bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modelling Rainfed Pearl Millet Yield Sensitivity to Abiotic Stresses in Semi-Arid Central Tanzania, Eastern Africa
Authors: Silungwe Festo Richard , Graef Frieder , Dorothea Bellingrath-Kimura Sonoko , Chilagane Emmanuel A , Tumbo Siza Donald , Kahimba Fredrick Cassian , Lana Marcos Alberto
Published: August 2019

Drought and heat-tolerant crops, such as Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), are priority crops for fighting hunger in semi-arid regions. Assessing its performance under future climate scenarios is critical for determining its resilience and sustainability. Field experiments were conducted over two consecutive seasons (2015/2016 and 2016/2017) to determine the yield responses of the crop (pearl millet variety “Okoa”) to microdose fertilizer application in a semi-arid region of Tanzania. Data from the experiment were used to calibrate and validate the DSSAT model (CERES Millet). Subsequently, the model evaluated synthetic climate change scenarios for temperature increments and precipitation changes based on historic observations (2010–2018). Temperature increases of +0.5 to +3.0 °C (from baseline), under non-fertilized (NF) and fertilizer microdose (MD) conditions were used to evaluate nine planting dates of pearl millet from early (5 December) to late planting (25 February), based on increments of 10 days. The planting date with the highest yields was subjected to 49 synthetic scenarios of climate change for temperature increments and precipitation changes (of −30% up to +30% from baseline) to simulate yield responses. Results show that the model reproduced the phenology and yield, indicating a very good performance. Model simulations indicate that temperature increases negatively affected yields for all planting dates under NF and MD. Early and late planting windows were more negatively affected than the normal planting window, implying that temperature increases reduced the length of effective planting window for achieving high yields in both NF and MD. Farmers must adjust their planting timing, while the timely availability of seeds and fertilizer is critical. Precipitation increases had a positive effect on yields under all tested temperature increments, but Okoa cultivar only has steady yield increases up to a maximum of 1.5 °C, beyond which yields decline. This informs the need for further breeding or testing of other cultivars that are more heat tolerant. However, under MD, the temperature increments and precipitation change scenarios are higher than under NF, indicating a high potential of yield improvement under MD, especially with precipitation increases. Further investigation should focus on other cropping strategies such as the use of in-field rainwater harvesting and heat-tolerant cultivars to mitigate the effects of temperature increase and change in precipitation on pearl millet yield.
The Role of Anthropogenic Landforms in Sustainable Landscape Management
Authors: Kubalikova Lucie , Kirchner Karel , Kuda Frantisek , Machar Ivo
Published: August 2019

Anthropogenic landforms are attractive landscape structures. They are linked to the cultural elements of the landscape and they also support biodiversity on the landscape level. Concerning their position within heritage concepts, anthropogenic landforms can be seen as a bridge between natural and cultural heritages. This paper is focused on the relevance of anthropogenic landforms to landscape management and planning. The study is based on the concept of geomorphosites, which can be applied within sustainable management and the conservation of geomorphological heritage. The case study was applied in the urban area of Brno (Czech Republic). The results of the study indicated the importance of anthropogenic landforms for urban landscape conservation and sustainable tourism development. The assessment of landforms in the study area enabled to establish a set of recommendations for the sustainable management of anthropogenic landforms in Brno. This study suggested the assessment of anthropogenic landforms as a support tool for sustainable landscape management in urban areas.
The Determinants of Technical Efficiency of Hazelnut Production in Azerbaijan: An Analysis of the Role of NGOs
Authors: Guliyev Orkhan , Liu Aijun , Endelani Mwalupaso Gershom , Niemi Jarkko
Published: August 2019

The role of non-government organizations (NGOs) has been commendable in promoting sustainable farming. Through mobilization of existing resources and provision of training to farmers on various agriculture subjects, NGOs could trigger increased productivity and agricultural sustainability. However, empirical evidence on this claim is limited and no study recognizes the supporting conditions required for NGO intervention to improve productivity. Cross-sectional data from hazelnut farmers in Azerbaijan are used to evaluate the role of NGO intervention in improving farmers’ technical efficiency. To this end, stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) is applied to study hazelnut farmers’ production efficiency. Three different measures are employed to estimate NGO intervention: Training, subsidy and, a combination of training and subsidy. The results indicate that NGO intervention is not significant in influencing technical efficiency. This is attributable to the absence of good organization, innovation orientation, accountability and stakeholder involvement and support which are the necessary supporting conditions facilitating an enabling environment for NGO intervention to improve farmers’ technical efficiency. Therefore, we recommend policy directed at addressing these issues in order to simultaneously enhance farmers’ productivity and improve the functioning of the NGOs. Beyond NGO intervention, encouraging farmers to specialize in hazelnut production and allocating more suitable land for hazelnut production will also improve farmers’ technical efficiency significantly.
Comparing Technology Acceptance for Autonomous Vehicles, Battery Electric Vehicles, and Car Sharing—A Study across Europe, China, and North America
Authors: Müller Julian M.
Published: August 2019

