bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Improved Model-Based Self-Adaptive Filter for Online State-of-Charge Estimation of Li-Ion Batteries
Authors: Zhang Chi , Yan Fuwu , Du Changqing , Rizzoni Giorgio
Published: October 2018

Accurate battery modeling is essential for the state-of-charge (SOC) estimation of electric vehicles, especially when vehicles are operated in dynamic processes. Temperature is a significant factor for battery characteristics, especially for the hysteresis phenomenon. Lack of existing literatures on the consideration of temperature influence in hysteresis voltage can result in errors in SOC estimation. Therefore, this study gives an insight to the equivalent circuit modeling, considering the hysteresis and temperature effects. A modified one-state hysteresis equivalent circuit model was proposed for battery modeling. The characterization of hysteresis voltage versus SOC at various temperatures was acquired by experimental tests to form a static look-up table. In addition, a strong tracking filter (STF) was applied for SOC estimation. Numerical simulations and experimental tests were performed in commercial 18650 type Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2 battery. The results were systematically compared with extended Kalman filter (EKF) and unscented Kalman filter (UKF). The results of comparison showed the following: (1) the modified model has more voltage tracking capability than the original model; and (2) the modified model with STF algorithm has better accuracy, robustness against initial SOC error, voltage measurement drift, and convergence behavior than EKF and UKF.
Measurement of High Numerical Aperture Cylindrical Surface with Iterative Stitching Algorithm
Authors: Chen Dingfu , Peng Junzheng , Valyukh Sergiy , Asundi Anand , Yu Yingjie
Published: October 2018

There are some limitations in null test measurements in stitching interferometry. In order to meet the null test conditions, the moving distance between the sub-apertures often deviates from the theoretical preset distance, which leads to a position deviation of sub-apertures when measured. To overcome this problem, an algorithm for data processing is proposed in this paper. An optimal estimation of the deviation between sub-apertures is used to update their positions, and then a new overlapped region is obtained and again optimized. This process is repeated until the algorithm converges to an acceptable tolerance, and finally exact stitching is realized. A cylindrical lens was taken as an object for experimental examination of the proposed method. The obtained results demonstrate the validity, reliability, and feasibility of our iterative stitching algorithm.
Tropical Atlantic Response to Last Millennium Volcanic Forcing
Authors: Figueiredo Prado Luciana , Wainer Ilana , Leite da Silva Dias Pedro
Published: October 2018

Climate responses to volcanic eruptions include changes in the distribution of temperature and precipitation such as those associated with El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Recent studies suggest an ENSO-positive phase after a volcanic eruption. In the Atlantic Basin, a similar mode of variability is referred as the Atlantic Niño, which is related to precipitation variability in West Africa and South America. Both ENSO and Atlantic Niño are characterized in the tropics by conjoined fluctuations in sea surface temperature (SST), zonal winds, and thermocline depth. Here, we examine possible responses of the Tropical Atlantic to last millennium volcanic forcing via SST, zonal winds, and thermocline changes. We used simulation results from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Earth System Model Last Millennium Ensemble single-forcing experiment ranging from 850 to 1850 C.E. Our results show an SST cooling in the Tropical Atlantic during the post-eruption year accompanied by differences in the Atlantic Niño associated feedback. However, we found no significant deviations in zonal winds and thermocline depth related to the volcanic forcing in the first 10 years after the eruption. Changes in South America and Africa monsoon precipitation regimes related to the volcanic forcing were detected, as well as in the Intertropical Convergence Zone position and associated precipitation. These precipitation responses derive primarily from Southern and Tropical volcanic eruptions and occur predominantly during the austral summer and autumn of the post-eruption year.
Heme Dissociation from Myoglobin in the Presence of the Zwitterionic Detergent N,N-Dimethyl-N-Dodecylglycine Betaine: Effects of Ionic Liquids
Authors: Kohn Eric M. , Lee Joshua Y. , Calabro Anthony , Vaden Timothy D. , Caputo Gregory A.
Published: October 2018

We have investigated myoglobin protein denaturation using the zwitterionic detergent Empigen BB (EBB, N,N-Dimethyl-N-dodecylglycine betaine). A combination of absorbance, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopic measurements elucidated the protein denaturation and heme dissociation from myoglobin. The results indicated that Empigen BB was not able to fully denature the myoglobin structure, but apparently can induce the dissociation of the heme group from the protein. This provides a way to estimate the heme binding free energy, ΔGdissociation. As ionic liquids (ILs) have been shown to perturb the myoglobin protein, we have investigated the effects of the ILs 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMICl), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EMIAc), and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIBF4) in aqueous solution on the ΔGdissociation values. Absorbance experiments show the ILs had minimal effect on ΔGdissociation values when compared to controls. Fluorescence and circular dichroism data confirm the ILs have no effect on heme dissociation, demonstrating that low concentrations ILs do not impact the heme dissociation from the protein and do not significantly denature myoglobin on their own or in combination with EBB. These results provide important data for future studies of the mechanism of IL-mediated protein stabilization/destabilization and biocompatibility studies.
Solvothermal Conversion of Lignosulfonate Assisted by Ni Catalyst: Investigation of the Role of Ethanol and Ethylene Glycol as Solvents
Authors: Ghafarnejad Parto Soheila , Munkholt Christensen Jakob , Saaby Pedersen Lars , Tjosås Freddy , Degn Jensen Anker
Published: October 2018

