bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protect Me from What I Want: Understanding Excessive Polluting Behavior and the Willingness to Act
Authors: Garðarsdóttir Ragna Benedikta , Andradóttir Hrund Ólöf , Thorsteinsson Throstur
Published: July 2020

Many environmental problems stem from unsustainable human consumption. Accordingly, many studies have focused on the barriers to pro-environmental behavior. The inability or unwillingness to act is partially related to personal values as well as the psychological distance between individual actions and the resulting pollution, which is often perceived as abstract or intangible. In contrast, fireworks produce imminent, undeniable air pollution. The goal of this research was to advance the knowledge on the awareness-value-behavior gap by studying public fireworks consumption and the willingness to act against firework pollution. A nationally representative survey was conducted after the extremely polluting 2017/18 New Year’s Eve in Iceland (European hourly record in fine particulate matter: 3014 µg/m3). Our results demonstrate that, after controlling for the awareness of harmful pollution, hedonic motives predict the purchasing of fireworks and the opposition to mitigating action. Noticing public warnings regarding fireworks pollution did not significantly relate to the purchase behavior. The awareness of the harmful effects of firework pollution was, however, the largest predictor of the support for mitigating action. Despite reporting the pleasure derived from fireworks, 57% of the sample favored stricter governmental regulation, and 27% favored banning the public use of fireworks in order to “protect them from what they want”.
Challenges for Protected Areas Management in China
Authors: He Miao , Cliquet An
Published: July 2020

Protected areas are widely recognized as a cornerstone of biodiversity and natural resources management and sustainable development. Protected areas are a vital part of securing human prosperity and quality of life. In China, the legal framework for protected area management is scattered around various regulations. In order to better manage protected areas in China, the Chinese government has issued and revised some laws, regulations and policies on protected areas conservation and management. However, protected areas management is still facing some challenges. There is little legal literature on this issue and this paper tries to fill this gap. Firstly, it will briefly introduce the most relevant laws, regulations and policy on protected areas management. Secondly, it will analyze the recent challenges of protected areas management. Thirdly, some possible suggestions on how to better solve the recent challenges on protected areas management in China will be proposed. These suggestions include improving the management system, improving the relevant legislation, promoting public participation and establishing a diversified funding guarantee system.
Promoting Healthy Lifestyle through Basic Psychological Needs in Inactive Adolescents: A Protocol Study from Self-Determination Approach
Authors: Sánchez-Miguel Pedro Antonio , Vaquero-Solís Mikel , Sánchez-Oliva David , Pulido Juan J. , López-Gajardo Miguel A. , Tapia-Serrano Miguel Angel
Published: July 2020

Prevalence of overweight and obesity is an important health problem worldwide. It was shown that physical activity and sedentary behaviour are associated with prevalence of overweight and obesity in youth individuals. However, few children and adolescents meet the World Health Organization recommendations about physical activity levels. The need to start promoting regular physical activity from an early age is crucial to avoid these problems. Therefore, the aim of the current research is to show a school-based motivational program for the promotion of healthy lifestyle in inactive adolescents grounded on Self-Determination Theory aimed at promoting physical activity adherence. The study is a quasi-experimental study (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03974607) aimed for adolescents from the 1st and 2nd high school level aged between 12 and 14 years old. The program will be based on the promotion of the three basics psychological needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness. The satisfaction of these needs is essential to fulfill the self-determined motivation and psychological well-being. The length of the sessions are 60 min, 3 times per week, during 5 months. The sessions will be based on the participants’ interests. Finally, this protocol will intend to change the perception of physical activity programs in order to focus the strategies on the motivational aspects, rather than physical activity itself as was usually conducted by previous programs
Numerical Simulation of Dendritic Pattern Formation in an Isotropic Crystal Growth Model on Curved Surfaces
Authors: Yoon Sungha , Park Jintae , Wang Jian , Lee Chaeyoung , Kim Junseok
Published: July 2020

In this paper, we present several numerical simulation results of dendritic pattern formation using an isotropic crystal growth model, which is based on phase-field modeling, on curved surfaces. An explicit time-stepping method is used and the direct computing method to the Laplace–Beltrami operator, which employs the point centered triangulation approximating Laplacian over the discretized surface with a triangular mesh, is adopted. Numerical simulations are performed not only on simple but also on complex surfaces with various curvatures, and the proposed method can simulate dendritic growth on complex surfaces. In particular, ice crystal growth simulation results on aircraft fuselage or metal bell-shaped curved surfaces are provided in order to demonstrate the practical relevance to our dendrite growth model. Furthermore, we perform several numerical parameter tests to obtain a best fitted set of parameters on simple surfaces. Finally, we apply this set of parameters to numerical simulation on complex surfaces.
Asymmetric Cellulosic Membranes: Current and Future Aspects
Authors: Duolikun Tuerxun , Ghazali Nadiah , Leo Bey Fen , Lee Hwei Voon , Lai Chin Wei , Johan Mohd Rafie Bin
Published: July 2020

