bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Do No Harm: Efficacy of a Single Herbicide Application to Control an Invasive Shrub While Minimizing Collateral Damage to Native Species
Authors: Gibson David J. , Shupert Lindsay A. , Liu Xian
Published: October 2019

Control of invasive exotic species in restorations without compromising the native plant community is a challenge. Efficacy of exotic species control needs to consider collateral effects on the associated plant community. We asked (1) if short-term control of a dominant exotic invasive, Lespedeza cuneata in grassland restorations allows establishment of a more diverse native plant community, and (2) if control of the exotic and supplemental seed addition allows establishment of native species. A manipulative experiment tested the effects of herbicide treatments (five triclopyr and fluroxypyr formulations plus an untreated control) and seed addition (and unseeded control) on taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, and community composition of restored grasslands in three sites over three years. We assessed response of L. cuneata through stem density counts, and response of the plant community through estimates of canopy cover. Herbicide treatments reduced the abundance of the exotic in the first field season leading to a less dispersed community composition compared with untreated controls, with the exotic regaining dominance by the third year. Supplemental seed addition did not provide extra resistance of the native community to reinvasion of the exotic. The communities were phylogenetically over-dispersed, but there was a short-term shift to lower phylogenetic diversity in response to herbicides consistent with a decrease in biotic filtering. Native plant communities in these grassland restorations were resilient to short-term reduction in abundance of a dominant invasive even though it was insufficient to provide an establishment window for native species establishment.
Anti-Oxidant and Anti-Diabetes Potential of Water-Soluble Chitosan–Glucose Derivatives Produced by Maillard Reaction
Authors: Tran Thi Ngoc , Doan Chien Thang , Nguyen Van Bon , Nguyen Anh Dzung , Wang San-Lang
Published: October 2019

Chitosan-sugar derivatives demonstrate some useful biology activities (for example anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities). In this study, water-soluble chitosan–glucose derivatives (WSCGDs) were produced from a water-soluble chitosan hydrochloride (WSC) with 12.5 kDa of molecular weight and 24.05% of degree of acetylation (DA) via Maillard reaction with the heating temperatures of 100 °C and 121 °C. The Maillard reaction between WSC and glucose was investigated by measuring the absorbances at 420 nm and 294 nm, indicating that the reaction took place more effectively at 121 °C. All WSCGDs exhibited higher anti-oxidant activity than WSC, in which WSCGDs obtained at the treatment 121 °C for 2 h, 3 h, and 4 h expressed the highest ability (IC50 range from 1.90–1.05 mg/mL). Increased anti-α-amylase and anti-α-glucosidase activities were also observed in WSCGDs from the treatment at 121 °C. In detail, the highest IC50 values of anti-α-amylase activity were 18.02 mg/mL (121 °C, 3 h) and 18.37 mg/mL (121 °C, 4 h), whereas the highest IC50 values of anti-α-glucosidase activity were in range of 7.09–5.72 mg/mL (121 °C, for 1–4 h). According to the results, WSCGD obtained from 121 °C for 3 h was selected for further characterizing by high performance liquid chromatography size exclusion chromatography (HPLC SEC), colloid titration, FTIR, as well as 1H-NMR, indicating that the derivative of WSC and glucose was successfully synthesized with a molecular weight of 15.1 kDa and degree of substitution (DS) of 34.62 ± 2.78%. By expressing the excellent anti-oxidant and anti-diabetes activities, WSCGDs may have potential use in health food or medicine applications.
LC-ESI-QTOF/MS Profiling of Australian Mango Peel By-Product Polyphenols and Their Potential Antioxidant Activities
Authors: Peng Danying , Zahid Hafza Fasiha , Ajlouni Said , Dunshea Frank R. , Suleria Hafiz A. R.
Published: October 2019

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the most important fruits in the world. Mango peel is an important by-product that is rich in polyphenols and it could have high economic value if it is effectively utilized. Phenolic characterization is an essential step in the commercial utilization of mango peel by-products as food ingredients. Herein, qualitative and quantitative analyses of two Australian mango peel “Keitt” and “Kensington Pride” (K&P) by-products were conducted while using liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionisation and quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF/MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA). A total of 98 polyphenols compounds were tentatively identified in both Keitt peel and K&P peel extracts, with greater concentrations of these compounds being detected in Keitt peel. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and a total tannin content (TTC) were determined. The antioxidant activity of mango peel by-products was determined while using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant assay, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging assay. Keitt peel contained higher concentrations of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and tannins and had higher antioxidant capacity in DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays as compared to K&P peel. In HPLC-PDA quantification, the predominant phenolic compounds in Keitt peel and K&P peel were catechin (62.32 ± 0.01 mg/gd.w.) and syringic acid (17.78 ± 0.01 mg/gd.w).
Spatial-Spectral Multiple Manifold Discriminant Analysis for Dimensionality Reduction of Hyperspectral Imagery
Authors: Shi Guangyao , Huang Hong , Liu Jiamin , Li Zhengying , Wang Lihua
Published: October 2019

