bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of Combining YOLO Models and 3D GPR Images in Road Detection and Maintenance
Authors: Liu Zhen , Wu Wenxiu , Gu Xingyu , Li Shuwei , Wang Lutai , Zhang Tianjie
Published: March 2021

Improving the detection efficiency and maintenance benefits is one of the greatest challenges in road testing and maintenance. To address this problem, this paper presents a method for combining the you only look once (YOLO) series with 3D ground-penetrating radar (GPR) images to recognize the internal defects in asphalt pavement and compares the effectiveness of traditional detection and GPR detection by evaluating the maintenance benefits. First, traditional detection is conducted to survey and summarize the surface conditions of tested roads, which are missing the internal information. Therefore, GPR detection is implemented to acquire the images of concealed defects. Then, the YOLOv5 model with the most even performance of the six selected models is applied to achieve the rapid identification of road defects. Finally, the benefits evaluation of maintenance programs based on these two detection methods is conducted from economic and environmental perspectives. The results demonstrate that the economic scores are improved and the maintenance cost is reduced by $49,398/km based on GPR detection; the energy consumption and carbon emissions are reduced by 792,106 MJ/km (16.94%) and 56,289 kg/km (16.91%), respectively, all of which indicates the effectiveness of 3D GPR in pavement detection and maintenance.
Profiling Dust Mass Concentration in Northwest China Using a Joint Lidar and Sun-Photometer Setting
Authors: Wang Tianhe , Han Ying , Hua Wenli , Tang Jingyi , Huang Jianping , Zhou Tian , Huang Zhongwei , Bi Jianrong , Xie Hailing
Published: March 2021

The satellite-based estimation of the dust mass concentration (DMC) is essential for accurately evaluating the global biogeochemical cycle of the dust aerosols. As for the uncertainties in estimating DMC caused by mixing dust and pollutants and assuming a fixed value for the mass extinction efficiency (MEE), a classic lidar-photometer method is employed to identify and separate the dust from pollutants, obtain the dust MEE, and evaluate the effect of the above uncertainties, during five dust field experiments in Northwest China. Our results show that this method is effective for continental aerosol mixtures consisting of dust and pollutants. It is also seen that the dust loading mainly occurred in the free troposphere (<6 km), with the average mass loading of 905 ± 635 µg m−2 trapped in the planetary boundary layer. The dust MEE ranges from 0.30 to 0.60 m2 g−1 and has a significantly negative relationship with the size of dust particles. With the assumption of the dust MEE of 0.37 (0.60) m2 g−1, the DMC is shown to be overestimated (underestimated) by 20–40% (15–30%). In other words, our results suggest that the change of MEE with the size of dust particles should be considered in the estimation of DMC.
Testing the Performance of Multi-Frequency Low-Cost GNSS Receivers and Antennas
Authors: Hamza Veton , Stopar Bojan , Sterle Oskar
Published: March 2021

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) low-cost multi-frequency receivers are argued as an alternative to geodetic receivers for many applications. Calibrated low-cost antennas recently became available on the market making low-cost instruments more comparable with geodetic ones. The main goal of this research was to evaluate the noise of low-cost GNSS receivers, to compare the positioning quality from different types of low-cost antennas, and to analyze the positioning differences between low-cost and geodetic instruments. The results from a zero baseline test indicated that the u-blox multi-frequency receiver, namely, ZED-F9P, had low noise that was at the sub-millimeter level. To analyze the impact of the antennas in the obtained coordinates, a short baseline test was applied. Both tested uncalibrated antennas (Tallysman TW3882 and Survey) demonstrated satisfactory positioning performance. The Tallysman antenna was more accurate in the horizontal position determination, and the difference from the true value was only 0.1 mm; while, for the Survey antenna, the difference was 1.0 mm. For the ellipsoid height, the differences were 0.3 and 0.6 mm for the Survey and Tallysman antennas, respectively. The comparison of low-cost receivers with calibrated low-cost antennas (Survey Calibrated) and geodetic instruments proved better performance for the latter. The geodetic GNSS instruments were more accurate than the low-cost instruments, and the precision of the estimated coordinates from the geodetic network was also greater. Low-cost GNSS instruments were not at the same level as the geodetic ones; however, considering their cost, they demonstrated excellent performance that is sufficiently appropriate for various geodetic applications.
Quality 4.0: The EFQM 2020 Model and Industry 4.0 Relationships and Implications
Authors: Fonseca Luis , Amaral António , Oliveira José
Published: March 2021

