bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of the Rare Earth Element Lanthanum (La) on the Growth and Development of Citrus Rootstock Seedlings
Authors: Yin Hang , Wang Junxiu , Zeng Yao , Shen Xinjian , He Yizhong , Ling Lili , Cao Li , Fu Xingzheng , Peng Liangzhi , Chun Changpin
Published: July 2021

Rare earth elements (REEs) can affect the growth and development of plants. However, few studies have been carried out on the effects of REEs on citrus seedlings. In this study, the growth parameters, toxicity symptoms, chlorophyll content, and La content of three citrus rootstocks are analyzed under different concentrations of La, a representative REE. The results show that the growth of citrus rootstock seedlings was stimulated at La ≤ 0.5 mmol·L−1 and inhibited at concentrations above 1 mmol·L−1. The chlorophyll and carotenoid contents of trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata L. Raf.) and Ziyang Xiangcheng (C. junos Sieb. ex Tanaka) leaves of plants grown at low concentrations of La (≤1.5 mmol·L−1) were similar to those of the control but were significantly reduced at 4 mmol·L−1 La. Toxic symptoms gradually appeared with increasing La concentrations, with yellowed leaves and burst veins appearing at 4 mmol·L−1 La. The symptoms of toxicity were most severe in trifoliate orange, followed by Shatian Pomelo (Citrus grandis var. shatinyu Hort) and then Ziyang Xiangcheng. Moreover, in leaves, the Ca content was significantly negatively correlated with La content (p < 0.01). These results indicate that La has a hormesis effect on the growth of citrus rootstocks. Of the studied citrus seedlings, Ziyang Xiangcheng is the most resistant to La.
Influence of Interfacial Force Models and Population Balance Models on the kLa Value in Stirred Bioreactors
Authors: Seidel Stefan , Eibl Dieter
Published: July 2021

Optimal oxygen supply is vitally important for the cultivation of aerobically growing cells, as it has a direct influence on cell growth and product formation. A process engineering parameter directly related to oxygen supply is the volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient kLa. It is the influences on kLa and computing time of different interfacial force and population balance models in stirred bioreactors that have been evaluated in this study. For this investigation, the OpenFOAM 7 open-source toolbox was utilized. Firstly, the Euler–Euler model with a constant bubble diameter was applied to a 2L scale bioreactor to statistically examine the influence of different interfacial models on the kLa value. It was shown that the kL model and the constant bubble diameter have the greatest influence on the calculated kLa value. To eliminate the problem of a constant bubble diameter and to take effects such as bubble breakup and coalescence into account, the Euler–Euler model was coupled with population balance models (PBM). For this purpose, four coalescence and five bubble breakup models were examined. Ultimately, it was established that, for all of the models tested, coupling computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with PBM resulted in better agreement with the experimental data than using the Euler–Euler model. However, it should be noted that the higher accuracy of the PBM coupled models requires twice the computation time.
Performance Comparison of Filtering Algorithms for High-Density Airborne LiDAR Point Clouds over Complex LandScapes
Authors: Chen Chuanfa , Guo Jiaojiao , Wu Huiming , Li Yanyan , Shi Bo
Published: July 2021

Airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology has become the mainstream data source in geosciences and environmental sciences. Point cloud filtering is a prerequisite for almost all LiDAR-based applications. However, it is challenging to select a suitable filtering algorithm for handling high-density point clouds over complex landscapes. Therefore, to determine an appropriate filter on a specific environment, this paper comparatively assessed the performance of five representative filtering algorithms on six study sites with different terrain characteristics, where three plots are located in urban areas and three in forest areas. The representative filtering methods include simple morphological filter (SMRF), multiresolution hierarchical filter (MHF), slope-based filter (SBF), progressive TIN densification (PTD) and segmentation-based filter (SegBF). Results demonstrate that SMRF performs the best in urban areas, and compared to MHF, SBF, PTD and SegBF, the total error of SMRF is reduced by 1.38%, 48.21%, 48.25% and 31.03%, respectively. MHF outperforms the others in forest areas, and compared to SMRF, SBF, PTD and SegBF, the total error of MHF is reduced by 1.98%, 35.87%, 45.11% and 9.42%, respectively. Moreover, both SMRF and MHF keep a good balance between type I and II errors, which makes the produced DEMs much similar to the references. Overall, SMRF and MHF are recommended for urban and forest areas, respectively, and MHF averagely performs slightly better than SMRF on all areas with respect to kappa coefficient.
Irrigation Amounts and Timing Retrieval through Data Assimilation of Surface Soil Moisture into the FAO-56 Approach in the South Mediterranean Region
Authors: Ouaadi Nadia , Jarlan Lionel , Khabba Saïd , Ezzahar Jamal , Le Page Michel , Merlin Olivier
Published: July 2021

