ALBERT

Beschreibung: In this study, a miniaturized high fundamental frequency quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is fabricated for sensor applications using a wet etching technique. The vibration area is reduced in the fabrication of the high frequency QCM with an inverted mesa structure. To reduce the complexity of the side wall profile that results from anisotropic quartz etching, a rectangular vibration area is used instead of the conventional circular structure. QCMs with high Q values exceeding 25,000 at 47 MHz, 27,000 at 60 MHz, 24,000 at 73 MHz and 25,000 at 84 MHz are fabricated on 4 × 4 mm2 chips with small vibration areas of 1.2 × 1.4 mm2. A PMMA-based flow cell is designed and manufactured to characterize the behavior of the fabricated QCM chip in a liquid. Q values as high as 1,006 at 47 MHz, 904 at 62 MHz, 867 at 71 MHz and 747 at 84 MHz are obtained when one side of the chip is exposed to pure water. These results show that fabricated QCM chips can be used for bio- and chemical sensor applications in liquids.

Beschreibung: RANdom SAmple Consensus (RANSAC) is a widely adopted method for LiDAR point cloud segmentation because of its robustness to noise and outliers. However, RANSAC has a tendency to generate false segments consisting of points from several nearly coplanar surfaces. To address this problem, we formulate the weighted RANSAC approach for the purpose of point cloud segmentation. In our proposed solution, the hard threshold voting function which considers both the point-plane distance and the normal vector consistency is transformed into a soft threshold voting function based on two weight functions. To improve weighted RANSAC’s ability to distinguish planes, we designed the weight functions according to the difference in the error distribution between the proper and improper plane hypotheses, based on which an outlier suppression ratio was also defined. Using the ratio, a thorough comparison was conducted between these different weight functions to determine the best performing function. The selected weight function was then compared to the existing weighted RANSAC methods, the original RANSAC, and a representative region growing (RG) method. Experiments with two airborne LiDAR datasets of varying densities show that the various weighted methods can improve the segmentation quality differently, but the dedicated designed weight functions can significantly improve the segmentation accuracy and the topology correctness. Moreover, its robustness is much better when compared to the RG method.

Beschreibung: Ecosystem services (ESs) and their transformations in northern China play a crucial role in regional sustainability. During the past several decades, grassland degradation has become one of the most important ecological and economic issues in this region. Therefore, understanding the impacts of grassland degradation and restoration on ESs is essential for maintaining ecological resilience and social security of Northern China. Our objective was to explore the relationship between ESs and grassland changes induced by vegetation succession in the Xilin River Basin, Inner Mongolia, China. Using vegetation maps derived from remotely sensed imagery collected in 1983, 1989, 2000, and 2011, we calculated the degree of grassland degradation using the Grassland Degradation Index (GDI). Aboveground biomass (AGB), soil conservation (SC), and water retention (WR) were also estimated to assess ESs for each year. Our results show that: (1) GDI increased during 1983–2000 and decreased during 2000–2011 indicating that after experiencing two decades of severe degradation the grassland has been restored since 2000. (2) AGB and SC were significantly negatively correlated with GDI. Changes in grassland conditions significantly affected WR and SC with both declining during 1983–2000 and increasing afterwards. The increase of SC, however, was slow compared to AGB and WR, which is an indication of time lag in soil restoration. (3) Grasslands in the middle and lower reaches experienced worse degradation than in the upper reaches. (4) AGB and SC exhibited a synergy, while trade-offs existed between AGB and WR and SC and WR. In summary, significant changes in grassland ecosystems in the Xilin River Basin over the past three decades affected the dynamics of ESs among which SC and WR require special attention in the future.

