bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring Differential Transcriptome between Jejunal and Cecal Tissue of Broiler Chickens
Authors: Bertocchi Micol , Sirri Federico , Palumbo Orazio , Luise Diana , Maiorano Giuseppe , Bosi Paolo , Trevisi Paolo
Published: May 2019

The study proposed an exploratory functional analysis on differential gene expression of the jejunum and of cecum in chickens. For this study, 150 Ross 308 male chickens were randomly allotted in six pens (25 birds/pen) and fed the same commercial diet. From 19 birds of 42 days of age, jejunum and cecum mucosae were collected for RNA extraction for transcriptome microarray analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) submitted to DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery) and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) software evidenced enriched gene clusters for biological functions differentiated in the tissues. DAVID analysis in the jejunum showed enriched annotations for cell membrane integral components, PPAR (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor) signaling pathway, and peroxisome and lipid metabolism, and showed DEGs for gluconeogenesis, not previously reported in chicken jejunum. The cecum showed enriched annotations for disulfide bond category, cysteine and methionine metabolism, glycoprotein category, cell cycle, and extracellular matrix (ECM). GSEA analysis in the jejunum showed peroxisome and PPAR signaling pathway-related gene sets, as found with DAVID, and gene sets for immune regulation, tryptophan and histidine metabolism, and renin–angiotensin system, like in mammals. The cecum showed cell cycle and regulation processes, as well as ECM receptor interaction and focal adhesion-related gene sets. Typical intestinal functions specific for the gut site and interesting functional genes groups emerged, revealing tissue-related key aspects which future studies might take advantage of.
Effects of Separation of Cows and Calves on Reproductive Performance and Animal Welfare in Tropical Beef Cattle
Authors: Orihuela Agustín , Galina Carlos S.
Published: May 2019

Nursing a calf suppresses postpartum ovarian activity prolonging the period of anestrus. Diverse methods are used to reduce the effect of suckling; the most popular, restricted suckling, reduces the number of encounters mother-calf. Temporal weaning of the calf for periods of 24 h, 48 h, or even 72 h also suppress the effect of suckling and is commonly applied to cow-calf operations in the tropics. Early weaning of the calf, usually three to five months after birth, is a practice gaining popularity over the traditional system of weaning at seven months. Furthermore, the use of nose-flaps in the calf to avoid suckling is a common procedure in South America. Finally, weaning during the first week after calving is an established method to reduce postpartum anestrus. The objective of the present review is to discuss the effects of these methods on the reproductive performance of beef cattle and their animal welfare implications.
A Single Dose of Fat-Based Energy Supplement to Light Birth Weight Pigs Shortly After Birth Does Not Increase Their Survival and Growth
Authors: Schmitt Océane , Baxter Emma , Lawlor Peadar , Boyle Laura , O’Driscoll Keelin
Published: May 2019

Low birth weight piglets are at high risk of mortality, because of the rapid depletion of their energy reserves after birth. At 3 h postpartum, 405 piglets weighing <1.1 kg were either dosed orally with 2 mL of (1) coconut oil (CO, 74 kJ/2 mL, n = 107 piglets), (2) commercial product (CP, 71 kJ/2 mL, n = 101 piglets), (3) water (W, 0 kJ/2 mL, n = 100 piglets) or (4) were sham-dosed (S, n = 97 piglets). Treatments were applied within litter (97 sows). Before treatment piglets were weighed, scored for vitality and blood glucose concentration (subset: CO = 45 piglets, CP = 38 piglets, W = 49 piglets and S = 44 piglets) and rectal temperature were measured. Rectal temperature was remeasured 1 h post-treatment (4 h postpartum). At 24 h post-treatment (27 h postpartum), vitality, weight and blood glucose were remeasured. Piglets were weighed on D5, D7, D10, D14, D21 and at weaning (27 ± 0.1 day old). Mortality rate and cause were recorded until 24h period post-treatment and until weaning. Data were analysed using Generalised Linear Mixed Models in SAS. There was no overall effect of treatment on any of the parameters measured. In conclusion, a single oral of fat-based energy supplement dose at birth did not improve growth, survival, rectal temperature or vitality of low birth weight piglets.
A Review of the Use of Artificial Neural Network Models for Energy and Reliability Prediction. A Study of the Solar PV, Hydraulic and Wind Energy Sources
Authors: Ferrero Bermejo Jesús , Gómez Fernández Juan F. , Olivencia Polo Fernando , Crespo Márquez Adolfo
Published: May 2019

The generation of energy from renewable sources is subjected to very dynamic changes in environmental parameters and asset operating conditions. This is a very relevant issue to be considered when developing reliability studies, modeling asset degradation and projecting renewable energy production. To that end, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models have proven to be a very interesting tool, and there are many relevant and interesting contributions using ANN models, with different purposes, but somehow related to real-time estimation of asset reliability and energy generation. This document provides a precise review of the literature related to the use of ANN when predicting behaviors in energy production for the referred renewable energy sources. Special attention is paid to describe the scope of the different case studies, the specific approaches that were used over time, and the main variables that were considered. Among all contributions, this paper highlights those incorporating intelligence to anticipate reliability problems and to develop ad-hoc advanced maintenance policies. The purpose is to offer the readers an overall picture per energy source, estimating the significance that this tool has achieved over the last years, and identifying the potential of these techniques for future dependability analysis.
A Least Squares Ensemble Model Based on Regularization and Augmentation Strategy
Authors: Zhang Peng , Zhang Shuyou , Liu Xiaojian , Qiu Lemiao , Yi Guodong
Published: May 2019

