bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La complejidad y la ciudad: el uso de modelos basados en agentes autónomos (ABM) para la simulación de procesos en los imaginarios urbanos
Authors: Narváez Tijerina Adolfo Benito
Published: October 2016

Introducción: El artículo analiza el uso de los ABM para el estudio de los imaginarios urbanos. Se analiza el papel de los imaginarios urbanos para entender el fenómeno de la identificación de sociedades con objetos icónicos, así como el estudio de la incorporación de los significados culturalmente asumidos que pueden formar parte de un proceso de aprendizaje social que es mediatizado por los objetos icónicos. Esta relación es analizada en el marco del enfoque sobre complejidad con el que actualmente se estudia a las ciudades. Se describe la evolución del análisis de la complejidad y la creación de diversos modelos que utilizan la computación electrónica como apoyo, que culminarán con los ABM, se describen en líneas generales los principios de su funcionamiento.Método:  Se describe el diseño y resultados del ABM Elkin World, desarrollado por los autores, se describen los resultados obtenidos en experimentos in silico considerando 3 variables principales: interés, atracción y población en una correlación dinámica estocástica que se describe como: SSI ↔ I A ≥ CI = MV.Resultados: Diversos balances iniciales de las variables población, interés y atracción generan diferentes morfologías; se descubreron para diversos balances de las variables principales masas críticas específicas que desatan transiciones de fase en el sistema y la emergencia de patrones socio espaciales.Conclusión: Resulta prometedor este medio para el estudio de los imaginarios urbanos, ya que quedó manifiesto el hecho de que como fruto de una interacción de aprendizaje social puede hacer emerger configuraciones espaciales que luego formarán el cuerpo de procesos interiorizados de construcción de significados socialmente compartidos.
Effects of calcination temperature and solution pH on the defluoridation potential of Al/Fe oxide-modified diatomaceous earth: metal leaching and sorbent reuse
Authors: Izuagie Anthony A. , Gitari Wilson M. , Gumbo Jabulani R.
Published: October 2016

An evaluation of the effects of calcination temperature and solution pH on the fluoride removal capacity of Al/Fe oxide-modified diatomaceous earth was carried out. The sorbent was observed to be most effective and stable within the pH range 6.70–8.12, where the lowest concentrations of Al and Fe (<1 mg/L) in treated water were recorded. Thus, sorbent loss was minimal at that pH range. It was observed that the sorbent lost its efficiency and stability at calcination temperatures above 600 °C. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer analysis of metals in supernatants and thermogravimetric analysis of the sorbent showed that there was substantive loss of Al and Fe from the sorbent at temperatures above 600 °C because of evaporation. K2SO4 solution proved to be the best regenerant for spent sorbent compared to NaOH and Na2CO3, which caused sorbent loss owing to high solution pH. The CO32– from Na2CO3 bound to regenerated sorbent so much that it could not be displaced by fluoride during subsequent defluoridation experiments. Sorbent regenerated with 0.1 M K2SO4 solution could reduce 10 mg/L fluoride in artificial water at a dosage of 0.8 g/100 mL by 81.8% and 67.2% at the second and third cycles, respectively.
Experimental assessment of pressure–leakage relationship in a water distribution network
Authors: Fontana Nicola , Giugni Maurizio , Marini Gustavo
Published: October 2016

The use of numerical simulations to improve the management of water distribution networks (WDNs) has dramatically increased in recent decades. Nevertheless, the modeling of leakages is still a major issue to face when setting up a model of a WDN. Because water losses increase at increasing pressure, they are usually modeled by assuming a leakage node behaves like an emitter. Unfortunately, a definitive assessment of the leakage law exponent is as yet lacking in the literature. Consequently, a field analysis was carried out on an existing WDN: (a) to assess whether the power law can effectively represent the relationship between leakage and pressure; and (b) to calculate the value of the exponent. A 3-month measurement campaign was developed, aiming at assessing the dependence of the losses to the pressure. The analysis showed that the power law equation with an exponent around 0.7 can well represent the pressure–leakage relationship.
Urban pluvial flood prediction: a case study evaluating radar rainfall nowcasts and numerical weather prediction models as model inputs
Authors: Thorndahl Søren , Nielsen Jesper Ellerbæk , Jensen David Getreuer
Published: October 2016

Flooding produced by high-intensive local rainfall and drainage system capacity exceedance can have severe impacts in cities. In order to prepare cities for these types of flood events – especially in the future climate – it is valuable to be able to simulate these events numerically, both historically and in real-time. There is a rather untested potential in real-time prediction of urban floods. In this paper, radar data observations with different spatial and temporal resolution, radar nowcasts of 0–2 h leadtime, and numerical weather models with leadtimes up to 24 h are used as inputs to an integrated flood and drainage systems model in order to investigate the relative difference between different inputs in predicting future floods. The system is tested on the small town of Lystrup in Denmark, which was flooded in 2012 and 2014. Results show it is possible to generate detailed flood maps in real-time with high resolution radar rainfall data, but rather limited forecast performance in predicting floods with leadtimes more than half an hour.
Genetic Algorithm Based Feature Subset Selection for Fetal State Classification
Authors: Velappan Subha , D Murugan , S Prabha , A Manivanna Boopathi
Published: October 2016