The automotive industry today faces three major transitions: the emergence of autonomous driving, electric powertrain replacing the internal combustion engine, and changes in possession of automobiles, e.g., increased usage of car sharing. As all three transitions are fostered by technologies that drive digital transformation of automobiles, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis represents the underlying research model of this paper. Hypotheses are developed and tested for a sample of 1177 participants using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Group differences are investigated for three markets: Europe, North America, and China. The paper confirms the underlying assumptions of the Technology Acceptance Model in the context of automobiles. Further, it illustrates influential societal norms and individual experiences for technology acceptance. In addition, compound effects for technology acceptance are found, e.g., the perceived enjoyment of electric driving affects the acceptance of autonomous driving and car possession behavior. The novel approach to integrate three different technologies within the Technology Acceptance Model requires unifying items to a level which makes them comparable, limiting the results for each individual technology. For practice, automotive manufacturers obtain advice on how to foster technology acceptance. For society, the paper uncovers the role of societal norms for technology acceptance in the context of automobiles. Policy makers can obtain insights on how to successfully increase technology acceptance, e.g., for environmental purposes. Conclusively, the paper applies the Technology Acceptance Model for three developments in the context of automobiles, thereby extending current research using the Technology Acceptance Model.
Misrecognition in a Sustainability Capital: Race, Representation, and Transportation Survey Response Rates in the Portland Metropolitan Area
Authors: Liévanos Raoul S. , Lubitow Amy , McGee Julius Alexander
Published: August 2019

US household transportation surveys typically have limited coverage of and responses from people of color (POC), which may lead to inaccurate estimation of POC transportation access and behavior. We recast this technocratic understanding of representativeness as a problem of “racial misrecognition” in which racial group difference is obscured yet foundational for distributive transportation inequities and unsustainability. We linked 2008–2012 population and housing data to an apparent stratified random sample of 6107 household responses to the 2011 Oregon Household Activity Survey (OHAS) in a “sustainability capital”: the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. We detailed how the 2011 OHAS consistently overrepresented White households and underrepresented Latinx/Nonwhite households in aggregate and at the tract-level. We conducted tract-level spatial pattern and bivariate correlation analyses of our key variables of interest. As expected, our subsequent tract-level spatial error regression analysis demonstrated that the percent of Latinx/Nonwhite householders had a significant negative association with 2011 OHAS household response rates, net of other statistical controls. Further analyses revealed that the majority of the ten “typical” tracts that best represented the spatial error regression results and racial misrecognition in the OHAS exhibited historical and contemporary patterns of racial exclusion and socially unsustainable development in our study area.
An Evaluation of the Effect on the Expansion of Photovoltaic Power Generation According to Renewable Energy Certificates on Energy Storage Systems: A Case Study of the Korean Renewable Energy Market
Authors: Jo Byuk-Keun , Jang Gilsoo
Published: August 2019

As part of efforts to cope with climate change, countries around the world have decided to supply photovoltaic (PV) power. However, since the integration of PV affects the reliability and stability of a power system, increasing the penetration of PV generation requires better system flexibility. For this reason, many countries have recently established policies to disseminate energy storage systems (ESS). In this paper, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of policies regarding ESS as a way to increase PV integration. We analyzed whether the policies were effective in spreading ESS to eventually increase PV integration. To do this, we first described the Korean government’s policy of establishing a profit structure for ESS through the Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) market and analyzed its effects on economic feasibility. We also analyzed how much the investment in ESS for PV integration has risen and assessed the contribution of spreading ESS to disseminate PV power. We found that ESS for the integration of PV have grown to a 41.0% share of Korea’s ESS market in kW, and 32.8% in kWh, while expanding the PV market by 13.7%.
Optimal Sizing of Irregularly Arranged Boreholes Using Duct-Storage Model
Authors: Park Seung-Hoon , Kim Eui-Jong
Published: August 2019

As the sizing of borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) is crucial for ground-source heat pump systems, which are becoming increasingly complex and diverse, novel sizing tools are required that can size both boreholes and connected systems. Thus, an optimization-based sizing method that runs in TRNSYS with other component models is proposed. With a focus on the feasibility of the method for typical BHEs, the sizing of irregularly placed boreholes using the well-known duct-storage (DST) model that inherently cannot describe irregular borefields is examined. Recently developed modification methods are used for the DST model. The proposed sizing method is compared with the existing ground loop heat exchanger (GLHE) sizing program. The results indicate that the proposed method has a genuine difference of approximately 3% compared with the GLHE, and the difference increases with the thermal-interference effects. A regression-based method selected to modify the DST model for describing irregular borefields exhibits acceptable sizing results (approximately 5% for test cases) despite the genuine difference. This study is the first to use the DST model for sizing BHEs under irregular borefield configurations, and the tests indicated acceptable results with an approximate difference of one borehole among a total of 30 boreholes in the test cases.
Comparative Investigation of Total, Recoverable and Bioavailable Fractions of Sediment Metals and Metalloids in the Lagos Harbour and Lagoon System
Authors: Bamanga Awwal , Amaeze Nnamdi Henry , Al-Anzi Bader
Published: August 2019