Hyperspectral images (HSI) possess abundant spectral bands and rich spatial information, which can be utilized to discriminate different types of land cover. However, the high dimensional characteristics of spatial-spectral information commonly cause the Hughes phenomena. Traditional feature learning methods can reduce the dimensionality of HSI data and preserve the useful intrinsic information but they ignore the multi-manifold structure in hyperspectral image. In this paper, a novel dimensionality reduction (DR) method called spatial-spectral multiple manifold discriminant analysis (SSMMDA) was proposed for HSI classification. At first, several subsets are obtained from HSI data according to the prior label information. Then, a spectral-domain intramanifold graph is constructed for each submanifold to preserve the local neighborhood structure, a spatial-domain intramanifold scatter matrix and a spatial-domain intermanifold scatter matrix are constructed for each sub-manifold to characterize the within-manifold compactness and the between-manifold separability, respectively. Finally, a spatial-spectral combined objective function is designed for each submanifold to obtain an optimal projection and the discriminative features on different submanifolds are fused to improve the classification performance of HSI data. SSMMDA can explore spatial-spectral combined information and reveal the intrinsic multi-manifold structure in HSI. Experiments on three public HSI data sets demonstrate that the proposed SSMMDA method can achieve better classification accuracies in comparison with many state-of-the-art methods.
Quantifying Below-Water Fluvial Geomorphic Change: The Implications of Refraction Correction, Water Surface Elevations, and Spatially Variable Error
Authors: Woodget Amy S. , Dietrich James T. , Wilson Robin T.
Published: October 2019

Much of the geomorphic work of rivers occurs underwater. As a result, high resolutionquantification of geomorphic change in these submerged areas is important. Currently, to quantify thischange, multiple methods are required to get high resolution data for both the exposed and submergedareas. Remote sensing methods are often limited to the exposed areas due to the challenges imposedby the water, and those remote sensing methods for below the water surface require the collection ofextensive calibration data in-channel, which is time-consuming, labour-intensive, and sometimesprohibitive in dicult-to-access areas. Within this paper, we pioneer a novel approach for quantifyingabove- and below-water geomorphic change using Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry andinvestigate the implications of water surface elevations, refraction correction measures, and thespatial variability of topographic errors. We use two epochs of imagery from a site on the River Teme,Herefordshire, UK, collected using a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) and processed usingStructure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry. For the first time, we show that: (1) Quantification ofsubmerged geomorphic change to levels of accuracy commensurate with exposed areas is possiblewithout the need for calibration data or a dierent method from exposed areas; (2) there is minimaldierence in results produced by dierent refraction correction procedures using predominantlynadir imagery (small angle vs. multi-view), allowing users a choice of software packages/processingcomplexity; (3) improvements to our estimations of water surface elevations are critical for accuratetopographic estimation in submerged areas and can reduce mean elevation error by up to 73%;and (4) we can use machine learning, in the form of multiple linear regressions, and a Gaussian NaïveBayes classifier, based on the relationship between error and 11 independent variables, to generate ahigh resolution, spatially continuous model of geomorphic change in submerged areas, constrained byspatially variable error estimates. Our multiple regression model is capable of explaining up to 54%of magnitude and direction of topographic error, with accuracies of less than 0.04 m. With on-goingtesting and improvements, this machine learning approach has potential for routine application inspatially variable error estimation within the RPAS–SfM workflow.
A Novel Hyperspectral Image Simulation Method Based on Nonnegative Matrix Factorization
Authors: Huang Zehua , Chen Qi , Chen Qihao , Liu Xiuguo , He Hao
Published: October 2019

Hyperspectral (HS) images can provide abundant and fine spectral information on land surface. However, their applications may be limited by their narrow bandwidth and small coverage area. In this paper, we propose an HS image simulation method based on nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF), which aims at generating HS images using existing multispectral (MS) data. Our main novelty is proposing a spectral transformation matrix and new simulation method. First, we develop a spectral transformation matrix that transforms HS endmembers into MS endmembers. Second, we utilize an iteration scheme to optimize the HS and MS endmembers. The test MS image is then factorized by the MS endmembers to obtain the abundance matrix. The result image is constructed by multiplying the abundance matrix by the HS endmembers. Experiments prove that our method provides high spectral quality by combining prior spectral endmembers. The iteration schemes reduce the simulation error and improve the accuracy of the results. In comparative trials, the spectral angle, RMSE, and correlation coefficient of our method are 5.986, 284.6, and 0.905, respectively. Thus, our method outperforms other simulation methods.
Detecting Building Changes between Airborne Laser Scanning and Photogrammetric Data
Authors: Zhang Zhenchao , Vosselman George , Gerke Markus , Persello Claudio , Tuia Devis , Yang Michael Ying
Published: October 2019

