bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tobacco Rattle Virus as a Tool for Rapid Reverse-Genetics Screens and Analysis of Gene Function in Cannabis sativa L.
Authors: Alter Hanan , Peer Reut , Dombrovsky Aviv , Flaishman Moshe , Spitzer-Rimon Ben
Published: January 2022

Medical cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) is quickly becoming a central agricultural crop as its production has continued to increase globally. The recent release of the cannabis reference genomes provides key genetic information for the functional analysis of cannabis genes. Currently, however, the established tools for in vivo gene functional analysis in cannabis are very limited. In this study, we investigated the use of the tobacco rattle virus (TRV) as a possible tool for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and virus-aided gene expression (VAGE). Using leaf photobleaching as a visual marker of PHYTOENE DESATURASE (PDS) silencing, we found that VIGS was largely restricted to the agro-infiltrated leaves. However, when agro-infiltration was performed under vacuum, VIGS increased dramatically, which resulted in intense PDS silencing and an increased photobleaching phenotype. The suitability of TRV as a vector for virus-aided gene expression (VAGE) was demonstrated by an analysis of DsRed fluorescence protein. Interestingly, a DsRed signal was also observed in glandular trichomes in TRV2-DsRed-infected plants, which suggests the possibility of trichome-related gene function analysis. These results indicate that TRV, despite its limited spread, is an attractive vector for rapid reverse-genetics screens and for the analysis of gene function in cannabis.
Antioxidation, Anti-Inflammation, and Regulation of SRD5A Gene Expression of Oryza sativa cv. Bue Bang 3 CMU Husk and Bran Extracts as Androgenetic Alopecia Molecular Treatment Substances
Authors: Khantham Chiranan , Linsaenkart Pichchapa , Chaitep Tanakarn , Jantrawut Pensak , Chittasupho Chuda , Rachtanapun Pornchai , Jantanasakulwong Kittisak , Phimolsiripol Yuthana , Sommano Sarana Rose , Prom-u-thai Chanakan , Jamjod Sansanee , Arjin Chaiwat , Sringarm Korawan , Berrada Houda , Barba Francisco J. , Carmona Francisco David , Nimlamool Wutigri , Ruksiriwanich Warintorn
Published: January 2022

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), a hair loss disorder, is a genetic predisposition to sensitive androgens, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Unfortunately, current treatments with synthetic medicines contain a restricted mechanism along with side effects, whereas the bioactive constituents of plant extracts are multifunctional, with fewer side effects. The massive amounts of rice husk and bran are agricultural wastes that may cause pollution and environmental problems. Owing to these rationales, the local rice variety, Bue Bang 3 CMU (BB3CMU), which is grown in northern Thailand, was evaluated for the valuable utilization of rice by-products, husk (BB3CMU-H) and bran (BB3CMU-RB) extracts, for AGA treatment regarding antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-androgenic activities, and the characterization of bioactive compounds. Our study verified that BB3CMU-H had the highest level of polyphenols, contributing to its greater antioxidant activity. Conversely, BB3CMU-RB was the predominant source of tocopherols, resulting in better anti-androgenic activities regarding the downregulation of steroid 5α-reductase genes (SRD5A). Notably, anti-inflammation via the attenuation of nitric oxide productions was observed in BB3CMU-H (0.06 ± 0.13 μM) and BB3CMU-RB (0.13 ± 0.01 μM), which were significantly comparable to diclofenac sodium salt (0.13 ± 0.19 μM). Therefore, the combination of BB3CMU-H and BB3CMU-RB could be utilized in cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical applications for AGA patients.
Possibilities of Using Seed Meals in Control of Herbicide-Susceptible and -Resistant Biotypes of Rye Brome (Bromus secalinus L.) in Winter Wheat
Authors: Pytlarz Elżbieta , Gala-Czekaj Dorota
Published: January 2022

Rye brome is a rare and nuisance weed in winter wheat canopies. In recent years, farmers have complained about the inadequate chemical control of this species. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of seed meals obtained from allelopathic crops as an environmentally-friendly alternative for the control of herbicide-susceptible (S) and -resistant (R) rye brome biotypes in winter wheat. The pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Swojczyce Research and Training Station in Wrocław (Poland) to determine the impact of seed meals from: Fagopyrum esculentum, Sinapis alba, Phacelia tanacetifolia, Lupinus luteus, Raphanus sativus var. oleiformis and Ornithopus sativus, at 1 and 3% doses. Wheat emergence (>90%) and early growth were not affected by the presence in the soil of seed meals (only at 1% concentration) from P. tanacetifolia and R. sativus. The efficacy of these meals (reduction of aboveground biomass) at rye brome control was the same as the herbicide or higher. Seed meals from P. tanacetifolia reduced the emergence of the S and R biotypes by approximately 70 percentage points (p.p.) and 30 p.p., respectively, and limited the initial growth of both biotypes. Addition to soil meals from F. esculentum and R. sativus generally reduced only initial weed growth.
Salinity and Salt-Priming Impact on Growth, Photosynthetic Performance, and Nutritional Quality of Edible Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.
Authors: He Jie , Ng Olivia Wei Jin , Qin Lin
Published: January 2022

