bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recomputation and Updating of MOLA Geolocation
Authors: Xiao Haifeng , Stark Alexander , Chen Hao , Oberst Jürgen
Published: May 2022

The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) Precision Experiment Data Records (PEDR) serve as the geodetic reference of Mars. However, these MOLA footprints were geolocated using outdated auxiliary information that dates back to 2003. In this study, we recompute the MOLA PEDR footprint locations and investigate the impact of the updated spacecraft orbit model and Mars rotational model on MOLA’s geolocation. We observe quasi-exponential increases near the poles of up to 30 m in the recomputation residuals for the nadir profiles. Meanwhile, we demonstrate that limitations exist in the stored MOLA PEDR attitude records, which can shift the footprint up to hundreds of meters laterally and several meters radially. The usage of the Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF)-archived attitude information instead can circumvent this issue and avoid the approximation errors due to discrete samplings of the attitude information used in geolocation by the PEDR dataset. These approximation errors can be up to 60 m laterally and 1 m radially amid controlled spacecraft maneuvers. Furthermore, the incorporation of the updated spacecraft orbit and Mars rotational model can shift the MOLA profiles up to 200 m laterally and 0.5 m radially, which are much larger in magnitude than the aforementioned dramatic increases near the poles. However, the shifted locations of the reprocessed profiles are significantly inconsistent with the PEDR profiles after the global cross-over analysis.
Assessing the Performance of Multi-Resolution Satellite SAR Images for Post-Earthquake Damage Detection and Mapping Aimed at Emergency Response Management
Authors: Mazzanti Paolo , Scancella Stefano , Virelli Maria , Frittelli Stefano , Nocente Valentina , Lombardo Federico
Published: May 2022

The increasing availability of satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images is opening new opportunities for operational support to predictive maintenance and emergency actions. With the purpose of investigating the performances of SAR images characterized by different geometric resolutions for post-earthquake damage detection and mapping, we analyzed three SAR image datasets (Sentinel-1, COSMO-SkyMed Spotlight, and COSMO-SkyMed StripMap) available in Norcia (Central Italy) that were severely affected by a strong seismic sequence in 2016. By applying the amplitude and the coherent change detection processing tools, we compared pairs of images with equivalent features collected before and after the main shock on 30 October 2016 (at 06:40, UTC). Results were compared against each other and then measured against the findings of post-earthquake field surveys for damage assessment, performed by the Italian National Fire and Rescue Service (Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili del Fuoco—CNVVF). Thanks to the interesting and very rare opportunity to have pre-event COSMO-SkyMed Spotlight images, we determined that 1 × 1-m nominal geometric resolutions can provide very detailed single-building damage mapping, while COSMO-SkyMed StripMap HIMAGE images at 3 × 3-m resolutions return relatively good detections of damaged buildings; and, the Sentinel-1 images did not allow acquiring information on single buildings—they simply provided approximate identifications of the most severely damaged sectors. The main outcomes of the performance investigation we carried out in this work can be exploited considering the exponentially growing satellite market in terms of revisit time and image resolution.
Remote Sensing-Detected Changes in Precipitation over the Source Region of Three Rivers in the Recent Two Decades
Authors: Meng Xianhong , Deng Mingshan , Liu Yumeng , Li Zhaoguo , Zhao Lin
Published: May 2022

The source region of three rivers (SRTR) is an important water conservation area, also known as the Water Tower of Asia. Precipitation is one of the most important factors affecting the ecological system and water resources over the SRTR. However, the characteristics and mechanism of its change at different time scales are still uncertain. Using the GSMaP remote sensing products and ERA5 reanalysis data, this study analyzes the spatial and temporal variability of precipitation and water vapor transport in the SRTR over the past two decades. The annual precipitation slightly reduces in the north and west and slightly increases in the east and south parts of the SRTR. The spring, autumn and winter dominate the decrease in precipitation in most areas of the SRTR, while the summer contributes the most increases. In contrast with the 2000s, the afternoon precipitation slightly reduced in the 2010s, while the nighttime precipitation increases significantly. The changes in nighttime precipitation, especially its intensity, associated with the water vapor transport contribute to the changes in precipitation over the SRTR.
Feasibility and Error Analysis of Using Fiber Optic Temperature Measurement Device to Evaluate the Electromagnetic Safety of Hot Bridge Wire EEDs
Authors: Lyu Xuxu , Wei Guanghui , Lu Xinfu , Wan Haojiang , Du Xue
Published: May 2022