Detecting topographic changes in an urban environment and keeping city-level point clouds up-to-date are important tasks for urban planning and monitoring. In practice, remote sensing data are often available only in different modalities for two epochs. Change detection between airborne laser scanning data and photogrammetric data is challenging due to the multi-modality of the input data and dense matching errors. This paper proposes a method to detect building changes between multimodal acquisitions. The multimodal inputs are converted and fed into a light-weighted pseudo-Siamese convolutional neural network (PSI-CNN) for change detection. Different network configurations and fusion strategies are compared. Our experiments on a large urban data set demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Our change map achieves a recall rate of 86.17%, a precision rate of 68.16%, and an F1-score of 76.13%. The comparison between Siamese architecture and feed-forward architecture brings many interesting findings and suggestions to the design of networks for multimodal data processing.
Global Sensitivity Analysis of the SCOPE Model in Sentinel-3 Bands: Thermal Domain Focus
Authors: Prikaziuk Egor , van der Tol Christiaan
Published: October 2019

Sentinel-3 satellite has provided simultaneous observations in the optical (visible, near infrared (NIR), shortwave infrared (SWIR)) and thermal infrared (TIR) domains since 2016, with a revisit time of 1–2 days. The high temporal resolution and spectral coverage make the data of this mission attractive for vegetation monitoring. This study explores the possibilities of using the Soil Canopy Observation, Photochemistry and Energy fluxes (SCOPE) model together with Sentinel-3 to exploit the two sensors onboard of Sentinel-3 (the ocean and land color instrument (OLCI) and sea and land surface temperature radiometer (SLSTR)) in synergy. Sobol’ variance based global sensitivity analysis (GSA) of top of atmosphere (TOA) radiance produced with a coupled SCOPE-6S model was conducted for optical bands of OLCI and SLSTR, while another GSA of SCOPE was conducted for the land surface temperature (LST) product of SLSTR. The results show that in addition to ESA level-2 Sentinel-3 products, SCOPE is able to retrieve leaf area index (LAI), leaf chlorophyll content (Cab), leaf water content (Cw), leaf senescent material (Cs), leaf inclination distribution (LAD). Leaf dry matter content (Cdm) and soil brightness, despite being important, were not confidently retrieved in some cases. GSA of LST in TIR domain showed that plant biochemical parameters—maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax) and stomata conductance-photosynthesis slope (Ball-Berry m)—can be constrained if prior information on near-surface weather conditions is available. We conclude that the combination of optical and thermal domains facilitates the constraint of the land surface energy balance using SCOPE.
PHAROS 2.0—A PHysical Assistant RObot System Improved
Authors: Martinez-Martin Ester , Costa Angelo , Cazorla Miguel
Published: October 2019

There are great physical and cognitive benefits for older adults who are engaged in active aging, a process that should involve daily exercise. In our previous work on the PHysical Assistant RObot System (PHAROS), we developed a system that proposed and monitored physical activities. The system used a social robot to analyse, by means of computer vision, the exercise a person was doing. Then, a recommender system analysed the exercise performed and indicated what exercise to perform next. However, the system needed certain improvements. On the one hand, the vision system captured the movement of the person and indicated whether the exercise had been done correctly or not. On the other hand, the recommender system was based purely on a ranking system that did not take into account temporal evolution and preferences. In this work, we propose an evolution of PHAROS, PHAROS 2.0, incorporating improvements in both of the previously mentioned aspects. In the motion capture aspect, we are now able to indicate the degree of completeness of each exercise, identifying the part that has not been done correctly, and a real-time performance correction. In this way, the recommender system receives a greater amount of information and so can more accurately indicate the exercise to be performed. In terms of the recommender system, an algorithm was developed to weigh the performance, temporal evolution and preferences, providing a more accurate recommendation, as well as expanding the recommendation to a batch of exercises, instead of just one.
On the Possibility of Predicting Glycaemia ‘On the Fly’ with Constrained IoT Devices in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Patients
Authors: Rodríguez-Rodríguez Ignacio , Rodríguez José-Víctor , Chatzigiannakis Ioannis , Zamora Izquierdo Miguel Ángel
Published: October 2019

