bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive Measurement of Italian Domestic Food Waste in a European Framework
Authors: Scalvedi Maria Luisa , Rossi Laura
Published: February 2021

Food management is an inefficient activity, and households are the major contributors responsible for food waste across the food supply chain. Ten years remain to halve household food waste, as recommended by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Up to now, Italian investigations into household food waste have been research activities with limitations in measurement and sampling. The need to establish a monitoring system led the Italian Observatory on Food Surplus, Recovery and Waste to apply a methodology that permits comparison with other European countries. In 2018, a survey involving a representative sample of 1142 Italian households was carried out. The majority of respondents (77%) reported that they had wasted 370 g of food during the last week, evidence in line with data from the Netherlands and progressively different from what was found in Germany, Hungary, and Spain. Perishable products, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, and nonalcoholic drinks, were mainly wasted. The most frequently disposed foods were unused (43.2%) or partly used (30.3%). As for possible causes, household food waste was significantly associated with preventive practices and ability. This study endeavored to segment household food waste based on possible drivers and barriers to preventive action, setting the stage for future monitoring, supporting policy action, and educational intervention.
Experiences from the Implementation of Community-Based Goat Breeding Programs in Malawi and Uganda: A Potential Approach for Conservation and Improvement of Indigenous Small Ruminants in Smallholder Farms
Authors: Kaumbata Wilson , Nakimbugwe Helen , Nandolo Wilson , Banda Liveness Jessica , Mészáros Gábor , Gondwe Timothy , Woodward-Greene M Jennifer , Rosen Benjamin D. , Van Tassell Curtis P. , Sölkner Johann , Wurzinger Maria
Published: February 2021

Maintaining diversity of small ruminant genetic resources is instrumental for sustainable agricultural production. Community-based livestock breeding programs (CBBPs) have emerged as a potential approach to implement breeding programs in smallholder farms. This study assesses the viability of CBBPs as a potential approach for conservation and improvement of indigenous small ruminants, using case studies of goat CBBPs in Malawi and Uganda. Data were collected using focus group discussions, personal interviews, and direct observations. The program promotes and empowers smallholders to have access to small ruminant feed resources through protection of existing communal pasturelands, capacity building in pasture production, and conservation of crop residues and crop by-products. Implementation of the CBBP enhances the contributions through improved animal growth performance, kids’ survival, and twinning rates leading to increased offtake rates and better prices. The existence of permanently established supporting organizations and other stakeholders provides sustainable institutional support instrumental for the establishment and growth of CBBPs. However, establishment of functional community-based institutions (producer cooperatives) and investments in institutional/policy reforms to safeguard fair trading, access to common resources by small ruminant keepers, and adoption of the CBBP model into national livestock development programs are some of the key milestones that can guarantee sustainability.
Sustainability Evaluation on the Grain to Green Program in the Hexi Corridor of China: A Metacoupled System Perspective
Authors: Zhang Jian , Tian Tao , Cui Jinying , M. Hickey Gordon , Zhou Rui , Liu Jianguo , Xiong Youcai
Published: February 2021

Most previous studies aim to predict ecosystem sustainability from the perspective of a sole human or natural system and have frequently failed to achieve their desired outcome. Based on the coupled human and natural system (CHANS) and its interaction with other systems, we attempted to analyze the effectiveness of the Grain to Green Program and predict future trends in the Hexi Corridor, the hub of the ancient silk road of China. At different scales, we applied a metacoupling framework to investigate the flows, effects, and causes of the complex CHANS. Three typical inner river watersheds within the corridor at three different geographic scales (local, regional and national) were estimated and compared. The Telecoupling Geo App, additional models, and software tools were employed to evaluate the CHANS series of the focal system (Hexi Corridor, local), adjacent system (Gansu Province, regional), and distant system (China, national). The results showed that most flows can be screened and quantitatively analyzed across focal, adjacent and distant systems. The social and economic transformations in adjacent and distant systems could affect the possibility and whereabouts of labor transfer in the focal system. Moreover, the labor migration increased the implementation efficiency of the Grain to Green Program as a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) strategy, thereby improving its ecological benefits. For the first time, we established a metacoupled model to quantitatively evaluate aspects of ecosystem sustainability in China, providing insight to the theory and application of sustainability science.
The Effective Role of Internal Factors on Reconstructing Telecom Companies: The Case of Yemen Telecom
Authors: Al-Sharafi Mohammed Ali Ahmed , Tong Shu , Aloqab Abdullah
Published: February 2021

