bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lithochemical Stream Sediments of the Dukat Gold–Silver Ore-Forming System (North–East of Russia)
Authors: Makshakov Artem S. , Kravtsova Raisa G. , Tatarinov Vasiliy V.
Published: December 2019

The composition, structure and formation features of the exogenous anomalous geochemical fields (AGFs) identified by lithochemical stream sediments (LSSs) are considered using the examples of the Dukat gold–silver ore-forming system and the deposit with the same name. The research was carried out in the Balygychan–Sugoy trough (Magadan region, north–east of Russia). Areal geochemical surveys on the 1:200,000 and 1:50,000 scales were conducted. Exogenous AGFs of basic element indicators of all known mineralization types were studied. It is shown that the surveys on the 1:200,000 scale are characterized by simplicity, relative depth and the possibility to obtain information operatively about the metallogeny of the area as a whole. At the same time, the anomalies were revealed as a result of surveys often making a relatively poor component composition and low contrast compared with ores. The violation of quantitative and sometimes qualitative relationships can be seen between elements, especially those related to gold–silver mineralization. In this situation, the most informative are surveys of LSSs on the 1:50,000 scale. The AGFs were revealed as a result of their performance to have a richer component composition and high contrast, conforming to different ore types. It is shown that, while prospecting for gold–silver mineralization with LSSs in cryolithogenesis zone conditions, the binding forms study of mineralization element indicators is effective. In watercourse heads, where alluvium is practically absent, mosses are proposed for sampling, as they hold the sandy silt material firmly. The obtained results are recommended for use at all stages of prospecting, not only in the north–east of Russia but also in other similar climatic regions.
Anthra[1,2-d][1,2,3]triazine-4,7,12(3H)-triones as a New Class of Antistaphylococcal Agents: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation
Authors: Zvarych Viktor , Stasevych Maryna , Novikov Volodymyr , Rusanov Eduard , Vovk Mykhailo , Szweda Piotr , Grecka Katarzyna , Milewski Slawomir
Published: December 2019

The development and spread of resistance of human pathogenic bacteria to the action of commonly used antibacterial drugs is one of the key problems in modern medicine. One of the especially dangerous and easily developing antibiotic resistant bacterial species is Staphylococcus aureus. Anthra[1,2-d][1,2,3]triazine-4,7,12(3H)-triones 22–38 have been developed as novel effective antistaphylococcal agents. These compounds have been obtained by sequential conversion of 1-amino-9,10-dioxo-9,10-dihydroanthracene-2-carboxylic acid (1) and 1-amino-4-bromo-9,10-dioxo-9,10-dihydroanthracene-2-carboxylic acid (2) into the corresponding amides 5–21, followed by subsequent endo-cyclization under the influence of sodium nitrite in acetic acid. Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of the synthesized compounds against selected species of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as pathogenic yeasts of the Candida genus has been carried out by the serial dilution method. It has been established that anthra[1,2-d][1,2,3]triazine-4,7,12(3H)-triones exhibit selective antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Eight, six and seven, out of seventeen compounds tested, effectively inhibited the growth of S. aureus ATCC 25923, S. aureus ATCC 29213 and S. epidermidis ATCC12228, respectively, at a concentration equal to 1 µg/mL or lower. The high antistaphylococcal potential of the most active compounds has been also confirmed against clinical isolates of S. aureus, including the MRSA strains. However, bacteria of the Staphylococcus genus have demonstrated apparent resistance to the novel compounds when grown as a biofilm. None of the four selected compounds 3234 and 36 at a concentration of 64 µg/mL (128 or 256 × MIC—against planktonic cells) has caused any decrease in the metabolic activity of the staphylococcal cells forming the biofilm. The kinetic time–kill assay revealed some important differences in the activity of these substances. Compound 33 is bacteriostatic, while the other three demonstrate bactericidal activity.
In Vitro Effects of Dehydrotrametenolic Acid on Skin Barrier Function
Authors: Choi Eunju , Kang Young-Gyu , Hwang So-Hyeon , Kim Jin Kyeong , Hong Yong Deog , Park Won-Seok , Kim Donghyun , Kim Eunji , Cho Jae Youl
Published: December 2019

Dehydrotrametenolic acid (DTA) is a lanostane-type triterpene acid isolated from Poria cocos Wolf (Polyporaceae). Several studies have reported the anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects of DTA; however, its effects on the skin are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of DTA on skin barrier function in vitro and its regulatory mechanism in human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT cells. DTA increased the microRNA (mRNA) expression of natural moisturizing factor-related genes, such as HAS-2, HAS-3, and AQP3 in HaCaT cells. DTA also upregulated the mRNA expression of various keratinocyte differentiation markers, including TGM-1, involucrin, and caspase-14. Moreover, the protein expression of HAS-2, HAS-3, and TGM-2 were significantly increased by DTA. To examine the regulatory mechanisms of DTA, Western blotting, luciferase-reporter assays, and RT-PCR were conducted. The phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and IκBα were increased in DTA-treated HaCaT cells. In addition, AP-1 and NF-κB transcriptional factors were dose-dependently activated by DTA. Taken together, our in vitro mechanism studies indicate that the regulatory effects of DTA on skin hydration and keratinocyte differentiation are mediated by the MAPK/AP-1 and IκBα/NF-κB pathways. In addition, DTA could be a promising ingredient in cosmetics for moisturizing and increased skin barrier function.
Rigorous Computational and Experimental Investigations on MDM2/MDMX-Targeted Linear and Macrocyclic Peptides
Authors: Diller David J. , Swanson Jon , Bayden Alexander S. , Brown Chris J. , Thean Dawn , Lane David P. , Partridge Anthony W. , Sawyer Tomi K. , Audie Joseph
Published: December 2019