This study investigated and characterised concentration of some selected metals and metalloids (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, V and Zn) present in surface sediments of the Lagos Harbour (LH) and associated Lagos Lagoon (LG) system using a combination of metal extraction and analytical methods within 26 sampling sites including a control (Apese Lagoon, APL). Sampling was carried out using a Van-veen grab sampler on three occasions (dry seasons 2013, 2014; wet season 2013). The total, recoverable and bioavailable fractions were measured separately by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Aqua regia (AR) extraction with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and 1 M hydrochloric acid (1 M HCl) extraction with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis, respectively. Results were compared with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/Canadian Sediment Quality Guidelines (CSQG) and geochemical spatial distribution maps. Threshold effect level (TEL) were exceeded by total concentration of Cu, Zn and recoverable As across the lagoons. Bioavailable As was below TEL while Ni was associated with the ports in the LH.
Port Efficiency Incorporating Service Measurement Variables by the BiO-MCDEA: Brazilian Case
Authors: Andrade Renata Machado de , Lee Suhyung , Lee Paul Tae-Woo , Kwon Oh Kyoung , Chung Hye Min
Published: August 2019

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) has many advantages for analyzing the efficiency of decision-making units, as well as drawbacks, such as a lack of discrimination power. This study applied bi-objective multiple-criteria data envelopment analysis (BiO-MCDEA), a programming approach used to overcome the limitations of traditional DEA models, to analyze the efficiency of 20 Brazilian ports with a consideration of six input and one output variables from 2010 to 2016. Two time-related variables were included to reflect current problems faced by Brazilian ports experiencing long wait times. The results reveal a significant disparity in port efficiency among Brazilian ports. The top five most efficient ports are those with the highest cargo throughput. A clustering analysis also confirmed a strong correlation between cargo throughput and port efficiency scores. Total time of stay, pier length, and courtyard also had strong correlations with the efficiency scores. The clustering method divided Brazilian ports into three groups: efficient ports, medium efficient ports, and inefficient ports.
Sustainability of Low Carbon City Initiatives in China: A Comprehensive Literature Review
Authors: Hunter Garfield Wayne , Sagoe Gideon , Vettorato Daniele , Jiayu Ding
Published: August 2019

Low carbon city (LCC) has emerged as the latest sustainable urbanism strategy in China as a response to climate change impacts. Yet, minimal scholarships have explored the sustainability of the urban planning model towards understanding the complexity of the components. Using a two-step triangulation approach, this paper presents a structured overview of the LCC initiative in China as it relates to the transition to a sustainability paradigm. The data collection approach includes a comprehensive review of 238 articles on LCC to identify and categorize LCC components. Furthermore, discourse and framing analysis was used to develop and synthesize a conceptual framework for assimilating the components into four core sustainable development principles: Integration, implementation, equity, and scalability and replicability. The results indicate that LCC development in China is bias towards economic and environmental technological innovations and strategies. Additionally, several critical sustainability issues of LCC pilots were identified. These include a lack of social equity planning concerns for the most vulnerable population, dearth of social reforms that cater to lifestyle and behavioral change, top-down planning and decision-making processes, a technocratic rationalization planning approach, inconsistent LCC targets on inter-generational justice concerns, absence of an effective national “sharing and learning” city–city network system, and several barriers to implementation. We conclude that the applied theoretical and conceptual inquiry into the field of LCC is pertinent to mitigate climate change and achieve sustainable urban development.
“Seeing” or “Being Seen”: Research on the Sight Line Design in the Lion Grove Based on Visitor Temporal–Spatial Distribution and Space Syntax
Authors: Zhang Tiantian , Hua Weicheng , Xu Yannan
Published: August 2019

Research on the sight line design of the Classical Chinese Garden (CCG) is an important issue of CCGs’ sustainable development. Taking the Lion Grove as a case, GPS data loggers and questionnaires were employed to collect visitor temporal–spatial data and visiting motivations. We then calculated the “Revisiting Proportion” and “Average Speed” values. Furthermore, we selected the “Visual Control” values analyzed by Depthmap as an indicator of visibility. The statistical analysis of the relationship among “Revisiting Proportion”, “Average Speed”, and “Visual Control” values of each space showed that the spatial visual characteristic affected the visitor temporal–spatial distribution. Scenery spots in and around the large water pool, within one-step visual depth of each other, occupying the visual advantage of both “seeing” and “being seen”, can facilitate the transformation of sight lines and form the visual effect of “one step, one scene”. This research also proved that the sight line design of the Lion Grove was more intentional than random.
Differences in Tourist Behaviors across the Seasons: The Case of Northern Indiana
Authors: Choe Yeongbae , Kim Hany , Joun Hyo-Jae
Published: August 2019

