bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biophysical and In Silico Studies of the Interaction between the Anti-Viral Agents Acyclovir and Penciclovir, and Human Serum Albumin
Authors: Abdelhameed Ali S. , Bakheit Ahmed H. , Almutairi Fahad M. , AlRabiah Haitham , Kadi Adnan A.
Published: November 2017

Acyclovir (ACV) and penciclovir (PNV) have been commonly used during the last few decades as potent antiviral agents, especially for the treatment of herpes virus infections. In the present research their binding properties with human serum albumin (HSA) were studied using different advanced spectroscopic and in-silico methods. The interactions between ACV/PNV and HSA at the three investigated temperatures revealed a static type of binding. Extraction of the thermodynamic parameters of the ACV-HSA and PNV-HSA systems from the measured spectrofluorimetric data demonstrated spontaneous interactions with an enthalpy change (∆H0) of −1.79 ± 0.29 and −4.47 ± 0.51 kJ·mol−1 for ACV and PNV, respectively. The entropy change (∆S0) of 79.40 ± 0.95 and 69.95 ± 1.69 J·mol−1·K−1 for ACV and PNV, respectively, hence supported a potential contribution of electrostatic binding forces to the ACV-HSA and PNV-HSA systems. Putative binding of ACV/PNV to HSA, using previously reported site markers, showed that ACV/PNV were bound to HSA within subdomains IIA and IIIA (Sudlow sites I and II). Further confirmation was obtained through molecular docking studies of ACV-HSA and PNV-HSA binding, which confirmed the binding site of ACV/PNV with the most stable configurations of ACV/PNV within the HSA. These ACV/PNV conformers were shown to have free energies of −25.61 and −22.01 kJ·mol−1 for ACV within the HSA sites I and II and −22.97 and −26.53 kJ·mol−1 for PNV in HSA sites I and II, with hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces being the main binding forces in such conformers.
Non-Covalent Loading of Anti-Cancer Doxorubicin by Modularizable Peptide Self-Assemblies for a Nanoscale Drug Carrier
Authors: Tomizaki Kin-ya , Kishioka Kohei , Kataoka Shunsuke , Miyatani Makoto , Ikeda Takuya , Komada Mami , Imai Takahito , Usui Kenji
Published: November 2017

We prepared nanoscale, modularizable, self-assembled peptide nanoarchitectures with diameters less of than 20 nm by combining β-sheet-forming peptides tethering a cell-penetrating peptide or a nuclear localization signal sequence. We also found that doxorubicin (Dox), an anti-cancer drug, was non-covalently accommodated by the assemblies at a ratio of one Dox molecule per ten peptides. The Dox-loaded peptide assemblies facilitated cellular uptake and subsequent nuclear localization in HeLa cells, and induced cell death even at low Dox concentrations. This peptide nanocarrier motif is a promising platform for a biocompatible drug delivery system by altering the targeting head groups of the carrier peptides.
Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Fano-Like Resonance between Optical Phonon and Excitons in CdSe Quantum Dots: Dependence of Coherent Vibrational Wave-Packet Dynamics on Pump Fluence
Authors: Nadtochenko Victor , Denisov Nikolay , Aybush Arseniy , Gostev Fedor , Shelaev Ivan , Titov Andrey , Umanskiy Stanislav , Cherepanov and Dmitry
Published: November 2017

The main goal of the present work is to study the coherent phonon in strongly confined CdSe quantum dots (QDs) under varied pump fluences. The main characteristics of coherent phonons (amplitude, frequency, phase, spectrogram) of CdSe QDs under the red-edge pump of the excitonic band [1S(e)-1S3/2(h)] are reported. We demonstrate for the first time that the amplitude of the coherent optical longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon at 6.16 THz excited in CdSe nanoparticles by a femtosecond unchirped pulse shows a non-monotone dependence on the pump fluence. This dependence exhibits the maximum at pump fluence ~0.8 mJ/cm2. At the same time, the amplitudes of the longitudinal acoustic (LA) phonon mode at 0.55 THz and of the coherent wave packet of toluene at 15.6, 23.6 THz show a monotonic rise with the increase of pump fluence. The time frequency representation of an oscillating signal corresponding to LO phonons revealed by continuous wavelet transform (CWT) shows a profound destructive quantum interference close to the origin of distinct (optical phonon) and continuum-like (exciton) quasiparticles. The CWT spectrogram demonstrates a nonlinear chirp at short time delays, where the chirp sign depends on the pump pulse fluence. The CWT spectrogram reveals an anharmonic coupling between optical and acoustic phonons.
Micronutrient Dietary Intake in Latina Pregnant Adolescents and Its Association with Level of Depression, Stress, and Social Support
Authors: Singh Angelie , Trumpff Caroline , Genkinger Jeanine , Davis Alida , Spann Marisa , Werner Elizabeth , Monk Catherine
Published: November 2017

