bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sustainable Decisions on Product Upgrade Confrontations with Remanufacturing Operations
Authors: Sun Lin , Zhang Lingjiang , Li Youwei
Published: November 2018

In recent decades, remanufacturing is perceived to be an environmentally friendly option due to the reduced consumption of materials, energy etc. It should be noted that whether the remanufacturing operations are undertaken by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or outsourced to the remanufacturers, given the size and the growth of remanufactured products, many OEMs intend to fend off the potential cannibalization of new products sales through differentiating their quality levels from those of remanufactured ones by launching upgraded versions. To understand whether and how the product upgrading strategy impacts on optimal outcomes in the context of the remanufacturing operations undertaken by OEMs or third-party remanufacturers (TPRs), in this paper, we develop two models that highlight the OEM’s product upgrading strategy under the scenarios where (1) the OEM owns its remanufacturing operations in-house (Model O) or (2) remanufacturing operations are undertaken by a TPR (Model T). Among other results, we find that, from an economic performance perspective, it is more beneficial for the OEM to perform remanufacturing operations in-house; however, from an environmental sustainability perspective, such behavior is not always good for our environment. In particular, when the level of product upgrading is pronounced, the remanufacturing operations undertaken by the OEM are always detrimental to our environment, due to indulging in remanufacturing, as seen in Model O.
Applications of Cubic Structures to Subsystems of Finite State Machines
Authors: Abughazalah Nabilah , Yaqoob Naveed
Published: November 2018

This paper concerns three relationship between the recently proposed cubic sets and finite state machines. The notions of cubic finite state machine (cubic FSM), a subsystem of cubic FSM and cartesian composition (direct product, P-(R-) union, and P-(R-) intersection) of two subsystems of cubic FSMs are introduced. We study the cartesian composition, direct product and union of two subsystems of cubic FSMs is a subsystem of a cubic FSM. We provide many examples on each case. We consider conditions for subsystem of cubic FSM to be both an internal cubic subsystem of cubic FSM and an external cubic subsystem of cubic FSM.
An Integrated Approach to Risk Assessment for Special Line Shunting Via Fuzzy Theory
Authors: Zhang Huafeng , Sun Quanxin
Published: November 2018

Railway special line shunting safety is a complicated systemic topic, which is full of uncertainty and dynamic; safety is determined by numerous aspects, including human, management, environmental, and equipment factors. Many railway risk assessment techniques currently used are comparatively mature tools. However, in many circumstances, the application of these tools gives unsatisfactory results because the risk data are incomplete or involve high levels of uncertainty. Because risk assessment technology has its own applicability that it may not suitable for the three sub-processes of risk assessment, it is difficult to obtain ideal effects by using a single tool in the risk assessment process. This paper presents an integrated approach for conducting special-line shunting risk assessment, using fishbone diagram analysis, fuzzy reasoning approaches, and a fuzzy analytical hierarchy tool, which can evaluate both qualitative and quantitative risk data efficiently and effectively. The outcomes of risk assessment are represented as risk degrees and risk levels, providing railway safety risk managers and engineers with tools to improve their safety management standards. A case study is used to demonstrate the proposed methodology. The results reveal that the proposed model can effectively and efficiently assess risks associated with a special-line shunting system, yielding more reliable and realistic solutions.
A Transmission Prediction Neighbor Mechanism Based on a Mixed Probability Model in an Opportunistic Complex Social Network
Authors: Yu Genghua , Chen Zhigang , Wu Jia , Wu Jian
Published: November 2018

The amount of data has skyrocketed in Fifth-generation (5G) networks. How to select an appropriate node to transmit information is important when we analyze complex data in 5G communication. We could sophisticate decision-making methods for more convenient data transmission, and opportunistic complex social networks play an increasingly important role. Users can adopt it for information sharing and data transmission. However, the encountering of nodes in mobile opportunistic network is random. The latest probabilistic routing method may not consider the social and cooperative nature of nodes, and could not be well applied to the large data transmission problem of social networks. Thus, we quantify the social and cooperative relationships symmetrically between the mobile devices themselves and the nodes, and then propose a routing algorithm based on an improved probability model to predict the probability of encounters between nodes (PEBN). Since our algorithm comprehensively considers the social relationship and cooperation relationship between nodes, the prediction result of the target node can also be given without encountering information. The neighbor nodes with higher probability are filtered by the prediction result. In the experiment, we set the node’s selfishness randomly. The simulation results show that compared with other state-of-art transmission models, our algorithm has significantly improved the message delivery rate, hop count, and overhead.
Reduced Pre-Lie Algebraic Structures, the Weak and Weakly Deformed Balinsky–Novikov Type Symmetry Algebras and Related Hamiltonian Operators
Authors: Artemovych Orest D. , Balinsky Alexander A. , Blackmore Denis , Prykarpatski Anatolij K.
Published: November 2018

