Showing papers by "University of Windsor published in 2019"

Advanced Micro- and Nano-Gas Sensor Technology: A Review

Abstract: Micro- and nano-sensors lie at the heart of critical innovation in fields ranging from medical to environmental sciences. In recent years, there has been a significant improvement in sensor design along with the advances in micro- and nano-fabrication technology and the use of newly designed materials, leading to the development of high-performance gas sensors. Advanced micro- and nano-fabrication technology enables miniaturization of these sensors into micro-sized gas sensor arrays while maintaining the sensing performance. These capabilities facilitate the development of miniaturized integrated gas sensor arrays that enhance both sensor sensitivity and selectivity towards various analytes. In the past, several micro- and nano-gas sensors have been proposed and investigated where each type of sensor exhibits various advantages and limitations in sensing resolution, operating power, response, and recovery time. This paper presents an overview of the recent progress made in a wide range of gas-sensing technology. The sensing functionalizing materials, the advanced micro-machining fabrication methods, as well as their constraints on the sensor design, are discussed. The sensors’ working mechanisms and their structures and configurations are reviewed. Finally, the future development outlook and the potential applications made feasible by each category of the sensors are discussed.

Global spatial risk assessment of sharks under the footprint of fisheries

Abstract: Effective ocean management and the conservation of highly migratory species depend on resolving the overlap between animal movements and distributions, and fishing effort. However, this information is lacking at a global scale. Here we show, using a big-data approach that combines satellite-tracked movements of pelagic sharks and global fishing fleets, that 24% of the mean monthly space used by sharks falls under the footprint of pelagic longline fisheries. Space-use hotspots of commercially valuable sharks and of internationally protected species had the highest overlap with longlines (up to 76% and 64%, respectively), and were also associated with significant increases in fishing effort. We conclude that pelagic sharks have limited spatial refuge from current levels of fishing effort in marine areas beyond national jurisdictions (the high seas). Our results demonstrate an urgent need for conservation and management measures at high-seas hotspots of shark space use, and highlight the potential of simultaneous satellite surveillance of megafauna and fishers as a tool for near-real-time, dynamic management.

Heteroatom-Doped Porous Carbon Materials with Unprecedented High Volumetric Capacitive Performance

Abstract: The design of carbon-based materials with a high mass density and large porosity has always been a challenging goal, since they fulfill the demands of next-generation supercapacitors and other electrochemical devices. We report a new class of high-density heteroatom-doped porous carbon that can be used as an aqueous-based supercapacitor material. The material was synthesized by an in situ dehalogenation reaction between a halogenated conjugated diene and nitrogen-containing nucleophiles. Under the given conditions, pyridinium salts can only continue to perform the dehalogenation if there is residue water remaining from the starting materials. The obtained carbon materials are highly doped by various heteroatoms, leading to high densities, abundant multimodal pores, and an excellent volumetric capacitive performance. Porous carbon tri-doped with nitrogen, phosphorous, and oxygen exhibits a high packing density (2.13 g cm-3 ) and an exceptional volumetric energy density (36.8 Wh L-1 ) in alkaline electrolytes, making it competitive to even some Ni-MH cells.

Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Thermoelectric Materials and Devices

Abstract: Hybrid organic-inorganic materials have been considered as a new candidate in the field of thermoelectric materials since the last decade owing to their great potential to enhance the thermoelectric performance by utilizing the low thermal conductivity of organic materials and the high Seebeck coefficient, and high electrical conductivity of inorganic materials. Herein, we provide an overview of interfacial engineering in the synthesis of various organic-inorganic thermoelectric hybrid materials, along with the dimensional design for tuning their thermoelectric properties. Interfacial effects are examined in terms of nanostructures, physical properties, and chemical doping between the inorganic and organic components. Several key factors which dictate the thermoelectric efficiency and performance of various electronic devices are also discussed, such as the thermal conductivity, electric transportation, electronic band structures, and band convergence of the hybrid materials.