Adolescent pregnant women are at greater risk for nutritional deficits, stress, and depression than their adult counterparts, and these risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes are likely interrelated. This study evaluated the prevalence of nutritional deficits in pregnant teenagers and assessed the associations among micronutrient dietary intake, stress, and depression. One hundred and eight pregnant Latina adolescents completed an Automated Self-Administered 24-hour dietary recall (ASA24) in the 2nd trimester. Stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale and the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were evaluated with the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale. Social support satisfaction was measured using the Social Support Questionnaire. More than 50% of pregnant teenagers had an inadequate intake (excluding dietary supplement) of folate, vitamin A, vitamin E, iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. Additionally, >20% of participants had an inadequate intake of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, copper, and selenium. Prenatal supplement inclusion improved dietary intake for most micronutrients except for calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous, (>50% below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)) and for copper and selenium (>20% below the EAR). Higher depressive symptoms were associated with higher energy, carbohydrates, and fats, and lower magnesium intake. Higher social support satisfaction was positively associated with dietary intake of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and zinc. The findings suggest that mood and dietary factors are associated and should be considered together for health interventions during adolescent pregnancy for the young woman and her future child.
Inhibitory Effect of Arachis hypogaea (Peanut) and Its Phenolics against Methylglyoxal-Derived Advanced Glycation End Product Toxicity
Authors: Park Sin , Do Moon , Lee Jae , Jeong Minsun , Lim Oh , Kim Sun
Published: November 2017

Methylglyoxal (MGO) is a highly reactive dicarbonyl compound that causes endothelial dysfunction and plays important roles in the development of diabetic complications. Peanuts are rich in energy, minerals, and antioxidants. Here, we report the potential beneficial effects of peanuts, and particularly the phenolic contents, against MGO-mediated cytotoxicity. Firstly, we optimized the extraction conditions for maximum yield of phenolics from peanuts by examining different processing methods and extraction solvents. To estimate the phenolic contents of peanut extracts, a simultaneous analysis method was developed and validated by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. We found that roasted peanuts and their 80% methanol extracts showed the highest amount of total phenolics. Secondly, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of phenolics and peanut extracts against MGO-mediated cytotoxicity. Phenolics and peanut extracts were observed to inhibit advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation as well as to break preformed AGEs. Furthermore, pretreatment with peanut extracts significantly inhibited MGO-induced cell death and reactive oxygen species production in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Peanut extracts prevented MGO-induced apoptosis by increasing Bcl-2 expression and decreasing Bax expression, and MGO-mediated activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). In conclusion, the constituents of peanuts may prevent endothelial dysfunction and diabetic complications.
Pilot Study: Comparison of Sourdough Wheat Bread and Yeast-Fermented Wheat Bread in Individuals with Wheat Sensitivity and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Authors: Laatikainen Reijo , Koskenpato Jari , Hongisto Sanna-Maria , Loponen Jussi , Poussa Tuija , Huang Xin , Sontag-Strohm Tuula , Salmenkari Hanne , Korpela Riitta
Published: November 2017

Many patients suspect wheat as being a major trigger of their irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms. Our aim was to evaluate whether sourdough wheat bread baked without baking improvers and using a long dough fermentation time (>12 h), would result in lower quantities of alpha-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) and Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides and Polyols (FODMAPs), and would be better tolerated than yeast-fermented wheat bread for subjects with IBS who have a poor subjective tolerance to wheat. The study was conducted as a randomised double-blind controlled 7-day study (n = 26). Tetrameric ATI structures were unravelled in both breads vs. baking flour, but the overall reduction in ATIs to their monomeric form was higher in the sourdough bread group. Sourdough bread was also lower in FODMAPs. However, no significant differences in gastrointestinal symptoms and markers of low-grade inflammation were found between the study breads. There were significantly more feelings of tiredness, joint symptoms, and decreased alertness when the participants ate the sourdough bread (p ≤ 0.03), but these results should be interpreted with caution. Our novel finding was that sourdough baking reduces the quantities of both ATIs and FODMAPs found in wheat. Nonetheless, the sourdough bread was not tolerated better than the yeast-fermented bread.
High Neonatal Blood Iron Content Is Associated with the Risk of Childhood Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Kyvsgaard Julie , Overgaard Anne , Thorsen Steffen , Hansen Thomas , Pipper Christian , Mortensen Henrik , Pociot Flemming , Svensson Jannet
Published: November 2017

(1) Background: Iron requirement increases during pregnancy and iron supplementation is therefore recommended in many countries. However, excessive iron intake may lead to destruction of pancreatic β-cells. Therefore, we aim to test if higher neonatal iron content in blood is associated with the risk of developing type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) in childhood; (2) Methods: A case-control study was conducted, including 199 children diagnosed with T1D before the age of 16 years from 1991 to 2005 and 199 controls matched on date of birth. Information on confounders was available in 181 cases and 154 controls. Iron was measured on a neonatal single dried blood spot sample and was analyzed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate if iron content in whole blood was associated with the risk of T1D; (3) Results: A doubling of iron content increased the odds of developing T1D more than two-fold (odds ratio (95% CI), 2.55 (1.04; 6.24)). Iron content increased with maternal age (p = 0.04) and girls had higher content than boys (p = 0.01); (4) Conclusions: Higher neonatal iron content associates to an increased risk of developing T1D before the age of 16 years. Iron supplementation during early childhood needs further investigation, including the causes of high iron in neonates.
Development and Characterisation of the Imiquimod Poly(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl Methacrylate) Hydrogel Dressing for Keloid Therapy
Authors: Lin Wei-Chih , Liou Sin-Han , Kotsuchibashi Yohei
Published: November 2017