Agricultural water use represents more than 70% of the world’s freshwater through irrigation water inputs that are poorly known at the field scale. Irrigation monitoring is thus an important issue for optimizing water use in particular with regards to the water scarcity that the semi-arid regions are already facing. In this context, the aim of this study is to develop and evaluate a new approach to predict seasonal to daily irrigation timing and amounts at the field scale. The method is based on surface soil moisture (SSM) data assimilated into a simple land surface (FAO-56) model through a particle filter technique based on an ensemble of irrigation scenarios. The approach is implemented in three steps. First, synthetic experiments are designed to assess the impact of the frequency of observation, the errors on SSM and the a priori constraints on the irrigation scenarios for different irrigation techniques (flooding and drip). In a second step, the method is evaluated using in situ SSM measurements with different revisit times (3, 6 and 12 days) to mimic the available SSM product derived from remote sensing observation. Finally, SSM estimates from Sentinel-1 are used. Data are collected on different wheat fields grown in Morocco, for both flood and drip irrigation techniques in addition to rainfed fields used for an indirect evaluation of the method performance. Using in situ data, accurate results are obtained. With an observation every 6 days to mimic the Sentinel-1 revisit time, the seasonal amounts are retrieved with R > 0.98, RMSE < 32 mm and bias < 2.5 mm. Likewise, a good agreement is observed at the daily scale for flood irrigation as more than 70% of the detected irrigation events have a time difference from actual irrigation events shorter than 4 days. Over the drip irrigated fields, the statistical metrics are R = 0.74, RMSE = 24.8 mm and bias = 2.3 mm for irrigation amounts cumulated over 15 days. When using SSM products derived from Sentinel-1 data, the statistical metrics on 15-day cumulated amounts slightly dropped to R = 0.64, RMSE = 28.7 mm and bias = 1.9 mm. The metrics on the seasonal amount retrievals are close to assimilating in situ observations with R = 0.99, RMSE = 33.5 mm and bias = −18.8 mm. Finally, among four rainfed seasons, only one false event was detected. This study opens perspectives for the regional retrieval of irrigation amounts and timing at the field scale and for mapping irrigated/non irrigated areas.
Evaluation of RGB and Multispectral Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Imagery for High-Throughput Phenotyping and Yield Prediction in Barley Breeding
Authors: Herzig Paul , Borrmann Peter , Knauer Uwe , Klück Hans-Christian , Kilias David , Seiffert Udo , Pillen Klaus , Maurer Andreas
Published: July 2021

With advances in plant genomics, plant phenotyping has become a new bottleneck in plant breeding and the need for reliable high-throughput plant phenotyping techniques has emerged. In the face of future climatic challenges, it does not seem appropriate to continue to solely select for grain yield and a few agronomically important traits. Therefore, new sensor-based high-throughput phenotyping has been increasingly used in plant breeding research, with the potential to provide non-destructive, objective and continuous plant characterization that reveals the formation of the final grain yield and provides insights into the physiology of the plant during the growth phase. In this context, we present the comparison of two sensor systems, Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and multispectral cameras, attached to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and investigate their suitability for yield prediction using different modelling approaches in a segregating barley introgression population at three environments with weekly data collection during the entire vegetation period. In addition to vegetation indices, morphological traits such as canopy height, vegetation cover and growth dynamics traits were used for yield prediction. Repeatability analyses and genotype association studies of sensor-based traits were compared with reference values from ground-based phenotyping to test the use of conventional and new traits for barley breeding. The relative height estimation of the canopy by UAV achieved high precision (up to r = 0.93) and repeatability (up to R2 = 0.98). In addition, we found a great overlap of detected significant genotypes between the reference heights and sensor-based heights. The yield prediction accuracy of both sensor systems was at the same level and reached a maximum prediction accuracy of r2 = 0.82 with a continuous increase in precision throughout the entire vegetation period. Due to the lower costs and the consumer-friendly handling of image acquisition and processing, the RGB imagery seems to be more suitable for yield prediction in this study.
Direction-of-Arrival Estimation over Sea Surface from Radar Scattering Based on Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Zhao Xiuyi , Yang Ying , Chen Kun-Shan
Published: July 2021

Conventional direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation methods are primarily used in point source scenarios and based on array signal processing. However, due to the local scattering caused by sea surface, signals observed from radar antenna cannot be regarded as a point source but rather as a spatially dispersed source. Besides, with the advantages of flexibility and comparably low cost, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is the present and future trend of space-based systems. This paper proposes a novel DOA estimation approach for SAR systems using the simulated radar measurement of the sea surface at different operating frequencies and wind speeds. This article’s forward model is an advanced integral equation model (AIEM) to calculate the electromagnetic scattered from the sea surface. To solve the DOA estimation problem, we introduce a convolutional neural network (CNN) framework to estimate the transmitter’s incident angle and incident azimuth angle. Results demonstrate that the CNN can achieve a good performance in DOA estimation at a wide range of frequencies and sea wind speeds.
Employee Preparedness for Industry 4.0 in Logistic Sector: A Cross-National Study between Poland and Malaysia
Authors: Ślusarczyk Beata , Nathan Robert Jeyakumar , Pypłacz Paula
Published: July 2021