In this study, reductive solvolysis of lignosulfonate using Ni-based catalysts in ethylene glycol (EG) and ethanol (EtOH) at 250 °C was investigated. The liquefied fractions, regarded as oil, were carefully analyzed using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with flame ionization detection (GC-MS-FID). The oil yields from catalytic conversion in EtOH and EG were similar, being 31 and 32 wt.%, respectively. The oil fractions from depolymerization in EtOH had lower molecular weight compared to the oil products in EG, indicating a higher degree of degradation of liquefied products in EtOH. On the other hand, EG showed superior activity in inhibiting condensation reactions; 16 and 46 wt.% tetrahydrofuran (THF) soluble and THF insoluble solid fractions were obtained from conversion in EtOH, while those numbers in EG were 45 and 23 wt.%, respectively. The Ni-based catalyst was introduced to provide active sites for hydrogenation of lignosulfonate fragments released into the solvent. The presence of NiS in the spent catalyst, formed from reaction between Ni and sulfur in the lignosulfonate, was confirmed. The sulfur content in the oil obtained in EtOH was 0.38 wt.%, which in comparison to lignosulfonate with 3.1 wt.% sulfur, indicated a high level of desulfurization.
A Three-Dimensional Numerical Assessment of Heterogeneity Impact on a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell’s Anode Performance
Authors: Prokop Tomasz A. , Berent Katarzyna , Szmyd Janusz S. , Brus Grzegorz
Published: October 2018

In this research, a fully three-dimensional, multiphase, microstructure-scale heterogeneous (non-continuous) electrode, Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) stack model is implemented in order to assess the impact of homogeneity disturbance in an SOFC anode. The Butler–Volmer model is combined with recent empirical relations for conductivity and aspects of the Maxwell–Boltzmann kinetic theory describing the transport of mass within the porous medium. Methods for the localized quantification of electrode morphology parameters (such as triple phase boundary length) are implemented. The exchange current distribution in the electrode, the partial pressures and the electric potential fields for each phase are computed numerically. In order to simulate heterogeneity, transfer barriers of varying placement and size are added to an otherwise homogeneous, virtual microstructure based on data from FIB-SEM tomography. The results are compared to a model based on the continuous electrode theory, and the points of discrepancy are highlighted.
Selective Oxidation of Glycerol Using 3% H2O2 Catalyzed by Supported Nano-Au Catalysts
Authors: Wang Xiaoli , Wu Gongde , Jin Tongfa , Xu Jie , Song Shihao
Published: October 2018

A series of transition metal oxides or mixed oxides supported nano-Au catalysts were prepared for the selective oxidation of glycerol to glyceric acid using 3% H2O2. It was found that the composition and structure of supports significantly influenced the catalytic performance of catalysts. The mesoporous trimetal mixed oxide (CuNiAlO) supported nano-Au catalysts were more active in comparison with the others. In the present catalytic system, the highest glycerol conversion was 90.5%, while the selectivity of glyceric acid could reach 72%. Moreover, the catalytic performance remained after 11 times of reaction.
Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses: Connecting Calcium Signalling through Calmodulin
Authors: Mathavarajah Sabateeshan , O’Day Danton H. , Huber Robert J.
Published: October 2018

Despite the increased focus on the role of calcium in the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs, also known as Batten disease), links between calcium signalling and the proteins associated with the disease remain to be identified. A central protein in calcium signalling is calmodulin (CaM), which regulates many of the same cellular processes affected in the NCLs. In this study, we show that 11 of the 13 NCL proteins contain putative CaM-binding domains (CaMBDs). Many of the missense mutations documented from NCL patients overlap with the predicted CaMBDs and are often key residues of those domains. The two NCL proteins lacking such domains, CLN7 and CLN11, share a commonality in undergoing proteolytic processing by cathepsin L, which contains a putative CaMBD. Since CaM appears to have both direct and indirect roles in the NCLs, targeting it may be a valid therapeutic approach for treating the disease.
Enhanced Corrosion Protection of Iron by Poly(3-hexylthiophene)/Poly(styrene-co-hydroxystyrene) Blends
Authors: Tsai Ming-Chia , Yang Chung-Ru , Tsai Jen-Hao , Yu Yuan-Hsiang , Huang Ping-Tsung
Published: October 2018

Corrosion of iron in NaCl solution is significantly reduced by poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/poly(styrene-co-hydroxystyrene)(PS-co-PHS) blended coating layers, especially at elevated temperature. The interaction between sulfur (in P3HT) and hydroxyl group (in PS-co-PHS) leads to enhanced miscibility between P3HT and PS-co-PHS and results in improved thermal stability upon thermal treatment. Adhesion force between iron and the coating layer is increased with increasing hydroxystyrene ratio as revealing by the adhesion test (ASTM 3359). Anticorrosion properties from electrochemical experiments indicate great improvement over the P3HT/PS blend. Protection efficiency (PE) of P3HT/PS-co-PHS blend on iron increases and corrosion rate (mils per year, MPY) decreases upon thermal treatment, making P3HT/PS-co-PHS blend an excellent corrosion inhibitor and adhesion promoter material to the iron, especially with good thermal stability.
Elaboration and Characterization of Active Apple Starch Films Incorporated with Ellagic Acid
Authors: Tirado-Gallegos Juan Manuel , Zamudio-Flores Paul Baruk , Ornelas-Paz José de Jesús , Rios-Velasco Claudio , Olivas Orozco Guadalupe Isela , Espino-Díaz Miguel , Baeza-Jiménez Ramiro , Buenrostro-Figueroa José Juan , Aguilar-González Miguel Angel , Lardizábal-Gutiérrez Daniel , Hernández-González María , Hernández-Centeno Francisco , López-De la Peña Haydee Yajaira
Published: October 2018