Most studies assessing the safety of hot bridge wire EEDs employ temperature sensors that directly use the measurements of the temperature measurement device without analyzing the accuracy of the temperature measurement. This study establishes the response function of the exposed bridge and exposed bridge temperature rise system of hot bridge wire EEDs through the Rosenthal’s temperature rise equation and Laplace transformation as well as experimental tests, and through the response function, the response law and numerical characteristics of the two are compared and analyzed under four typical excitations. Under steady current injection and continuous-wave radiation, both exposed bridge and exposed bridge temperature measurement systems can reach thermal equilibrium, and the equilibrium temperature of both are the same. However, under pulse excitation, the temperature rise measurement value is significantly different from the actual value due to the large difference in response time of the exposed bridge (1 ms) and the exposed bridge temperature measurement device (0.82 s). Studies have shown that under steady current injection and continuous-wave radiation, temperature rise measurements can be directly applied to the safety assessment of hot bridge wire EEDs, while under pulsed conditions, temperature rise measurements cannot be directly applied.
Development of a Current Injection—Type Impedance Measurement System for Monitoring Soil Water Content and Ion Concentration
Authors: Shigemasu Ryuki , Teraoka Yuki , Ota Satoshi , Hirano Harutoyo , Yasutomi Keita , Kawahito Shoji , Futagawa Masato
Published: May 2022

This study was conducted with the aim of developing a circuit system that enables the measurement of the moisture content and ion concentration with a simple circuit configuration. Our previous studies have shown that soil can be represented by an equivalent circuit of a parallel circuit of resistors and capacitors. We designed a circuit that can convert the voltage transient characteristics of the soil when a current is applied to it into a square wave and output frequency information and developed an algorithm to analyze the two types of square waves and calculate R and C. Normal operation was confirmed in the range of 10 kΩ–1 MΩ for the designed circuit, and the calculation algorithm matched within a maximum error of 5%, thus confirming the validity of the program. These successfully confirmed the changes in the water content and ionic concentration. The soil moisture content measurement succeeded in measuring a maximum error of about 10%, except at one point, and the soil ion concentration measurement succeeded in measuring a maximum error of 6.6%. A new, simple, noise-resistant moisture content and ion concentration measurement circuit system with square wave output has been realized.
Measuring Active Power as the Difference between the Peak Value of Instantaneous Power and the Apparent Power
Authors: Nobile Giovanni , Cacciato Mario , Vasta Ester
Published: May 2022

The traditional approach to calculate the active and reactive power in AC power systems requires the measurement of the phase shift between the voltage and current for the evaluation of the power factor. To do this, power analyzers can implement several methods. In principle, it is always necessary to identify specific points of waveforms (e.g., using a zero-crossing detection technique) and get their time shift. In a similar way, the frequency value must be evaluated in order to calculate the angular frequency. Unfortunately, this kind of common method exhibits some issues, such as the large sensitivity to noise. Moreover, inaccuracies in the evaluation of the power factor have a big impact on the final estimation of the electric power. This paper presents a simple but effective way to calculate the electric power, overcoming the need for a direct measurement of the phase shift and frequency. In particular, it is shown that the active power can be easily calculated as the difference between the peak value of the instantaneous power and apparent power. The reactive power and power factor are evaluated by exploiting the same quantities. The practical implementation of the proposed formulation in power analyzers guarantees several benefits without reducing accuracy.
Deep Spatiotemporal Model for COVID-19 Forecasting
Authors: Muñoz-Organero Mario , Queipo-Álvarez Paula
Published: May 2022

COVID-19 has caused millions of infections and deaths over the last 2 years. Machine learning models have been proposed as an alternative to conventional epidemiologic models in an effort to optimize short- and medium-term forecasts that will help health authorities to optimize the use of policies and resources to tackle the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Although previous machine learning models based on time pattern analysis for COVID-19 sensed data have shown promising results, the spread of the virus has both spatial and temporal components. This manuscript proposes a new deep learning model that combines a time pattern extraction based on the use of a Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) over a preceding spatial analysis based on a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) applied to a sequence of COVID-19 incidence images. The model has been validated with data from the 286 health primary care centers in the Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid region, Spain). The results show improved scores in terms of both root mean square error (RMSE) and explained variance (EV) when compared with previous models that have mainly focused on the temporal patterns and dependencies.
A Novel Central Camera Calibration Method Recording Point-to-Point Distortion for Vision-Based Human Activity Recognition
Authors: Jin Ziyi , Li Zhixue , Gan Tianyuan , Fu Zuoming , Zhang Chongan , He Zhongyu , Zhang Hong , Wang Peng , Liu Jiquan , Ye Xuesong
Published: May 2022

The camera is the main sensor of vison-based human activity recognition, and its high-precision calibration of distortion is an important prerequisite of the task. Current studies have shown that multi-parameter model methods achieve higher accuracy than traditional methods in the process of camera calibration. However, these methods need hundreds or even thousands of images to optimize the camera model, which limits their practical use. Here, we propose a novel point-to-point camera distortion calibration method that requires only dozens of images to get a dense distortion rectification map. We have designed an objective function based on deformation between the original images and the projection of reference images, which can eliminate the effect of distortion when optimizing camera parameters. Dense features between the original images and the projection of the reference images are calculated by digital image correlation (DIC). Experiments indicate that our method obtains a comparable result with the multi-parameter model method using a large number of pictures, and contributes a 28.5% improvement to the reprojection error over the polynomial distortion model.
Spatial Mobility Capital: A Valuable Resource for the Social Mobility of Border-Crossing Migrant Entrepreneurs?
Authors: Riaño Yvonne , Mittmasser Christina , Sandoz Laure
Published: May 2022