Today we are witnessing a paradigm shift when it comes to the industry. There are chances that Industry 4.0 does not only involve major changes in production and business solutions, but also the ability of many enterprises (mainly production companies) to come closer to developed economies. This article highlights the aspect of creating new business models that integrate organizations around Industry 4.0 solutions and create new value for the client and internal client. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between the implementation of selected Industry 4.0 technologies as well as the knowledge and preparation of employees for changes caused by new solutions, e.g., in the area of the automation and robotization of industry or data and information management. The questionnaire research was conducted among 80 logistics companies in Poland and 80 in Malaysia. Based on the obtained data, a statistical analysis was conducted of the relationships between the above-mentioned variables. The analysis concerned: the employees’ knowledge of the Industry 4.0 paradigm, preparing employees for challenges and the implementation of Industry 4.0 technology. The correlation analysis showed the existence of a statistical relationship between the analysed variables. The analysis of quantitative data showed differences between Poland and Malaysia in terms of employee preparation, their knowledge of Industry 4.0 and activities related to the implementation of specific IR4.0 technologies. The presented analysis relates to one of the analysed areas, therefore it is a contribution to further considerations and comparisons.
No Tillage Improved Soil Pore Space Indices under Cover Crop and Crop Rotation
Authors: Panday Dinesh , Nkongolo Nsalambi V.
Published: July 2021

Assessment of the effects of crop management practices on soil physical properties is largely limited to soil moisture content, air content or bulk density, which can take considerable time to change. However, soil pore space indices evolve rapidly and could quickly detect changes in soil properties resulting from crop management practices, but they are not often measured. The objective of this study was to investigate how soil pore space indices—relative gas diffusion coefficient (Ds/Do) and pore tortuosity factor (τ)—are affected by tillage system (TL), cover crop (CC) and crop rotation (CR). A study was conducted on silt loam soil at Freeman farm, Lincoln University of Missouri during the 2011 to 2013 growing seasons. The experiment design was a randomized complete block with two tillage systems (no tillage or no-till vs conventional tillage), two cover crops (no rye vs cereal rye (Secale cereale L.)) and four crop rotations (continuous corn (Zea mays L.), continuous soybean (Glycine max L.), corn–soybean and soybean–corn successions). All the treatments were replicated three times for a total of 48 experimental units. Soils were collected from two sampling depths (SD), 0–10 and 10–20 cm, in each treatment and soil physical properties, including bulk density (BD), air-filled porosity (AFP, fa) and total pore space (TPS, Φ), were calculated. Gas diffusivity models following AFP and/or TPS were used to predict Ds/Do and τ values. Results showed that, overall, Ds/Do was significantly increased in no-tilled plots planted to cereal rye in 2012 (p = 0.001) and in 2013 (p = 0.05). No-tilled continuous corn, followed by continuous soybean and no-tilled soybean–corn rotations had the highest Ds/Do values, respectively. In magnitude, Ds/Do was also increased in no-till plots at the lower depth (10–20 cm). No-tilled plots planted with cereal rye significantly reduced τ in 2012 (p = 0.001) and in 2013 (p = 0.05). Finally, at the upper depth (0–10 cm), the no-tilled corn–soybean rotation and the tilled soybean–corn rotation had the lowest τ. However, at the lower depth (10–20 cm), the four crop rotations were not significantly different in their τ values. These results can be useful to quickly assess the changes in soil physical properties because of crop management practices and make necessary changes to enhance agricultural resilience.
Bibliometric Analysis of SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 Studies from India and Connection to Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Raman Raghu , Vinuesa Ricardo , Nedungadi Prema
Published: July 2021

India is ranked fifth in the world in terms of COVID-19 publications accounting for 6.7% of the total. About 60% of the COVID-19 publications in the year 2020 are from United States, China, UK, Italy, and India. We present a bibliometric analysis of the publication trends and citation structure along with the identification of major research clusters. By performing network analysis of authors, citations, institutions, keywords, and countries, we explore semantic associations by applying visualization techniques. Our study shows lead taken by the United States, China, UK, Italy, India in COVID-19 research may be attributed to the high prevalence of COVID-19 cases in those countries witnessing the first outbreak and also due to having access to COVID-19 data, access to labs for experimental trials, immediate funding, and overall support from the govt. agencies. A large number of publications and citations from India are due to co-authored publications with countries like the United States, UK, China, and Saudi Arabia. Findings show health sciences have the highest number of publications and citations, while physical sciences and social sciences and humanities counts were low. A large proportion of publications fall into the open-access category. With India as the focus, by comparing three major pandemics—SARS, MERS, COVID-19—from a bibliometrics perspective, we observe much broader involvement of authors from multiple countries for COVID-19 studies when compared to SARS and MERS. Finally, by applying bibliometric indicators, we see an increasing number of sustainable development-related studies from the COVID-19 domain, particularly concerning the topic of good health and well-being. This study allows for a deeper understanding of how the scholarly community from a populous country like India pursued research in the midst of a major pandemic which resulted in the closure of scientific institutions for an extended time.
Observational Analysis of Corner Kicks in High-Level Football: A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Maneiro Rubén , Losada José Luís , Portell Mariona , Ardá Antonio
Published: July 2021

