A robust adaptive control approach is proposed for underactuated surface ship linear path-tracking control system based on the backstepping control method and Lyapunov stability theory. By employing T-S fuzzy system to approximate nonlinear uncertainties of the control system, the proposed scheme is developed by combining “dynamic surface control” (DSC) and “minimal learning parameter” (MLP) techniques. The substantial problems of “explosion of complexity” and “dimension curse” existed in the traditional backstepping technique are circumvented, and it is convenient to implement in applications. In addition, an auxiliary system is developed to deal with the effect of input saturation constraints. The control algorithm avoids the singularity problem of controller and guarantees the stability of the closed-loop system. The tracking error converges to an arbitrarily small neighborhood. Finally, MATLAB simulation results are given from an application case of Dalian Maritime University training ship to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Nowadays, container transport services play a substantial role in global cargo transportation by serving as an intermodal between the exporter and importer. Container shipping has become increasingly important over the past few decades due to its obvious advantages. However, Vietnam's container market has shown severely ongoing competition among numerous domestic and foreign shipping lines resulting in serious consequences occurring such as the freight rates substantially decreasing within the last ten years. In fact, Vietnam's sea lanes have become more defensive to cover the losses of shipping companies. Selection of criteria for competitive evaluation of container transport companies is necessary to help recognize the problems within the enterprise especially relating to its position in the market and from here, business management are able to put strategic plans in place and reasonable policy in order to be able to survive and grow.

The extragalactic background suggests half the energy generated by stars was reprocessed into the infrared (IR) by dust. At z1.3, 90% of star formation is obscured by dust. To fully understand the cosmic star formation history, it is critical to investigate infrared emission. AKARI has made deep mid-IR observation using its continuous 9-band filters in the NEP field (5.4 deg2), using 10% of the entire pointed observations available throughout its lifetime. However, there remain 11,000 AKARI infrared sources undetected with the previous CFHT/Megacam imaging (r ~25.9ABmag). Redshift and IR luminosity of these sources are unknown. These sources may contribute signicantly to the cosmic star-formation rate density (CSFRD). For example, if they all lie at 1< z <2, the CSFRD will be twice as high at the epoch. We are carrying out deep imaging of the NEP eld in 5 broad bands (g; r; i; z; and y) using Hyper Suprime-Camera (HSC), which has 1.5 deg field of view in diameter on Subaru 8m telescope. This will provide photometric redshift information, and thereby IR luminosity for the previously-undetected 11,000 faint AKARI IR sources. Combined with AKARI's mid-IR AGN/SF diagnosis, and accurate mid- IR luminosity measurement, this will allow a complete census of cosmic star-formation/AGN accretion history obscured by dust.

Since the launch of the Herschel Space Observatory, our understanding about the photo-dissociation regions (PDR) has taken a step forward. In the bandwidth of the Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) of the Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver (SPIRE) on board Herschel, ten CO rotational transitions, including J = 4-3 to J = 13-12, and three fine structure lines, including [Ci] 609, [Ci] 370, and [Nii] 205 μm, are covered. I present our findings from the FTS observations at the nuclear region of M83, based on the spatially resolved physical parameters derived from the CO spectral line energy distribution (SLED) map and the comparisons with the dust properties and star-formation tracers. This article discusses (1) the potential of using [Nii] 205 and [Ci] 370 μm as star-formation tracers; (2) the excitation mechanisms of warm CO in the nuclear region of M83.

The purpose of this research is to explore the interaction patterns in an English (L2)-mediated Mandarin Chinese (L3) class (native-taught) for young monolingual Korean (L1) learners. Twenty-nine class videos were collected and transcribed into 152 pages of Chinese, English, and Korean for this analysis. The interaction patterns in the English-mediated Chinese classes were analyzed using the IRF framework of Sinclair and Coulthard (1975) and Tsui (1994). The results and discussions were integrated into four main patterns to interpret the English-mediated Chinese classes: 1) the native Chinese teacher’s needs for class assistance, 2) the students’ enthusiastic but inadequate use of English, 3) the students’ voluntary Korean scaffolding, and 4) the students’ class participation needs. On the one hand, this research has provided the students’ response to the teacher’s use of Chinese and English (in a foreign language-only environment), which is intended for a better understanding of a classroom with a trilingual teacher and monolingual students. On the other hand, the research has implications for understanding use of an L2 to facilitate an L3 classroom, particularly in the situation of using two foreign languages in one classroom.