Apple starch films were obtained from apples harvested at 60, 70, 80 and 90 days after full bloom (DAFB). Mechanical properties and water vapor permeability (WVP) were evaluated. The apple starch films at 70 DAFB presented higher values in the variables of tensile strength (8.12 MPa), elastic modulus (3.10 MPa) and lower values of water vapor permeability (6.77 × 10−11 g m−1 s−1 Pa−1) than apple starch films from apples harvested at 60, 80 and 90 DAFB. Therefore, these films were chosen to continue the study incorporating ellagic acid (EA). The EA was added at three concentrations [0.02% (FILM-EA0.02%), 0.05% (FILM-EA0.05%) and 0.1% (FILM-EA0.1%) w/w] and compared with the apple starch films without EA (FILM-Control). The films were characterized by their physicochemical, optical, morphological and mechanical properties. Their thermal stability and antioxidant capacity were also evaluated. The FILM-Control and FILM-EA0.02% showed a uniform surface, while FILM-EA0.05% and FILM-EA0.1% showed a rough surface and insoluble EA particles. Compared to FILM-Control, EA modified the values of tensile strength, elasticity modulus and elongation at break. The antioxidant capacity increased as EA concentration did. EA incorporation allowed obtaining films with higher antioxidant capacity, capable of blocking UV light with better mechanical properties than film without EA.
Spatial Diversity for CDMA RoFSO Links over M Turbulence Channels with Nonzero Boresight Pointing Errors
Authors: Ninos Michalis P. , Nistazakis Hector E.
Published: October 2018

A CDMA RoFSO link with receivers’ spatial diversity is studied. Turbulence-induced fading, modeled by the M(alaga) distribution, is considered that hamper the FSO link performance along with the nonzero boresight pointing errors effect. Novel, analytical closed-form expressions are extracted for the estimation of the average bit-error-rate and the outage probability of the CDMA RoFSO system for both directions of the forward and the reverse link. The numerical results show clearly the performance improvement of using spatial diversity, even in the most adverse atmospheric conditions with strong and saturated atmospheric turbulence with enhanced misalignment. Also, the effects of nonlinear distortion, multiple access interference and clipping noise aggravate the performance of the link, where cases with large number of users are taken into account.
Shape-Dependent Aggregation of Silver Particles by Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Authors: Wang Xue , Hou Chaofeng , Li Chengxiang , Han Yongsheng
Published: October 2018

In crystallization, nanoparticle aggregation often leads to the formation of orderly structures, even single crystals. Why can nanoparticles form orderly structures and what is the mechanism dominating their orderly aggregation? These questions raise interesting research problems, but the occurrences that could answer them often fail to be directly observed, since the interaction among particles is invisible. Here, we report an attempt to discover the interaction and aggregation of building blocks through a computer simulation, focusing on the shape effect of building blocks on the aggregation. Four types of silver building blocks were selected, each consisting of (100) and (111) facets, but the ratio of these two facets was different. It was found that the area of facets played an important role in selecting the aggregation mode. The facets with a large area and high energy had a high possibility of aggregation. In addition, the effects of solvent viscosity and temperature were also investigated. High viscosity and low temperature enhanced the orderliness of aggregation. This paper reports a detailed view of the aggregation process of silver nanoparticles, which is expected to be helpful in understanding the structure evolution of materials in nonclassical crystallization.
Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocrystalline ZnO Doped with Al3+ and Ni2+ by a Sol–Gel Method Coupled with Ultrasound Irradiation
Authors: Robles-Águila M. , Luna-López J. , Hernández de la Luz Álvaro , Martínez-Juárez J. , Rabanal M.
Published: October 2018

Zinc oxide is one of the most important semiconducting metal oxides and one of the most promising n-type materials, but its practical use is limited because of both its high thermal conductivity and its low electrical conductivity. Numerous studies have shown that doping with metals in ZnO structures leads to the modification of the band gap energy. In this work, Al-doped ZnO, Ni-doped ZnO, and undoped ZnO nanocrystalline powders were prepared by a sol–gel method coupled with ultrasound irradiation, and the results show the influence of Al3+ and Ni2+ ions in the ZnO network. The doping concentrations in ZnO of 0.99 atom % for ZnO–Al and 0.80 atom % for ZnO–Ni were obtained by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Raman Spectroscopy showed a decreased intensity and broadening of main peaks, indicating metallic ions. The crystallite size of the sample was decreased from 24.5 nm (ZnO) to 22.0 nm (ZnO–Al) and 21 nm (ZnO–Ni). The textural and morphological properties were analyzed via Nitrogen Adsorption (BET method) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM).
Solvate Formation of Bis(demethoxy)curcumin: Screening and Characterization
Authors: Yuan Lina , Lorenz Heike
Published: October 2018