There is interest in peptide drug design, especially for targeting intracellular protein–protein interactions. Therefore, the experimental validation of a computational platform for enabling peptide drug design is of interest. Here, we describe our peptide drug design platform (CMDInventus) and demonstrate its use in modeling and predicting the structural and binding aspects of diverse peptides that interact with oncology targets MDM2/MDMX in comparison to both retrospective (pre-prediction) and prospective (post-prediction) data. In the retrospective study, CMDInventus modules (CMDpeptide, CMDboltzmann, CMDescore and CMDyscore) were used to accurately reproduce structural and binding data across multiple MDM2/MDMX data sets. In the prospective study, CMDescore, CMDyscore and CMDboltzmann were used to accurately predict binding affinities for an Ala-scan of the stapled α-helical peptide ATSP-7041. Remarkably, CMDboltzmann was used to accurately predict the results of a novel D-amino acid scan of ATSP-7041. Our investigations rigorously validate CMDInventus and support its utility for enabling peptide drug design.
Organocatalytic Michael Addition to (D)-Mannitol-Derived Enantiopure Nitroalkenes: A Valuable Strategy for the Synthesis of Densely Functionalized Chiral Molecules
Authors: Caruso Lucia , Puglisi Alessandra , Gillon Emmerance , Benaglia Maurizio
Published: December 2019

Carbohydrates are abundant renewable resources and are a feedstock for green chemistry and sustainable synthesis of the future. Among the hexoses and the pentoses present in biomass, mannitol was selected in the present project as a valuable platform, directly available from the chiral pool, to build highly functionalized molecules. Starting from (R)-2,3-O-cyclohexylidene glyceraldehyde, which is easily prepared in a large scale from D-mannitol, an enantiopure chiral nitro alkene was prepared by reaction with nitromethane, and its reactivity studied. Organocatalytic Michael addition of dimethyl malonate, β-keto esters, and other nucleophiles on the nitro alkene afforded high stereoselectivity and densely functionalized chiral molecules, which were further synthetically developed, leading to five-membered lactones and bicyclic lactams. Preliminary studies showed that the metal-free catalytic reaction on the chiral nitro alkene can be performed under continuous flow conditions, thus enabling the use of (micro)mesofluidic systems for the preparation of enantiomerically pure organic molecules from the chiral pool.
Study of the Effect of Neutral Polysaccharides from Rehmannia glutinosa on Lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Yuan Yanyan , Kang Nianxin , Li Qingxia , Zhang Yali , Liu Yonggang , Tan Peng
Published: December 2019

The problem of an aging society is becoming increasingly acute. Diseases related to aging also come with it. There are some diseases that people can’t treat fundamentally. Therefore, people try to find a natural ingredient from natural medicine to treat these diseases and improve the quality of life of the elderly. With the screening of a large number of traditional Chinese medicines, we found that polysaccharides from Rehmannia glutinous (PRG) can prolong the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Neutral polysaccharide is the main component of PRG. In the present study, we used a C. elegans model to illustrate the stress resistance and lifespan extension effect and mechanism of two kinds of neutral polysaccharide fractions from Rehmannia glutinosa (NPRG), respectively called NPRRP and NPRR. Our data showed that two kinds of neutral polysaccharides fractions could extend the lifespan and delay senescence of wild-type worms. Moreover, the mechanism study revealed that NPRG was able to promote the nuclear localization of DAF-16 resulting in the activation of antioxidant enzymatic systems under oxidative stress. We also observed that NPRG didn’t increase the lifespan of mutants with daf-16 portion loss of function, suggesting NPRG prolonging the lifespan partially required the daf-16 gene on the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway (IIS). NPRG was found to have no effect on Escherichia coli OP50 (E. coli OP50) growth and pharyngeal pump movement of nematodes, indicating that the anti-aging effect of NPRG is not realized by the caloric restriction. However, mRNA levels of daf-2 were remarkably decreased after NPRG treatment. Thus daf-2 lost its inhibitory effect on the expression of daf-16 and had a continuous stimulation effect on the IIS, then prolonged the life of nematodes. Overall, our results illustrated the potential utilization of NPRG as a functional pharmaceutical ingredient to increase stress resistance and extend the life of C. elegans via the IIS, which could be developed as a natural supplement agent.
Cellular Orientation on Repeatedly Stretching Gelatin Hydrogels with Supramolecular Cross-Linkers
Authors: Lee Dae Hoon , Arisaka Yoshinori , Tonegawa Asato , Kang Tae Woong , Tamura Atsushi , Yui Nobuhiko
Published: December 2019