Background: This paper highlights the effects of internal factors on restructuring state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and investigates how these factors have positive or negative effects on applying a new structure in SOEs companies. Yemen Telecom (YT) is an example of an SOE company that belongs to the government and has a social responsibility. By following scientific theories related to research’s factors, we tried to tie our hypotheses to the theories applied to make our factors near reality and be applicable in the future. Methods: In this study, we used empirical research by making an investigation by distributing a questionnaire amongst people who have a relationship with Yemen Telecom. Moreover, the structural equation model (SEM) was used in the current study as the statistical technique for the collected data. Results: The results of this study indicate that illiteracy in using the computer (IIUC) and applying the IT Software (AIS) has adverse effects on reconstructing telecom companies (RTC); also, AIS has a causality effect between illiteracy in using computers (IIUC) and RTC. Moreover, support from top management (SFTM), infrastructure (INF), and efficiency and effectiveness of managerial operations (EaE) have positive effects on RTC. Conclusions: This study concluded that IIUC, TMS, INF, and EaE have an apparent effect on RTC, and AIS has a causality effect between IIUC and RTC. Moreover, the study declares that there is less significance between AIS and RTC.
Manufacturer’s Sharing Servitization Transformation and Product Pricing Strategy
Authors: Liu Zhenfeng , Xiao Ya , Feng Jian
Published: February 2021

The sharing market includes the idle product sharing by the owner and the firm’s new product sharing. Companies participating in the sharing economy choose to withdraw from the market because it is always difficult to make a profit, due to heavy asset investment, but there is no such worry for owners who do not need cost input. At the same time, we have observed that the sharing products launched by companies are difficult to meet the rental needs of consumers. Based on the above findings, we have constructed a model where there is a market where a monopolistic manufacturer sells and rents out at the same time, and owners who purchased new products can choose to rent out products when they are idle. Because of the uncoordinated supply and demand matching of the sharing market and the excessively high unit cost input, our research found that: (1) the barriers for the manufacturer to enter the sharing market are always high—for example, the manufacturer will choose to enter the sharing market only when consumers have a high rate of availability of sharing products. Only when the cost of products in the sharing market is not low will the manufacturer choose to provide sharing services; (2) the competition between the two products in the sharing market weakens the demand cannibalize in the sales market; (3) the manufacturer enters the sharing market to promote the owner’s income. The owner’s earnings will increase with the rising of sharing products’ availability.
Irrigation Management in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Production: A Review
Authors: Djaman Koffi , Irmak Suat , Koudahe Komlan , Allen Samuel
Published: February 2021

Limited water resources coupled with the increase of the human population calls for more efficient use of water in irrigated agriculture. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most widely grown crops worldwide and is very sensitive to water stress due to its shallow rooting system. With the dilemma of potato sensitivity to drought and limited available water resources restricting crop production, researchers and crop growers have been investigating different approaches for optimizing potato yield and improving crop water use efficiency under different irrigation methods. While potato response to water is affected by other management practices such as fertilizer management, the present review is focused on the potato response to water under different environments and different irrigation methods and the impact on potato quality and potato diseases. Variable results obtained from research studies indicate the non-transferability of the results from one location to another as potato cultivars are not the same and potato breeders are still making effort to develop new high-yielding varieties to increase crop production and or develop new varieties for a specific trait to satisfy consumers exigence. This review is a valuable source of information for potato growers and scientists as it is not only focused on the impact of irrigation regimes on potato yield and water productivity as most reviews on water management, but it also presents the impact of irrigation regime on diseases in potatoes, tuber specific gravity, metabolite content of the tubers and the quality of the processed potato products.
Influence of Hydrogeochemistry on Tunnel Drainage in Evaporitic Formations: El Regajal Tunnel Case Study (Aranjuez, Spain)
Authors: Menéndez Pidal Ignacio , Mancebo Piqueras Jose Antonio , Sanz Pérez Eugenio , Sáenz Sanz Clemente
Published: February 2021

Many of the large number of underground works constructed or under construction in recent years are in unfavorable terrains facing unusual situations and construction conditions. This is the case of the subject under study in this paper: a tunnel excavated in evaporitic rocks that experienced significant karstification problems very quickly over time. As a result of this situation, the causes that may underlie this rapid karstification are investigated and a novel methodology is presented in civil engineering where the use of saturation indices for the different mineral specimens present has been crucial. The drainage of the rock massif of El Regajal (Madrid-Toledo, Spain, in the Madrid-Valencia high-speed train line) was studied and permitted the in-situ study of the hydrogeochemical evolution of water flow in the Miocene evaporitic materials of the Tajo Basin as a full-scale testing laboratory, that are conforms as a whole, a single aquifer. The work provides a novel methodology based on the calculation of activities through the hydrogeochemical study of water samples in different piezometers, estimating the saturation index of different saline materials and the dissolution capacity of the brine, which is surprisingly very high despite the high electrical conductivity. The circulating brine appears unsaturated with respect to thenardite, mirabilite, epsomite, glauberite, and halite. The alteration of the underground flow and the consequent renewal of the water of the aquifer by the infiltration water of rain and irrigation is the cause of the hydrogeochemical imbalance and the modification of the characteristics of the massif. These modifications include very important loss of material by dissolution, altering the resistance of the terrain and the increase of the porosity. Simultaneously, different expansive and recrystallization processes that decrease the porosity of the massif were identified in the present work. The hydrogeochemical study allows the evolution of these phenomena to be followed over time, and this, in turn, may facilitate the implementation of preventive works in civil engineering.
Digital Bank Runs: A Deep Neural Network Approach
Authors: Sanchez-Roger Marc , Puyol-Antón Esther
Published: February 2021

