bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Deformation Temperature on Mechanical Properties and Deformation Mechanisms of Cold-Rolled Low C High Mn TRIP/TWIP Steel
Authors: Tang Zhengyou , Huang Jianeng , Ding Hua , Cai Zhihui , Zhang Dongmei , Misra Devesh
Published: June 2018

The microstructure and mechanical properties of cold-rolled Fe-18Mn-3Al-3Si-0.03C transformation induced plasticity/twinning induced plasticity (TRIP/TWIP) steel in the temperature range of 25 to 600 °C were studied. The experimental steel exhibited a good combination of ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 905 MPa and total elongation (TEL) of 55% at room temperature. With the increase of deformation temperature from 25 to 600 °C, the stacking fault energy (SFE) of the experimental steel increased from 14.5 to 98.8 mJm−2. The deformation mechanism of the experimental steel is controlled by both the strain induced martensite formation and strain induced deformation twinning at 25 °C. With the increase of deformation temperature from 25 to 600 °C, TRIP and TWIP effect were inhibited, and dislocation glide gradually became the main deformation mechanism. The UTS decreased monotonously from 905 to 325 MPa and the TEL decreased (from 55 to 36%, 25–400 °C) and then increased (from 36 to 64%, 400–600 °C). The change in mechanical properties is related to the thermal softening effect, TRIP effect, TWIP effect, DSA, and dislocation slip.
Cold/Hot Deformation Induced Recrystallization of Nickel-Based Superalloys for Molten Salt Reactors
Authors: Koukolikova Martina , Slama Peter , Dlouhy Jaromir , Cerny Jan , Marecek Martin
Published: June 2018

A new special structural nickel-based alloy for use in molten fluoride salt environments in molten salt reactors (MSR) began to be developed by the COMTES FHT Company in the Czech Republic as early as 2001. The outcome of this development was the MoNiCr alloy, an alternative to Hastelloy-N. The present study was carried out on two experimentally-manufactured nickel alloys: MoNiCr and HN80MTY. Its purpose was to activate recrystallization processes in the as-cast microstructure of these alloys. In addition, experiments were performed to find a temperature which produces complete recrystallization. Static and dynamic recrystallization was studied in both alloys as well. An important aspect was to determine the lowest amount of deformation which still ensures complete recrystallization and provides as uniform recrystallized grains as possible. Such microstructure is well-suited for subsequent forming operations. Specimen microstructures were characterized using light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Furthermore, corrosion tests of the MoNiCr alloy were conducted.
Application of Continuous Culture Methods to Recombinant Protein Production in Microorganisms
Authors: Peebo Karl , Neubauer Peter
Published: June 2018

Depending on the environmental conditions, cells adapt their metabolism and specific growth rate. Rearrangements occur on many different levels such as macromolecular composition, gene and protein expression, morphology and metabolic flux patterns. As the interplay of these processes also determines the output of a recombinant protein producing system, having control over specific growth rate of the culture is advantageous. Continuous culture methods were developed to grow cells in a constant environment and have been used for decades to study basic microbial physiology in a controlled and reproducible manner. Our review summarizes the uses of continuous cultures in cell physiology studies and process development, with a focus on recombinant protein-producing microorganisms.
Fragilides K and L, New Briaranes from the Gorgonian Coral Junceella fragilis
Authors: Zheng Li-Guo , Chang Yu-Chia , Hu Chiung-Chih , Wen Zhi-Hong , Wu Yang-Chang , Sung Ping-Jyun
Published: June 2018

Two new briarane metabolites—fragilides K (1) and L (2)—along with five known analogues—gemmacolide X, praelolide, juncins P and ZI, and gemmacolide V (3–7)—were extracted and purified from Junceella fragilis, a gorgonian coral. Based on data obtained via spectroscopic techniques, the structures of new briaranes 1 and 2 were determined and the cyclohexane rings in 1 and 2 were found to exist in chair and twist boat conformation, respectively. Additionally, anti-inflammatory analysis showed that briaranes 2, 3, and 6 inhibited pro-inflammatory inducible nitric oxide synthase protein expression and briaranes 3 and 7 suppressed the cyclooxygenase-2 level, in LPS-stimulated murine macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells.
A Microfluidic Platform to Study Astrocyte Adhesion on Nanoporous Gold Thin Films
Authors: Hampe Alexander E. , Li Zidong , Sethi Sunjay , Lein Pamela J. , Seker Erkin
Published: June 2018

Nanoporous gold (np-Au) electrode coatings have shown improved neural electrophysiological recording fidelity in vitro, in part due to reduced surface coverage by astrocytes. This reduction in astrocytic spreading has been attributed to the influence of electrode nanostructure on focal adhesion (FA) formation. This study describes the development and use of a microfluidic flow cell for imposing controllable hydrodynamic shear on astrocytes cultured on gold surfaces of different morphologies, in order to study the influence of nanostructure on astrocyte adhesion strength as a function of np-Au electrode morphology. Astrocyte detachment (a surrogate for adhesion strength) monotonically increased as feature size was reduced from planar surfaces to np-Au, demonstrating that adhesion strength is dependent on nanostructure. Putative mechanisms responsible for this nanostructure-driven detachment phenomenon are also discussed.
Association between Dietary Vitamin E Intake and Esophageal Cancer Risk: An Updated Meta-Analysis
Authors: Cui Lingling , Li Li , Tian Yalan , Xu Fan , Qiao Tianyi
Published: June 2018