Seasonality is an essential factor influencing tourism demand and traveler behavior at the destination. As such, seasonality (i.e., the influx of tourists) needs to be managed by destination marketing organizations. Most tourism studies have focused mainly on the forecasting methods/metrics and the effect of seasonality at the aggregate level rather than understanding seasonal differences in the nature of the traveler and travel experience. The purpose of this study is to understand seasonality at both the aggregate market level and individual traveler level. As such, this study first utilizes the concept of the gravity model to understand seasonality in the number of inquiries through an official website. This study, then, uses seemingly unrelated regressions to estimate simultaneously the effect of various trip-related factors on overall trip expenditures and the length of the trip. The results show that the impact of seasonality on aggregated demand is surprisingly consistent across the seasons; however, individual-level analyses indicate that traveler behavior and travelers’ responses to advertising differ significantly across seasons. Thus, destination marketers need to understand the nature of seasonality of their specific markets more accurately to provide appropriate tourism products/services to their current and potential travelers.
Suitable Re-Use of Abandoned Quarries for Restoration and Conservation of the Old City of Salamanca—World Heritage Site
Authors: Sousa Luís , Lourenço José , Pereira Dolores
Published: August 2019

Martinamor granite has been used for centuries in the monumental buildings of Salamanca city. In this study, the fracturing pattern of the Martinamor granite outcrops was evaluated in order to assess the possibility of supplying material for the restoration of heritage monuments. Several joint sets with a mean joint spacing lower than one meter compose the fracturing pattern, making the massive exploitation of this granite impossible. Only small blocks for restoration can be obtained; therefore, the outcrops should be protected for such purpose. The area of outcrops and ancient quarries, as well as that of mining activities from the same period, should be preserved as examples of historical extraction techniques and as a remembrance of our geological-materials-based society. Several proposals are presented for the geoconservation of the site.
The Status of Coral Reefs and Its Importance for Coastal Protection: A Case Study of Northeastern Hainan Island, South China Sea
Authors: Zhao Meixia , Zhang Haiyang , Zhong Yu , Jiang Dapeng , Liu Guohui , Yan Hongqiang , Zhang Hongyu , Guo Pu , Li Cuitian , Yang Hongqiang , Chen Tegu , Wang Rui
Published: August 2019

This study evaluated the status of coral communities at the fringing reefs in the northern South China Sea, and their potential role in maintaining nearby coastline stability of northeastern Hainan Island (Puqian Bay, Hainan Bay). Thirty-nine coral species were recorded with mean coral cover of 5.3%, and are dominated by massive Galaxea, Platygyra and Porites. The coral communities were clustered into two groups (Clu-HNB and Clu-PQB) corresponding to different stable coastal conditions. Coral communities at the Hainan Bay with higher diversity and greater cover corresponded to relatively stable coastline, whereas those at the southern Puqian Bay (with the lowest coral diversity and spatial coverage) corresponded to severe coastline erosion. This work provides some direct evidence that declined coral reefs would weaken their functions to maintain a stable coastline, resulting in severe coastal erosion. It is also useful to help coastal managers and local people pay more attention to the importance of coral reefs in coastal protection and encourage them to change their ways to get sustainable use of coral reef resources. It may be beneficial to inspire or initiate coastal engineering to manage coasts with natural coral reef solution.
Modelling the Spatial Distribution of Asbestos—Cement Products in Poland with the Use of the Random Forest Algorithm
Authors: Wilk Ewa , Krówczyńska Małgorzata , Zagajewski Bogdan
Published: August 2019

The unique set of physical and chemical properties of asbestos has led to its many industrial applications worldwide, of which roofing and facades constitute approximately 80% of currently used asbestos-containing products. Since asbestos-containing products are harmful to human health, their use and production have been banned in many countries. To date, no research has been undertaken to estimate the total amount of asbestos–cement products used at the country level in relation to regions or other administrative units. The objective of this paper is to present a possible new solution for developing the spatial distribution of asbestos–cement products used across the country by applying the supervised machine learning algorithm, i.e., Random Forest. Based on the results of a physical inventory taken on asbestos–cement products with the use of aerial imagery, and the application of selected features, considering the socio-economic situation of Poland, i.e., population, buildings, public finance, housing economy and municipal infrastructure, wages, salaries and social security benefits, agricultural census, entities of the national economy, labor market, environment protection, area of built-up surfaces, historical belonging to annexations, and data on asbestos manufacturing plants, best Random Forest models were computed. The selection of important variables was made in the R v.3.1.0 program and supported by the Boruta algorithm. The prediction of the amount of asbestos–cement products used in communes was executed in the randomForest package. An algorithm explaining 75.85% of the variance was subsequently used to prepare the prediction map of the spatial distribution of the amount of asbestos–cement products used in Poland. The total amount was estimated at 710,278,645 m2 (7.8 million tons). Since the best model used data on built-up surfaces which are available for the whole of Europe, it is worth considering the use of the developed method in other European countries, as well as to assess the environmental risk of asbestos exposure to humans.
Locality Sensitive Discriminative Unsupervised Dimensionality Reduction
Authors: Gao Yun-Long , Luo Si-Zhe , Wang Zhi-Hao , Chen Chih-Cheng , Pan Jin-Yan
Published: August 2019