The introduction of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) could represent a deep structural change to the financial sector, and in particular to the banking sector. This paper proposes a Deep Neural Network (DNN) design to model the introduction of CBDC and its potential impact on commercial banks’ deposits. The model proposed forecasts the likelihood of the occurrence of bank runs as a function of the system characteristics and of the intrinsic features of CBDC. The success rate of CBDC and the impact on the banking sector is highly dependent on its design. Whether CBDC should carry any form of interest, if the amount of CBDC should be capped by account or if convertibility from banks’ deposits should be guaranteed by commercial banks are important features to consider. Further, the design of CBDC needs to contribute to enhancing the sustainability of the financial system, hence a CBDC design that promotes financial inclusion is paramount. The model is initially calibrated with Euro area system data. Results show that an increase in the financial system risk perception would trigger a significant transfer of wealth from bank deposits to CBDC, while the wealth transfer to CBDC is to a lesser extent also sensitive to its interest rate.
Integrated Impact Assessment for Sustainable Hydropower Planning in the Vjosa Catchment (Greece, Albania)
Authors: Peters Rebecca , Berlekamp Jürgen , Lucía Ana , Stefani Vittoria , Tockner Klement , Zarfl Christiane
Published: February 2021

Mitigating climate change, while human population and economy are growing globally, requires a bold shift to renewable energy sources. Among renewables, hydropower is currently the most economic and efficient technique. However, due to a lack of impact assessments at the catchment scale in the planning process, the construction of hydropower plants (HPP) may have unexpected ecological, socioeconomic, and political ramifications in the short and in the long term. The Vjosa River, draining parts of Northern Greece and Albania, is one of the few predominantly free-flowing rivers left in Europe; at the same time its catchment is identified an important resource for future hydropower development. While current hydropower plants are located along tributaries, planned HPP would highly impact the free-flowing main stem. Taking the Vjosa catchment as a case study, the aim of this study was to develop a transferable impact assessment that ranks potential hydropower sites according to their projected impacts on a catchment scale. Therefore, we integrated established ecological, social, and economic indicators for all HPP planned in the river catchment, while considering their capacity, and developed a ranking method based on impact categories. For the Vjosa catchment, ten hydropower sites were ranked as very harmful to the environment as well as to society. A sensitivity analysis revealed that this ranking is dependent upon the selection of indicators. Small HPP showed higher cumulative impacts than large HPP, when normalized to capacity. This study empowers decision-makers to compare both the ranked impacts and the generated energy of planned dam projects at the catchment scale.
Impacts of Environmental Policies on Global Green Trade
Authors: Kang Sung Jin , Lee Sun
Published: February 2021

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of environmental policies on bilateral green exports among developed and developing countries. The empirical analysis was based on the fixed-effects gravity model estimation with the PPML (Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood) for bilateral green trade of world countries for 1990–2019. This study focused on two proxy environmental policy indicators: environment-related tax and energy intensity. The major findings were that, first, promotion of environment-related tax increases green exports among HIC (high-income countries) and, second, an increase in the green trade of a country depends on the energy intensity level of its trading partner countries in order to stabilize domestic demand and production. This result is shown to be significant and consistent within the trade between the same income groups. Thus, supporting the green growth strategy, empirical results suggest that LMY (low- and middle-income) countries have to promote environmental policies and green production processes to be competitive in the global market.
Entropy Based Features Distribution for Anti-DDoS Model in SDN
Authors: Ujjan Raja Majid Ali , Pervez Zeeshan , Dahal Keshav , Khan Wajahat Ali , Khattak Asad Masood , Hayat Bashir
Published: February 2021

In modern network infrastructure, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are considered as severe network security threats. For conventional network security tools it is extremely difficult to distinguish between the higher traffic volume of a DDoS attack and large number of legitimate users accessing a targeted network service or a resource. Although these attacks have been widely studied, there are few works which collect and analyse truly representative characteristics of DDoS traffic. The current research mostly focuses on DDoS detection and mitigation with predefined DDoS data-sets which are often hard to generalise for various network services and legitimate users’ traffic patterns. In order to deal with considerably large DDoS traffic flow in a Software Defined Networking (SDN), in this work we proposed a fast and an effective entropy-based DDoS detection. We deployed generalised entropy calculation by combining Shannon and Renyi entropy to identify distributed features of DDoS traffic—it also helped SDN controller to effectively deal with heavy malicious traffic. To lower down the network traffic overhead, we collected data-plane traffic with signature-based Snort detection. We then analysed the collected traffic for entropy-based features to improve the detection accuracy of deep learning models: Stacked Auto Encoder (SAE) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). This work also investigated the trade-off between SAE and CNN classifiers by using accuracy and false-positive results. Quantitative results demonstrated SAE achieved relatively higher detection accuracy of 94% with only 6% of false-positive alerts, whereas the CNN classifier achieved an average accuracy of 93%.
Climate Change and Small Farmers’ Vulnerability to Food Insecurity in Cameroon
Authors: Mbuli Clodine S. , Fonjong Lotsmart N. , Fletcher Amber J.
Published: February 2021