Huge amount of data are available in the field of medicine which are used for diagnosing the diseases by analyzing them. Presently, prediction of diseases are made easier and accurate by employing various data mining techniques to extract information from these medical data. This paper presents an improved method of classifying the cardiotocogram (CTG) data using Multiclass Support Vector Machine (MSVM) through an optimized feature subset produced by Genetic Algorithm (GA). Various performance metrics have been evaluated and the experimental results exhibit improved classification performance when using optimized feature set comparing to the full feature set.
Study of Mobility Effect on Ad-Hoc 802.11b Networks with Automatic Rate Fallback in Impulse Noise Channels
Authors: Tseng Shu-Ming
Published: October 2016

In this paper, we simulate throughput of mobile ad hoc networks with IEEE 802.11 over fading channels with impulse noise, and consider two cases: 1) the system with ARF algorithm and 2) the system with fixed rate. The simulated results show that the system with ARF algorithm has the similar throughput of 11 Mbps when the channel is AWGN without impulse noise. However, the system with ARF algorithm has the like throughput of 1 Mbps when the channel is Rayleigh without or with impulse noise. In addition, we consider that velocity ranges of stations impact on throughputs. The simulation results show that the throughput is worse than others when the velocity range is larger.
Information Theory Based Intrusion Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Alrajei Nancy , Fu Huirong , Zhu Ye
Published: October 2016

Sensor networks are used for monitoring purposes in different environments. One of the biggest issues is to keep the network alive as long as possible. Another concern is to keep it safe from attacks. The limitations of sensor nodes make them particularly vulnerable to attacks from adversaries. The most damaging type of attack is Denial of Service (DoS) attack where parts of the network are overloaded with a flood of requests forcing them to deplete their power and die early. In this paper, we introduce a set of metrics by which intruders are identified among the other nodes. This approach is characterized by the fact that identification of intruders is based on the intrinsic behavior that is either harmful or not beneficial to the network. At the same time our approach saves the network power by taking advantage of network redundancy, and query minimum number of nodes without affecting the accuracy of the results. We tested different intruder detection metrics to see if we can accurately find intruders in the sensor network and how early to save the network from damage. Our results show the effectiveness of these metrics in detecting intruders with 100% accuracy and 0 error rate from some of them.
Vector Quantization for Satellite Image Compression
Authors: Joseph Sanjith Sathya , Ganesan R.
Published: October 2016

Image compression is the process of reducing the size of a file without humiliating the quality of the image to an unacceptable level by Human Visual System. The reduction in file size allows as to store more data in less memory and speed up the transmission process in low bandwidth also, in case of satellite images it reduces the time required for the image to reach the ground station. In order to increase the transmission process compression plays an important role in remote sensing images.  This paper presents a coding scheme for satellite images using Vector Quantization. And it is a well-known technique for signal compression, and it is also the generalization of the scalar quantization.  The given satellite image is compressed using VCDemo software by creating codebooks for vector quantization and the quality of the compressed and decompressed image is compared by the Mean Square Error, Signal to Noise Ratio, Peak Signal to Noise Ratio values.
Overview of Cloud Computing and Recent Addendum
Authors: Izang A. A. , Mensah Y. A. , Omotosho O. J. , Obioma C. P.
Published: October 2016

Cloud computing is an emerging technology paradigm, which enable and facilitate the dynamic and versatile provision of computational solutions and helps. Despite the fact that the advantages provided by cloud computing are several, security and secrecy concern of the cloud services still race question from users. Security stance of organizations and vital infrastructures is being affected with the Use of cloud services, thus it is necessary that new threats and risks introduced by this new paradigm are clearly understood and mitigated. This paper focus on the ethical constraints in cloud computing, placing emphasis on issues that deal with cloud adoption, recent additions to the cloud, ethical issues like The shifting of control, from technology users to the third parties servicing the cloud due to outsourcing and offshoring of ICT functionality to the cloud and as well as many other issues regarding cloud computing. To this end, this paper intimate us with some new ways cloud service providers has been improving this field of study so as to improve its adoption in the world. It was discovered that cloud computing is becoming the world 5th most demanded service after crude oil, water, electricity and Telephony as stipulated by many other researcher’s in this field.
A New Method of Speed Control for Induction Motor Based On Improved Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Yi LingZhi , YongBo Sui , WenXin Yu
Published: October 2016