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (DM1) patients are used to checking their blood glucose levels several times per day through finger sticks and, by subjectively handling this information, to try to predict their future glycaemia in order to choose a proper strategy to keep their glucose levels under control, in terms of insulin dosages and other factors. However, recent Internet of Things (IoT) devices and novel biosensors have allowed the continuous collection of the value of the glucose level by means of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) so that, with the proper Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, glucose evolution can be modeled, thus permitting a forecast of this variable. On the other hand, glycaemia dynamics require that such a model be user-centric and should be recalculated continuously in order to reflect the exact status of the patient, i.e., an ‘on-the-fly’ approach. In order to avoid, for example, the risk of being disconnected from the Internet, it would be ideal if this task could be performed locally in constrained devices like smartphones, but this would only be feasible if the execution times were fast enough. Therefore, in order to analyze if such a possibility is viable or not, an extensive, passive, CGM study has been carried out with 25 DM1 patients in order to build a solid dataset. Then, some well-known univariate algorithms have been executed in a desktop computer (as a reference) and two constrained devices: a smartphone and a Raspberry Pi, taking into account only past glycaemia data to forecast glucose levels. The results indicate that it is possible to forecast, in a smartphone, a 15-min horizon with a Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of 11.65 mg/dL in just 16.15 s, employing a 10-min sampling of the past 6 h of data and the Random Forest algorithm. With the Raspberry Pi, the computational effort increases to 56.49 s assuming the previously mentioned parameters, but this can be improved to 34.89 s if Support Vector Machines are applied, achieving in this case an RMSE of 19.90 mg/dL. Thus, this paper concludes that local on-the-fly forecasting of glycaemia would be affordable with constrained devices.
Corporate Sustainability Performance: An Approach to Effective Sustainable Community Development or Not? A Case Study of the Luanshya Copper Mine in Zambia
Authors: Mutale Inonge , Franco Isabel B. , Jewette Masinja
Published: October 2019

Corporate Sustainability Performance (CSP) is being promoted as a way in which corporations in the extractive industry can contribute to poverty eradication in developing resource regions. As such, the international debate on CSP has moved from whether companies ought to do it or not, to the extent to which it can contribute to sustainable development. Corporations worldwide have therefore reshaped their frameworks, rules, and business models to accommodate CSP. This article evaluates whether, through the implementation of CSP, companies are able to contribute to the sustainable development of host communities in developing countries. Against this backdrop, there exists a knowledge gap in Zambia as to what the actual contributions of CSP are towards sustainable community development. Through literature review and community data analysis, the results revealed that there was a mismatch in priorities between CSP and the expectations of community members. Findings show that CSP focused mostly on haphazard donations, an approach that has been proven to be unsustainable. Finally, CSP had little or negligible impact on most selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In view of these findings, the study suggests adopting sustainability frameworks that are tailored to the local context. Furthermore, formulation of CSP initiatives should take a triangular approach of communication that is inclusive of all stakeholders.
A Taxonomy of Eco-Innovation Types in SMEs: Exploring Different Firm Profiles in the Canadian Wine Industry
Authors: Doloreux David , Kraft Luisa
Published: October 2019

The paper examines eco-innovation strategies in the Canadian wine industry. It uses firm-level data of 151 wine firms that developed eco-innovations between 2015 and 2017 to build a taxonomy of four eco-innovation strategies: (i) eco-innovation laggers, (ii) product-oriented eco-innovators, (iii) process-oriented eco-innovators, and (iv) fully integrated eco-innovators. We then characterize these eco-innovation strategies with respect to firm-level innovation capabilities, firms’ knowledge openness, and firms’ specific characteristics. The results reveal heterogeneity in eco-innovation strategies and show that these strategies exhibit different configurations of innovation-related conditions and firm characteristics.
Exploring the Enablers of Strategic Orientation for Technology-Driven Business Innovation Ecosystems
Authors: Yang Ta-Kai , Yan Min-Ren
Published: October 2019

The present study explores the impacts of corporate strategic orientation on innovation ecosystems through the perspective of systems thinking. Multiple-cases method was adopted to analyze three representative companies of different industries. In terms of academic contribution, the results of this study verify an innovation ecosystem model in a generalized manner, and find that market orientation, interaction orientation, and entrepreneurial orientation generate a positively reinforcing effect on the paths of the innovation ecosystem model in all phases, thus, diversifying the available literature of innovative ecosystems. In terms of practical contribution, this study presents a dynamic context of the development of new business, and describes the links between innovative activities and the market. Enterprises can refer to the proposed framework as well as strategic architecture in this study to effectively transform innovative activities into market performance.
The Transformative Potential of Active Citizenship: Understanding Changes in Local Governance Practices
Authors: Mattijssen Thomas J.M. , Buijs Arjen A.E. , Elands Birgit H.M. , Arts Bas J.M. , van Dam Rosalie I. , Donders Josine L.M.
Published: October 2019

This paper focuses on understanding the transformative potential of active citizenship in green space governance. Through an in-depth case study, we show how citizens promoted the redevelopment of a brownfield into a green space, but eventually also contributed towards a broader co-creative shift in local governance. In this process, we highlight how a shift in citizens’ activities from contestation towards collaboration led to the uptake of citizen-driven discourses and activities in spatial planning. The social connectivity between governance practices is of key importance in this transformation—successful governance practices that involve active citizens can inspire others. Even so, transformation is often a slow and path-dependent process which also depends on an enabling policy environment. Cooperating with authorities provides citizens with power, but also requires alignment with official rules. Creating and maintaining effective partnerships will remain a challenge for citizens and policymakers that strive for societal transformations.
A Bibliometric Review of the Knowledge Base for Innovation in Sustainable Development
Authors: Vatananan-Thesenvitz Ronald , Schaller Amaury-Alexandre , Shannon Randall
Published: October 2019