There is interconnectedness between small farmers’ productivity, climate change, and the state of food security in Africa south of the Sahara. The neglect of small farmers amidst climate change challenges in the Global South suggests the existence of a vicious circle of low productivity and deprivation that exacerbates the vulnerability of small-scale farmers, who largely depend on rain-fed agriculture to feed their families and nations. The limited adaptive capacity of these farmers in the face of growing instability in rainfall and temperatures is affecting the output, profitability, and survival of these small-scale farmers, whose production is principally for the local market and therefore critical for community food security. The underdeveloped local agricultural sector and limited investment in climate-smart agriculture also affect small farmers’ productivity and ability to meet the food demands of increasing populations. This paper examines the challenges of small-scale farmers in a resource-rich economy, their vulnerability to climate change, and the effects on food insecurity. It is based on an in-depth qualitative case study of 30 residents from the Tiko and Santa areas in the South West and North West regions of Cameroon, respectively. The paper argues that small farmers’ vulnerability to climate-induced agricultural losses increases the risks of food insecurity for the growing Cameroonian population.
Farmer’s Perception, Agricultural Subsidies, and Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices: A Case from Mongolia
Authors: Puntsagdorj Buyannemekh , Orosoo Dulamragchaa , Huo Xuexi , Xia Xianli
Published: February 2021

The farmers’ sustainable production behavior is viewed as the frontline measure that accomplishes sustainable development in agriculture. Finding ways to support farmers’ adoption of sustainable agriculture practices (SAP) has become an issue of concern for researchers and policymakers. The paper aimed to investigate the impact of the current subsidy policy and other key variables on the adoption behavior of the Mongolian wheat growers. The generalized structural equation modeling was employed along with the protection motivation theory framework. The results show that the farmers who perceive high severity and vulnerability of soil erosion are more likely to adopt the SAPs. Moreover, the perceived efficacy of the practices and the farmers’ perceived self competency contribute to the decision. The information and training are positively associated with adoption. We also reveal differences between the regions on adoption. Soil fertility has a significant negative impact. Finally, government subsidies are found to have no effect as these subsidies are not intended to promote sustainability. The study findings suggest that increasing farmers’ awareness of the harmful effects of growth-oriented production practices, giving related information, and providing training and resources for the use of SAPs that are appropriate to the specific region. The results have implications for developing a policy targeted to promote the adoption of SAPs.
Impacts of Job Standardisation on Restaurant Frontline Employees: Mediating Effect of Emotional Labour
Authors: Chehab Omar , Ilkhanizadeh Shiva , Bouzari Mona
Published: February 2021

Managers of food service operations standardise various aspects of operations to sustain consistent service quality. Frontline employees in these operations are expected to carry out tasks as per standards. Standards demand that frontline employees regulate their behaviours and emotions to complete their duties. Therefore, referring to the organisational role theory and the emotion regulation theory as the directing basis, this study examined the impact of job standardisation on emotional labour, as well as the effect of emotional labour on emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction of frontline employees in the hospitality sector. This study also examined the mediating effect of emotional labour on the relation between job standardisation, on one hand, and emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction on the other hand. The data collection was carried out in food service operations in Lebanon. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to assess the relations. The results showed that job standardisation negatively affected emotional labour and that emotional labour had a positive effect on emotional exhaustion and a negative effect on job satisfaction. Furthermore, emotional labour mediated the relation between job standardisation and emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. Practical and theoretical implications and directions for future research are also provided.
Is a Training Program Sufficient to Improve the Smallholder Farmers’ Productivity in Africa? Empirical Evidence from a Chinese Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center in Tanzania
Authors: Mgendi George , Mao Shiping , Qiao Fangbin
Published: February 2021

The article aims to analyze the effect of training programs on the yield of smallholder farmers. The empirical analysis employed a sample of data collected from a rice farming household in the Mvomero district of Tanzania. The results indicate that the yield outcome among trained and non-trained farmers with water access for irrigation was significantly more than double; however, the yield difference between trained and non-trained farmers was insignificant in non-irrigated plots. Our findings have policy implications for agricultural development in developing countries where training programs alone may not be a panacea for smallholder farmers’ productivity improvement. Therefore, respective governments, policymakers, and other agricultural stakeholders, should consider both farm and non-farm factors altogether, which may increase agricultural training effectiveness to address the challenges of low yields.
Sensory Characteristics of Dairy By-Products as Potential Milk Replacers in Ice Cream
Authors: Meneses Roberta Barbosa de , Monteiro Maria Lúcia Guerra , Santos Fabiane Ferreira dos , Leão Maria Helena Miguez da Rocha , Conte-Junior Carlos Adam
Published: February 2021