Technical Issues on Cognitive Radio-Based Internet of Things Systems: A Survey

Abstract: Cognitive radio (CR)-based Internet of Things (IoT) system is an effective step toward a world of smart technology. Many frameworks have been proposed to build CR-based IoT systems. The CR-based IoT frameworks are the key points on which this survey focuses. Efficient spectrum sensing and sharing are the main functional components of the CR-based IoT. Reviews of recent SS and sharing approaches are presented in this survey. This survey classifies the SS and sharing approaches and discusses the merits and limitations of those approaches. Moreover, this survey discusses the design factors of the CR-based IoT and the criteria by which the proper SS and access approaches are selected. Furthermore, the survey explores the integration of newly emerging technologies with the CR-based IoT systems. Finally, the survey highlights some emerging challenges and concludes with suggesting future research directions and open issues.

Coverless image steganography using partial-duplicate image retrieval

Abstract: Most of the existing image steganographic approaches embed the secret information imperceptibly into a cover image by slightly modifying its content. However, the modification traces will cause some distortion in the stego-image, especially when embedding color image data that usually contain thousands of bits, which makes successful steganalysis possible. In this paper, we propose a novel coverless steganographic approach without any modification for transmitting secret color image. In our approach, instead of modifying a cover image to generate the stego-image, steganography is realized by using a set of proper partial duplicates of a given secret image as stego-images, which are retrieved from a natural image database. More specifically, after dividing each database image into a number of non-overlapping patches and indexing those images based on the features extracted from these patches, we search for the partial duplicates of the secret image in the database to obtain the stego-images, each of which shares one or several visually similar patches with the secret image. At the receiver end, by using the patches of the stego-images, our approach can approximately recover the secret image. Since the stego-images are natural ones without any modification traces, our approach can resist all of the existing steganalysis tools. Experimental results and analysis prove that our approach not only has strong resistance to steganalysis, but also has desirable security and high hiding capability.

Time evolution of complexity: a critique of three methods

Abstract: In this work, we propose a testing procedure to distinguish between the different approaches for computing complexity. Our test does not require a direct comparison between the approaches and thus avoids the issue of choice of gates, basis, etc. The proposed testing procedure employs the information-theoretic measures Loschmidt echo and Fidelity; the idea is to investigate the sensitivity of the complexity (derived from the different approaches) to the evolution of states. We discover that only circuit complexity obtained directly from the wave function is sensitive to time evolution, leaving us to claim that it surpasses the other approaches. We also demonstrate that circuit complexity displays a universal behaviour — the complexity is proportional to the number of distinct Hamiltonian evolutions that act on a reference state. Due to this fact, for a given number of Hamiltonians, we can always find the combination of states that provides the maximum complexity; consequently, other combinations involving a smaller number of evolutions will have less than maximum complexity and, hence, will have resources. Finally, we explore the evolution of complexity in non-local theories; we demonstrate the growth of complexity is sustained over a longer period of time as compared to a local theory.

Impact of product-design strategies on the operations of a closed-loop supply chain

Abstract: This study investigates product design and its impact on the operations of a two-echelon closed-loop supply chain (CLSC). Research findings reveal that remanufacturing does not necessarily enhance the profitability of the supplier or the manufacturer, but adjusting product-design strategies helps to curb loss if profitability suffers. An environmental impact analysis identifies an interval for the base unit remanufacturing cost, within which remanufacturing is beneficial. We then obtain the condition under which the environmental impact can be mitigated by product design. These results shed insights for supply chain managers in their operational decisions and policy-makers in properly regulating remanufacturing activities.

Information Fusion and Semi-Supervised Deep Learning Scheme for Diagnosing Gear Faults in Induction Machine Systems

Abstract: There has been an increasing interest in the design of intelligent diagnostic systems for industrial applications. The key requirement in the design of practical diagnostic systems is the ability for decision making in high-dimensional feature spaces, where the prior knowledge about the system states in terms of labels is very limited. Moreover, the problem of diagnosing simultaneous defects is rarely addressed on real industrial applications. This paper aims to develop a semi-supervised deep-learning scheme for diagnosing multiple defects including simultaneous ones in a gearbox directly connected to an induction machine shaft. This scheme consists of two main modules: information fusion and decision making. The former integrates captured multiple sensory streams into a very high dimensional feature space. The latter uses a semi-supervised deep learning procedure to minimize the human interaction during the training and maximize the diagnostic efficiency. This scheme facilitates learning and diagnosing defects under harshest conditions 1) where only a few number of labeled samples are collected together with a large number of unlabeled samples, and 2) in a very high-dimensional feature space. Several state-of-the-art semi-supervised and supervised learners have also been included in the scheme, enabling a comparative experiment for diagnosing simultaneous defects.