Corner kicks are one of the most important set pieces in high-level football. The present study aimed to analyze the evolution of the tactical approach to corner kicks in high-performance football. For this, a total of 1704 corner kicks executed in the 192 matches corresponding to the 2010, 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups were analyzed. To achieve the proposed objectives, the observational methodology was used. The results show an evolution in the mode of execution of these actions, but instead the success rate remains low. The log-linear test allowed to find significant relationships between some of the most important categorical variables in these actions: match status, number of intervening attackers and time. The decision tree models show that the number of players involved in these actions is the criterion that presents the greatest information gain. These results corroborate previous multivariate studies, although more research is still needed. Finally, the results of the present study can be used by coaches to create different training situations where success in this type of action can be enhanced.
The Role of Community-Led Food Retailers in Enabling Urban Resilience
Authors: McEachern Morven G. , Warnaby Gary , Moraes Caroline
Published: July 2021

Our research examines the extent to which community-led food retailers (CLFRs) contribute to the resilience and sustainability of urban retail systems and communities in the UK, contributing to existing debates on the sustainability and resilience of the UK’s urban retail sector. While existing literature has predominantly focused on larger retail multiples, we suggest more attention be paid to small, independent retailers as they possess a broader, more diffuse spatiality and societal impact than that of the immediate locale. Moreover, their local embeddedness and understanding of the needs of the local customer base provide a key source of potentially sustainable competitive advantage. Using spatial and relational resilience theories, and drawing on 14 original qualitative interviews with CLFRs, we establish the complex links between community, place, social relations, moral values, and resilience that manifest through CLFRs. In doing so, we advance the conceptualization of community resilience by acknowledging that in order to realise the networked, resilient capacities of a community, the moral values and behavior of the retail community need to be ascertained. Implications and relevant recommendations are provided to secure a more sustainable set of capacities needed to ensure resilient, urban retail systems which benefit local communities.
Recognition of Values of Traditional Villages in Southwest China for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Liufang Village
Authors: Xu Qing , Wang Jing
Published: July 2021

With the implementation of China’s Rural Revitalization Strategy, more and more traditional villages have been developed. However, due to the lack of value awareness, many rural planning policies are unreasonable, and therefore, characteristics disappear. In the past, the value identification of traditional villages mostly stayed in the general value description, which was not enough to highlight the unique overall value of the village. From the perspective of the cultural landscape, taking Liufang village in Liping County of Guizhou Province as an example, this paper interprets the value of cultural landscape from the concept of “long-term interaction between human and nature,” and then carry out three value themes of “settlement landscape of Dong people in the low and middle mountain valley area,” “agricultural landscape and activities of Dong people under traditional rice farming,” and “spiritual landscape of Dong People’s beliefs, systems and customs”. Moreover, by interviewing local residents, this paper summarizes two aspects of Liufang village value consensus—traditional culture and landscape construction, as well as tourism development opportunities and challenges—and analyzes the relationship between them. The new attempt to identify traditional village’s value in this paper lies in the combination of object value and subject perception, which is more conducive to the scientific formulation of traditional village protection and tourism sustainable development strategy.
Bio-Based Hydraulic Fluids and the Influence of Hydraulic Oil Viscosity on the Efficiency of Mobile Machinery
Authors: Deuster Sebastian , Schmitz Katharina
Published: July 2021

Leakage of hydraulic oils causes long-term damage to the environment. Every year, a significant amount of hydraulic oil is released into the environment through accidents and leakages. Biohydraulic oils minimize the risk of environmental damage due to their biodegradability and lack of toxicity. Mobile machines offer great substitution potential for biohydraulic oils. The majority of machines are operated with mineral hydraulic oils. Furthermore, in view of decreasing energy resources and rising CO2 emissions, there is a strong interest in reducing the fuel consumption of mobile machines. Triggered by this trend, the power density of hydraulic systems and their components continue to increase. Resulting, the used hydraulic fluid is subject to greater thermal stress and the system thermal of the used fluids are becoming increasingly important. Biohydraulic oils offer a great potential due to their thermal properties, regarding viscosity temperature dependency. Therefore, the content of this article is to consider the influence of hydraulic oil’s viscosity on the efficiency of a crawler excavator. For this purpose, experimental tests are discussed by regarding viscosity related energy losses of hydraulic systems of crawler excavators by using biohydraulic oil. A hypothesis about the dependency of rheological properties of biohydraulic oils on the hydraulic system’s efficiency is formulated.
The Dynamics of Financial Development, Government Quality, and Economic Growth in Different Groups of Economies
Authors: Iqbal Shahid , Khan Abdul Qayyum , Khan Muhammad Yar , Al-Aali Lamya
Published: July 2021