The cytocompatibility of biological and synthetic materials is an important issue for biomaterials. Gelatin hydrogels are used as biomaterials because of their biodegradability. We have previously reported that the mechanical properties of gelatin hydrogels are improved by cross-linking with polyrotaxanes, a supramolecular compound composed of many cyclic molecules threaded with a linear polymer. In this study, the ability of gelatin hydrogels cross-linked by polyrotaxanes (polyrotaxane–gelatin hydrogels) for cell cultivation was investigated. Because the amount of polyrotaxanes used for gelatin fabrication is very small, the chemical composition was barely altered. The structure and wettability of these hydrogels are also the same as those of conventional hydrogels. Fibroblasts adhered on polyrotaxane–gelatin hydrogels and conventional hydrogels without any reduction or apoptosis of adherent cells. From these results, the polyrotaxane–gelatin hydrogels have the potential to improve the mechanical properties of gelatin without affecting cytocompatibility. Interestingly, when cells were cultured on polyrotaxane–gelatin hydrogels after repeated stress deformation, the cells were spontaneously oriented to the stretching direction. This cellular response was not observed on conventional hydrogels. These results suggest that the use of a polyrotaxane cross-linking agent can not only improve the strength of hydrogels but can also contribute to controlling reorientation of the gelatin.
Development of Injection-Molded Polylactide Pieces with High Toughness by the Addition of Lactic Acid Oligomer and Characterization of Their Shape Memory Behavior
Authors: Lascano Diego , Moraga Giovanni , Ivorra-Martinez Juan , Rojas-Lema Sandra , Torres-Giner Sergio , Balart Rafael , Boronat Teodomiro , Quiles-Carrillo Luis
Published: December 2019

This work reports the effect of the addition of an oligomer of lactic acid (OLA), in the 5–20 wt% range, on the processing and properties of polylactide (PLA) pieces prepared by injection molding. The obtained results suggested that the here-tested OLA mainly performs as an impact modifier for PLA, showing a percentage increase in the impact strength of approximately 171% for the injection-molded pieces containing 15 wt% OLA. A slight plasticization was observed by the decrease of the glass transition temperature (Tg) of PLA of up to 12.5 °C. The OLA addition also promoted a reduction of the cold crystallization temperature (Tcc) of more than 10 °C due to an increased motion of the biopolymer chains and the potential nucleating effect of the short oligomer chains. Moreover, the shape memory behavior of the PLA samples was characterized by flexural tests with different deformation angles, that is, 15°, 30°, 60°, and 90°. The obtained results confirmed the extraordinary effect of OLA on the shape memory recovery (Rr) of PLA, which increased linearly as the OLA loading increased. In particular, the OLA-containing PLA samples were able to successfully recover over 95% of their original shape for low deformation angles, while they still reached nearly 70% of recovery for the highest angles. Therefore, the present OLA can be successfully used as a novel additive to improve the toughness and shape memory behavior of compostable packaging articles based on PLA in the new frame of the Circular Economy.
Sea Surface Wind Speed Retrieval from the First Chinese GNSS-R Mission: Technique and Preliminary Results
Authors: Jing Cheng , Niu Xinliang , Duan Chongdi , Lu Feng , Di Guodong , Yang Xiaofeng
Published: December 2019

Launched on 5 June 2019, the BuFeng-1 A/B twin satellites were part of the first Chinese global navigation satellite system reflectometry (GNSS-R) satellite mission. In this letter, a brief introduction of the BF-1 mission and its preliminary results of sea surface wind retrieval are presented. Empirical fully developed sea (FDS) geophysical model functions (GMFs) relating the normalized bistatic radar cross-section to the sea surface wind speed are proposed for the BF-1 GNSS-R instruments. The FDS GMFs are derived from the collocated BF-1 observations, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis data, and the advanced scatterometer (ASCAT) satellite observations. The preliminary tests reveal that the root-mean-square error (RMSE) between the derived wind speed and the reanalysis is 2.63 m/s for wind speeds in the range of 0.5–40.5 m/s. Further comparisons with the ASCAT observations and mooring buoys show that the RMSEs are 2.04 m/s and 1.77 m/s, respectively, at low-to-moderate wind speeds. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of BF-1 and provides a basis for the future GMF development of the BF-1 A/B mission.
Application of Probabilistic and Machine Learning Models for Groundwater Potentiality Mapping in Damghan Sedimentary Plain, Iran
Authors: Arabameri Alireza , Roy Jagabandhu , Saha Sunil , Blaschke Thomas , Ghorbanzadeh Omid , Tien Bui Dieu
Published: December 2019