In this paper, we report our attempt to elaborate on cellulose-based materials and their potential application in membrane science, especially in separation applications. Furthermore, the cellulosic membrane has received attention for potential use as biomaterials such as novel wound-dressings and hemodialysis materials. In this mini-review, we mainly focus on the separation and antimicrobial properties of cellulosic membranes and the advanced synthesis/processing methods for superior functional quality for various potential applications. Finally, we conclude with the market and the impact of developments of future expectations.
Stability Analysis of the Magnetized Casson Nanofluid Propagating through an Exponentially Shrinking/Stretching Plate: Dual Solutions
Authors: Lund Liaquat Ali , Omar Zurni , Khan Ilyas , Sherif El-Sayed M. , Abdo Hany S.
Published: July 2020

In this research, we intend to develop a dynamical system for the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow of an electrically conducting Casson nanofluid on exponentially shrinking and stretching surfaces, in the presence of a velocity and concertation slip effect, with convective boundary conditions. There are three main objectives of this article, specifically, to discuss the heat characteristics of flow, to find multiple solutions on both surfaces, and to do stability analyses. The main equations of flow are governed by the Brownian motion, the Prandtl number, and the thermophoresis parameters, the Schmid and Biot numbers. The shooting method and three-stage Lobatto IIIa formula have been employed to solve the equations. The ranges of the dual solutions are f w c 1 ≤ f w and λ c ≤ λ , while the no solution ranges are f w c 1 > f w and λ c > λ . The results reveal that the temperature of the fluid increases with the extended values of the thermophoresis parameter, the Brownian motion parameter, and the Hartmann and Biot numbers, for both solutions. The presence of dual solutions depends on the suction parameter. In order to indicate that the first solution is physically relevant and stable, a stability analysis has been performed.
Prediction of the Structural Yield Strength of Saline Soil in Western Jilin Province, China: A Comparison of the Back-Propagation Neural Network and Support Vector Machine Models
Authors: Peng Wei , Wang Qing , Zhang Xudong , Sun Xiaohui , Li Yongchao , Liu Yufeng , Kong Yuanyuan
Published: July 2020

With the increase in transportation emissions, road diseases in the saline soil area of Jilin Province have become a problem that requires serious attention. In order to improve the subgrade performance, the structural yield strength (SYS) of remolded soil and its factor sensitivity are investigated in this study. Saline soils in Western Jilin are structural in the sense that the bonding strength of soil skeleton is mainly provided by the solidification bond formed by a physicochemical interaction between particles. Its SYS is influenced by its cementation type, genetic characteristics, original rock structure, and environment. Because of the high clay content in Zhenlai saline soil, the specific surface area of soil particles is large, and the surface adsorption capacity of soil particles is strong. In addition, the main cation is Na+. The cementation strength of bound water film between soil particles is thus easily affected by water content and salt content, and compaction is also an important factor affecting the strength of soil. Therefore, in this study, the back-propagation neural network (BPNN) model and a support vector machine (SVM) are used to explore the relationship of saline soil’s SYS with its compactness, water content, and salt content. In total, 120 data points collected by a high-pressure consolidation experiment are applied to building BPNN and SVM model. For eliminate redundant features, Pearson correlation coefficient (rPCC) is used as an evaluation standard of feature selection. The K-fold cross-validation method was used to avoid over fitting. To compare the performance of the BPNN and SVM models, three statistical parameters were used: the determination coefficient (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute percentage deviation (MAPD). The result shows that the average values of R2, RMSE, and MAPD of the BPNN model are superior to the values of the SVM. We conclude that the BPNN model is slightly better than the SVM for predicting the SYS of saline soil. Thus, the BPNN model is used to analyze the factor sensitivity of SYS. The results indicate that the influence degrees of the three parameters are as follows: water content > compactness > salt content. This study can provide a basis for estimating the structural yield pressure of soil from its basic properties, and can provide a new way to obtain parameters for geotechnical engineering, ensuring safety while maintaining symmetry in engineering costs.
Traffic Flow Density Model and Dynamic Traffic Congestion Model Simulation Based on Practice Case with Vehicle Network and System Traffic Intelligent Communication
Authors: Zadobrischi Eduard , Cosovanu Lucian-Mihai , Dimian Mihai
Published: July 2020

The massive increase in the number of vehicles has set a precedent in terms of congestion, being one of the important factors affecting the flow of traffic, but there are also effects on the world economy. The studies carried out so far try to highlight solutions that will streamline the traffic, as society revolves around transportation and its symmetry. Current research highlights that the increased density of vehicles could be remedied by dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) systems through communications of the type vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). We can say that wireless communication technologies have the potential to significantly change the efficiency and road safety, thus improving the efficiency of transport systems. An important factor is to comply with the requirements imposed on the use of vehicle safety and transport applications. Therefore, this paper focuses on several simulations on the basis of symmetry models, implemented in practical cases in order to streamline vehicle density and reduce traffic congestion. The scenarios aim at both the communication of the vehicles with each other and their prioritization by the infrastructure, so we can have a report on the efficiency of the proposed models.
Ferroelectric and Electrical Properties Optimization of Mg-doped BiFeO3 Flexible Multiferroic Films
Authors: Lin Der-Yuh , Chen Hone-Zern , Kao Ming-Cheng , Zhang Pei-Li
Published: July 2020