This study examines the causal relationship between economic growth, financial development, and national governance. To analyze the three-way link of the stated variables, the Panel Vector Auto-Regressive (PVAR) model was applied to 115 economies between 1996 to 2018. The impact of each variable shock is explored through Impulse Response Function (IRF) and variance decomposition. The results indicate that the financial development and national governance shocks have a more persistent impact on economic growth in low-income economies than emerging and developed economies. In contrast, output shock influences long-term financial development in developed economies and affects national governance in a monotonic fashion in all three sets of economies. Moreover, national governance is explored as a critical factor for economic growth especially in low-income economies.
Linking the Determinants of Air Passenger Flows and Aviation Related Carbon Emissions: A European Study
Authors: Yue Xuanyu , Byrne Julie
Published: July 2021

Increasing global concern regarding the negative consequences of climate change will see the introduction of comprehensive policy governing aviation-related carbon emissions. With demand for air travel set to accelerate over the next three decades airlines are faced with the task of catering to increased demand while simultaneously achieving emission reductions. In this study we identify the determinants of air passenger flows and flight frequency and assess their impact on carbon emissions and carbon efficiency. Confining our analysis to the European market, we employ Fixed-Effects (FEIV) and Random-Effects (REIV) instrumental variables modelling techniques to 150 intra-Europe routes and find that the factors that are significant in influencing the operational planning decisions of an airline often lead to carbon inefficiencies. Our findings have important implications for both airlines and policymakers. For airlines, we show how the decisions they make to optimise operations can have negative environmental consequences, while we make suggestions as to how policymakers can incentivise airlines to achieve emission reductions.
Chinese Destinations Related to Martial Arts Tourism from the UNESCO Perspective
Authors: Skowron-Markowska Stefania , Nowakowska Marta
Published: July 2021

The aim of this article is to investigate the authenticity of Shaolin Temple and Chenjiagou Village in the context of intensified martial arts tourism and UNESCO documents. Desk research, structured interviews and participant observation were used to investigate the issue. The issue of cultural and natural heritage has become part of the modern image of a powerful new China. They particularly use these resources in cultural tourism, where boasting of heritage listed on UNESCO’s tangible and intangible heritage list is certainly an appropriate impression. The UNESCO intangible and tangible heritage list also includes objects related to martial arts tourism (Shaolin Temple, Chenjiagou Village). The article presents how Western (American, European) preferences and expectations are visible in the way of preserving and using these objects with an attempt to maintain UNESCO standards. It has been noticed that the added objects/events/shows are accepted by the Chinese as increasing the attractiveness of the place, even if they are not thematically and historically related to it. The authors checked whether a certain cultural compromise is possible or whether these places are a completely Westernized product, taking the form of theme parks or ethnoparks. For Western tourists, such phenomena are often synonymous with the commercialization and falsification of the authenticity of a place, which is why the role of cultural education is very important, both in China and in Western countries.
Decomposition Analysis of Global Water Supply-Demand Balances Focusing on Food Production and Consumption
Authors: Yamaguchi Yohei , Yoshikawa Naoki , Amano Koji , Hashimoto Seiji
Published: July 2021

Food production and consumption require large amounts of freshwater. There is no literature on the decomposition analysis of the intensities of water supply-demand balances (water balance intensities) for each country worldwide. The aim of this study is to evaluate the water balance intensities and elucidate the promoting factors and offset factors of water balance intensities for each country worldwide, focusing on food supply-demand balances and considering food trade balances on a global scale. The modified Laspeyres index method is applied to both a production-based water balance index (WBIPB) and a consumption-based water balance index (WBICB). The major promoting factor for the WBIPB is the renewable freshwater resources, whereas the major offset factor is the produced item preference. The major promoting factor for the WBICB is the consumed item preference, whereas the major offset factor is the producing area preference. Improving irrigation efficiencies of rice and cereals is effective because rice requires the largest blue water footprint intensities, considering irrigation efficiency on a calorie content basis in all of the items, whereas cereals are the largest share of calorie-based production quantities in all of the items worldwide. This study provides the foundation for decreasing water balance intensities regarding food production and consumption.
Special Issue: Municipal Wastewater Management
Authors: Prochaska Charikleia
Published: July 2021

Municipal wastewater management is a well-established field in most parts of the world nowadays [...]
How Does China’s New Consumption Era Reshape Residents’ Shopping Behaviors from the Perspective of Community in Hohhot, China
Authors: Niu Fangqu , Wang Fang
Published: July 2021

In the new consumption era, the popularization and application of information technology has continuously enriched residents’ consumption channels, gradually reshaping their consumption concepts and shopping behaviors. In this paper, Hohhot is taken as a case study, using open-source big data and field survey data to theorize the characteristics and mechanism of residents’ shopping behaviors in different segments of consumers based on geography. First, communities were divided into five types according to their location and properties: main communities in urban areas (MCs), historical communities in urban areas (HCs), high-grade communities in the outskirts of the city (HGCs), mid-grade communities in urban peripheries (MGCs), and urban villages (UVs). On this basis, a structural equation model is used to explore the characteristics of residents’ shopping behaviors and their influencing mechanisms in the new consumption era. The results showed that: (1) The online shopping penetration rate of residents in UVs and HCs is lowest, and that of residents in HGC is highest. (2) The types of products purchased in online and offline shopping by different types of community show certain differences. (3) From the perspective of influencing mechanisms, residents’ characteristics directly affect their shopping behaviors and, indirectly (through the choice of community where they live and their consumption attitudes), their differences in shopping behaviors. Different properties of communities cannot directly affect residents’ shopping behaviors, but they can affect them indirectly by influencing consumption attitudes and then affect such behaviors. Typical consumption attitudes of the new era, such as shopping for luxuries and emerging consumption, have the most significant and direct influence on shopping behaviors, as well as an intermediate and variable influence.
How Do Political Features Influence the Co-Production of Government Projects? A Case Study of a Medium-Sized Chinese City
Authors: Ma Wenting , Mu Rui , de Jong Martin
Published: July 2021