Groundwater is one of the most important natural resources, as it regulates the earth’s hydrological system. The Damghan sedimentary plain area, located in the region of a semi-arid climate of Iran, has very critical conditions of groundwater due to massive pressure on it and is in need of robust models for identifying the groundwater potential zones (GWPZ). The main goal of the current research is to prepare a groundwater potentiality map (GWPM) considering the probabilistic, machine learning, data mining, and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approaches. For this purpose, 80 wells collected from the Iranian groundwater resource department and field investigation with global positioning system (GPS), have been selected randomly and considered as the groundwater inventory datasets. Out of 80 wells, 56 (70%) wells have been brought into play for modeling and 24 (30%) for validation purposes. Elevation, slope, aspect, convergence index (CI), rainfall, drainage density (Dd), distance to river, distance to fault, distance to road, lithology, soil type, land use/land cover (LU/LC), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), topographic wetness index (TWI), topographic position index (TPI), and stream power index (SPI) have been used for modeling purpose. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC), sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), accuracy (AC), mean absolute error (MAE), and root mean square error (RMSE) are used for checking the goodness-of-fit and prediction accuracy of approaches to compare their performance. In addition, the influence of groundwater determining factors (GWDFs) on groundwater occurrence was evaluated by performing a sensitivity analysis model. The GWPMs, produced by technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), random forest (RF), binary logistic regression (BLR), weight of evidence (WoE) and support vector machine (SVM) have been classified into four categories, i.e., low, medium, high and very high groundwater potentiality with the help of the natural break classification methods in the GIS environment. The very high groundwater potentiality class is covered 15.09% for TOPSIS, 15.46% for WoE, 25.26% for RF, 15.47% for BLR, and 18.74% for SVM of the entire plain area. Based on sensitivity analysis, distance from river, and drainage density represent significantly effects on the groundwater occurrence. validation results show that the BLR model with best prediction accuracy and goodness-of-fit outperforms the other five models. Although, all models have very good performance in modeling of groundwater potential. Results of seed cell area index model that used for checking accuracy classification of models show that all models have suitable performance. Therefore, these are promising models that can be applied for the GWPZs identification, which will help for some needful action of these areas.
Multi-Scale Relationship between Land Surface Temperature and Landscape Pattern Based on Wavelet Coherence: The Case of Metropolitan Beijing, China
Authors: Wu Qiong , Tan Jinxiang , Guo Fengxiang , Li Hongqing , Chen Shengbo
Published: December 2019

The relationship between urban landscape pattern and land surface temperature (LST) is one of the core issues in urban thermal environment research. Although previous studies have shown a significant correlation between LST and landscape pattern, most were conducted at a single scale and rarely involve multi-scale effects of the landscape pattern. Wavelet coherence can relate the correlation between LST and landscape pattern to spatial scale and location, which is an effective multi-scale correlation method. In this paper, we applied wavelet coherence and Pearson correlation coefficient to analyze the multi-scale correlations between landscape pattern and LST, and analyzed the spatial pattern of the urban thermal environment during the urbanization of Beijing from 2004 to 2017 by distribution index of high-temperature center (HTC). The results indicated that the HTC of Beijing gradually expands from the main urban zone and urban function extended zone to the new urban development zone and far suburb zone, and develops from monocentric to polycentric spatial pattern. Land cover types, such as impervious surfaces and bare land, have a positive contribution to LST, while water and vegetation play a role in mitigating LST. The wavelet coherence and Pearson correlation coefficients showed that landscape composition and spatial configuration have significant effects on LST, but landscape composition has a greater effect on LST in Beijing metropolitan area. Landscape composition indexes (NDBI and NDVI) showed significant multi-scale characteristics with LST, especially at larger scales, which has a strong correlation on the whole transect. There was no significant correlation between the spatial configuration indexes (CONTAG, DIVISION, and LSI) and LST at smaller scales, only at larger scales near the urban area has a significant correlation. With the increase of the scale, Pearson correlation coefficient calculated by spatial rectangle sampling and wavelet coherence coefficient have the same trend, although it had some fluctuations in several locations. However, the wavelet coherence coefficient diagram was smoother and less affected by position and rectangle size, which more conducive to describe the correlation between landscape pattern index and LST at different scales and locations. In general, wavelet coherence provides a multi-scale method to analyze the relationship between landscape pattern and LST, helping to understand urban planning and land management to mitigate the factors affecting urban thermal environment.
Automatic Extraction of Built-Up Areas from Very High-Resolution Satellite Imagery Using Patch-Level Spatial Features and Gestalt Laws of Perceptual Grouping
Authors: Chen Yixiang , Lv Zhiyong , Huang Bo , Zhang Pengdong , Zhang Yu
Published: December 2019

Automatic extraction of built-up areas from very high-resolution (VHR) satellite images has received increasing attention in recent years. However, due to the complexity of spectral and spatial characteristics of built-up areas, it is still a challenging task to obtain their precise location and extent. In this study, a patch-based framework was proposed for unsupervised extraction of built-up areas from VHR imagery. First, a group of corner-constrained overlapping patches were defined to locate the candidate built-up areas. Second, for each patch, its salient textures and structural characteristics were represented as a feature vector using integrated high-frequency wavelet coefficients. Then, inspired by visual perception, a patch-level saliency model of built-up areas was constructed by incorporating Gestalt laws of proximity and similarity, which can effectively describe the spatial relationships between patches. Finally, built-up areas were extracted through thresholding and their boundaries were refined by morphological operations. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated on two VHR image datasets. The resulting average F-measure values were 0.8613 for the Google Earth dataset and 0.88 for the WorldView-2 dataset, respectively. Compared with existing models, the proposed method obtains better extraction results, which show more precise boundaries and preserve better shape integrity.
Direction of Arrival Estimation of GPS Narrowband Jammers Using High-Resolution Techniques
Authors: Moussa Mohamed , Osman Abdalla , Tamazin Mohamed , Korenberg Michael J. , Noureldin Aboelmagd
Published: December 2019

