Digestions
Authors: Xia Yong-Gang , Wang Tian-Long , Sun Li-Ming , Liang Jun , Yang Bing-You , Kuang Hai-Xue
Published: November 2017

Ephedra sinica polysaccharides have been reported to possess important activities, so quality evaluation of polysaccharides from the genus Ephedra is urgent. In this study, enzymatic digestions were performed to establish multiple saccharide fingerprints by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-TQ-MS/MS) based on a multiple-reaction monitoring in negative mode. Under optimum UPLC-ESI--TQ-MS/MS conditions, excellent separation and quantification of 21 constituents were achieved within 20 min on a solid core column with a 1.6 μm particle using pre-column derivatization with a PMP reagent. This method, coupled with enzymatic digestions and principal component analysis, has been successfully applied to characterize and discriminate Ephedra polysaccharides attributed to different species and plant parts. The results suggest that the proposed analytical strategy could achieve a quality evaluation of plant polysaccharides from traditional Chinese medicines.
Adherence to Hunger Training over 6 Months and the Effect on Weight and Eating Behaviour: Secondary Analysis of a Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: Jospe Michelle , Taylor Rachael , Athens Josie , Roy Melyssa , Brown Rachel
Published: November 2017

Monitoring blood glucose prior to eating can teach individuals to eat only when truly hungry, but how adherence to ‘hunger training’ influences weight loss and eating behaviour is uncertain. This exploratory, secondary analysis from a larger randomized controlled trial examined five indices of adherence to ‘hunger training’, chosen a priori, to examine which adherence measure best predicted weight loss over 6 months. We subsequently explored how the best measure of adherence influenced eating behavior in terms of intuitive and emotional eating. Retention was 72% (n = 36/50) at 6 months. Frequency of hunger training booklet entry most strongly predicted weight loss, followed by frequency of blood glucose measurements. Participants who completed at least 60 days of booklet entry (of recommended 63 days) lost 6.8 kg (95% CI: 2.6, 11.0; p < 0.001) more weight than those who completed fewer days. They also had significantly higher intuitive eating scores than those who completed 30 days or less of booklet entry; a difference (95% CI) of 0.73 (0.12, 1.35) in body-food choice congruence and 0.79 (0.06, 1.51) for eating for physical rather than emotional reasons. Adherent participants also reported significantly lower scores for emotional eating of −0.70 (−1.13, −0.27). Following hunger training and focusing on simply recording ratings of hunger on a regular basis can produce clinically significant weight loss and clinically relevant improvements in eating behaviour.
Kappaphycus alvarezii as a Food Supplement Prevents Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats
Authors: Wanyonyi Stephen , Du Preez Ryan , Brown Lindsay , Paul Nicholas , Panchal Sunil
Published: November 2017

The red seaweed, Kappaphycus alvarezii, was evaluated for its potential to prevent signs of metabolic syndrome through use as a whole food supplement. Major biochemical components of dried Kappaphycus are carrageenan (soluble fiber ~34.6%) and salt (predominantly potassium (K) 20%) with a low overall energy content for whole seaweed. Eight to nine week old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups and fed for 8 weeks on a corn starch diet, a high-carbohydrate, high-fat (H) diet, alone or supplemented with a 5% (w/w) dried and milled Kappaphycus blended into the base diet. H-fed rats showed symptoms of metabolic syndrome including increased body weight, total fat mass, systolic blood pressure, left ventricular collagen deposition, plasma triglycerides, and plasma non-esterified fatty acids along with fatty liver. Relative to these obese rats, Kappaphycus-treated rats showed normalized body weight and adiposity, lower systolic blood pressure, improved heart and liver structure, and lower plasma lipids, even in presence of H diet. Kappaphycus modulated the balance between Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in the gut, which could serve as the potential mechanism for improved metabolic variables; this was accompanied by no damage to the gut structure. Thus, whole Kappaphycus improved cardiovascular, liver, and metabolic parameters in obese rats.
The Role of the Mammalian Prion Protein in the Control of Sleep
Authors: Roguski Amber , Gill Andrew
Published: November 2017