Spatial mobility is considered a valuable resource for social mobility. Yet, we still have an insufficient understanding of the extent to which and under what conditions geographical movement across national borders represents an asset for social advancement. Addressing this research gap, we offer a theoretical contribution to the fields of transnationalism, migration/mobility, and social geography. We focus on 86 cross-border migrant entrepreneurs who live in Barcelona (Spain), Cúcuta (Colombia), and Zurich (Switzerland), and combine geographical and mental maps, biographical interviews, ethnographic observations, and participatory Minga workshops. Our results show significant inequality in opportunity among the studied entrepreneurs and reveal different geographies of risk and uncertainty for their cross-border mobilities. We theoretically propose that the ability to use spatial mobility as a resource for social mobility depends largely on three intersecting factors: the entrepreneur’s social position, his or her location in geographical space, and his or her strategies. Moreover, we have formulated the concept of spatial mobility capital to define the necessary conditions for spatial mobility to become a valuable resource for social advancement: individuals must be in control of their spatial mobilities, such mobilities need to match their socio-economic needs and personal aspirations, and they must be able to move safely.
A Review of Recent Developments and Applications of Compound Parabolic Concentrator-Based Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal Collectors
Authors: Masood Faisal , Nor Nursyarizal Bin Mohd , Nallagownden Perumal , Elamvazuthi Irraivan , Saidur Rahman , Alam Mohammad Azad , Akhter Javed , Yusuf Mohammad , Mehmood Mubbashar , Ali Mujahid
Published: May 2022

The concentrating photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) collectors offer the benefits of the reduced per-unit price of electrical energy and co-generation of electrical and thermal energies by intensifying the solar irradiation falling on the hybrid receiving plane. The compound parabolic concentrating (CPC) collectors have appeared as a promising candidate for numerous applications in the field of solar energy due to their ability to collect both direct and diffuse solar radiation and suitability for stationary installation. Over the last few decades, various configurations of CPC collectors have been proposed and investigated by different researchers for the simultaneous generation of electrical and thermal energies. This article presents a comprehensive review of historical and recent developments and applications of CPC-based hybrid PVT systems. The review focuses on the heat extraction mechanisms and commonly used application areas of CPC-PVT systems. The innovative design configurations proposed by different researchers have been reviewed in detail. The outputs of CPC-PVT systems are generally found to be superior to their counterparts without CPCs, which justifies their increased popularity. Due to dual outputs, the hybrid CPC-PVT systems are considered to be suitable for rooftop and building façade integrated applications. Finally, future recommendations have been enlisted, highlighting the potential research opportunities and challenges for the prospective researchers working in the field of concentrating solar PVT systems.
Challenges to and Strategies for the Climate Village Program Plus: A Lesson Learned from Indonesia
Authors: Wiati Catur Budi , Dharmawan I Wayan Susi , Sakuntaladewi Niken , Ekawati Sulistya , Wahyuni Tien , Maharani Rizki , Hadiyan Yayan , Naibaho Yosua , Satria Wahyudi Iman , Ngatiman Ngatiman , Abdurachman Abdurachman , Karmilasanti Karmilasanti , Laksmita Aulia Nur , Angi Eddy Mangopo , Khadka Chiranjeewee
Published: May 2022

The Climate Village Program (CVP) is one of the national flagship programs of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia to support emission reduction and climate resilience. This paper examines the challenges and strategies for implementing the climate village program in the national and sub-national contexts. Data and information derived from discussions, seminars, focus group discussions, and interviews with local government officials in East Kalimantan were used to analyze the social learning of the CVP plus, including those on the policy process and its concept, integration program, and implementation. Sustainable strategies need to be addressed by integrating the CVP plus into the medium-term development plan of the region. The challenges and way forward of the CVP plus could be an excellent lesson for implementation in all provinces of Indonesia to support FOLU (Forest Other Land Use) Net Sinker 2030 and LTS-LCCR (Long-Term Strategy on Low Carbon and Climate Resilience) 2050. Key challenges and strategies for the CVP plus are highlighted in the planning and implementation phases, especially in improving climate resilience. This study also points out the steps of implementation of the CVP, development partners and their roles in relation to climate change and other socio-economic facts that make it difficult to engage real stakeholders in the implementation of the CVP plus.
Caring about and with Imaginary Characters: Early Childhood Playworlds as Sites for Social Sustainability
Authors: Lecusay Robert , Rainio Anna , Ferholt Beth
Published: May 2022

