bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incorporated Maritime Policy Concept: Adopting ESRS Principles to Support Maritime Sector’s Sustainable Growth
Authors: Nõmmela Kaidi , Kõrbe Kaare Kati
Published: October 2022

The international maritime sector plays an important part in contributing to the global sustainable economy and plays a significant role in achieving sustainable development goals. A variety of regulations and standards power the sustainability management of the global maritime sector, including the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the European Union’s new draft European Sustainability Reporting Standard. Limited research on the potential contribution of maritime policy-making to support sustainable development has led the sector to face multiple challenges. In this study, we analyzed how local policy-making can impact international goals and global sustainable development based on comprehensive datasets of 143 maritime companies. The study recommends the incorporation of sustainability dimensions of the maritime sector into all levels of policy-making and supporting the policy implementation with the local maritime governance structure. A maritime country should have strategic planning objectives that embrace maritime affairs and use the interactions identified between local development and the maritime sector. We propose a framework for maritime policy-making that supports sustainable development. A maturity model for sustainable development in the maritime sector was developed. The results can be used as guidelines for policymakers in planning sustainable development in a maritime country.
Impact of Market Information Efficiency on Corporate Listing and Financing: Evidence from China
Authors: Li Xin , Liang Wei
Published: October 2022

In this paper, we examine the impact of China’s capital market information efficiency on enterprise listing and financing. The results reveal the following: (1) High-efficiency market information sharing leads reduced enterprise equity financing costs and waiting times for enterprise listing and to an increased willingness of investors to invest. These effects increase the proportion of domestic financing for Chinese companies and the proportion of domestic listings. (2) Compared with non-crisis periods, market information efficiency did not affect the listing and financing of Chinese enterprises during the US subprime mortgage crisis, and its promotion effect declined during the global financial crisis and European debt crisis. (3) The promotion effect of market information efficiency on enterprise listing and financing is strengthened by the cross listing of enterprise AB and AH shares. (4) The impact of market information efficiency is more significant for private enterprises than for state-owned enterprises.
Future Projection of Precipitation Bioclimatic Indicators over Southeast Asia Using CMIP6
Authors: Sobh Mohamed Tarek , Hamed Mohammed Magdy , Nashwan Mohamed Salem , Shahid Shamsuddin
Published: October 2022

Precipitation is a key meteorological component that is directly related to climate change. Quantifying the changes in the precipitation bioclimate is crucial in planning climate-change adaptation and mitigation measures. Southeast Asia (SEA), home to the world’s greatest concentration of ecological variety, needs reliable monitoring of such changes. This study utilized the global-climate models from phase 6 of coupled model intercomparison project (CMIP6) to examine the variations in eight precipitation bioclimatic variables over SEA for two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). All indicators were studied for the near (2020–2059) and far (2060–2099) futures to provide a better understanding of the temporal changes and their related uncertainty compared to a historical period (1975–2014). The results showed a high geographical variability of the changes in precipitation-bioclimatic indicators in SEA. The mainland of SEA would experience more changes in the bioclimate than the maritime region. The multimodel ensemble (MME) showed an increase in mean annual rainfall of 6.0–12.4% in most of SEA except the Philippines and southern SEA. The increase will be relatively less in the wettest month (15%) and more in the driest month (20.7%) in most of SEA; however, the precipitation in the wettest quarter would increase by 2.85%, while the driest quarter would decrease by 1.0%. The precipitation would be more seasonal. In addition, the precipitation would increase over a larger area in the wettest month than in the driest month, making precipitation vary more geographically.
Characteristics of Acoustic Emission Response during Granite Splitting after High Temperature-Water Cooling Cycles
Authors: Zhu Dong , Fan Yuqing , Liu Xiaofei , Tao Xiangling , Miao Liegang , Jin Huiwu
Published: October 2022

In order to investigate the effect of a high temperature-water cooling cycle on the acoustic emission characteristics of the granite splitting process, Brazilian splitting tests were conducted on granite disc specimens treated with high temperature–water cooling (cycle times 1, 5, 10, 15, 20) from 250 to 650 °C. The relationship between the acoustic emission count, cumulative acoustic emission number, amplitude distribution, and the maximum energy of the specimens and temperature as well as the number of hot and cold cycles were investigated, and the relationship between the acoustic emission changes and specimen damage during the splitting of the granite specimens after the high temperature-water cooling cycle was discussed and analyzed. The test results show that the acoustic emission changes in the splitting process of granite disc specimens have obvious hot and cold shock effects, and that the acoustic emission α value and amplitude density of the specimens at the initial stage of splitting show an increasing trend with an increasing number of hot and cold cycles, and the amplitude distribution is more obviously affected by temperature. When the temperature is low and the number of hot and cold cycles is small, the maximum energy value at the peak stress point is larger, and the maximum energy value tends to decrease gradually as the temperature increases and the number of cycles increases.
Impact of Land System Changes and Extreme Precipitation on Peak Flood Discharge and Sediment Yield in the Upper Jhelum Basin, Kashmir Himalaya
Authors: Yousuf Aazim , Romshoo Shakil Ahmad
Published: October 2022