Surrogate models are often used as alternatives to considerably reduce the computational burden of the expensive computer simulations that are required for engineering designs. The development of surrogate models for complex relationships between the parameters often requires the modeling of high-dimensional functions with limited information, and it is challenging to choose an effective surrogate model over the unknown design space. To this end, the ensemble models—combined with different surrogate models—offer effective solutions. This paper presents a new ensemble model based on the least squares method, which is a regularization strategy and an augmentation strategy; we call the model the regularized least squares ensemble model (RLS-EM). Three individual surrogate models—Kriging, radial basis function, and support vector regression—are used to compose the RLS-EM. Further, the weight factors are estimated by the least squares method without using the global or local error metrics, which are used in most existing methods. To solve the collinearity in the least squares calculation process, a regularization strategy and an augmentation strategy are developed. The two strategies help explore the unknown regions and improve the accuracy on one hand; on the other hand, the collinearity can be reduced, and the overfitting phenomenon that may occur can be avoided. Six numerical functions, from two-dimensional to 12-dimensional, and a computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine bed design problem are used to verify the proposed method. The results of the numerical examples show that RLS-EM saves a considerable amount of computation time while ensuring the same level of robustness and accuracy compared with other ensemble models. The RLS-EM used for the CNC milling machine bed design problem also shows good accuracy characteristics compared with other ensemble methods.
A Distributed Algorithm for Fast Mining Frequent Patterns in Limited and Varying Network Bandwidth Environments
Authors: Lin Chun-Cheng , Li Wei-Ching , Chen Ju-Chin , Chung Wen-Yu , Chung Sheng-Hao , Lin Kawuu W.
Published: May 2019

Data mining is a set of methods used to mine hidden information from data. It mainly includes frequent pattern mining, sequential pattern mining, classification, and clustering. Frequent pattern mining is used to discover the correlation among various sets of items within large databases. The rapid upward trend in data size slows the mining of frequent patterns. Numerous studies have attempted to develop algorithms that operate in distributed computing environments to accelerate the mining process. FLR-mining (Fast, Load balancing and Resource efficient mining algorithm) is one of the fastest methods of mining with efficient consideration of load balancing and resources. FLR-mining can automatically determine the appropriate number of computing nodes. However, FLR-mining and existing methods assume that the network bandwidth is constant. In practical distributed and many-task computing systems, this assumption fails because there are packet collisions caused by many mining tasks that run in a simultaneous manner. Therefore, a method that can consider the varying network bandwidth is necessary. In this study, we propose a method that can rapidly mine frequent patterns under the varying network bandwidth. The proposed method can also determine the appropriate number of computing nodes to efficiently utilize computing resources and achieve load balancing. Through empirical evaluation, the proposed method is shown to deliver excellent performance in terms of execution efficiency and load balancing.
Parallel Image Captioning Using 2D Masked Convolution
Authors: Poleak Chanrith , Kwon Jangwoo
Published: May 2019

Automatically generating a novel description of an image is a challenging and important problem that brings together advanced research in both computer vision and natural language processing. In recent years, image captioning has significantly improved its performance by using long short-term memory (LSTM) as a decoder for the language model. However, despite this improvement, LSTM itself has its own shortcomings as a model because the structure is complicated and its nature is inherently sequential. This paper proposes a model using a simple convolutional network for both encoder and decoder functions of image captioning, instead of the current state-of-the-art approach. Our experiment with this model on a Microsoft Common Objects in Context (MSCOCO) captioning dataset yielded results that are competitive with the state-of-the-art image captioning model across different evaluation metrics, while having a much simpler model and enabling parallel graphics processing unit (GPU) computation during training, resulting in a faster training time.
Myocardial Infarction Classification Based on Convolutional Neural Network and Recurrent Neural Network
Authors: Feng Kai , Pi Xitian , Liu Hongying , Sun Kai
Published: May 2019

Myocardial infarction is one of the most threatening cardiovascular diseases for human beings. With the rapid development of wearable devices and portable electrocardiogram (ECG) medical devices, it is possible and conceivable to detect and monitor myocardial infarction ECG signals in time. This paper proposed a multi-channel automatic classification algorithm combining a 16-layer convolutional neural network (CNN) and long-short term memory network (LSTM) for I-lead myocardial infarction ECG. The algorithm preprocessed the raw data to first extract the heartbeat segments; then it was trained in the multi-channel CNN and LSTM to automatically learn the acquired features and complete the myocardial infarction ECG classification. We utilized the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) database for algorithm verification, and obtained an accuracy rate of 95.4%, a sensitivity of 98.2%, a specificity of 86.5%, and an F1 score of 96.8%, indicating that the model can achieve good classification performance without complex handcrafted features.
Influence of N2/O2 Partial Pressure Ratio during Channel Layer Deposition on the Temperature and Light Stability of a-InGaZnO TFTs
Authors: Huang Xiaoming , Zhou Dong , Xu Weizong
Published: May 2019