Profound health-care discrimination experienced by transgender people: rapid systematic review.

Abstract: Transgender people experience interpersonal and structural barriers which prevent them from accessing culturally and medically competent health care. This rapid systematic review examined the prevalence of health-care discrimination among transgender people in the U.S. and drew comparisons with sexual minority samples and the general U.S. population. Eight primary studies with 35 prevalence estimates were analyzed. Transgender populations experience profound rates of discrimination within the U.S. health-care system. Compared to sexual minorities, transgender participants appear to be more compromised in their access to health care. Service providers must change structural inequities which contribute to transgender people's invisibility.

Crude oil price shocks, monetary policy, and China's economy

Abstract: This paper develops a time‐varying parameter vector autoregressive model to examine the dynamic effects of crude oil prices and monetary policy on China's economy during January 1996 to June 2017. The empirical results indicate that (a) in general, international crude oil price shocks have positive effect on China's economic growth and inflation in the short run, but the long‐run effect appears diverse; (b) China's monetary policy shocks have positive effect on the economic growth and inflation overall; specifically, an increase in monetary supply can partly offset crude oil prices' negative effect on China's economic growth; (c) China's monetary policy has positive effect on crude oil prices and plays an important role in the relationship between crude oil price shocks and economy; and (d) during the recent global financial crisis, crude oil price shocks produce greater negative effect on China's economic growth, whereas the long‐run effect of monetary policy on China's economic growth proves weaker, compared with other periods.

Conducting and interpreting fish telemetry studies: considerations for researchers and resource managers

Abstract: Telemetry is an increasingly common tool for studying the ecology of wild fish, with great potential to provide valuable information for management and conservation. For researchers to conduct a robust telemetry study, many essential considerations exist related to selecting the appropriate tag type, fish capture and tagging methods, tracking protocol, data processing and analyses, and interpretation of findings. For telemetry-derived knowledge to be relevant to managers and policy makers, the research approach must consider management information needs for decision-making, while end users require an understanding of telemetry technology (capabilities and limitations), its application to fisheries research and monitoring (study design), and proper interpretation of results and conclusions (considering the potential for biases and proper recognition of associated uncertainties). To help bridge this gap, we provide a set of considerations and a checklist for researchers to guide them in conducting reliable and management-relevant telemetry studies, and for managers to evaluate the reliability and relevance of telemetry studies so as to better integrate findings into management plans. These considerations include implicit assumptions, technical limitations, ethical and biological realities, analytical merits, and the relevance of study findings to decision-making processes.

Blind Spectrum Sensing Approaches for Interweaved Cognitive Radio System: A Tutorial and Short Course

Abstract: Spectrum sensing is one of the essential tasks to have a cognitive radio system, which will allow an unlicensed user, called secondary user, to utilize the spectrum while the licensed user, called primary user, is not occupying it. The spectrum sensing approaches can be classified as blind and knowledge aided approaches. This tutorial summarizes blind spectrum sensing (BSS) approaches that require no prior knowledge of the licensed user’s signal characteristics, specifically for an interweave cognitive radio network model. The tutorial provides a thorough background, major implementations, and limitations of the BSS approaches, which are energy detector approach, maximum to minimum eigenvalue approach, maximum eigenvalue approach, covariance absolute value approach, and covariance Frobenius norm approach. Moreover, the tutorial compares these approaches based on performance metrics and complexity requirements. Furthermore, for a higher interference protection, the combination of two different spectrum sensing approaches, namely two-stage detection technique is presented and discussed. Besides, the tutorial discusses the challenges and possible future research directions. The fundamental objective of this tutorial is to provide insightful views and design aspects of BSS approach to researchers. For this purpose, the tutorial includes pseudo codes and simulation examples to illustrate more about the practical aspects of the above-mentioned approaches.

Neuroendocrine differentiation of prostate cancer leads to PSMA suppression.