Epidemiological studies have provided ambiguous evidence on the association between vitamin E and esophageal cancer risk. To resolve this controversy, we performed this meta-analysis. The literature was searched by using Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), PubMed, the Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from the inception to April 2018. A random effect model was utilized to calculate the odds ratio (OR) with the 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Twelve articles reporting 14 studies involving 3013 cases and 11,384 non-cases were included. By comparing the highest category with the lowest category of dietary vitamin E intake, we found that dietary vitamin E intake was inversely related to esophageal cancer risk (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.36–0.60). Subgroup analysis revealed that dietary vitamin E intake had a significantly negative association with both the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma risk (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.18–0.44) and the esophageal adenocarcinoma risk (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.49–0.88). No study significantly affected the findings in the sensitivity analysis. Publication bias was discovered, however, the OR (95% CI) remained unchanged after the trim-and-fill analysis. This meta-analysis showed that the higher dietary vitamin E intake is associated with a lower esophageal cancer risk. However, the association still needs to be upheld by more large-scaled randomized controlled trials and prospective studies.
Ethanolic Extracts of Artemisia apiacea Hance Improved Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions In Vivo and Suppressed TNF-Alpha/IFN-Gamma–Induced Proinflammatory Chemokine Production In Vitro
Authors: Yang Ju-Hye , Lee Esther , Lee BoHyoung , Cho Won-Kyung , Ma Jin Yeul , Park Kwang-Il
Published: June 2018

Artemisia apiacea Hance is a traditional herbal medicine used for treating eczema and jaundice in Eastern Asia including China, Korea, and Japan. However, the biological and pharmacological actions of Artemisia apiacea Hance in atopic dermatitis (AD) are not fully understood. An ethanolic extract of Artemisia apiacea Hance (EAH) was tested in vitro and in vivo to investigate its anti-inflammatory activity and anti-atopic dermatitis effects. The results showed that EAH dose-dependence inhibited production of regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC). EAH inhibited the activation of p38, extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), and STAT-1 and suppressed the degradation of inhibited both nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor-alpha (IκB-α) in TNF-α/IFN-γ–stimulated HaCaT cells. EAH also suppressed the translocation of inflammation transcription factors such as NF-κB p65 in TNF-α/IFN-γ–stimulated HaCaT cells. In addition, EAH reduced 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced ear thickness and dorsal skin thickness in a dose-dependent manner. EAH appeared to regulate chemokine formation by inhibiting activation of and ERK as well as the NK-κB pathways. Furthermore, EAH significantly improved the skin p38 conditions in a DNCB-induced AD-like mouse model.
A Quantitative Proteomics View on the Function of Qfhb1, a Major QTL for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat
Authors: Eldakak Moustafa , Das Aayudh , Zhuang Yongbin , Rohila Jai , Glover Karl , Yen Yang
Published: June 2018

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a highly detrimental disease of wheat. A quantitative trait locus for FHB resistance, Qfhb1, is the most utilized source of resistance in wheat-breeding programs, but very little is known about its resistance mechanism. In this study, we elucidated a prospective FHB resistance mechanism by investigating the proteomic signatures of Qfhb1 in a pair of contrasting wheat near-isogenic lines (NIL) after 24 h of inoculation of wheat florets by Fusarium graminearum. Statistical comparisons of the abundances of protein spots on the 2D-DIGE gels of contrasting NILs (fhb1+ NIL = Qfhb1 present; fhb1- NIL = Qfhb1 absent) enabled us to select 80 high-ranking differentially accumulated protein (DAP) spots. An additional evaluation confirmed that the DAP spots were specific to the spikelet from fhb1- NIL (50 spots), and fhb1+ NIL (seven spots). The proteomic data also suggest that the absence of Qfhb1 makes the fhb1- NIL vulnerable to Fusarium attack by constitutively impairing several mechanisms including sucrose homeostasis by enhancing starch synthesis from sucrose. In the absence of Qfhb1, Fusarium inoculations severely damaged photosynthetic machinery; altered the metabolism of carbohydrates, nitrogen and phenylpropanoids; disrupted the balance of proton gradients across relevant membranes; disturbed the homeostasis of many important signaling molecules induced the mobility of cellular repair; and reduced translational activities. These changes in the fhb1- NIL led to strong defense responses centered on the hypersensitive response (HSR), resulting in infected cells suicide and the consequent initiation of FHB development. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that Qfhb1 largely functions to either alleviate HSR or to manipulate the host cells to not respond to Fusarium infection.
Erratum: Schroeder, M.J. The Philosophy of Philosophies: Synthesis through Diversity. Philosophies 2016, 1, 1
Authors: Schroeder Marcin J.
Published: June 2018

The author wishes to add the following correction to his paper published in Philosophies [1]:The repeated fragment from lines 13–18 and part of 19 on page 69 should be deleted [...]
Scaffolds Formed via the Non-Equilibrium Supramolecular Assembly of the Synergistic ECM Peptides RGD and PHSRN Demonstrate Improved Cell Attachment in 3D
Authors: Aye San-Seint , Li Rui , Boyd-Moss Mitchell , Long Benjamin , Pavuluri Sivapriya , Bruggeman Kiara , Wang Yi , Barrow Colin , Nisbet David , Williams Richard
Published: June 2018