This review explores the rising research field of sustainable development in combination with innovation. The basis to reach sustainable development is innovation, which plays a role on all dimensions, be it economically, socially, or environmentally. In this review, science mapping techniques were employed in order to asses 1690 journal articles extracted from the SCOPUS database concerned with innovation in sustainable development (ISD). The main objective of the review is to reveal the size, growth trajectory, and geographic distribution of the ISD literature. Furthermore, the aim is to assess the key publishing journals, authors, and documents as well as to uncover the intellectual structure and topical foci of the research domain. The review acknowledges a reasonable body of knowledge spanning nearly three decades. A result of this review is that the sustainable development literature emerged from the environmental research field and that the topical foci of the domain is closely aligned with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. This review is a first attempt to systematically analyze the literature on innovation in sustainable development (ISD) by applying science mapping techniques such as bibliometric analysis. It shall give guidance for future research and demonstrate the practical implications.
Perspectives on Electrification for the Automotive Sector: A Critical Review of Average Daily Distances by Light-Duty Vehicles, Required Range, and Economic Outcomes
Authors: Dalla Chiara Bruno , Deflorio Francesco , Pellicelli Michela , Castello Luca , Eid Marco
Published: October 2019

This paper aims at providing a multisource data analysis, including direct data collection, focussed on daily average distances covered with motorized mobility. Its results can be used as a basis for policies involving a shift towards new propulsions, electric motors or hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) for road vehicles. A number of variables influence the propensity of drivers to use electric traction, even the option of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). This paper addresses one of these variables: the compliancy of electric traction—regarding both hybrid plug-in solutions and full-electric vehicles, in addition to the autonomy of batteries (range)—with the daily travels by road vehicles, mainly by automobiles. We want to understand whether the constraints leading towards a greater independence from crude oil rather than constraints concerning emissions, mainly in urban contexts, might be compliant with the habitual daily trips of drivers. We also want to understand if these daily trips have varied much during recent years and the consequences they may have on operational costs of plug-in automobiles. After introducing a general overview of road-motorized mobility in Italy, the paper compares data from other studies to provide an indication of average daily driving distances. This reveals how different recent analyses converge on a limited range of average road distances covered daily by Italians, which is compliant with ranges allowed by electric batteries, provided that their low energy density in comparison with that of oil-derived fuels do not arrive to imply a significant increase in vehicle mass. Subsequently, average distances in some EU countries are taken from the literature, and the results are also compared with U.S. data. The study extends the analysis of trends on the use of automobiles and road-vehicles to the international context by also addressing average daily distances covered for freight transport in some EU countries, thereby providing a further basis for comparison and for understanding whether the daily motorized mobility can be considered as a stable phenomenon. Finally, an analysis is provided of the economic operational advantages from using plug-in vehicles.
Innovating with Limited Resources: The Antecedents and Consequences of Frugal Innovation
Authors: Cai Quan , Ying Ying , Liu Yang , Wu Wei
Published: October 2019

Frugal innovation is a resource scarce solution for emerging market firms. Based upon the resource-constrained innovation perspective, this research theoretically explores and empirically examines the drivers and consequences of frugal innovation. The results of a firm-level survey show that two types of frugal innovation (cost innovation and affordable value innovation) positively affect the performance of emerging-market firms. We also address the issues of how emerging-market firms deal with institutional, technological, and market constraints in emerging markets, and we show how these constraints drive frugal innovation. We find that emerging-market firms with higher levels of capability for institutional leverage and bricolage, and firms that face perceived dysfunctional competition, tend to generate more affordable, value-added new products. Overall, these findings have important implications for emerging-market firms seeking to conduct frugal innovation in resource-constrained emerging markets.
Effects of Straw Returning and Residue Cleaner on the Soil Moisture Content, Soil Temperature, and Maize Emergence Rate in China’s Three Major Maize Producing Areas
Authors: Zhao Jiale , Lu Yun , Tian Hongli , Jia Honglei , Guo Mingzhuo
Published: October 2019