Bi1-xMgxFeO3 (BMFO, x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08) multiferroic films were directly synthesized on flexible stainless steel (FSS), save the bottom electrode process, by means of sol–gel spin-coating technology. The effects of different bending conditions on ferroelectric, dielectric and leakage-current properties of BMFO films were investigated. The leakage-current densities of BiFeO3 (BFO, x = 0) and BMFO (x = 0.06) films were 5.86 × 10−4 and 3.73 × 10−7 A/cm2, which shows that the BMFO (x = 0.06) has more than three orders of magnitude lower than that of BFO film. The residual polarization (2 Pr) can be enhanced from 120 to 140 μC/cm2. The proper doping of Mg in BiFeO3 film could provide an effective method for reducing the leakage-current values as well as boosting the ferroelectric properties. In this study, the leakage-current mechanism of low electric field and high electric field of BMFO film is analyzed and established. In addition, the flexible BMFO film maintains practical ferroelectric and leakage-current properties at retention time of 106 s under different symmetry bending conditions. These results indicate that the BFMO film will be very practical in opto-electronic and storage device applications.
A Strategic and Significant Method for the Optimal Placement of Phasor Measurement Unit for Power System Network
Authors: Baba Maveeya , Nor Nursyarizal B. M. , Aman.Sheikh M. , Irfan Muhammad , Tahir Mohammad
Published: July 2020

Currently the new state of power system relies on a precise monitoring of electrical quantities such as voltage and current phasors. Occasionally, its operation gets disturbed because of the flicking in load and generation which may result in the interruption of power supply or may cause catastrophic failure. The advanced technology of phasor measurement unit (PMU) is introduced in the late 1990s to measure the behavior of power system more symmetrically, accurately, and precisely. However, the implementation of this device at every busbar in a grid station is not an easy task because of its expensive installation and manufacturing cost. As a result, an optimum placement of PMU is much needed in this case. Therefore, this paper proposes a new symmetry approach of multiple objectives for the optimum placement of PMU problem (OPPP) in order to minimize the installed number of PMUs and maximize the measurement redundancy of the network. To overcome the drawbacks of traditional techniques in the proposed work a reduction and exclusion of pure transit node technique is used in the placement set. In which only the strategic, significant, and the most desirable buses are selected without considering zero injection buses (ZIBs). The fundamental novelty of the proposed work considers most importantly the reduction technique of ZIBs from the optimum PMU locations, as far as the prior approaches concern almost every algorithm have taken ZIBs as their optimal placement sets. Furthermore, a PMUs channel limits and an alternative symmetry location for the PMUs placement are considered when there is an outage or PMUs failure may occur. The performance of the proposed method is verified on different IEEE-standard such as: IEEE-9, IEEE-14, IEEE-24, IEEE-30, IEEE-57, IEEE-118, and a New England-39 bus system. The success of the proposed work was compared with the existing techniques’ outcomes from the literature.
Analysis of Heat and Mass Transfer for Second-Order Slip Flow on a Thin Needle Using a Two-Phase Nanofluid Model
Authors: Salleh Siti Nur Alwani , Bachok Norfifah , Md Ali Fadzilah , Md Arifin Norihan
Published: July 2020

The present paper concentrates on the second-order slip flow over a moving thin needle in a nanofluid. The combined effects of thermophoresis and Brownian motion are considered to describe the heat and mass transfer performance of nanofluid. The resulting system of equations are obtained using similarity transformations and being executed in MATLAB software via bvp4c solver. The physical characteristics of embedded parameters on velocity, temperature, concentration, coefficient of skin friction, heat and mass transfer rates are demonstrated through a graphical approach and are discussed in detail. The obtained outcomes are validated with the existing works and are found to be in good agreement. It is shown that, for a specific domain of moving parameter, dual solutions are likely to exist. The stability analysis is performed to identify the stability of the solutions gained, and it is revealed that only one of them is numerically stable. The analysis indicated that the percentage of increment in the heat and mass transfer rates from no-slip to slip condition for both thin and thick surfaces of the needle ( a = 0.1 and a = 0.2 ) are 10.77 % and 12.56 % , respectively. Moreover, the symmetric behavior is noted for the graphs of reduced heat and mass transfer when the parameters N b and N t are the same.
Binary Operations in the Unit Ball: A Differential Geometry Approach
Authors: Barabanov Nikita E. , Ungar Abraham A.
Published: July 2020