Graph-based embedding methods receive much attention due to the use of graph and manifold information. However, conventional graph-based embedding methods may not always be effective if the data have high dimensions and have complex distributions. First, the similarity matrix only considers local distance measurement in the original space, which cannot reflect a wide variety of data structures. Second, separation of graph construction and dimensionality reduction leads to the similarity matrix not being fully relied on because the original data usually contain lots of noise samples and features. In this paper, we address these problems by constructing two adjacency graphs to stand for the original structure featuring similarity and diversity of the data, and then impose a rank constraint on the corresponding Laplacian matrix to build a novel adaptive graph learning method, namely locality sensitive discriminative unsupervised dimensionality reduction (LSDUDR). As a result, the learned graph shows a clear block diagonal structure so that the clustering structure of data can be preserved. Experimental results on synthetic datasets and real-world benchmark data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Antibiotic Minocycline Prevents Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
Authors: Bawage Swapnil S. , Tiwari Pooja M. , Pillai Shreekumar , Dennis Vida A. , Singh Shree R.
Published: August 2019

Treatment drugs, besides their specific activity, often have multiple effects on the body. The undesired effect of the drug may be repurposed as therapeutics, saving significant investigative time and effort. Minocycline has anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties. Presently, minocycline is also known to show anti-viral activity against Influenza virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, Simian immunodeficiency virus, Human immunodeficiency virus and West Nile virus. Here, we investigate the effect of minocycline on Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common respiratory virus that causes severe mortality and morbidity in infants, children, and older adult populations. Currently, there is no effective vaccine or treatment for RSV infection; hence, there is a critical need for alternative and effective drug choices. Our study shows that minocycline reduces the RSV-mediated cytopathic effect and prevents RSV infection. This is the first study demonstrating the anti-viral activity of minocycline against RSV.
Pathogenesis of Hypervirulent Fowl Adenovirus Serotype 4: The Contributions of Viral and Host Factors
Authors: Wang Zeng , Zhao Jun
Published: August 2019

Since 2015, severe outbreaks of hepatitis-hydropericardium syndrome (HHS), caused by hypervirulent fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4), have emerged in several provinces in China, posing a great threat to poultry industry. So far, factors contributing to the pathogenesis of hypervirulent FAdV-4 have not been fully uncovered. Elucidation of the pathogenesis of FAdV-4 will facilitate the development of effective FAdV-4 vaccine candidates for the control of HHS and vaccine vector. The interaction between pathogen and host defense system determines the pathogenicity of the pathogen. Therefore, the present review highlights the knowledge of both viral and host factors contributing to the pathogenesis of hypervirulent FAdV-4 strains to facilitate the related further studies.
Comparative Immunogenicity of the 2014–2015 Northern Hemisphere Trivalent IIV and LAIV against Influenza A Viruses in Children
Authors: Ang Jann Catherine , Wang Biao , Wang Joanne J.F. , Zeng Peter Yu Fan , Krammer Florian , Ward Brian J. , Russell Margaret L. , Loeb Mark , Miller Matthew S.
Published: August 2019

Both inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV) and live-attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIV) have been recommended for administration to children. Children are a high-risk group for severe influenza, and a major source of transmission. Therefore, prevention of infection by vaccination is particularly important. However, efficacy and immunogenicity of these vaccines are known to vary by season and geographic location. We compared the immunogenicity of the 2014–2015 Northern Hemisphere trivalent IIV and LAIV against influenza A virus in Canadian Hutterite children aged 2 to 17 using hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assays, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to measure hemagglutinin-specific serum IgA and mucosal IgA. Both vaccine formulations induced significant increases in HAI titers against H1N1 and H3N2 vaccine strains. Serum IgA titers against H3N2 were significantly boosted by both IIV and LAIV, while only IIV induced a significant increase in serum IgA specific to the H1N1 vaccine strain. While HAI titers correlated with protection conferred by IIV, mucosal IgA titers correlated with protection conferred by LAIV (mucosal IgA titers could not be established as a correlate for IIV due to sample size limitations). IIV and LAIV were previously reported to be equally efficacious in this cohort, although the immunogenicity of IIV was generally superior.
Identification of the Invasive Form of Corbicula Clams in Ireland
Authors: Sheehan Rory , Etoundi Emilie , Minchin Dan , Doninck Karine , Lucy Frances
Published: August 2019

The basket clam genus, Corbicula, commonly known as the Asian clam, has become one of the most internationally high-profile and widespread aquatic invasive species. This genus is now considered to comprise a polymorphic species complex. The international invasion of Corbicula is characterised by four lineages, each fixed for one morphotype, genotype and haplotype combination: the American form (A) and European round form (R), the American form (C) and European saddle from (S), American form B, form round light colour (Rlc) and an intermediate between forms R and S known as Int. We investigated the genetic and morphometric makeup of each Irish population in order to establish which invasive lineages were present so as to identify the number of introductions to Ireland. A combination of morphometric, mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) gene analysis and microsatellite markers were used to determine the invasive form at each Irish site. All Irish Corbicula samples conformed morphometrically to the invasive form A/R. All mtCOI sequences retrieved for 25 Irish individuals were identical to the international A/R form, while microsatellite markers again showed a common clustering with the international A/R forms of Corbicula. The combined approach of morphometries, total genomic DNA and microsatellite markers indicate only one form of Corbicula invaded Ireland; the international A/R form.
Picoplankton Distribution and Activity in the Deep Waters of the Southern Adriatic Sea
Authors: Šantić Danijela , Kovačević Vedrana , Bensi Manuel , Giani Michele , Vrdoljak Tomaš Ana , Ordulj Marin , Santinelli Chiara , Šestanović Stefanija , Šolić Mladen , Grbec Branka
Published: August 2019