Novel strategies for wheys application, decreasing its negative environmental impact, represent a challenge for dairy industries. The use of wheys as replacers may lead to adverse sensory quality changes in conventional dairy products. This study aimed to investigate the sensory effects of the use of ricotta whey (RW), cheese whey (CW), and butter whey (BW) in replacement to whole milk (WM) at different ratios (0:100%, 25:75%, 50:50%, 75:25%, and 100:0%, w/w) in chocolate ice creams. All formulations, including a commercial sample used as a reference, were analyzed for overall liking, purchase intention, just-about-right (JAR), and survival analysis. RW, CW, and BW up to 75%, 100%, and 25% did not affect (p > 0.05) the overall liking, respectively. Purchase intention was only decreased (p < 0.05) by BW at 50%, 75%, and 100% compared to a commercial sample. Considering data from PCA and PLSR associated with hedonic scores and penalty analysis, the main adverse sensory effects on overall liking were: increased perception (p < 0.05) of chocolate flavor by RW, CW, and BW, melting velocity by RW, sweetness by CW and BW, and chocolate aroma by BW. Survival analysis indicated that BW could be added up to a maximum of 84.15%, while no rejection was detected for RW and CW. Based on results, RW, CW, and BW represent potential milk replacers to be used by the dairy industry, decreasing the environmental impact of these dairy by-products.
Evolving Institutional Arrangements for Use of an Ecosystem Approach in Restoring Great Lakes Areas of Concern
Authors: Alsip Peter J. , Hartig John H. , Krantzberg Gail , Williams Kathleen C. , Wondolleck Julia
Published: February 2021

The 1987 Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement required Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) be collaboratively generated between local stakeholders and government agencies to implement an ecosystem approach in cleaning up 43 historically polluted Areas of Concern (AOCs) throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes. The institutional arrangements that have emerged over the past 35 years to foster an ecosystem approach in RAPs are expected to have changed over time and be varied in some aspects—reflecting unique socio-ecological contexts of each AOC—while also sharing some characteristics that were either derived from the minimally prescribed framework or developed convergently. Here we surveyed institutional arrangements to describe changes over time relevant to advancing an ecosystem approach in restoring beneficial uses in the 43 AOCs. While eight AOCs evidenced little institutional change, the remaining 35 AOCs demonstrated a growing involvement of local organizations in RAPs, which has enhanced local capacity and ownership and helped strengthen connections to broader watershed initiatives. We also noted an expansion of strategic partnerships that has strengthened science-policy-management linkages and an increasing emphasis on sustainability among RAP institutions. Our study details how institutional arrangements in a decentralized restoration program have evolved to implement an ecosystem approach and address new challenges.
Acknowledgment to Reviewers of Surgeries in 2020
Authors:   Surgeries Editorial Office
Published: February 2021

Peer review is the driving force of journal development, and reviewers are gatekeepers who ensure that Surgeries maintains its standards for the high quality of its published papers [...]
Synchronized Oscillations in Double-Helix B-DNA Molecules with Mirror-Symmetric Codons
Authors: Maciá Enrique
Published: February 2021

A fully analytical treatment of the base-pair and codon dynamics in double-stranded DNA molecules is introduced, by means of a realistic treatment that considers different mass values for G, A, T, and C nucleotides and takes into account the intrinsic three-dimensional, helicoidal geometry of DNA in terms of a Hamitonian in cylindrical coordinates. Within the framework of the Peyrard–Dauxois–Bishop model, we consider the coupling between stretching and stacking radial oscillations as well as the twisting motion of each base pair around the helix axis. By comparing the linearized dynamical equations for the angular and radial variables corresponding to the bp local scale with those of the longer triplet codon scale, we report an underlying hierarchical symmetry. The existence of synchronized collective oscillations of the base-pairs and their related codon triplet units are disclosed from the study of their coupled dynamical equations. The possible biological role of these correlated, long-range oscillation effects in double standed DNA molecules containing mirror-symmetric codons of the form XXX, XX’X, X’XX’, YXY, and XYX is discussed in terms of the dynamical equations solutions and their related dispersion relations.
Anti-Plane Dynamics Analysis of a Circular Lined Tunnel in the Ground under Covering Layer
Authors: Qi Hui , Chu Fuqing , Zhang Yang , Wu Guohui , Guo Jing
Published: February 2021