The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) 2020 model is a comprehensive and updated business model that encompasses sustainability and shares features with Industry 4.0, emphasizing transformation and improved organizational performance, yet with different theoretical and practical foundations. This research highlights the EFQM 2020 model’s novelties and its relationships/implications with the Industry 4.0 paradigm, contributing to the Quality 4.0 body of knowledge. Several linkages between the EFQM 2020 model and Industry 4.0 have been identified, namely, at the criteria level and guidance points, which can support successful digital transformation by combining quality and excellence with Industry 4.0. However, given the model’s generic and non-prescriptive nature, there is no specific reference to the nine Industry 4.0 pillars. Additionally, the links between direction and organizational culture and leadership criteria and driving performance and transformation are not evident, which might be a concern for business and technology transformation strategies. Managing knowledge, skills, and capabilities is critical for the successful adoption of Industry 4.0. The EFQM model adds a strategic and technologically unbiased perspective to Industry 4.0, providing an integrated business excellence framework for Quality 4.0. With empirical support of the model application, future research is recommended to develop this subject further.
The Utilisation of Palm Oil and Oil Palm Residues and the Related Challenges as a Sustainable Alternative in Biofuel, Bioenergy, and Transportation Sector: A Review
Authors: Kaniapan Sivabalan , Hassan Suhaimi , Ya Hamdan , Patma Nesan Kartikeyan , Azeem Mohammad
Published: March 2021

The importance of energy demands that have increased exponentially over the past century has led to the sourcing of other ideal power solutions as the potential replacement alternative to the conventional fossil fuel. However, the utilisation of fossil fuel has created severe environmental issues. The identification of other renewable sources is beneficial to replace the energy utilisation globally. Biomass is a highly favourable sustainable alternative to renewable resources that can produce cleaner, cheaper, and readily available energy sources in the future. The palm oil industry is essentially ideal for the availability of abundant biomass resources, where the multifaceted residues are vital for energy production through the conversion of biomass waste into value-added products simultaneously. This article discusses the utilisation of palm oil and its residues in the energy and transportation sector. Assessment and evaluation on the feasibility of palm oil and its residues were made on the current valorisation methods such as thermochemical and biochemical techniques. Their potential as transportation fuels were concurrently reviewed. This is followed by a discussion on future challenges of palm oil industries that will take place globally, including the prospects from government and nongovernment organisations for the development of palm oil as a sustainable alternative replacement to fossil fuel. Hence, this review aims to provide further insight into the possibilities of palm oil and its residues towards sustainable development with reduced environmental-related issues.
Influence of Fine Recycled Concrete Powder on the Compressive Strength of Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) Using Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Boudali Sara , Abdulsalam Bahira , Rafiean Amir Hossein , Poncet Sébastien , Soliman Ahmed , ElSafty Adel
Published: March 2021

This paper aims to investigate the effect of fine recycled concrete powder (FRCP) on the strength of self-compacting concrete (SCC). For this purpose, a numerical artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed for strength prediction of SCC incorporating FRCP. At first, 240 experimental data sets were selected from the literature to develop the model. Approximately 60% of the database was used for training, 20% for testing, and the remaining 20% for the validation step. Model inputs included binder content, water/binder ratio, recycled concrete aggregates’ (RCA) content, percentage of supplementary cementitious materials (fly ash), amount of FRCP, and curing time. The model provided reliable results with mean square error (MSE) and regression values of 0.01 and 0.97, respectively. Additionally, to further validate the model, four experimental recycled self-compacting concrete (RSCC) samples were tested experimentally, and their properties were used as unseen data to the model. The results showed that the developed model can predict the compressive strength of RSCC with high accuracy.
Clean Energies for Ghana—An Empirical Study on the Level of Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy Development and Utilization
Authors: Agyekum Ephraim Bonah , Ali Ernest Baba , Kumar Nallapaneni Manoj
Published: March 2021

Despite the enormous renewable energy (RE) resources available in Ghana, the country has not seen much development and investments in the sector. Therefore, the government has committed to increasing the share of RE in the country’s electricity generation mix to some 10% by 2030. However, this cannot be achieved without the Ghanaian people’s support since the RE sector is capital intensive and requires both public and private sector participation. This study was conducted to evaluate RE’s social acceptance among Ghanaian people using the ordered logit regression model. A total of 999 valid questionnaires out of 1020 distributed questionnaires were considered for the study. The five-point Likert scale was employed to rank their willingness to accept (WTA) RE. From the results, it was observed that there is a general sense of acceptance of renewable energy among Ghanaians. However, the level of acceptance varies from one respondent to another. The study observed that a majority of the respondents (i.e., approximately 45.65%) agree to their WTA renewable energy, while 36.04% strongly agree. The results also indicate that while 6.21% and 0.3% disagree and strongly disagree, 11.81% of the respondents were indifferent regarding their willingness to accept renewable energy development and utilization in Ghana.
Development of an Innovative ICT Infrastructure for an Eco-Cost System with Life Cycle Assessment
Authors: Peng Wenjie , Su Daizhong , Wang Shuyi
Published: March 2021