Within the framework of differential geometry, we study binary operations in the open, unit ball of the Euclidean n-space R n , n ∈ N , and discover the properties that qualify these operations to the title addition despite the fact that, in general, these binary operations are neither commutative nor associative. The binary operation of the Beltrami-Klein ball model of hyperbolic geometry, known as Einstein addition, and the binary operation of the Beltrami-Poincaré ball model of hyperbolic geometry, known as Möbius addition, determine corresponding metric tensors in the unit ball. For a variety of metric tensors, including these two, we show how binary operations can be recovered from metric tensors. We define corresponding scalar multiplications, which give rise to gyrovector spaces, and to norms in these spaces. We introduce a large set of binary operations that are algebraically equivalent to Einstein addition and satisfy a number of nice properties of this addition. For such operations we define sets of gyrolines and co-gyrolines. The sets of co-gyrolines are sets of geodesics of Riemannian manifolds with zero Gaussian curvatures. We also obtain a special binary operation in the ball, which is isomorphic to the Euclidean addition in the Euclidean n-space.
Group Decision-Making Method Based on Expert Classification Consensus Information Integration
Authors: Wang Lei , Xue Huifeng
Published: July 2020

Existing decision-making methods are mostly a simple aggregation of expert decision information when solving large group decision-making problems. In these methods, priority should be given to expert weight information; however, it is difficult to avoid the loss of expert decision information in the decision-making process. Therefore, a new idea to solve the problem of large group decision-making by combining the expert group clustering algorithm and the group consensus model is proposed in this paper in order to avoid the disadvantages of subjectively assigning expert weights. First, expert groups are classified by the clustering algorithm of breadth-first search neighbors. Next, the decision information of the experts in the class is corrected adaptively using the group consensus model; then, expert decision information in the class is integrated using probabilistic linguistic translation methods. This method not only avoids the shortcomings of artificially given expert weights, but also reduces the loss of expert decision information. Finally, the method comprehensively considers the scale of the expert class and the difference between the classes to determine the weight of the expert class, and then it weights and integrates the consensus information of all expert classes to obtain the final decision result. This article verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method through a case analysis of urban water resource sustainability evaluation, and provides a scientific evaluation method for the sustainable development level of urban water resources.
Down Syndrome Face Recognition: A Review
Authors: Agbolade Olalekan , Nazri Azree , Yaakob Razali , Ghani Abdul Azim , Cheah Yoke Kqueen
Published: July 2020

One of the most pertinent applications of image analysis is face recognition and one of the most common genetic disorders is Down syndrome (DS), which is caused by chromosome abnormalities in humans. It is currently a challenge in computer vision in the domain of DS face recognition to build an automated system that equals the human ability to recognize face as one of the symmetrical structures in the body. Consequently, the use of machine learning methods has facilitated the recognition of facial dysmorphic features associated with DS. This paper aims to present a concise review of DS face recognition using the currently published literature by following the generic face recognition pipeline (face detection, feature extraction, and classification) and to identify critical knowledge gaps and directions for future research. The technologies underlying facial analysis presented in recent studies have helped expert clinicians in general genetic disorders and DS prediction.
Lateralization of Auditory Processing of Silbo Gomero
Authors: Villar González Pamela , Güntürkün Onur , Ocklenburg Sebastian
Published: July 2020

Left-hemispheric language dominance is a well-known characteristic of the human language system. However, it has been shown that leftward language lateralization decreases dramatically when people communicate using whistles. Whistled languages present a transformation of a spoken language into whistles, facilitating communication over great distances. In order to investigate the laterality of Silbo Gomero, a form of whistled Spanish, we used a vocal and a whistled dichotic listening task in a sample of 75 healthy Spanish speakers. Both individuals that were able to whistle and to understand Silbo Gomero and a non-whistling control group showed a clear right-ear advantage for vocal dichotic listening. For whistled dichotic listening, the control group did not show any hemispheric asymmetries. In contrast, the whistlers’ group showed a right-ear advantage for whistled stimuli. This right-ear advantage was, however, smaller compared to the right-ear advantage found for vocal dichotic listening. In line with a previous study on language lateralization of whistled Turkish, these findings suggest that whistled language processing is associated with a decrease in left and a relative increase in right hemispheric processing. This shows that bihemispheric processing of whistled language stimuli occurs independent of language.
Research on the Hydrophilicity of Non-Coal Kaolinite and Coal Kaolinite from the Viewpoint of Experiments and DFT Simulations
Authors: Xi Peng , Ma Ruixin , Liu Wenli
Published: July 2020