Solvate formation of bis(demethoxy)curcumin (BDMC) was screened. Six solvates were obtained out of the nineteen solvents investigated. In the present work, three solvates, i.e., BDMC-tetrahydrofuran (THF), BDMC-1,4-dioxane (DIO) and BDMC-dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), were thoroughly studied. Their desolvation processes were characterized by temperature-resolved powder X-ray diffraction (TR-PXRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and hot-stage microscopy (HSM). TR-PXRD shows that all the solvates desolvate as the mother BDMC form and no new polymorph could be obtained. The stoichiometric ratio of solvates was calculated via the mass loss of solvents determined by TGA. The thermal stabilities of the solvates were obtained from DSC data and followed the order: BDMC-DMSO > -THF > -DIO. Moreover, stability performances at ambient storage conditions recorded by PXRD show that BDMC-DMSO was stable over three months.
Estimation of Treatment Effects in Repeated Public Goods Experiments
Authors: Kong Jianning , Sul Donggyu
Published: October 2018

This paper provides a new statistical model for repeated voluntary contribution mechanism games. In a repeated public goods experiment, contributions in the first round are cross-sectionally independent simply because subjects are randomly selected. Meanwhile, contributions to a public account over rounds are serially and cross-sectionally correlated. Furthermore, the cross-sectional average of the contributions across subjects usually decreases over rounds. By considering this non-stationary initial condition—the initial contribution has a different distribution from the rest of the contributions—we model statistically the time varying patterns of the average contribution in repeated public goods experiments and then propose a simple but efficient method to test for treatment effects. The suggested method has good finite sample performance and works well in practice.
Sensitivity of Codispersion to Noise and Error in Ecological and Environmental Data
Authors: Vallejos Ronny , Buckley Hannah , Case Bradley , Acosta Jonathan , Ellison Aaron M.
Published: October 2018

Understanding relationships among tree species, or between tree diversity, distribution, and underlying environmental gradients, is a central concern for forest ecologists, managers, and management agencies. The spatial processes underlying observed spatial patterns of trees or edaphic variables often are complex and violate two fundamental assumptions—isotropy and stationarity—of spatial statistics. Codispersion analysis is a new statistical method developed to assess spatial covariation between two spatial processes that may not be isotropic or stationary. Its application to data from large forest plots has provided new insights into mechanisms underlying observed patterns of species distributions and the relationship between individual species and underlying edaphic and topographic gradients. However, these data are not collected without error, and the performance of the codispersion coefficient when there is noise or measurement error (“contamination”) in the data heretofore has been addressed only theoretically. Here, we use Monte Carlo simulations and real datasets to investigate the sensitivity of codispersion to four types of contamination commonly seen in many forest datasets. Three of these involved comparing codispersion of a spatial dataset with a contaminated version of itself. The fourth examined differences in codispersion between tree species and soil variables, where the estimates of soil characteristics were based on complete or thinned datasets. In all cases, we found that estimates of codispersion were robust when contamination was relatively low (<15%), but were sensitive to larger percentages of contamination. We also present a useful method for imputing missing spatial data and discuss several aspects of the codispersion coefficient when applied to noisy data to gain more insight about the performance of codispersion in practice.
A Calorimetric and Thermodynamic Investigation of the Synthetic Analogue of Mandarinoite, Fe2(SeO3)3·5H2O
Authors: Lelet Maxim I. , Charykova Marina V. , Holzheid Astrid , Ledwig Brendan , Krivovichev Vladimir G. , Suleimanov Evgeny V.
Published: October 2018

Thermophysical and thermochemical calorimetric investigations were carried out on the synthetic analogue of mandarinoite. The low-temperature heat capacity of Fe 2 ( SeO 3 ) 3 · 5 H 2 O ( cr ) was measured using adiabatic calorimetry between 5.3 and 324.8 K, and the third-law entropy was determined. Using these C p , m o ( T ) data, the third law entropy at T = 298.15 K, S m o , is calculated as 520.1 ± 1.1 J∙K−1∙mol−1. Smoothed C p , m o ( T ) values between T → 0 K and 320 K are presented, along with values for S m o and the functions [ H m o ( T ) − H m o ( 0 ) ] and [ Φ m o ( T ) − Φ m o ( 0 ) ] . The enthalpy of formation of Fe 2 ( SeO 3 ) 3 · 5 H 2 O ( cr ) was determined by solution calorimetry with HF solution as the solvent, giving Δ f H m o ( 298   K ,   Fe 2 ( SeO 3 ) 3 · 5 H 2 O ,   cr ) = −3124.6 ± 5.3 kJ/mol. The standard Gibbs energy of formation for Fe 2 ( SeO 3 ) 3 · 5 H 2 O ( cr ) at T = 298 K can be calculated on the basis on Δ f H m o ( 298   K ) and Δ f S m o ( 298   K ) : Δ f G m o ( 298   K ,   Fe 2 ( SeO 3 ) 3 · 5 H 2 O ,   cr ) = −2600.8 ± 5.4 kJ/mol. The value of ΔfGm for Fe2(SeO3)3·5H2O(cr) was used to calculate the Eh–pH diagram of the Fe–Se–H2O system. This diagram has been constructed for the average contents of these elements in acidic waters of the oxidation zones of sulfide deposits. The behaviors of selenium and iron in the surface environment have been quantitatively explained by variations of the redox potential and the acidity-basicity of the mineral-forming medium. These parameters precisely determine the migration ability of selenium compounds and its precipitation in the form of solid phases.
Geochemical and Isotopic Evidence of Groundwater Salinization Processes in El Dabaa Area, Northwestern Coast, Egypt
Authors: Eissa Mustafa A. , Shawky Hosam , Samy Amira , Khalil Mostafa M. H. , El Malky Mohamed
Published: October 2018