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. is a nutritious edible facultative halophyte. This study aimed to investigate the physiology and quality of M. crystallinum L. grown under different salinities and salt-priming conditions. All plants were first grown in 10% artificial seawater (ASW) for 10 days. After that, some plants remained in 10% ASW while the others were transferred to 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50% ASW for another 10 days. Some plants also underwent a salt priming by transferring them gradually from 10% to 100% ASW over a span of 10 days (defined as salt primed). All plants were green and healthy. However, there were reductions in shoot and root productivity, leaf growth, and water content, but also an increase in leaf succulence after transferring plants to higher salinities. The salt-primed plants showed higher photosynthetic light use efficiency with higher chlorophyll concentration compared to other plants. The concentrations of proline, ascorbic acid (ASC), and total phenolic compounds (TPC) increased as percentages of ASW increased. The salt-primed plants switched from C3 to crassulacean acid metabolism photosynthesis and accumulated the greatest amounts of proline, ASC, and TPC. In conclusion, higher salinities and salt priming enhance the nutritional quality of M. crystallinum L. but compromises productivity.
The Effect of Openings’ Size and Location on Selected Dynamical Properties of Typical Wood Frame Walls
Authors: Szczepanski Marcin , Manguri Ahmed , Saeed Najmadeen , Chuchala Daniel
Published: January 2022

The wooden frame constructions are now popular in many developed countries of the world. Many of these locations where such buildings are constructed are exposed to seismic and other shocks which are generated by human activities. This paper discusses the effect of the size and location of openings in the wooden frame walls under dynamic loadings. Natural frequencies of such frames with and without openings have been determined. Three 14 m high walls with different widths, including 3, 6, and 12 m, have been considered. Dynamic analysis has been made using finite element method structural analysis software Dlubal RFEM 5.17. The results show that the effect of the size and location of the openings on the natural frequency is significant. Numerically speaking, the relative change of the natural frequencies of a wall without and with an opening in a specific place could be up to 30%. In addition, the change of the natural frequency for the location of the openings is more sensitive than that to the sizes. Furthermore, the appropriate sizes and locations of openings of the wooden frame walls have been suggested. The appropriate size and place were found to be small openings in the top of the walls.
Vis-NIR Spectroscopy and Machine Learning Methods for the Discrimination of Transgenic Brassica napus L. and Their Hybrids with B. juncea
Authors: Sohn Soo-In , Pandian Subramani , Oh Young-Ju , Zaukuu John-Lewis , Na Chae-Sun , Lee Yong-Ho , Shin Eun-Kyoung , Kang Hyeon-Jung , Ryu Tae-Hun , Cho Woo-Suk , Cho Youn-Sung
Published: January 2022

The rapid advancement of genetically modified (GM) technology over the years has raised concerns about the safety of GM crops and foods for human health and the environment. Gene flow from GM crops may be a threat to the environment. Therefore, it is critical to develop reliable, rapid, and low-cost technologies for detecting and monitoring the presence of GM crops and crop products. Here, we used visible near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy to distinguish between GM and non-GM Brassica napus, B. juncea, and F1 hybrids (B. juncea X GM B. napus). The Vis-NIR spectra were preprocessed with different preprocessing methods, namely normalization, standard normal variate, and Savitzky–Golay. Both raw and preprocessed spectra were used in combination with eight different chemometric methods for the effective discrimination of GM and non-GM plants. The standard normal variate and support vector machine combination was determined to be the most accurate model in the discrimination of GM, non-GM, and hybrid plants among the many combinations (99.4%). The use of deep learning in combination with Savitzky–Golay resulted in 99.1% classification accuracy. According to the findings, it is concluded that handheld Vis-NIR spectroscopy combined with chemometric analyses could be used to distinguish between GM and non-GM B. napus, B. juncea, and F1 hybrids.
Robust and General Model to Forecast the Heat Transfer Coefficient for Flow Condensation in Multi Port Mini/Micro-Channels
Authors: Hosseini Seyyed Hossein , Ayari Mohamed Arselene , Khandakar Amith , Moradkhani Mohammad Amin , Jowkar Mehdi , Panahi Mohammad , Ahmadi Goodarz , Tavoosi Jafar
Published: January 2022

A general correlation for predicting the two-phase heat transfer coefficient (HTC) during condensation inside multi-port mini/micro-channels was presented. The model was obtained by correlating the two-phase multiplier, φtp with affecting parameters using the genetic programming (GP) method. An extensive database containing 3503 experimental data samples was gathered from 21 different sources, including a broad range of operating parameters. The newly obtained correlation fits the broad range of measured data analyzed with an average absolute relative deviation (AARD) of 16.87% and estimates 84.73% of analyzed data points with a relative error of less than 30%. Evaluation of previous correlations was also conducted using the same database. They showed the AARD values ranging from 36.94% to 191.19%. However, the GP model provides more accurate results, AARD lower than 17%, by considering the surface tension effects. Finally, the effect of various operating parameters on the HTC was studied using the proposed correlation.
What Can Postural Yoga Contribute to an Embodied Christian Spirituality? An Analysis of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Postural Yoga in the Light of Kashmir Śivaism
Authors: Blée Fabrice
Published: January 2022