Sleep disruption is a prevalent clinical feature in many neurodegenerative disorders, including human prion diseases where it can be the defining dysfunction, as in the case of the “eponymous” fatal familial insomnia, or an early-stage symptom as in certain types of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. It is important to establish the role of the cellular prion protein (PrPC), the key molecule involved in prion pathogenesis, within the sleep-wake system in order to understand fully the mechanisms underlying its contribution to both healthy circadian rhythmicity and sleep dysfunction during disease. Although severe disruption to the circadian rhythm and melatonin release is evident during the pathogenic phases of some prion diseases, untangling whether PrPC plays a role in circadian rhythmicity, as suggested in mice deficient for PrPC expression, is challenging given the lack of basic experimental research. We provide a short review of the small amount of direct literature focused on the role of PrPC in melatonin and circadian rhythm regulation, as well as suggesting mechanisms by which PrPC might exert influence upon noradrenergic and dopaminergic signaling and melatonin synthesis. Future research in this area should focus upon isolating the points of dysfunction within the retino-pineal pathway and further investigate PrPC mediation of pinealocyte GPCR activity.
Bounded Brownian Motion
Authors: Carr Peter
Published: November 2017

Diffusions are widely used in finance due to their tractability. Driftless diffusions are needed to describe ratios of asset prices under a martingale measure. We provide a simple example of a tractable driftless diffusion which also has a bounded state space.
Tree-Species Classification in Subtropical Forests Using Airborne Hyperspectral and LiDAR Data
Authors: Shen Xin , Cao Lin
Published: November 2017

Accurate classification of tree-species is essential for sustainably managing forest resources and effectively monitoring species diversity. In this study, we used simultaneously acquired hyperspectral and LiDAR data from LiCHy (Hyperspectral, LiDAR and CCD) airborne system to classify tree-species in subtropical forests of southeast China. First, each individual tree crown was extracted using the LiDAR data by a point cloud segmentation algorithm (PCS) and the sunlit portion of each crown was selected using the hyperspectral data. Second, different suites of hyperspectral and LiDAR metrics were extracted and selected by the indices of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the mean decrease in Gini index (MDG) from Random Forest (RF). Finally, both hyperspectral metrics (based on whole crown and sunlit crown) and LiDAR metrics were assessed and used as inputs to Random Forest classifier to discriminate five tree-species at two levels of classification. The results showed that the tree delineation approach (point cloud segmentation algorithm) was suitable for detecting individual tree in this study (overall accuracy = 82.9%). The classification approach provided a relatively high accuracy (overall accuracy > 85.4%) for classifying five tree-species in the study site. The classification using both hyperspectral and LiDAR metrics resulted in higher accuracies than only hyperspectral metrics (the improvement of overall accuracies = 0.4–5.6%). In addition, compared with the classification using whole crown metrics (overall accuracies = 85.4–89.3%), using sunlit crown metrics (overall accuracies = 87.1–91.5%) improved the overall accuracies of 2.3%. The results also suggested that fewer of the most important metrics can be used to classify tree-species effectively (overall accuracies = 85.8–91.0%).
In-Season Crop Mapping with GF-1/WFV Data by Combining Object-Based Image Analysis and Random Forest
Authors: Song Qian , Hu Qiong , Zhou Qingbo , Hovis Ciara , Xiang Mingtao , Tang Huajun , Wu Wenbin
Published: November 2017

Producing accurate crop maps during the current growing season is essential for effective agricultural monitoring. Substantial efforts have been made to study regional crop distribution from year to year, but less attention is paid to the dynamics of composition and spatial extent of crops within a season. Understanding how crops are distributed at the early developing stages allows for the timely adjustment of crop planting structure as well as agricultural decision making and management. To address this knowledge gap, this study presents an approach integrating object-based image analysis with random forest (RF) for mapping in-season crop types based on multi-temporal GaoFen satellite data with a spatial resolution of 16 meters. A multiresolution local variance strategy was used to create crop objects, and then object-based spectral/textural features and vegetation indices were extracted from those objects. The RF classifier was employed to identify different crop types at four crop growth seasons by integrating available features. The crop classification performance of different seasons was assessed by calculating F-score values. Results show that crop maps derived using seasonal features achieved an overall accuracy of more than 87%. Compared to the use of spectral features, a feature combination of in-season textures and multi-temporal spectral and vegetation indices performs best when classifying crop types. Spectral and temporal information is more important than texture features for crop mapping. However, texture can be essential information when there is insufficient spectral and temporal information (e.g., crop identification in the early spring). These results indicate that an object-based image analysis combined with random forest has considerable potential for in-season crop mapping using high spatial resolution imagery.
WearETE: A Scalable Wearable E-Textile Triboelectric Energy Harvesting System for Human Motion Scavenging
Authors: Li Xian , Sun Ye
Published: November 2017