Southern Adriatic (Eastern Mediterranean Sea) is a region strongly dominated by large-scale oceanographic processes and local open-ocean dense water formation. In this study, picoplankton biomass, distribution, and activity were examined during two oceanographic cruises and analyzed in relation to environmental parameters and hydrographic conditions comparing pre and post-winter phases (December 2015, April 2016). Picoplankton density with the domination of autotrophic biomasses was higher in the pre-winter phase when significant amounts of picoaoutotrophs were also found in the meso-and bathy-pelagic layers, while Synechococcus dominated the picoautotrophic group. Higher values of bacterial production and domination of High Nucleic Acid content bacteria (HNA bacteria) were found in deep waters, especially during the post-winter phase, suggesting that bacteria can have an active role in the deep-sea environment. Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria accounted for a small proportion of total heterotrophic bacteria but contributed up to 4% of bacterial carbon content. Changes in the picoplankton community were mainly driven by nutrient availability, heterotrophic nanoflagellates abundance, and water mass movements and mixing. Our results suggest that autotrophic and heterotrophic members of the picoplankton community are an important carbon source in the food web in the deep-sea, as well as in the epipelagic layer. Besides, viral lysis may affect the activity of the picoplankton community and enrich the water column with dissolved organic carbon.
Spatial–Temporal Soil Water Dynamics beneath a Tree Monitored by Tensiometer-Time Domain Reflectometry Probes
Authors: Li Sheng-Lun , Liang Wei-Li
Published: August 2019

Tensiometer-coiled time domain reflectometry (T-TDR) probes have been developed in previous studies, but have not been applied in the field. In this study, we applied T-TDR probes to the simultaneous monitoring of soil water content (θ) and soil water potential (ψ) on a profile beneath a tree in a forest stand, and analyzed the temporal and spatial variations in soil water dynamics in a root-containing environment. The results showed different features in the relationships between the mean and standard deviation of spatial θ and ψ, which exhibited convex-upward shapes and negative curvilinear shapes, respectively. High spatial variability was observed at intermediate values of θ and small values of ψ. Matrix flow and preferential flow accounted for 75% and 25% of the area beneath the tree. Although the infiltration processes were dominated by matrix flow, preferential flow acting for a short time could cause an average θ or ψ to reach their maximum values at all of the locations. Preferential flow primarily occurred at a “hot spot” around a coarse root. Small changes in θ and ψ were generally observed at a “cold spot” beneath a lateral root. Integrated information from multiple sources of θ and ψ could help to evaluate soil water dynamics when one exhibited large spatial variation during the wetting or drying processes, and greatly help to improve the accuracy for detecting the presence of preferential flow in a short measurement period.
Control Effects of Hydraulic Interception Wells on Groundwater Pollutant Transport in the Dawu Water Source Area
Authors: Zhu Henghua , Zhou Jianwei , Jia Chao , Yang Sheng , Wu Jing , Yang Lizhi , Wei Zhengrun , Liu Hongwei , Liu Zhizheng
Published: August 2019

Based on the comprehensive analysis of hydrogeological data of the Dawu water source in Zibo city, the Modflow module in Groundwater Modeling System is used to carry out three-dimensional geological modeling of the Dawu water source, and the flow field model and solute transport model of the Dawu water source are established. Aiming at the problem of groundwater pollution in the key polluted area of the Hougao region—the Dawu water source—the pollutant transport model is established to explore the process of pollution transport. There are many types of groundwater pollutants in the Hougao area. Among them, ammonia nitrogen, chloride, petroleum, and benzene exceed the standard most seriously. In order to facilitate the research, we selected typical pollutants for in-depth study. The ammonia nitrogen is used as the control index of domestic and industrial waste water in the policy documents of pollution emission. It can show the specific situation of industrial waste water and domestic waste water pollution changing with time. Thus, the ammonia nitrogen with a higher exceeding standard is selected as the pollution factor in this simulation. Pollutant transport under the conditions of strong pumping and stop pumping is simulated. It is found that the pollutant is effectively controlled due to the pumping and discharging effects under the action of strong pumping, from 4 to 5 times exceeding the standard to slightly exceeding the standard. However, there is still a trend of migration to the eastern water supply area. After the pumping is stopped, the pollutant quickly migrates to the Xixia centralized water supply area, causing serious pollution to the water supply area. Finally, four other hydraulic interception wells are set up in the 500 m east of Hougao’s four wells to further control the pollutant transport. When hydraulic interception wells and strong pumping wells are used together, the scope of ammonia nitrogen pollution is basically controlled near the interception wells, and it does not continue to spread to the eastern water supply area. The maximum monitoring value of pollution is 0.11 mg/L, which is controlled within the standard limit of three types of groundwater, and the pollutant control effect is the best, providing certain reference for similar pollution control work.
Modeling and Practice of Erosion and Sediment Transport under Change
Authors: Aksoy Hafzullah , Mahe Gil , Meddi Mohamed
Published: August 2019