Wave diffusion in the composite soil layer with the lined tunnel structure is often encountered in the field of seismic engineering. The wave function expansion method is an effective method for solving the wave diffusion problem. In this paper, the wave function expansion method is used to present a semi-analytical solution to the shear horizontal (SH) wave scattering problem of a circular lined tunnel under the covering soil layer. Considering the existence of the covering soil layer, the great arc assumption (that is, the curved boundary instead of the straight-line boundary) is used to construct the wavefield in the composite soil layer. Based on the wave field and boundary conditions, an infinite linear equation system is established by adding the application of complex variable functions. The finite term is intercepted and solved, and the accuracy of the solution is analyzed. Although truncation is inevitable, due to the Bessel function has better convergence, a smaller truncation coefficient can achieve mechanical accuracy. Based on numerical examples, the influence of SH wave incident frequency, soil parameters, and lining thickness on the dynamic stress concentration factor of lining is analyzed. Compared with the SH wave scattering problem by lining in a single medium half-space, due to the existence of the cover layer and the influence of its stiffness, the dynamic stress of the lining can be increased or inhibited. In addition, the lining thickness has obvious different effects on the dynamic stress concentration coefficient of the inner and outer walls of different materials.
Cytotoxicity of Seaweed Compounds, Alone or Combined to Reference Drugs, against Breast Cell Lines Cultured in 2D and 3D
Authors: Malhão Fernanda , Ramos Alice , Macedo Ana , Rocha Eduardo
Published: February 2021

Seaweed bioactive compounds have shown anticancer activities in in vitro and in vivo studies. However, tests remain limited, with conflicting results, and effects in combination with anticancer drugs are even scarcer. Here, the cytotoxic effects of five seaweed compounds (astaxanthin, fucoidan, fucosterol, laminarin, and phloroglucinol) were tested alone and in combination with anticancer drugs (cisplatin—Cis; and doxorubicin—Dox), in breast cell lines (three breast cancer (BC) subtypes and one non-tumoral). The combinations revealed situations where seaweed compounds presented potentiation or inhibition of the drugs’ cytotoxicity, without a specific pattern, varying according to the cell line, concentration used for the combination, and drug. Fucosterol was the most promising compound, since: (i) it alone had the highest cytotoxicity at low concentrations against the BC lines without affecting the non-tumoral line; and (ii) in combination (at non-cytotoxic concentration), it potentiated Dox cytotoxicity in the triple-negative BC cell line. Using a comparative approach, monolayer versus 3D cultures, further investigation assessed effects on cell viability and proliferation, morphology, and immunocytochemistry targets. The cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects in monolayer were not observed in 3D, corroborating that cells in 3D culture are more resistant to treatments, and reinforcing the use of more complex models for drug screening and a multi-approach that should include histological and ICC analysis.
Benzodiazepines: Their Use either as Essential Medicines or as Toxics Substances
Authors: Sanabria Edilma , Cuenca Ronald Edgardo , Esteso Miguel Ángel , Maldonado Mauricio
Published: February 2021

This review highlights the nature, characteristics, properties, pharmacological differences between different types of benzodiazepines, the mechanism of action in the central nervous system, and the degradation of benzodiazepines. In the end, the efforts to reduce the benzodiazepines’ adverse effects are shown and a reflection is made on the responsible uses of these medications.
Emergence of a Novel Pathogenic Poxvirus Infection in the Endangered Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Highlights a Key Threatening Process
Authors: Sarker Subir , Hannon Christabel , Athukorala Ajani , Bielefeldt-Ohmann Helle
Published: February 2021

Emerging viral disease is a significant concern, with potential consequences for human, animal and environmental health. Over the past several decades, multiple novel viruses have been found in wildlife species, including reptiles, and often pose a major threat to vulnerable species. However, whilst a large number of viruses have been described in turtles, information on poxvirus in cheloniids remains scarce, with no molecular sequence data available to date. This study characterizes, for the first time, a novel poxvirus, here tentatively designated cheloniid poxvirus 1 (ChePV-1). The affected cutaneous tissue, recovered from a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) captured off the Central Queensland coast of Australia, underwent histological examination, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), DNA extraction and genomic sequencing. The novel ChePV-1 was shown to be significantly divergent from other known poxviruses and showed the highest sequence similarity (89.3%) to avipoxviruses (shearwater poxvirus 2 (SWPV2)). This suggests the novel ChePV-1 may have originated from a common ancestor that diverged from an avipoxvirus-like progenitor. The genome contained three predicted unique genes and a further 15 genes being truncated/fragmented compared to SWPV2. This is the first comprehensive study that demonstrates evidence of poxvirus infection in a marine turtle species, as well as a rare example of an avipoxvirus crossing the avian-host barrier. This finding warrants further investigations into poxvirus infections between species in close physical proximity, as well as in vitro and in vivo studies of pathogenesis and disease.
Development of Monoclonal Antibodies for Detection of Conserved and Variable Epitopes of Large Protein of Rabies Virus
Authors: Zhao Wen , Su Jingyin , Zhao Naiyu , Liu Jie , Su Shuo
Published: February 2021