Abstract: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is overexpressed in most prostate adenocarcinoma (AdPC) cells and acts as a target for molecular imaging. However, some case reports indicate that PSMA-targeted imaging could be ineffectual for delineation of neuroendocrine (NE) prostate cancer (NEPC) lesions due to the suppression of the PSMA gene (FOLH1). These same reports suggest that targeting somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) could be an alternative diagnostic target for NEPC patients. This study evaluates the correlation between expression of FOLH1, NEPC marker genes and SSTR2. We evaluated the transcript abundance for FOLH1 and SSTR2 genes as well as NE markers across 909 tumors. A significant suppression of FOLH1 in NEPC patient samples and AdPC samples with high expression of NE marker genes was observed. We also investigated protein alterations of PSMA and SSTR2 in an NE-induced cell line derived by hormone depletion and lineage plasticity by loss of p53. PSMA is suppressed following NE induction and cellular plasticity in p53-deficient NEPC model. The PSMA-suppressed cells have more colony formation ability and resistance to enzalutamide treatment. Conversely, SSTR2 was only elevated following hormone depletion. In 18 NEPC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models we find a significant suppression of FOLH1 and amplification of SSTR2 expression. Due to the observed FOLH1-supressed signature of NEPC, this study cautions on the reliability of using PMSA as a target for molecular imaging of NEPC. The observed elevation of SSTR2 in NEPC supports the possible ability of SSTR2-targeted imaging for follow-up imaging of low PSMA patients and monitoring for NEPC development.

Fast Semantic Segmentation for Scene Perception

Abstract: Semantic segmentation is a challenging problem in computer vision. Many applications, such as autonomous driving and robot navigation with urban road scene, need accurate and efficient segmentation. Most state-of-the-art methods focus on accuracy, rather than efficiency. In this paper, we propose a more efficient neural network architecture, which has fewer parameters, for semantic segmentation in the urban road scene. An asymmetric encoder–decoder structure based on ResNet is used in our model. In the first stage of encoder, we use continuous factorized block to extract low-level features. Continuous dilated block is applied in the second stage, which ensures that the model has a larger view field, while keeping the model small-scale and shallow. The down sampled features from encoder are up sampled with decoder to the same-size output as the input image and the details refined. Our model can achieve end-to-end and pixel-to-pixel training without pretraining from scratch. The parameters of our model are only $0.2M$ , $100 \times$ less than those of others such as SegNet, etc. Experiments are conducted on five public road scene datasets (CamVid, CityScapes, Gatech, KITTI Road Detection, and KITTI Semantic Segmentation), and the results demonstrate that our model can achieve better performance.

A review of marine renewable energy storage

Abstract: 6108 © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Summary Marine renewable energies are promising enablers of a cleaner energy future. Some technologies, like wind, are maturing and have already achieved commercial success. Similar to their terrestrial counterparts, marine renewable energy systems require energy storage capabilities to achieve the flexibility of the 21st century grid demand. The unique difficulties imposed by a harsh marine environment challenge the unencumbered rise of marine renewable energy generation and storage systems. In this study, the fundamentals of marine renewable energy generation technologies are briefed. A comprehensive review and comparison of state‐of‐the‐art novel marine renewable energy storage technologies, including pumped hydro storage (PHS), compressed air energy storage (CAES), battery energy storage (BES), hydrogen energy storage (HES), gravity energy storage (GES), and buoyancy energy storage (ByES), are conducted. The pros and cons, and potential applications, of various marine renewable energy storage technologies are also compiled. Finally, several future trends of marine renewable energy storage technologies are connoted.

Patterned, Flexible, and Stretchable Silver Nanowire/Polymer Composite Films as Transparent Conductive Electrodes.

Abstract: The emergence of flexible and stretchable optoelectronics has motivated the development of new transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) to replace conventional brittle indium tin oxide. For modern optoelectronics, these new TCEs should possess six key characteristics: low cost, solution-based processing; high transparency; high electrical conductivity; a smooth surface; mechanical flexibility or stretchability; and scalable, low-cost patterning methods. Among many materials currently being studied, silver nanowires (AgNWs) are one of the most promising, with studies demonstrating AgNW films and composites that exhibit each of the key requirements. However, AgNW-based TCEs reported to date typically fulfill two or three requirements at the same time, and rare are examples of TCEs that fulfill all six requirements simultaneously. Here, we present a straightforward method to fabricate AgNW/polymer composite films that meet all six requirements simultaneously. Our fabrication process embeds a AgNW network patterned using a solution-based wetting-dewetting protocol into a flexible or stretchable polymer, which is then adhered to an elastomeric poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrate. The resulting patterned AgNW/polymer films exhibit ∼85% transmittance with an average sheet resistance of ∼15 Ω/sq, a smooth surface (a root-mean-square surface roughness value of ∼22 nm), and also withstand up to 71% bending strain or 70% stretching strain. We demonstrate the use of these new TCEs in flexible and stretchable alternating current electroluminescent devices that emit light to 20% bending strain and 60% stretching strain.