In this paper, we report the design, experimental validation and application of a scalable, wearable e-textile triboelectric energy harvesting (WearETE) system for scavenging energy from activities of daily living. The WearETE system features ultra-low-cost material and manufacturing methods, high accessibility, and high feasibility for powering wearable sensors and electronics. The foam and e-textile are used as the two active tribomaterials for energy harvester design with the consideration of flexibility and wearability. A calibration platform is also developed to quantify the input mechanical power and power efficiency. The performance of the WearETE system for human motion scavenging is validated and calibrated through experiments. The results show that the wearable triboelectric energy harvester can generate over 70 V output voltage which is capable of powering over 52 LEDs simultaneously with a 9 × 9 cm2 area. A larger version is able to lighten 190 LEDs during contact-separation process. The WearETE system can generate a maximum power of 4.8113 mW from hand clapping movements under the frequency of 4 Hz. The average power efficiency can be up to 24.94%. The output power harvested by the WearETE system during slow walking is 7.5248 µW. The results show the possibility of powering wearable electronics during human motion.
Novel Tactile Sensor Technology and Smart Tactile Sensing Systems: A Review
Authors: Zou Liang , Ge Chang , Wang Z. , Cretu Edmond , Li Xiaoou
Published: November 2017

During the last decades, smart tactile sensing systems based on different sensing techniques have been developed due to their high potential in industry and biomedical engineering. However, smart tactile sensing technologies and systems are still in their infancy, as many technological and system issues remain unresolved and require strong interdisciplinary efforts to address them. This paper provides an overview of smart tactile sensing systems, with a focus on signal processing technologies used to interpret the measured information from tactile sensors and/or sensors for other sensory modalities. The tactile sensing transduction and principles, fabrication and structures are also discussed with their merits and demerits. Finally, the challenges that tactile sensing technology needs to overcome are highlighted.
A Game Theoretic Approach for Balancing Energy Consumption in Clustered Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Yang Liu , Lu Yinzhi , Xiong Lian , Tao Yang , Zhong Yuanchang
Published: November 2017

Clustering is an effective topology control method in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), since it can enhance the network lifetime and scalability. To prolong the network lifetime in clustered WSNs, an efficient cluster head (CH) optimization policy is essential to distribute the energy among sensor nodes. Recently, game theory has been introduced to model clustering. Each sensor node is considered as a rational and selfish player which will play a clustering game with an equilibrium strategy. Then it decides whether to act as the CH according to this strategy for a tradeoff between providing required services and energy conservation. However, how to get the equilibrium strategy while maximizing the payoff of sensor nodes has rarely been addressed to date. In this paper, we present a game theoretic approach for balancing energy consumption in clustered WSNs. With our novel payoff function, realistic sensor behaviors can be captured well. The energy heterogeneity of nodes is considered by incorporating a penalty mechanism in the payoff function, so the nodes with more energy will compete for CHs more actively. We have obtained the Nash equilibrium (NE) strategy of the clustering game through convex optimization. Specifically, each sensor node can achieve its own maximal payoff when it makes the decision according to this strategy. Through plenty of simulations, our proposed game theoretic clustering is proved to have a good energy balancing performance and consequently the network lifetime is greatly enhanced.
Model-Based Heterogeneous Data Fusion for Reliable Force Estimation in Dynamic Structures under Uncertainties
Authors: Khodabandeloo Babak , Melvin Dyan , Jo Hongki
Published: November 2017

Direct measurements of external forces acting on a structure are infeasible in many cases. The Augmented Kalman Filter (AKF) has several attractive features that can be utilized to solve the inverse problem of identifying applied forces, as it requires the dynamic model and the measured responses of structure at only a few locations. But, the AKF intrinsically suffers from numerical instabilities when accelerations, which are the most common response measurements in structural dynamics, are the only measured responses. Although displacement measurements can be used to overcome the instability issue, the absolute displacement measurements are challenging and expensive for full-scale dynamic structures. In this paper, a reliable model-based data fusion approach to reconstruct dynamic forces applied to structures using heterogeneous structural measurements (i.e., strains and accelerations) in combination with AKF is investigated. The way of incorporating multi-sensor measurements in the AKF is formulated. Then the formulation is implemented and validated through numerical examples considering possible uncertainties in numerical modeling and sensor measurement. A planar truss example was chosen to clearly explain the formulation, while the method and formulation are applicable to other structures as well.
Local Homing Navigation Based on the Moment Model for Landmark Distribution and Features
Authors: Lee Changmin , Kim DaeEun
Published: November 2017