Beschreibung: The status of organic pollution in groundwater in eastern China along the Grand Canal from Hangzhou to Beijing was evaluated. Forty-two semi-volatile organic contaminants were analyzed, including 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 12 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and seven organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs). Among the detected contaminants, PAHs were the most widespread compounds. One PCB and six OCPs were detected in the groundwater samples, but none of the target OPPs was detected. The total concentration of the 16 PAHs ranged from 0.21 to 1006 ng/L, among which phenanthrene (271 ng/L) and fluoranthene (233 ng/L) were present at very high concentrations and naphthalene (32 positive detections in 50 samples) and fluorene (28 detections in 50 samples) were the most frequently detected. Benzo[a]pyrene equivalents indicated a high environmental risk related to PAHs in a few groundwater samples. To identify the possible sources of PAHs, three concentration ratios, low molecular weight PAHs/high molecular weight PAHs, anthracene/(anthracene + phenanthrene) and fluoranthene/(fluoranthene + pyrene), were determined, that indicated that the PAHs mainly originated from mixed sources: pyrolytic and petrogenic sources with different ratios at different sites.

Beschreibung: The water footprint approach is superior to the traditional approaches applied in water management. The water footprint can be regarded as a comprehensive indicator of freshwater resources appropriation, next to the traditional and restricted measure of water withdrawal. This study took the megacity of Beijing in North China as a case study to evaluate the sustainability of water utilization by calculating the water footprint in 2007 and 2010, based on real and virtual water consumption. The results show that the water footprint of the inhabitants of Beijing is decreasing, while the degree of water import dependency is increasing. Although the pressure of water scarcity in Beijing was slightly alleviated, the current situation of water shortage remains an enormous challenge, as the water footprint per capita is nearly 10 times higher than the water resources available. Therefore, water utilization in Beijing remains unsustainable. The improvement of water resources utilization efficiency, that encompasses water saving, is proposed as a key measure in the mitigation of water shortage.

Beschreibung: An essential part of urban natural systems, urban green spaces play a crucial role in mitigating the urban heat island effect (UHI). The UHI effect refers to the phenomenon where the temperature within a city is higher than that of the surrounding rural areas. The effects of the spatial composition and configuration of urban green spaces on urban land surface temperature (LST) have recently been documented. However, few studies have examined the effects of the directionality and distribution of green spaces on LST. In this study, we used a landscape index to describe the change in pattern of heat island intensity for the city of Baotou, China. We then used a semi-variable function and nearest neighbor algorithm to analyze the cooling effects of green spaces. We found that: (1) the cooling distance of an urban green space was not only influenced by its size, vegetation cover, and shape, but also showed anisotropy. In general, the larger the area of the urban green space and the higher the value of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI; a measure of plant photosynthetic activity), the larger the cooling distance within a certain threshold. Green spaces with more regular shapes displayed higher LST mitigation; however, the cooling distance was directional, and cooling effects depended on the semi-major axis and semi-minor axis of the green space. (2) The distribution of the urban green space within the landscape played a key role in mitigating the UHI effect. Within a certain area, the cooling effect of green spaces that are evenly distributed was greater than that which was associated with either green spaces that were large in area or where greens spaces were aggregated in the landscape. Therefore, within urban areas, where space is limited, urban planning should account for green spaces that are relatively scattered and evenly distributed to maximize cooling effects. The results of this study have key implications for sustainable urban planning and development; to mitigate urban heat island effects it is important to not only increase canopy cover or the size of urban green spaces, but also to optimize their spatial configuration.

Beschreibung: This paper describes the design and experimental evaluation of a silicon micro-machined resonant accelerometer (SMRA). This type of accelerometer works on the principle that a proof mass under acceleration applies force to two double-ended tuning fork (DETF) resonators, and the frequency output of two DETFs exhibits a differential shift. The dies of an SMRA are fabricated using silicon-on-insulator (SOI) processing and wafer-level vacuum packaging. This research aims to design a high-sensitivity SMRA because a high sensitivity allows for the acceleration signal to be easily demodulated by frequency counting techniques and decreases the noise level. This study applies the energy-consumed concept and the Nelder-Mead algorithm in the SMRA to address the design issues and further increase its sensitivity. Using this novel method, the sensitivity of the SMRA has been increased by 66.1%, which attributes to both the re-designed DETF and the reduced energy loss on the micro-lever. The results of both the closed-form and finite-element analyses are described and are in agreement with one another. A resonant frequency of approximately 22 kHz, a frequency sensitivity of over 250 Hz per g, a one-hour bias stability of 55 μg, a bias repeatability (1σ) of 48 μg and the bias-instability of 4.8 μg have been achieved.