Self-assembling peptides (SAPs) are a relatively new class of low molecular weight gelators which immobilize their solvent through the spontaneous formation of (fibrillar) nanoarchitectures. As peptides are derived from proteins, these hydrogels are ideal for use as biocompatible scaffolds for regenerative medicine. Importantly, due to the propensity of peptide sequences to act as signals in nature, they are easily functionalized to be cell instructive via the inclusion of bioactive epitopes. In nature, the fibronectin peptide sequence, arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) synergistically promotes the integrin α5β1 mediated cell adhesion with another epitope, proline-histidine-serine-arginine-asparagine (PHSRN); however most functionalization strategies focus on RGD alone. Here, for the first time, we discuss the biomimetic inclusion of both these sequences within a self-assembled minimalistic peptide hydrogel. Here, based on our work with Fmoc-FRGDF (N-flourenylmethyloxycarbonyl phenylalanine-arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-phenylalanine), we show it is possible to present two epitopes simultaneously via the assembly of the epitopes by the coassembly of two SAPs, and compare this to the effectiveness of the signals in a single peptide; Fmoc-FRGDF: Fmoc-PHSRN (N-flourenylmethyloxycarbonyl-proline-histidine-serine-arginine-asparagine) and Fmoc-FRGDFPHSRN (N-flourenylmethyloxycarbonyl-phenylalanine-arginine-glycine-asparticacid-phenylalanine-proline-histidine-serine-arginine-asparagine). We show both produced self-supporting hydrogel underpinned by entangled nanofibrils, however, the stiffness of coassembled hydrogel was over two orders of magnitude higher than either Fmoc-FRGDF or Fmoc-FRGDFPHSRN alone. In-vitro three-dimensional cell culture of human mammary fibroblasts on the hydrogel mixed peptide showed dramatically improved adhesion, spreading and proliferation over Fmoc-FRGDF. However, the long peptide did not provide effective cell attachment. The results demonstrated the selective synergy effect of PHSRN with RGD is an effective way to augment the robustness and functionality of self-assembled bioscaffolds.
Near-Field Electrospun Piezoelectric Fibers as Sound-Sensing Elements
Authors: Lee Tien Hsi , Chen Chun Yu , Tsai Chen Yu , Fuh Yiin Kuen
Published: June 2018

A novel integration of three-dimensional (3D) architectures of near-field electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nano-micro fibers (NMFs) is applied to an intelligent self-powered sound-sensing element (ISSE). Using 3D architecture with greatly enhanced piezoelectric output, the sound wave energy can be harvested under a sound pressure of 120+ dB SPL of electrical signal about 0.25 V. Furthermore, the simple throat vibrations such as hum, cough and swallow with different intensity or frequency can be distinguishably detected. Finally, the developed ultrathin ISSE of near-field electrospun piezoelectric fibers has the advantage of direct—write fabrication on highly flexible substrates and low cost. The proposed technique demonstrates the advancement of existing electrospinning technologies in new practical applications of sensing purposes such as voice control, wearable electronics, implantable human wireless technology.
A One Pot Method for Preparing an Antibacterial Superabsorbent Hydrogel with a Semi-IPN Structure Based on Tara Gum and Polyquaternium-7
Authors: Shen Jie , Li Bingjie , Zhan Xianxu , Wang Lijuan
Published: June 2018

An antibacterial superabsorbent polymer was prepared by graft polymerization of acrylic acid onto tara gum polysaccharide, by adding N,N-dimethyl-N-2-propenyl-2-propen-1-aminium chloride and a polymer with 2-propenamide (polyquaternium-7, PQ7) as an antibacterial agent. The effects of the amount of PQ7 in the hydrogel on its swelling ratio were investigated and maximum swelling ratios of 712 g/g and 68 g/g, in distilled water and 0.9 wt % NaCl solution were attained with 0.5 g PQ7 per gram of tara gum. The superabsorbent hydrogel was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis. The results showed that poly (acrylic acid) was successfully grafted onto tara gum and a three-dimensional network structure formed with PQ7 chains penetrated in the networks. The antibacterial properties of these superabsorbent hydrogels against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli improved with increasing PQ7 content. This study demonstrates a method of preparing novel functional superabsorbent hydrogels.
A Safety Monitoring Model for a Faulty Mobile Robot
Authors: Leite André , Pinto Andry , Matos Aníbal
Published: June 2018

The continued development of mobile robots (MR) must be accompanied by an increase in robotics’ safety measures. Not only must MR be capable of detecting and diagnosing faults, they should also be capable of understanding when the dangers of a mission, to themselves and the surrounding environment, warrant the abandonment of their endeavors. Analysis of fault detection and diagnosis techniques helps shed light on the challenges of the robotic field, while also showing a lack of research in autonomous decision-making tools. This paper proposes a new skill-based architecture for mobile robots, together with a novel risk assessment and decision-making model to overcome the difficulties currently felt in autonomous robot design.
Intercomparison of MODIS AQUA and VIIRS I-Band Fires and Emissions in an Agricultural Landscape—Implications for Air Pollution Research
Authors: Vadrevu Krishna , Lasko Kristofer
Published: June 2018