[-10]For local homing navigation, an agent is supposed to return home based on the surrounding environmental information. According to the snapshot model, the home snapshot and the current view are compared to determine the homing direction. In this paper, we propose a novel homing navigation method using the moment model. The suggested moment model also follows the snapshot theory to compare the home snapshot and the current view, but the moment model defines a moment of landmark inertia as the sum of the product of the feature of the landmark particle with the square of its distance. The method thus uses range values of landmarks in the surrounding view and the visual features. The center of the moment can be estimated as the reference point, which is the unique convergence point in the moment potential from any view. The homing vector can easily be extracted from the centers of the moment measured at the current position and the home location. The method effectively guides homing direction in real environments, as well as in the simulation environment. In this paper, we take a holistic approach to use all pixels in the panoramic image as landmarks and use the RGB color intensity for the visual features in the moment model in which a set of three moment functions is encoded to determine the homing vector. We also tested visual homing or the moment model with only visual features, but the suggested moment model with both the visual feature and the landmark distance shows superior performance. We demonstrate homing performance with various methods classified by the status of the feature, the distance and the coordinate alignment.
Multi-Objective Optimization Model of Emergency Organization Allocation for Sustainable Disaster Supply Chain
Authors: Cao Cejun , Li Congdong , Yang Qin , Zhang Fanshun
Published: November 2017

To mitigate or reduce various losses and improve efficiency of disaster response, the focus of this paper is to design optimized strategies of emergency organization allocation regarding sustainability. Firstly, an integrated framework including several elements such as emergency organization, task, decision-agents, environment and their relations is developed from a systematic perspective. Then, this problem is formulated as a novel multi-objective 0–1 integer programming model to minimize total weighted completion times, total carbon emissions and total emergency costs. Next, branch and bound approach and handling strategies for multiple objectives are designed to solve this model. Finally, a case study from the Wenchuan earthquake is presented to illustrate the proposed model and solution strategies. Computational results demonstrate their significant potential advantages on allocating emergency organization from the perspectives of best practice, objective functions, preferences of decision-agents, and problem size.
How Do Terrestrial Determinants Impact the Response of Water Quality to Climate Drivers?—An Elasticity Perspective on the Water–Land–Climate Nexus
Authors: Khan Afed , Jiang Jiping , Sharma Ashish , Wang Peng , Khan Jehanzeb
Published: November 2017

Investigating water–land–climate interactions is critical for urban development and watershed management. This study examined this nexus by elasticity and statistical approaches through the lens of three watersheds: The Yukon, Mekong and Murray. Here, this study reports the fundamental characteristics, explanations and ecological and management implications of terrestrial determinant influence on the response of water quality to climate drivers. The stability of the response, measured by climate elasticity of water quality (CEWQ), is highly dependent on terrestrial determinants, with strong impacts from anthropogenic biomes and low impacts from surficial geology. Compared to temperature elasticity, precipitation elasticity of water quality is more unstable due to its possible linkages with many terrestrial determinants. Correlation and linear models were developed for the interaction system, which uncovered many interesting scenarios. The results implied that watersheds with a higher ratio of rangeland biomes have a lower risk of instability as compared to watersheds with a higher proportion of dense settlement, cropland and forested biomes. This study discusses some of the most essential pathways where instability might adversely affect CEWQ parameters and recommends suggestions for policy makers to alleviate the instability impacts to bring sustainability to the water environment.
Corporate Social Responsibility as a Strategic Means to Attract Foreign Investment: Evidence from Korea
Authors: Lee Juil , Kim Sang-Joon , Kwon Insu
Published: November 2017