Optimization techniques are becoming more popular for the improvement in control of induction motor. Many intelligent algorithms have been used to improve performance of induction motor so for including particle swarm optimization. However, the improved performance may be limited on account of inertia coefficient in particle swarm optimization, which lead to the unbalance between the searching step and searching precision. In this paper, a variable-step nonlinear dynamic inertia weight of particle swarm optimization speed controller is proposed to improve the performance of an induction motor. The experiment results show that the proposed method has excellent performance.
Numerical and Analytical Investigations of Nonlinear Synthesis Problems of Antenna with the Flat Radiating Aperture
Authors: Savenko Petro Olexandrovych
Published: October 2016

The review article contains results of researches of the synthesis problems of radiating systems with incomplete input information arising in particular during optimal design of radio, acoustic or other types of radiating systems (RS) by the given requirements to energy characteristics of radiated field. In mathematical terms, these tasks are reduced to study and nume­rical solution of one class of two-dimensional nonlinear integral equations of Hammerstein type that depend on two real para­meters. It was established that a characteristic feature of this class of equations is nonuniqueness and the branching (or bifur­cation) of existing solutions. Methods of solving two-parametric nonlinear spectral problem, which is necessary to finding the set of points of branching are proposed. Algorithms and numerical methods for the finding of branching solutions are built and founded. Numerous examples of specific synthesis problems are presented.
Localization of WSN using Distributed Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm with precise references
Authors: Janapati Ravichander , Balaswamy Ch. , Soundararajan K.
Published: October 2016

Localization is the key research area in wireless sensor networks. Finding the exact position of the node is known as localization. Different algorithms have been proposed. Here we consider a cooperative localization algorithm with censoring schemes using Crammer Rao bound (CRB). This censoring scheme  can improve the positioning accuracy and reduces computation complexity, traffic and latency. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a population based search algorithm based on the swarm intelligence like social behavior of birds, bees or a school of fishes. To improve the algorithm efficiency and localization precision, this paper presents an objective function based on the normal distribution of ranging error and a method of obtaining the search space of particles. In this paper  Distributed localization of wireless sensor networksis proposed using PSO with best censoring technique using CRB. Proposed method shows better results in terms of position accuracy, latency and complexity.
Determination of residues of sulfonylurea herbicides in soil by using microwave-assisted extraction and high performance liquid chromatographic method
Authors: Grahovac Nada , Stojanovic Zorica , Kravic Snezana , Orcic Dejan , Suturovic Zvonimir , Kondic-Spika Ankica , Vasin Jovica , Sunjka Dragana , Jaksic Snezana , Rajkovic Milos , Grahovac Nenad
Published: October 2016

A modified method for the analysis of nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron and prosulfuron was developed and validated by using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection in the ultraviolet region (HPLC-UV-DAD). The most important experimental parameters of extraction procedure and HPLC-UV-DAD technique were optimised in respect to those sulfonylurea herbicides. High recoveries of the microwave-assisted extraction were obtained by using a dichloromethane?acetonitrile mixture (2:1 volume ratio) acidified with acetic acid (0.8 vol.%) with the addition of urea. The mean recoveries at three spiking levels ranged from 97.47 to 98.76% for nicosulfuron, 97.88 to 99.17% for rimsulfuron and from 97.91 to 99.83% for prosulfuron. The limits of detection of nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron and prosulfuron were 0.95, 0.91 and 0.89 ?g kg?1, respectively. The accuracy of the developed method was confirmed by HPLC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry parallel analyses. The developed method was used to investigate the dissipation dynamics of sulfonylurea herbicides in the real field trials in Vojvodina Province, Serbia. The obtained half-lives were 0.05, 0.23 and 0.15 days for recommended dose application of nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron and prosulfuron, respectively. Low residues and short half-life in soil suggested that the risk to sensitive rotational crops after application of those sulfonylurea herbicides is low when they are used in the appropriate dosages.
Our experience in the treatment of botulism
Authors: Rankovic Aleksandar , Vrbic Miodrag , Jovanovic Maja , Popovic-Dragonjic Lidija , Nedin-Rankovic Gorana
Published: October 2016

Introduction. Botulism is a neuro -intoxication caused by a toxin secreted by Clostridium botulinum. Due to extremely high toxicity and lethality, this toxin can be used as an agent in a biological warfare. Case report. We presented six patients, mean age 28.8 years, who ate canned food and in whom the diagnosis of disease was made based on the typical clinical picture. Predominant symptoms were blurred vision, double vision (diplopia), dry mouth and constipation which were present in all patients. The patient whose disease was recognized only after 23 days and who did not receive the anti botulinum serum underwent the longest hospital treatment. All the patients received antibiotics and 4 patients received antitoxin. Neostigmine and enemas were used for the treatment of the disorder of intestinal motility and constipation. Conclusion. The diagnosis of botulinum was made based on afebrility, preserved states of consciousness, double vision, dry mouth and history data on consumption of suspicious food. Polyvalent serum anti botulinum should be applied as soon as possible because it reduces the occurrence of complications, length of hospital stay and mortality rate.
Erythrocyte antioxidative enzymes activities in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with pegylated interferon alpha-2a and ribavirin
Authors: Popovic-Dragonjic Lidija , Jovanovic Maja , Cvetkovic Tatjana , Vrbic Miodrag , Kocic Biljana , Djordjevic-Spasic Marina , Rankovic Aleksandar
Published: October 2016