Quantifying emissions from crop residue burning is crucial as it is a significant source of air pollution. In this study, we first compared the fire products from two different sensors, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) 375 m active fire product (VNP14IMG) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 1 km fire product (MCD14ML) in an agricultural landscape, Punjab, India. We then performed an intercomparison of three different approaches for estimating total particulate matter (TPM) emissions which includes the fire radiative power (FRP) based approach using VIIRS and MODIS data, the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) burnt area emissions and a bottom-up emissions approach involving agricultural census data. Results revealed that VIIRS detected fires were higher by a factor of 4.8 compared to MODIS Aqua and Terra sensors. Further, VIIRS detected fires were higher by a factor of 6.5 than Aqua. The mean monthly MODIS Aqua FRP was found to be higher than the VIIRS FRP; however, the sum of FRP from VIIRS was higher than MODIS data due to the large number of fires detected by the VIIRS. Besides, the VIIRS sum of FRP was 2.5 times more than the MODIS sum of FRP. MODIS and VIIRS monthly FRP data were found to be strongly correlated (r2 = 0.98). The bottom-up approach suggested TPM emissions in the range of 88.19–91.19 Gg compared to 42.0–61.71 Gg, 42.59–58.75 Gg and 93.98–111.72 Gg using the GFED, MODIS FRP, and VIIRS FRP based approaches, respectively. Of the different approaches, VIIRS FRP TPM emissions were highest. Since VIIRS data are only available since 2012 compared to MODIS Aqua data which have been available since May 2002, a prediction model combining MODIS and VIIRS FRP was derived to obtain potential TPM emissions from 2003–2016. The results suggested a range of 2.56–63.66 (Gg) TPM emissions per month, with the highest crop residue emissions during November of each year. Our results on TPM emissions for seasonality matched the ground-based data from the literature. As a mitigation option, stringent policy measures are recommended to curtail agricultural residue burning in the study area.
Feasibility Study on Measuring Atmospheric CO2 in Urban Areas Using Spaceborne CO2-IPDA LIDAR
Authors: Han Ge , Xu Hao , Gong Wei , Liu Jiqiao , Du Juan , Ma Xin , Liang Ailin
Published: June 2018

Since over 70% of carbon emissions are from urban areas, it is of great importance to develop an effective measurement technique that can accurately monitor atmospheric CO2 in global urban areas. Remote sensing could be an effective way to achieve this goal. However, due to high aerosol loading in urban areas, there are large, inadequately resolved areas in the CO2 products acquired by passive remote sensing. China is planning to launch the Atmospheric Environment Monitoring Satellite (AEMS) equipped with a CO2-light detecting and ranging (LIDAR) system. This work conducted a feasibility study on obtaining city-scale column CO2 volume mixing ratios (XCO2) using the LIDAR measurements. A performance framework consisting of a sensor model, sampling model, and environmental model was proposed to fulfill our demand. We found that both the coverage and the accuracy of the LIDAR-derived city-scale XCO2 values were highly dependent on the orbit height. With an orbit height of 450 km, random errors of less than 0.3% are expected for all four metropolitan areas tested in this work. However, random errors of less than 0.3% were obtained in only two metropolitan areas with an orbit height of 705 km. Our simulations also showed that off-nadir sampling would improve the performance of a CO2-Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) LIDAR system operating in a 705 km orbit. These results indicate that an active remote sensing mission could help to effectively measure XCO2 values in urban areas. More detailed studies are needed to reveal the potential of such equipment for improving the verification of carbon emissions and the estimation of urban carbon fluxes.
TEC Forecasting Based on Manifold Trajectories
Authors: Monte Moreno Enrique , García Rigo Alberto , Hernández-Pajares Manuel , Yang Heng
Published: June 2018

In this paper, we present a method for forecasting the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) distribution from the International GNSS Service’s Global Ionospheric Maps. The forecasting system gives an estimation of the value of the TEC distribution based on linear combination of previous TEC maps (i.e., a set of 2D arrays indexed by time), and the computation of a tangent subspace in a manifold associated to each map. The use of the tangent space to each map is justified because it allows modeling the possible distortions from one observation to the next as a trajectory on the tangent manifold of the map. The coefficients of the linear combination of the last observations along with the tangent space are estimated at each time stamp to minimize the mean square forecasting error with a regularization term. The estimation is made at each time stamp to adapt the forecast to short-term variations in solar activity.
Erratum: Havivi, S., et al. Combining TerraSAR-X and Landsat Images for Emergency Response in Urban Environments. Remote Sens. 2018, 10, 802
Authors: Havivi Shiran , Schvartzman Ilan , Maman Shimrit , Rotman Stanley , Blumberg Dan
Published: June 2018

After publication of the research paper [1], the authors noticed errors and wish to make the following corrections [...]
Satellite Data to Improve the Knowledge of Geohazards in World Heritage Sites
Authors: Pastonchi Laura , Barra Anna , Monserrat Oriol , Luzi Guido , Solari Lorenzo , Tofani Veronica
Published: June 2018