The Kashmir valley is prone to flooding due to its peculiar geomorphic setup compounded by the rapid anthropogenic land system changes and climate change. The scarcity of observations is one of the major challenges for understanding various land surface processes in the mountainous and mostly ungauged terrain. The study assesses the impact of land use and land cover (LULC) changes between 1980 and 2020 and extreme rainfall on peak discharge and sediment yield in the Upper Jhelum Basin (UJB), Kashmir Himalaya, India using KINEROS2 model. Analysis of LULC change revealed a notable shift from natural LULC to more intensive human-modified LULC, including a decrease in vegetative cover, deforestation, urbanization, and improper farming practices. The findings revealed a strong influence of the LULC changes on peak discharge, and sediment yield relative to the 2014 timeframe, which coincided with the catastrophic September 2014 flood event. The model predicted a peak discharge of 115,101 cubic feet per second (cfs) and a sediment yield of 56.59 tons/ha during the September 2014 flooding, which is very close to the observed peak discharge of 115,218 cfs indicating that the model is reliable for discharge prediction. The model predicted a peak discharge of 98,965 cfs and a sediment yield of 49.11 tons/ha in 1980, which increased to 118,366 cfs and, 58.92 tons/ha, respectively, in 2020, showing an increase in basin’s flood risk over time. In the future, it is anticipated that the ongoing LULC changes will make flood vulnerability worse, which could lead to another major flooding in the event of an extreme rainfall as predicted under climate change and, in turn, compromise achievement of sustainable development goals (SDG). Therefore, regulating LULC in order to modulate various hydrological and land surface processes would ensure stability of runoff and reduction in sediment yield in the UJB, which is critical for achieving many SDGs.
Multi-Scenario Simulation of Ecosystem Service Value in Wuhan Metropolitan Area Based on PLUS-GMOP Model
Authors: Zhu Leizhou , Huang Yaping
Published: October 2022

Rapid construction and development activities in large urban areas have significantly impacted land use and land cover (LULC). They have brought great pressure to urban sustainable development. Current studies have shown that changes in LULC structure significantly affect regional ecosystem service functions but lack the sufficient scientific basis to provide reasonable strategies for the future development of urban areas. Based on land use and related data for the Wuhan metropolitan area (WMA) in 2000, 2010, and 2020, in this study, we construct a land use and ecosystem service value (ESV) simulation method based on a coupled PLUS-GMOP (patch generation land use simulation and grey multi-objective optimization) model and find that the changes in LULC structure from 2000 to 2020 are mainly reflected in the decrease in farmland and water area and the increase in built-up land, which are spatially reflected in Wuhan city center and other surrounding urban centers. The ESV also exhibits a slight increase and then a significant decrease, and a consistent overall pattern of high in the west and low in the east. By presupposing three scenarios for 2030 (ND, natural development; EFD, ecological first development; EECD, ecological and economic coordinated development), the analysis shows that although the ecological service value is still decreasing, the EECD scenario achieves a relatively high economic value (+90.134 billion yuan) by losing less ecological service value (0.27 million yuan) than EFD, which is the development model advocated in this study. The PLUS-GMOP coupling model proposed in this study provides a scientific reference for coordinating regional economic development and ecological protection in large cities, and provides a new technical path for metropolitan area sustainable development and planning.
The Balance between Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for District Renovations in Denmark
Authors: Rose Jørgen , Thomsen Kirsten Engelund , Balslev-Olesen Ole
Published: October 2022