Rabies virus (RABV) causes fatal neurological encephalitis and results in approximately 6000 human death cases worldwide every year. The large (L) protein of RABV, possessing conserved domains, is considered as the target for detection. In this study, three monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), designated as 3F3, 3A6 and L-C, against L protein were generated by using the recombinant truncated L protein (aa 1431–1754) and the epitopes were also identified using a series of overlapping truncated polypeptides for testing the reactivity of mAbs with different RABV strains. The 1479EIFSIP1484, 1659RALSK1663 and 1724VFNSL1728 were identified as the minimal linear epitopes recognized by mAbs 3F3, 3A6 and L-C, respectively. Amino acid alignment showed epitope 1724VFNSL1728 recognized by mAb L-C is completely conserved among RABV strains, indicating that mAb L-C could be used to detect all of the RABV strains. Epitope 1479EIFSIP1484 is highly conserved among RABV strains except for a P1484S substitution in a China I sub-lineage strain of Asian lineage, which eliminated the reactivity of the epitope with mAb 3F3. However, the epitope 1659RALSK1663 was only completely conserved in the Africa-2 and Indian lineages, and a single A1660T substitution, mainly appeared in strains of the China I belonging to Asian lineage and a Cosmopolitan lineage strain, still retained the reactivity of the epitope with mAb 3A6. While both A1660T and K1663R substitutions in a China I lineage strain, single K1663R/Q substitution in some China II strains of Asian lineage and some Arctic-like lineage strains and R1659Q mutation in a strain of Africa-3 lineage eliminated the reactivity of the epitope with mAb 3A6, suggesting mAb 3A6 could be used for differentiation of variable epitopes of some strains in different lineages. Thus, variability and conservation of the three epitopes of L protein showed the reactive difference of mAbs among RABV strains of different lineages. These results may facilitate future studies in development of detection methods for RABV infection, the structure and function of RABV L protein.
The 28 Ser Amino Acid of Cucumber Mosaic Virus Movement Protein Has a Role in Symptom Formation and Plasmodesmata Localization
Authors: Sáray Réka , Fábián Attila , Palkovics László , Salánki Katalin
Published: February 2021

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV, Cucumovirus, Bromoviridae) is an economically significant virus infecting important horticultural and field crops. Current knowledge regarding the specific functions of its movement protein (MP) is still incomplete. In the present study, potential post-translational modification sites of its MP were assayed with mutant viruses: MP/S28A, MP/S28D, MP/S120A and MP/S120D. Ser28 was identified as an important factor in viral pathogenicity on Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi, Cucumis sativus and Chenopodium murale. The subcellular localization of GFP-tagged movement proteins was determined with confocal laser-scanning microscopy. The wild type movement protein fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) (MP-eGFP) greatly colocalized with callose at plasmodesmata, while MP/S28A-eGFP and MP/S28D-eGFP were detected as punctate spots along the cell membrane without callose colocalization. These results underline the importance of phosphorylatable amino acids in symptom formation and provide data regarding the essential factors for plasmodesmata localization of CMV MP.
Application of Advanced Light Microscopy to the Study of HIV and Its Interactions with the Host
Authors: Saffarian Saveez
Published: February 2021

This review highlights the significant observations of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) assembly, release and maturation made possible with advanced light microscopy techniques. The advances in technology which now enables these light microscopy measurements are discussed with special emphasis on live imaging approaches including Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF), high-resolution light microscopy techniques including PALM and STORM and single molecule measurements, including Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET). The review concludes with a discussion on what new insights and understanding can be expected from these measurements.
Modeling the Effectiveness of Cooling Trenches for Stormwater Temperature Mitigation
Authors: Wells Scott A.
Published: February 2021

Due to elevated runoff stormwater temperatures from impervious areas, one management strategy to reduce stormwater temperature is the use of underground flow through rock media termed a cooling trench. This paper examines the governing equations for the liquid phase and media phases for modeling the temperature leaving a cooling trench assuming that changes in temperature occurred longitudinally through the cooling trench. This model is dependent on parameters such as the media type, porosity, media initial temperature, inflow rate, and inflow temperature. Several approaches were explored mathematically for evaluating the change in temperature of the water and the cooling trench media. Typical soil–water heat transfer coefficients were summarized. Examples of predictions of outflow temperatures were shown for different modeling assumptions, such as well-mixed conditions, batch mixing and subsequent release, and steady-state and dynamic conditions. Several of these examples evaluated how long rock media would cool following a stormwater event and how the cooling trench would respond to multiple stormwater events.
Evaluation of Rainfall Erosivity Factor Estimation Using Machine and Deep Learning Models
Authors: Lee Jimin , Lee Seoro , Hong Jiyeong , Lee Dongjun , Bae Joo Hyun , Yang Jae E. , Kim Jonggun , Lim Kyoung Jae
Published: February 2021