In this article, I propose to examine how the practice of āsanas (postural yoga) offered in Western yoga studios might contribute to an embodied Christian spirituality. I will do this with reference to Kashmir Śivaism, which links postural yoga to the “way of action” (kriyopāya) and considers it to be ‘inferior’ to the two other paths to supreme liberation, that of energy (śāktopāya) and that of will (śāmbhavopāya). In my critique of the widespread contemporary emphasis on postutral yoga, I will point out both its strengths and its weaknesses, and reaffirm the role of the body in our relationship with God.
Dynamic Characteristics of Canopy and Vegetation Water Content during an Entire Maize Growing Season in Relation to Spectral-Based Indices
Authors: Zhou Huailin , Zhou Guangsheng , Song Xingyang , He Qijin
Published: January 2022

A variety of spectral vegetation indices (SVIs) have been constructed to monitor crop water stress. However, their abilities to reflect dynamic canopy water content (CWC) and vegetation water content (VWC) during the growing season have not been concurrently examined, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, especially in relation to soil drying. In this study, a field experiment was conducted and designed with various irrigation regimes applied during two consecutive growing seasons of maize. The results showed that CWC, VWC, and the SVIs exhibited obvious trends of first increasing and then decreasing within a growing season. In addition, VWC was allometrically related to CWC across the two growing seasons. A linear relationship between the five SVIs and CWC occurred within a certain CWC range (0.01–0.41 kg m−2), while the relationship between these SVIs and VWC was nonlinear. Furthermore, the five SVIs indicated critical values for VWC, and these values were 1.12 and 1.15 kg m−2 for the water index (WI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI), respectively; however, the normalized difference infrared index (NDII), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and optimal soil-adjusted vegetation index (OSAVI) had the same critical value of 0.55 kg m−2. Therefore, in comparison to the NDII, NDVI, and OSAVI, the WI and NDWI better reflected the crop water content based on their sensitives to CWC and VWC. Moreover, CWC was the most important direct biotic driver of the dynamics of SVIs, while leaf area index (LAI) was the most important indirect biotic driver. VWC was a critical indirect regulator of WI, NDWI, NDII, and OSAVI dynamics, whereas vegetation dry mass (VDM) was the critical indirect regulator of NDVI dynamics. These findings may provide additional information for estimating agricultural drought and insights on the impact mechanism of soil water deficits on SVIs.
Remote Sensing Analysis of Erosion in Arctic Coastal Areas of Alaska and Eastern Siberia
Authors: Wang Juan , Li Dongling , Cao Wenting , Lou Xiulin , Shi Aiqin , Zhang Huaguo
Published: January 2022

In this study, remote sensing analysis of coastal erosion is conducted for three typical regions of Alaska and Eastern Siberia based on remote sensing data collected between 1974 and 2017. The comparative studies were made on the difference in coastal erosion at different latitudes and the difference and influencing factors in coastal erosion at similar latitudes. The coastline retreatment is used to indicate coastal erosion. It is found that the most extensive erosion occurred along Alaska’s coast, followed by that of the Eastern Siberian coasts. Based on the analysis of the historical time series of snow and ice as well as climate data, it is found that at similar latitudes, the erosion of the Arctic coasts is closely related to the trend and fluctuations of the sea surface temperature (SST). Specifically, it is found that in Alaska, coastal erosion is closely related to the fluctuation of the SST, while in Eastern Siberia, it is related to the increasing or decreasing trend of the SST. A decreasing trend is associated with low coastal erosion, whereas an increasing trend is associated with accelerated coastal erosion. In the Arctic, the strong fluctuations of the SST, the continuous decline of the sea ice cover, and the consequent increase of the significant wave height are the critical factors that cause changes in coastal permafrost and coastal erosion.
High-Precision Source Positions Obtained by the Combined Inversion of Different-Order Local Wavenumbers Derived from Aeromagnetic Data
Authors: Ma Guoqing , Wang Nan , Li Lili
Published: January 2022

The aeromagnetic survey is a common remote sensing tool for detecting iron deposits. The local wavenumber of a magnetic anomaly is used to interpret the edges or positions of the sources, and can involve first- or second-order local wavenumbers. In this paper, we derived a linear equation between the second-order local wavenumber and the source location; therefore, we propose a constraint of first and second-order local wavenumbers. Tests on synthetic data show that the source parameters, computed using a combination of equations that involved different-order local wavenumbers, are closer to the true values and show a smaller spread in estimated values. For gridded data, we proved that the different-order combination allowed us to accurately estimate the source position. When applied to the aeromagnetic data from Hebei province, China, we refined the location of most magnetic features, which we interpreted as possible iron deposits.
Transformer Neural Network for Weed and Crop Classification of High Resolution UAV Images
Authors: Reedha Reenul , Dericquebourg Eric , Canals Raphael , Hafiane Adel
Published: January 2022