Co-production is a solution by which the government provides public services. Co-production theory is built upon Western experience and currently focuses on the types of co-production in different policy stages, the barriers and governance strategies for co-production. However, little attention is paid to how political background will influence the co-production process. To fill the gap, we analyzed a case of co-production that occurred in China, and we characterized the political background as consisting of three main political features: political mobility, central–local relations, and performance measurement. Based on an in-depth case study of a government project in a medium-sized Chinese city, the impact and the changes of political features affecting governmental projects in different co-production stages are analyzed and assessed. We find that political features play a critical role in the co-production of China’s large government projects and may separately and jointly affect co-production. Government performance measurement affects the co-design and co-implementation of projects. Political mobility and changes in local government and performance measurement also affect the co-implementation continuity of the project. Political focus affects the co-design of projects. Central-local relations influence the support from higher government and the actual practices of lower government in the co-implementation stage.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Tourism Industry: Applying TRIZ and DEMATEL to Construct a Decision-Making Model
Authors: Chang Dong-Shang , Wu Wei-De
Published: July 2021

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry is still being sustained, and the response of the tourism industry is an indispensable element that is increasingly recognized. This response has led to the emergence of literature about the impact of COVID-19 on the stakeholders of the tourism industry, thereby contributing to the industry. Nonetheless, the criteria factors and investigated practices for the implementation of decision-making by stakeholders in the tourism industry have not been fully explored. This study adopts Teorija Rezhenija Izobre-tatelskikh Zadach (TRIZ) principles and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) methods to construct a gap model of tourism stakeholders (GMTS) which solves the tourism industry decision-making problem under COVID-19. With a research background in Taiwan’s tourism industry stakeholders made up of 15 expert participants, GMTS identified 11 criteria factors, of which the three most important criteria factors provide decision-making directions. The causal relationship between these criteria factors was examined, and a causal diagram was drawn to clarify the most important criteria factors. This research examined the criteria factor implementation perspective. Travel “bubble zones” that ensure both “safety and quality” were concluded upon under government policies in the countries and regions of the world. Furthermore, the tourism industry is responsible for the overall “planning and management” of the travel “bubble zones”. Therefore, the “quality management” criteria factor provides important key decision-making for tourism stakeholders. The research indicates that it is recommended to attach importance to the “quality management” of the international travel “bubble zone” as the priority decision-making criteria factor under the pandemic. Furthermore, conversion policies and tourism regulations are secondary criteria factors for improvement; when these two criteria factors are immediately improved, other criteria factors will be affected simultaneously and the degree of improvement will be weakened. In addition, GMTS was developed for the tourism industry. The article also provides research literature and practice implications for stakeholders in the tourism industry, thereby providing insight for tourism to obtain a clear understanding of how to prepare for the implementation of sustainable development.
On the Admissibility of Simultaneous Bootstrap Confidence Intervals
Authors: Gao Xin , Konietschke Frank , Li Qiong
Published: July 2021

Simultaneous confidence intervals are commonly used in joint inference of multiple parameters. When the underlying joint distribution of the estimates is unknown, nonparametric methods can be applied to provide distribution-free simultaneous confidence intervals. In this note, we propose new one-sided and two-sided nonparametric simultaneous confidence intervals based on the percentile bootstrap approach. The admissibility of the proposed intervals is established. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed confidence intervals maintain the correct coverage probability for both normal and non-normal distributions. For smoothed bootstrap estimates, we extend Efron’s (2014) nonparametric delta method to construct nonparametric simultaneous confidence intervals. The methods are applied to construct simultaneous confidence intervals for LASSO regression estimates.
Identification and Functional Characterization of the Gene Cluster Responsible for Fusaproliferin Biosynthesis in Fusarium proliferatum
Authors: Ćeranić Asja , Svoboda Thomas , Berthiller Franz , Sulyok Michael , Samson Jonathan Matthew , Güldener Ulrich , Schuhmacher Rainer , Adam Gerhard
Published: July 2021