Coal is often coated by coal kaolinite in flotation, resulting in an increase in concentrate ash. The natural hydrophilicity of minerals is the key factor to determining its flotation behavior. The results of studies on the contact angle of non-coal kaolinite and coal kaolinite samples found that the contact angle of coal kaolinite was bigger than that of non-coal kaolinite and the hydrophilicity of the latter was stronger. To investigate the mechanism of the hydrophilic difference between non-coal kaolinite and coal kaolinite, the adsorption of a single water molecule on non-coal kaolinite and coal kaolinite (100) and (00 1 ¯ ) surfaces was calculated with the first principle method of the density functional theory (DFT). The calculation results showed that hydrogen bonds were formed between the hydrogen atom and the oxygen atom of the surface and the hydrogen atom and the oxygen atom of the water molecule after the water molecule was adsorbed on the kaolinite (100) and (00 1 ¯ ) surface. The adsorption process of water molecules on the kaolinite surface was physical adsorption with Van der Waals force existing between them. Regardless of whether the kaolinite (001) surface or the kaolinite (00 1 ¯ ) surface was doped with a carbon atom, the adsorption of a single water molecule was weakened, with a weaker hydrogen bond formed. The calculated results explained the difference of hydrophilicity between non-coal kaolinite and coal kaolinite samples from the molecular and atomic viewpoint.
Approximating the Distribution of the Product of Two Normally Distributed Random Variables
Authors: Seijas-Macías Antonio , Oliveira Amílcar , Oliveira Teresa A. , Leiva Víctor
Published: July 2020

The distribution of the product of two normally distributed random variables has been an open problem from the early years in the XXth century. First approaches tried to determinate the mathematical and statistical properties of the distribution of such a product using different types of functions. Recently, an improvement in computational techniques has performed new approaches for calculating related integrals by using numerical integration. Another approach is to adopt any other distribution to approximate the probability density function of this product. The skew-normal distribution is a generalization of the normal distribution which considers skewness making it flexible. In this work, we approximate the distribution of the product of two normally distributed random variables using a type of skew-normal distribution. The influence of the parameters of the two normal distributions on the approximation is explored. When one of the normally distributed variables has an inverse coefficient of variation greater than one, our approximation performs better than when both normally distributed variables have inverse coefficients of variation less than one. A graphical analysis visually shows the superiority of our approach in relation to other approaches proposed in the literature on the topic.
Assessing and Prioritizing the Climate Change Policy Objectives for Sustainable Development in Pakistan
Authors: Ahmed Waqas , Tan Qingmei , Shaikh Ghulam Muhammad , Waqas Hamid , Kanasro Nadeem Ahmed , Ali Sharafat , Solangi Yasir Ahmed
Published: July 2020

The world is facing the observable and direct impacts of climate change in the shape of extreme weather events, irregular precipitation, glacial melt, sea-level rise, an asymmetric average temperature trends, higher oceanic temperatures, damage to natural ecosystems, and biodiversity. In 2015, collective wisdom stirred the global community to agree upon two unprecedented milestones in recent human history—the Paris agreement and sustainable development goals (SDGs). The twin global agreements set a platform for collective efforts to secure socio-economic and climatic sustainability. Pakistan also joined the board to put forth policy interventions for the mitigation and adaption of climate change risks to maintain symmetry between the environmental quality and economic development. The government of Pakistan (GOP) formulated the National Climate Change Policy (NCCP (2012)) and passed the Pakistan Climate Change Act (PCCA (2017)) to provide an impetus for the implementation of the NCCP. Yet, an appropriate assessment and prioritization of the objectives of the NCCP are indispensable for productive and effective policies to achieve the targets. This study serves this purpose by prioritizing the climate change policy objectives (CCPOs) based on symmetric principles, i.e., energy, transport, urban and town planning, industry, and agriculture as criteria, with 17 sub-criteria in total. The fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) results show that the energy sector is the most pivotal while implementing the NCCP. Energy production is the most critical area that needs mitigation policy intervention for shifting the energy mix of the economy from high-carbon to low-carbon energy. The fuzzy AHP analysis further revealed the railway, population and urbanization, air pollution, crop growing practices and techniques as the most important related to transport, urban planning, industry, and agriculture sub-criteria, respectively. The fuzzy VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) analysis showed the ranking of the CCPOs from high to low through the integration of policies, institutional capacity building, water security, natural resource management, natural disaster management, environmental financial structure development, and social sector development. The findings of the present research would be helpful for experts and policymakers to re-examine the NCCP and put forth action plans to achieve sustainable climate and SDGs.
Antimicrobial Properties of Apis mellifera’s Bee Venom
Authors: El-Seedi Hesham , Abd El-Wahed Aida , Yosri Nermeen , Musharraf Syed Ghulam , Chen Lei , Moustafa Moustafa , Zou Xiaobo , Al-Mousawi Saleh , Guo Zhiming , Khatib Alfi , Khalifa Shaden
Published: July 2020

Bee venom (BV) is a rich source of secondary metabolites from honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). It contains a variety of bioactive ingredients including peptides, proteins, enzymes, and volatile metabolites. The compounds contribute to the venom’s observed biological functions as per its anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. The antimicrobial action of BV has been shown in vitro and in vivo experiments against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The synergistic therapeutic interactions of BV with antibiotics has been reported. The synergistic effect contributes to a decrease in the loading and maintenance dosage, a decrease in the side effects of chemotherapy, and a decrease in drug resistance. To our knowledge, there have been no reviews on the impact of BV and its antimicrobial constituents thus far. The purpose of this review is to address the antimicrobial properties of BV and its compounds.
A Long Road to Safer Food
Authors: Rossi Filippo
Published: July 2020