Emissions can be reduced by increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and supply systems or increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy system. Denmark has a long tradition for district heating and today it supplies more than 65% of dwellings, which indicates that a major part of the transition from fossil fuels to renewables can be achieved at the supply system level rather than on the individual building level. This paper presents calculations performed on a generic Danish district undergoing major renovation. The generic district is based on an existing district in Aalborg and consists of 1019 dwellings spread over three different building typologies. The purpose of the investigation was to determine which combination of energy saving measures would achieve the optimal level of energy efficiency. Calculations were made with average data for district heating in Denmark, district heating based on natural gas, and district heating from renewable energy sources, such as solar heating, biofuels, and heat pumps, respectively. The calculations include costs for investment, maintenance, and operating as a function of the primary energy needs. Global warming potential (GWP) was calculated and included CO2 emissions from space heating, domestic hot water, and electricity for operation and household. The calculations show that for the generic Danish district, which is already connected to a district heating network, the optimal solution is to add 200 mm insulation to roofs (in total 300 mm) and 150 mm insulation to walls (in total 200 mm) and replacing the existing windows with new three-layer low energy windows. Furthermore, the calculations show that in a future scenario with a significantly higher level of renewable energy in the energy system, a shift to individual heat pumps can reduce total emissions by up to 1.5 kg CO2 eq/m2 per year (20% reduction) at an additional cost of EUR 8.0/m2 per year (40% increase). The calculations described in this paper are part of a larger investigation carried out in IEA EBC Annex 75.
Green Investment Decision and Coordination in a Retailer-Dominated Supply Chain Considering Risk Aversion
Authors: Bai Shizhen , Wang Yonggan
Published: October 2022

With the sustainable development of the global economy, environmental problems and the green economy are increasingly becoming points of concern for the community. However, the large amount of capital invested in green technology and the high price of green products have become the key problems hindering the development of a risk-averse green supply chain. In order to promote the supply chain to increase green investment level, improve the green degree of products, and reduce the impact of risk aversion on green investment, this paper studies a two-echelon green supply chain composed of a risk-averse manufacturer and a risk-neutral retailer, in which the retailer is the leader and the manufacturer is the follower. We construct the wholesale price contract model, cost-sharing contract model, and two-part contract model, respectively, and use the Optimization Theory and Methods to discuss the impact of the three contracts on the green degree, expected utility of supply chain, retail price, consumer surplus, and social welfare. The results show that in the cost-sharing contract, compared with the wholesale price contract, the green degree of the product has been significantly improved, but the expected utility of the supply chain enterprises cannot achieve Pareto improvement, and the higher consumer environmental awareness will cause the manufacturer’s expected utility to decline. In the two-part tariff contract, compared with the wholesale price contract, the expected utility of supply chain enterprises achieves Pareto improvement, and the green degree of products is the highest in the three contracts; more importantly, in the two-part contract, the product green degree, the retail price, and the expected utility of the supply chain are not related to the manufacturer’s risk aversion; meanwhile, the retail price in the two-part tariff is the lowest among the three contracts, and the consumer surplus and social welfare are the highest. Our main contribution is that the two-part contract eliminates the influence of the manufacturer’s risk aversion on the above decision variable and realizes the unification of manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and social benefits. Finally, this paper uses numerical examples to verify the above conclusions and then analyzes the sensitivity of the supply chain system.
Corporate Social Responsibility, Green Finance and Environmental Performance: Does Green Innovation Matter?
Authors: Dai Xiaofei , Siddik Abu Bakkar , Tian Huawei
Published: October 2022

This study aims to examine the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Green Finance (GI) on the Environmental Performance (EP) of banking institutions in emerging markets like Bangladesh. The study also examines the role of green innovation (GI) as a mediator in the existent relationship between CSR, GF and EP. Data were obtained from 357 bankers of commercial banks in Bangladesh through the aid of structured questionnaires. A structural equation modeling approach was employed in the investigation of the obtained primary data, and results revealed that CSR had a significant positive impact on GI and EP, while GI strongly enhances EP. Besides, the findings revealed that GF had a significant positive influence on GI and EP. Furthermore, the research data indicated that GI fully mediates the link between CSR and EP, and GF and EP significantly. The study highlights the importance of CSR dimensions (social, economic and environmental), GF and GI in the attainment of EP, as well as the urgent need to incorporate sustainability into banking strategies to help achieve the country’s long-term economic development. As a result, major policy implications were further addressed.
Do Fiscal Environmental Protection Expenditures Crowd Out Corporate Environmental Protection Investments?
Authors: Hong Yaoxiaoxue , Jiang Xianling , Shi Beibei , Yu Chang
Published: October 2022