The imiquimod-poly(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate) hydrogel (poly(MEO2MA) hydrogel) dressing was developed for the keloid therapy application. Four groups of the hydrogels, including the imiquimod-poly(MEO2MA) hydrogel, crosslinked with 0.2 mol %, 0.4 mol %, 0.6 mol %, and 0.8 mol % of di(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate cross-linker (DEGDMA), were synthesised and characterised for fabricating the imiquimod-poly(MEO2MA) hydrogel pad. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the poly(MEO2MA) hydrogel was measured at approximately 28 °C and was used as a trigger to control the imiquimod loading and release. The loaded amounts of the imiquimod in the poly(MEO2MA) hydrogel, crosslinked with 0.2 mol % and 0.8 mol % of DEGDMA, were about 27.4 μg and 14.1 μg per 1 mm3 of the hydrogel, respectively. The imiquimod-release profiles of two samples were characterised in a phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution at 37 °C and the released imiquimod amount were about 45% and 46% of the total loaded imiquimod. The Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was utilised to analyse the cell viability of keloid fibroblasts cultured on the samples of imiquimod-poly(MEO2MA) hydrogel, crosslinked with 0.2 mol % and 0.8 mol % of DEGDMA. There was around a 34% decrease of the cell viabilities after 2 days, compared with the pure-poly(MEO2MA) hydrogel samples. Therefore, the developed imiquimod-poly(MEO2MA) hydrogel dressing can affect the proliferation of keloid fibroblasts. It should be possible to utilise the hydrogel dressing for the keloid therapy application.
Propene Polymerization with C1-Symmetric Fluorenyl-Metallocene Catalysts
Authors: Boggioni Laura , Cornelio Massimiliano , Losio Simona , Razavi Abbas , Tritto Incoronata
Published: November 2017

Propene homopolymers have been produced by employing three C1-symmetric metallocene molecules (1, 2 and 3), each having t-butyl substituent(s) on the Cp, on the fluorenyl or on both aromatic moieties activated with methylaluminoxane at different polymerization temperatures and monomer concentrations. Polymers’ microstructures determined by 13C NMR spectroscopy suggest that the otherwise dominant alternating mechanism governed by the chain migratory insertion is largely replaced by the competing site epimerization mechanism, as a direct result of the imposing steric bulk of the t-butyl substituent on one of the distal positions of the Cp moiety. This phenomenon is more pronounced with 3 when a second t-butyl is present in the same half-space of the molecule making the site epimerization mandatory. The lower activity of catalyst 3 with respect to catalyst 2 is also in line with the necessity for the polymer chain to back-skip (or the site to epimerize) to its original position before the subsequent monomer insertion. Chain end group analyses by 1H NMR spectroscopy have revealed that the formation of vinylidene end groups, either via β-H elimination or as a result of direct chain transfer to the monomer after an ordinary 1,2-insertion is the prevailing chain termination route. A correlation between the relative concentrations of vinylidene end groups of polypropene (PP) polymers produced with each catalyst and the corresponding polypropenes’ molar masses was found, indicating the lower the relative concentrations of vinylidene end groups, the higher the molar masses.
Stereocomplexation, Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Conetworks Composed of Star-Shaped l-Lactide, d-Lactide and ε-Caprolactone Oligomers Utilizing Sugar Alcohols as Core Molecules
Authors: Sugane Kaito , Takahashi Hayato , Shimasaki Toshiaki , Teramoto Naozumi , Shibata Mitsuhiro
Published: November 2017