Monitoring crops and weeds is a major challenge in agriculture and food production today. Weeds compete directly with crops for moisture, nutrients, and sunlight. They therefore have a significant negative impact on crop yield if not sufficiently controlled. Weed detection and mapping is an essential step in weed control. Many existing research studies recognize the importance of remote sensing systems and machine learning algorithms in weed management. Deep learning approaches have shown good performance in many agriculture-related remote sensing tasks, such as plant classification, disease detection, etc. However, despite the success of these approaches, they still face many challenges such as high computation cost, the need of large labelled datasets, intra-class discrimination (in growing phase weeds and crops share many attributes similarity as color, texture, and shape), etc. This paper aims to show that the attention-based deep network is a promising approach to address the forementioned problems, in the context of weeds and crops recognition with drone system. The specific objective of this study was to investigate visual transformers (ViT) and apply them to plant classification in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) images. Data were collected using a high-resolution camera mounted on a UAV, which was deployed in beet, parsley and spinach fields. The acquired data were augmented to build larger dataset, since ViT requires large sample sets for better performance, we also adopted the transfer learning strategy. Experiments were set out to assess the effect of training and validation dataset size, as well as the effect of increasing the test set while reducing the training set. The results show that with a small labeled training dataset, the ViT models outperform state-of-the-art models such as EfficientNet and ResNet. The results of this study are promising and show the potential of ViT to be applied to a wide range of remote sensing image analysis tasks.
Exploring Physiological Signal Responses to Traffic-Related Stress in Simulated Driving
Authors: Zontone Pamela , Affanni Antonio , Piras Alessandro , Rinaldo Roberto
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we propose a relatively noninvasive system that can automatically assess the impact of traffic conditions on drivers. We analyze the physiological signals recorded from a set of individuals while driving in a simulated urban scenario in two different traffic scenarios, i.e., with traffic and without traffic. The experiments were carried out in a laboratory located at the University of Udine, employing a driving simulator equipped with a moving platform. We acquired two Skin Potential Response (SPR) signals from the hands of the drivers, and an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal from their chest. In the proposed scheme, the SPR signals are then processed through a Motion Artifact (MA) removal algorithm such that possible motion artifacts arising during the drive are reduced. An analysis considering the scalogram of the single cleaned SPR signal is presented. This signal, along with the ECG, is then fed to various Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. More specifically, some statistical features are extracted from each signal segment which, after being analyzed through a binary ML model, are labeled as corresponding to a stressful situation or not. Our results confirm the applicability of the proposed approach to identify stress in the two scenarios. This is also in accordance with our findings considering the SPR signal scalograms.
Vision-Based System for Automated Estimation of the Frontal Area of Swimmers: Towards the Determination of the Instant Active Drag: A Pilot Study
Authors: González-Ravé José M. , Moya-Fernández Francisco , Hermosilla-Perona Francisco , Castillo-García Fernando J.
Published: January 2022

Swimmers take great advantage by reducing the drag forces either in passive or active conditions. The purpose of this work is to determine the frontal area of swimmers by means of an automated vision system. The proposed algorithm is automated and also allows to determine lateral pose of the swimmer for training purposes. In this way, a step towards the determination of the instantaneous active drag is reached that could be obtained by correlating the effective frontal area of the swimmer to the velocity. This article shows a novel algorithm for estimating the frontal and lateral area in comparison with other models. The computing time allows to obtain a reasonable online representation of the results. The development of an automated method to obtain the frontal surface area during swimming increases the knowledge of the temporal fluctuation of the frontal surface area in swimming. It would allow the best monitoring of a swimmer in their swimming training sessions. Further works will present the complete device, which allows to track the swimmer while acquiring the images and a more realistic model of conventional active drag ones.
Achieving Long Distance Sensing Using Semiconductor Laser with Optical Feedback by Operating at Switching Status
Authors: Nie Bairun , Ruan Yuxi , Yu Yanguang , Guo Qinghua , Fang Can , Xi Jiangtao , Tong Jun , Du Haiping
Published: January 2022

In this study, a novel distance sensing method is presented by using a semiconductor laser (SL) with optical feedback (OF) and operating the SL at a switching status happened between two nonlinear dynamic states (stable state and period-one state). In this case, without the need for any electronic or optical modulation devices, the laser intensity can be modulated in a square wave form due to the switching via utilizing the inherent SL dynamics. The periodicity in the switching enables us to develop a new approach for long-distance sensing compared to other SL with OF-based distance measurement systems and lift the relevant restrictions that existed in the systems. Moreover, the impact of system controllable parameters on the duty cycle of the square wave signals generated was investigated on how to maintain the proposed system robustly operating at the switching status. Both simulation and experiment verified the proposed sensing approach.
Design of a Portable Microfluidic Platform for EGOT-Based in Liquid Biosensing
Authors: Segantini Matteo , Parmeggiani Matteo , Ballesio Alberto , Palmara Gianluca , Frascella Francesca , Marasso Simone Luigi , Cocuzza Matteo
Published: January 2022