This research investigates how fiscal environmental expenditures impact corporate environmental investments and whether corporations act as free-riders. Using a sample of 1688 firm-year observations from 2008 to 2019 in the Chinese context, we observe that fiscal environmental expenditures have a significantly negative “crowding-out” effect on corporate green investments, which is mediated by the disclosure of pollution emissions. Additionally, a heterogeneity analysis reveals that this negative impact is more pronounced for non-heavily polluted and state-owned corporations and corporations located in three major agglomerations. This finding remains robust when employing an instrumental variable approach to address potential endogeneity. Our study contributes to the current literature by providing new insights regarding government environmental protection behaviors’ impacts on corporate green behaviors. The study also provides insights for policymakers to focus more on light-polluting corporations and state-owned corporations, because they have more chances to avoid environmental responsibilities.
The Carbon Emissions Effect of China’s OFDI on Countries along the “Belt and Road”
Authors: Ge Guangyu , Tang Yu , Zhang Qian , Li Zhijiang , Cheng Xiejun , Tang Decai , Boamah Valentina
Published: October 2022

With the continuous practice of the “Belt and Road” initiative, the countries along the “Belt and Road” have achieved rapid social and economic development. However, environmental problems have become increasingly prominent. Around the world, there are comments that China’s “Belt and Road” initiative is a result of resource plundering, transfer of backward production capacity, and environmental degradation of countries along the line. This study quantitatively evaluated the static, dynamic, linear, and non-linear effects of China’s foreign direct investment on the carbon emissions of countries along the line. The results showed that: (1) The direct effect of China’s foreign direct investment on the carbon emissions of countries along the route was significantly negative. (2) The economic scale and industrial structure effects of China’s foreign direct investment increased the carbon emissions of countries along the route. The production technology effect suppressed the carbon emissions of countries along the route and played a leading role. (3) The estimation results of the system generalized method of moments showed that the carbon emissions of countries along the route were significantly affected by the lag period, but the impact was small. (4) The results of the threshold regressive model showed that the GDP and proportion of industrial added value had significant threshold effects on the carbon emissions effect of China’s outward foreign direct investment. When the GDP of countries along the route exceeded 7.2696, China’s outward foreign direct investment carbon emissions reduction effect could not be realized; when the proportion of the industrial added value of countries along the route was lower than 4.0106, China’s outward foreign direct investment carbon emission reduction effect could not be realized. Based on the research conclusion, we concluded that China and countries along the “Belt and Road” should strengthen cooperation on carbon emissions reduction, jointly promote low-carbon construction of industrial parks, accelerate cooperation on green energy projects, and establish a green development fund to achieve sustainable development of the countries along the “Belt and Road”.
The Use of Level Based Weight Assessment (LBWA) for Evaluating Public Participation on the Example of Rural Municipalities in the Region of Warmia and Mazury
Authors: Pawlewicz Katarzyna , Cieślak Iwona
Published: October 2022

Social participation is presently a legal requirement or a prerequisite for public policy decision-making both on the global and local scale. Therefore, both international (Agenda 21, Agenda 2030) and domestic documents (in Poland: Social Capital Development Strategy and Strategy for Responsible Development) emphasize the role of social participation for development. The co-participation of local residents and local authorities is thus an important factor that contributes to the success and well-being of local communities, improves local governments’ relations with the residents, and promotes a sense of belonging to a community and responsibility for the “common good”. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate public participation in rural municipalities of the Region of Warmia and Mazury and to analyze the influence of various indicators on the level of public participation. The four categories of public participation were selected based on a review of the literature and an analysis of data availability: public action, public involvement, electoral participation, and obligatory participation. These categories were described with the use of fourteen indicators. Data for the study were obtained from publicly available statistical databases and a survey of local government representatives. Public participation was evaluated with the use of the Level Based Weight Assessment (LBWA) method, which revealed that public participation in rural municipalities of the Region of Warmia and Mazury is moderate and is influenced mostly by social consultations, legislative initiatives, and local government elections.
Health Consequences of Overexposure to Disinfectants and Self-Medication against SARS-CoV-2: A Cautionary Tale Review
Authors: Hashemi Hassan , Ghareghani Shiva , Nasimi Nasrin , Shahbazi Mohammad , Derakhshan Zahra , Sarkodie Samuel Asumadu
Published: October 2022