Discrete Zr and REE mineralization of the Baerzhe rare-metal deposit, China

Abstract: Abstract Although REE (lanthanides + Sc + Y) mineralization in alkaline silicate systems is commonly accompanied with Zr mineralization worldwide, our understanding of the relationship between Zr and REE mineralization is still incomplete. The Baerzhe deposit in Northeastern China is a reservoir of REE, Nb, Zr, and Be linked to the formation of an Early Cretaceous, silica-saturated, alkaline intrusive complex. In this study, we use in situ laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses of zircon and monazite crystals to constrain the relationship between Zr and REE mineralization at Baerzhe. Three groups of zircon are identified and are differentiated based upon textural observations and compositional characteristics. Type Ia zircons display well-developed oscillatory zoning. Type Ib zircons are darker in cathodoluminescence images and have more irregular zoning and resorption features than type Ia zircons. In addition, type Ib zircons can locally occur as overgrowths on type Ia zircons. Type II zircons contain irregular but translucent cores and rims with oscillatory zoning that are murky brown in color and occur in aggregates. Textural features and compositional data suggest that types Ia and Ib zircon crystallized at the magmatic stage, with type Ia being least-altered and type Ib being strongly altered. Type II zircons, on the other hand, precipitated during the magmatic to magmatic-hydrothermal transition. Whereas the magnitude of the Eu anomaly is moderate in the barren alkaline granite, both magmatic and deuteric zircon exhibit pronounced negative anomalies. Such features are difficult to explain exclusively by feldspar fractionation and could indicate the presence of fluid induced modification of the rocks. Monazite crystals occur mostly through replacement of zircon and sodic amphibole; monazite clusters are also present. Textural and compositional evidence suggests that monazite at Baerzhe is hydrothermal. Types Ia and Ib magmatic zircon yield 207Pb-corrected 206Pb/238U ages of 127.2 ± 1.3 and 125.4 ± 0.7 Ma, respectively. Type II deuteric zircon precipitated at 124.9 ± 0.6 Ma. The chronological data suggest that the magmatic stage of the highly evolved Baerzhe alkaline granite lasted less than two million years. Hydrothermal monazite records a REE mineralization event at 122.8 ± 0.6 Ma, approximately 1 or 2 million years after Zr mineralization. We therefore propose a model in which parental magmas of the Baerzhe pluton underwent extensive magmatic differentiation while residual melts interacted with aqueous hydrothermal fluids. Deuteric zircon precipitated from a hydrosilicate liquid, and subsequent REE mineralization, exemplified by hydrothermal monazite, correlates with hydrothermal metasomatic alteration that postdated the hydrosilicate liquid event. Such interplay between magmatic and hydrothermal processes resulted in the formation of discrete Zr and REE mineralization at Baerzhe.

"Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they'd care?"-hospital care experiences of people who use drugs.

Abstract: Drug use is associated with increased morbidity and mortality but people who use drugs experience significant barriers to care. Data are needed about the care experiences of people who use drugs to inform interventions and quality improvement initiatives. The objective of this study is to describe and characterize the experience of acute care for people who use drugs. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study. We recruited people with a history of active drug use at the time of an admission to an acute care hospital, who were living with HIV or hepatitis C, in Toronto and Ottawa, Canada. Data were collected in 2014 and 2015 through semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded and transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Twenty-four adults (18 men, 6 women) participated. Participants predominantly recounted experiences of stigma and challenges accessing care. We present the identified themes in two overarching domains of interest: perceived effect of drug use on hospital care and impact of care experiences on future healthcare interactions. Participants described significant barriers to pain management, often resulting in inconsistent and inadequate pain management. They described various strategies to navigate access and receipt of healthcare from being “an easy patient” to self-advocacy. Negative experiences influenced their willingness to seek care, often resulting in delayed care seeking and targeting of certain hospitals. Drug use was experienced as a barrier at all stages of hospital care. Interventions to decrease stigma and improve our consistency and approach to pain management are necessary to improve the quality of care and care experiences of those who use drugs.