Straw returning is of significant value for the sustainable development of agriculture, but it can easily cause the decrease of soil moisture content (SMC) and soil temperature (ST), leading to the serious reduction of maize emergence rate (MER). This paper focuses on the influence law and influence principle of straw returning amounts and residue cleaner on SMC, ST, and MER. This paper selected representative areas of China’s three major maize-producing areas as test sites to take two-factor tests. Four levels were selected with straw returning amounts of 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100%. Three types of residue cleaners were selected: corrugated disc (CD), profiling residue cleaner (PRC), and rotary blade (RB). The test results show that the test factors have significant effects on the test indicators, and there is an interaction between the test factors. However, due to the large difference in annual average temperature, the influence of test factors on ST in different major maize producing areas is not the same. In order to obtain the optimal combination of factors in the three major maize producing areas, the nine regression models and the combination of factors corresponding to the extreme values were obtained through MATLAB. The following conclusions are drawn from the regression models: The maize emergence rate reached 91.7% when using PRC, and the amount of straw returning was 52% at the Jilin Maize Production Area. The maize emergence rate reached 94.7% when using CD, and the amount of straw returning was 67% at the Heilongjiang Maize Production Area. The maize emergence rate reached 91.4% when using CD, and the amount of straw returning was 68% at the Inner Mongolia Maize Production Area. This paper discussed the principle that test factors have a significant impact on test indicators. It is believed that, because the test factors can change the residual cover thickness (RCT) and soil compactness (SC), they have a significant impact on SMC and ST. In addition, it is believed because the test factors can change SMC, ST and the difficulty of cleaning operations, they have a significant impact on MER. At the same time, the basis for selecting straw returning amounts and rescue cleaner under different conditions is discussed. This paper can provide theoretical support and data reference for the sustainable development of agriculture in China’s three major maize producing areas.
Towards Systems-Oriented Energy Solutions: A Multilevel Analysis of a Low-Income Energy Efficiency Program in Brazil
Authors: Costa Junior Jairo da , Diehl Jan Carel , Secomandi Fernando
Published: October 2019

There is a consensus among scholars and practitioners that energy solutions, such as electricity services and related products and systems, are paramount to the ability of nations to overcome environmental and social issues. As a result, policymakers and problem solvers in emerging economies have shown a keen interest in the transition to sustainable energy systems. Nevertheless, the design of sustainable energy solutions in low-income markets presents many challenges, such as those related to limited financial resources and poor infrastructure. In low-income markets, the adoption of a systems-oriented approach to product–service combinations may represent a promising alternative to traditional design approaches and result in a more socially and environmentally sound path to economic development. Building on design theory grounded in systems theory, this paper analyzes multiple aggregation levels of the sociotechnical system of a low-income energy efficiency program in Brazil. In this study, the authors examined findings from the literature, carried out field observations, and had discussions with practitioners and experts. The study identifies constraints that hinder energy solutions that could achieve higher levels of socioeconomic and environmental benefits in low-income energy markets. Based on the findings, the paper provides insights into sustainable energy transitions and concludes that low-income energy efficiency programs can be improved through design-led policy and stakeholder collaboration.
Effects of Irrigating with Brackish Water on Soil Moisture, Soil Salinity, and the Agronomic Response of Winter Wheat in the Yellow River Delta
Authors: Wang Tianyu , Xu Zhenghe , Pang Guibin
Published: October 2019

Water shortages due to low precipitation and seawater intrusion in the Lower China Yellow River Delta have occurred in recent years. Exploiting underground brackish water through well drilling is a potential alternative way to satisfy the demand for agricultural irrigation. However, how to successfully use brackish water for irrigation has become a new problem to solve. A two-year field experiment was conducted in this typical saline-alkaline region to investigate the effects of irrigating with brackish water on the soil water-salt dynamics, and the physiological response of winter wheat to drought-salt stress. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with three replications according to the quantity (160 mm and 240 mm) and quality (fresh water and brackish water with a salt concentration of 3 g L−1) of irrigation water: T1 was 240 mm of fresh water, T2 was 160 mm of fresh water, T3 was 80 mm of fresh water and 160 mm of brackish water, and T4 was 80 mm of fresh water and 80 mm of brackish water. The results showed that the soil moisture of T3 was almost the same as T1 after the harvest of winter wheat each year, therefore, irrigating with brackish water can maintain soil moisture while saving fresh water resources. After two years, the soil salinity of each treatment increased by 0.307, 0.406, 0.383, and 0.889 g kg−1, respectively. During the jointing-flowering stage, salt stress has a significant inhibitory effect on photosynthesis; T3 and T4 were lower than T1 and T2 in terms of plant height and dry weight. During the filling stage, because the effect of drought stress is more serious than that of salt stress, the photosynthesis of T3 was greater than that of T2 and T4. For both years, the yield of crops followed the rank order T1 > T3 > T2 > T4. Compared with irrigating with fresh water in T1, T3 changed the second and third irrigation into brackish water, however we did not find that soil salinity increased significantly, and this treatment was able to ensure crop growth during the filling stage. Therefore, the combination of fresh water (80 mm), then brackish water (80 mm), then brackish water (80 mm) is a feasible irrigation strategy in China’s Yellow River Delta for winter wheat.
Research on Reducing Mining-Induced Disasters by Filling in Steeply Inclined Thick Coal Seams
Authors: Feng Cui , Zhaoyuan Lei , Jianqiang Chen , Bo Chang , Yanbin Yang , Changlu Li , Chong Jia
Published: October 2019