A novel Internet-based information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure for an eco-accounting system was successfully developed to deliver “EcoCosts”, which are the values of environmental impact throughout the product life cycle. The ICT infrastructure manages its internal elements and interacts with operation modules in the supply chain via Web-based service interfaces. The infrastructure consists of upperware, middleware, and resource layers. The upperware layer manipulates the middleware elements (cloud-based load balancing, life cycle assessment, Web-based services, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-enabled mobile access), and manages the associated resources within the eco-accounting system. As novel features of the ICT infrastructure, load balancing is used to handle large numbers of data and to allocate the computing load across the eco-accounting network nodes, and life cycle assessment is conducted to analyse product footprints, which are the core of “EcoCost”, to facilitate consumers in comparing the environmental impacts between different products. A case study was conducted by transmitting product EcoCosts from businesses to consumers through the Internet, successfully verifying the system developed in this research. Because this research aims to pay more attention to the ICT aspects, the EcoCost is represented using a single value, hence simplifying the related calculation. This research provides a novel solution for dealing with the large numbers of data and computing loads required to manage EcoCost data throughout the product life cycle and to transmit EcoCosts from businesses to consumers.
Regulation of Maize Kernel Carbohydrate Metabolism by Abscisic Acid Applied at the Grain-Filling Stage at Low Soil Water Potential
Authors: Jiang Zizhu , Piao Lin , Guo Dong , Zhu Hengguang , Wang Shuai , Zhu Hanyu , Yang Zhanhui , Tao Yuzhao , Li Ming , Liu Changzhuang
Published: March 2021

A water deficit during the grain-filling stage increases the frequency of yield loss in maize (Zea mays L.). Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a regulatory role in many stages of plant growth; however, its effects on sucrose-metabolizing enzyme activities under stress are poorly understood. The activities of cell-wall-bound acid invertase, vacuolar invertase, cytoplasmic invertase, and sucrose synthase decreased continuously under drought stress, whereas ABA treatment partially restored these activities. In addition, the increase and development of sucrose content under drought stress were related to invertase activity. Up-regulation of the activities and gene expression of cell-wall-bound acid invertase and vacuolar invertase with ABA treatment contributed to the increase in the number of rows and number of grains per row. Furthermore, ABA inhibited the increase in the length of the bald tip. Compared with the control group, water stress significantly reduced the yield index, with the lowest yield index on the 10th day of stress. These results suggest that the increase in ABA-induced sucrose-metabolizing enzyme activity might be an effective mechanism to improve maize drought resistance at the grain-filling stage.
New Coordinated Tuning of SVC and PSSs in Multimachine Power System Using Coyote Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Guesmi Tawfik , Alshammari Badr M. , Almalaq Yasser , Alateeq Ayoob , Alqunun Khalid
Published: March 2021

This paper presents a new approach for coordinated design of power system stabilizers (PSSs) and static VAR compensator (SVC)-based controller. For this purpose, the design problem is considered as an optimization problem whose decision variables are the controllers’ parameters. Due to nonlinearities of large, interconnected power systems, methods capable of handling any nonlinearity of power networks are mostly preferable. In this regard, a nonlinear time domain based objective function is used. Then, the coyote optimization algorithm (COA) is employed for solving this optimization problem. In order to ensure the robustness and performance of the proposed controller (COA-PSS&SVC), the objective function is evaluated for various extreme loading conditions and system configurations. To show the contribution of the coordinated controllers on the improvement of the system stability, PSSs and SVC are optimally designed in individual and coordinated manners. Moreover, the effectiveness of the COA-PSS&SVC is assessed through comparison with other controllers. Nonlinear time domain simulation shows the superiority of the proposed controller and its ability in providing efficient damping of electromechanical oscillations.
Fiscal Rules for Natural Disaster- and Climate Change-Prone Small States
Authors: Nakatani Ryota
Published: March 2021

How should small states formulate a countercyclical fiscal policy to achieve economic stability and fiscal sustainability when they are prone to natural disasters, climate change, commodity price changes, and uncertain donor grants? We study how natural disasters and climate change affect long-term debt dynamics, and we propose cutting-edge fiscal policy rules. We find the primacy of a recurrent expenditure rule based on non-resource and non-grant revenue, interdependently determined by government debt and budget balance targets with expected disaster shocks. This innovative fiscal rule is classified as a natural disaster-resilient fiscal rule, which comprises a plethora of new advantages compared to existing fiscal rules. This new type of fiscal rule can be called as the third-generation fiscal rule. It encompasses natural disasters and climate change, uses budget data only, avoids the need for escape clauses, and operates on a timely basis. Our rule-based fiscal policy framework is practically applicable for many developing countries facing an increasing frequency and impact of devastating natural hazards, and climatic change.
China’s Eco-Efficiency: Regional Differences and Influencing Factors Based on a Spatial Panel Data Approach
Authors: Zeng Liangen
Published: March 2021