The Lie algebraic scheme for constructing Hamiltonian operators is differential-algebraically recast and an effective approach is devised for classifying the underlying algebraic structures of integrable Hamiltonian systems. Lie–Poisson analysis on the adjoint space to toroidal loop Lie algebras is employed to construct new reduced pre-Lie algebraic structures in which the corresponding Hamiltonian operators exist and generate integrable dynamical systems. It is also shown that the Balinsky–Novikov type algebraic structures, obtained as a Hamiltonicity condition, are derivations on the Lie algebras naturally associated with differential toroidal loop algebras. We study nonassociative and noncommutive algebras and the related Lie-algebraic symmetry structures on the multidimensional torus, generating via the Adler–Kostant–Symes scheme multi-component and multi-dimensional Hamiltonian operators. In the case of multidimensional torus, we have constructed a new weak Balinsky–Novikov type algebra, which is instrumental for describing integrable multidimensional and multicomponent heavenly type equations. We have also studied the current algebra symmetry structures, related with a new weakly deformed Balinsky–Novikov type algebra on the axis, which is instrumental for describing integrable multicomponent dynamical systems on functional manifolds. Moreover, using the non-associative and associative left-symmetric pre-Lie algebra theory of Zelmanov, we also explicate Balinsky–Novikov algebras, including their fermionic version and related multiplicative and Lie structures.
A New Version of Spherical Magnetic Curves in the De-Sitter Space

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Authors: Baş Selçuk
Published: November 2018

This paper presents a new type of spacelike magnetic curves associated with the Sabban vector field defined in the Minkowski space. In this approach, some geometrical and physical features of the moving charged particle corresponding to the spacelike magnetic curves are identified. An entire characterization is developed for spacelike spherical magnetic curves, denoting particularly the changes of their energy with respect to time, the influence of the magnetic force on them, and the existence condition for the uniformity of these curves.
K-Hyperline Clustering-Based Color Image Segmentation Robust to Illumination Changes
Authors: Yang Senquan , Li Pu , Wen HaoXiang , Xie Yuan , He Zhaoshui
Published: November 2018

Color image segmentation is very important in the field of image processing as it is commonly used for image semantic recognition, image searching, video surveillance or other applications. Although clustering algorithms have been successfully applied for image segmentation, conventional clustering algorithms such as K-means clustering algorithms are not sufficiently robust to illumination changes, which is common in real-world environments. Motivated by the observation that the RGB value distributions of the same color under different illuminations are located in an identical hyperline, we formulate color classification as a hyperline clustering problem. We then propose a K-hyperline clustering algorithm-based color image segmentation approach. Experiments on both synthetic and real images demonstrate the outstanding performance and robustness of the proposed algorithm as compared to existing clustering algorithms.
Cyclicity in EL–Hypergroups
Authors: Novák Michal , Křehlík Štepán , Cristea Irina
Published: November 2018

In the algebra of single-valued structures, cyclicity is one of the fundamental properties of groups. Therefore, it is natural to study it also in the algebra of multivalued structures (algebraic hyperstructure theory). However, when one considers the nature of generalizing this property, at least two (or rather three) approaches seem natural. Historically, all of these had been introduced and studied by 1990. However, since most of the results had originally been published in journals without proper international impact and later—without the possibility to include proper background and context-synthetized in books, the current way of treating the concept of cyclicity in the algebraic hyperstructure theory is often rather confusing. Therefore, we start our paper with a rather long introduction giving an overview and motivation of existing approaches to the cyclicity in algebraic hyperstructures. In the second part of our paper, we relate these to E L -hyperstructures, a broad class of algebraic hyperstructures constructed from (pre)ordered (semi)groups, which were defined and started to be studied much later than sources discussed in the introduction were published.
Development of an Immunoassay for Detection of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin-Like J, A Non-Characterized Toxin
Authors: Ono Hisaya K. , Hachiya Nobuaki , Suzuki Yasunori , Naito Ikunori , Hirose Shouhei , Asano Krisana , Omoe Katsuhiko , Nakane Akio , Hu Dong-Liang
Published: November 2018

Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are the cause of staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) outbreaks. Recently, many new types of SEs and SE-like toxins have been reported, but it has not been proved whether these new toxins cause food poisoning. To develop an immunoassay for detection of SE-like J (SElJ), a non-characterized toxin in SFP, a mutant SElJ with C-terminus deletion (SElJ∆C) was expressed and purified in an E. coli expression system. Anti-SElJ antibody was produced in rabbits immunized with the SElJ∆C. Western blotting and sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detection systems were established and showed that the antibody specifically recognizes SElJ without cross reaction to other SEs tested. The limit of detection for the sandwich ELISA was 0.078 ng/mL, showing high sensitivity. SElJ production in S. aureus was detected by using the sandwich ELISA and showed that selj-horboring isolates produced a large amount of SElJ in the culture supernatants, especially in that of the strain isolated from a food poisoning outbreak in Japan. These results demonstrate that the immunoassay for detection of SElJ is specific and sensitive and is useful for determining the native SElJ production in S. aureus isolated from food poisoning cases.
First Model Independent Results from DAMA/LIBRA–Phase2
Authors: Bernabei Rita , Belli Pierluigi , Bussolotti Andrea , Cappella Fabio , Caracciolo Vincenzo , Cerulli Riccardo , Dai Chang-Jiang , D’Angelo Annelisa , Di Marco Alessandro , He Hui-Lin , Incicchitti Antonella , Ma Xin-Hua , Mattei Angelo , Merlo Vittorio , Montecchia Francesco , Sheng Xiang-Dong , Ye Zi-Piao
Published: November 2018