The electrical characteristics of amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) thin film transistors (TFTs) deposited with different N2/O2 partial pressure ratios (PN/O) are investigated. It is found that the device with 20% PN/O exhibits enhanced electrical stability after positive-bias-stress temperature (PBST) and negative-bias-stress illumination (NBSI), presenting decreased threshold voltage drift (ΔVth). Compared to the N-free TFT, the average effective interface barrier energy (Eτ) of the TFT with 20% PN/O is increased from 0.37 eV to 0.57 eV during the bias-stress process, which agrees with the suppressed ΔVth from 3.0 V to 1.12 V after the PBS at T = 70 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that the enhanced stability of the a-IGZO TFT with 20% PN/O should be ascribed to the control of oxygen vacancy defects at the interfacial region.
Monitoring of the Human Body Signal through the Internet of Things (IoT) Based LoRa Wireless Network System
Authors: Shahidul Islam Mohammad , Islam Mohammad Tariqul , Almutairi Ali F. , Beng Gan Kok , Misran Norbahiah , Amin Nowshad
Published: May 2019

Internet of Things (IoT) based healthcare system is now at the top peak because of its potentialities among all other IoT applications. Supporting sensors integrated with IoT healthcare can effectively analyze and gather the patients’ physical health data that has made the IoT based healthcare ubiquitously acceptable. A set of challenges including the continuous presence of the healthcare professionals and staff as well as the proper amenities in remote areas during emergency situations need to be addressed for developing a flexible IoT based healthcare system. Besides that, the human entered data are not as reliable as automated generated data. The development of the IoT based health monitoring system allows a personalized treatment in certain circumstances that helps to reduce the healthcare cost and wastage with a continuous improving outcome. We present an IoT based health monitoring system using the MySignals development shield with (Low power long range) LoRa wireless network system. Electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, body temperature sensor, pulse rate, and oxygen saturation sensor have been used with MySignals and LoRa. Evaluating the performances and effectiveness of the sensors and wireless platform devices are also analyzed in this paper by applying physiological data analysis methodology and statistical analysis. MySignals enables the stated sensors to gather physical data. The aim is to transmit the gathered data from MySignals to a personal computer by implementing a wireless system with LoRa. The results show that MySignals is successfully interfaced with the ECG, temperature, oxygen saturation, and pulse rate sensors. The communication with the hyper-terminal program using LoRa has been implemented and an IoT based healthcare system is being developed in MySignals platform with the expected results getting from the sensors.
Building Solar Cells from Nanocrystal Inks
Authors: Luo Kaiying , Wu Wanhua , Xie Sihang , Jiang Yasi , Liao Shengzu , Qin Donghuan
Published: May 2019

The use of solution-processed photovoltaics is a low cost, low material-consuming way to harvest abundant solar energy. Organic semiconductors based on perovskite or colloidal quantum dot photovoltaics have been well developed in recent years; however, stability is still an important issue for these photovoltaic devices. By combining solution processing, chemical treatment, and sintering technology, compact and efficient CdTe nanocrystal (NC) solar cells can be fabricated with high stability by optimizing the architecture of devices. Here, we review the progress on solution-processed CdTe NC-based photovoltaics. We focus particularly on NC materials and the design of devices that provide a good p–n junction quality, a graded bandgap for extending the spectrum response, and interface engineering to decrease carrier recombination. We summarize the progress in this field and give some insight into device processing, including element doping, new hole transport material application, and the design of new devices.
Addressing Complete New Item Cold-Start Recommendation: A Niche Item-Based Collaborative Filtering via Interrelationship Mining
Authors: Zhang Zhi-Peng , Kudo Yasuo , Murai Tetsuya , Ren Yong-Gong
Published: May 2019

Recommender system (RS) can be used to provide personalized recommendations based on the different tastes of users. Item-based collaborative filtering (IBCF) has been successfully applied to modern RSs because of its excellent performance, but it is susceptible to the new item cold-start problem, especially when a new item has no rating records (complete new item cold-start). Motivated by this, we propose a niche approach which applies interrelationship mining into IBCF in this paper. The proposed approach utilizes interrelationship mining to extract new binary relations between each pair of item attributes, and constructs interrelated attributes to rich the available information on a new item. Further, similarity, computed using interrelated attributes, can reflect characteristics between new items and others more accurately. Some significant properties, as well as the usage of interrelated attributes, are provided in detail. Experimental results obtained suggest that the proposed approach can effectively solve the complete new item cold-start problem of IBCF and can be used to provide new item recommendations with satisfactory accuracy and diversity in modern RSs.
Comprehensive Study of Cross-Section Dependent Effective Masses for Silicon Based Gate-All-Around Transistors
Authors: Badami Oves , Medina-Bailon Cristina , Berrada Salim , Carrillo-Nunez Hamilton , Lee Jaeyhun , Georgiev Vihar , Asenov Asen
Published: May 2019