From the Kyoto Protocol to the Copenhagen Conference and the Paris Agreement, eco-environmental problems have gradually become a matter of common concern worldwide. Eco-efficiency (EE) is an essential indicator for measuring levels of sustainable development. This study uses an epsilon-based measure (EBM) model with undesirable outputs to evaluate the EEs of 30 Chinese provinces during the research period 2008 to 2017, and a spatial Durbin model (SDM) to search for the impact factors of EE. The results indicate that most provinces in China have a low EE level. The EE value of the eastern area is higher than are those for the central, western, or northeastern areas. The EE in China as a whole demonstrates an inverted V-shaped trend with a high point in 2011. The SDM shows that economic development level, foreign trade dependence, and technological progress exert significant positive effects on EE, while population density exerts significant negative influences on EE. This paper provides scientific bases for the formulation of policies resulting in sustainable development.
Determinants of Sustainability Reporting in the Present Institutional Context: The Case of Port Managing Bodies
Authors: Geerts Magali , Dooms Michaël , Stas Lara
Published: March 2021

Research on the practice of sustainability reporting that is specifically focused on the approach applied by port authorities (or port managing bodies—PMBs) and based on surveys as a data collection method, is very limited. Most research consists of single-case studies, only partly covers the different dimensions related to the implementation of sustainability reporting, or is based on content analysis. This paper offers a multidimensional approach of the concept of sustainability reporting based on a global survey yielding 97 complete and valid answers of PMBs. A binomial logistic regression has been conducted to identify those organizational characteristics, whether or not under the control of the PMB, that have the largest explanatory power when it comes to the adoption of the practice of sustainability reporting. The research results present new variables compared to the findings of previous studies, such as proximity to a city, the history of data gathering, and the presence of environmental/social certifications. Furthermore, this paper also investigates how these organizational characteristics are interlinked with external, contextual forces by making use of Institutional Theory. By combining organizational characteristics with information on the institutional environment in which the PMB operates, a more complete image is obtained. The results of this analysis show that myriad different institutional pressures are in play when it comes to having influence over the decision making of PMBs with regard to the adoption of sustainability reporting. Furthermore, several prominent associations between one of the isomorphisms and certain organizational characteristics can be observed.
Info-Gap Models for Optimal Multi-Year Management of Regional Water Resources Systems under Uncertainty
Authors: Housh Mashor , Aharon Tomer
Published: March 2021

The common practices for the planning and management of Water Resources Systems (WSSs) have been challenged in the last few decades by global climate change processes, which are observed around the world in increasing frequencies. Climate change is manifested by climate variability, temperature increase, and extreme events such as droughts and floods, which have a decisive effect on natural resource availability and in turn on water quality. Historical records may not be sufficient to reliably account for uncertain future predictions under climate change conditions. While such highly uncertain situations become the “normal” case worldwide, the traditional practices of probabilistic risk measures cannot be used to appropriately quantify the uncertain phenomena under non-stationarity conditions. To better account for uncertain future conditions, the objective of this study is to develop a water management model based on Info-Gap Decision Theory (IGDT) using optimization under deep uncertainty conditions. The Info-Gap theory is a framework that measures the confidence in the operational decisions by quantifying the robustness to uncertainty without accounting for any probabilistic data. To demonstrate the method as a tool to better guide the long-term sustainable operation of the water supply system under uncertain future conditions, we applied the Info-Gap model to the Sea of Galilee (SoG) regional WSS, which is a significant part of the Israeli National Water System (INWS). For Israel, which is, like other Middle East semi-arid regions, prone to dry conditions and limited water availability, there are well-founded concerns that prolonged periods of drought lie ahead, as a consequence of the global climate change processes. This study contributes a management tool for decision making under deep uncertainty to improve the decision-making process and better adapt to unpredictable uncertain future conditions. We demonstrate how the IGDT could be formulated and used to analyze WSSs under different settings and demonstrate how decisions could be derived from the IGDT formulation. We also show a sensitivity analysis for the obtained solutions.
Pollen and Fungal Spores Evaluation in Relation to Occupants and Microclimate in Indoor Workplaces
Authors: D’Ovidio Maria Concetta , Di Renzi Simona , Capone Pasquale , Pelliccioni Armando
Published: March 2021