Beschreibung: Background: Many countries including China are facing a serious opiate dependence problem. Anti-drug work effectiveness was affected by the high relapse rate all over the world. This study aims to analyze the factors influencing heroin addict relapse, and to provide evidence for generating relapse prevention strategies. Methods: A community-based follow-up study was conducted in China between October 2010 and September 2012. A total of 554 heroin addicts in accordance with the inclusion criteria from 81 streets in 12 districts of Shanghai, China were divided into 4 groups: group 1—daily dosage taken orally of 60 mL of methadone or under combined with psychological counseling and social supports (n = 130); group 2—daily dosage taken orally of over 60 mL of methadone combined with psychological counseling and social supports (n = 50); group 3—JTT (Jitai tablets) combined with psychological counseling and social supports (n = 206); group 4—JTT combined with social supports (n = 168). Results: Log-rank test results showed that the cumulative relapse rate differences among four groups during the two-year follow-up period were not statistically significant (χ2 = 5.889, p = 0.117). Multivariate Cox regression analysis results showed that only three independent variables were still statistically significant, including compliance with participation in psychological counseling (OR = 3.563, p = 0.000), the years of drug use (OR = 1.078, p = 0.001)and intervention model. Conclusions: Using the detoxification medications combined with appropriate psychological counseling and social support measures will help improve the effectiveness of relapse prevention, which is a kind of alternative community detoxification pattern. Appropriate and standard psychological counseling is very important for anti-drug treatment. The longer the drug addiction lasts, the longer the anti-drug treatment takes.

Beschreibung: Remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) classification of coastal waters is a useful tool to monitor environmental processes and manage marine environmental resources. This study presents classification work for data sets that were collected in the Yellow Sea during six cruises (spring and autumn, 2003; summer and winter, 2006/2007; and spring and autumn, 2007). Specifically, we analyzed classification features of Rrs spectra and obtained spatio-temporal characteristics of reflectance and bio-optical properties in the coastal waters. Yellow Sea waters were classified into the following four typical regions based on their spatial distribution characteristics: middle of the Yellow Sea (MYS), north Yellow Sea (NYS), coastal Shandong (CS), and Jiangsu shoal (JS), and five water type categories consisting of Classes A–E were used to represent water colors from clear to very turbid. Application of this classification scheme to Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) imagery revealed seasonal variations in the data, which suggests that the water types have both significant temporal and spatial distributions. In particular, the area of Class E waters in the Jiangsu shoal tended to gradually shrink in summer and expand in winter. The spatio-temporal variability was due to the influence of various environmental factors such as currents, tidal activity, fresh water discharges, monsoon winds, and typhoons.

Beschreibung: IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 2037: The Quality of Tuberculosis Care in Urban Migrant Clinics in China International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15092037 Authors: Hao Xue Jennifer Hager Qi An Kai Liu Jing Zhang Emma Auden Bingyan Yang Jie Yang Hongyan Liu Jingchun Nie Aiqin Wang Chengchao Zhou Yaojiang Shi Sean Sylvia Large and increasing numbers of rural-to-urban migrants provided new challenges for tuberculosis control in large cities in China and increased the need for high quality tuberculosis care delivered by clinics in urban migrant communities. Based on a household survey in migrant communities, we selected and separated clinics into those that mainly serve migrants and those that mainly serve local residents. Using standardized patients, this study provided an objective comparison of the quality of tuberculosis care delivered by both types of clinics and examined factors related to quality care. Only 27% (95% confidence interval (CI) 14–46) of cases were correctly managed in migrant clinics, which is significantly worse than it in local clinics (50%, 95% CI 28–72). Clinicians with a base salary were 41 percentage points more likely to demonstrate better case management. Furthermore, clinicians with upper secondary or higher education level charged 20 RMB lower out of pocket fees than less-educated clinicians. In conclusion, the quality of tuberculosis care accessed by migrants was very poor and policies to improve the quality should be prioritized in current health reforms. Providing a base salary was a possible way to improve quality of care and increasing the education attainment of urban community clinicians might reduce the heavy barrier of medical expenses for migrants