The use of bulk effective masses in simulations of the modern-day ultra-scaled transistor is erroneous due to the strong dependence of the band structure on the cross-section dimensions and shape. This has to be accounted for in transport simulations due to the significant impact of the effective masses on quantum confinement effects and mobility. In this article, we present a methodology for the extraction of the electron effective masses, in both confinement and the transport directions, from the simulated electronic band structure of the nanowire channel. This methodology has been implemented in our in-house three-dimensional (3D) simulation engine, NESS (Nano-Electronic Simulation Software). We provide comprehensive data for the effective masses of the silicon-based nanowire transistors (NWTs) with technologically relevant cross-sectional area and transport orientations. We demonstrate the importance of the correct effective masses by showing its impact on mobility and transfer characteristics.
A Low-Profile Wideband Monocone Antenna Using Bent Shorting Strips
Authors: Keum Kyo-Seung , Park Young-Mi , Choi Jae-Hoon
Published: May 2019

A low-profile wideband monocone antenna with bent shorting strips, and parasitic and circular sleeves is proposed. By loading the bent shorting strips, parasitic sleeves, and circular sleeves, miniaturization of the antenna is achieved. Along with bent shorting strips from the monocone hat to the ground plane, parasitic sleeves, and circular sleeves are mounted to enhance the impedance bandwidth. From the experimental results, the –10 dB reflection coefficient bandwidth of the proposed antenna ranges from 810 MHz to 5340 MHz. In addition to the wide bandwidth characteristics, the proposed antenna has highly desirable omnidirectional radiation properties for wireless communication systems.
Direct Measurement of Heat Produced during Drilling for Implant Site Preparation
Authors: Kim Yongsoo , Ju Sungwon , Kim MinJu , Park Minsu , Jun Sangho , Ahn Jinsoo
Published: May 2019

The aim of this study was to directly measure the temperature of the drill during implant site preparation. The measured temperature was compared to that previously reported inside the bone. The temperature change of the drill was measured using a thermocouple inserted inside the stainless steel drill using an 18-gauge needle and mercury-containing slip ring. Three thermocouples were inserted into the bone with different depths of 10 mm, 5 mm and 1 mm. The thermocouple was 0.5 mm away from the periphery of the drilled hole with a diameter of 3.4 mm. The drill rotating speed varied from 500 rpm to 2000 rpm. Each drilling procedure was performed 10 times, and the average was calculated. The temperature of the drill increased rapidly, and the thermocouples in the bone reached a maximum temperature after the drill temperature started to decrease. The maximum inner temperature of the bone was the highest at a depth of 10 mm. The patterns of the temperature change were similar at different rotating speeds. The actual maximum temperature at the drill and bone interface was significantly higher than the temperature measured inside the bone in previous reports.
Toward Operations in a Surgical Scenario: Characterization of a Microgripper via Light Microscopy Approach
Authors: Vurchio Federica , Ursi Pietro , Orsini Francesco , Scorza Andrea , Crescenzi Rocco , Sciuto Salvatore A. , Belfiore Nicola P.
Published: May 2019

Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)-Technology based micro mechanisms usually operate within a protected or encapsulated space and, before that, they are fabricated and analyzed within one Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) vacuum specimen chamber. However, a surgical scenario is much more aggressive and requires several higher abilities in the microsystem, such as the capability of operating within a liquid or wet environment, accuracy, reliability and sophisticated packaging. Unfortunately, testing and characterizing MEMS experimentally without fundamental support of a SEM is rather challenging. This paper shows that in spite of large difficulties due to well-known physical limits, the optical microscope is still able to play an important role in MEMS characterization at room conditions. This outcome is supported by the statistical analysis of two series of measurements, obtained by a light trinocular microscope and a profilometer, respectively.
Bioconcentration, Potential Health Risks, and a Receptor Prediction Model of Metal(loid)s in a Particular Agro-Ecological Area
Authors: Cai Kui , Song Zefeng
Published: May 2019

To investigate the bioconcentration and potential health risks of metal(loid)s in a particular agro-ecological area, 230 pairs of soil and corresponding crop grain samples were collected from typical corn and wheat plants. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), bioconcentration factors (BCF), health risk assessment (the target hazard quotient), and Receptor Prediction Model (PCS-SMLR) analysis were adopted to study the spatial distribution, assess the health risks, and predict the relationship between metal(loid)s and soil properties. It was found that the mean concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb, Hg, and Cd in the study area’s agricultural soils exceeded the background soil concentrations, especially for Cd (0.2 mg/kg), Meanwhile, the corresponding Cd concentration in wheat samples was higher than the food quality limit. The results of the Igeo showed that the samples with a value higher than 0 for Cd and Hg accounted for 47.83% and 33.48%, respectively. The results of BCF of Cu, Zn, Cd, and As were higher in wheat than in corn, except for Ni. The target hazard quotient (TTHQ) of health risk of wheat, corn, and soil were higher for children (2.48) than adults (1.78), showing a potential health risk for individuals who mostly consume wheat. In addition, the PCS-SMLR analysis of the BCF prediction model for Cu, Zn, As, and soil properties showed differences in terms of the influences from wheat and corn. These results provide valuable information that not only can help local residents improve the staple food structure, but also can get provide a reference metal(loid)s concentration level for agricultural soils in the study area and restore a sustainable agro-ecological environment.
Spinning Disk Reactor Technique for the Synthesis of Nanometric Sulfur TiO2Core–Shell Powder for Lithium Batteries
Authors: Dell’Era Alessandro , Scaramuzzo Francesca A. , Stoller Marco , Lupi Carla , Rossi Marco , Passeri Daniele , Pasquali Mauro
Published: May 2019