To control and prevent the spread of the infectious agents in the environment and body, various measures have been taken, including the use of disinfectants for hands and surfaces, use of detergents, self-medication by herbal concoctions, and dietary supplements. Although these actions may have a therapeutic effect or reduce the viral load, incorrect use (abuse or overuse) could have negative health repercussions. Therefore, public awareness in this context is essential. The purpose of this narrative review was to evaluate the health consequences of overexposure to disinfectants and self-medication against infectious agents, specially SARS-CoV-2. The literature search for this review was conducted using related keywords in PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), and Scopus databases. This review found a significant number of reported poisoning cases during the pandemic as a result of the overuse of alcoholic hand sanitizers, household bleach products, and detergents. This paper also provides an integrated systemic overview of the possible toxic effects of self-medication, alcohol consumption, and self-administration of dietary supplements and herbs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present review indicated that the main adverse effects associated with the overuse of popular preventative actions against contagious respiratory illnesses specially COVID-19 and Influenza (flu) were methanol intoxication, skin damage, respiratory problems, gastrointestinal ulcers, nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain, and liver injury. Due to the significant increase in the use of these preventative measures, it is essential to raise public awareness of the side effects of their excessive and unnecessary use.
Influence of Virtual CSR Co-Creation on the Purchase Intention of Green Products under the Heterogeneity of Experience Value
Authors: Sun Cheng-Wen , Obrenovic Bojan , Li Hai-Ting
Published: October 2022

Virtual CSR co-creation activities have become effective strategic tools for enterprises to promote green consumption. The research objective of the current study is to find out whether the experience value acquired by users in the process of virtual CSR co-creation leads to pro-social behavior, namely, the willingness to purchase green products. This empirical study introduces a moderated mediation effect model with virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal as independent variables. Environmental involvement was introduced as a moderator in the research model, whereas the virtual community identity was introduced as a mediator. A scenario simulation experiment was conducted to explore the mechanism of the virtual CSR co-creation on customers’ green product purchase intention. The results indicate that the virtual CSR co-creation promoted the customers’ green product purchase intention. The virtual CSR co-creation and self-construal have an interactive effect on green product purchase intention. Environmental involvement plays a moderating role in the interactive effect. The virtual community identity partially mediates this interactive effect, thus impacting consumers’ green products purchase intentions indirectly. The research findings provide a new practical path for enterprises to develop target strategies to promote green consumption.
Could the Management System of Safety Partnership Change Miners’ Unsafe Behavior?
Authors: Liu Jiao , Li Shuang , Bao Weijun , Xu Kun
Published: October 2022

This paper analyzes the management system of safety partnership in coal mining enterprises through the methods of evolutionary game and optimized behavioral propagation of SEIR, considering the miners’ benefits and losses, as well as the influencing factors from miners and enterprises. It is found that, under the influence of the management system of safety partnership within miners, after the evolutionary game between miner partners, the behavioral strategies and personal benefits of the two miners are both consistent. Moreover, the benefits of individual miner and overall benefits of two miner partners, will affect the miners’ choice of safe behavioral strategies, as a result of which, the coal mines could improve the miners’ benefits through the management system of safety partnership to stimulate the implementation of miners’ safe behavior. Additionally, under the incentive of the management system of the safety partnership, the number of miners implementing unsafe behavior is decreasing, while the number of miners who are not easily affected by unsafe behavior is increasing. When the rewards and punishments of miners are strengthened, the propagation of miners’ safe behavior is accelerated. Finally, the propagation of miners’ safe behavior has a certain spillover effect within a certain range. The results of this paper provide a theoretical basis for the implementation of the management system of safety partnership in coal mining enterprises, which helps enterprises in guiding miners to take up safe behavior, which is better for enterprises’ safe development.
An Analysis of Barriers to Sustainable Supply Chain Management Implementation: The Fuzzy DEMATEL Approach
Authors: Jalali Mehrnaz , Feng Bo , Feng Junwen
Published: October 2022

This study aims to identify and analyze the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) implementation barriers in the context of Iran to determine the barriers and establish a cause-and-effect relationship between them. The Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) is used to assess the barriers to SSCM implementation in Iran, and a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) is used to obtain qualitative assessments from multiple experts regarding how to mitigate the impact of the barriers. To validate the proposed methodology, out of 20 barriers identified through the literature review and 9 more barriers suggested by experts, 26 barriers are identified to be relevant to the context of Iran using FDM. Six SSCM implementation barriers (i.e., economic sanctions; banking problems; economic instability; high inflation rate; lack of regulation and guidance from the government and lack of a globally competitive environment) were determined as important barriers in the cause group. All of them are related to Iran’s economic situation, the economic sanctions against Iran, and the government’s neglect of the importance of sustainability issues, all of which are obviously out of the companies’ control; moreover, the impact-relation map for each has been developed to facilitate the visualization of its interactions (i.e., influencing and influenced) with other barriers. The outcomes achieved are unique to Iranian companies and cannot be generalized to every company in other countries; however, the proposed approach might serve as a foundation for analyzing and comprehending the interactions between barriers. The suggested technique would identify the most effective areas for directing resources and efforts to reduce the effects of barriers to successful SSCM implementation.
Perturbed Newton Methods for Solving Nonlinear Equations with Applications
Authors: Argyros Ioannis K. , Regmi Samundra , Shakhno Stepan , Yarmola Halyna
Published: October 2022