Climate and anthropogenic changes impact on the erosion and sediment transport processes in rivers. Rainfall variability and, in many places, the increase of rainfall intensity have a direct impact on rainfall erosivity. Increasing changes in demography have led to the acceleration of land cover changes from natural areas to cultivated areas, and then from degraded areas to desertification. Such areas, under the effect of anthropogenic activities, are more sensitive to erosion, and are therefore prone to erosion. On the other hand, with an increase in the number of dams in watersheds, a great portion of sediment fluxes is trapped in the reservoirs, which do not reach the sea in the same amount nor at the same quality, and thus have consequences for coastal geomorphodynamics. The Special Issue “Modeling and Practice of Erosion and Sediment Transport under Change” is focused on a number of keywords: erosion and sediment transport, model and practice, and change. The keywords are briefly discussed with respect to the relevant literature. The papers in this Special Issue address observations and models based on laboratory and field data, allowing researchers to make use of such resources in practice under changing conditions.
Gradual Exposure to Salinity Improves Tolerance to Salt Stress in Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)
Authors: Santangeli Michael , Capo Concetta , Beninati Simone , Pietrini Fabrizio , Forni Cinzia
Published: August 2019

Soil salinity is considered one of the most severe abiotic stresses in plants; plant acclimation to salinity could be a tool to improve salt tolerance even in a sensitive genotype. In this work we investigated the physiological mechanisms underneath the response to gradual and prolonged exposure to sodium chloride in cultivars of Brassica napus L. Fifteen days old seedlings of the cultivars Dynastie (salt tolerant) and SY Saveo (salt sensitive) were progressively exposed to increasing soil salinity conditions for 60 days. Salt exposed plants of both cultivars showed reductions of biomass, size and number of leaves. However, after 60 days the relative reduction in biomass was lower in sensitive cultivar as compared to tolerant ones. An increase of chlorophylls content was detected in both cultivars; the values of the quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII) and those of the electron transport rate (ETR) indicated that the photochemical activity was only partially reduced by NaCl treatments in both cultivars. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity was higher in treated samples with respect to the controls, indicating its activation following salt exposure, and confirming its involvement in salt stress response. A gradual exposure to salt could elicit different salt stress responses, thus preserving plant vitality and conferring a certain degree of tolerance, even though the genotype was salt sensitive at the seed germination stage. An improvement of salt tolerance in B. napus could be obtained by acclimation to saline conditions.
Deslocamento espacial e temporal da linha de costa nas praias pertencentes a Recife e Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, Brasil
Authors: Da Silva Luciana Maria , Da Silva Lira Milde Maria
Published: August 2019

En las últimas décadas, el crecimiento de las urbanizaciones viene provocado grandes transformaciones en los aspectos sociales, económicos y morfológicos en las áreas costeras. Las playas urbanas de Boa Viagem y Pina (Recife-PE) y la playa de Piedad (Jaboatão dos Guararapes-PE) han presentado estos aspectos, donde se observa vulnerabilidad costera a la erosión. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar el desplazamiento espacial y temporal de la línea de costa. Para ello se modeló la masa de datos obtenida del método de levantamiento geodésico relativo cinemático, el cual posibilita el monitoreo de la línea de costa, para los años de 2007, 2009, 2010 y 2012. Se empleó el método de transectos, el cual es necesario adoptar una línea de costa como base, 2007. Y se dividió el área de estudio en 6 sectores para que se pudiera analizar el desplazamiento medio de la línea de costa. Los sectores 1 y 5 presentan acreción en todos los períodos analizados (2007-2009, 2007-2010, 2007-2012). El sector 2 presentó erosión en todos los períodos analizados. Los sectores 3 y 6 en los períodos 2007-2009 y 2007-2010, presentaron erosión, mientras que de 2007 a 2012 presentaron tendencia a la acreción. Se destaca que en el sector 4 no se realizó el cálculo debido a que el área presenta una escollera. Este estudio tiende a contribuir para el análisis del comportamiento temporal en los proyectos de toma de decisiones en ambientes costeros.
Lineamientos de Gestión Territorial en la parroquia Carayaca, estado Vargas. Análisis de conflictos de uso de la tierra
Authors: Florez Castillo Anays
Published: August 2019