We investigate the concept of care in adult-child joint play through two cases that illustrate ways in which the development of care relations among researchers, pedagogues, and children—and the imaginary characters they create through their joint play—shape and sustain early childhood education and care research and practice. We focus on the ways that early childhood education and care pedagogues’ approaches to care provide insights into practices of social sustainability, specifically social inclusion. The cases we present are drawn from recent studies of early childhood play. The studies belong to a corpus of international research projects that are researcher-teacher collaborations. These studies explore a unique form of adult-child joint imaginary play known as playworlds. Playworlds are based on cultural historical theories of development and art, Gunilla Lindqvist’s studies of playworlds, and local theory and practice of early childhood education and care. Our analyses of playworlds are based, in part, on Winnicott’s concept of transitional objects. The two cases are drawn from ECEC playworlds in Finland and the US. Each exemplifies how playworlds, as forms of participatory design research, make social sustainability possible. Furthermore, these cases highlight how, by working with the boundaries between and moving between real and imagined, the participants are able to develop new ways of being that are radically inclusive. We argue that they do so by facilitating and maintaining the development of care relations among researchers, teachers, children, and, importantly, imaginary characters, in ways that create what we call transitional subjects. We conclude that social sustainability, like care, should be conceived of as an ecology of caring practices.
Privatization in Rural Water Supply and Customer Satisfaction: An Empirical Case Study in Vietnam
Authors: Anh Nguyen Tuan , Dung Nguyen Huu , Thu Dao Thi
Published: May 2022

This article investigates the private sector participation in investment, management, and operation in rural water supply schemes in Vietnam. Different organizations manage rural water supply facilities, including the private sector, public sector, and others. This paper aims to compare the different characteristics affecting user satisfaction of water supply facilities managed by the private sector and the remaining sectors. An ordered logit model was utilized for calculation with the data collected from semi-structure questionnaires with 1200 households using water from rural water supply systems managed by different sectors in Vietnam. The results indicate that the water-user satisfaction with rural water supply projects managed by the private sector is higher than that in other sectors (community, cooperative, commune people’s committee), whereas there is no significant difference in customer satisfaction between systems managed by the public sector and the private sector (enterprise, private management). The water availability and quality of schemes greatly influence the customer satisfaction. Findings from this study provide considerable information for the private sector on how to improve the management and operation of water supply systems efficiently through customer satisfaction assessment.
Association of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors with the Risk of Refractive Error in Chinese Urban/Rural Boys and Girls
Authors: Zhu Wenfei , Zhang Longhai , Zhang Ling , Qiu Longkun , Guo Jiawei , Li Zheng’ao , Sun Yuliang
Published: May 2022

Background: Research shows physical activity (PA) is negatively associated with refractive error, especially outdoor activity. Our study aimed to examine the association of PA levels and sedentary time (SED) with refractive error in boys and girls living in urban and rural areas. Methods: A total of 8506 urban/rural boys and girls (13.5 ± 2.8 years old) in Shaanxi Province, China participated in this study. Questions about PA, SED, outdoor exercises, and digital screen time were asked in the study survey. Non-cycloplegic refractive error was measured by an autorefractor. The differences between sex/area groups have been analyzed by one-way ANOVA. The association of PA/SED with spherical equivalent (SE) and cylinder power was analyzed by general linear regression. The association between PA/SED and the risk of refractive error was determined using the binary logistic regression model. Results: Of the 8506 participants, the prevalence of refractive error was significantly higher in girls and urban students (p < 0.05). Less SED and digital screen time, and more outdoor activity were significantly associated with SE (p < 0.05), respectively. More PA and less SED were significantly associated with lower cylinder power (p < 0.05), respectively. More PA and less SED were significantly associated with lower risks of myopia and astigmatism, respectively (p < 0.05). Conclusions: PA and SED were associated with the risk of refractive error. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help to reduce the risk of refractive error in boys and girls.
Risk Cost Measurement of Value for Money Evaluation Based on Case-Based Reasoning and Ontology: A Case Study of the Urban Rail Transit Public-Private Partnership Projects in China
Authors: Wang Hongqiang , Lin Qiaoyan , Zhang Yingjie
Published: May 2022

Risk is demonstrated as one of the most crucial drivers of value for money (VFM) in public–private partnerships (PPP), but in previous studies, the risk cost estimation of the quantitative evaluation of VFM was still a dilemma that strongly depended on specialist discretion or had low methodological operability. This paper establishes a prediction model for estimating the risk cost in the phase of VFM evaluation through a combination of case-based reasoning (CBR) and ontology technology. PPP information ontology was established to provide the technical basis of knowledge representation for the CBR cycle. Then, according to whether the information data were quantitative or qualitative, similarity calculation methods were used for the retrieval of similar cases. The conceptual semantic similarity algorithm based on the ontology tree structure was well implemented to compare abstract information. After the most similar cases were extracted, a revision mechanism was followed when there were deviations in the similar cases. Finally, the risk costs of the target case were obtained by weighting the extracted similar cases based on the similarity. An empirical analysis was performed with 18 historical projects from the China Public–Private Partnerships Center. The results showed that the relative errors between the estimated and actual costs of total risk and retained risk were 11.05% and 2.41%, respectively. This indicates that the estimation model could achieve a better risk cost prediction with small errors, which validates the availability of the model. Based on the proposed model, this research establishes an extensible PPP information ontology model. It promotes the integration and interoperability of information knowledge in the PPP domain, which can be further expanded according to the requirements. Coherent accuracy is provided by the whole CBR-based measurement process, which has offered a systematic and objective method for the risk costs measurement of PPP projects.
Effects of Carbon Policy on Carbon Emission Reduction in Supply Chain under Uncertain Demand
Authors: Li Changhong , Wang Jialuo , Zheng Jiao , Gao Jiani
Published: May 2022