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) agency, the World Heritage Sites (WHS) inscribed in the World Heritage List (WHL) must be safeguarded with an adequate protection system, in order to guarantee their integrity and authenticity. Currently, many UNESCO sites are threatened by geohazards, but the safeguard of these sites does not seem to be wide-ranging. Looking at the standard list of factors affecting the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of WHS, which has been adopted by the World Heritage Committee in 2008, it seems that only “sudden geological events” are considered as factors that undermine the protection of the properties. Furthermore, it is well known that slow-kinematic phenomena can also threaten cultural and natural heritage. This study proposes a satellite InSAR-based procedure to identify and monitor the temporal and spatial evolution of ground deformation related to slow-kinematic geohazards (slow-moving landslides and ground-subsidence). This procedure, applied in this work on the Tuscany Region (Italy), simplify the InSAR products interpretation, making them easily exploitable by the local WHS managers for long-term geohazards monitoring and conservation strategies. These activities, thanks to the main characteristics of the recent Sentinel-1 data (short revisit time, free availability without any restrictions and worldwide coverage), can be defined for each UNESCO site of the world.
Maximizing the Information Content of Ill-Posed Space-Based Measurements Using Deterministic Inverse Method
Authors: Koner Prabhat K. , Dash Prasanjit
Published: June 2018

For several decades, operational retrievals from spaceborne hyperspectral infrared sounders have been dominated by stochastic approaches where many ambiguities are pervasive. One major drawback of such methods is their reliance on treating error as definitive information to the retrieval scheme. To overcome this drawback and obtain consistently unambiguous retrievals, we applied another approach from the class of deterministic inverse methods, namely regularized total least squares (RTLS). As a case study, simultaneous simulated retrieval of ozone (O3) profile and surface temperature (ST) for two different instruments, Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), are considered. To gain further confidence in our approach for real-world situations, a set of ozonesonde profile data are also used in this study. The role of simulation-based comparative assessment of algorithms before application on remotely sensed measurements is pivotal. Under identical simulation settings, RTLS results are compared to those of stochastic optimal estimation method (OEM), a very popular method for hyperspectral retrievals despite its aforementioned fundamental drawback. Different tweaking of error covariances for improving the OEM results, used commonly in operations, are also investigated under a simulated environment. Although this work is an extension of our previous work for H2O profile retrievals, several new concepts are introduced in this study: (a) the information content analysis using sub-space analysis to understand ill-posed inversion in depth; (b) comparison of different sensors for same gas profile retrieval under identical conditions; (c) extended capability for simultaneous retrievals using two classes of variables; (d) additional stabilizer of Laplacian second derivative operator; and (e) the representation of results using a new metric called “information gain”. Our findings highlight issues with OEM, such as loss of information as compared to a priori knowledge after using measurements. On the other hand, RTLS can produce “information gain” of ~40–50% deterministically from the same set of measurements.
Remote Sensing Images Stripe Noise Removal by Double Sparse Regulation and Region Separation
Authors: Song Qiong , Wang Yuehuan , Yan Xiaoyun , Gu Haiguo
Published: June 2018

Stripe noise removal continues to be an active field of research for remote image processing. Most existing approaches are prone to generating artifacts in extreme areas and removing the stripe-like details. In this paper, a weighted double sparsity unidirectional variation (WDSUV) model is constructed to reduce this phenomenon. The WDSUV takes advantage of both the spatial domain and the gradient domain’s sparse property of stripe noise, and processes the heavy stripe area, extreme area and regular noise corrupted areas using different strategies. The proposed model consists of two variation terms and two sparsity terms that can well exploit the intrinsic properties of stripe noise. Then, the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) optimal solver is employed to solve the optimization model in an alternating minimization scheme. Compared with the state-of-the-art approaches, the experimental results on both the synthetic and real remote sensing data demonstrate that the proposed model has a better destriping performance in terms of the preservation of small details, stripe noise estimation and in the mean time for artifacts’ reduction.
Action Recognition by an Attention-Aware Temporal Weighted Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Wang Le , Zang Jinliang , Zhang Qilin , Niu Zhenxing , Hua Gang , Zheng Nanning
Published: June 2018

Research in human action recognition has accelerated significantly since the introduction of powerful machine learning tools such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). However, effective and efficient methods for incorporation of temporal information into CNNs are still being actively explored in the recent literature. Motivated by the popular recurrent attention models in the research area of natural language processing, we propose the Attention-aware Temporal Weighted CNN (ATW CNN) for action recognition in videos, which embeds a visual attention model into a temporal weighted multi-stream CNN. This attention model is simply implemented as temporal weighting yet it effectively boosts the recognition performance of video representations. Besides, each stream in the proposed ATW CNN framework is capable of end-to-end training, with both network parameters and temporal weights optimized by stochastic gradient descent (SGD) with back-propagation. Our experimental results on the UCF-101 and HMDB-51 datasets showed that the proposed attention mechanism contributes substantially to the performance gains with the more discriminative snippets by focusing on more relevant video segments.
Validity, Test-Retest Reliability and Long-Term Stability of Magnetometer Free Inertial Sensor Based 3D Joint Kinematics
Authors: Teufl Wolfgang , Miezal Markus , Taetz Bertram , Fröhlich Michael , Bleser Gabriele
Published: June 2018