The first results obtained by the DAMA/LIBRA–phase2 experiment are presented. The data have been collected over six independent annual cycles corresponding to a total exposure of 1.13 ton × year, deep underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory. The DAMA/LIBRA–phase2 apparatus, about 250 kg highly radio-pure NaI(Tl), profits from a second generation high quantum efficiency photomultipliers and of new electronics with respect to DAMA/LIBRA–phase1. The improved experimental configuration has also allowed to lower the software energy threshold. The DAMA/LIBRA–phase2 data confirm the evidence of a signal that meets all the requirements of the model independent Dark Matter annual modulation signature, at 9.5 σ C.L. in the energy region (1–6) keV. In the energy region between 2 and 6 keV, where data are also available from DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA–phase1, the achieved C.L. for the full exposure (2.46 ton × year) is 12.9 σ .
Isolation of A Novel Bacillus thuringiensis Phage Representing A New Phage Lineage and Characterization of Its Endolysin
Authors: Yuan Yihui , Peng Qin , Yang Shuo , Zhang Shaowen , Fu Yajuan , Wu Yan , Gao Meiying
Published: November 2018

Phages, the parasites of bacteria, are considered as a new kind of antimicrobial agent due to their ability to lyse pathogenic bacteria. Due to the increase of available phage isolates, the newly isolated phage showed increasing genomic similarities with previously isolated phages. In this study, the novel phage vB_BthS_BMBphi, infecting the Bacillus thuringiensis strain BMB171, is isolated and characterized together with its endolysin. This phage is the first tadpole-like phage infecting the Bacillus strains. Genomic analysis shows that the phage genome is dissimilar to all those of previously characterized phages, only exhibiting low similarities with partial regions of the B. thuringiensis prophages. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the phage was distant from the other Bacillus phages in terms of evolution. The novel genome sequence, the distant evolutionary relationship, and the special virion morphology together suggest that the phage vB_BthS_BMBphi could be classified as a new phage lineage. The genome of the phage is found to contain a restriction modification system, which might endow the phage with immunity to the restriction modification system of the host bacterium. The function of the endolysin PlyBMB encoded by the phage vB_BthS_BMBphi was analyzed, and the endolysin could lyse all the tested Bacillus cereus group strains, suggesting that the endolysin might be used in controlling pathogenic B. cereus group strains. The findings of this study enrich the understanding of phage diversity and provide a resource for controlling the B. cereus group pathogenic bacteria.
Viroid Diseases in Pome and Stone Fruit Trees and Koch’s Postulates: A Critical Assessment
Authors: Di Serio Francesco , Ambrós Silvia , Sano Teruo , Flores Ricardo , Navarro Beatriz
Published: November 2018

Composed of a naked circular non-protein-coding genomic RNA, counting only a few hundred nucleotides, viroids—the smallest infectious agents known so far—are able to replicate and move systemically in herbaceous and woody host plants, which concomitantly may develop specific diseases or remain symptomless. Several viroids have been reported to naturally infect pome and stone fruit trees, showing symptoms on leaves, fruits and/or bark. However, Koch’s postulates required for establishing on firm grounds the viroid etiology of these diseases, have not been met in all instances. Here, pome and stone fruit tree diseases, conclusively proven to be caused by viroids, are reviewed, and the need to pay closer attention to fulfilling Koch’s postulates is emphasized.
The Natural Flavonoid Compound Deguelin Inhibits HCMV Lytic Replication within Fibroblasts
Authors: Nukui Masatoshi , O’Connor Christine M. , Murphy Eain A.
Published: November 2018

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus for which there is no vaccine or cure. This viral infection, once acquired, is life-long, residing latently in hematopoietic cells. However, latently infected individuals with weakened immune systems often undergo HCMV reactivation, which can cause serious complications in immunosuppressed and immunocompromised patients. Current anti-viral therapies target late stages of viral replication, and are often met with therapeutic resistance, necessitating the development of novel therapeutics. In this current study, we identified a naturally-occurring flavonoid compound, deguelin, which inhibits HCMV lytic replication. Our findings reveal that nanomolar concentrations of deguelin significantly suppress the production of the infectious virus. Further, we show that deguelin inhibits the lytic cycle during the phase of the replication cycle consistent with early (E) gene and protein expression. Importantly, our data reveal that deguelin inhibits replication of a ganciclovir-resistant strain of HCMV. Together, our findings identify a novel, naturally occurring compound that may prove useful in the treatment of HCMV replication.
Characterization of the Escherichia coli Virulent Myophage ST32
Authors: Liu Honghui , Geagea Hany , Rousseau Geneviève M. , Labrie Simon J. , Tremblay Denise M. , Liu Xinchun , Moineau Sylvain
Published: November 2018