El Dabaa city is located along the northwestern coast ridge zone of Egypt, where the groundwater is the major water source for drinking, domestic, and agricultural purposes. The groundwater salinity increased over the last decades, therefore, geochemical techniques and environmental isotopes have been utilized to identify the main groundwater recharge and salinization sources. The study area comprises two main groundwater aquifers: the porous oolitic Pleistocene and the fractured limestone Miocene aquifers. The groundwater salinity of the Pleistocene aquifer ranges from 751 to 27,870 mg/L, with an average value of 6006 mg/L. The salinity of the Miocene aquifer ranges from 3645 to 41,357 mg/L, with an average value of 11,897 mg/L. Fresh and brackish groundwater have been recorded in the shallow hand-dug wells, while saline groundwater has been found in deeper wells close to the shoreline. Groundwater samples have been categorized into two distinct groups according to the salinity ranges, hydrochemical ion ratios, and stable isotopic content. Group I is composed of groundwater with salinity less than 10,000 mg/L, and depleted stable isotopic content (−5.64 < δ18O < −2.45; −23.5 < δ2H < −0.02), while Group II contains groundwater with salinity values above 10,000 mg/L and relatively enriched stable isotopic content (−1.86 < δ18O < −0.48; −10.3 < δ2H < −2.0). The weight mass balance mixing model shows that Group I falls close to the rain and/or water extract samples, indicating meteoric water origin that has evolved due to leaching and dissolution processes. Group II is mostly located between the rainwater and the seawater samples, revealing mixing with water of marine origin due to groundwater overexploitation. The estimated seawater mixing index (SMI) of groundwater samples of Group II is greater than one, which confirms mixing with seawater. The water-rock reaction NETPATH (geochemical groundwater reaction and mixing code) model scenarios representing Group I suggests that gypsum, dolomite, and halite are dissolved, while calcite is formed with a slight influence from evaporation processes. Six mixing models representing Group II are used to investigate seawater mixing scenarios. The models suggest that illite and dolomite are dissolved, while calcite and gypsum are precipitated with a seawater mixing ratios ranging from 28% to 98%. In conclusion, due to the scarcity of annual groundwater recharge in the El Dabaa area, groundwater withdrawal should be well managed to avoid groundwater salinization and further seawater intrusion.
Characterization of Vegetation Physiognomic Types Using Bidirectional Reflectance Data
Authors: Sharma Ram C. , Hara Keitarou
Published: October 2018

This paper presents an assessment of the bidirectional reflectance features for the classification and characterization of vegetation physiognomic types at a national scale. The bidirectional reflectance data at multiple illumination and viewing geometries were generated by simulating the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model parameters with Ross-Thick Li-Sparse-Reciprocal (RT-LSR) kernel weights. This research dealt with the classification and characterization of six vegetation physiognomic types—evergreen coniferous forest, evergreen broadleaf forest, deciduous coniferous forest, deciduous broadleaf forest, shrubs, and herbaceous—which are distributed all over the country. The supervised classification approach was used by employing four machine learning classifiers—k-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Random Forests (RF), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and Multilayer Perceptron Neural Networks (NN)—with the support of ground truth data. The confusion matrix, overall accuracy, and kappa coefficient were calculated through a 10-fold cross-validation approach, and were also used as the metrics for quantitative evaluation. Among the classifiers tested, the accuracy metrics did not vary much with the classifiers; however, the Random Forests (RF; Overall accuracy = 0.76, Kappa coefficient = 0.72) and Support Vector Machines (SVM; Overall accuracy = 0.76, Kappa coefficient = 0.71) classifiers performed slightly better than other classifiers. The bidirectional reflectance spectra did not only vary with the vegetation physiognomic types, it also showed a pronounced difference between the backward and forward scattering directions. Thus, the bidirectional reflectance data provides additional features for improving the classification and characterization of vegetation physiognomic types at the broad scale.
Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions towards Vitamin D in a UK Adult Population: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: O’Connor Clodagh , Glatt Dominique , White Lois , Revuelta Iniesta Raquel
Published: October 2018

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the United Kingdom is high, despite updated Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) guidelines. Therefore, our aims were to identify population knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of vitamin D supplementation and factors contributing to supplement use in a UK adult population. A cross-sectional study was performed between April–June 2018 using a newly designed piloted questionnaire. Scores for knowledge were calculated as a percentage (Boland et al. 2015). Logistic regression analysis was used to predict supplement use. 209 participants (82% female), mean (±SD) age 34.9 (±12.3) completed the questionnaire. The mean (±SD) vitamin D knowledge score was 56.6% (±19.9%); only 48% were concerned about their vitamin D concentration and 57% did not take vitamin D. Most participants (86%) wished to learn more about vitamin D. Knowledge score (OR 2.5; p = 0.01; 95% CI 1.2–5.3), concern (OR 2.1; p = 0.03; 95% CI 1.0–4.2) and location (OR 0.3; p = 0.006; 95% CI 0.1–0.7) predicted supplemented use. Individuals living in England had 2.9 (95% CI 1.4–6.3) lower odds of taking vitamin D than those living in Scotland. As a result of these findings, this study suggests that vitamin D supplementation and fortification, alongside education strategies, may be an effective method for improving UK vitamin D health; however, more research is warranted.
A High-Definition Road-Network Model for Self-Driving Vehicles
Authors: Zheng Ling , Li Bijun , Zhang Hongjuan , Shan Yunxiao , Zhou Jian
Published: October 2018