Background/Aim. In hepatitis C virus infection, oxidative stress and antioxidant imbalance are major triggers for the disease occurrence and its progression. The aim of the research was to determine the erythrocyte antioxidative enzymes activities, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT), before and after therapy with pegylated interferon alpha-2a and ribavirin and to evaluate their clinical significance as potential diagnostic markers of sustained virological response (SVR). Methods. The study included 53 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and 56 healthy controls. SOD, GPx, CAT, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were measured in patients both before and after the treatment. Results. SOD, GPx and CAT activities prior to the treatment were significantly lower in CHC patients compared to the controls (p < 0.001), and they were significantly higher after the treatment (p < 0.001). A significant positive correlation existed between SOD, GPx, and CAT activites, before and after the treatment (p < 0.001) and with those of aminotransferases prior to the treatment (p < 0.001). After the treatment, only GPx activity showed significant negative correlation with that of aminotransferases (p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for SOD, GPx and CAT showed following values: area under the curve of 0.975, 0.988, and 0.817 respectively; sensitivity of 93.5%, 71.7%, 100% respectively and specificity of 100% for all, respectively. Forty six SVR achievers had significant increase of SOD, GPx and CAT activities (p < 0.001 for all), unlike 7 SVR non-achievers (p = 0.31, p = 0.717, p = 0.85, respectively). Conclusion. Oxidative stress is the initiator of onset and progression of CHC. The combined antiviral therapy leads to the restoration of antioxidant balance. GPx, SOD and CAT may be diagnostic markers of CHC treatment outcome.
Calculation of electromagnetic field from mobile phone induced in the pituitary gland of children head model
Authors: Stankovic Vladimir , Jovanovic Dejan , Krstic Dejan , Markovic Vera , Dunjic Momir
Published: October 2016

Background/Aim. A mobile phone is a source of electromagnetic radiation located close to the head and consequently its intense use may cause harmful effects particularly in younger population. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of electromagnetic field of the mobile phone on the pituitary gland of the child. Methods. In order to obtain the more accurate results for this research 3D realistic model of child's head whose size corresponds to an average child (7 years old) was created. Electric field distribution in child head model and values of Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) at the region of pituitary gland were determined. This study was performed for the frequencies of 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz, as the most commonly used in mobile communications. The special attention was dedicated to the values of the electric field and the values of the SAR in the pituitary gland. For all frequencies over 10 g and 1 g of tissue average SAR was calculated. The electric field distribution and values of average SAR for 10 g and 1 g trough the model of child's head were obtained by the using numerical calculation based on the Finite Integration Technique (FIT). Results. The largest value of electric field in the region of the pituitary gland was at the frequency of 900 MHz, as a consequence of the highest penetration depth. Lower values of the electric field in the region of the pituitary gland were at frequencies of 1,800 MHz and 2,100 MHz. The SAR in the pituitary gland decreased as the frequency increased as a direct consequence of lower penetration depth. Conclusion. The electric field strength from a mobile phone is higher than the value specified by standards for the maximum allowable exposure limits. The high values of the electric field are not only in the vicinity of a mobile phone but also in tissues and organs of the human head. Particular attention should be paid to the exposure of children to radiation of mobile phones. Smaller dimensions of children?s head and smaller thickness of tissues and organs have as a consequence greater penetration of electromagnetic waves.
Plasma Copeptin, Kidney Outcomes, Ischemic Heart Disease, and All-Cause Mortality in People With Long-standing Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Velho Gilberto , El Boustany Ray , Lefèvre Guillaume , Mohammedi Kamel , Fumeron Frédéric , Potier Louis , Bankir Lise , Bouby Nadine , Hadjadj Samy , Marre Michel , Roussel Ronan
Published: October 2016

OBJECTIVE

Plasma copeptin, a surrogate for vasopressin, has been associated with a decline in renal function and albuminuria in population-based studies as well as with progression of diabetic nephropathy in people with type 2 diabetes. We assessed the risk of kidney and coronary events and all-cause mortality associated with plasma copeptin in people with type 1 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Plasma copeptin was measured in baseline samples of the GENEDIAB (n = 398; 56% male; mean ± SD age 45 ± 12 years and diabetes duration 28 ± 10 years) and GENESIS (n = 588; 52% male; age 42 ± 11 years; diabetes duration 27 ± 9 years) cohorts. Follow-up data were available for 218 GENEDIAB and 518 GENESIS participants. Median duration of follow-up was 10.2 and 5.0 years, respectively.