Although there are many articles on carbon emission reduction of sustainable supply chain, most of them study the carbon emission reduction efficiency of supply chain in the case of single carbon policy or demand determination. Based on previous studies, this paper considered a supply chain consisting of a single manufacturer and a single retailer in an uncertain demand market. The effects of demand randomness and different carbon policies on carbon emission reduction level and optimal decision in supply chain were studied by constructing mean-variance utility function and Stackelberg game. Due to the difficulty of data acquisition, this paper verified the equalization results by numerical simulation. The results show that: (1) cap-and-trade policy, government subsidy policy and carbon tax policy can promote the carbon emission reduction investment of supply chain, while carbon tax policy will lead to the decline of the overall profit of supply chain; (2) For the manufacturer and the retailer, adopting a strategy with a low degree of risk avoidance will increase its own profits; (3) For the supply chain as a whole, it is more advantageous for manufacturers to adopt higher risk avoidance strategies, while retailers to adopt lower risk avoidance strategies. In addition, in the conclusion, this paper puts forward management implications related to stakeholders, thus providing help for the development of sustainable supply chain.
Access-Based Consumption in the Built Environment: Sharing Spaces
Authors: Lundgren Rebecka , Kyrö Riikka , Jylhä Tuuli
Published: May 2022

The pressing need to implement a more circular economy has led to advancements in the research field. In the spatial context, sharing spaces and access-over-ownership models have the potential to mitigate the detrimental environmental impacts of space use. This study aims to adapt an existing theoretical framework on access-based consumption to the spatial context. We utilise a qualitative case study approach exploring a variety of shared spaces from Northern Europe. Our findings suggest that shared spaces and their organisation are inherently fluid. The study further reveals that the physical object of sharing, even in the case of shared spaces, is being partially replaced with virtual and hybrid solutions. In fact, a hybrid solution seems to enable organisations delivering shared spaces to be more dynamic. Finally, we find that in the spatial context, two types of political consumerism prevail: decommercialization of spaces on the one hand and promoting environmental sustainability on the other. This study is the first to suggest a holistic framework for access-based consumption in the spatial context. The findings will be useful to scholars and practitioners engaged in developing, owning and providing services for shared spaces.
Sustainable Entrepreneurship: A Literature Review
Authors: Rosário Albérico , Raimundo Ricardo , Cruz Sandra
Published: May 2022

These days, issues such as environmental degradation, the wealth gap, and unequal access to opportunities and resources are increasing. These concerns have increased the need for sustainable entrepreneurship, defined as sustainable business practices. Entrepreneurship is central in transitioning towards a more sustainable future, whereas aligning the social, economic, and ecological objectives and ecological entrepreneurs plays a role. This scoping literature review analyzes the field of sustainable entrepreneurship and the extent of the holistic integration in the global business arena, therefore filling a gap in the existing literature. It aims to analyze the depth of existing pieces of literature on sustainable entrepreneurship, its definitions, and its applications in business practices. The analysis relies upon a literature search on the SCOPUS database around the keywords ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Sustainable Entrepreneurship’. The scientific software VOSviewer is used to better illustrate the linkage of major categories and correspondent trends, related with both business growth and maintenance of ecological systems. It concludes that the desired levels of sustainability require collaborations between all stakeholders, while the transition towards service-oriented business models has contributed to the growth of sustainable entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, existing institutional structures favor current unsustainable businesses and systems over the newer sustainable ones, demanding ecopreneurs to initiate institutional changes.
Existence of Periodic Solutions for a Class of the Generalized Liénard Equations
Authors: de Bustos María Teresa , Diab Zouhair , Guirao Juan Luis G. , López Miguel A. , Martínez Raquel
Published: May 2022

We study analytically the existence of periodic solutions of the generalized Liénard differential equations of the form x¨+fx,x˙x˙+n2x+gx=ε2p1t+ε3p2t, where n∈N*, the functions f,g are of class C3,C4 in a neighborhood of the origin, respectively, the functions pi are of class C0, 2π−periodic in the variable t, with i=1,2, and ε is a small parameter as usual. The mathematical tool that we have used is the averaging theory of dynamical systems of second order.
Colony-Forming Efficiency Assay to Assess Nanotoxicity of Graphene Nanomaterials
Authors: Won Hansol , Kim Sung-Hyun , Yang Jun-Young , Jung Kikyung , Jeong Jayoung , Oh Jae-Ho , Lee Jin-Hee
Published: May 2022