Our understanding of dust emission, interaction, and evolution, is evolving. In recent years, electric dipole emission by spinning dust has been suggested to explain the anomalous microwave excess (AME), appearing between 10 and 90 Ghz. The observed frequencies suggest that spinning grains should be on the order of 10nm in size, hinting at polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules (PAHs). We present data from the AKARI/Infrared Camera (IRC) due to its high sensitivity to the PAH bands. By inspecting the IRC data for a few AME regions, we nd a preliminary indication that regions well-tted by a spinning- dust model have a higher 9 m than 18 m intensity vs. non-spinning-dust regions. Ongoing eorts to improve the analysis by using DustEM and including data from the AKARI Far Infrared Surveyor (FIS), IRAS, and Planck High Frequency Instrument (HFI) are described.

Hydrophobins are surface active proteins that are produced by filamentous fungi including mushrooms. Their ability to self-assemble into an amphipathic membrane at any hydrophilic–hydrophobic interface is most intriguing. These small secreted proteins comprise of eight conserved cysteine residues which form four disulfide bridges and an extraordinary hydrophobic patch. Hydrophobins play critical roles in fungal (and/or mushrooms) growth as structural components and in the interaction of fungi and mushrooms with the environment. The biophysical and biochemical properties of the isolated proteins are remarkable, such as strong adhesion, high surface activity and the formation of various self-assembled structures. With the increasing demands of hydrophobins from fungi and mushroom sources, production and purification in large scale is under challenge. Various applications, ranging from food industries, cosmetics, nanotechnology, biosensors and electrodes, to biomaterials and pharmaceuticals are emerging and a bright future is foreseen.

Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer constituent of the cell wall of green plants and of various forms of algae. The complexity of lignocellulosic biomass is a major challenge in industrial research. Most mushroom species that naturally grow on soil or wood possess cellulases and the corresponding enzymatic system and, potential candidates for the direct bioconversion of softwood polysaccharides into fermentable sugars. However, there have been fewer studies on mushroom cellulases than on fungi such as Trichoderma spp., exploit the full potential of mushroom cellulases. This review will focus on the current status ofmushroom cellulase research and applications and will provide insight into promising future prospects.

본 논문에서는 조타기 작동 신호에 대하여 AIS 통신을 이용하여 상호 교환함으로써 상대선의 선회정보를 보다 신속히 파악할 수 있는 선회조기감지시스템을 구축하였으며, 이를 실선에 적용하여 해당 시스템의 실효성을 검증하였다. 조타 신호가 조타기를 작동함과 동시에 AIS를 통하여 송신되어 상대선의 ECDIS에 사용된 타각만큼 유색으로 표시되는 것을 확인하였다. 선회조기감지시스템을 통하여 상대선의 변침 상황을 조기에 감지할 수 있었으며, 이를 통한 선박 상호간 충돌회피가 조기에 가능할 것으로 판단된다. 또한, 의심 선박에 대한 VTS의 적극적 관제가 가능하고, 해양안전종합정보시스템을 통한 해양사고 분석에도 활용 가능할 것이다.