This study examines how foreign investment can be driven by corporate social responsibility (CSR). By specifying the underlying mechanism of foreign investors’ stock picking behavior, we argue that CSR can attract foreign investment. Given that CSR actions are taken to meet various needs of its stakeholders, the host firm can convey a reliable signal to foreign investors as well as the stakeholders. As such, foreign investments can be increased in the host firm. This idea is examined in a sample of Korean firms. We hypothesize that Korean firms, as host firms, will have more foreign investments, instantiated by foreign ownership, if they are more actively engaged in CSR. To test this argument, we collected a panel dataset of the Korea Economic Justice Institute (KEJI) Index between 2004 and 2009 to measure CSR performance of the firm. We estimated foreign ownership with respect to CSR performance. As a result, we found a positive effect of CSR performance on foreign ownership. Given the importance of foreign investment in host countries, this study opens an avenue that can account for foreign investors’ stock-picking behavior.
A Study of the Allocation of Carbon Emission Permits among the Provinces of China Based on Fairness and Efficiency
Authors: Jiang Huiqin , Shao Xinxiao , Zhang Xiao , Bao Jianqiang
Published: November 2017

Carbon emissions trading systems are implemented to limit the total quantity of carbon emitted. Such trading systems are the main policy tool used by countries worldwide to address climate change. The initial allocation of carbon emission permits is the starting point of a carbon emissions trading system, and it represents the core of such a system. The provinces of China differ in terms of their population, stage of development, economic level, energy structure and industrial structure. Thus, performing the initial allocation of carbon emission permits among the provinces is a key difficulty. This paper focuses on the initial allocation of carbon emission permits among the provinces of China from the perspective of fairness and constructs a model of the initial inter-provincial allocation of carbon emission permits. In addition, a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model including undesirable outputs is used to optimize the resulting fair distribution from the perspective of efficiency.
Novel Integrated Multi-Criteria Model for Supplier Selection: Case Study Construction Company
Authors: Stević Željko , Pamučar Dragan , Vasiljević Marko , Stojić Gordan , Korica Sanja
Published: November 2017

Supply chain presents a very complex field involving a large number of participants. The aim of the complete supply chain is finding an optimum from the aspect of all participants, which is a rather complex task. In order to ensure optimum satisfaction for all participants, it is necessary that the beginning phase consists of correct evaluations and supplier selection. In this study, the supplier selection was performed in the construction company, on the basis of a new approach in the field of multi-criteria model. Weight coefficients were obtained by DEMATEL (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) method, based on the rough numbers. Evaluation and the supplier selection were made on the basis of a new Rough EDAS (Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution) method, which presents one of the latest methods in this field. In order to determine the stability of the model and the applicability of the proposed Rough EDAS method, an extension of the COPRAS and MULTIMOORA method by rough numbers was also performed in this study, and the findings of the comparative analysis were presented. Besides the new approaches based on the extension by rough numbers, the results are also compared with the Rough MABAC (MultiAttributive Border Approximation area Comparison) and Rough MAIRCA (MultiAttributive Ideal-Real Comparative Analysis). In addition, in the sensitivity analysis, 18 different scenarios were formed, the ones in which criteria change their original values. At the end of the sensitivity analysis, SCC (Spearman Correlation Coefficient) of the obtained ranges was carried out, confirming the applicability of the proposed approaches.
How Objective a Neutral Word Is? A Neutrosophic Approach for the Objectivity Degrees of Neutral Words
Authors: Colhon Mihaela , Vlăduţescu Ştefan , Negrea Xenia
Published: November 2017

In the latest studies concerning the sentiment polarity of words, the authors mostly consider the positive and negative constructions, without paying too much attention to the neutral words, which can have, in fact, significant sentiment degrees. More precisely, not all the neutral words have zero positivity or negativity scores, some of them having quite important nonzero scores for these polarities. At this moment, in the literature, a word is considered neutral if its positive and negative scores are equal, which implies two possibilities: (1) zero positive and negative scores; (2) nonzero, but equal positive and negative scores. It is obvious that these cases represent two different categories of neutral words that must be treated separately by a sentiment analysis task. In this paper, we present a comprehensive study about the neutral words applied to English as is developed with the aid of SentiWordNet 3.0: the publicly available lexical resource for opinion mining. We designed our study in order to provide an accurate classification of the so-called “neutral words” described in terms of sentiment scores and using measures from neutrosophy theory. The intended scope is to fill the gap concerning the neutrality aspect by giving precise measurements for the words’ objectivity.
Characterization of Ovine A3Z1 Restriction Properties against Small Ruminant Lentiviruses (SRLVs)
Authors: De Pablo-Maiso Lorena , Glaria Idoia , Crespo Helena , Nistal-Villán Estanislao , Andrésdóttir Valgerdur , De Andrés Damián , Amorena Beatriz , Reina Ramsés
Published: November 2017