In biosensing applications, the exploitation of organic transistors gated via a liquid electrolyte has increased in the last years thanks to their enormous advantages in terms of sensitivity, low cost and power consumption. However, a practical aspect limiting the use of these devices in real applications is the contamination of the organic material, which represents an obstacle for the realization of a portable sensing platform based on electrolyte-gated organic transistors (EGOTs). In this work, a novel contamination-free microfluidic platform allowing differential measurements is presented and validated through finite element modeling simulations. The proposed design allows the exposure of the sensing electrode without contaminating the EGOT device during the whole sensing tests protocol. Furthermore, the platform is exploited to perform the detection of bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a validation test for the introduced differential protocol, demonstrating the capability to detect BSA at 1 pM concentration. The lack of contamination and the differential measurements provided in this work can be the first steps towards the realization of a reliable EGOT-based portable sensing instrument.
MXene Heterostructures as Perspective Materials for Gas Sensing Applications
Authors: Nahirniak Svitlana , Saruhan Bilge
Published: January 2022

This paper provides a summary of the recent developments with promising 2D MXene-related materials and gives an outlook for further research on gas sensor applications. The current synthesis routes that are provided in the literature are summarized, and the main properties of MXene compounds have been highlighted. Particular attention has been paid to safe and non-hazardous synthesis approaches for MXene production as 2D materials. The work so far on sensing properties of pure MXenes and MXene-based heterostructures has been considered. Significant improvement of the MXenes sensing performances not only relies on 2D production but also on the formation of MXene heterostructures with other 2D materials, such as graphene, and with metal oxides layers. Despite the limited number of research papers published in this area, recommendations on new strategies to advance MXene heterostructures and composites for gas sensing applications can be driven.
Eating Our Way to Authenticity: Polish Food Culture & the Post-Socialist ‘Transformation’
Authors: Olszanka Paulina
Published: January 2022

Of growing interest to social scientists in recent years is the emergence of food culture, i.e., the consumption and lifestyle behaviours of those who harbour a particular preoccupation with food. In many ways, food culture could be used as an index for late modernity and late capitalism—we can identify in its midst various processes of individuation, abstractions of moral consumption, and attempts at mitigating against various late modern processes. Food culture has also emerged in recent years in Poland as an analogous process to the arrival of late capitalism. In this way, in Poland, as elsewhere, food could be understood as an ontologically compelling medium for metaphysical concerns that the structural used to support—for example, moral, ethical, political, and identity-based concerns. The following paper will make an account for how Polish food bloggers understand authenticity in their food choices and lifestyles, and how this is heavily determined by the Polish ‘post-socialist’ context, which is also a new emergent field of enquiry in Polish food studies. The paper will therefore explore the three themes of authenticity that emerge from the interviews and determine that something is authentic to the bloggers when it is (a) free from lies, (b) true to itself, and/or (c) made by the bloggers (‘DIY’). The paper will consequently argue that the bloggers’ engagement with food, and their broader lifestyle choices, are contingent on these perceived notions of authenticity and, indeed, authenticity is something that they are always trying to secure in their lives, often through food itself. Moreover, these themes of authenticity, and the categories that underpin them, are often closely connected to the post-socialist experience. Abstractions of time, alienation, community, the environment, food production and identity all come to be anxious categories post-1989, and the bloggers often narrate their experiences with food and lifestyles in relation to these concerns. For the Polish food bloggers, therefore, authenticity is a confused and contested category in post-socialism, but also late modernity, and food culture becomes one way of negotiating this.
Strategy for Sustainability of Social Enterprise in Indonesia: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach
Authors: Desiana Putri Mega , Ma’arif Mohamad Syamsul , Puspitawati Herien , Rachmawati Riani , Prijadi Ruslan , Najib Mukhamad
Published: January 2022

Social enterprise (SE) is a significant global phenomenon that occurs when an organization with social concerns can grow concurrently with its commercial activities. However, the factors that influence the sustainability of SE remain relatively understudied. This study argues that innovation is a prerequisite for SE’s sustainability. Therefore, this study aims to find alternatives to SE’s sustainability strategy, considering the need for SE to have dynamic capabilities, to anticipate changes in the ecosystem, and to manage the company’s internal resources to build on SE’s innovation and sustainability. The dataset was obtained from a survey of 187 SEs in Indonesia, which was then processed using SEM. Results indicate that internal factors have no direct significant effect on sustainability, but the ecosystem and innovation have been shown to have a direct and significant positive effect on sustainability. Dynamic capabilities have a significant but negative direct relationship to sustainability. Internal and ecosystem factors cannot be mediated by dynamic capabilities when it comes to sustainability, whereas innovation can only mediate internal factors towards sustainability. Finally, serial mediation of dynamic capabilities and innovation are key elements that contribute to sustainability. It is proven that if dynamic capabilities are directed to foster innovation, it will increase sustainability.
The (Un)availability of Human Activities for Social Intervention: Reflecting on Social Mechanisms in Technology Assessment and Sustainable Development Research
Authors: Büscher Christian , Ufer Ulrich
Published: January 2022