Indoor air quality depends on many internal or external factors mutually interacting in a dynamic and complex system, which also includes indoor workplaces, where subjects are exposed to many pollutants, including biocontaminants such as pollen and fungal spores. In this context, the occupants interact actively with their environment through actions, modifying indoor environmental conditions to achieve their own thermal comfort. Actions such as opening/closing doors and windows and turning on/off air conditioning could have effects on workers’ health. The present study explored the contribution of human occupants to pollen and fungal spore levels in indoor workplaces, combining aerobiological, microclimate, and worker monitoring during summer and winter campaigns. We evaluated the overall time spent by the workers in the office, the workers’ actions regarding non-working days and working days, and non-working hours and working hours, during two campaigns of pollen and fungal spore monitoring. Our results showed that the biocontaminant values depend on many mutually interacting factors; hence, the role of all of the factors involved should be investigated. In this regard, aerobiological monitoring should be a valid tool for the management of occupational allergies, providing additional information to improve occupational health protection strategies.
Next City: Learning from Cities during COVID-19 to Tackle Climate Change
Authors: Kakderi Christina , Komninos Nicos , Panori Anastasia , Oikonomaki Eleni
Published: March 2021

Fundamental principles of modern cities and urban planning are challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the advantages of large city size, high density, mass transport, free use of public space, unrestricted individual mobility in cities. These principles shaped the development of cities and metropolitan areas for more than a century, but currently, there are signs that they have turned from advantage to liability. Cities Public authorities and private organisations responded to the COVID-19 crisis with a variety of policies and business practices. These countermeasures codify a valuable experience and can offer lessons about how cities can tackle another grand challenge, this of climate change. Do the measures taken during the COVID-19 crisis represent a temporal adjustment to the current health crisis? Or do they open new ways towards a new type of urban development more effective in times of environmental and health crises? We address these questions through literature review and three case studies that review policies and practices for the transformation of city ecosystems mostly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: (a) the central business district, (b) the transport ecosystem, and (c) the tourism–hospitality ecosystem. We assess whether the measures implemented in these ecosystems shape new policy and planning models for higher readiness of cities towards grand challenges, and how, based on this experience, cities should be organized to tackle the grand challenge of environmental sustainability and climate change.
Promoting Renewable Energy to Cope with Climate Change—Policy Discourse in Israel
Authors: Eitan Avri
Published: March 2021

Evidence shows that global climate change is increasing over time, and requires the adoption of a variety of coping methods. As an alternative for conventional electricity systems, renewable energies are considered to be an important policy tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore, they play an important role in climate change mitigation strategies. Renewable energies, however, may also play a crucial role in climate change adaptation strategies because they can reduce the vulnerability of energy systems to extreme events. The paper examines whether policy-makers in Israel tend to focus on mitigation strategies or on adaptation strategies in renewable energy policy discourse. The results indicate that despite Israel’s minor impact on global greenhouse gas emissions, policy-makers focus more on promoting renewable energies as a climate change mitigation strategy rather than an adaptation strategy. These findings shed light on the important role of international influence—which tends to emphasize mitigation over adaptation—in motivating the domestic policy discourse on renewable energy as a coping method with climate change.
Will Delayed Retirement Affect the Health of Chinese Workers? A Study from the Perspective of Sustainability of Physical Health
Authors: Li Hanwei , Xu Dongling , Hao Xin
Published: March 2021

This article presents the important research findings of our study on whether delayed retirement will affect the health of Chinese workers from the perspective of sustainability of physical health. The treatment group is those who continue to work after the current statutory retirement age and the control group are those who no longer work after current statutory retirement age, and the physical health of these people is used as a dependent variable. The samples are selected from the following six regions of China: Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Beijing, Zhengzhou, and Shenyang. Quantitative studies of physical health status of the samples are carried out. The study illustrates that for female manual workers who are younger than 63 years old, female non-manual workers who are younger than 66 years old, male manual workers who are younger than 64 years old, and male non-manual workers who are younger than 67 years old, delaying retirement, and continuing to stay in work has no effect on their physical health. After these chronological age stages, however, it has significant impact on their health. These research findings have significant impact and value for the design of China’s delayed retirement policy.
Computational Design of Modular Robots Based on Genetic Algorithm and Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Park Jai Hoon , Lee Kang Hoon
Published: March 2021

Designing novel robots that can cope with a specific task is a challenging problem because of the enormous design space that involves both morphological structures and control mechanisms. To this end, we present a computational method for automating the design of modular robots. Our method employs a genetic algorithm to evolve robotic structures as an outer optimization, and it applies a reinforcement learning algorithm to each candidate structure to train its behavior and evaluate its potential learning ability as an inner optimization. The size of the design space is reduced significantly by evolving only the robotic structure and by performing behavioral optimization using a separate training algorithm compared to that when both the structure and behavior are evolved simultaneously. Mutual dependence between evolution and learning is achieved by regarding the mean cumulative rewards of a candidate structure in the reinforcement learning as its fitness in the genetic algorithm. Therefore, our method searches for prospective robotic structures that can potentially lead to near-optimal behaviors if trained sufficiently. We demonstrate the usefulness of our method through several effective design results that were automatically generated in the process of experimenting with actual modular robotics kit.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cell Wall-Based Adsorbent Reduces Aflatoxin B1 Absorption in Rats
Authors: Yiannikouris Alexandros , Apajalahti Juha , Siikanen Osmo , Dillon Gerald Patrick , Moran Colm Anthony
Published: March 2021

Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins that can affect livestock health and performance upon consumption of contaminated feedstuffs. To mitigate the negative effects of mycotoxins, sequestering agents, adsorbents, or binders can be included to feed to interact with toxins, aiding their passage through the gastrointestinal tract (GI) and reducing their bioavailability. The parietal cell wall components of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been found to interact in vitro with mycotoxins, such as, but not limited to, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and to improve animal performance when added to contaminated diets in vivo. The present study aimed to examine the pharmacokinetics of the absorption of radiolabeled AFB1 in rats in the presence of a yeast cell wall-based adsorbent (YCW) compared with that in the presence of the clay-based binder hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS). The results of the initial pharmacokinetic analysis showed that the absorption process across the GI tract was relatively slow, occurring over a matter of hours rather than minutes. The inclusion of mycotoxin binders increased the recovery of radiolabeled AFB1 in the small intestine, cecum, and colon at 5 and 10 h, revealing that they prevented AFB1 absorption compared with a control diet. Additionally, the accumulation of radiolabeled AFB1 was more significant in the blood plasma, kidney, and liver of animals fed the control diet, again showing the ability of the binders to reduce the assimilation of AFB1 into the body. The results showed the potential of YCW in reducing the absorption of AFB1 in vivo, and in protecting against the damaging effects of AFB1 contamination.
α-Solanine Inhibits Proliferation, Invasion, and Migration, and Induces Apoptosis in Human Choriocarcinoma JEG-3 Cells In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Gu Ting , Yuan Wei , Li Chen , Chen Zhilong , Wen Yuting , Zheng Qiyi , Yang Qing , Xiong Xingyao , Yuan Anwen
Published: March 2021

α-Solanine, a bioactive compound mainly found in potato, exhibits anti-cancer activity towards multiple cancer cells. However, its effects on human choriocarcinoma have not been evaluated. In the present study, we investigated the effect of α-solanine on cell proliferation and apoptosis in human choriocarcinoma in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that α-solanine, at concentrations of 30 μM or below, did not affect the cell viability of the choriocarcinoma cell line JEG-3. However, colony formation was significantly decreased and cell apoptosis was increased in response to 30 μM α-solanine. In addition, α-solanine (30 μM) reduced the migration and invasion abilities of JEG-3 cells, which was associated with a downregulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2/9. The in vivo findings provided further evidence of the inhibition of α-solanine on choriocarcinoma tumor growth. α-Solanine suppressed the xenograft tumor growth of JEG-3 cells, resulting in smaller tumor volumes and lower tumor weights. Apoptosis was promoted in xenograft tumors of α-solanine-treated mice. Moreover, α-solanine downregulated proliferative cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Bcl-2 levels and promoted the expression of Bax. Collectively, α-solanine inhibits the growth, migration, and invasion of human JEG-3 choriocarcinoma cells, which may be associated with the induction of apoptosis.
Expression and Purification of a PEDV-Neutralizing Antibody and Its Functional Verification
Authors: Shi Wenshu , Hao Haiyang , Li Mengran , Niu Jianqin , Hu Yaning , Zhao Xingbo , Li Qiuyan
Published: March 2021

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a highly infectious and pathogenic virus causing high morbidity and mortality, especially in newborn piglets. There remain problems with contemporary PEDV vaccines, in part because of the rapid variation of PEDV, poor conferred immunity, and numerous side effects. The ability to produce PEDV-neutralizing antibodies suggests that we may be able to increase the success rate of PEDV prevention in piglets using these antibodies. In this study, we produced an anti-PEDV S protein monoclonal antibody (anti-PEDV mAb-2) that neutralized PEDV-CV777 (a G1 strain), PEDV-SDSX16 and PEDV-Aj1102 (two G2 strains). In vivo challenge experiments demonstrated that anti-PEDV mAb-2 inhibited the PEDV infection in piglets. We also produced three HEK293 cell lines that expressed anti-PEDV mAb-2. Overall, our study showed that anti-PEDV mAb-2 produced from hybridoma supernatants effectively inhibited PEDV infection in piglets, and the recombinant HEK293 cell lines expressed anti-PEDV mAb-2 genes.
Novel Genetic Rearrangements in Hepatitis B Virus: Complex Structural Variations and Structural Variation Polymorphisms
Authors: Fujiwara Kei
Published: March 2021