The present study investigates an algorithm for the calculation of 3D joint angles based on inertial measurement units (IMUs), omitting magnetometer data. Validity, test-retest reliability, and long-term stability are evaluated in reference to an optical motion capture (OMC) system. Twenty-eight healthy subjects performed a 6 min walk test. Three-dimensional joint kinematics of the lower extremity was recorded simultaneously by means of seven IMUs and an OptiTrack OMC system. To evaluate the performance, the root mean squared error (RMSE), mean range of motion error (ROME), coefficient of multiple correlations (CMC), Bland-Altman (BA) analysis, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were calculated. For all joints, the RMSE was lower than 2.40°, and the ROME was lower than 1.60°. The CMC revealed good to excellent waveform similarity. Reliability was moderate to excellent with ICC values of 0.52–0.99 for all joints. Error measures did not increase over time. When considering soft tissue artefacts, RMSE and ROME increased by an average of 2.2° ± 1.5° and 2.9° ± 1.7°. This study revealed an excellent correspondence of a magnetometer-free IMU system with an OMC system when excluding soft tissue artefacts.
Electrochemical Determination of Nitrite by Au Nanoparticle/Graphene-Chitosan Modified Electrode
Authors: Mo Rijian , Wang Xuehua , Yuan Qiong , Yan Xiemin , Su Tiantian , Feng Yanting , Lv Lulu , Zhou Chunxia , Hong Pengzhi , Sun Shengli , Wang Zhe , Li Chengyong
Published: June 2018

A highly sensitive nitrite (NO2−) electrochemical sensor is fabricated using glassy carbon electrode modified with Au nanoparticle and grapheme oxide. Briefly, this electrochemical sensor was prepared by drop-coating graphene oxide-chitosan mixed film on the surface of the electrode and then electrodepositing a layer of Au nanoparticle using cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical behavior of NO2− on the sensor was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and amperometric i-t curve. The results showed that the sensor exhibited better electrocatalytic activity for NO2− in 0.1 mol/L phosphate buffer solution (PBS) (pH 5.0). The oxidation peak current was positively correlated with NO2− concentration in the ranges of 0.9 µM to 18.9 µM. The detection limit was estimated to be 0.3 µM. In addition, the interference of some common ions (e.g., NO3−, CO32−, SO42−, Cl−, Ca2+ and Mg2+) and oxidizable compound including sodium sulfite and ascorbic acid in the detection of nitrite was also studied. The results show that this sensor is more sensitive and selective to NO2−. Therefore, this electrochemical sensor provided an effective tool for the detection of NO2−.
Reliability Evaluation and Robust Design of a Sensor in an Entire Roller-Embedded Shapemeter
Authors: Wu Haimiao , Cui Guohua , Zhang Dan , Liu Hongmin
Published: June 2018

The intermittence of the shape detection signal associated with an entire roller-embedded shapemeter roll, used in a seven-pass cold reversible rolling process, is considered. A transient interference at the sensor top surface and the distance between the sensor top surface and the roll outer surface are developed, and a sensor reliability evaluation model is derived. The reliability of the sensor is evaluated via the random perturbation method, and the reliability sensitivity of design variables is proposed. The analysis reveals that the reliability is smallest in the third rolling pass. Of the design variables considered, the initial interference exhibits the largest reliability sensitivity and has the greatest influence on the sensor reliability. A reliability robust design model of the initial interference is therefore developed. A new shapemeter roll is fabricated and tested in a 1050 reversible cold rolling mill. The test results are consistent with the theoretical results, thereby validating the proposed model. The selection of an appropriate initial interference provides an important means of overcoming the adverse effects associated with the thermal deformation of sensor contact surfaces.
A Method to Track Targets in Three-Dimensional Space Using an Imaging Sonar
Authors: Jing Danxiang , Han Jun , Zhang Jin
Published: June 2018

This paper introduces a methodology applying an imaging sonar for three-dimensional (3D) target tracking underwater. The key process in this work involves obtaining the target’s position in space using two images of the same scene, acquired by an adaptive resolution imaging sonar (ARIS) at different positions. A data association algorithm was designed to connect the same target in image sequences. The goal of this work was to track multiple targets in 3D space. The ARIS provides sequences of bi-dimensional images from the backscattered energy according to the range and azimuth. The challenge involved determining the missing elevation information for the observed object within the sonar detection range. By computing the geometrical transformation between the acquisition planar images and the cubical space, using only the sonar information that included the posture and moving speed of the ARIS, the target’s elevation information was obtained. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, an indoor experiment was conducted using the ARIS. On the basis of the experimental results, we confirmed that the proposed method effectively obtained the target’s position in 3D space. A moving target simulation was also conducted, and the results showed that this method was effective for moving targets. Finally, a field experiment was performed to obtain the vertical distribution and track the 3D trajectories of fish.
A Novel Approach to Relative Radiometric Calibration on Spatial and Temporal Variations for FORMOSAT-5 RSI Imagery
Authors: Lin Tang-Huang , Hsiao Min-Chung , Chan Hai-Po , Tsai Fuan
Published: June 2018