High-definition (HD) maps have gained increasing attention in highly automated driving technology and show great significance for self-driving cars. An HD road network (HDRN) is one of the most important parts of an HD map. To date, there have been few studies focusing on road and road-segment extraction in the automatic generation of an HDRN. To improve the precision of an HDRN further and represent the topological relations between road segments and lanes better, in this paper, we propose an HDRN model (HDRNM) for a self-driving car. The HDRNM divides the HDRN into a road-segment network layer and a road-network layer. It includes road segments, attributes and geometric topological relations between lanes, as well as relations between road segments and lanes. We define the place in a road segment where the attribute changes as a linear event point. The road segment serves as a linear benchmark, and the linear event point from the road segment is mapped to its lanes via their relative positions to segment the lanes. Then, the HDRN is automatically generated from road centerlines collected by a mobile mapping vehicle through a multi-directional constraint principal component analysis method. Finally, an experiment proves the effectiveness of this HDRNM.
Conceptualising and Modelling E-Recruitment Process for Enterprises through a Problem Oriented Approach
Authors: Alamro Saleh , Dogan Huseyin , Cetinkaya Deniz , Jiang Nan , Phalp Keith
Published: October 2018

Internet-led labour market has become so competitive it is forcing many organisations from different sectors to embrace e-recruitment. However, realising the value of the e-recruitment from a Requirements Engineering (RE) analysis perspective is challenging. This research was motivated by the results of a failed e-recruitment project conducted in military domain which was used as a case study. After reviewing the various challenges faced in that project through a number of related research domains, this research focused on two major problems: (1) the difficulty of scoping, representing, and systematically transforming recruitment problem knowledge towards e-recruitment solution specification; and (2) the difficulty of documenting e-recruitment best practices for reuse purposes in an enterprise recruitment environment. In this paper, a Problem-Oriented Conceptual Model (POCM) with a complementary Ontology for Recruitment Problem Definition (Onto-RPD) is proposed to contextualise the various recruitment problem viewpoints from an enterprise perspective, and to elaborate those problem viewpoints towards a comprehensive recruitment problem definition. POCM and Onto-RPD are developed incrementally using action-research conducted on three real case studies: (1) Secureland Army Enlistment; (2) British Army Regular Enlistment; and (3) UK Undergraduate Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). They are later evaluated in a focus group study against a set of criteria. The study shows that POCM and Onto-RPD provide a strong foundation for representing and understanding the e-recruitment problems from different perspectives.
Mechanochemical Induced Structure Transformations in Lithium Titanates: A Detailed PXRD and 6Li MAS NMR Study
Authors: Becker Dennis , Haberkorn Robert , Kickelbick Guido
Published: October 2018

Lithium titanates are used in various applications, such as anode materials for lithium intercalation (Li4Ti5O12) or breeding materials in fusion reactors (Li2TiO3). Here, we report the formation of nano-crystalline lithium titanates by a mechanochemical approach and present a deeper insight into their structural characteristics by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The compounds were synthesized in a high-energy planetary ball mill with varying milling parameters and different grinding tools. NaCl type Li2TiO3 (α-Li2TiO3) was formed by dry milling of lithium hydroxide with titania (rutile or anatase) and by a milling induced structure transformation of monoclinic β-Li2TiO3 or spinel type Li4Ti5O12. Heating of mechanochemical prepared α-Li2TiO3 induces a phase transformation to the monoclinic phase similar to hydrothermal reaction products, but a higher thermal stability was observed for the mechanochemical formed product. Microstructure and crystallographic structure were characterized by XRD via Rietveld analysis. Detailed phase analysis shows the formation of the cubic phase from the various educts. A set of two lattice parameters for α-Li2TiO3 was refined, depending on the presence of OH− during the milling process. An average crystallite size of less than 15 nm was observed for the mechanochemical generated products. The local Li environment detected by 6Li NMR revealed Li defects in the form of tetrahedral instead of octahedral site occupation. Subsequent adjustment of the structural model for Rietveld refinement leads to better fits, supporting this interpretation.
The Current Description and Future Need for Multidisciplinary PCOS Clinics
Authors: Wolf Wendy M. , Wattick Rachel A. , Kinkade Olivia N. , Olfert Melissa D.
Published: October 2018