GPS jamming is a considerable threat to applications that rely on GPS position, velocity, and time. Jamming detection is the first step in the mitigation process. The direction of arrival (DOA) estimation of jamming signals is affected by resolution. In the presence of multiple jamming sources whose spatial separation is very narrow, an incorrect number of jammers can be detected. Consequently, mitigation will be affected. The ultimate objective of this research is to enhance GPS receivers’ anti-jamming abilities. This research proposes an enhancement to the anti-jamming detection ability of GPS receivers that are equipped with a uniform linear array (ULA) and uniform circular array (UCA). The proposed array processing method utilizes fast orthogonal search (FOS) to target the accurate detection of the DOA of both single and multiple in-band CW jammers. Its performance is compared to the classical method and MUSIC. GPS signals obtained from a Spirent GSS6700 simulator and CW jamming signals were used. The proposed method produces a threefold advantage, higher accuracy DOA estimates, amplitudes, and a correct number of jammers. Therefore, the anti-jamming process can be significantly improved by limiting the erroneous spatial attenuation of GPS signals arriving from an angle close to the jammer.
Distinguishing Emotional Responses to Photographs and Artwork Using a Deep Learning-Based Approach
Authors: Yang Heekyung , Han Jongdae , Min Kyungha
Published: December 2019

Visual stimuli from photographs and artworks raise corresponding emotional responses. It is a long process to prove whether the emotions that arise from photographs and artworks are different or not. We answer this question by employing electroencephalogram (EEG)-based biosignals and a deep convolutional neural network (CNN)-based emotion recognition model. We employ Russell’s emotion model, which matches emotion keywords such as happy, calm or sad to a coordinate system whose axes are valence and arousal, respectively. We collect photographs and artwork images that match the emotion keywords and build eighteen one-minute video clips for nine emotion keywords for photographs and artwork. We hired forty subjects and executed tests about the emotional responses from the video clips. From the t-test on the results, we concluded that the valence shows difference, while the arousal does not.
Quantitative Analysis of Gas Phase IR Spectra Based on Extreme Learning Machine Regression Model
Authors: Ouyang Tinghui , Wang Chongwu , Yu Zhangjun , Stach Robert , Mizaikoff Boris , Liedberg Bo , Huang Guang-Bin , Wang Qi-Jie
Published: December 2019

Advanced chemometric analysis is required for rapid and reliable determination of physical and/or chemical components in complex gas mixtures. Based on infrared (IR) spectroscopic/sensing techniques, we propose an advanced regression model based on the extreme learning machine (ELM) algorithm for quantitative chemometric analysis. The proposed model makes two contributions to the field of advanced chemometrics. First, an ELM-based autoencoder (AE) was developed for reducing the dimensionality of spectral signals and learning important features for regression. Second, the fast regression ability of ELM architecture was directly used for constructing the regression model. In this contribution, nitrogen oxide mixtures (i.e., N2O/NO2/NO) found in vehicle exhaust were selected as a relevant example of a real-world gas mixture. Both simulated data and experimental data acquired using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were analyzed by the proposed chemometrics model. By comparing the numerical results with those obtained using conventional principle components regression (PCR) and partial least square regression (PLSR) models, the proposed model was verified to offer superior robustness and performance in quantitative IR spectral analysis.
Evolution of Green Industrial Growth between Europe and China based on the Energy Consumption Model
Authors: Mao Yanbing , Liu Kui , Zhou Jizhi
Published: December 2019

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are an important factor in the evaluation of green industrial growth, when low GHG emissions along with high industrial growth are expected. In this paper, the improvement of sustainable development of industry in China (2007–2015) was investigated via analysis of the relationships between the GHG emissions and energy consumption in comparison to European countries. A hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was conducted to distinguish industrial growth with GHG emission and energy consumption structures. The results of this research indicated that green industrial growth in Europe had a negative annual rate of GHG emissions. This contributed to the ratio of renewable energy consumption increasing to a maximum of 33% and an average of 16%. In comparison, the GHG emissions in China increased at a rate of 50% to 77% in the main industrial provinces since 2007 with their rapid industrial growth. The rate of GHG emissions decreased after 2012, which was 7% or less than the rate of emissions in the industrial provinces. Contrary to in Europe, the decreasing rate of GHG emissions in China was attributed to the improvement of fossil energy efficiency, as renewable energy consumption was less than 10% in most industrial provinces. Our data analysis identified that the two different energy consumption strategies improved green industrial growth in Europe and China, respectively. Our data analysis identified the two different energy consumption strategies employed by Europe and China, each of which promoted green industrial growth in the corresponding areas. We concluded that China achieved green industrial growth through an increase in energy efficiency through technology updates to decrease GHG emissions, which we call the “China Model.” The “Europe Model” proved to be quite different, having the core characteristic of increasing renewable energy use.
The Influence of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy on the Socio-Economic Sustainability of Farms (the Case of Poland)
Authors: Smędzik-Ambroży Katarzyna , Guth Marta , Stępień Sebastian , Brelik Agnieszka
Published: December 2019