Sulfur/lithium battery performances are strictly related to the morphology and nanostructure of sulfur particles. In this work, a comparison of the morphological characteristics and electrochemical properties of electrodes based on colloidal sulfur (CS) obtained by means of traditional chemical precipitation from aqueous solution and via spinning disk reactor (SDR) has been performed. In particular, through the SDR technique and by using different fluid dynamic conditions, it was possible to obtain monodisperse and nanometricsulfurparticles with higher electrochemical performances when used as the cathodic active material in lithium batteries. Moreover, a method to produce core–shell nanoparticles with sulfur and titanium dioxide, starting from a colloidal sulfur (S8) solution and produced by SDR, has been performed, obtaining good electrochemical results. In particular, the nanometric sulfur powder produced by the SDR technique showed a capacity higher than CS after 100 cycles, even if the capacity decreased rapidly in both cases. Instead, considering the core–shell S–TiO2 material, the nanostructured electrode allowed a wide use of active material and a reduced capacity decay during cycling. Specifically, the material showed an initial capacity of 1395 mAh/g, i.e., representing 83% of the theoretical value, which decreased during operation up to 450 mAh/g after about 30 cycles. Then, the material capacity remained unchanged and no substantial loss of capacity was recorded up to 100th cycle.
Superhydrophobic/Flame Retardant/EMI Shielding Fabrics: Manufacturing Techniques and Property Evaluations
Authors: Peng Hao-Kai , Wang Yanting , Li Ting-Ting , Lou Ching-Wen , He Qi , Lin Jia-Horng
Published: May 2019

Electromagnetic pollution interferes with electronic equipment in proximity and jeopardizes human health, which urges the development of electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. It is urgent to develop electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. However, the preparation of materials with superhydrophobicity, flame retardancy and EMI shielding properties is still challenging. In this study, we invented a core-spun yarn feeding device, which uses polysulfonamide (PSA) roving as a coating material and stainless steel wire as the core material to prepare a conductive core-spun yarn, which solves the problem of the wire having an easily exposed fabric surface. The finally prepared conductive fabric was subjected to Waterproof 2P hydrophobic treatment to form a superhydrophobic flame-retardant EMI shielding fabric. The results show that the hydrophobic treatment creates a thin film over the woven fabrics, and the contact angle of the fabric surface can reach 155°. The hydrophobic treatment will not damage the shielding effect and slightly increase the dB value. The average dB value of PSA-SS-1’ and PSA-SS-2’ are increased by 0.82 dB and 1.92 dB, respectively. When composed of conductive wrapped yarns for both the warp and weft yarns, the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of conductive fabrics is beyond 30 dB at 0–3000 MHz and the burnt depth is shorter than 40 mm. As for real applications, superhydrophobic/flame retardant/EMI SE fabrics can be used in a moist and complex environment with retaining conductivity and shielding effectiveness.
Ice Nucleation in the Atmosphere
Authors: Grothe Hinrich
Published: May 2019

Ice particles in the atmosphere contribute to the largest uncertainty in interpretations of the Earth’s changing energy budget [...]
Evaluating the Accuracy of a Gridded Near-Surface Temperature Dataset over Mainland China
Authors: Qiu Meijuan , Liu Buchun , Liu Yuan , Zhang Yueying , Han Shuai
Published: May 2019

High-resolution meteorological data products are crucial for agrometeorological studies. Here, we study the accuracy of an important gridded dataset, the near-surface temperature dataset from the 5 km × 5 km resolution China dataset of meteorological forcing for land surface modeling (published by the Beijing Normal University). Using both the gridded dataset and the observed temperature data from 590 meteorological stations, we calculate nine universal meteorological indices (mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures of daily, monthly, and annual data) and five agricultural thermal indices (first frost day, last frost day, frost-free period, and ≥0 °C and ≥10 °C active accumulated temperature, i.e., AAT0 and AAT10) of the 11 temperature zones over mainland China. Then, for each meteorological index, we calculate the root mean square errors (RMSEs), correlation coefficient and climate trend rates of the two datasets. The results show that the RMSEs of these indices are usually lower in the north subtropical, mid-subtropical, south subtropical, marginal tropical and mid-tropical zones than in the plateau subfrigid, plateau temperate, and plateau subtropical mountains zones. Over mainland China, the AAT0, AAT10, and mean and maximum temperatures calculated from the gridded data show the same climate trends with those derived from the observed data, while the minimum temperature and its derivations (first frost day, last frost day, and frost-free period) show the opposite trends in many areas. Thus, the mean and maximum temperature data derived from the gridded dataset are applicable for studies in most parts of China, but caution should be taken when using the minimum temperature data.
Atmospheric Response to Oceanic Cold Eddies West of Luzon in the Northern South China Sea
Authors: Liu Haoya , Chen Shumin , Li Weibiao , Fang Rong , Li Zhuo , Wu Yushi
Published: May 2019