The emerging mycotoxin fusaproliferin is produced by Fusarium proliferatum and other related Fusarium species. Several fungi from other taxonomic groups were also reported to produce fusaproliferin or the deacetylated derivative, known as siccanol or terpestacin. Here, we describe the identification and functional characterization of the Fusarium proliferatum genes encoding the fusaproliferin biosynthetic enzymes: a terpenoid synthase, two cytochrome P450s, a FAD-oxidase and an acetyltransferase. With the exception of one gene encoding a CYP450 (FUP2, FPRN_05484), knock-out mutants of the candidate genes could be generated, and the production of fusaproliferin and intermediates was tested by LC-MS/MS. Inactivation of the FUP1 (FPRN_05485) terpenoid synthase gene led to complete loss of fusaproliferin production. Disruption of a putative FAD-oxidase (FUP4, FPRN_05486) did not only affect oxidation of preterpestacin III to terpestacin, but also of new side products (11-oxo-preterpstacin and terpestacin aldehyde). In the knock-out strains lacking the predicted acetyltransferase (FUP5, FPRN_05487) fusaproliferin was no longer formed, but terpestacin was found at elevated levels. A model for the biosynthesis of fusaproliferin and of novel derivatives found in mutants is presented.
Borexino Results on Neutrinos from the Sun and Earth
Authors: Kumaran Sindhujha , Ludhova Livia , Penek Ömer , Settanta Giulio
Published: July 2021

Borexino is a 280-ton liquid scintillator detector located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. Since the start of its data-taking in May 2007, it has provided several measurements of low-energy neutrinos from various sources. At the base of its success lie unprecedented levels of radio-purity and extensive thermal stabilization, both resulting from a years-long effort of the collaboration. Solar neutrinos, emitted in the Hydrogen-to-Helium fusion in the solar core, are important for the understanding of our star, as well as neutrino properties. Borexino is the only experiment that has performed a complete spectroscopy of the pp chain solar neutrinos (with the exception of the hep neutrinos contributing to the total flux at 10−5 level), through the detection of pp, 7Be, pep, and 8B solar neutrinos and has experimentally confirmed the existence of the CNO fusion cycle in the Sun. Borexino has also detected geoneutrinos, antineutrinos from the decays of long-lived radioactive elements inside the Earth, that can be exploited as a new and unique tool to study our planet. This paper reviews the most recent Borexino results on solar and geoneutrinos, from highlighting the key elements of the analyses up to the discussion and interpretation of the results for neutrino, solar, and geophysics.
Remarks on Some Results Related to the Thermal Casimir Effect in Einstein and Closed Friedmann Universes with a Cosmic String
Authors: Bezerra Valdir Barbosa , Mota Herondy Francisco Santana , Muniz Celio Rodrigues , Filho Carlos Augusto Romero
Published: July 2021

In this paper, we present a review of some recent results concerning the thermal corrections to the Casimir energy of massless scalar, electromagnetic, and massless spinor fields in the Einstein and closed Friedmann universes with a cosmic string. In the case of a massless scalar field, it is shown that the Casimir energy can be written as a simple sum of two terms; the first one corresponds to the Casimir energy for the massless scalar field in the Einstein and Friedmann universes without a cosmic string, whereas the second one is simply the Casimir energy of the electromagnetic field in these backgrounds, multiplied by a parameter λ=(1/α)−1, where α is a constant that codifies the presence of the cosmic string, and is related to its linear mass density, μ, by the expression α=1−Gμ. The Casimir free energy and the internal energy at a temperature different from zero, as well as the Casimir entropy, are given by similar sums. In the cases of the electromagnetic and massless spinor fields, the Casimir energy, free energy, internal energy, and Casimir entropy are also given by the sum of two terms, similarly to the previous cases, but now with both terms related to the same field. Using the results obtained concerning the mentioned thermodynamic quantities, their behavior at high and low temperatures limits are studied. All these results are particularized to the scenario in which the cosmic string is absent. Some discussions concerning the validity of the Nernst heat theorem are included as well.
Mother-to-Child Transmission of Arboviruses during Breastfeeding: From Epidemiology to Cellular Mechanisms
Authors: Desgraupes Sophie , Hubert Mathieu , Gessain Antoine , Ceccaldi Pierre-Emmanuel , Vidy Aurore
Published: July 2021

Most viruses use several entry sites and modes of transmission to infect their host (parenteral, sexual, respiratory, oro-fecal, transplacental, transcutaneous, etc.). Some of them are known to be essentially transmitted via arthropod bites (mosquitoes, ticks, phlebotomes, sandflies, etc.), and are thus named arthropod-borne viruses, or arboviruses. During the last decades, several arboviruses have emerged or re-emerged in different countries in the form of notable outbreaks, resulting in a growing interest from scientific and medical communities as well as an increase in epidemiological studies. These studies have highlighted the existence of other modes of transmission. Among them, mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) during breastfeeding was highlighted for the vaccine strain of yellow fever virus (YFV) and Zika virus (ZIKV), and suggested for other arboviruses such as Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), dengue virus (DENV), and West Nile virus (WNV). In this review, we summarize all epidemiological and clinical clues that suggest the existence of breastfeeding as a neglected route for MTCT of arboviruses and we decipher some of the mechanisms that chronologically occur during MTCT via breastfeeding by focusing on ZIKV transmission process.
Epitope–Paratope Interaction of a Neutralizing Human Anti-Hepatitis B Virus PreS1 Antibody That Recognizes the Receptor-Binding Motif
Authors: Hong Jisu , Choi Youngjin , Choi Yoonjoo , Lee Jiwoo , Hong Hyo Jeong
Published: July 2021