RESULTS

Upper sex-specific tertiles of copeptin were associated with a higher incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) during follow-up (hazard ratio [HR] for third vs. first tertile 26.5 [95% CI 8.0–163.3; P < 0.0001]; analysis in pooled cohorts adjusted for age, sex, duration of diabetes, and cohort membership). The highest tertile of copeptin was also associated with incidence of myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization (HR 2.2 [95% CI 1.2–4.0]; P = 0.01) and all-cause mortality (HR 3.3 [95% CI 1.8–6.5]; P < 0.0001) during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Plasma copeptin is a predictor for the risk of ESRD, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality in people with type 1 diabetes. Results are consistent with data from experimental and epidemiological studies, suggesting that high circulating levels of vasopressin are deleterious to renal function.
How do ICT project managers manage project knowledge in the public sector? An empirical enquiry from the Victorian Public Sector in Australia
Authors: Karagoz Yakub , Korthaus Axel , Augar Naomi
Published: October 2016

Projects are temporal organisation forms that are highly knowledge-intensive and play an important role in modern public (and private) sector organisations. The effective and efficient creation, dissemination, application and conservation of relevant knowledge are a critical success factor in the management of projects. Yet, project management (PM) and knowledge management (KM) are two distinct disciplines. This paper explores the relationship between PM and KM by analysing the literature at the intersection of those disciplines and presenting the empirical results of a case study of the Victorian Public Sector (VPS) in Australia. A series of 14 interviews were conducted to explore how ICT project managers manage project knowledge across the departments of the VPS. Findings show a strong preference among the participants for informal, face-to-face interactions and agile approaches to facilitate knowledge transfer and creation in ICT project environments.
Placing Plants in Territory
Authors: Besky Sarah , Padwe Jonathan
Published: October 2016

In this article, we use plants to think about territory, a concept that is at once a bulwark of social theory and an under-theorized category of social analysis. Scholarship on plants brings together three overlapping approaches to territory: biological and behaviorist theories; representational and cartographic perspectives; and more-than-human analysis. We argue that these three approaches are not mutually exclusive. Rather, different epistemologies of territory overlap and are imbricated within each other. We further argue that these three approaches to territory inform three distinct domains of territoriality: legibility and surveillance; ordering and classification; and exclusion and inclusion. Through examples of how plants operate in these three domains, we illustrate the analytical potential that a more-than-human approach to territory provides. We conclude, however, that attention to the particularities of plant ecologies can help move multispecies discussions more firmly into the realm of the political economic.
Boundary Plants, the Social Production of Space, and Vegetative Agency in Agrarian Societies
Authors: Sheridan Michael
Published: October 2016

Boundary plants lie at the intersections of landscape ecology, social structure, and cultural meaning-making. They typically relate resource rights to social groups and cultural identities, and make these connections meaningful and legitimate. Landscape boundaries such as hedges and fence lines are often repositories for social identities and cultural meanings, and tools for the negotiations and struggles that comprise them. This article surveys botanical boundaries in classic ethnography, outlines social science approaches to boundary objects, and describes new theoretical work on space, place, and agency. It also introduces the concepts of monomarcation and polymarcation to delineate the contrast between technologically simple and socially complex forms of marking land. Three case studies, concerning the social lives ofDracaenain sub-Saharan Africa andCordylinein the Caribbean, illustrate how boundary plants have a particular sort of vegetative agency to turn space into place in culture-specific ways.
Extractive Conservation
Authors: de la Vega-Leinert Anne Cristina , Clausing Peter
Published: October 2016

In view of the Aichi international policy targets to expand areas under conservation, we analyze to what extent conservation has become an inherent element of extraction. We scrutinize the Land Sparing versus Land Sharing debate by explicitly incorporating environmental justice issues of access to land and natural resources. We contend that dominant conservation regimes, embedded within Land Sparing, legitimize the displacement of local people and their land use to compensate for distant, unsustainable resource use. In contrast, the Land Sharing counternarrative, by promoting spatial integration of conservation in agroecological systems, has the potential to radically challenge extraction. Common ground emerges around the concept of sustainable intensification. We contend that if inserted in green economy’s technocentric and efficiency-oriented framework, sustainable intensification will contribute to undermining diversified peasant agroecological systems by transforming them into simplified, export-orientated ones, thereby stripping peasant communities of the capacity to provide for their own needs.
Humans, Plants, and Networks
Authors: Calvet-Mir Laura , Salpeteur Matthieu
Published: October 2016