Surface filling during the mining of steeply inclined thick coal seams is an efficient method for restraining disasters caused by the cascading movement of overburden rocks. This study aims to control rock damage during the mining of thick coal seams steeply inclined at typically more than 45° in fully mechanized coal caving work surfaces with high section heights. Based on the green mining concept, we analyzed the movement of roof strata after filling using multiple methods, including field investigation, theoretical analysis, numerical calculation, and field monitoring. Results show that, in dynamic mine disasters caused mainly by complex coal conditions and strong disturbances in fully mechanized coal caving in large sections, the strength of the filling material is dependent on the features of the surrounding rock and burial depth. Also, the mining-induced peak stress shows a linear increase after filling, with the goafs in stress-free conditions, and failure zones occur in the roof and floor strata after mining. The stability of the rock pillars and overburden strata are better, and there are no large-scale tensile fissures in the ground surface. We adopted an intelligent underground radar detection technique that can reflect the rock-failure characteristics through the propagation characteristics of the electromagnetic spectrum. The detection results show that the coal goafs were filled properly as they were matched with the caving roof, which will collapse along with the release of the top coal, with the filling body able to move downward along with the discharge of top coal. The use of surface filling can restrain the dynamic disaster induced by a fully mechanized coal caving surface with a large section when mining steeply inclined thick coal seams, thereby ensuring safety and promoting the use of green mining practices.
Coupling Relationship between Agricultural Labor and Agricultural Production Against the Background of Rural Shrinkage: A Case Study of Songnen Plain, China
Authors: Yang Yangmeina , Zhang Yu , Yang Qingshan , Liu Jian , Huang Fang
Published: October 2019

Based on panel data from 1995, 2005, and 2015 in the Songnen Plain in Heilongjiang Province, this paper used quantitative and spatial analysis methods to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and coupling relationship between agricultural labor and agricultural production at the county level against the background of rural shrinkage. The results showed the following: (1) From 1995 to 2015, the agricultural labor population in Songnen Plain increased first and then decreased. The transfer of agricultural labor in the northern and eastern areas was clear, and the agricultural labor population in the central and western areas showed an increasing trend. (2) From 1995 to 2015, the agricultural production showed a growth trend, from the characteristics of “high in the southwest and low in the northeast” to “high in the central areas and low around”, with clear regional differences. (3) The coupling relationship between agricultural labor and agricultural production was diverse, showing a trend of positive development from extensive, lagged, and declining types to growth or intensive types. In some areas, the transfer of agricultural labor brought about an increase in the per capita cultivated land and an intensive transformation of production, but problems such as hollow villages, the abandonment of cultivated land and food insecurity often occurred. In addition, the increase in the agricultural labor population promoted the growth of grain yield and agricultural output value, but the decrease in per capita cultivated land might lead to a decrease in the per capita income. Finally, based on the coupling types and spatial distribution characteristics of agricultural labor and agricultural production, some policy suggestions are proposed for rural revitalization.
Symmetry in Quantum Optics Models
Authors: Lamata Lucas
Published: October 2019

This editorial introduces the successful invited submissions [...]
The Mode of Action of Bacillus Species against Fusarium graminearum, Tools for Investigation, and Future Prospects
Authors: Ntushelo Khayalethu , Ledwaba Lesiba Klaas , Rauwane Molemi Evelyn , Adebo Oluwafemi Ayodeji , Njobeh Patrick Berka
Published: October 2019

Fusarium graminearum is a pervasive plant pathogenic fungal species. Biological control agents employ various strategies to weaken their targets, as shown by Bacillus species, which adopt various mechanisms, including the production of bioactive compounds, to inhibit the growth of F. graminearum. Various efforts to uncover the antagonistic mechanisms of Bacillus against F. graminearum have been undertaken and have yielded a plethora of data available in the current literature. This perspective article attempts to provide a unified record of these interesting findings. The authors provide background knowledge on the use of Bacillus as a biocontrol agent as well as details on techniques and tools for studying the antagonistic mechanism of Bacillus against F. graminearum. Emphasizing its potential as a future biological control agent with extensive use, the authors encourage future studies on Bacillus as a useful antagonist of F. graminearum and other plant pathogens. It is also recommended to take advantage of the newly invented analytical platforms for studying biochemical processes to understand the mechanism of action of Bacillus against plant pathogens in general.
Contribution and Interaction of Shiga Toxin Genes to Escherichia coli O157:H7 Virulence
Authors: Tarr Gillian A.M. , Stokowski Taryn , Shringi Smriti , Tarr Phillip I. , Freedman Stephen B. , Oltean Hanna N. , Rabinowitz Peter M. , Chui Linda
Published: October 2019