Dual Three-Phase PMSM Torque Modeling and Maximum Torque per Peak Current Control Through Optimized Harmonic Current Injection

Abstract: Vector space decomposition (VSD) model is widely used for dual three-phase permanent magnet synchronous machine (dual-PMSM) control, in which two direct-quadrature (DQ) frames, DQ1 and DQ2, are introduced to facilitate the controller design. Existing studies show that harmonic current injection in DQ2 frame can increase the output torque for a given peak phase current, which is referred as maximum torque per peak current (MTPPC) control. However, the injected harmonic current will induce a small dc torque and the harmonic torque. This paper first proposes a comprehensive torque model considering the harmonics in PM flux linkages, inductances and stator currents to investigate the induced torque components, which are neglected in existing approaches. These torque components are then considered in the harmonic current design to improve the MTPPC control performance. The harmonic current design results in a multiobjective optimization problem, and genetic algorithm (GA) is employed to optimize the harmonic current to maximize the output torque with minimal torque harmonic. Compared with existing approaches, the proposed approach is applicable to both surface-mounted and interior dual-PMSMs. Experimental investigations on a laboratory interior dual-PMSM show that the output torque of the test motor can be increased by more than ten percent with a negligible increase in torque ripple.

The Critical Role of Electron-Donating Thiophene Groups on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Donor–Acceptor Semiconducting Polymers

Abstract: Author(s): Zhang, S; Ocheje, MU; Huang, L; Galuska, L; Cao, Z; Luo, S; Cheng, YH; Ehlenberg, D; Goodman, RB; Zhou, D; Liu, Y; Chiu, YC; Azoulay, JD; Rondeau-Gagne, S; Gu, X | Abstract: Organic semiconducting donor–acceptor polymers are promising candidates for stretchable electronics owing to their mechanical compliance. However, the effect of the electron-donating thiophene group on the thermomechanical properties of conjugated polymers has not been carefully studied. Here, thin-film mechanical properties are investigated for diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based conjugated polymers with varying numbers of isolated thiophene moieties and sizes of fused thiophene rings in the polymer backbone. Interestingly, it is found that these thiophene units act as an antiplasticizer, where more isolated thiophene rings or bigger fused rings result in an increased glass transition temperature (T g ) of the polymer backbone, and consequently elastic modulus of the respective DPP polymers. Detailed morphological studies suggests that all samples show similar semicrystalline morphology. This antiplasticization effect also exists in para-azaquinodimethane-based conjugated polymers, indicating that this can be a general trend for various conjugated polymer systems. Using the knowledge gained above, a new DPP-based polymer with increased alkyl side chain density through attaching alky chains to the thiophene unit is engineered. The new DPP polymer demonstrates a record low T g , and 50% lower elastic modulus than a reference polymer without side-chain decorated on the thiophene unit. This work provides a general design rule for making low-T g conjugated polymers for stretchable electronics.

The Mirror Effect: Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Irresponsibility and Firm Performance in Coordinated Market Economies and Liberal Market Economies

Abstract: We investigate the classic management debate of agency versus institutional pressures through the application of the varieties of capitalism literature. In particular, we examine corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate social irresponsibility (CSiR) and their relationships with firm performance in two types of capitalist systems: coordinated market economies (CMEs) and liberal market economies (LMEs). We note that while the CSR literature has tended to develop a balanced view on the influence of agency and institutional pressures, the CSiR literature has tended to emphasize the influence of agency. The latter appears to be a result of the fundamental attribution bias, where irresponsible corporate behaviours are attributed to individual managers or organizations, rather than the institutional environment. Our results, which include five years of data across 16 countries, show significantly greater CSR and significantly lower CSiR in CMEs compared with LMEs. Further, we find a positive relationship between CSR and firm performance in CMEs but not LMEs, and a negative relationship between CSiR and firm performance in LMEs but not CMEs. Overall, our results demonstrate the influence of the institutional environment, suggesting that corporate behaviours mirror the external environment.