This article considers human activities as a central but deeply problematic aspect of sustainability. We argue that radical reduction in human activities could be an important lever to counter problems such as climate change. However, instead of pursuing a normative hypothesis that human activities ought to be subjected to specific kinds of sustainability measures, we pursue the hypothesis that human activities are largely unavailable for sustainability measures, because as an aggregated global phenomenon they are subject to social mechanisms, which accelerate rather than slow down activities. While social mechanisms are human inventions that render (inter)actions unlikely likely in the first place, they have evolved towards structural and historical embeddedness, which makes them unavailable for any instrumentalized design. The question is, how can we, experts in technology assessment, recognize social mechanisms in strategies to reduce human activities and to achieve a transformative impact on systemic reproduction. Our discussion centers on technical, psychological, and communicative social mechanisms of reproduction, and experiments with ideas of how to utilize social mechanisms and the (un)availability of human activities in technology assessment and sustainable development research.
Are the Slimmer More Wasteful? The Correlation between Body Mass Index and Food Wastage among Chinese Youth
Authors: Qian Long , Li Feng , Liu Hongbo , Wang Lingen
Published: January 2022

With the economic growth and living standard improvement, food waste has become increasingly common among Chinese youth. To test whether body size affects the food waste performance of youth, we examined university students as representative of the Chinese youth and conducted a large-sample survey in 29 universities across 29 provinces. Based on 9192 questionnaires collected from Chinese college canteens, we found that body size was correlated with food waste. The smaller the body mass index (BMI) value, the higher the likelihood of plate waste, the higher the amount of waste, and the higher the ratio of food waste. Heterogeneity analyses revealed that BMI exerted a more significant impact on males than females, as well as a more substantial impact on northerners than southerners. Robust tests using other proxies to measure body size, robust regressions based on the new adjusted samples, and robust tests with an instrumental variable to overcome the endogenous issue suggested that the slimmer participants tended to be more wasteful. Hence, this study confirms that the slimmer youth tend to leave plate waste and waste more food per capita per meal. This study is the first attempt to analyze food wastage from the perspective of BMI in China to our best knowledge, and it provides a unique viewpoint for understanding young people’s food wastage.
The Impact of Female Role Models Leading a Group Mentoring Program to Promote STEM Vocations among Young Girls
Authors: Guenaga Mariluz , Eguíluz Andoni , Garaizar Pablo , Mimenza Ander
Published: January 2022

From an early age, girls disregard studies related to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), and this means that a gender gap begins during secondary education and continues to increase over time. Multiple causes have been identified for this phenomenon in the literature, and numerous initiatives are being carried out to reverse this situation. In this paper, we analyze the impact that a group mentoring initiative led by a female STEM role model had on the young people who participated and whether the impact was different based on their sex. We analyzed how these mentoring sessions affected their attitudes towards technology, mathematical self-efficacy, gender stereotypes, science and technology references, and career vocations. To this end, 303 students between the ages of 10 and 12 years old from 10 schools in Spain participated in the six sessions comprising the program and completed a series of questionnaires before and after participating. The results show that the program had an impact on the students’ attitudes towards technology, increased the number of female STEM references they knew, and improved their opinions of vocations and professions related to science and technology. The impact was greater among girls, although in aspects such as attitudes towards technology, the female participants still demonstrated lower values than boys. The program did not improve the stereotypes that the young participants had about mathematical self-efficacy, which was also always lower among girls. We conclude that the lack of STEM vocations among girls is rooted in multiple social, educational, and personal aspects that need to be addressed from a very early age and that should involve multiple agents.
Recognizing Potential Pathways to Increasing the Consumption of Edible Insects from the Perspective of Consumer Acceptance: Case Study from Finland
Authors: Halonen Vilma , Uusitalo Ville , Levänen Jarkko , Sillman Jani , Leppäkoski Lauri , Claudelin Anna
Published: January 2022

Mitigating the sustainability challenges related to agriculture and ensuring adequate availability of nutritious food requires an increase in the use of sustainable alternative protein sources. Edible insects are considered to be a sustainable protein source and a possible substitute for meat. There are many readily available edible insect species with many competing utilization possibilities, which, from the producers’ perspective, increases the complexity of the area. Through a consumer survey and expert interviews, this study recognizes four pathways to increasing the use of edible insects in Western countries and especially in Finland where the survey and interviews were conducted: (1) producing a variety of insect-based food products, especially food products where insects are not recognizable as such and the food is in a familiar form; (2) producing edible insect food products which could replace greenhouse gas emission-intensive animal proteins; (3) focusing on the price, taste, and availability of insect food; and (4) using insects as animal feed. Our findings provide information on the prospects of the studied pathways in terms of consumption and production. Technological development is expected to decrease the price of insect-based food products, but at the same time, the increased use of edible insects faces challenges related to eating habits, contradictory perceptions about the sustainability implications of insect farming, and the availability of insect-based products.
Deformation Intensity Distribution and Zoning of Seismic Deformation Fields in Near-Fault Areas
Authors: Guo Kai , Zhao Boming
Published: January 2022