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a global health burden that causes acute and chronic hepatitis. To develop an HBV-neutralizing antibody that effectively prevents HBV infection, we previously generated a human anti-preS1 monoclonal antibody (1A8) that binds to genotypes A–D and validated its HBV-neutralizing activity in vitro. In the present study, we aimed to determine the fine epitope and paratope of 1A8 to understand the mechanism of HBV neutralization. We performed alanine-scanning mutagenesis on the preS1 (aa 19–34, genotype C) and the heavy (HCDR) and light (LCDR) chain complementarity-determining regions. The 1A8 recognized the three residues (Leu22, Gly23, and Phe25) within the highly conserved receptor-binding motif (NPLGFFP) of the preS1, while four CDR residues of 1A8 were critical in antigen binding. Structural analysis of the epitope–paratope interaction by molecular modeling revealed that Leu100 in the HCDR3, Ala50 in the HCDR2, and Tyr96 in the LCDR3 closely interacted with Leu22, Gly23, and Phe25 of the preS1. Additionally, we found that 1A8 also binds to the receptor-binding motif (NPLGFLP) of infrequently occurring HBV. The results suggest that 1A8 may broadly and effectively block HBV entry and thus have potential as a promising candidate for the prevention and treatment of HBV infection.
Анализ потребительских идеалов в имиджеобразующем пространстве: построение идеальных образов
Authors:   ООО Агентство ", Закускин Сергей Викторович ,   Компас Рисерч"
Published: July 2021

Рассмотрена задача анализа потребительских идеалов в имиджеобразующем пространстве с акцентом на корректность применения методов и интерпретации результатов. Представлены подходы и способы построения образов идеальных товаров/ торговых марок/ фирм в восприятии представителей целевой группы. Обсуждаются вопросы продвижения товара/ торговой марки/ фирмы на основе анализа потребительских идеалов. Приведены примеры решения с использованием предложенного подхода практических задач построения идеальных образов товаров/ торговых марок/ фирм в пространстве предпочтений, анализа конфигурации идеальных образов, их сформированности и дифференциации применительно к созданию стратегии и разработке деталей продвижения. Данная статья является продолжением исследования автора, представленного в №2(97) журнала за 2021 г.
Дифференциация методов управления конкурентоспособностью на примере сервисного рынка услуг
Authors:   Казанский национальный исследовательский технологический университет, Жуковская Ирина Викторовна
Published: July 2021

В научной статье выдвинуты теоретические и практические положения, в совокупности составляющие новый метод управления конкурентоспособностью в сфере услуг. Предложенная автором методика позволяет обеспечить эффективность процесса управления конкурентоспособностью в условиях рынка и нестабильности экономического развития, а также может применяться для последующих научно-теоретических исследований, и в практической деятельности предприятий сферы услуг в ходе выработки эффективных управленческих решений.
Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на управление предприятиями высокотехнологичных отраслей промышленности в контексте их цифровой трансформации: проблемы и новые возможности
Authors:   Российский университет дружбы народов, Кокуйцева Татьяна Владимировна , Харламов Максим Михайлович ,   ФГБУ "НИИ ЦПК имени Ю.А. Гагарина"
Published: July 2021

Пандемия COVID-19 привела к значительным изменениям в подходах к управлению предприятием, создав ряд проблем и открыв новые возможности для развития. Цель исследования – сформулировать рекомендации по управлению предприятием в условиях пандемии и постпандемийный период. Авторами сделан вывод о том, что пандемия повлекла за собой не только проблемы, но и открыла новые возможности в контексте цифровизации. Предложенные авторами рекомендации по управлению предприятием заключаются в использовании возможностей цифровой экономики, переходе к гибким подходам к управлению, росте информационной безопасности и необходимости оптимизации ресурсов и приоритезации реализуемых проектов с точки зрения их экономической эффективности.
Прогнозирование результатов деятельности кредитных учреждений на базе имитационного моделирования
Authors:   Государственный университет управления, Мишин Юрий Владимирович , Оглоблина Анна Валентиновна ,   Государственный университет управления
Published: July 2021

Целью настоящей работы является подготовка предложений по использованию для решения задач планирования и прогнозирования финансовых результатов деятельности кредитных учреждений методов имитационного моделирования. В статье решены следующие вопросы: 1) проведен анализ деятельности кредитных учреждений Российской Федерации, на основе результатов которого были выявлены «болевые точки» - нерешенные проблемы, в том числе управление просроченной ссудной задолженностью; 2) обоснована целесообразность использования для разработки сценариев развития коммерческих банков методов имитационного моделирования; 3) предложен подход на основе имитационного моделирования по установлению влияния размеров просроченной задолженности на показатели и экономические нормативы деятельности.