The nano-market has grown rapidly over the past decades and a wide variety of products are now being manufactured, including those for biomedical applications. Despite the widespread use of nanomaterials in various industries, safety and health effects on humans are still controversial, and testing methods for nanotoxicity have not yet been clearly established. Nanomaterials have been reported to interfere with conventional cytotoxicity tests due to their unique properties, such as light absorption or light scattering. In this regard, the colony-forming efficacy (CFE) assay has been suggested as a suitable test method for testing some nanomaterials without these color-interferences. In this study, we selected two types of GNPs (Graphene nanoplatelets) as test nanomaterials and evaluated CFE assay to assess the cytotoxicity of GNPs. Moreover, for further investigation, including expansion into other cell types, GNPs were evaluated by the conventional cytotoxicity tests including the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS), Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), and Neutral red uptake (NRU) assay using MDCK, A549 and HepG2 cells. The results of CFE assay suggest that this test method for three cell lines can be applied for GNPs. In addition, the CFE assay was able to evaluate cytotoxicity regardless more accurately of color interference caused by residual nanomaterials.
MASTER Real-Time Multi-Message Observations of High Energy Phenomena
Authors: Lipunov Vladimir M. , Kornilov Viktor G. , Zhirkov Kirill , Kuznetsov Artem , Gorbovskoy Evgenii , Budnev Nikolai M. , Buckley David A. H. , Lopez Rafael Rebolo , Serra-Ricart Miquel , Francile Carlos , Tyurina Nataly , Gress Oleg , Balanutsa Pavel , Antipov Gleb , Vlasenko Daniil , Topolev Vladislav , Chasovnikov Aristarkh , Svertilov Sergei I. , Podesta Ricardo , Podesta Federico , Minkina Ekaterina , Tlatov Andrei G. , Yurkov Vladimir V. , Gabovich Alexandre , Ershova Olga , Senik Viktor , Kuvshinov Dmitrii
Published: May 2022

This review considers synchronous and follow-up MASTER Global Robotic Net optical observations of high energy astrophysical phenomena such as fast radio bursts (FRB), gamma-ray bursts (including prompt optical emission polarization discovery), gravitational-wave events, detected by LIGO/VIRGO (including GW170817 and independent Kilonova discovery), high energy neutrino sources (including the detection of IC-170922A progenitor) and others. We report on the first large optical monitoring campaign of the closest at that moment radio burster FRB 180916.J0158+65 simultaneously with a radio burst. We obtained synchronous limits on the optical flux of the FRB 180916.J0158+65 and FRB 200428 (soft gamma repeater SGR 1935+2154) (The CHIME/FRB Collaboration, Nature 2020, 587) at 155093 MASTER images with the total exposure time equal to 2,705,058 s, i.e., 31.3 days. It follows from these synchronous limitations that the ratio of the energies released in the optical and radio ranges does not exceed 4 × 105. Our optical monitoring covered a total of 6 weeks. On 28 April 2020, MASTER automatically following up on a Swift alert began to observe the galactic soft gamma repeater SGR 1935+2154 experienced another flare. On the same day, radio telescopes detected a short radio burst FRB 200428 and MASTER-Tavrida telescope determined the best prompt optical limit of FRB/SGR 1935+2154. Our optical limit shows that X-ray and radio emissions are not explained by a single power-law spectrum. In the course of our observations, using special methods, we found a faint extended afterglow in the FRB 180916.J0158+65 direction associated with the extended emission of the host galaxy.
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid, Spike, and Neutralizing Antibodies in Vaccinated Japanese
Authors: Midorikawa Rie , Nakama Moriyuki , Furukawa Hiroshi , Oka Shomi , Higuchi Takashi , Nagai Hideaki , Nagai Nobuhiro , Tohma Shigeto
Published: May 2022

Serological detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleocapsid (N), spike (S), and neutralizing antibodies (Abs) is commonly undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of vaccination. However, the relative efficiency of different SARS-CoV-2 Ab detection systems has not been extensively investigated. Here, we evaluated serological test systems in vaccinated Japanese. SARS-CoV-2 N, S, and neutralizing Abs in sera of 375 healthy subjects a mean 253 days after vaccination were assessed. The sensitivity of Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S (Roche S) and Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S IgG (Fujirebio S) was 100% and 98.9%, respectively, with a specificity of 100% for both. The sensitivity of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing Ab (MBL Neu) was 2.7%, and the specificity was 100%. Fujirebio S correlated with Roche S (rho = 0.9182, p = 3.97 × 10−152). Fujirebio S (rho = 0.1295, p = 0.0121) and Roche S (rho = 0.1232, p = 0.0170) correlated weakly with MBL Neu. However, Roche S did correlate with MBL Neu in patients with COVID-19 (rho = 0.8299, p = 1.01 × 10−12) and in healthy subjects more recently after vaccination (mean of 90 days, rho = 0.5306, p = 0.0003). Thus, the Fujirebio S and Roche S results were very similar, but neither correlated with neutralizing antibody titers by MBL Neu at a later time after vaccination.
Flavivirus Capsid Proteins Inhibit the Interferon Response
Authors: Airo Adriana M. , Felix-Lopez Alberto , Mancinelli Valeria , Evseev Danyel , Lopez-Orozco Joaquin , Shire Kathy , Paszkowski Patrick , Frappier Lori , Magor Katharine E. , Hobman Tom C.
Published: May 2022