The virulent phage ST32 that infects the Escherichia coli strain ST130 was isolated from a wastewater sample in China and analyzed. Morphological observations showed that phage ST32 belongs to the Myoviridae family, as it has an icosahedral capsid and long contractile tail. Host range analysis showed that it exhibits a broad range of hosts including non-pathogenic and pathogenic E. coli strains. Interestingly, phage ST32 had a much larger burst size when amplified at 20 °C as compared to 30 °C or 37 °C. Its double-stranded DNA genome was sequenced and found to contain 53,092 bp with a GC content of 44.14%. Seventy-nine open reading frames (ORFs) were identified and annotated as well as a tRNA-Arg. Only nineteen ORFs were assigned putative functions. A phylogenetic tree using the large terminase subunit revealed a close relatedness with four unclassified Myoviridae phages. A comparative genomic analysis of these phages showed that the Enterobacteria phage phiEcoM-GJ1 is the closest relative to ST32 and shares the same new branch in the phylogenetic tree. Still, these two phages share only 47 of 79 ORFs with more than 90% identity. Phage ST32 has unique characteristics that make it a potential biological control agent under specific conditions.
A Robust Methodology for the Reconstruction of the Vertical Pedestrian-Induced Load from the Registered Body Motion
Authors: Van Nimmen Katrien , Zhao Guoping , Seyfarth André , Van den Broeck Peter
Published: November 2018

This paper proposes a methodology to reconstruct the vertical GRFs from the registered body motion that is reasonably robust against measurement noise. The vertical GRFs are reconstructed from the experimentally identified time-variant pacing rate and a generalised single-step load model available in the literature. The proposed methodology only requires accurately capturing the body motion within the frequency range 1–10 Hz and does not rely on the exact magnitude of the registered signal. The methodology can therefore also be applied when low-cost sensors are used and to minimize the impact of soft-tissue artefacts. In addition, the proposed procedure can be applied regardless of the position of the sensor on the human body, as long as the recorded body motion allows for identifying the time of a nominally identical event in successive walking cycles. The methodology is illustrated by a numerical example and applied to an experimental dataset where the ground reaction forces and the body motion were registered simultaneously. The results show that the proposed methodology allows for arriving at a good estimate of the vertical ground reaction forces. When the impact of soft-tissue artefacts is low, a comparable estimate can be obtained using Newton’s second law of motion.
Design of A Streamwise-Lateral Ski-Jump Flow Discharge Spillway
Authors: Deng Jun , Wei Wangru , Tian Zhong , Zhang Faxing
Published: November 2018

Spillway outlet design is a major issue in hydraulic engineering with high head and large discharge conditions. A new type of design for a streamwise-lateral spillway is proposed for ski-jump flow discharge and energy dissipation in hydraulic engineering. The water in the spillway outlet is constrained by three solid walls with an inclined floor, a horizontal floor on the bottom and a deflected side wall in the lateral direction. The water flow releases in a lateral direction into the plunge pool along the streamwise direction. It generates a free jet in the shape of “∩” in a limited area, causing the water to fully diffuse and stretch in the air simultaneously, and drop into the plunge pool to avoid excessive impact in the plunge pool. The formation mechanism for the flow pattern is analyzed, and the results show that the optimum inclination is an angle range of 30°~45° for a good performance of free ski-jump jet diffusion shape.
River and Lake Ice Processes—Impacts of Freshwater Ice on Aquatic Ecosystems in a Changing Globe
Authors: Lindenschmidt Karl-Erich , Baulch Helen M. , Cavaliere Emily
Published: November 2018

This special issue focuses on the effects of ice cover on surface water bodies, specifically rivers and lakes. Background information on the motivation of addressing this topic is first introduced with some selected references highlighting key points in this research field. A summary and synthesis of the eleven contributions is then provided, focusing on three aspects that provide the structure of the special issue: Physical processes, water quality, and sustainability. We have placed these contributions in the broader context of the field and identified selected knowledge gaps which impede our ability both to understand current conditions, and to understand the likely consequences of changing winters to the diversity of freshwater ecosystems subject to seasonal ice cover.
Improving Restorative Maintenance Practices for Mature Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements
Authors: Sehgal Kirti , Drake Jennifer , Seters Tim Van , Vander Linden William Kyle
Published: November 2018

Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICP) are a Low Impact Development (LID) technology that reduce the total volume of stormwater discharge and peak flows from urban hardscapes. Over time, particulates accumulate in the PICP joints, decreasing the pavement’s surface infiltration capacity and negatively affecting its overall functionality. Maintenance with two surface treatment technologies, a hand-held power brush and pressure washer-used in combination with vacuum street sweepers were compared to maintenance with vacuum street sweepers alone at four PICP parking lots. Both surface treatments along with vacuum street sweeping significantly improved the restoration of infiltration capacity for the young (i.e., <4 years) PICP section. Pressure washing in combination with vacuum sweeping was effective for PICP sections with larger (13–14 mm) joint openings. Power brushing, however, provided inconsistent results between the PICP sections. The effect of surface treatments was not significant for older (i.e., >6 years) installations with small (3–4 mm) joint openings. Though surface treatment resulted in significant improvement with a pressure washer and vacuum street sweeper combination, usage intensity of the parking lot was deemed as an important factor in restoring infiltration capacity. These findings re-emphasize that regular maintenance is essential to ensure long-term hydraulic functionality of PICP.
Soil Salinity Assessment Using Saturated Paste and Mass Soil:Water 1:1 and 1:5 Ratios Extracts
Authors: Kargas George , Chatzigiakoumis Iakovos , Kollias Athanasios , Spiliotis Dimitrios , Massas Ioannis , Kerkides Petros
Published: November 2018