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is the predominant cause of diarrhea-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) worldwide. Its cardinal virulence traits are Shiga toxins, which are encoded by stx genes, the most common of which are stx1a, stx2a, and stx2c. The toxins these genes encode differ in their in vitro and experimental phenotypes, but the human population-level impact of these differences is poorly understood. Using Shiga toxin-encoding bacteriophage insertion typing and real-time polymerase chain reaction, we genotyped isolates from 936 E. coli O157:H7 cases and verified HUS status via chart review. We compared the HUS risk between isolates with stx2a and those with stx2a and another gene and estimated additive interaction of the stx genes. Adjusted for age and symptoms, the HUS incidence of E. coli O157:H7 containing stx2a alone was 4.4% greater (95% confidence interval (CI) −0.3%, 9.1%) than when it occurred with stx1a. When stx1a and stx2a occur together, the risk of HUS was 27.1% lower (95% CI −87.8%, −2.3%) than would be expected if interaction were not present. At the population level, temporal or geographic shifts toward these genotypes should be monitored, and stx genotype may be an important consideration in clinically predicting HUS among E. coli O157:H7 cases.
Viral Innate Immune Evasion and the Pathogenesis of Emerging RNA Virus Infections
Authors: Nelemans Tessa , Kikkert Marjolein
Published: October 2019

Positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) viruses comprise many (re-)emerging human pathogens that pose a public health problem. Our innate immune system and, in particular, the interferon response form the important first line of defence against these viruses. Given their genetic flexibility, these viruses have therefore developed multiple strategies to evade the innate immune response in order to optimize their replication capacity. Already many molecular mechanisms of innate immune evasion by +ssRNA viruses have been identified. However, research addressing the effect of host innate immune evasion on the pathology caused by viral infections is less prevalent in the literature, though very relevant and interesting. Since interferons have been implicated in inflammatory diseases and immunopathology in addition to their protective role in infection, antagonizing the immune response may have an ambiguous effect on the clinical outcome of the viral disease. Therefore, this review discusses what is currently known about the role of interferons and host immune evasion in the pathogenesis of emerging coronaviruses, alphaviruses and flaviviruses.
In Vitro and In Vivo Metabolomic Profiling after Infection with Virulent Newcastle Disease Virus
Authors: Liu Panrao , Yin Yuncong , Gong Yabin , Qiu Xusheng , Sun Yingjie , Tan Lei , Song Cuiping , Liu Weiwei , Liao Ying , Meng Chunchun , Ding Chan
Published: October 2019

Newcastle disease (ND) is an acute, febrile, highly contagious disease caused by the virulent Newcastle disease virus (vNDV). The disease causes serious economic losses to the poultry industry. However, the metabolic changes caused by vNDV infection remain unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the metabolomic profiling after infection with vNDV. DF-1 cells infected with the vNDV strain Herts/33 and the lungs from Herts/33-infected specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens were analyzed via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) in combination with multivariate statistical analysis. A total of 305 metabolites were found to have changed significantly after Herts/33 infection, and most of them belong to the amino acid and nucleotide metabolic pathway. It is suggested that the increased pools of amino acids and nucleotides may benefit viral protein synthesis and genome amplification to promote NDV infection. Similar results were also confirmed in vivo. Identification of these metabolites will provide information to further understand the mechanism of vNDV replication and pathogenesis.
Equine Rhinitis A Virus Infection in Thoroughbred Racehorses—A Putative Role in Poor Performance?
Authors: Back Helena , Weld John , Walsh Cathal , Cullinane Ann
Published: October 2019

The aim of this study was to identify respiratory viruses circulating amongst elite racehorses in a training yard by serological testing of serial samples and to determine their impact on health status and ability to race. A six-month longitudinal study was conducted in 30 Thoroughbred racehorses (21 two-year-olds, five three-year-olds and four four-year-olds) during the Flat racing season. Sera were tested for the presence of antibodies against equine herpesvirus 1 and 4 (EHV-1 and EHV-4) and equine rhinitis viruses A and B (ERAV and ERBV) by complement fixation (CF) and equine arteritis virus (EAV) by ELISA. Antibodies against equine influenza (EI) were measured by haemagglutination inhibition (HI). Only ERAV was circulating in the yard throughout the six-month study period. Seroconversion to ERAV frequently correlated with clinical respiratory disease and was significantly associated with subsequent failure to race (p = 0.0009). Over 55% of the two-year-olds in the study seroconverted to ERAV in May and June. In contrast, only one seroconversion to ERAV was observed in the older horses. They remained free of any signs of respiratory disease and raced successfully throughout the study period. The importance of ERAV as a contributory factor in the interruption of training programmes for young horses may be underestimated.