Ribosomal protein L21 (RPL21) plays an important role in ribosome assembly. It is considered to be a major cause for the occurrence of the hypotrichosis simplex (HTS), a type of sustained hair loss from early childhood to adulthood. In this study, the full-length sequence of pig RPL21 gene (GenBank accession number: KU891824) was cloned and identified for the first time. We found it contains a 483-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 160 amino acids. It is located in the plus strand of chromosome 11, which spans 2,167 bp from 4,199,792 to 4,201,958. We found RPL21 expression level is closely related to cell proliferation and cell cycle arrest. In the knockdown group, the cell proliferation activity was significantly decreased (P<0.01) and an obvious accumulation of cells at the G2/M phase with a simultaneous up-regulation of p53 and p21 was observed. This likely due to knockdown of RPL21 triggered ribosomal stress, which affected the normal ribosome assembly and caused defective ribosome biogenesis. The unassembled RPs were released consequently from the nucleolus to the nucleoplasm where they can activate p53-dependent cell-cycle responsive factors and led to a G2/M arrest. We expect these results may provide valid information for further study on the pig RPL21 gene and the cause of hypo trichosis simplex.

Prolonged communication between oocytes and the surrounding somatic cells is one of the unique reproductive physiology in canine. Paracrine Kit ligand (KITL) signaling is a well-known communication between granulosa cells and the oocyte. KITL is a cytokine growth factor secreted by granulosa cells that signals via the c-kit receptor expressed by oocytes. Paracrine factors, including growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), exert their effects by binding with the kinase receptors expressed on the granulosa cells. However, the regulations of GDF9 and BMP15 in the canine KITL expression are currently poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the effects of GDF9 and BMP15 on the expression of KITL in canine ovarian granulosa cells in vitro. In Annexin V assay recombinant GDF9 and BMP15 did not induce apoptosis in the cultured ovarian granulosa cells. When treated, FSH significantly increased KITL expression, and hCG suppressed its expression. When both FSH and hCG were treated, the expression of KITL was affected by GDF9 and BMP15 in dose and time dependent manner in the luteal granulosa cells. GDF9 (10 ng/mL) significantly decreased KITL expression after12 h. BMP15 (10 ng/mL) significantly also decreased KITL expression after 24 h. Western blot and immunochemistry results indicate that GDF9 activated Smad2/3. After blocking ALK 4/5/7 receptors by SB, GDF9 failed to activate Smad2/3, also BMP15 did not activate Smad1/5/8 after blocking ALK 2/3/6 receptors by DM. So GDF9 exerts its effects via using ALK 4/5/7 receptors to activate SMAD2/3 signaling, and BMP15 binds ALK 2/3/6 receptors to activate SMAD1/5/8 signaling. The expression of KITL was not changed by SB or DM treatment. However, the effect of GDF9 and BMP15, which decreased the expression of KITL, was suppressed by SB or DM treatment. In conclusion, this study provides the first evidence that recombinant GDF9 and BMP15 decrease KITL expression in canine ovarian granulosa cells.

The antioxidant activity of 70% methanol, 70% ethanol and chloroform-methanol (CM, 2:1, v/v) extracts from turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) was investigated in this study. The antioxidant potential of various extracts of turmeric was evaluated by using different antioxidant tests, namely DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, ABTS [2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt] radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power and β-carotene bleaching assays as well as total phenol content and total flavonoid content. All extracts exhibited abundant total phenol content, total flavonoid content and strong antioxidant activity. Particularly, higher activity was exhibited by CM extract with 46.32±0.35 mg CAE/g and 15.58±0.39 mg QE/g of total phenol content and total flavonoid content. Generally, antioxidant activity of various extracts from turmeric increased in the following order: 70% methanol extract, 70% ethanol extract and CM extract, respectively. Results suggested that turmeric could be widely used as a source of antioxidant and a kind of functional material in food.

Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), known as the ‘economic’ NATO Agreement dominated by the United States, will impose profound influence on the politics, economy, society and intellectual property system in China. There are deep-seated reasons why the US are extremely active to make TPP signed and why China is ruled out in the course of the negotiations. Since China has entered into the WTO, the domestic and international market is closely related, and TPP must have significant impact on China’s international market. With regard to the influence, China shall take efficient measures to cope with, including: dealing with issues appropriately regarding its economic sovereignty, based on its own situations, promoting of negotiations on free trade agreement, keeping on improving the hard and soft power in intellectual property, fully taking advantages of “the Belt and Road Strategy” and exploring new market; and getting ready for constant adaptation to TPP rules and the like.