Radiometric calibration for imaging sensors is a crucial procedure to ensure imagery quality. One of the challenges in relative radiometric calibration is to correct detector-level artifacts due to the fluctuation in discrepant responses (spatial) and electronic instability (temporal). In this paper, the integration of the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) with Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT) in relative radiometric calibration was explored for a new sensor, FS-5 RSI (remote sensing instrument onboard the FORMOSAT-5 satellite). The key intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) analyzed by HHT were examined with the pre-flight datasets of the FS-5 RSI in temporal and spatial variations. The results show that the EMD–HHT method can stabilize and improve the radiometric quality of the FS-5 imagery as well as boost its application ability to a new level. It is noticed that the IMFs of the spatial variation would be disturbed by the instability of the temporal variation. The relative response discrepancies among detector chips can be well calibrated after considering the temporal effect. Taking a test imagery dataset of gain setting G2 as an example, the standard deviation (STD) of the discrepancy in the digital number after calibration was dramatically scaled down compared to the original ones (e.g., PAN: 66.31 to 1.85; B1: 54.19 to 1.90; B2: 36.50 to 1.49; B3: 32.43 to 1.56; B4: 37.67 to 1.20). The good performance of pre-flight imagery indicates that the EMD–HHT approach could be highly practical to the on-orbit relative radiometric calibration of the FS-5 RSI sensor and is applicable to other optical sensors. To our knowledge, the proposed EMD–HHT approach is used for the first time to explore relative radiometric calibration for optical sensors.
Nitric Oxide Analysis Down to ppt Levels by Optical-Feedback Cavity-Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy
Authors: Richard Lucile , Romanini Daniele , Ventrillard Irène
Published: June 2018

Monitoring nitric oxide at the trace level is required in a large range of applications. We report on a trace gas analyzer optimized for nitric oxide measurements by Optical Feedback Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy with an interband cascade laser at 5.3 µm. The short response time of the instrument allows for reaching the level of 50 ppt in only 180 ms. Its stability enables averaging up to 12 min to reach a detection limit of 0.9 ppt. Absolute concentration calibration requires to account for the optical saturation effect that results from the intense absorption line intensity addressed here, in the mid infrared region, in contrast to instruments that are operating in the near infrared region.
DC-Link Voltage and Catenary Current Sensors Fault Reconstruction for Railway Traction Drives
Authors: Garramiola Fernando , Poza Javier , Del Olmo Jon , Madina Patxi , Almandoz Gaizka
Published: June 2018

Due to the importance of sensors in control strategy and safety, early detection of faults in sensors has become a key point to improve the availability of railway traction drives. The presented sensor fault reconstruction is based on sliding mode observers and equivalent injection signals, and it allows detecting defective sensors and isolating faults. Moreover, the severity of faults is provided. The proposed on-board fault reconstruction has been validated in a hardware-in-the-loop platform, composed of a real-time simulator and a commercial traction control unit for a tram. Low computational resources, robustness to measurement noise, and easiness to tune are the main requirements for industrial acceptance. As railway applications are not safety-critical systems, compared to aerospace applications, a fault evaluation procedure is proposed, since there is enough time to perform diagnostic tasks. This procedure analyses the fault reconstruction in the steady state, delaying the decision-making in some seconds, but minimising false detections.
Sensing and Connection Systems for Assisted and Autonomous Driving and Unmanned Vehicles
Authors: Saponara Sergio
Published: June 2018

The special issue, “Sensors, Wireless Connectivity and Systems for Autonomous Vehicles and Smart Mobility” on MDPI Sensors presents 12 accepted papers, with authors from North America, Asia, Europe and Australia, related to the emerging trends in sensing and navigation systems (i.e., sensors plus related signal processing and understanding techniques in multi-agent and cooperating scenarios) for autonomous vehicles, including also unmanned aerial and underwater ones.
Optical-Spectrometry-Based Method for Immunosuppressant Medicine Level Detection in Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Marzejon Marcin , Kosowska Monika , Majchrowicz Daria , Bułło-Piontecka Barbara , Wąsowicz Michał , Jędrzejewska-Szczerska Małgorzata
Published: June 2018

In this paper, an investigation into detecting immunosuppressive medicine in aqueous solutions using a spectrometry-based technique is described. Using optical transmissive spectrometry, absorbance measurements in the spectra range from 250 nm to 1000 nm were carried out for different cyclosporine A (CsA) concentrations in aqueous solutions. The experiment was conducted for samples both with and without interferent substances—glucose and sodium chloride. Using a dedicated algorithm, the measured data was analyzed and a high correlation coefficient R2 = 0.8647 was achieved. The experiment showed that the described technique allowed for the detection of various CsA concentration levels in a selective, label-free and simple way. This method could be used in medicine, veterinary medicine and laboratory diagnostics.
A Novel Ship-Tracking Method for GF-4 Satellite Sequential Images
Authors: Yao Libo , Liu Yong , He You
Published: June 2018