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes serious clinical problems, such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Current antiviral treatments suppress HBV; however, the clinical cure rate remains low. Basic research on HBV is indispensable to eradicate and cure HBV. Genetic alterations are defined by nucleotide substitutions and canonical forms of structural variations (SVs), such as insertion, deletion and duplication. Additionally, genetic changes inconsistent with the canonical forms have been reported, and these have been termed complex SVs. Detailed analyses of HBV using bioinformatical applications have detected complex SVs in HBV genomes. Sequence gaps and low sequence similarity have been observed in the region containing complex SVs. Additionally, insertional motif sequences have been observed in HBV strains with complex SVs. Following the analyses of complex SVs in the HBV genome, the role of SVs in the genetic diversity of orthohepadnavirus has been investigated. SV polymorphisms have been detected in comparisons of several species of orthohepadnaviruses. As mentioned, complex SVs are composed of multiple SVs. On the contrary, SV polymorphisms are observed as insertions of different SVs. Up to a certain point, nucleotide substitutions cause genetic differences. However, at some point, the nucleotide sequences are split into several particular patterns. These SVs have been observed as polymorphic changes. Different species of orthohepadnaviruses possess SVs which are unique and specific to a certain host of the virus. Studies have shown that SVs play an important role in the HBV genome. Further studies are required to elucidate their virologic and clinical roles.
High Incidence and Early Onset of Urinary Tract Cancers in Patients with BK Polyomavirus Associated Nephropathy
Authors: Li Yi-Jung , Wu Hsin-Hsu , Chen Cheng-Hsu , Wang Hsu-Han , Chiang Yang-Jen , Hsu Hsiang-Hao , Pang See-Tong , Wang Robert Y. L. , Tian Ya-Chung
Published: March 2021

Over-immunosuppressed kidney transplant recipients are susceptible to malignancies and BK polyomavirus (BKPyV)-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN). This study aimed to verify the association between BKPyV infection and urinary tract cancers (UTC). A total of 244 kidney transplant recipients were enrolled at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from June 2000 to February 2020. Biopsy-proven BKPyVAN patients (n = 17) had worse kidney function (eGFR: 26 ± 13.7 vs. 47.8 ± 31.0 mL/min/1.73 m2). The 5-year allograft survival rates for patients with and without BKPyVAN were 67% and 93%, respectively (p = 0.0002), while the 10-year patient survival was not different between the two groups. BKPyVAN patients had a significantly higher incidence of UTC compared to the non-BKPyVAN group (29.4% vs. 6.6%). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that the UTC-free survival rate was significantly lower in BKPyVAN patients, and the onset of UTC was significantly shorter in BKPyVAN patients (53.4 vs. 108.9 months). The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that age (RR = 1.062) and BKVAN (RR = 6.459) were the most significant risk factors for the development of UTC. Our study demonstrates that BKPyVAN patients have greater allograft losses, higher incidence, a lower cancer-free survival rate, and an earlier onset with a higher relative risk of developing UTC compared to non-BKPyVAN patients.
Rice Physiological Response with Bacillus subtilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Inoculation into Soil under Reclaimed Water–Fresh Water Combined Irrigation
Authors: Lu Hongfei , Qi Xuebin , Rahman Shafeeq ur , Qiao Dongmei , Li Ping , Han Yang , Zhao Zhijuan
Published: March 2021

The increasing soil salinity levels under reclaimed water irrigation have a negative effect on plant growth. Greenhouse experiments were conducted in 2018 and 2019 under reclaimed water–fresh water combined irrigation. After transplanting (Day 1), rice was irrigated with clean water (tap water) for 10 days to facilitate rice root colonisation. Subsequently, rice was irrigated with reclaimed water for 50 days (Day 11 to 60), and then irrigated with clean water. B. subtilis and S. cerevisiae were mixed with clean water (tap water) and irrigated into soil at Day 61. B. subtilis (20 billion colony-forming units/g) and S. cerevisiae (20 billion colony-forming units/g) were mixed at the following proportions: 5 g and 0 (J1), 3.75 g and 1.25 g (J2), 2.5 g and 2.5 g (J3), 1.25 g and 3.75 g (J4), and 0 and 5 g (J5), respectively; rice treated with reclaimed water (CK) and clean water (J0) with no microorganisms applied were also used. We measured NO3--N and NH4+-N concentrations and electrical conductivity (EC) in the soil at 0–5, 5–15, and 15–25 cm layers; root activity; and malondialdehyde (MDA), soluble sugar, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and glutamine synthetase (GS) activity in leaves at Day 71. B. subtilis and S. cerevisiae combination could promote rice physiological indices, and B. subtilis had a greater effect than S. cerevisiae. There are obvious differences in the physiological performance and soil N between 2018 and 2019 due to the EC of reclaimed water. Redundancy analysis revealed that soil NO3−-N and the mass of B. subtilis applied were major factors influencing leaf physiological indices. Five grams of B. subtilis is recommended to facilitate rice growth after irrigation with reclaimed water. Our research provides a new agronomic measure for the safe utilisation of reclaimed water.
Recovery of Polluted Urban Stormwater Containing Heavy Metals: Laboratory-Based Experiments with Arlita and Filtralite
Authors: Pla Concepcion , Benavente David , Valdes-Abellan Javier , Jodar-Abellan Antonio
Published: March 2021