In recent years, Social Network Analysis (SNA) has increasingly been applied to the study of complex human-plant relations. This quantitative approach has enabled a better understanding of (1) how social networks help explain agrobiodiversity management, and (2) how social relations influence the transmission of local ecological knowledge (LEK) related to plants. In this paper, we critically review the most recent works pertaining to these two lines of research. First, our results show that this fast-developing literature proposes new insights on local agrobiodiversity management mechanisms, as well as on the ways seed exchange systems are articulated around other social relationships, such as kinship. Second, current works show that inter-individual connections affect LEK transmission, the position of individuals in networks being related to the LEK they hold. We conclude by stressing the importance of combining this method with comprehensive approaches and longitudinal data collection to develop deeper insights into human-plant relations.
Non-Invasive Sensor Technology for the Development of a Dairy Cattle Health Monitoring System
Authors: Awasthi Amruta , Awasthi Anshul , Riordan Daniel , Walsh Joseph
Published: October 2016

The intention of this research is to establish a relationship between dairy cattle diseases with various non-invasive sensors for the development of a health monitoring system. This paper expands on the conference paper titled “Sensor technology for animal health monitoring” published in the International Journal on Smart Sensing and Intelligent Systems (s2is) for the proceedings of International Conference on Sensing Technology (ICST) 2014. This paper studies and explores particular characteristics of dairy cattle’s health and behavioural symptoms. The aim is to consider the nature of the diseases a cow may have and relate it with one or many sensors that are suitable for accurate measurement of the behavioural changes. The research uses ontological relationship mapping or ontology matching to integrate heterogeneous databases of diseases and sensors and explains it in detail. This study identifies the sensors needed to determine illnesses in a dairy cow and how they would be beneficial for the development of non-invasive, wearable, smart, dairy cattle health monitoring system to be placed on the cows’ neck. It also explains how the primary sensors identified by this research can be used to forecast cattle health in a simple, basic manner. The scope of this paper is limited to the discussion about the non-invasive, wearable sensors that are needed to determine the cattle diseases. We focused only on non-invasive sensors because they are easy to install on cows and no training is required for them to be installed as compared to invasive sensors. Development of such a system and its evaluation is not in the scope of this paper and is left for our next paper.
The Shell Collapsar—A Possible Alternative to Black Holes
Authors: Marshall Trevor
Published: October 2016

This article argues that a consistent description is possible for gravitationally collapsed bodies, in which collapse stops before the object reaches its gravitational radius, the density reaching a maximum close to the surface and then decreasing towards the centre. The way towards such a description was indicated in the classic Oppenheimer-Snyder (OS) 1939 analysis of a dust star. The title of that article implied support for a black-hole solution, but the present article shows that the final OS density distribution accords with gravastar and other shell models. The parallel Oppenheimer-Volkoff (OV) study of 1939 used the equation of state for a neutron gas, but could consider only stationary solutions of the field equations. Recently we found that the OV equation of state permits solutions with minimal rather than maximal central density, and here we find a similar topology for the OS dust collapsar; a uniform dust-ball which starts with large radius, and correspondingly small density, and collapses to a shell at the gravitational radius with density decreasing monotonically towards the centre. Though no longer considered central in black-hole theory, the OS dust model gave the first exact, time-dependent solution of the field equations. Regarded as a limiting case of OV, it indicates the possibility of neutron stars of unlimited mass with a similar shell topology. Progress in observational astronomy will distinguish this class of collapsars from black holes.
Entropy Rate Estimates for Natural Language—A New Extrapolation of Compressed Large-Scale Corpora
Authors: Takahira Ryosuke , Tanaka-Ishii Kumiko , Dębowski Łukasz
Published: October 2016

One of the fundamental questions about human language is whether its entropy rate is positive. The entropy rate measures the average amount of information communicated per unit time. The question about the entropy of language dates back to experiments by Shannon in 1951, but in 1990 Hilberg raised doubt regarding a correct interpretation of these experiments. This article provides an in-depth empirical analysis, using 20 corpora of up to 7.8 gigabytes across six languages (English, French, Russian, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese), to conclude that the entropy rate is positive. To obtain the estimates for data length tending to infinity, we use an extrapolation function given by an ansatz. Whereas some ansatzes were proposed previously, here we use a new stretched exponential extrapolation function that has a smaller error of fit. Thus, we conclude that the entropy rates of human languages are positive but approximately 20% smaller than without extrapolation. Although the entropy rate estimates depend on the script kind, the exponent of the ansatz function turns out to be constant across different languages and governs the complexity of natural language in general. In other words, in spite of typological differences, all languages seem equally hard to learn, which partly confirms Hilberg’s hypothesis.
Spatial Heterogeneity in Chinese Forest Area Change in the Early 21st Century
Authors: Wang Jiayue , Xin Liangjie , Tan Minghong , Wang Yahui
Published: October 2016