It is important to develop tailor-made biodegradable/biocompatible polymer networks usable for biomaterials whose thermal and mechanical properties are easily controlled by changing the composition. We synthesized sugar-alcohol-based polymer networks (SPN-mscLAO/3CLO, m = 4, 5 or 6) by the crosslinking reactions of erythritol, xylitol or sorbitol-based m-armed star-shaped l-lactide and d-lactide oligomers (HmSLLAO and HmSDLAO), a glycerol-based 3-armed star-shaped ε-caprolactone oligomer (H3SCLO) and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) at the weight ratios of HmSLLAO/HmSDLAO = 1/1 and (HmSLLAO + HmSDLAO)/H3CLO = 100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 or 0/100). The influence of the arm number on the crystallization behavior, thermal and mechanical properties of SPN-mscLAO/3CLOs were systematically investigated by comparing with those of sugar-alcohol-based homochiral polymer network (SPN-mLLAO, m = 4, 5 or 6) prepared by the reaction of HmSLLAO and HDI. Stereocomplex (sc) crystallites are dominantly formed for SPN-mscLAO/3CLOs 100/0–25/75, whereas SPN-mLLAOs were amorphous. The higher order of melting temperature of sc-crystals for SPN-mscLAO/3CLOs 100/0–25/75 was m = 5 > m = 6 > m = 4. The sc-crystallinities of SPN-4scLAO/3CLOs 100/0–50/50 were significantly lower than those of SPN-mscLAO/3CLOs 100/0–50/50 (m = 5 and 6). The larger order of the sc-spherulite size at crystallization temperature of 110 °C was m = 5 > m = 6 > m = 4 for SPN-mscLAO/3CLO 100/0. The size and number of sc-spherulites decreased with increasing crystallization temperature over the range of 110–140 °C and with increasing CLO fraction. Among all the networks, SPN-5scLAO/3CLOs 75/25 and 50/50 exhibited the highest and second highest tensile toughnesses (21.4 and 20.3 MJ·m−3), respectively.
3D Biofabrication of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU)/Poly-l-lactic Acid (PLLA) Electrospun Nanofibers Containing Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) for Tissue Engineering Aortic Heart Valve
Authors: Fallahiarezoudar Ehsan , Ahmadipourroudposht Mohaddeseh , Yusof Noordin Mohd , Idris Ani , Ngadiman Nor Hasrul Akhmal
Published: November 2017

Valvular dysfunction as the prominent reason of heart failure may causes morbidity and mortality around the world. The inability of human body to regenerate the defected heart valves necessitates the development of the artificial prosthesis to be replaced. Besides, the lack of capacity to grow, repair or remodel of an artificial valves and biological difficulty such as infection or inflammation make the development of tissue engineering heart valve (TEHV) concept. This research presented the use of compound of poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and maghemite nanoparticle (γ-Fe2O3) as the potential biomaterials to develop three-dimensional (3D) aortic heart valve scaffold. Electrospinning was used for fabricating the 3D scaffold. The steepest ascent followed by the response surface methodology was used to optimize the electrospinning parameters involved in terms of elastic modulus. The structural and porosity properties of fabricated scaffold were characterized using FE-SEM and liquid displacement technique, respectively. The 3D scaffold was then seeded with aortic smooth muscle cells (AOSMCs) and biological behavior in terms of cell attachment and proliferation during 34 days of incubation was characterized using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and confocal laser microscopy. Furthermore, the mechanical properties in terms of elastic modulus and stiffness were investigated after cell seeding through macro-indentation test. The analysis indicated the formation of ultrafine quality of nanofibers with diameter distribution of 178 ± 45 nm and 90.72% porosity. In terms of cell proliferation, the results exhibited desirable proliferation (109.32 ± 3.22% compared to the control) of cells over the 3D scaffold in 34 days of incubation. The elastic modulus and stiffness index after cell seeding were founded to be 22.78 ± 2.12 MPa and 1490.9 ± 12 Nmm2, respectively. Overall, the fabricated 3D scaffold exhibits desirable structural, biological and mechanical properties and has the potential to be used in vivo.
A Novel Method of Unsupervised Change Detection Using Multi-Temporal PolSAR Images
Authors: Liu Wensong , Yang Jie , Zhao Jinqi , Yang Le
Published: November 2017

The existing unsupervised change detection methods using full-polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) do not use all the polarimetric information, and the results are subject to the influence of noise. In order to solve these problems, a novel automatic and unsupervised change detection approach based on multi-temporal full PolSAR images is presented in this paper. The proposed method integrates the advantages of the test statistic, generalized statistical region merging (GSRM), and generalized Gaussian mixture model (GMM) techniques. It involves three main steps: (1) the difference image (DI) is obtained by the likelihood-ratio parameter based on a test statistic; (2) the GSRM method is applied to the DI; and (3) the DI, after segmentation, is automatically analyzed by the generalized GMM to generate the change detection map. The generalized GMM is derived under a non-Gaussian assumption for modeling the distributions of the changed and unchanged classes, and automatically identifies the optimal number of components. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated with multi-temporal PolSAR images acquired by Radarsat-2 over the city of Wuhan in China. The experimental results show that the overall accuracy of the change detection results is improved and the false alarm rate reduced, when compared with some of the traditional change detection methods.
Improved Durability and Sensitivity of Bitterness-Sensing Membrane for Medicines
Authors: Wu Xiao , Onitake Hideya , Huang Zhiqin , Shiino Takeshi , Tahara Yusuke , Yatabe Rui , Ikezaki Hidekazu , Toko Kiyoshi
Published: November 2017