To describe the distribution law of the degree of stratigraphic deformation in the cross-fault region under the influence of fault dislocation, the concept of deformation intensity is introduced, and a computational model of the coseismic deformation field in the cross-fault region is established based on the dislocation model theory and the rich fault inversion parameters in the Sichuan–Tibet region. According to the deformation law of a typical earthquake in Yushu, key sections and parameters are selected for analysis. The results show that the maximum dislocation of the deformation field in the cross-fault region decays from the fault rupture to the surface, and the deformation influence extends from the upper edge of the fault to the surface, with an overall funnel-shaped symmetric distribution. The deformation intensity is elliptically distributed in the vertical profile. The maximum deformation of the strata across the fault within the burial depth of the structure is fitted to fill the lack of the existing statistical equation of coseismic deformation without considering the burial depth factor. Finally, the strata are zoned by deformation intensity according to the degree of deformation to provide a reference for the seismic protection of structures in the near-fault area.
A Constrained Shepard Type Operator for Modeling and Visualization of Scattered Data
Authors: Cătinaş Teodora
Published: January 2022

For solving the problem of modeling and visualization of scattered data that should preserve some constraints, we use a modified Shepard type operator that is required to fulfill some special conditions, highlighting the symmetry with other methods. We illustrate the properties of the obtained operators by some numerical examples.
Estimation and Testing of Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney Effects in Factorial Clustered Data Designs
Authors: Rubarth Kerstin , Sattler Paavo , Zimmermann Hanna Gwendolyn , Konietschke Frank
Published: January 2022

Clustered data arise frequently in many practical applications whenever units are repeatedly observed under a certain condition. One typical example for clustered data are animal experiments, where several animals share the same cage and should not be assumed to be completely independent. Standard methods for the analysis of such data are Linear Mixed Models and Generalized Estimating Equations—however, checking their assumptions is not easy, especially in scenarios with small sample sizes, highly skewed, count, and ordinal or binary data. In such situations, Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney type effects are suitable alternatives to mean-based or other distributional approaches. Hence, no specific data distribution, symmetric or asymmetric, is required. Within this work, we will present different estimation techniques of such effects in clustered factorial designs and discuss quadratic- and multiple contrast type-testing procedures for hypotheses formulated in terms of Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney effects. Additionally, the framework allows for the occurrence of missing data: estimation and testing hypotheses are based on all-available data instead of complete-cases. An extensive simulation study investigates the precision of the estimators and the behavior of the test procedures in terms of their type-I error control. One real world dataset exemplifies the applicability of the newly proposed procedures.
Altered Plasma Mitochondrial Metabolites in Persistently Symptomatic Individuals after a GBCA-Assisted MRI
Authors: Denmark DeAunne , Ruhoy Ilene , Wittmann Bryan , Ashki Haleh , Koran Lorrin M.
Published: January 2022

Despite the impressive safety of gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents (GBCAs), a small number of patients report the onset of new, severe, ongoing symptoms after even a single exposure—a syndrome termed Gadolinium Deposition Disease (GDD). Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress have been repeatedly implicated by animal and in vitro studies as mechanisms of Gd/GBCA-related toxicity, and as pathogenic in other diseases with similarities in presentation. Here, we aimed to molecularly characterize and explore potential metabolic associations with GDD symptoms. Detailed clinical phenotypes were systematically obtained for a small cohort of individuals (n = 15) with persistent symptoms attributed to a GBCA-enhanced MRI and consistent with provisional diagnostic criteria for GDD. Global untargeted mass spectroscopy-based metabolomics analyses were performed on plasma samples and examined for relevance with both single marker and pathways approaches. In addition to GDD criteria, frequently reported symptoms resembled those of patients with known mitochondrial-related diseases. Plasma differences compared to a healthy, asymptomatic reference cohort were suggested for 45 of 813 biochemicals. A notable proportion of these are associated with mitochondrial function and related disorders, including nucleotide and energy superpathways, which were over-represented. Although early evidence, coincident clinical and biochemical indications of potential mitochondrial involvement in GDD are remarkable in light of preclinical models showing adverse Gd/GBCA effects on multiple aspects of mitochondrial function. Further research on the potential contributory role of these markers and pathways in persistent symptoms attributed to GBCA exposure is recommended.
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Inhibition Restores Indoxyl Sulfate-Mediated Endothelial Dysfunction in Rat Aortic Rings
Authors: Nguyen Cindy , Edgley Amanda J. , Kelly Darren J. , Kompa Andrew R.
Published: January 2022