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), with common symptoms of irregular menstrual cycles, ovarian cysts, and hirsutism, is thought to be the most common endocrine disorder found in women, and use of multidisciplinary teams has been shown to be effective. The purpose of this review is to determine the future need for specialized, comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment for PCOS and the current description and efficacy of existing multidisciplinary clinics. The literature was searched using PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Medline, and the Cochrane Library. Keywords included treatment efficacy, polycystic ovary syndrome, treatment and collaboration. Results showed that while an increasing number of studies continue to come out expressing the need for multidisciplinary approaches to and clinics for the treatment of PCOS, there is still a large gap in the literature documenting actual multidisciplinary PCOS treatment facilities. The limited literature documenting the efficacy of multidisciplinary PCOS clinic have demonstrated increased weight loss, high patient satisfaction, and high retention compared to single-care providers. Data showed that these teams are most commonly made up of a combination of endocrinologists, psychologists, dietitians, gynecologists, and endocrine-specialized nurses. Data showed that there is a high degree of variability and rates of diagnosis between types of single-care providers, such as: endocrinology, dermatology, gynecology, and fertility. Individuals with PCOS are in need for specialized, individualized, and focused care from a diverse team of healthcare providers to treat PCOS comprehensively.
Personalized Shares in Visual Cryptography
Authors: Hammoudi Karim , Melkemi Mahmoud
Published: October 2018

This article deals with visual cryptography. It consists of hiding a message in two key images (also called shares). The decryption of the message is obtained through human vision by superposition of the shares. In existing methods, the surface of key images is not visually pleasant and is not exploited for communicating textual or pictorial information. Presently, we propose a pictogram-based visual cryptography technique, which generates shares textured with customizable and aesthetic rendering. Moreover, robustness characteristics of this technique to the automated decoding of the secret message are presented. Experimental results show concrete personalized shares and their applicative potentials for security and creative domains.
Unconventional U.S. Monetary Policy: New Tools, Same Channels?
Authors: Feldkircher Martin , Huber Florian
Published: October 2018

In this paper, we compare the transmission of a conventional monetary policy shock with that of an unexpected decrease in the term spread, which mirrors quantitative easing. Employing a time-varying vector autoregression with stochastic volatility, our results are two-fold: First, the spread shock works mainly through a boost to consumer wealth growth, while a conventional monetary policy shock affects real output growth via a broad credit/bank lending channel. Second, both shocks exhibit a distinct pattern over our sample period. More specifically, we find small output effects of a conventional monetary policy shock during the period of the global financial crisis and stronger effects in its aftermath. This might imply that when the central bank has left the policy rate unaltered for an extended period of time, a policy surprise might boost output particularly strongly. By contrast, the spread shock has affected output growth most strongly during the period of the global financial crisis and less so thereafter. This might point to diminishing effects of large-scale asset purchase programs.
Volatility Spillovers Arising from the Financialization of Commodities
Authors: Chan Wing Hong , Shelton Bryce , Wu Yan Wendy
Published: October 2018

This paper examines whether the proliferation of new index products, such as commodity-tracking exchange-traded funds (ETFs), amplified the volatility transmission channel introduced by financialization. This paper focuses on the volatility spillover effects among crude oil, metals, agriculture, and non-energy commodity markets. The results show financialization has an impact on the volatility of commodity prices, predominantly for non-energy commodities. However, the impact on volatility is not symmetric across all commodities. The analysis of index investment and investors’ positions in futures markets shows that, when a relationship exists, it is generally negatively correlated with the realized volatility of non-energy commodities. Using realized volatility in the difference-in-difference model provides estimates that are inconsistent with other findings that non-energy commodities, traded as a part of indices, have experienced higher volatility. The results are similar to the index investment and futures market analysis, where increased participation by investors through new investment products has put download pressure on realized volatility.
Price Discovery and the Accuracy of Consolidated Data Feeds in the U.S. Equity Markets
Authors: Tivnan Brian F. , Slater David , Thompson James R. , Bergen-Hill Tobin A. , Burke Carl D. , Brady Shaun M. , Koehler Matthew T. K. , McMahon Matthew T. , Tivnan Brendan F. , Veneman Jason G.
Published: October 2018

Both the scientific community and the popular press have paid much attention to the speed of the Securities Information Processor—the data feed consolidating all trades and quotes across the US stock market. Rather than the speed of the Securities Information Processor (SIP), we focus here on its accuracy. Relying on Trade and Quote data, we provide various measures of SIP latency relative to high-speed data feeds between exchanges, known as direct feeds. We use first differences to highlight not only the divergence between the direct feeds and the SIP, but also the fundamental inaccuracy of the SIP. We find that as many as 60% or more of trades are reported out of sequence for stocks with high trade volume, therefore skewing simple measures, such as returns. While not yet definitive, this analysis supports our preliminary conclusion that the underlying infrastructure of the SIP is currently unable to keep pace with the trading activity in today’s stock market.
The Distinctive Regulation of Cyanobacterial Glutamine Synthetase
Authors: Bolay Paul , Muro-Pastor M. Isabel , Florencio Francisco J. , Klähn Stephan
Published: October 2018