As a side eect of food production, mycotoxins have always accompanied humanity, even if the danger posed by these molecules has only recently been understood and new research has begun to identify and study ways to reduce their presence in food. [...]
Neotropical Rattlesnake (Crotalus simus) Venom Pharmacokinetics in Lymph and Blood Using an Ovine Model
Authors: Neri-Castro Edgar , Bénard-Valle Melisa , Paniagua Dayanira , V. Boyer Leslie , D. Possani Lourival , López-Casillas Fernando , Olvera Alejandro , Romero Camilo , Zamudio Fernando , Alagón Alejandro
Published: July 2020

The most abundant protein families in viper venoms are Snake Venom Metalloproteases (SVMPs), Snake Venom Serine Proteases (SVSPs) and Phospholipases (PLA2s). These are primarily responsible for the pathophysiology caused by the bite of pit-vipers; however, there are few studies that analyze the pharmacokinetics (PK) of whole venom (WV) and its protein families. We studied the pathophysiology, PK profile and differential absorption of representative toxins from venom of Neotropical Rattlesnake (Crotalus simus) in a large animal model (ovine). Toxins studied included crotoxin (the main lethal component), which causes moderate to severe neurotoxicity; SVSPs, which deplete fibrinogen; and SVMPs, which cause local tissue damage and local and systemic hemorrhage. We found that Whole Venom (WV) was highly bioavailable (86%) 60 h following intramuscular (IM) injection, and extrapolation suggests that bioavailability may be as high as 92%. PK profiles of individual toxins were consistent with their physicochemical properties and expected clinical effects. Lymph cannulated animals absorbed 1.9% of WV through lymph during the first 12 h. Crotoxin was minimally detectable in serum after intravenous (IV) injection; however, following IM injection it was detected in lymph but not in blood. This suggests that crotoxin is quickly released from the blood toward its tissue targets.
Secondary Metabolites of Lasiodiplodia theobromae: Distribution, Chemical Diversity, Bioactivity, and Implications of Their Occurrence
Authors: Salvatore Maria Michela , Alves Artur , Andolfi Anna
Published: July 2020

Lasiodiplodia theobromae is a plant pathogenic fungus from the family Botryosphaeriaceae that is commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions. It has been associated with many hosts, causing diverse diseases and being responsible for serious damages on economically important crops. A diverse array of bioactive low molecular weight compounds has been described as being produced by L. theobromae cultures. In this review, the existing literature on secondary metabolites of L. theobromae, their bioactivity, and the implications of their occurrence are compiled. Moreover, the effects of abiotic factors (e.g., temperature, nutrient availability) on secondary metabolites production are highlighted, and possible avenues for future research are presented. Currently, a total of 134 chemically defined compounds belonging to the classes of secondary metabolites and fatty acids have been reported from over 30 L. theobromae isolates. Compounds reported include cyclohexenes and cyclohexenones, indoles, jasmonates, lactones, melleins, phenols, and others. Most of the existing bioactivity studies of L. theobromae metabolites have assessed their potential phytotoxic, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial activities. In fact, its host adaptability and its ability to cause diseases in plants as well as in humans may be related to the capacity to produce bioactive compounds directly involved in host–fungus interactions.
Comparative Toxigenicity and Associated Mutagenicity of Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus Group Isolates Collected from the Agricultural Environment
Authors: Lanier Caroline , Garon David , Heutte Natacha , Kientz Valérie , André Véronique
Published: July 2020

The mutagenic patterns of A. flavus, A. parasiticus and A. fumigatus extracts were evaluated. These strains of toxigenic Aspergillus were collected from the agricultural environment. The Ames test was performed on Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98, TA100 and TA102, without and with S9mix (exogenous metabolic activation system). These data were compared with the mutagenicity of the corresponding pure mycotoxins tested alone or in reconstituted mixtures with equivalent concentrations, in order to investigate the potential interactions between these molecules and/or other natural metabolites. At least 3 mechanisms are involved in the mutagenic response of these aflatoxins: firstly, the formation of AFB1-8,9-epoxide upon addition of S9mix, secondly the likely formation of oxidative damage as indicated by significant responses in TA102, and thirdly, a direct mutagenicity observed for higher doses of some extracts or associated mycotoxins, which does not therefore involve exogenously activated intermediates. Besides the identified mycotoxins (AFB1, AFB2 and AFM1), additional “natural” compounds contribute to the global mutagenicity of the extracts. On the other hand, AFB2 and AFM1 modulate negatively the mutagenicity of AFB1 when mixed in binary or tertiary mixtures. Thus, the evaluation of the mutagenicity of “natural” mixtures is an integrated parameter that better reflects the potential impact of exposure to toxigenic Aspergilli.
Introduction to the Toxins Special Issue on Improved Analytical Technologies for the Detection of Natural Toxins and Their Metabolites in Food
Authors: Lattanzio Veronica Maria Teresa
Published: July 2020