Zika virus (ZIKV) establishes persistent infections in multiple human tissues, a phenomenon that likely plays a role in its ability to cause congenital birth defects and neurological disease. Multiple nonstructural proteins encoded by ZIKV, in particular NS5, are known to suppress the interferon (IFN) response by attacking different steps in this critical antiviral pathway. Less well known are the potential roles of structural proteins in affecting the host immune response during ZIKV infection. Capsid proteins of flaviviruses are of particular interest because a pool of these viral proteins is targeted to the nuclei during infection and, as such, they have the potential to affect host cell gene expression. In this study, RNA-seq analyses revealed that capsid proteins from six different flaviviruses suppress expression of type I IFN and IFN-stimulated genes. Subsequent interactome and in vitro ubiquitination assays showed that ZIKV capsid protein binds to and prevents activating ubiquitination of RIG-I CARD domains by TRIM25, a host factor that is important for the induction arm of the IFN response. The other flavivirus capsid proteins also interacted with TRIM25, suggesting that these viral proteins may attenuate antiviral signaling pathways at very early stages of infection, potentially even before nonstructural proteins are produced.
Medics as a Positive Deviant in Influenza Vaccination: The Role of Vaccine Beliefs, Self-Efficacy and Contextual Variables
Authors: Włodarczyk Dorota , Ziętalewicz Urszula
Published: May 2022

The influenza vaccination rate remains unsatisfactorily low, especially in the healthy adult population. The positive deviant approach was used to identify key psychosocial factors explaining the intention of influenza vaccination in medics and compare them with those in non-medics. Methods: There were 709 participants, as follows: 301 medics and 408 non-medics. We conducted a cross-sectional study in which a multi-module self-administered questionnaire examining vaccination beliefs, risk perception, outcome expectations (gains or losses), facilitators’ relevance, vaccination self-efficacy and vaccination intention was adopted. We also gathered information on access to vaccination, the strength of the vaccination habit and sociodemographic variables. Results: We used SEM and were able to explain 78% of the variance in intention in medics and 56% in non-medics. We identified both direct and indirect effects between the studied variables. In both groups, the intention was related to vaccination self-efficacy, stronger habits and previous season vaccination, but access to vaccines was significant only in non-medics. Conclusions: Applying the positive deviance approach and considering medics as positive deviants in vaccination performance extended the perspective on what factors to focus on in the non-medical population. Vaccination promotion shortly before the flu season should target non- or low-intenders and also intenders by the delivery of balanced information affecting key vaccination cognitions. General pro-vaccine beliefs, which may act as implicit attitudes, should be created in advance to build proper grounds for specific outcome expectations and facilitators’ recognition. It should not be limited only to risk perception. Some level of evidence-based critical beliefs about vaccination can be beneficial.
A Study of Car Wash Wastewater Treatment by Cyclo-Flow Filtration
Authors: Hu Ching-Yao , Kuan Wen-Hui , Ke Li-Wei , Wu Jung-Ming
Published: May 2022

With the increase in transportation demand and facilities in this era and the significant improvement in people’s living standards, the annual production and sales of vehicles are steadily increasing. With this, the issues of car wash wastewater treatment and water pollution are becoming more and more serious. Car wash wastewater mainly comprises fine sand, slick oil, suspended solids (SS), and surfactants, and can be quantified as chemical oxygen demand (COD) on a normative basis. This study examines the use of cyclo-flow filtration with high filtrate flux to treat car wash wastewater to solve issue of limited space in metropolitan areas and increase the willingness of the industry to invest in car wash equipment to recover water resources. The average removal rates of SS and COD are about 81% and 43%, respectively. Compared with current technology, the price of recycled water can compensate for operating costs, requiring minimal operating space owing to the single-unit cyclo-flow filtration system.
Urine Dilution Correction Methods Utilizing Urine Creatinine or Specific Gravity in Arsenic Analyses: Comparisons to Blood and Water Arsenic in the FACT and FOX Studies in Bangladesh
Authors: Abuawad Ahlam , Goldsmith Jeff , Herbstman Julie B. , Parvez Faruque , Islam Tariqul , LoIacono Nancy , Graziano Joseph H. , Navas-Acien Ana , Gamble Mary V.
Published: May 2022

Urinary As (uAs) is a biomarker of As exposure. Urinary creatinine (uCr) or specific gravity (SG) are used to correct uAs for urine dilution. However, uCr is correlated with As methylation, whereas SG has limitations in individuals with kidney damage. We aimed to evaluate which urine dilution correction methods for uAs most accurately predicted blood As (bAs). We used data from the Folic Acid and Creatine Trial (FACT; N = 541) and Folate and Oxidative Stress (FOX; N = 343) study in Bangladesh. Three linear regression models were assessed using uAs (1) adjusted for uCr or SG as separate covariates, (2) standardized for uCr or SG, i.e., uAs/uCr, and (3) adjusted for residual corrected uCr or SG following adjustment for age, sex and BMI. Median uAs/bAs for FACT and FOX were 114/8.4 and 140/12.3 µg/L. In FACT, two-fold increases in uAs adjusted for uCr or SG were related to 34% and 22% increases in bAs, respectively, with similar patterns in FOX. Across methods, models with uCr consistently had lower AIC values than SG. The uAs associations with bAs were stronger after adjustment for uCr vs. SG. Decisions regarding urine dilution methods should consider whether the study outcomes are influenced by factors such as methylation or medical conditions.
Applications of Battery Management System (BMS) in Sustainable Transportation: A Comprehensive Approach from Battery Modeling to Battery Integration to the Power Grid
Authors: B S Sagar , Hampannavar Santoshkumar , B Deepa , Bairwa Bansilal
Published: May 2022