In Hanoks which are Korean traditional houses, gudeuls (ondols) are more important than other elements. Recently, demand for Hanoks has been rapidly increasing thanks to the effects of Korean waves and rediscovery of traditions. This paper traced the process of development of gudeul construction technology to examine the definitions of terns and changes in the types of gudeuls and discussed the prospect of future gudeul construction technology.

Electronic Word of-Mouth (eWOM) helps consumers evaluate product quality and reduces decision risk without physical trials, and makes their purchase decision. More and more firms are embracing and applying eWOM marketing strategy as a complementary strategy for advertising to increase sales. However, little has been known regarding the mechanism underlying the eWOM effect on online consumer behavior and purchase decision. The paper is to examine the effect of eWOM to provide practitioners insightful guidance on service systems design and the allocation of firm resources to more effectively develop eWOM marketing strategies. This article seeks to shed light on eWOM effect from the empirical study. Consumers are increasingly using online consumer reviews to evaluate product quality. It is paramount for marketers to understand what makes online consumer reviews helpful to consumers and how this evaluation affects their decisions. Dual-process theory has been adopted in this study to investigate the factors and its links with consumers' purchase intention.This article examines how the electronic word of mouth (eWOM) information attitude (positive vs. negative), website's reputation, motivation to process information, consumer reviews, product evaluations, information quantity and source credibility contribute to the eWOM effect. The article also describes a study on the moderating role of the product type. The empirical study also examines the effects of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) on consumer consideration and choice of an product.The survey results from 652 participants of an online survey. The study consisted of an online survey that was conducted on a survey website in 2015. All measurement items were measured using 7-point Likert scales. In order to provide greater insight into the results, several iterations of factor and reliability analyses were undertaken to determine a reduced set of composite dimensions. Principal component analyses and reliability analyses were used to simplify and purify the factors by removing variables with less loadings. The proposed model was analyzed by using the maximum likelihood method (i.e., ML), with structural equations analyses (LISREL 8). This study highlights that consumers’ reliance on online user reviews to choose products is significantly influenced by the quantity of products available. This study also proposes a more robust hierarchical structure to model the interaction effect between online user reviews and product quantity. This article further studies the impact of eWOM across brand reputation websites on consumers’ purchasing decisions. In parallel with the eWOM available on the Internet, consumers are able to reach almost every piece of eWOM brand reputation relevant to their interested products. The effect of eWOM motivation may influence consumers’ search costs for product information and affect their final decisions.

The main purpose of the research is to examine how to evaluate good governance, capacity-building, marketing communication strategy, performance measures based on the empirical results. Related literature is reviewed for building the indicator of the research construct. The paper examines the global platform for interface marketing and management for the city context. Governance dimensions include antitrust, liability, consumer protection and intellections. Capability consists of transportation, manufacturing and communication facilities. Performance measures include economic performance and welfare indicators. The research employs the mail survey and interview research methods to collect data from 172 government officers. Good governance, capacity-building strategy, marketing communication strategy, performance measures were reviewed and provided an adequate model for improving policy performance. A city owns good governance and capacity-building, this can attract more business investment for maintaining unique characteristics and competitive advantages. A set of city marketing activities could be an effective policy instrument to achieve the goal of sustainability development and better performance for communicating city citizens. The research also applies the case study and questionnaire survey for examining the research issues empirically. Tainan and Kaohsiung City in Taiwan were selected for research subject for building the measurement indicators. The study tests the predictions of relationships by using mail survey data from chain store and franchise firms and employ structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyze the research questions. Results show that governance, capacity-building, citizen communication strategies are key factors in reinforcing cities performance. This research suggests the authority governance and capacity-building systems regularly. Meanwhile, the main issue is how to implement good governance, capacity-building, citizen communication strategy toward sustainability development and performance. This research suggests policy assessment, policy recommendation, policy alternatives and city marketing implications in the future. The study ends with a discussion of theoretical and managerial implications.