This paper reports the improvement of a bitterness sensor based on a lipid polymer membrane consisting of phosphoric acid di-n-decyl ester (PADE) as a lipid and bis(1-butylpentyl) adipate (BBPA) and tributyl o-acetylcitrate (TBAC) as plasticizers. Although the commercialized bitterness sensor (BT0) has high sensitivity and selectivity to the bitterness of medicines, the sensor response gradually decreases to almost zero after two years at room temperature and humidity in a laboratory. To reveal the reason for the deterioration of the response, we investigated sensor membranes by measuring the membrane potential, contact angle, and adsorption amount, as well as by performing gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). We found that the change in the surface charge density caused by the hydrolysis of TBAC led to the deterioration of the response. The acidic environment generated by PADE promoted TBAC hydrolysis. Finally, we succeeded in fabricating a new membrane for sensing the bitterness of medicines with higher durability and sensitivity by adjusting the proportions of the lipid and plasticizers.
Deep Recurrent Neural Networks for Human Activity Recognition
Authors: Murad Abdulmajid , Pyun Jae-Young
Published: November 2017

Adopting deep learning methods for human activity recognition has been effective in extracting discriminative features from raw input sequences acquired from body-worn sensors. Although human movements are encoded in a sequence of successive samples in time, typical machine learning methods perform recognition tasks without exploiting the temporal correlations between input data samples. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) address this issue by using convolutions across a one-dimensional temporal sequence to capture dependencies among input data. However, the size of convolutional kernels restricts the captured range of dependencies between data samples. As a result, typical models are unadaptable to a wide range of activity-recognition configurations and require fixed-length input windows. In this paper, we propose the use of deep recurrent neural networks (DRNNs) for building recognition models that are capable of capturing long-range dependencies in variable-length input sequences. We present unidirectional, bidirectional, and cascaded architectures based on long short-term memory (LSTM) DRNNs and evaluate their effectiveness on miscellaneous benchmark datasets. Experimental results show that our proposed models outperform methods employing conventional machine learning, such as support vector machine (SVM) and k-nearest neighbors (KNN). Additionally, the proposed models yield better performance than other deep learning techniques, such as deep believe networks (DBNs) and CNNs.
Measuring the Efficiency of Education and Technology via DEA approach: Implications on National Development
Authors: Xu Huan , Liu Fangtao
Published: November 2017

The aim of this paper is to provide a new approach for assessing the input–output efficiency of education and technology for national science and education department. We used the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method to analyze the efficiency sharing activities in education and technology sector, and classify input variables and output variables accordingly. Using the panel data in the education and technology sector of 53 countries, we found that the countries with significant progress in educational efficiency and technological efficiency mainly concentrated in East Asia, especially in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and some other developing countries. We further evaluate the effect of educational and technological efficiencies on national competitiveness, balanced development of the country, national energy efficiency, export, and employment. We found that the efficiency of science and technology has an effect on the balanced development of the country, but that of education has played a counter-productive role; Educational efficiency has a large role and related the country’s educational development. In addition, using the panel data analysis, we showed that educational and technological efficiency has different degrees of contributions to the development from 2000 to 2014. It mainly depends on the economic development progress and the push for the education and technological policy. The proposed approach in this paper provides the decision-making support for the education and technological policy formulation, specially the selection of the appropriate education and technological strategies for resource allocation and process evaluation.
Adoption of Organic Farming as an Opportunity for Syrian Farmers of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Structural Equation Modelling
Authors: Issa Irwa , Hamm Ulrich
Published: November 2017

Exporting organic fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV) to the European Union could represent a great opportunity for Syrian farmers and exporters. Yet, the organic sector in Syria is comparatively young and only a very small area of FFV is organically managed. To date, little is known about Syrian farmers’ attitudes towards organic FFV production. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the intentions and attitudes of Syrian farmers of FFV towards organic farming and how likely they are to convert their farms to organic production within the next five years. Using a two-stage cluster sampling procedure, 266 conventional farmers of FFV in 75 villages located in different districts of Syria’s coastal region were selected for this survey. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews by a project partner in Syria (Citrus Fruit Board in Tartous) from December 2012 until mid-May 2013. We used the Theory of Planned Behaviour as theoretical framework and Partial Least Squares Path Modelling as the main tool for data analysis. The results show that most farmers used at least one of the practices that are also part of certified organic production (throughout this article, the term organic agriculture, farming, and/or production always refer to certified organic agricultural production), and hold strong positive attitudes and intentions to adopt organic production within the next five years.
Energy and Economic Performance of Plant-Shaded Building Façade in Hot Arid Climate
Authors: Haggag Mahmoud , Hassan Ahmed , Qadir Ghulam
Published: November 2017

The use of vegetated walls and intensive plantation around buildings has increased in popularity in hot and arid climates, such as those in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is due to its contribution towards reducing the heat gain and increasing the occupants’ comfort levels in spaces. This paper examines the introduction of plant-shaded walls as passive technique to reduce heat gain in indoor spaces as a strategy to lower cooling demand in hot arid climate of Al-Ain city. Experimental work was carried out to analyze the impact of using plantation for solar control of residential building façades in extreme summer. External and internal wall surface and ambient temperatures were measured for plant-shaded and bare walls. The study concluded that shading effect of the intensive plantation can reduce peak time indoor air temperature by 12 °C and reduce the internal heat gain by 2 kWh daily in the tested space. The economic analysis reveals a payback period of 10 years considering local energy tariff excluding environmental savings.
The Effect of Cross-Border E-Commerce on China’s International Trade: An Empirical Study Based on Transaction Cost Analysis
Authors: Wang (Avery. W) Yu , Wang Yi , Lee Soo
Published: November 2017