Soil salinization is directly related to the quantity and quality of food production, and often, to increased energy demands for high-quality irrigation water. Reliable monitoring of soil salinity based on a less laborious method than the soil saturated paste (SP) extract methodology is required. In the present study, an attempt is made to relate the electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil saturated paste (SP) extract (ECe) with the EC determined in the 1:1 and 1:5 soil over water mass ratios, (soil:water) extracts (EC1:1 and EC1:5). ECe, EC1:1, and EC1:5 values were obtained for 198 soil samples from five different locations in Greece. The results have shown that strong linear relationships exist between the ECe and the EC1:1 and EC1:5 values (R2 > 0.93), and that the slopes of these linear relationships decreased from coarse to fine soil types. For 123 soil samples, the concentrations of Κ+, Νa+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Cl− were also determined in the extracts of the three applied methodologies. Ion concentrations in the 1:1 and 1:5 extracts were highly correlated with the respective ion concentrations in the SP extracts. These findings strongly suggest that EC1:1 and EC1:5 values can be safely used for the estimation of ECe.
Improving Monitoring and Water Point Functionality in Rural Ethiopia
Authors: Anthonj Carmen , Fleming Lisa , Cronk Ryan , Godfrey Samuel , Ambelu Argaw , Bevan Jane , Sozzi Emanuele , Bartram Jamie
Published: November 2018

This study examines the patterns, trends, and factors associated with functional community water points in rural Ethiopia and identifies potential areas of improvement in terms of practitioner response to functionality and functionality monitoring. It was part of an integrated WaSH and nutrition program implemented by UNICEF Ethiopia and the Government of Ethiopia. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted to collect WaSH-related data in communities and WaSH committees from four community-based nutrition (CBN) program groupings in Ethiopia. In all areas, CBN was implemented, but only in less than half of the areas, a WaSH intervention was implemented. Seventy-three representative kebeles, comprising 30 intervention and 43 control communities, were surveyed. Two structured surveys were conducted. The ‘community survey’ addressed community water points and their functionality and the main areas for improvement needed. The ‘WaSH committee survey’ investigated technical and management aspects of water points and their functionality. Data were analyzed using bivariate regression to identify community characteristics and management practices associated with functionality of water points and explore opportunities to improve water point functionality and monitoring. In the communities, 65% of water points were functional. Eighty percent of communities had a WaSH committee. The WaSH committee members reported that the most used water point types were protected dug wells and boreholes, and that 80% of their water points were functional. India Mark II pumps were more likely to be functional and communities with longer established WaSH committees had higher water point functionality. Communities suggested that the key factors for water point sustainability were improving water quality and water pressure, reducing water collection time, and speeding up repair times. Taking community leaders’ ‘priority lists’ into consideration offers sustainable opportunities for demand-driven, adaptive and targeted design and implementation of rural water supply programs, which, if they include the grassroots level as key informants and actors of change, can succeed. Interventions should integrate the ‘voice’ of the community, the WaSH committees, and other stakeholders and thereby facilitate transdisciplinary approaches at different stages of program management (planning, monitoring, and evaluation). This would help closing the knowledge to action gap and improve policy, programming, practice, and service delivery.
Analysis and Optimization of Open Circulating Cooling Water System
Authors: Lv Ziqiang , Cai Jiuju , Sun Wenqiang , Wang Lianyong
Published: November 2018

Open circulating cooling water system is widely used in process industry. For a system with a fixed structure, the water consumption and blowdown usually change with the varying parameters such as quality and temperature. With the purpose of water saving, it is very important to optimize the operation strategy of water systems. Considering the factors including evaporation, leakage, blowdown and heat transfer, the mass and energy conservation equations of water system are established. On this basis, the quality and temperature models of makeup and blowdown water are, respectively, developed. The water consumption and discharge profiles and the optimal operating strategy of the open recirculating cooling water system under different conditions are obtained. The concept of cycles of temperature is proposed to evaluate the temperature relationship of various parts of the open circulating cooling water system. A mathematical relationship is established to analyze the influence of the water temperature on the makeup water rate of the system under the condition of insufficient cooling capacity of the cooling tower. In addition, the co-influences of quality and temperature parameters on the system are analyzed.
Improving Seasonal Forecasts for Basin Scale Hydrological Applications
Authors: Grillakis Manolis , Koutroulis Aristeidis , Tsanis Ioannis
Published: November 2018