The growing oil demand and serious environmental concerns have promoted the concept of the usage of electric vehicles (EVs) across the globe. EVs can be integrated into the grid for power transaction and to support the grid requirements, thereby drawing the attention of researchers, policy makers and industries. EVs are not only a transportation tool but also act as a distributed source or load. The EV battery plays a prominent role in grid integration and sustainable transportation. The monitoring and control aspect of the battery management system (BMS) plays a vital role in the successful deployment and usage of EVs. In this paper, an equivalent circuit model (ECM) of battery is proposed and analyzed that describes the battery behavior at various temperatures, considering the internal resistance of the battery. A stochastic model was developed for the battery ageing and replacement to ensure that systematic replacement of batteries based on the calendar ageing was performed. A reliability assessment of EV accessibility and availability was carried out by using Markov chain. A case study of a Diesel-renewable powered Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS) in a micro-grid was carried out that suits the requirement of large-scale EV fleet integration to the grid for power transaction. The holistic approach of BMS was considered for the sustainable transportation and grid integration
Antibiotics versus no treatment for asymptomatic bacteriuria in residents of aged care facilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Krzyzaniak Natalia , Forbes Connor , Clark Justin , Scott Anna Mae , Mar Chris Del , Bakhit Mina
Published: May 2022

Background

Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is common among residents of residential aged care facilities (RACFs). However, differentiating between an established urinary tract infection and ASB in older adults is difficult. As a result, the overuse of dipstick urinalysis, as well as the subsequent initiation of antibiotics, is common in RACFs.

Aim

To find, appraise, and synthesise studies that reported the effectiveness, harms, and adverse events associated with antibiotic treatment for older patients with ASB residing in RACFs.

Design and setting

A systematic review using standard Cochrane methods of RACF residents with ASB using antibiotics against placebo, or no treatment.

Method

Three electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL), clinical trial registries, and forward–backward reference checks of included studies were searched.

Results

Nine randomised controlled trials, comprising 1391 participants were included; two of which used a placebo comparator, and the remaining seven used no therapy control groups. There was a relatively small number of studies assessed per outcome and an overall moderate risk of bias. Outcomes related to mortality, development of ASB, and complications were comparable between the two groups. Antibiotic therapy was associated with a higher number of adverse effects (four studies; 303 participants; risk ratio [RR] 5.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07 to 29.55, P = 0.04) and bacteriological cure (nine studies; 888 participants; RR 1.89, 95% CI = 1.08 to 3.32, P = 0.03).

Conclusion

Overall, although antibiotic treatment was associated with bacteriological cure, it was also associated with significantly more adverse effects. The harms and lack of clinical benefit of antibiotic use for older patients in RACFs may outweigh the benefits.
Diagnostic accuracy of the FRAIL scale plus functional measures for frailty screening: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Rodríguez-Laso Ángel , Martín-Lesende Iñaki , Sinclair Alan , Sourdet Sandrine , Tosato Matteo , Rodríguez-Mañas Leocadio
Published: May 2022

Background

There is little knowledge of the diagnostic accuracy of screening programmes for frailty in primary care settings.

Aim

To assess a two-step strategy consisting of the administration of the FRAIL scale to those who are non-dependent and aged ≥75 years, followed-up by measurement of the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) or gait speed in those who are positive.

Design & setting

Cross-sectional and longitudinal cohort study. Analysis of primary care data from the FRAILTOOLS project at five European cities.

Method

All primary care patients consecutively attending were enrolled. They received the index tests, plus the Fried frailty phenotype (FP) and the frailty index to assess their frailty status. Mortality and worsening of dependency in basic and instrumental activities of daily living (BADL and IADL) over 1 year were ascertained.

Results

Prevalence of frailty based on FP was 14.9% in the 362 participants. A FRAIL scale score ≥1 had a sensitivity of 83.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 73.1 to 93.6) to detect frailty. A positive result and an SPPB score <11 had a sensitivity of 72.2% (95% CI = 59.9 to 84.6); when combined with a gait speed <1.1 m/s, the sensitivity was 80.0% (95% CI = 68.5 to 91.5). Two-thirds of those screened as positive were not frail. In the best scenario, sensitivities of this last combination to detect IADL and BADL worsening were 69.4% (95% CI = 59.4 to 79.4) and 63.6% (95% CI = 53.4 to 73.9), respectively.

Conclusion

Combining the FRAIL scale with other functional measures offers an acceptable screening approach for frailty. Accurate prediction of worsening dependency and death need to be confirmed through the piloting of a frailty screening programme.