The geostationary remote sensing satellite has the capability of wide scanning, persistent observation and operational response, and has tremendous potential for maritime target surveillance. The GF-4 satellite is the first geostationary orbit (GEO) optical remote sensing satellite with medium resolution in China. In this paper, a novel ship-tracking method in GF-4 satellite sequential imagery is proposed. The algorithm has three stages. First, a local visual saliency map based on local peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) is used to detect ships in a single frame of GF-4 satellite sequential images. Second, the accuracy positioning of each potential target is realized by a dynamic correction using the rational polynomial coefficients (RPCs) and automatic identification system (AIS) data of ships. Finally, an improved multiple hypotheses tracking (MHT) algorithm with amplitude information is used to track ships by further removing the false targets, and to estimate ships’ motion parameters. The algorithm has been tested using GF-4 sequential images and AIS data. The results of the experiment demonstrate that the algorithm achieves good tracking performance in GF-4 satellite sequential images and estimates the motion information of ships accurately.
Low Cost Photonic Sensor for in-Line Oil Quality Monitoring: Methodological Development Process towards Uncertainty Mitigation
Authors: Lopez Patricia , Mabe Jon , Miró Guillermo , Etxeberria Leire
Published: June 2018

Lubricant and hydraulic fluid ageing impacts the performance of the machines, gears, transmissions or automatisms where they are being used. This manuscript describes the work accomplished for bringing an innovative measurement concept for analysing the physical- chemical properties of these fluids, to a real industrial product ready to be integrated into different industrial equipment. The steps taken to deal with uncertainties and evolving requirements while progressing in the sensor development are described, covering the stages of theoretical formulation of the problem, optical and fluidic simulations, sensor prototype development and tests. The sensor working principle is based on a combination of transmittance and diffuse reflectance photonic inspection of the fluid sample that is collected in a microcavity through a standard hydraulic fitting. Photonics, electronics, micro-mechanics, fluidics, data processing and analysis has been merged with a deep knowledge in the lubricant degradation process to develop a sensor solution that is able to measure the Oil Degradation Index, Oil Oxidation, Acid Number, Ruler and Membrane Patch Colorimetry data from an inservice lubricating oil sample. The photonic micro sensor presented here offers a powerful tool that operates directly immersed in the fluid, at an economic cost and compacted size for inline oil degradation monitoring.
European In-Situ Snow Measurements: Practices and Purposes
Authors: Pirazzini Roberta , Leppänen Leena , Picard Ghislain , Lopez-Moreno Juan Ignacio , Marty Christoph , Macelloni Giovanni , Kontu Anna , Von Lerber Annakaisa , Tanis Cemal Melih , Schneebeli Martin , De Rosnay Patricia , Arslan Ali Nadir
Published: June 2018

In-situ snow measurements conducted by European institutions for operational, research, and energy business applications were surveyed in the framework of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action ES1404, called “A European network for a harmonised monitoring of snow for the benefit of climate change scenarios, hydrology, and numerical weather prediction”. Here we present the results of this survey, which was answered by 125 participants from 99 operational and research institutions, belonging to 38 European countries. The typologies of environments where the snow measurements are performed range from mountain to low elevated plains, including forests, bogs, tundra, urban areas, glaciers, lake ice, and sea ice. Of the respondents, 93% measure snow macrophysical parameters, such as snow presence, snow depth (HS), snow water equivalent (SWE), and snow density. These describe the bulk characteristics of the whole snowpack or of a snow layer, and they are the primary snow properties that are needed for most operational applications (such as hydrological monitoring, avalanche forecast, and weather forecast). In most cases, these measurements are done with manual methods, although for snow presence, HS, and SWE, automatized methods are also applied by some respondents. Parameters characterizing precipitating and suspended snow (such as the height of new snow, precipitation intensity, flux of drifting/blowing snow, and particle size distribution), some of which are crucial for the operational services, are measured by 74% of the respondents. Parameters characterizing the snow microstructural properties (such as the snow grain size and shape, and specific surface area), the snow electromagnetic properties (such as albedo, brightness temperature, and backscatter), and the snow composition (such as impurities and isotopes) are measured by 41%, 26%, and 13% of the respondents, respectively, mostly for research applications. The results of this survey are discussed from the perspective of the need of enhancing the efficiency and coverage of the in-situ observational network applying automatic and cheap measurement methods. Moreover, recommendations for the enhancement and harmonization of the observational network and measurement practices are provided.
The Relationship between Tourism, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Economic Growth in the Yangtze River Delta, China
Authors: Chen Lingling , Thapa Brijesh , Yan Wei
Published: June 2018

Quantifying the dynamics of regional tourism in a low-carbon economy context is a pivotal issue to develop energy policies, and to decompose the national carbon abatement. Based on a case study approach for the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China, the relationship between tourism, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and economic growth were examined. The bottom-up approach, decoupling analysis, and Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) decomposition were integrated and applied. The results from 2001 to 2015 indicated that tourism-induced energy consumption and CO2 emissions in YRD increased from 896.90 × 108 MJ to 3207.40 × 108 MJ, and 673.55 × 104 t to 2152.27 × 104 t, respectively. Tourism-related transport from Shanghai was the major contributor towards emissions. The decoupling relation between CO2 emissions and economic growth, in general, were desirable in YRD’s tourism, except in 2004. However, the situation in Shanghai was complicated. Additionally, industry size and expenditure size effect were principal factors to promote carbon emissions growth, whereas energy intensity, spatial structure, and sectorial structure had negative effects. Key issues for policymakers have been highlighted and discussed.