Glutamine synthetase (GS) features prominently in bacterial nitrogen assimilation as it catalyzes the entry of bioavailable nitrogen in form of ammonium into cellular metabolism. The classic example, the comprehensively characterized GS of enterobacteria, is subject to exquisite regulation at multiple levels, among them gene expression regulation to control GS abundance, as well as feedback inhibition and covalent modifications to control enzyme activity. Intriguingly, the GS of the ecologically important clade of cyanobacteria features fundamentally different regulatory systems to those of most prokaryotes. These include the interaction with small proteins, the so-called inactivating factors (IFs) that inhibit GS linearly with their abundance. In addition to this protein interaction-based regulation of GS activity, cyanobacteria use alternative elements to control the synthesis of GS and IFs at the transcriptional level. Moreover, cyanobacteria evolved unique RNA-based regulatory mechanisms such as glutamine riboswitches to tightly tune IF abundance. In this review, we aim to outline the current knowledge on the distinctive features of the cyanobacterial GS encompassing the overall control of its activity, sensing the nitrogen status, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, as well as strain-specific differences.
Logistics Business Transformation for Sustainability: Assessing the Role of the Lead Sustainability Service Provider (6PL)
Authors: Gruchmann Tim , Melkonyan Ani , Krumme Klaus
Published: October 2018

Societal, economic and ecological prosperity will be highly affected in the next decades due to socio-demographic developments and climate change. The design of more sustainable logistics business types can address such challenges to build more resilient supply chains. Therefore, the discussion with regard to transformational potentials of logistics businesses provides valuable information to shape business strategies according to future sustainability requirements. Within the framework of this paper, a mixed-methods approach has been applied to explore and analyze drivers and barriers for sustainability transformations of logistics service providers (LSPs) and to evaluate related business strategies with optimization and simulation methods in a concrete regional context. So far, LSPs’ main obstacles are competitive pressure, focal firm orientation, and dependence on other supply chain members, while supply chain collaboration and integration, as well as the integration of sharing economy solutions and new digital technologies, have been identified as promising for sustainability transitions. Accordingly, this paper suggests a roadmap for the logistics sector while defining retention strategies such as growth, replication, mimicry, and mergence to meet future societal and environmental requirements. By doing so, this study contributes to theory by constructing the Lead Sustainability Service Provider (6PL) business model (arche)type and its role in societal transitions.
Electrochemical Behavior of Al(III) and Formation of Different Phases Al-Ni Alloys Deposits from LiCl-KCl-AlCl3 Molten Salt
Authors: Peng Yaru , Chen Zeng , Bai Ying , Pei Qingqing , Li Wei , Diao Chunli , Li Xijin , Li Shengjun , Dong Shaokang
Published: October 2018

The electrochemical behaviors of Al(III) deposits on Ni substrates were investigated in LiCl-KCl-AlCl3 (2 wt.%) molten salts. Various electrochemical methods, including cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), and open circuit chronopotentiometry (OCP) were used to explore the deposition processes of Al(III) on Ni substrates. Five kinds of Al-Ni alloys phase were firstly electrodeposited by the regulation of deposition potential form LiCl-KCl-AlCl3 (2 wt.%) molten salts at 753 K. The formation of Al-Ni alloys, such as AlNi3, Ni5Al3, AlNi, Al3Ni2, and Al3Ni were confirmed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and the cross-section morphologies were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Meanwhile, it was found that the temperature of molten salt was another key parameter for the controlling of alloys phase. No Al-Ni alloys phase other than AlNi3 and Ni5Al3 could be deposited at 703 K.
Forced Magnetostrictions and Magnetizations of Ni2+xMnGa1−x at Its Curie Temperature
Authors: Sakon Takuo , Hayashi Yuhi , Li Dexin , Honda Fuminori , Oomi Gendo , Narumi Yasuo , Hagiwara Masayuki , Kanomata Takeshi , Eto Tetsujiro
Published: October 2018

Experimental investigations into the field dependence of magnetization and the relationship between magnetization and magnetostriction in Ni2+xMnGa1−x (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04) alloy ferromagnets were performed following the self-consistent renormalization (SCR) spin fluctuation theory of itinerant ferromagnetism. In this study, we investigated the magnetization of and magnetostriction on Ni2+xMnGa1−x (x = 0.02, 0.04) to check whether these relations held when the ratio of Ni to Ga and, the valence electron concentration per atom, e/a were varied. When the ratio of Ni to Ga was varied, e/a increased with increasing x. The magnetization results for x = 0.02 (e/a = 7.535) and 0.04 (e/a = 7.570) suggest that the critical index δ of H ∝ Mδ is around 5.0 at the Curie temperature TC, which is the critical temperature of the ferromagnetic–paramagnetic transition. This result confirms Takahashi’s spin fluctuation theory and the experimental results of Ni2MnGa. The spontaneous magnetization pS slightly decreased with increasing x. For x = 0.00, the spin fluctuation parameter in k-space (momentum space; TA) and that in energy space (T0) were obtained. The relationship between peff/pS and TC/T0 can also be explained by Takahashi’s theory, where peff indicates the effective magnetic moments. We created a generalized Rhodes-Wohlfarth plot of peff/pS versus TC/T0 for other ferromagnets. The plot indicates that the relationship between peff/pS and T0/TC follows Takahashi’s theory. We also measured the magnetostriction for Ni2+xMnGa1−x (x = 0.02, 0.04). As a result, at TC, the plot of the magnetostriction (ΔL/L) versus M4 shows proportionality and crosses the origin. These magnetization and magnetostriction results were analyzed in terms of Takahashi’s SCR spin fluctuation theory. We investigated the magnetostriction at the premartensite phase, which is the precursor state to the martensitic transition. In Ni2MnGa system alloys, the maximum value of magnetostriction is almost proportional to the e/a.