Geology of a Neoarchean suture: Evidence from the Zunhua ophiolitic mélange of the Eastern Hebei Province, North China Craton

Abstract: Mélanges characterize Phanerozoic convergent plate boundaries, but have rarely been reported from Archean orogens. In this paper, we document a Neoarchean ophiolitic mélange in the Eastern Hebei Province of the North China Craton. The Zunhua ophiolitic mélange is composed of a structural mixture of metapelites, ortho- and para-gneisses, and magnetite-quartzite mixed with exotic tectonic mafic blocks of metabasalts, metagabbroic rocks, and metadiabases, along with ultramafic blocks of serpentinized peridotites and podiform chromitites. The Zunhua ophiolitic mélange shows typical “block in matrix” structures. All units of the mélange have been intruded by granitic dikes and quartz veins that clearly cross-cut the foliation of blocks and matrix of the mélange. Laser-ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry zircon U-Pb dating of detrital zircons from the meta-sedimentary mélange matrix and intruding granitic dikes constrains the formation time of the Zunhua mélange to be between 2.52 and 2.46 Ga. Metamorphic rims on zircons from meta-sedimentary mélange matrix have ages of 2467 ± 27 Ma, confirming metamorphism of the mélange occurred at ca. 2.47 Ga. High-precision (scale 1:20 and 1:50) litho-structural mapping, along with detailed structural observations along several transects documents the internal fabrics and kinematics of the mélange, revealing a northwest to southeast directed transportation. The asymmetric structures in the mélange with folding and faulting events in the Zunhua mélange record kinematic information and are similar to the tectonic style of an accretionary wedge. Field relationships and geochemical analysis of various mafic blocks show that these blocks formed in an arc-related subduction tectonic environment. We suggest that the Zunhua mélange marks the suture zone of a Neoarchean arc-continent collisional event in the Central Orogenic Belt of the North China Craton. Combined with our previous studies, we demonstrate that a ca. 2.5 Ga tectonic suture exists between an arc/accretionary prism terrane in the Central Orogenic Belt and the Eastern Block of the North China Craton. We correlate this segment of the suture with other similar zones along strike, for >1000 km, including sections of the ca. 2.5 Ga in Dengfeng greenstone belt in the southern margin of the Central Orogenic Belt, and the ca. 2.5 Ga Zanhuang ophiolitic mélange in the center of the orogen. These relationships demonstrate that tectonic processes in the late Archean included subduction/accretion at convergent margins, and the horizontal movement of plates, in a style similar to modern-day accretionary convergent margins.

Human–Vehicle Cooperation in Automated Driving: A Multidisciplinary Review and Appraisal

Abstract: To draw a comprehensive and cohesive understanding of human–vehicle cooperation in automated driving, a review is made on key studies in human–robot interaction and human factors. Throughout this a...

A Machine Learning Approach for Identifying Gene Biomarkers Guiding the Treatment of Breast Cancer.

Abstract: Genomic profiles among different breast cancer survivors who received similar treatment may provide clues about the key biological processes involved in the cells and finding the right treatment. More specifically, such profiling may help personalize the treatment based on the patients' gene expression. In this paper, we present a hierarchical machine learning system that predicts the 5-year survivability of the patients who underwent though specific therapy; The classes are built on the combination of two parts that are the survivability information and the given therapy. For the survivability information part, it defines whether the patient survives the 5-years interval or deceased. While the therapy part denotes the therapy has been taken during that interval, which includes hormone therapy, radiotherapy, or surgery, which totally forms six classes. The Model classifies one class vs. the rest at each node, which makes the tree-based model creates five nodes. The model is trained using a set of standard classifiers based on a comprehensive study dataset that includes genomic profiles and clinical information of 347 patients. A combination of feature selection methods and a prediction method are applied on each node to identify the genes that can predict the class at that node, the identified genes for each class may serve as potential biomarkers to the class's treatment for better survivability. The results show that the model identifies the classes with high-performance measurements. An exhaustive analysis based on relevant literature shows that some of the potential biomarkers are strongly related to breast cancer survivability and cancer in general.