Seasonal forecasting is a fast-growing climate prediction application that puts into practice the latest improvements in the climate modeling research. Skillful seasonal forecasts can drastically aid practical applications and productive sectors by reducing weather-related risks such as water availability. In this study two operational seasonal forecasting systems are tested in a water resource important watershed on the island of Crete. Hindcast precipitation and temperature data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) System 4 and Met Office GloSea5 systems are tested for their forecast skill up to seven months ahead. Data of both systems are downscaled and corrected for biases towards the observations. Different correction methods are applied and evaluated. Post-processed data from these methods are used as an input to the hydrological model HYPE, to provide streamflow forecasts. Results show that a prior adjustment of the two systems’ precipitation and temperature may improve their forecast skill. Adjusted GloSea5 forecasts are slightly better estimates than the corresponding forecasts based on System 4. The results show that both systems provide a skillful ensemble streamflow prediction for one month ahead, with the skill decreasing rapidly beyond that. Update of the initial state of HYPE results in the reduction of the variability of the ensemble flow predictions and improves the skill but only as far as two months of forecast. Finally, the two systems were tested for their ability to capture a limited number of historical streamflow drought events, with indications that GloSea5 has a slightly better skill.
Extreme Drought Events over the Amazon Basin: The Perspective from the Reconstruction of South American Hydroclimate
Authors: Garcia Beatriz Nunes , Libonati Renata , Nunes Ana M. B.
Published: November 2018

The Amazon basin has experienced severe drought events for centuries, mainly associated with climate variability connected to tropical North Atlantic and Pacific sea surface temperature anomalous warming. Recently, these events are becoming more frequent, more intense and widespread. Because of the Amazon droughts environmental and socioeconomic impacts, there is an increased demand for understanding the characteristics of such extreme events in the region. In that regard, regional models instead of the general circulation models provide a promising strategy to generate more detailed climate information of extreme events, seeking better representation of physical processes. Due to uneven spatial distribution and gaps found in station data in tropical South America, and the need of more refined climate assessment in those regions, satellite-enhanced regional downscaling for applied studies (SRDAS) is used in the reconstruction of South American hydroclimate, with hourly to monthly outputs from January 1998. Accordingly, this research focuses on the analyses of recent extreme drought events in the years of 2005 and 2010 in the Amazon Basin, using the SRDAS monthly means of near-surface temperature and relative humidity, precipitation and vertically integrated soil moisture fields. Results from this analysis corroborate spatial and temporal patterns found in previous studies on extreme drought events in the region, displaying the distinctive features of the 2005 and 2010 drought events.
Governance Strategies for Improving Flood Resilience in the Face of Climate Change
Authors: Driessen Peter P. J. , Hegger Dries L. T. , Kundzewicz Zbigniew W. , Van Rijswick Helena F. M. W. , Crabbé Ann , Larrue Corinne , Matczak Piotr , Pettersson Maria , Priest Sally , Suykens Cathy , Raadgever Gerrit Thomas , Wiering Mark
Published: November 2018

Flooding is the most common of all natural disasters and accounts for large numbers of casualties and a high amount of economic damage worldwide. To be ‘flood resilient’, countries should have sufficient capacity to resist, the capacity to absorb and recover, and the capacity to transform and adapt. Based on international comparative research, we conclude that six key governance strategies will enhance ‘flood resilience’ and will secure the necessary capacities. These strategies pertain to: (i) the diversification of flood risk management approaches; (ii) the alignment of flood risk management approaches to overcome fragmentation; (iii) the involvement, cooperation, and alignment of both public and private actors in flood risk management; (iv) the presence of adequate formal rules that balance legal certainty and flexibility; (v) the assurance of sufficient financial and other types of resources; (vi) the adoption of normative principles that adequately deal with distributional effects. These governance strategies appear to be relevant across different physical and institutional contexts. The findings may also hold valuable lessons for the governance of climate adaptation more generally.
A Robust and Transferable Model for the Prediction of Flood Losses on Household Contents
Authors: Mosimann Markus , Frossard Linda , Keiler Margreth , Weingartner Rolf , Zischg Andreas Paul
Published: November 2018

Beside the flood hazard analysis, a comprehensive flood risk assessment requires the analysis of the exposure of values at risk and their vulnerability. Currently, the main focus of such analysis is on losses on building structure. However, loss on household contents accounts for up to 30% of the total losses on buildings due to floods. Based on insurance claim records, we developed and (cross-)validated two functions. The models based on linear regressions estimate the monetary loss and the degree of loss of household contents by the monetary and degree of loss for building structure, respectively. The main focus herein is to develop functions which provide robustness in prediction and transferability to other regions. Both models generate appropriate results with a comparative advantage of the relative over the absolute loss model. Our results indicate that the ratio of household content to building structure loss is decreasing relatively in regions with comparatively high losses or degrees of loss. A detailed examination of the model residuals, shows that the Box-Cox transformation works well to accurately fit a standard regression model to general right-skewed loss data as the transformed data meet the assumptions of a regression model.
Abundance, Distribution, and Drivers of Microplastic Contamination in Urban River Environments
Authors: Tibbetts Joseph , Krause Stefan , Lynch Iseult , Sambrook Smith Gregory H.
Published: November 2018