Rainfall erosivity factor (R-factor) is one of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) input parameters that account for impacts of rainfall intensity in estimating soil loss. Although many studies have calculated the R-factor using various empirical methods or the USLE method, these methods are time-consuming and require specialized knowledge for the user. The purpose of this study is to develop machine learning models to predict the R-factor faster and more accurately than the previous methods. For this, this study calculated R-factor using 1-min interval rainfall data for improved accuracy of the target value. First, the monthly R-factors were calculated using the USLE calculation method to identify the characteristics of monthly rainfall-runoff induced erosion. In turn, machine learning models were developed to predict the R-factor using the monthly R-factors calculated at 50 sites in Korea as target values. The machine learning algorithms used for this study were Decision Tree, K-Nearest Neighbors, Multilayer Perceptron, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, eXtreme Gradient Boost, and Deep Neural Network. As a result of the validation with 20% randomly selected data, the Deep Neural Network (DNN), among seven models, showed the greatest prediction accuracy results. The DNN developed in this study was tested for six sites in Korea to demonstrate trained model performance with Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) and the coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.87. This means that our findings show that DNN can be efficiently used to estimate monthly R-factor at the desired site with much less effort and time with total monthly precipitation, maximum daily precipitation, and maximum hourly precipitation data. It will be used not only to calculate soil erosion risk but also to establish soil conservation plans and identify areas at risk of soil disasters by calculating rainfall erosivity factors.
DESENVOLVIMENTO DE APLICATIVO DE INTELIGÊNCIA ARTIFICIAL PARA ESTÍMULO E APRENDIZAGEM DE AUTISTAS PARA MELHORA NA COMUNICAÇÃO: ESTUDO DE CASO APAE ARUJÁ E POÁ
Authors: Lima Bruno Roque
Published: February 2021

O artigo objetiva-se desenvolver uma aplicação de ensino para dispositivos móveis com foco em crianças com os distúrbios como Síndrome de Asperger, transtorno Desintegrativo e transtorno Generalizado, que unidos classificam-se como um único diagnostico chamando de Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA), que é uma condição de desordens complexas no desenvolvimento do cérebro, que afeta antes, durante e logo após o nascimento do bebê, caracterizando a dificuldade na comunicação, coordenação motora, aprendizagem e atenção. Sendo assim o objetivo é auxiliar e melhorar o método de ensino de escolas e professores, implementando uma metodologia de exercícios e materiais didáticos, acompanhado de medição da evolução no desenvolvimento das atividades de coordenação motora, leitura, escrita e fala que serão passadas diariamente para os alunos de maneira educacional e interativa que auxiliará no desenvolvimento das suas maiores dificuldades.
PRODUÇÃO DE CIANOBACTÉRIA EM REATOR ALTERNATIVO DE POLITEREFTALATO DE ETILENO (PET) EM QUATRO CORES DIFERENTES
Authors: Araújo Jessica Mazetto , Arruda Regina De Oliveira Moraes
Published: February 2021

Neste trabalho será realizada a produção da cianobactéria em reatores alternativos, tipo garrafa de Politereftalato de etileno (PET) em quatro cores diferentes, para verificar se á influencia da cor no crescimento. O experimento foi feito em duplicata para (oito garrafas com quatro cores diferentes de garrafa PET) no decorrer de 22 dias, teve influencia igual da luz sobre todas as garrafas, agitação na mesma velocidade e mesmo aquecimento dentro da estufa, com mesma quantidade de meio de cultura e inoculo para todas as garrafas.  A Arthrospyra (Spirulina) sp teve diferente nível de crescimento em cada cor diferente de garrafa de Politereftalato de etileno (PET).  A coloração dos reatores afeta o crescimento e o desenvolvimento da Arthrospyra (Spirulina). Entre as quatro colorações de reatores estudadas a de cor vermelha é a mais eficiente na produção de Arthrospyra (Spirulina). A cor vermelha atingiu um pico maior de crescimento e seu tempo de vida se mostrou maior, portanto a cor vermelha mostrou exercer influencia sobre o cerscimento da Arthrospyra (Spirulina) sp, podendo assim vir a ser utilizada na produção em alta escala.
Saberes em relações dialógicas
Authors: Cezar Mariana dos Santos
Published: February 2021

O artigo apresenta reflexões sobre a possibilidade de dialogar com o outro na busca pelo respeito aos diferentes saberes e sobre a possibilidade de conscientização dos educadores de que é necessário reconhecer e respeitar os saberes dos educandos e tomá-los como ponto de partida no processo de ensino e aprendizagem. A investigação é um recorte de uma pesquisa de doutorado realizada com professoras dos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental, que objetivou compreender o desenvolvimento do processo de empoderamento em contextos formativos e na prática docente. Na pesquisa, propomos uma ação de formação que discutiu o ensino da matemática na perspectiva da Educação Matemática Crítica. Ao longo de quinze encontros distribuídos num período de nove meses, refletimos e discutimos sobre temas de interesse das docentes. Os temas que compuseram o ponto de partida da relação dialógica se constituíram a partir de temas concretos da realidade escolar que apareceram no diálogo com as participantes. Optamos por apresentar neste trabalho as discussões e análises relativas ao tema Diferentes Saberes. Os resultados mostraram que as docentes se reconhecem como ser inacabado, inconcluso, e conscientes desse inacabamento, sabem que seu saber apesar de ser importante não é suficiente em todas as situações. Nesse sentido, o processo dialógico proporcionou o início de uma caminhada rumo à conscientização do necessário reconhecimento e respeito aos saberes dos educandos.