Intrinsic factors of the innate immune system include the apolipoprotein B editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3) protein family. APOBEC3 inhibits replication of different virus families by cytosine deamination of viral DNA and a not fully characterized cytosine deamination-independent mechanism. Sheep are susceptible to small ruminant lentivirus (SRLVs) infection and contain three APOBEC3 genes encoding four proteins (A3Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z2-Z3) with yet not deeply described antiviral properties. Using sheep blood monocytes and in vitro-derived macrophages, we found that A3Z1 expression is associated with lower viral replication in this cellular type. A3Z1 transcripts may also contain spliced variants (A3Z1Tr) lacking the cytidine deaminase motif. A3Z1 exogenous expression in fully permissive fibroblast-like cells restricted SRLVs infection while A3Z1Tr allowed infection. A3Z1Tr was induced after SRLVs infection or stimulation of blood-derived macrophages with interferon gamma (IFN-γ). Interaction between truncated isoform and native A3Z1 protein was detected as well as incorporation of both proteins into virions. A3Z1 and A3Z1Tr interacted with SRLVs Vif, but this interaction was not associated with degradative properties. Similar A3Z1 truncated isoforms were also present in human and monkey cells suggesting a conserved alternative splicing regulation in primates. A3Z1-mediated retroviral restriction could be constrained by different means, including gene expression and specific alternative splicing regulation, leading to truncated protein isoforms lacking a cytidine-deaminase motif.
Epigenetic Regulation of Viral Biological Processes
Authors: Balakrishnan Lata , Milavetz Barry
Published: November 2017

It is increasingly clear that DNA viruses exploit cellular epigenetic processes to control their life cycles during infection. This review will address epigenetic regulation in members of the polyomaviruses, adenoviruses, human papillomaviruses, hepatitis B, and herpes viruses. For each type of virus, what is known about the roles of DNA methylation, histone modifications, nucleosome positioning, and regulatory RNA in epigenetic regulation of the virus infection will be discussed. The mechanisms used by certain viruses to dysregulate the host cell through manipulation of epigenetic processes and the role of cellular cofactors such as BRD4 that are known to be involved in epigenetic regulation of host cell pathways will also be covered. Specifically, this review will focus on the role of epigenetic regulation in maintaining viral episomes through the generation of chromatin, temporally controlling transcription from viral genes during the course of an infection, regulating latency and the switch to a lytic infection, and global dysregulation of cellular function.
A framework to study learning in a complex learning environment
Authors: Berglund Anders
Published: November 2017

This paper presents a framework for analysing variations in the ways in which students experience learning in complex, computer-supported environments. It involves an application of phenomenography extended to encompass the content of the learning as well as its context. Concepts from activity theory are drawn upon to enlarge the scope of phenomenography. By applying this framework, researchers, as well as course organisers, may gain insights into how courses are experienced by the participants and can thus develop these in a way that will be perceived as improvement by the course participants. Within this predominantly phenomenographic approach, the focus is upon the content of the learning experience, giving the ability to relate learning outcomes to the experience of the learning environment. Hence, insights can be gained that can help to improve learning environments and thereby outcomes. A case study illustrating the kinds of results than can be obtained when using the framework is provided.DOI: 10.1080/0968776042000211539
The habitus of digital scholars
Authors: Costa Cristina
Published: November 2017

This article concerns the Participatory Web and the impact it has on academic researchers’ perceptions of digital scholarship practices. The Participatory Web, as a space of active involvement, presence and socialisation of knowledge, has the potential to introduce significant changes to scholarly practice and to diversify it. This article draws on the findings of a narrative inquiry study that investigated the habitus of 10 digital scholars. The study uses Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, field, and social and cultural capital as a research lens. One of the main findings to come out of the study was that research participants’ approaches to digital scholarship practices are highly influenced by their online social capital, the online networks that influence their thinking and outlook on scholarly practices, including their advocacy of openness and transparency of academic practice. This article concludes by highlighting the dispositions digital scholars display in an attempt to characterise the values and beliefs that underpin their scholarly practices.Keywords: digital scholarship; habitus; social capital; cultural capital; the Participatory Web; Pierre Bourdieu(Published: 31 January 2014)Citation: Research in Learning Technology 2014, 21: 21274 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v21.21274