Given the persistence of microplastics in the environment and their potential toxicity to ecosystems, understanding of likely microplastic accumulation ‘hotspots’ in rivers is urgently needed. To contribute to this challenge, this paper reports results of a microplastic survey from a heavily urbanised catchment, the River Tame and four of its tributaries, which flows through the city of Birmingham, UK. All sediment sampled was found to contain microplastics with an average abundance of 165 particles kg−1. While urban areas generally have a greater abundance of microplastics as compared with rural, there is no simple relationship between microplastic numbers and population density or proximity to wastewater treatment sites. The greatest change in microplastic abundance was due to the presence of a lake along the course of the River Tame—i.e., flow velocities are reduced on entering the lake, which promotes the deposition of fine sediment and potentially microplastics. This suggests that the greatest concentrations of microplastics will not be found in-channel but rather on the floodplain and other low velocity environments such as meander cutoffs. We also identified a new mechanism of microplastic fixation in freshwater environments through ecological engineers, specifically caddisflies, that incorporated microplastics into their casing. These results highlight the need to explore further hydrodynamic and ecological impacts on microplastics fate and transport in rivers.
Capillary Nanofiltration under Anoxic Conditions as Post-Treatment after Bank Filtration
Authors: Jährig Jeannette , Vredenbregt Leo , Wicke Daniel , Miehe Ulf , Sperlich Alexander
Published: November 2018

Bank filtration schemes for the production of drinking water are increasingly affected by constituents such as sulphate and organic micropollutants (OMP) in the source water. Within the European project AquaNES, the combination of bank filtration followed by capillary nanofiltration (capNF) is being demonstrated as a potential solution for these challenges at pilot scale. As the bank filtration process reliably reduces total organic carbon and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), biopolymers, algae and particles, membrane fouling is reduced resulting in long term operational stability of capNF systems. Iron and manganese fouling could be reduced with the possibility of anoxic operation of capNF. With the newly developed membrane module HF-TNF a good retention of sulphate (67–71%), selected micropollutants (e.g., EDTA: 84–92%) and hardness (41–55%) was achieved together with further removal of DOC (82–87%). Fouling and scaling could be handled with a good cleaning concept with acid and caustic. With the combination of bank filtration and capNF a possibility for treatment of anoxic well water without further pre-treatment was demonstrated and retention of selected current water pollutants was shown.
A Tale of “Two” Comets: The Primary Volatile Composition of Comet 2P/Encke Across Apparitions and Implications for Cometary Science
Authors: Roth Nathan X. , Gibb Erika L. , Bonev Boncho P. , DiSanti Michael A. , Dello Russo Neil , Vervack Ronald J. , McKay Adam J. , Kawakita Hideyo
Published: November 2018

The highly favorable 2017 apparition of 2P/Encke allowed the first comprehensive comparison of primary volatile abundances in a given comet across multiple apparitions. This apparition offered opportunities to address pressing questions in cometary science, including investigating evolutionary and/or heliocentric distance (R
h) effects on volatile production, sampling the hypervolatiles CO and CH4 in an ecliptic comet, and measuring volatile release at small R
h. The faintness and frequently low geocentric velocity of ecliptic comets during most apparitions make our near-infrared observations of these hypervolatiles rare and of high scientific impact. We characterized the volatile composition of 2P/Encke on three post-perihelion dates using the iSHELL spectrograph at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Maunakea, HI. We detected fluorescent emission from nine primary volatiles (H2O, CO, C2H6, CH3OH, CH4, H2CO, NH3, OCS, and HCN) and three fragment species (OH*, NH2, and CN), and obtained a sensitive upper limit for C2H2. We report rotational temperatures, production rates, and mixing ratios (abundances relative to H2O). Compared to mean abundances in comets observed to date in the near-infrared, mixing ratios of trace gases in 2P/Encke were depleted for all species except H2CO and NH3, which were “normal.” The detection of the hypervolatiles CO and CH4 is particularly notable given the paucity of measurements in ecliptic comets. We observed significant differences in primary volatile composition compared to published pre-perihelion results from 2003 at larger R
h. We discuss possible mechanisms for these differences and discuss these results in the context of findings from the Rosetta mission and ground-based studies of comets.
Stellar Population Diagnostics of the Massive Star Binary Fraction
Authors: Dorn-Wallenstein Trevor Z. , Levesque Emily M.
Published: November 2018