Reducing transaction costs by means of policy intervention could generate comparative advantages and contribute to the growth of international trade. Chinese government agencies have introduced a number of policies in support of rapidly growing cross-border e-commerce to promote China’s international trade. However, the previous literature has not empirically verified the precise effect of these policies on the growth of international trade while focusing on the impact of cross-border e-commerce on trade distance and consumer welfare. To address this gap, this paper investigates the impact of cross-border e-commerce on international trade in the context of China, mainly from the perspective of transaction cost economics in conjunction with the traditional comparative advantage model by analyzing information cost, negotiation cost, transportation cost, tariffs and middlemen cost separately. Firstly, the new theoretical model suggests that cross-border e-commerce may have a positive role in promoting international trade only when the negative impact caused by tariff cost and transportation cost is offset. Secondly, our result shows that cross-border e-commerce has a positive effect on the growth of China’s international trade in each year. However, the positive effect does not show incremental growth over time, possibly as a result of the weak implementation of favorable policies in trade, in addition to global trade shrinking.
Living in the “Ghost City”: Media Discourses and the Negotiation of Home in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: Yin Duo , Qian Junxi , Zhu Hong
Published: November 2017

Ordos is notoriously represented in media discourses as one of China’s principal “ghost cities”, with skyscrapers, apartment estates and grandiose squares largely unoccupied. The “ghost city” emerges from massive (over)investment in the urban built environment. Aware that economic and financial sustainability are in question, we nonetheless choose to investigate this issue from the perspective of social sustainability, utilizing a theoretical framework informed by geographies of home. Relatively little analysis has thus far been applied to local residents’ everyday practice and agency in making place and home in allegedly “unhomely” ghost cities. This article first examines media discourses and representations of the “ghostly” aspect of the new town in Ordos. It then investigates the ways in which local residents practice and perform their place identity and sense of home in an alleged “ghost city”. Our empirical research in Kangbashi New Town demonstrates that the discourse of ghost cities is valid in so far as we take into account the local residents’ engagement in a process of home-making from below. This sense of place is created by connecting new and old homes, and constructing an emotionally delineated place identity. We argue that the issue of social sustainability in Ordos is multifaceted, and more nuanced than it has hitherto been represented in media reports.
Trade-Offs between Economic and Environmental Optimization of the Forest Biomass Generation Supply Chain in Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: Zhang Min , Wang Guangyu , Gao Yi , Wang Zhenqi , Mi Feng
Published: November 2017

The utilization of forest residue to produce forest biomass energy can mitigate CO2 emissions and generate additional revenue for related eco-enterprises and farmers. In China, however, the benefit of this utilization is still in question because of high costs and CO2 emissions in the entire supply chain. In this paper, a multi-objective linear programming model (MLP) is employed to analyze the trade-offs between the economic and environmental benefits of all nodes within the forest biomass power generation supply chain. The MLP model is tested in the Mao Wu Su biomass Thermoelectric Company. The optimization results show that (1) the total cost and CO2 emissions are decreased by US$98.4 thousand and 60.6 thousand kg, respectively; 3750 thousand kg of waste-wood products is reduced and 3750 thousand kg of sandy shrub stubble residue is increased; (2) 64% of chipped sandy shrub residue is transported directly from the forestland to the power plant, 36% of non-chipped sandy shrub residue is transported from the forestland to the power plant via the chipping plant; (3) transportation and chipping play a significant role in the supply chain; and (4) the results of a sensitivity analysis show that the farmer’s average transportation distance should be 84.13 km and unit chipping cost should be $0.01022 thousand for the optimization supply cost and CO2 emissions. Finally, we suggest the following: (1) develop long-term cooperation with farmers; (2) buy chain-saws for regularly used farmers; (3) build several chipping plants in areas that are rich in sandy shrub.
The Development of Improved Incremental Models Using Local Granular Networks with Error Compensation
Authors: Yeom Chan-Uk , Kwak Keun-Chang
Published: November 2017

In this paper, we use the fundamental idea of the incremental model (IM) and develop the design framework. The design method of IM is composed of two steps. In the first step, we perform a linear regression (LR) as the global model. In the second step, the errors obtained by the global model are predicted by fuzzy if-then rules generated through a local linguistic model. Although the effectiveness of IM has been demonstrated in various prediction examples, we propose an improved incremental model (IIM) to deal with complex nonlinear characteristics. For this purpose, we employ adaptive neuro-fuzzy networks (ANFN) or radial basis function networks (RBFN) to create local granular networks in the design of IIM. Furthermore, we use quadratic regression (QR) as a global model, because linear relationship of LR may not hold in many settings. Numerical studies concern four datasets (automobile data, energy efficiency data, Boston housing data and computer hardware data). The experimental results demonstrate that IIM outperformed the previous models.
Schistosoma mansoni-Associated Morbidity among Preschool-Aged Children along the Shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda
Authors: Nalugwa Allen , Nuwaha Fred , Tukahebwa Edridah , Olsen Annette
Published: November 2017