Using the compositing method, two kinds of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with mesoscale ocean eddies and their effects on the atmosphere over the northern South China Sea were investigated. We focused on Luzon cold eddies (LCEs), which form during the winter monsoon and occur repeatedly to the west of Luzon Island, where a SST front exists. Using satellite and reanalysis data, 20 LCEs from 2000–2016 were classified into two types according to their impact on the atmosphere. One type consisted of cold SST anomalies within the eddy interior; subsequent turbulent heat flux and surface wind speed decreased over the cold core, presenting a monopole pattern. The second type comprised SST anomalies on either side of the eddy, which mostly propagated along the SST front. For this type of LCEs, cyclonic eddy currents acting on the SST front led to the SST anomalies. They produced a dipole, with surface wind deceleration and acceleration over negative and positive SST anomalies, respectively, on either side of the eddy’s flank. Dynamically, for both types of LCE, a vertical mixing mechanism appeared to be responsible for the wind anomalies. Moreover, anomalous vertical circulations developed over the LCEs that extended over the whole boundary layer and penetrated into the free atmosphere, leading to an anomalous convective rain rate. Quantitatively, the surface wind speed changed linearly with SST; atmospheric anomalies related to LCEs explained 5%–14% of the total daily variance.
Spatiotemporal Change of Plum Rains in the Yangtze River Delta and Its Relation with EASM, ENSO, and PDO During the Period of 1960–2012
Authors: Zhu Nina , Xu Jianhua , Li Kaiming , Luo Yang , Yang Dongyang , Zhou Cheng
Published: May 2019

The Plum Rains process is a complex process, and its spatiotemporal variations and influencing factors on different time scales still need further study. Based on a dataset on the Plum Rains in the Yangtze River Delta, from 33 meteorological stations during the period of 1960 to 2012, we investigated the spatiotemporal variations of Plum Rains and their relation with the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM), the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) using an integrated approach that combines ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), empirical orthogonal function (EOF), and correlation analysis. The main conclusions were as follows: (1) the plum rainfall (i.e., the rainfall during the period of Plum Rains) showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing, and it had a three-year and six-year cycle on the inter-annual scale and a 13-year and 33-year cycle on the inter-decadal scale. The effect of the onset and termination of Plum Rains and the daily intensity of plum rainfall on plum rainfall on the inter-annual scale was greater than the inter-decadal scale, (2) the EOF analysis of plum rainfall revealed a dominant basin-wide in-phase pattern (EOF1) and a north-south out-of-phase pattern (EOF2), and (3) ENSO and EASM were the main influencing factors in the three-year and six-year periods, respectively.
The South Atlantic–South Indian Ocean Pattern: a Zonally Oriented Teleconnection along the Southern Hemisphere Westerly Jet in Austral Summer
Authors: Lin Zhongda
Published: May 2019

Extratropical teleconnections significantly affect the climate in subtropical and mid-latitude regions. Understanding the variability of atmospheric teleconnection in the Southern Hemisphere, however, is still limited in contrast with the well-documented counterpart in the Northern Hemisphere. This study investigates the interannual variability of mid-latitude circulation in the Southern Hemisphere in austral summer based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset during 1980–2016. A stationary mid-latitude teleconnection is revealed along the strong Southern Hemisphere westerly jet over the South Atlantic and South Indian Ocean (SAIO). The zonally oriented SAIO pattern represents the first EOF mode of interannual variability of meridional winds at 200 hPa over the region, with a vertical barotropic structure and a zonal wavenumber of 4. It significantly modulates interannual climate variations in the subtropical Southern Hemisphere in austral summer, especially the opposite change in rainfall and surface air temperature between Northwest and Southeast Australia. The SAIO pattern can be efficiently triggered by divergences over mid-latitude South America and the southwest South Atlantic, near the entrance of the westerly jet, which is probably related to the zonal shift of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone. The triggered wave train is then trapped within the Southern Hemisphere westerly jet waveguide and propagates eastward until it diverts northeastward towards Australia at the jet exit, in addition to portion of which curving equatorward at approximately 50° E towards the southwest Indian Ocean.
Generating Root-Finder Iterative Methods of Second Order: Convergence and Stability
Authors: Chicharro Francisco I. , Cordero Alicia , Garrido Neus , Torregrosa Juan R.
Published: May 2019

In this paper, a simple family of one-point iterative schemes for approximating the solutions of nonlinear equations, by using the procedure of weight functions, is derived. The convergence analysis is presented, showing the sufficient conditions for the weight function. Many known schemes are members of this family for particular choices of the weight function. The dynamical behavior of one of these choices is presented, analyzing the stability of the fixed points and the critical points of the rational function obtained when the iterative expression is applied on low degree polynomials. Several numerical tests are given to compare different elements of the proposed family on non-polynomial problems.
De novo Characterization of the Platycladus orientalis Transcriptome and Analysis of Photosynthesis-Related Genes during Aging
Authors: Chang Ermei , Zhang Jin , Yao Xiamei , Tang Shuo , Zhao Xiulian , Deng Nan , Shi Shengqing , Liu Jianfeng , Jiang Zeping
Published: May 2019