Heavy-metal sources in urban environments include automobile exhaust, fuel combustion, tires, road asphalt, weathering of building materials, and/or industrial activities. The presence of heavy metals in urban stormwaters constitutes a potential risk for water resources and aquatic life. Results from the present study demonstrated the effectiveness of two different lightweight aggregates (LWAs), Arlita and Filtralite, to remove heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) present in aqueous solutions. These materials were selected because they previously showed great results for water treatment and because of their physicochemical properties. The removal efficiency of the studied materials was evaluated with batch tests containing solutions contaminated with heavy metals (with individual and multiple contaminants) at different concentrations mixed with the LWA particles. Filtralite showed a better performance in heavy metal removal than Arlita: higher adsorption capacity for all metals, and lower release of metals from contaminated particles into washing water. The average removal capacities in tests developed with solutions containing individual contaminants for Arlita and Filtralite were 76% and 90%, respectively, although the values varied across the different contaminants. Metal elimination by LWAs was more effective with individual contaminated solutions than with multielemental ones. The analysis of the adsorption curves, the mineral precipitation on the LWA surface, and the geochemical modeling confirmed that two different mechanisms are responsible for the heavy-metal removal. First, the rough surface of the LWA presents sorbing surface sites of the forming minerals, resulting in the ion-exchange reactions of metal ions. Second, the LWA–water interaction causes an increase in solution pH, which triggers the precipitation and coprecipitation of the metals in the form of oxide and hydroxides. The study confirms that the use of Arlita and especially Filtralite present promising potential to remove heavy metals from urban stormwaters.
Groundwater Quality and Potential Human Health Risk Assessment for Drinking and Irrigation Purposes: A Case Study in the Semiarid Region of North China
Authors: Chen Feifei , Yao Leihua , Mei Gang , Shang Yinsheng , Xiong Fansheng , Ding Zhenbin
Published: March 2021

Groundwater is a valuable water source for drinking and irrigation purposes in semiarid regions. Groundwater pollution may affect human health if it is not pretreated and provided for human use. This study investigated the hydrochemical characteristics driving groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes and potential human health risks in the Xinzhou Basin, Shanxi Province, North China. More specifically, we first investigated hydrochemical characteristics using a descriptive statistical analysis method. We then classified the hydrochemical types and analyzed the evolution mechanisms of groundwater using Piper and Gibbs diagrams. Finally, we appraised the groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes using the entropy water quality index (EWQI). We assessed the associated human health risks for different age and sex groups through drinking intake and dermal contact pathways. Overall, we found that (1) Ca-HCO3 and Ca·Mg-HCO3 were the dominant hydrochemical types and were mainly governed by rock weathering and water–rock interactions. (2) Based on the EWQI classifications, 67.74% of the groundwater samples were classified as medium quality and acceptable for drinking purpose. According to the values of sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC) and soluble sodium percentage (%Na), 90.32% of the samples were suitable for irrigation, while the remaining samples were unfit for irrigation because of the high salinity in the groundwater. (3) Some contaminants in the groundwater, such as NO3−, NO2− and F−, exceeded the standard limits and may cause potential risks to human health. Our work presented in this paper could establish reasonable management strategies for sustainable groundwater quality protection to protect public health.
Environmental Impact Assessment and Hydraulic Modelling of Different Flood Protection Measures
Authors: Šoltész Andrej , Zeleňáková Martina , Čubanová Lea , Šugareková Mária , Abd-Elhamid Hany
Published: March 2021

The most appropriate method to protect settlements and economically important sites from flood hazard, is the implementation of flood protection measures in stream catchments and protected localities, which contribute to reduce the peak flow and distribution of the flood wave over a longer period of time. If such measures are not realistic or ineffective, it is necessary to focus on flood protection directly on the area of the protected side or its vicinity. Where the lag time between the flood threat detection and actual flood onset is short, one possible measure is to increase the capacity of the watercourse, very often in combination with other flood mitigation measures in the protected area. The engineering approach to flood protection is the subject of many scientific research studies. Permission for flood protection structures depends on their environmental impact assessment (EIA), according to Law no. 24/2002 Coll. on Environmental Impact Assessment in the Slovak Republic, annex no. 8 (list of activities subject to EIA). Based on the EIA, it is possible to select the best alternative of flood protection, i.e., the alternative with the lowest risk impact on the environment. This paper aims to analyse the flood protection measures along the Lukavica stream (central Slovakia), applying hydraulic models. The best alternative with the lowest impact on the environment, assessed using the risk analysis method, consists of detention reservoir construction. An effective combination of environmental impact assessment and hydraulic modelling contribute to the selection of an effective flood protection measure in the territory.