Populations of massive stars are directly reflective of the physics of stellar evolution. Counts of subtypes of massive stars and ratios of massive stars in different evolutionary states have been used ubiquitously as diagnostics of age and metallicity effects. While the binary fraction of massive stars is significant, inferences are often based upon models incorporating only single-star evolution. In this work, we utilize custom synthetic stellar populations from the Binary Population and Stellar Synthesis code to determine the effect of stellar binaries on number count ratios of different evolutionary stages in both young massive clusters and galaxies with massive stellar populations. We find that many ratios are degenerate in metallicity, age, and/or binary fraction. We develop diagnostic plots using these stellar count ratios to help break this degeneracy, and use these plots to compare our predictions to observed data in the Milky Way and the Local Group. These data suggest a possible correlation between the massive star binary fraction and metallicity. We also examine the robustness of our predictions in samples with varying levels of completeness. We find including binaries and imposing a completeness limit can both introduce ≳0.1 dex changes in inferred ages. Our results highlight the impact that binary evolution channels can have on the massive star population.
Data Leakage and Loss in Biodiversity Informatics
Authors: Peterson A. Townsend , Asase Alex , Canhos Dora , de Souza Sidnei , Wieczorek John
Published: November 2018

The field of biodiversity informatics is in a massive, “grow-out” phase of creating and enabling large-scale biodiversity data resources. Because perhaps 90% of existing biodiversity data nonetheless remains unavailable for science and policy applications, the question arises as to how these existing and available data records can be mobilized most efficiently and effectively. This situation led to our analysis of several large-scale biodiversity datasets regarding birds and plants, detecting information gaps and documenting data “leakage” or attrition, in terms of data on taxon, time, and place, in each data record. We documented significant data leakage in each data dimension in each dataset. That is, significant numbers of data records are lacking crucial information in terms of taxon, time, and/or place; information on place was consistently the least complete, such that geographic referencing presently represents the most significant factor in degradation of usability of information from biodiversity information resources. Although the full process of digital capture, quality control, and enrichment is important to developing a complete digital record of existing biodiversity information, payoffs in terms of immediate data usability will be greatest with attention paid to the georeferencing challenge.
A preliminary checklist of soil ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Colombian Amazon
Authors: Castro Daniel , Fernández Fernando , Meneses Andrés , Tocora Maria , Sanchez Stepfania , Peña-Venegas Clara
Published: November 2018

This paper presents an updated list of soil ants of the Colombian Amazon collected in three different river basins: the Amazon, the Caquetá and the Putumayo. The list includes 10 subfamilies, 60 genera and 218 species collected from TSBF monoliths at four different depths (Litter, 0 - 10 cm, 10 - 20 cm and 20 - 30 cm). This updated list increases considerably the knowledge of edaphic macrofauna of the region, due to the limited published information about soil ant diversity in the Colombian Amazon region.

This is the first checklist of soil ant diversity of the Colombian Amazon region. Six new records of species for Colombia are exposed:Acropygatricuspis(LaPolla, 2004),Typhlomyrmexclavicornis(Emery, 1906),Typhlomyrmexmeire(Lacau, Villemant & Delabie, 2004),Cyphomyrmexbicornis(Forel, 1895),Megalomyrmexemeryi(Forel, 1904) andMyrmicocryptaspinosa(Weber, 1937), most of them corresponding to subterranean ants.
Incentivising use of structured language in biological descriptions: Author-driven phenotype data and ontology production
Authors: Cui Hong , Macklin James , Sachs Joel , Reznicek Anton , Starr Julian , Ford Bruce , Penev Lyubomir , Chen Hsin-Liang
Published: November 2018

Phenotypes are used for a multitude of purposes such as defining species, reconstructing phylogenies, diagnosing diseases or improving crop and animal productivity, but most of this phenotypic data is published in free-text narratives that are not computable. This means that the complex relationship between the genome, the environment and phenotypes is largely inaccessible to analysis and important questions related to the evolution of organisms, their diseases or their response to climate change cannot be fully addressed. It takes great effort to manually convert free-text narratives to a computable format before they can be used in large-scale analyses. We argue that this manual curation approach is not a sustainable solution to produce computable phenotypic data for three reasons: 1) it does not scale to all of biodiversity; 2) it does not stop the publication of free-text phenotypes that will continue to need manual curation in the future and, most importantly, 3) It does not solve the problem of inter-curator variation (curators interpret/convert a phenotype differently from each other). Our empirical studies have shown that inter-curator variation is as high as 40% even within a single project. With this level of variation, it is difficult to imagine that data integrated from multiple curation projects can be of high quality. The key causes of this variation have been identified as semantic vagueness in original phenotype descriptions and difficulties in using standardised vocabularies (ontologies). We argue that the authors describing phenotypes are the key to the solution. Given the right tools and appropriate attribution, the authors should be in charge of developing a project’s semantics and ontology. This will speed up ontology development and improve the semantic clarity of phenotype descriptions from the moment of publication. A proof of concept project on this idea was funded by NSF ABI in July 2017. We seek readers input or critique of the proposed approaches to help achieve community-based computable phenotype data production in the near future. Results from this project will be accessible through https://biosemantics.github.io/author-driven-production.
Une modélisation du cadre analytique de groupe du psychodrame
Authors: Vandenbroucke Patrick
Published: November 2018

La présentation d’un cadre de thérapie analytique en groupe comme le psychodrame met en exergue la réalité de la protection et de l’élaboration de l’intime pour le sujet. Sa modélisation par une bande de Möbius va permettre d’en accentuer la cohérence structurelle tout en mettant en évidence l’intérêt de la succession des séances dans l’élaboration subjective.