Food, by nature, is a biological substrate and is therefore capable of supporting the growth of microbials that are potential producers of toxic compounds [...]
Holographic Interpretation of Relative State Complexity
Authors: Yosifov Alexander , Iyer Aditya , Filipov Lachezar
Published: July 2020

We investigate a large-N conformal field theory (CFT) in a high-energy pure state coupled to a small auxiliary system of M weakly-interacting degrees of freedom, and argue the relative state complexity of the auxiliary system is holographically dual to an effective low-energy notion of computational cost in the bulk, i.e., to the minimal depth of the quantum circuit required to decode its gravitational dual. In light of this, using Nielsen’s approach, a new measure of quantum chaos in terms of the evolution of circuit complexity is proposed. It suggests that studying the evolution of circuit complexity of the auxiliary system can teach us about the chaotic properties of the large-N CFT. This new diagnostic for quantum chaos has important implications for the interior dynamics of evaporating black holes as it implies the radiated Hawking cloud is pseudorandom.
Distinct Molecular Mechanisms of Host Immune Response Modulation by Arenavirus NP and Z Proteins
Authors: Stott Robert J. , Strecker Thomas , Foster Toshana L.
Published: July 2020

Endemic to West Africa and South America, mammalian arenaviruses can cross the species barrier from their natural rodent hosts to humans, resulting in illnesses ranging from mild flu-like syndromes to severe and fatal haemorrhagic zoonoses. The increased frequency of outbreaks and associated high fatality rates of the most prevalent arenavirus, Lassa, in West African countries, highlights the significant risk to public health and to the socio-economic development of affected countries. The devastating impact of these viruses is further exacerbated by the lack of approved vaccines and effective treatments. Differential immune responses to arenavirus infections that can lead to either clearance or rapid, widespread and uncontrolled viral dissemination are modulated by the arenavirus multifunctional proteins, NP and Z. These two proteins control the antiviral response to infection by targeting multiple cellular pathways; and thus, represent attractive targets for antiviral development to counteract infection. The interplay between the host immune responses and viral replication is a key determinant of virus pathogenicity and disease outcome. In this review, we examine the current understanding of host immune defenses against arenavirus infections and summarise the host protein interactions of NP and Z and the mechanisms that govern immune evasion strategies.
Identification of Vaccinia Virus Inhibitors and Cellular Functions Necessary for Efficient Viral Replication by Screening Bioactives and FDA-Approved Drugs
Authors: Peng Chen , Zhou Yanan , Cao Shuai , Pant Anil , Campos Guerrero Marlene L. , McDonald Peter , Roy Anuradha , Yang Zhilong
Published: July 2020

Four decades after the eradication of smallpox, poxviruses continue to threaten the health of humans and other animals. Vaccinia virus (VACV) was used as the vaccine that successfully eradicated smallpox and is a prototypic member of the poxvirus family. Many cellular pathways play critical roles in productive poxvirus replication. These pathways provide opportunities to expand the arsenal of poxvirus antiviral development by targeting the cellular functions required for efficient poxvirus replication. In this study, we developed and optimized a secreted Gaussia luciferase-based, simplified assay procedure suitable for high throughput screening. Using this procedure, we screened a customized compound library that contained over 3200 bioactives and FDA (Food and Drug Administration)-approved chemicals, most having known cellular targets, for their inhibitory effects on VACV replication. We identified over 140 compounds that suppressed VACV replication. Many of these hits target cellular pathways previously reported to be required for efficient VACV replication, validating the effectiveness of our screening. Importantly, we also identified hits that target cellular functions with previously unknown roles in the VACV replication cycle. Among those in the latter category, we verified the antiviral role of several compounds targeting the janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (JAK/STAT3) signaling pathway by showing that STAT3 inhibitors reduced VACV replication. Our findings identify pathways that are candidates for use in the prevention and treatment of poxvirus infections and additionally provide a foundation to investigate diverse cellular pathways for their roles in poxvirus replications.
Enhanced Immunogenicity of Engineered HER2 Antigens Potentiates Antitumor Immune Responses
Authors: Jeon Insu , Lee Jeong-Mi , Shin Kwang-Soo , Kang Taeseung , Park Myung Hwan , Seo Hyungseok , Song Boyeong , Koh Choong-Hyun , Choi Jeongwon , Shin Young Kee , Kim Byung-Seok , Kang Chang-Yuil
Published: July 2020