Sustainable development plays an important role in shaping conditions for economic growth, social development and care for the natural environment. The issue was also noticed at the level of the European Union, which is expressed among others by creating sectoral policies, including the Common Agricultural Policy. The aim of the article is to determine the influence of the Common Agricultural Policy on the level of socio-economic sustainability of farms in Poland. The authors formulate a hypothesis that the existing solutions serve the achievement of economic sustainability, determined by the agricultural to non-agricultural income ratio, but they do not provide sustainability of farms in terms of the social element understood as taking income disparities into consideration. In the article, panel regression and the ratio of income from representative FADN farms to average annual gross salary per employee in Poland in the years 2004–2017 were used. It was found that thanks to the support from the Common Agricultural Policy, the average income of farms comes close to the average income of the non-agricultural sector. However, the influence of the subsidies on changes in economic sustainability was uneven in various economic size classes of farms—the strongest farms benefited the most, which means that social sustainability in terms of equal distribution of income was not achieved.
Residents’ Willingness for Centralized Biogas Production in Hebei and Shandong Provinces
Authors: Wang Qiang , Dogot Thomas , Wu Guosheng , Huang Xianlei , Yin Changbin
Published: December 2019

Nowadays, in the North China Plain (NCP), most counties and suburban rural regions are promoting the "coal to gas" program under the situation of strong government support of large and medium-sized centralized biogas production (CBP) projects. This paper is aimed at the CBP projects, focuses on rural residents’ “willingness to use (WTU)”, “willingness to buy (WTB)” and the influencing factors for WTU/WTB. Through the analysis of rural residents from Hebei and Shandong provinces that belong to NCP in this survey, we find that 85% of respondents support the CBP program and the WTB is 63.15 CNY/year per capita, which is much lower than the cost of rural CBP in existing survey regions. The participation of rural residents is not only a manifestation of personal and family characteristics; understanding of environmental knowledge, attitudes, and household energy practices are more important. These non-economic factors seriously affect WTU/WTB. Hence, it is necessary to appropriately increase the government revenue to such projects, strengthen government guidance and publicity, improve the environmental knowledge and attitude of rural residents and guide residents’ practice. Based on a fully understanding of residents’ consumption decision mechanism, we establish a financial support mechanism due to the demand response, adopt a correct calculation for financial support, such as a reasonable subsidy rate, and seek the greatest commonality of cost, financial support, and demand.
The Impact of Soil Erosion on Biodiversity Conservation in Isiala Ngwa North LGA, Southeastern Nigeria
Authors: Asuoha Godson Chinonyerem , Okafor Uchenna Paulinus , Phil-Eze Philip Ogbonnia , Ayadiuno Romanus Udegbunam
Published: December 2019

The impact of soil erosion on the conservation of biodiversity in Isiala Ngwa North LGA, Southeastern Nigeria was examined. Data were obtained through focus group discussions and plant species enumeration. Diversity indices of plant species were derived from quadrat analysis using Shannon Wiener’s diversity index. Eighteen soil samples were collected from agricultural erosion sites in the study area and analysed in the laboratory. The results obtained were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA). The rotated component matrix of the soil properties, as well as plant and animal diversity indices from the PCA isolated three components that together explained 93.821% of the observed variation. The results show that bush clearing in the form of slash and burn, uncoordinated bush burning and harvesting of plant species are the activities that cause soil erosion in the study area. Agro-forestry, bush fallowing, reforestation and legislation on indiscriminate harvesting of plant species were recommended.
Nonlinear Consensus Protocol Modified from Doubly Stochastic Quadratic Operators in Networks of Dynamic Agents
Authors: Abdulghafor Rawad , Almotairi Sultan , Almohamedh Hamad , Turaev Sherzod , Almutairi Badr
Published: December 2019

This article explores nonlinear convergence to limit the effects of the consensus problem that usually occurs in multi-agent systems. Most of the existing research essentially considers the outline of linear protocols, using complex mathematical equations in various orders. In this work, however, we designed and developed an alternative nonlinear protocol based on simple and effective mathematical approaches. The designed protocol in this sense was modified from the Doubly Stochastic Quadratic Operators (DSQO) and was aimed at resolving consensus problems. Therefore, we called it Modified Doubly Stochastic Quadratic Operators (MDSQO). The protocol was derived in the context of coordinated systems to overcome the consensus issue related to multi-agent systems. In the process, we proved that by using the proposed nonlinear protocol, the consensus could be reached via a common agreement among the agents (average consensus) in a fast and easy fashion without losing any initial status. Moreover, the investigated nonlinear protocol of MDSQO realized the reaching consensus always as well as DSQO in some cases, which could not reach consensus. Finally, simulation results were given to prove the validity of the theoretical analysis.
The Impact of Funding on Childhood TB Case Detection in Pakistan
Authors: Malik Amyn A. , Hussain Hamidah , Creswell Jacob , Siddiqui Sara , F. Ahmed Junaid , Madhani Falak , Habib Ali , Khan Aamir J. , Amanullah Farhana
Published: December 2019