Con el propósito de identificar los conflictos de uso de la tierra en la parroquia Carayaca ubicada en el estado Vargas, en la presente investigación se utilizó la imagen de satélite LANDSAT 8-OLI para la estimación, análisis y cuantificación de los conflictos de uso. El proceso metodológico utilizado integra técnicas de procesamiento digital de imágenes de satélite con análisis espacial de la información temática, lo cual permitió determinar categorías de uso de la tierra y clases de cobertura vegetal. El análisis espacial reveló que la parroquia posee características particulares, aspectos naturales que le otorgan cierta fragilidad ambiental, intervención antrópica y presencia de Áreas Bajo Régimen de Administración Especial, que junto con el incumplimiento del ordenamiento jurídico vigente han propiciado la existencia de conflictos de uso. Se identificaron tres tipos de conflictos: normativos, por pendiente y por erosión, con una superficie de 43% del área total evaluada. Se concluye con estrategias de uso y manejo que conduzcan a dar soluciones a los conflictos, elevar la calidad de vida de la población, lograr un desarrollo económico sostenible, preservar los recursos naturales y fuentes de energía. Se recomienda el uso de prácticas conservacionistas que controlen la erosión, implementar programas y acciones que tengan por finalidad el ordenamiento territorial, mediante la coordi- nación, aplicación y supervisión de acciones que coadyuven a la regulación de la ocupación del territorio, aprovechamiento de recursos y la recuperación de áreas degradadas enmarcado en un proceso de participación y corresponsabilidad ambiental a fin de garantizar una gestión territorial eficiente.
Experiencias cognitivas en la interpretación de un mapa dasimétrico de densidad de población para la región Pátzcuaro Zirahuén, Michoacán, México
Authors: Navarro Moreno Jesús Abraham
Published: August 2019

Este trabajo se inscribe dentro del paradigma comunicativo de la Cartografía. Su objetivo es revelar experiencias cognitivas durante la interpretación de un mapa dasimétrico. El problema es planteado a estudiantes de nivel superior, cercanos a terminar sus estudios de Geografía, que pretenden incrementar sus habilidades cartográficas. Se realizan diversas pruebas en torno a cinco tipos de experiencias registradas en una entrevista semiestructurada. Dentro de los resultados se destaca que los participantes son tendientes a privilegiar menor minuciosidad en el mapa resultante, ello se demuestra a través de la inspección de sus apreciaciones y la eficacia de identificación; no obstante, el método deja en ellos mensajes asertivos de sus cualidades.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND ITS RELATION TO PHYSICAL FITNESS AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Authors: Lipošek Silvester , Planinšec Jurij , Leskošek Bojan , Pajtler Aleksander
Published: August 2019

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the physical activity performed by students, its frequency and intensity and how this physical activity may relate to their physical fitness and academic success.

Methods: The sample consisted of 297 undergraduate students from 20 to 22 years of age (mean 20.5 ± 0.7) from the University of Maribor. The type and frequency of physical activity in which they engaged were measured using the IPAQ. Academic performance was defined as regular admission to the second year of study. Students’ physical fitness was determined using Eurofit and FitnessGram tests.

Results: Analysis of the IPAQ questionnaire shows that the majority of students reported being physically active in the afternoon. Nevertheless, according to the WHO’s guidelines, 79.8 % of students were insufficiently physically active. The results show that males performed better than females in nearly all of the physical fitness tests. Periods of two to three hours of weekly physical activity were positively associated with academic success, while four hours or more resulted in no contribution.

Conclusion: Correlations between physical activity and physical fitness were primarily found in higher duration physical activity and in higher frequency of vigorous exercise. The results of this study are similar to those of other countries regarding the insufficient physical activity of young people. The influence of physical activity on academic success was analyzed by binary logistic regression. The majority of students were academically successful and regularly admitted to the second year of study (86.5 %).
EFFECTS OF 8-WEEK ELECTRICAL MUSCLE STIMULATION ON THE MUSCLE CONTRACTILE PROPERTIES IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS
Authors: Pregelj Sara , Šimunič Boštjan
Published: August 2019

The study aimed to determine the effect of 8-week unilateral electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) training of leg muscles: vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and biceps femoris with the same number of muscle contractions in comparison to controls. Contractile properties were monitored by measuring the maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVC) and the rate of force development in first 50 ms (RFD50) of knee extensors and flexors and tensiomyography of stimulated muscles. In addition, we also investigated the retained effect after 8 weeks without EMS training. Nineteen healthy young female athletes aged 15 to 18 years (average 16.4 ± .9 years) were randomly divided in a control group (CG; N=8) and experimental group (EG; N=11). CG performed maximal unilateral voluntary contractions while the EG performed also EMS training of the same leg by stimulating both vasti muscles and biceps femoris. There were no changes in CG after 8-weeks of maximal unilateral voluntary training; however, EG improved MVC in knee extensors (12.6%; P =.085) and RFD50 (142.1%; P =.049) where RFD50 retained increased also 8 weeks after EMS training (73%; P =.090). Tensiomyography revealed decreased amplitude (13.2%; P=.011) only in EG, representing higher muscle tone after 8-weeks of EMS in comparison to CG. Our findings indicate that EMS training has a positive effect on muscle contractile properties in young female athletes even after comparing to matched controls by the number of contractions.