Schistosoma mansoni causes morbidity in human beings, with the highest prevalence in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Prolonged S. mansoni infection with egg deposition in intestinal blood vessels leads to liver and spleen enlargement, and thus chronic morbidity. The objective of this study was to assess whether preschool-aged children develop severe S. mansoni-related morbidity. Parasitological, clinical, and ultrasonographic examinations were carried out in 916 preschool-aged children in five schistosomiasis-endemic districts (Bugiri, Buikwe, Jinja, Mayuge, and Namayingo) along the Lake Victoria shoreline in east-central Uganda. Anaemia and anthropometry measurements were also taken. Using the Kato-Katz technique on one stool sample collected on three consecutive days, 74.9% (686/916) were found infected with S. mansoni; the majority were lightly infected (57.9%), while 22.7% and 19.4% were moderately and heavily infected, respectively. The overall geometric mean intensity (GMI) of infected children was 294.2 eggs per gram faeces. Mayuge and Jinja districts had the highest (51.2%) and lowest (2.2%) number of infected children, respectively. Hookworm infection was found in 7.8% (71/916) of the children. Both liver and spleen were significantly more enlarged in the infected children than in the uninfected children (p < 0.0005), as measured by ultrasonography. Physical palpation of the spleen was more often detected in the uninfected children. A significantly (p < 0.0005) higher proportion of S. mansoni-positive children were anaemic (359/686; 52.3%) compared to the children who had no eggs in their stool samples (81/230; 35.2%). Schistosoma mansoni infection did not have any severe effect on the nutrition status of preschool-aged children. Neither infected nor uninfected children were found to be underweight or stunted. Liver fibrosis with distinct Symmer’s ‘pipe stems’ was found in a few heavily-infected children (0.3%). In a linear multivariable regression analysis, age of the child, anaemia, liver fibrosis, and size of the left liver lobe were associated with S. mansoni intensity of infection (adjusted R2 = 0.11; p < 0.0005). Our results demonstrate that S. mansoni-related morbidity does develop in children less than six years of age, and that older children (37–60 months) are at higher risk (regression coefficient 0.33; p <0.0005) compared to younger ones (12–36 months). We recommend that preschool-aged children be included in the target population for schistosomiasis mass treatment so as to prevent the childhood chronic form of schistosomiasis.
Structure and Function of Caliciviral RNA Polymerases
Authors: Lee Ji-Hye , Chung Mi , Kim Kyung
Published: November 2017

Caliciviruses are a leading agent of human and animal gastroenteritis and respiratory tract infections, which are growing concerns in immunocompromised individuals. However, no vaccines or therapeutics are yet available. Since the rapid rate of genetic evolution of caliciviruses is mainly due to the error-prone nature of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), this article focuses on recent studies of the structures and functions of RdRp from caliciviruses. It also provides recent advances in the interactions of RdRp with virion protein genome-linked (VPg) and RNA and the structural and functional features of its precursor.
Impact of Hybrid Water Supply on the Centralised Water System
Authors: Sitzenfrei Robert , Zischg Jonatan , Sitzmann Markus , Bach Peter
Published: November 2017

Traditional (technical) concepts to ensure a reliable water supply, a safe handling of wastewater and flood protection are increasingly criticised as outdated and unsustainable. These so-called centralised urban water systems are further maladapted to upcoming challenges because of their long lifespan in combination with their short-sighted planning and design. A combination of (existing) centralised and decentralised infrastructure is expected to be more reliable and sustainable. However, the impact of increasing implementation of decentralised technologies on the local technical performance in sewer or water supply networks and the interaction with the urban form has rarely been addressed in the literature. In this work, an approach which couples the UrbanBEATS model for the planning of decentralised strategies together with a water supply modelling approach is developed and applied to a demonstration case. With this novel approach, critical but also favourable areas for such implementations can be identified. For example, low density areas, which have high potential for rainwater harvesting, can result in local water quality problems in the supply network when further reducing usually low pipe velocities in these areas. On the contrary, in high demand areas (e.g., high density urban forms) there is less effect of rainwater harvesting due to the limited available space. In these high density areas, water efficiency measures result in the highest savings in water volume, but do not cause significant problems in the technical performance of the potable water supply network. For a more generalised and case-independent conclusion, further analyses are performed for semi-virtual benchmark networks to answer the question of an appropriate representation of the water distribution system in a computational model for such an analysis. Inappropriate hydraulic model assumptions and characteristics were identified for the stated problem, which have more impact on the assessments than the decentralised measures.
Greedy Algorithms for Sensor Location in Sewer Systems
Authors: Banik Bijit , Alfonso Leonardo , Di Cristo Cristiana , Leopardi Angelo
Published: November 2017