This study is a review of routine programmatically collected data to describe the 5-year trend in childhood case notification in Jamshoro district, Pakistan from January 2013 to June 2018 and review of financial data for the two active case finding projects implemented during this period. The average case notification in the district was 86 per quarter before the start of active case finding project in October 2014. The average case notification rose to 322 per quarter during the implementation period (October 2014 to March 2016) and plateaued at 245 per quarter during the post-implementation period (April 2016 to June 2018). In a specialized chest center located in the district, where active case finding was re-introduced during the post implementation period (October 2016), the average case notification was 218 per quarter in the implementation period and 172 per quarter in the post implementation period. In the rest of the district, the average case notification was 160 per quarter in the implementation period and 78 during the post implementation period. The cost per additional child with TB found ranged from USD 28 to USD 42 during the interventions. A continuous stream of resources is necessary to sustain high notifications of childhood TB.
Adaptive Capacities for Diversified Flood Risk Management Strategies: Learning from Pilot Projects
Authors: Cosoveanu Flavia Simona , Buijs Jean-Marie , Bakker Marloes , Terpstra Teun
Published: December 2019

Diversification of flood risk management strategies (FRMS) in response to climate change relies on the adaptive capacities of institutions. Although adaptive capacities enable flexibility and adjustment, more empirical research is needed to better grasp the role of adaptive capacities to accommodate expected climate change effects. This paper presents an analytical framework based on the Adaptive Capacity Wheel (ACW) and Triple-loop Learning. The framework is applied to evaluate the adaptive capacities that were missing, employed, and developed throughout the ‘Alblasserwaard-Vijfheerenlanden’ (The Netherlands) and the ‘Wesermarsch’ (Germany) pilot projects. Evaluations were performed using questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. From the 22 capacities of ACW, three capacities were identified important for diversifying the current FRMS; the capacity to develop a greater variety of solutions, continuous access to information about diversified FRMS, and collaborative leadership. Hardly any capacities related to ‘learning’ and ‘governance’ were mentioned by the stakeholders. From a further reflection on the data, we inferred that the pilot projects performed single-loop learning (incremental learning: ‘are we doing what we do right?’), rather than double-loop learning (reframing: ‘are we doing the right things?’). As the development of the framework is part of ongoing research, some directions for improvement are highlighted.
Regional and Seasonal Distributions of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) Concentrations in Chlorinated Drinking Water Distribution Systems in Korea
Authors: Park Sunyoung , Jung Sungjin , Kim Hekap
Published: December 2019

Volatile N-Nitrosamines (NAs), including N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), an emerging contaminant in drinking water, have been reported to induce cancer in animal studies. This study aims to investigate the regional and seasonal distributions of the concentrations of NDMA, one of the most commonly found NAs with high carcinogenicity, in municipal tap water in Korea. NDMA in water samples was quantitatively determined using high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) as a 5-dimethylamino-1-naphthalenesulfonyl (dansyl) derivative after optimization to dry the SPE adsorbent and remove dimethylamine prior to derivatization. Tap water samples were collected from 41 sites in Korea, each of which was visited once in summer and once in winter. The average (±standard deviation) NDMA concentration among all the sites was 46.6 (±22.7) ng/L, ranging from <0.13 to 80.7 ng/L. Significant NDMA differences in the regions, excluding the Jeju region, were not found, whereas the average NDMA concentration was statistically higher in winter than in summer. A multiple regression analysis for the entire data set indicated a negative relationship between NDMA concentration and water temperature. High levels of NDMA in Korea may pose excessive cancer risks from the consumption of such drinking water.
Plastic deformation of sillimanite Al2SiO5 single crystals under confining pressure and TEM investigation of the induced defect structure
Authors: Doukhan Jean-Claude , Christie John McDougall
Published: December 2019

Sillimanite single crystals oriented to promote slip on [100] (010) and [010] (100) have been deformed in a confining pressure P of 11 kbar either in the stability field of sillimanite (T = 900°C) or of kyanite (T = 500 to 700°C). In the latter case the flow stress is much larger while in TEM one observes widely dissociated ⃗a dislocation (up to a few microns). It is suggested that the accompanying fault corresponds to a thin layer of kyanite and that the polymorphic phase transformation could be favoured by plastic strain. Furthermore, although the initial Schmid's factor is zero for ⃗c glide, this glide which is the easy one of sillimanite is found to be activated in some domains which have rotated during the deformation experiment.
La prière secrète du pontife ou Silence et murmure, des gestes vocaux signifiants dans la tradition religieuse romaine
Authors: Corre Nicolas
Published: December 2019

According to Plutarch, when an incestuous vestal had to be buried, the pontiff performed “ secret (ἀπορρήτους) » prayers. The antic historian does not define the characteristics of these orations, but it is probable that the pontifex murmured or remained mute. These particular modes of speech must be studied as meaningful «vocal gestures » which accompany and clarify the utterance, inside or outside, of the prayer itself. As opposed to the traditional public invocations pronounced clara uoce, the ‘ secret’ prayer constitutes a rite of inversion, characteristic of funerals or purificatory ceremonies. Hiding makes possible to restore an order of the world disturbed by incest. Traditionally, ‘ secret’ prayers are seen as a means of communication with the lower world, characteristic of magical practices. But the pontiff case shows that this model has to be reviewed : the Romans have developed some ‘ tactics’ in order to keep the secret around particular rituals, which we will call sacra occulta and the choice of the secret must be interpreted according to each rite. Silent imprecations like secret sacrifices are not on the border between magic and religion : they enter, on the contrary, perfectly within the framework of the Roman public religion.
Hommes de pouvoirs et hommes de savoirs à Liège entre 1505 et 1557. D’Érard de la Marck à la mainmise impériale : le rôle et la perception des architectes pour les fortifications
Authors: Mora-Dieu Guillaume
Published: December 2019

Men of Power and Men of Knowledge in Liège between 1505 and 1557. From Érard de la Marck to the Imperial grip : Role and Understandings of the Military Architects.