For cancer vaccines, the selection of optimal tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) that can maximize the immunogenicity of the vaccine without causing unwanted adverse effects is challenging. In this study, we developed two engineered Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) antigens, K965 and K1117, and compared their immunogenicity to a previously reported truncated HER2 antigen, K684, within a B cell and monocyte-based vaccine (BVAC). We found that BVAC-K965 and BVAC-K1117 induced comparable antigen-specific antibody responses and antigen-specific T cell responses to BVAC-K684. Interestingly, BVAC-K1117 induced more potent antitumor activity than the other vaccines in murine CT26-HER2 tumor models. In addition, BVAC-K1117 showed enhanced antitumor effects against truncated p95HER2-expressing CT26 tumors compared to BVAC-K965 and BVAC-K684 based on the survival analysis by inducing T cell responses against intracellular domain (ICD) epitopes. The increased ICD epitope-specific T cell responses induced by BVAC-K1117 compared to BVAC-K965 and BVAC-K684 were recapitulated in human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-untyped human PBMCs and HLA-A*0201 PBMCs. Furthermore, we also observed synergistic antitumor effects between BVAC-K1117 and anti-PD-L1 antibody treatment against CT26-HER2 tumors. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that inclusion of a sufficient number of ICD epitopes of HER2 in cellular vaccines can improve the antitumor activity of the vaccine and provide a way to optimize the efficacy of anticancer cellular vaccines targeting HER2.
COVID-19: Mechanisms of Vaccination and Immunity
Authors: Speiser Daniel E. , Bachmann Martin F.
Published: July 2020

Vaccines are needed to protect from SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19. Vaccines that induce large quantities of high affinity virus-neutralizing antibodies may optimally prevent infection and avoid unfavorable effects. Vaccination trials require precise clinical management, complemented with detailed evaluation of safety and immune responses. Here, we review the pros and cons of available vaccine platforms and options to accelerate vaccine development towards the safe immunization of the world’s population against SARS-CoV-2. Favorable vaccines, used in well-designed vaccination strategies, may be critical for limiting harm and promoting trust and a long-term return to normal public life and economy.
Small Reservoirs, Landscape Changes and Water Quality in Sub-Saharan West Africa
Authors: Cecchi Philippe , Forkuor Gerald , Cofie Olufunke , Lalanne Franck , Poussin Jean-Christophe , Jamin Jean-Yves
Published: July 2020

Small reservoirs (SRs) are essential water storage infrastructures for rural populations of Sub-Saharan West Africa. In recent years, rapid population increase has resulted in unprecedented land use and land cover (LULC) changes. Our study documents the impacts of such changes on the water quality of SRs in Burkina Faso. Multi-temporal Landsat images were analyzed to determine LULC evolutions at various scales between 2002 and 2014. Population densities were calculated from downloaded 2014 population data. In situ water samples collected in 2004/5 and 2014 from selected SRs were analyzed for Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) loads, an integrative proxy for water quality. The expansion of crop and artificial areas at the expense of natural covers controlled LULC changes over the period. We found a very significant correlation between SPM loads and population densities calculated at a watershed scale. A general increase between the two sampling dates in the inorganic component of SPM loads, concomitant with a clear expansion of cropland areas at a local scale, was evidenced. Results of the study suggest that two complementary but independent indicators (i.e., LULC changes within 5-km buffer areas around SRs and demographic changes at watershed scale), relevantly reflected the nature and intensity of overall pressures exerted by humans on their environment, and locally on aquatic ecosystems. Recommendations related to the re-greening of peripheral areas around SRs in order to protect water bodies are suggested.
Replying to “Questions and Concerns Re: Blue Water Footprints Reported in “Water Footprint of Meat Analogs: Selected Indicators According to Life Cycle Assessment””
Authors: Fresán Ujué , Marrin D.L. , Mejía Maximino Alfredo , Sabaté Joan
Published: July 2020

In 2019, we published a study focused on the quantification of several indicators related to the water footprint of meat analogs. Recently, a comment requesting clarification of specific data that were reported in our study was published. The present reply addresses their questions. We justified the high volume of water consumed in the production of the meat analogs’ ingredients, the observed differences between our data and those reported for other plant-based products and the information we had reported in our original manuscript that was obtained from secondary sources in the scientific literature. We anticipate that our responses address the questions that were raised.
Regional Isotopic Signatures of Groundwater in Croatia
Authors: Brkić Željka , Kuhta Mladen , Hunjak Tamara , Larva Ozren
Published: July 2020

Tracer methods are useful for investigating groundwater travel times and recharge rates and analysing impacts on groundwater quality. The most frequently used tracers are stable isotopes and tritium. Stable isotopes of oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δ2H) are mainly used as indicators of the recharge condition. Tritium (3H) is used to estimate an approximate mean groundwater age. This paper presents the results of an analysis of stable isotope data and tritium activity in Croatian groundwater samples that were collected between 1997 and 2014 at approximately 100 sites. The composition of the stable isotopes of groundwater in Croatia originates from recent precipitation and is described using two regional groundwater lines. One of them is applied to groundwater accumulated in the aquifers in the Pannonian part of Croatia and the other is for groundwater accumulated in the Dinaric karst of Croatia. The isotope content shows that the studied groundwater is mainly modern water. A mix of sub-modern and modern water is mostly accumulated in semi-confined porous aquifers in northern Croatia, deep carbonate aquifers, and (sub)thermal springs.