In China, Platycladus orientalis has a lifespan of thousands of years. The long lifespan of these trees may be relevant for the characterization of plant aging at the molecular level. However, the molecular mechanism of the aging process of P. orientalis is still unknown. To explore the relationship between age and growth of P. orientalis, we analyzed physiological changes during P. orientalis senescence. The malondialdehyde content was greater in 200-, 700-, and 1100-year-old ancient trees than in 20-year-old trees, whereas the peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities, as well as the soluble protein content, exhibited the opposite trend. Furthermore, we performed a de novo transcriptome assembly using RNA-Seq and obtained 48,044 unigenes with an average length of 896 bp. A total of 418 differentially expressed genes were identified in different stages of aging of P. orientalis. Clustering analysis revealed distinct timepoints at which the oxidation–reduction and photosynthesis pathways changed. Eight clusters with distinct expression patterns were identified. The expression levels of photosynthesis-, oxidation–reduction-, and transporter-related genes were down-regulated, whereas those of transcription-, signaling-, and senescence-related genes were up-regulated during aging. In addition, consistent with the most obviously down-regulated genes of photosynthesis-related genes, the photosynthetic indexes including chlorophyll a and b levels decreased steadily during P. orientalis aging. This study combined transcriptome with physiological and biochemical data, revealing potential candidate genes influencing senescence during P. orientalis aging.
No Ontogenetic Shifts in C-, N- and P-Allocation for Two Distinct Tree Species along Elevational Gradients in the Swiss Alps
Authors: Liu Jian-Feng , Jiang Ze-Ping , Schaub Marcus , Gessler Arthur , Ni Yan-Yan , Xiao Wen-Fa , Li Mai-He
Published: May 2019

Most of our knowledge about forest responses to global environmental changes is based on experiments with seedlings/saplings grown in artificially controlled conditions. We do not know whether this knowledge will allow us to upscale to larger and mature trees growing in situ. In the present study, we used elevation as a proxy of various environmental factors, to examine whether there are ontogenetic differences in carbon and nutrient allocation of two major treeline species (Pinus cembra L. and Larix decidua Mill.) along elevational gradients (i.e., environmental gradient) in the Swiss alpine treeline ecotone (~300 m interval). Young and adult trees grown at the same elevation had similar levels of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs), total nitrogen (TN), and phosphorus (TP), except for August leaf sugars and August leaf TP in P. cembra at the treeline. We did not detect any interaction between tree age and elevation on tissue concentration of NSCs, TN, and TP across leaf, shoot, and root tissues for both species, indicating that saplings and mature trees did not differ in their carbon and nutrient responses to elevation (i.e., no ontogenetic differences). With respect to carbon and nutrient allocation strategies, our results show that young and adult trees of both deciduous and evergreen tree species respond similarly to environmental changes, suggesting that knowledge gained from controlled experiments with saplings can be upscaled to adult trees, at least if the light is not limited. This finding advances our understanding of plants’ adaptation strategies and has considerable implications for future model-developments.
Effect of Long-Term vs. Short-Term Ambient Ozone Exposure on Radial Stem Growth, Sap Flux and Xylem Morphology of O3-Sensitive Poplar Trees
Authors: Giovannelli Alessio , Traversi Maria Laura , Anichini Monica , Hoshika Yasutomo , Fares Silvano , Paoletti Elena
Published: May 2019

High ozone (O3) pollution impairs the carbon and water balance of trees, which is of special interest in planted forests. However, the effect of long-term O3 exposure on tree growth and water use, little remains known. In this study, we analysed the relationships of intra-annual stem growth pattern, seasonal sap flow dynamics and xylem morphology to assess the effect of long term O3 exposure of mature O3-sensitive hybrid poplars (‘Oxford’ clone). Rooted cuttings were planted in autumn 2007 and drip irrigated with 2 liters of water as ambient O3 treatment, or 450 ppm ethylenediurea (N-[2-(2-oxo-1-imidazolidinyl)ethyl]-N0-phenylurea, abbreviated as EDU) solution as O3 protection treatment over all growing seasons. During 2013, point dendrometers and heat pulses were installed to monitor radial growth, stem water relations and sap flow. Ambient O3 did not affect growth rates, even if the seasonal culmination point was 20 days earlier on average than that recorded in the O3 protected trees. Under ambient O3, trees showed reduced seasonal sap flow, however, the lower water use was due to a decrease of Huber value (decrease of leaf area for sapwood unit) rather than to a change in xylem morphology or due to a direct effect of sluggish stomatal responses on transpiration. Under high evaporative demand and ambient O3 concentrations, trees showed a high use of internal stem water resources modulated by stomatal sluggishness, thus predisposing them to be more sensitive water deficit during summer. The results of this study help untangle the compensatory mechanisms involved in the acclimation processes of forest species to long-term O3 exposure in a context of global change.
Microsite Effects on Physiological Performance of Betula ermanii at and Beyond an Alpine Treeline Site on Changbai Mountain in Northeast China
Authors: Yu Dapao , Wang Qingwei , Wang Xiaoyu , Dai Limin , Li Maihe
Published: May 2019