The uremic toxin indoxyl sulfate (IS), elevated in chronic kidney disease (CKD), is known to contribute towards progressive cardiovascular disease. IS activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediating oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction via activation of the CYP1A1 pathway. The present study examines AhR inhibition with the antagonist, CH223191, on IS-mediated impairment of vascular endothelial function and disruption of redox balance. The acute effects of IS on endothelium-dependent relaxation were assessed in aortic rings from Sprague Dawley rats exposed to the following conditions: (1) control; (2) IS (300 μM); (3) IS + CH223191 (1 μM); (4) IS + CH223191 (10 μM). Thereafter, tissues were assessed for changes in expression of redox markers. IS reduced the maximum level of endothelium-dependent relaxation (Rmax) by 42% (p < 0.001) compared to control, this was restored in the presence of increasing concentrations of CH223191 (p < 0.05). Rings exposed to IS increased expression of CYP1A1, nitro-tyrosine, NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), superoxide, and reduced eNOS expression (p < 0.05). CH223191 (10 μM) restored expression of these markers back to control levels (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate the adverse impact of IS-mediated AhR activation on the vascular endothelium, where oxidative stress may play a critical role in inducing endothelial dysfunction in the vasculature of the heart and kidneys. AhR inhibition could provide an exciting novel therapy for CVD in the CKD setting.
Could Phylogenetic Analysis Be Used for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) Classification?
Authors: Cano-Ortiz Lucía , Tochetto Caroline , Roehe Paulo Michel , Franco Ana Cláudia , Junqueira Dennis Maletich
Published: January 2022

The surface envelope (SU) protein determines the cell tropism and consequently the pathogenesis of the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) in felids. Recombination of exogenous FeLV (exFeLV) with endogenous retroviruses (enFeLV) allows the emergence of more pathogenic variants. Currently, phenotypic testing through interference assays is the only method to distinguish among subgroups—namely, FeLV-A, -B, -C, -E, and -T. This study proposes a new method for FeLV classification based on molecular analysis of the SU gene. A total of 404 publicly available SU sequences were used to reconstruct a maximum likelihood tree. However, only 63 of these sequences had available information about phenotypic tests or subgroup assignments. Two major clusters were observed: (a) clade FeLV-A, which includes FeLV-A, FeLV-C, FeLV-E, and FeLV-T sequences, and (b) clade enFeLV, which includes FeLV-B and enFeLV strains. We found that FeLV-B, FeLV-C, FeLV-E, and FeLV-T SU sequences share similarities to FeLV-A viruses and most likely arose independently through mutation or recombination from this strain. FeLV-B and FeLV-C arose from recombination between FeLV-A and enFeLV viruses, whereas FeLV-T is a monophyletic subgroup that has probably originated from FeLV-A through combined events of deletions and insertions. Unfortunately, this study could not identify polymorphisms that are specifically linked to the FeLV-E subgroup. We propose that phylogenetic and recombination analysis together can explain the current phenotypic classification of FeLV viruses.
Improving Flood Detection and Monitoring through Remote Sensing
Authors: Refice Alberto , Capolongo Domenico , Chini Marco , D’Addabbo Annarita
Published: January 2022

Floods are among the most threatening and impacting environmental hazards [...]
Developing Flood Vulnerability Functions through Questionnaire Survey for Flood Risk Assessments in the Meghna Basin, Bangladesh
Authors: Khairul Islam M. , Rasmy Mohamed , Ohara Miho , Takeuchi Kuniyoshi
Published: January 2022

Flood vulnerability is estimated by Flood Damage Functions (FDFs), which are crucial for integrated flood risk assessment for developing sustainable flood management, mitigation, and adaptation strategies under global change. However, the FDFs, either empirical or synthetic, are not available in Bangladesh. Therefore, this paper focused on developing the synthetic type of FDFs for agriculture and rural households through the data of a well–structured questionnaire survey conducted in two pilot sub–districts of northeastern Bangladesh in the Meghna River basin. Multiple regression analyses were performed on the collected data, and the best performing models were selected to establish FDFs. The FDF for agriculture (~196 samples) was developed concerning damage to Boro rice, whereas the FDFs for households (~165 samples) were developed concerning damage to the buildings and household property of three house types (Mud, Brick, and Concrete), separately. The results revealed that there were no yield losses when the water levels were lower than 25 cm (~rice tiller height), and the yield losses were ~100% when the water levels were 70–75 cm deep (~rice grain height). Mud houses and their household property were found the most flood–vulnerable and likely to experience total damage when the water levels exceeded 150 cm above the plinth level, whereas the damage to Brick and Concrete houses and their household property was found likely to remain partial even when the water levels exceeded 150 cm above the plinth level. The developed FDFs can be used to assess potential flood risk in the study area for sustainable and effective management of flood disasters and build back better under global change in the future.