When the Italian Renaissance made its way into our regions, the Principality of Liège remains in the hands of an iconic and powerful prince-bishop, ensuring a certain autonomy to his possessions : Érard de la Marck (1505-1538). His display of power, downtown, reaches quite late the city walls : in 1536, he hires an architect and contractor from Dinant, Paul de Richelle, to design and build the new fortifications of Outremeuse, the district on the right bank of the river Meuse. Quickly, the ways of de Richelle collide with the mediaeval traditions used by the local guild of stonemasons. The man crystallises the resentment amongst the guild and will be assassinated three years after the disappearance of Érard. Meanwhile, Italian military engineers provide advice on all imperial possessions in Northern Europe. Liège can’t escape this flow. Inspired by the gigantic works in Antwerp at the same time, Liège will reveal its allegiance to Charles v in re-building its main entry points to the city.
Les réguliers sous le burin de Michel Van Lochom (1635-1639). Contribution à une iconologie de la sainteté monastique
Authors: Henryot Fabienne
Published: December 2019

Reguliere geestelijkheid gegraveerd door Michel Van Lochom (1635-1639). Bijdrage tot de iconologie van heiligen uit de kloosterorden.

In 1635, en opnieuw in 1639, publiceerde Michel Van Lochom, een Vlaamse graveur die in Parijs woonde, twee reeksen portretten van mannelijke en vrouwelijke heiligen die betrokken waren bij de oprichting en hervorming van religieuze orden. Hun belang ligt in de omstandigheden waarin ze werden gepubliceerd en ook in de bronnen die hen inspireerden. Dit laat zien hoe de Parijse kunstenaars zowel de Jezuïeten als de Antwerpse modellen die populair waren bij het grote publiek, gekopieerd hebben. Ze onthullen ook hoe de graveur zijn werk baseerde op een grondige kennis van de iconografie van heiligen uit de kloosterorden, en ook hoe hij een voor iedereen duidelijke emblematische taal gebruikte. Over de gelijkenis van deze portretten blijft twijfel bestaan. Niettemin maakt de weerglans van de deugden van elke heilige hen gemakkelijk herkenbaar ; aldus worden hun geestelijke zonen en dochters aangespoord hen als rolmodellen te nemen.
« Tu es en Pologne, c’est-à-dire nulle part » : mise en récit de l’Histoire chez les poètes polonais de la deuxième moitié du XXe et du XXIe siècles
Authors: Walczak-Delanois Dorota
Published: December 2019

Les poètes polonais et leur vision de la Pologne, périphrasée autrefois par Alfred Jarry, racontent dans leurs poèmes leurs liens complexes avec ce «nulle part » , leur «polonité » et aussi leur attachement (parfois problématique) à l’Europe. En partant de la tradition du XIXe siècle, la discussion sur la signification nouvelle et ancienne de la nation et de la société se montre toujours aussi importante et enfiévrée. Les diverses stratégies de forme, l’usage de la parabole ou de l’ironie sont présents tout au long du XXe siècle et constituent un héritage pour le XXIe siècle. La version poétique de l’Histoire commune de l’humanité présente dans la diversité des oeuvres a cependant un point commun : la vigilance, l’audace et le combat engagé avec les tabous, jusqu’à la querelle avec la censure – changeante – au cours des deux derniers siècles – ainsi qu’avec les canons de beauté et les modèles esthétiques d’expression.
Modelación matemática hidrológica-hidráulica del escurrimiento superficial en la cuenca del A° Pavón (Santa Fe, Argentina)
Authors: Stenta Hernán , Riccardi Gerardo , Basile Pedro , Scuderi Carlos
Published: December 2019

Se presenta la implementación y calibración preliminar de un modelo matemático distribuido, hidrológico- hidráulico de escurrimiento superficial físicamente basado en la cuenca del A° Pavón (sur de la provincia de Santa Fe). La cuenca tiene una superficie de aproximadamente 3143 km2 y su principal curso es el tramo: canal San Urbano-A. Sauce –A° Pavón, con descarga al río Paraná. Se utilizó como modelo digital del terreno la información proveniente de cartas topográficas del Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), con agregamiento en celdas de 150 m x 150 m. Adicionalmente se contó con información de red de cursos desde cartas topográficas del IGN, imágenes Google Earth ©; recorridas de campo y proyectos existentes. El modelo quedó constituido con 139717 celdas y una red de cursos de 895 km y fue calibrado preliminarmente con información hidrológica e hidráulica de un evento extraordinario ocurrido el 15 de enero de 2017. La explotación del modelo, en este primer nivel de avance, permitió realizar la delimitación de áreas inundadas en la cuenca; la determinación de zonas con riesgo para vidas humanas y mapas de permanencias de agua para el evento extraordinario y una serie de eventos hipotéticos de diferentes recurrencias. Estos resultados son un aporte en la planificación territorial de los recursos hídricos en la zona de estudio. Si bien se evidencia un severo déficit de información, los primeros resultados obtenidos en la transformación lluvia caudal y propagación de escurrimiento superficial son aceptables.