A comprehensive set of 30-m resolution land coverage data of 2000 and 2010 was used for an analysis of the spatial heterogeneity of forest area change in early 21st century China. Four regression models were built to determine the current situation of the ‘forest transition’ in China. The results show that forest area in China has grown rapidly over this period such that total forest area has increased by 102,500 km2 and forest cover has increased by 1.06%. Our results demonstrate the presence of a ‘U-shaped’ relationship, the so-called ‘forest transition’, between forest area change and per capita gross domestic product (GDP). We estimate that the inflection point in the Chinese ‘forest transition’ will be at a per capita GDP of 50,522 yuan. In the future, regions with lower elevations, or slope, should be the focus of attention because of dramatic recent forest changes. In particular, forest areas in the regions of the Xiaoxing’anling-Changbaishan Mountains and in South China have markedly decreased, and these are areas of concern. In the meantime, the government needs to strengthen the management of large-scale interconversions between forest and grassland.
The Impact of Secondhand Smoke Exposure on Children with Cystic Fibrosis: A Review
Authors: Kopp Benjamin , Ortega-García Juan , Sadreameli S. , Wellmerling Jack , Cormet-Boyaka Estelle , Thompson Rohan , McGrath-Morrow Sharon , Groner Judith
Published: October 2016

Secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) has multiple adverse effects on lung function and growth, nutrition, and immune function in children; it is increasingly being recognized as an important modifier of disease severity for children with chronic diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF). This review examines what is known regarding the prevalence of SHSe in CF, with the majority of reviewed studies utilizing parental-reporting of SHSe without an objective biomarker of exposure. A wide range of SHSe is reported in children with CF, but under-reporting is common in studies involving both reported and measured SHSe. Additionally, the impact of SHSe on respiratory and nutritional health is discussed, with potential decreases in long-term lung function, linear growth, and weight gain noted in CF children with SHSe. Immunologic function in children with CF and SHSe remains unknown. The impact of SHSe on cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) function is also examined, as reduced CFTR function may be a pathophysiologic consequence of SHSe in CF and could modulate therapeutic interventions. Finally, potential interventions for ongoing SHSe are delineated along with recommended future areas of study.
The Importance of Patient-Specific Factors for Hepatic Drug Response and Toxicity
Authors: Lauschke Volker , Ingelman-Sundberg Magnus
Published: October 2016

Responses to drugs and pharmacological treatments differ considerably between individuals. Importantly, only 50%–75% of patients have been shown to react adequately to pharmacological interventions, whereas the others experience either a lack of efficacy or suffer from adverse events. The liver is of central importance in the metabolism of most drugs. Because of this exposed status, hepatotoxicity is amongst the most common adverse drug reactions and hepatic liabilities are the most prevalent reason for the termination of development programs of novel drug candidates. In recent years, more and more factors were unveiled that shape hepatic drug responses and thus underlie the observed inter-individual variability. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of different principle mechanisms of drug hepatotoxicity and illustrate how patient-specific factors, such as genetic, physiological and environmental factors, can shape drug responses. Furthermore, we highlight other parameters, such as concomitantly prescribed medications or liver diseases and how they modulate drug toxicity, pharmacokinetics and dynamics. Finally, we discuss recent progress in the field of in vitro toxicity models and evaluate their utility in reflecting patient-specific factors to study inter-individual differences in drug response and toxicity, as this understanding is necessary to pave the way for a patient-adjusted medicine.
Functionalization of Fe3O4 NPs by Silanization: Use of Amine (APTES) and Thiol (MPTMS) Silanes and Their Physical Characterization
Authors: Villa Silvia , Riani Paola , Locardi Federico , Canepa Fabio
Published: October 2016

In this paper the results concerning the synthesis of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs), their functionalization using silane derivatives, such as (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS), and their exhaustive morphological and physical characterization by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) with energy dispersion X-ray spectrometer (EDX) analysis, AC magnetic susceptibility, UV-VIS and IR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric (TGA) analyses are reported. Two different paths were adopted to achieve the desired functionalization: (1) the direct reaction between the functionalized organo-silane molecule and the surface of the magnetite nanoparticle; and (2) the use of an intermediate silica coating. Finally, the occurrence of both the functionalization with amino and thiol groups has been demonstrated by the reaction with ninhydrin and the capture of Au NPs, respectively.
Short-to-Medium-Range Order and Atomic Packing in Zr48Cu36Ag8Al8 Bulk Metallic Glass
Authors: Xu Yong , Yu Meijie , Xu Rongfu , Wang Xianzhong , Wang Zhigang , Liang Yongfeng , Lin Junpin
Published: October 2016