Wastewater quality monitoring is receiving growing interest with the necessity of developing new strategies for controlling accidental and intentional illicit intrusions. In designing a monitoring network, a crucial aspect is represented by the sensors’ location. In this study, a methodology for the optimal placement of wastewater monitoring sensors in sewer systems is presented. The sensor location is formulated as an optimization problem solved using greedy algorithms (GRs). The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) was used to perform hydraulic and water-quality simulations. Six different procedures characterized by different fitness functions are presented and compared. The performances of the procedures are tested on a real sewer system, demonstrating the suitability of GRs for the sensor-placement problem. The results show a robustness of the methodology with respect to the detection concentration parameter, and they suggest that procedures with multiple objectives into a single fitness function give better results. A further comparison is performed using previously developed multi-objective procedures with multiple fitness functions solved using a genetic algorithm (GA), indicating better performances of the GR. The existing monitoring network, realized without the application of any sensor design, is always suboptimal.
Analysis of Current and Future SPEI Droughts in the La Plata Basin Based on Results from the Regional Eta Climate Model
Authors: Sordo-Ward Alvaro , Bejarano María , Iglesias Ana , Asenjo Víctor , Garrote Luis
Published: November 2017

We identified and analysed droughts in the La Plata Basin (divided into seven sub-basins) for the current period (1961–2005) and estimated their expected evolution under future climate projections for the periods 2011–2040, 2041–2070, and 2071–2099. Future climate projections were analysed from results of the Eta Regional Climate Model (grid resolution of approximately 10 km) forced by the global climate model HadGEM2-ES over the La Plata basin, and considering a RCP4.5 emission scenario. Within each sub-basin, we particularly focused our drought analyses on croplands and grasslands, due to their economic relevance. The three-month Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI3) was used for drought identification and characterization. Droughts were evaluated in terms of time (percentage of time from the total length of each climate scenario), space (percentage of total area), and severity (SPEI3 values) of cells characterized by cropland and grassland for each sub-basin and climate scenario. Drought-severity–area–frequency curves were developed to quantitatively relate the frequency distribution of drought occurrence to drought severity and area. For the period 2011–2040, droughts dominate the northern sub-basins, whereas alternating wet and short dry periods dominate the southern sub-basins. Wet climate spread from south to north within the La Plata Basin as more distant future scenarios were analysed, due to both a greater number of wet periods and fewer droughts. The area of each sub-basin affected by drought in all climate scenarios was highly varied temporally and spatially. The likelihood of the occurrence of droughts differed significantly between the studied cover types in the Lower Paraguay sub-basin, being higher for cropland than for grassland. Mainly in the Upper Paraguay and in the Upper Paraná basins the climate projections for all scenarios showed an increase of moderate and severe droughts over large regions dedicated to crops and grasses. On the other hand, for the near future, the Lower Uruguay and the River Plata basins showed a decrease of drought severity compared to the current period. Projections suggest an increase in competition among uses in these regions and the need for a potential relocation of certain crops from the northern regions towards cooler regions located in the centre and south. Further research should consider other climate projections and perform high spatial resolution studies in localized areas.
Building a High-Precision 2D Hydrodynamic Flood Model Using UAV Photogrammetry and Sensor Network Monitoring
Authors: Langhammer Jakub , Bernsteinová Jana , Miřijovský Jakub
Published: November 2017

This paper explores the potential of the joint application of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based photogrammetry and an automated sensor network for building a hydrodynamic flood model of a montane stream. UAV-based imagery was used for three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetric reconstruction of the stream channel, achieving a resolution of 1.5 cm/pixel. Automated ultrasonic water level gauges, operating with a 10 min interval, were used as a source of hydrological data for the model calibration, and the MIKE 21 hydrodynamic model was used for building the flood model. Three different horizontal schematizations of the channel—an orthogonal grid, curvilinear grid, and flexible mesh—were used to evaluate the effect of spatial discretization on the results. The research was performed on Javori Brook, a montane stream in the Sumava (Bohemian Forest) Mountains, Czech Republic, Central Europe, featuring a fast runoff response to precipitation events and that is located in a core zone of frequent flooding. The studied catchments have been, since 2007, equipped with automated water level gauges and, since 2013, under repeated UAV monitoring. The study revealed the high potential of these data sources for applications in hydrodynamic modeling. In addition to the ultra-high levels of spatial and temporal resolution, the major contribution is in the method’s high operability, enabling the building of highly detailed flood models even in remote areas lacking conventional monitoring. The testing of the data sources and model setup indicated the limitations of the UAV reconstruction of the stream bathymetry, which was completed by the geodetic-grade global navigation satellite system (GNSS) measurements. The testing of the different model domain schematizations did not indicate the substantial differences that are typical for conventional low-resolution data, proving the high reliability of the tested modeling workflow.