The alpine treeline demarcates the temperature-limited upper elevational boundary of the tree life form. However, this treeline does not always occur exclusively as a sharp “line”, outposts of tree groups (OTG) with a height of at least 3 m are often observed in microsites up to several hundred meters beyond the line of continuous forest on some mountains. This suggests that other factors such as microenvironment may play a significant role in compensating for the alpine tree facing growth-limiting low temperature conditions. To test the microenvironment effects, this study compared the differences in growing conditions (climate and soil properties) and ecophysiological performance of Erman’s birch (Betula ermanii Cham.) trees growing in a continuous treeline site (CTL, ~1950 m above sea level, a.s.l.) and OTGs (~2050 m a.s.l.) on Changbai Mountain in northeastern China. The results show the average 2-m air temperature for OTG was slightly lower in the non-growing season than which at the CTL (−10.2 °C < −8.4 °C), there was no difference in growing season air temperature and soil temperature at 10 cm depth between CTL and OTG. The contents of focal soil nutrients in CTL and OTG were similar. Difference in K and Mn contents between sites were detected in leaves, difference in K, Mn, and Zn in shoots. However, comparing similarity of ecophysiological performances at an individual level, trees at CTL and OTG show no significant difference. Our study reveals that mature trees at the CTL and OTG experience generally similar environmental conditions (climate and soil properties) and exhibit similar overall ecophysiological performance (reflected in carbon reserves and nutrients). This might provide insight into how mature trees might be able to survive in areas higher than the continuous treeline, as well as the importance of microclimatic amelioration provided by protective microsites and the trees themselves.
A Lightweight Elliptic-Elgamal-Based Authentication Scheme for Secure Device-to-Device Communication
Authors: Abro Adeel , Deng Zhongliang , Memon Kamran Ali
Published: May 2019

Device-to-Device (D2D) is a major part of 5G that will facilitate deployments with extended coverage where devices can act as users or relays. These relays normally act as decode and forward relays (semi-intelligent devices) with limited computational and storage capabilities. However, introducing such a technology, where users can act as relays, presents a wide range of security threats, in particular, rogue relay devices or man in the middle attacks (M-I-T-M). Second, passing fewer control messages is always advisable when considering authenticity and secrecy. To mitigate M-I-T-M and to reduce communication costs, this paper presents a lightweight elliptic-ElGamal-based authentication scheme using PKI (FHEEP) in D2D communication. Pollard’s rho and Baby Step, Giant Step (BSGS) methods are used to evaluate the authenticity and secrecy of our proposed scheme. The communication cost is calculated based on the comparative analysis indicating that our proposed scheme outperforms the baseline protocol. The proposed scheme can be used for any infrastructure architecture that will enhance the security of any D2D settings with better performance.
Novel Approach to Task Scheduling and Load Balancing Using the Dominant Sequence Clustering and Mean Shift Clustering Algorithms
Authors: Al-Rahayfeh Amer , Atiewi Saleh , Abuhussein Abdullah , Almiani Muder
Published: May 2019

Cloud computing (CC) is fast-growing and frequently adopted in information technology (IT) environments due to the benefits it offers. Task scheduling and load balancing are amongst the hot topics in the realm of CC. To overcome the shortcomings of the existing task scheduling and load balancing approaches, we propose a novel approach that uses dominant sequence clustering (DSC) for task scheduling and a weighted least connection (WLC) algorithm for load balancing. First, users’ tasks are clustered using the DSC algorithm, which represents user tasks as graph of one or more clusters. After task clustering, each task is ranked using Modified Heterogeneous Earliest Finish Time (MHEFT) algorithm. where the highest priority task is scheduled first. Afterwards, virtual machines (VM) are clustered using a mean shift clustering (MSC) algorithm using kernel functions. Load balancing is subsequently performed using a WLC algorithm, which distributes the load based on server weight and capacity as well as client connectivity to server. A highly weighted or least connected server is selected for task allocation, which in turn increases the response time. Finally, we evaluate the proposed architecture using metrics such as response time, makespan, resource utilization, and service reliability.
Electrohydrodynamic Drying of Chinese Wolfberry in a Multiple Needle-to-Plate Electrode System
Authors: Ni Jiabao , Ding Changjiang , Zhang Yaming , Song Zhiqing , Hu Xiuzhen , Hao Tingjie
Published: May 2019

In order to systematically and comprehensively investigate electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying characteristics and mechanisms in a multiple needle-to-plate electrode system, drying experiments of Chinese wolfberry were conducted by blocking ionic wind and changing needle spacing in a multiple needle-to-plate electrode system. Drying characteristics, quality parameters, and the microstructure of Chinese wolfberry fruits were measured. Results show that ionic wind plays a very important role during the drying process. Drying rates of different needle spacing treatments are significantly higher than that of the control, and the drying rate decreases with the increase of needle spacing. Needle spacing has a great influence on the speed of ionic wind, rehydration rate, and polysaccharide contents. The effective moisture diffusion coefficient and the electrical conductivity disintegration index decreases with an increase in needle spacing. Ionic wind has a great influence on the effective moisture diffusion coefficient and the electrical conductivity disintegration index of Chinese wolfberry fruits. The microstructure of Chinese wolfberry fruits dried in an EHD system significantly changed. This study provides a theoretical basis and practical guidance for understanding characteristic parameters and mechanisms of EHD drying technology.