Due to its excellent glass-forming ability (GFA), the Zr48Cu36Al8Ag8 bulk metallic glass (BMG) is of great importance in glass transition investigations and new materials development. However, due to the lack of detailed structural information, the local structure and atomic packing of this alloy is still unknown. In this work, synchrotron measurement and reverse Monte Carlo simulation are performed on the atomic configuration of a Zr-based bulk metallic glass. The local structure is characterized in terms of bond pairs and Voronoi tessellation. It is found that there are mainly two types of bond pairs in the configuration, as the body-centered cubic (bcc)-type and icosahedral (ico)-type bond pairs. On the other hand, the main polyhedra in the configuration are icosahedra and the bcc structure. That is, the bcc-type bond pairs, together with the ico-type bond pairs, form the bcc polyhedra, introducing the distortion in bcc clusters in short range. However, in the medium range, the atoms formed linear or planar structures, other than the tridimensional clusters. That is, the medium-range order in glass is of 1D or 2D structure, suggesting the imperfect ordered packing feature.
Porphyrin-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks as Heterogeneous Catalysts in Oxidation Reactions
Authors: Pereira Carla , Simões Mário , Tomé João , Almeida Paz Filipe
Published: October 2016

Porphyrin-based Metal-Organic Frameworks (Por-MOFs) constitute a special branch of the wide MOF family that has proven its own value and high potential in different applications. In this mini-review the application of these materials as catalysts in oxidation reactions is highlighted.
Effect of Exogenous Abscisic Acid and Methyl Jasmonate on Anthocyanin Composition, Fatty Acids, and Volatile Compounds of Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) Grape Berries
Authors: Ju Yan-Lun , Liu Min , Zhao Hui , Meng Jiang-Fei , Fang Yu-Lin
Published: October 2016

The anthocyanin composition, fatty acids, and volatile aromas are important for Cabernet Sauvignon grape quality. This study evaluated the effect of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on the anthocyanin composition, fatty acids, lipoxygenase activity, and the volatile compounds of Cabernet Sauvignon grape berries. Exogenous ABA and MeJA improved the content of total anthocyanins (TAC) and individual anthocyanins. Lipoxygenase (LOX) activity also increased after treatment. Furthermore, 16 fatty acids were detected. The linoleic acid concentration gradually increased with ABA concentration. The fatty acid content decreased with increasing MeJA concentration and then increased again, with the exception of linoleic acid. After exogenous ABA and MeJA treatment, the C6 aroma content increased significantly. Interestingly, the exogenous ABA and MeJA treatments improved mainly the content of 1-hexanol, hexanal, and 2-heptanol. These results provide insight into the effect of plant hormones on wine grapes, which is useful for grape quality improvement.
Separation of Bacteria, Protozoa and Carbon Nanotubes by Density Gradient Centrifugation
Authors: Mortimer Monika , Petersen Elijah , Buchholz Bruce , Holden Patricia
Published: October 2016

Sustainable production and use of carbon nanotube (CNT)-enabled materials require efficient assessment of CNT environmental hazards, including the potential for CNT bioaccumulation and biomagnification in environmental receptors. Microbes, as abundant organisms responsible for nutrient cycling in soil and water, are important ecological receptors for studying the effects of CNTs. Quantification of CNT association with microbial cells requires efficient separation of CNT-associated cells from individually dispersed CNTs and CNT agglomerates. Here, we designed, optimized, and demonstrated procedures for separating bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) from unbound multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and MWCNT agglomerates using sucrose density gradient centrifugation. We demonstrate separation of protozoa (Tetrahymena thermophila) from MWCNTs, bacterial agglomerates, and protozoan fecal pellets by centrifugation in an iodixanol solution. The presence of MWCNTs in the density gradients after centrifugation was determined by quantification of 14C-labeled MWCNTs; the recovery of microbes from the density gradient media was confirmed by optical microscopy. Protozoan intracellular contents of MWCNTs and of bacteria were also unaffected by the designed separation process. The optimized methods contribute to improved efficiency and accuracy in quantifying MWCNT association with bacteria and MWCNT accumulation in protozoan cells, thus supporting improved assessment of CNT bioaccumulation.
External Control of Dissipative Coupling in a Heterogeneously Integrated Photonic Crystal—SOI Waveguide Optomechanical System
Authors: Tsvirkun Viktor , Surrente Alessandro , Raineri Fabrice , Beaudoin Grégoire , Raj Rama , Sagnes Isabelle , Robert-Philip Isabelle , Braive Rémy
Published: October 2016

Cavity optomechanical systems with an enhanced coupling between mechanical motion and electromagnetic radiation have permitted the investigation of many novel physical effects. The optomechanical coupling in the majority of these systems is of dispersive nature: the cavity resonance frequency is modulated by the vibrations of the mechanical oscillator. Dissipative optomechanical interaction, where the photon lifetime in the cavity is modulated by the mechanical motion, has recently attracted considerable interest and opens new avenues in optomechanical control and sensing. In this work we demonstrate an external optical control over the dissipative optomechanical coupling strength mediated by the modulation of the absorption of a quantum dot layer in a hybrid optomechanical system. Such control enhances the capability of tailoring the optomechanical coupling of our platform, which can be used in complement to the previously demonstrated control of the relative (dispersive to dissipative) coupling strength via the geometry of the integrated access waveguide.