Symmetries play an important role in the study of a plethora of physical phenomena, including the study of microworlds. These phenomena reduce to solving nonlinear equations in abstract spaces. Therefore, it is important to design iterative methods for approximating the solutions, since closed forms of them can be found only in special cases. Several iterative methods were developed whose convergence was established under very general conditions. Numerous applications are also provided to solve systems of nonlinear equations and differential equations appearing in the aforementioned areas. The ball convergence analysis was developed for the King-like and Jarratt-like families of methods to solve equations under the same set of conditions. Earlier studies have used conditions up to the fifth derivative, but they failed to show the fourth convergence order. Moreover, no error distances or results on the uniqueness of the solution were given either. However, we provide such results involving the derivative only appearing on these methods. Hence, we have expanded the usage of these methods. In the case of the Jarratt-like family of methods, our results also hold for Banach space-valued equations. Moreover, we compare the convergence ball and the dynamical features both theoretically and in numerical experiments.
Application of the Learning Automaton Model for Ensuring Cyber Resiliency
Authors: Kalinin Maxim , Ovasapyan Tigran , Poltavtseva Maria
Published: October 2022

This work addresses the functional approach to ensuring cyber resiliency as a kind of adaptive security management. For this purpose, we propose a learning automaton model capable of self-learning and adapting to changes while interacting with the external environment. Each node in the under-controlled system has a set of probable actions with respect to neighboring nodes. The same actions are represented in the graph of the learning automaton, but the probabilities of actions in the graph model are permanently updated based on the received reinforcement signals. Due to the adaptive reconfiguration of the nodes, the system is able to counteract the cyberattacks, preserving resiliency. The experimental study results for the emulated wireless sensor network (WSN) are presented and discussed. The packets loss rate stays below 20% when the number of malicious nodes is 20% of the total number of nodes, while the common system loses more than 70% of packets. The network uptime with the proposed solution is 30% longer; the legitimate nodes detect malicious nodes and rebuild their interaction with them, thereby saving their energy. The proposed mechanism allows ensuring the security and functional sustainability of the protected system regardless of its complexity and mission.
Effect of Heat Treatment on the Vibration Isolation Performance of Axially Symmetric NiTi Wire Mesh Damper
Authors: Shao Yichuan , Su Mingyang , Wei Yaoqiang , Wang Jinyu , Wu Yiwan , Chen Xiaochao , Bai Hongbai , Xue Xin
Published: October 2022

In this paper, superelastic (SE) NiTi wire is used to fabricate axially symmetric wire mesh dampers (WMDs) with the expectation of a higher damping capacity. However, the phase transformation damping of the NiTi WMD could be suppressed by the cold-work-induced dislocation. Therefore, the NiTi WMDs were heat-treated and then tested by a hydraulic universal testing machine. The NiTi WMD is found to achieve higher damping capacity when heat-treated at 200 °C. However, the WMD heat-treated at 250 °C suffers from a sharp decline in the loss factor in exchange for an improvement in the stiffness. The sine sweep test was then conducted to examine the dependency of the WMD’s vibration isolation performance upon the heat treatment temperature and the excitation acceleration. The NiTi WMD outperforms the 304 stainless steel (SS 304) WMD in damping capacity only when the excitation acceleration magnitude is less than 1.5 g. The stiffness of NiTi WMD can be improved without significantly compromising its damping capacity by heat treatment at 200 °C for 30 min. The present work carries out comprehensive measurements of the NiTi WMD’s response to dynamic mechanical test and sine sweep test and addresses how heat treatment influences the stiffness and damping capacity of the SE NiTi WMD.
Post-Occupancy Evaluation’s (POE) Applications for Improving Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ)
Authors: Lolli Francesco , Marinello Samuele , Coruzzolo Antonio , Butturi Maria
Published: October 2022

To improve buildings and their characteristics, the feedback provided directly by users is generally fundamental in order to be able to adapt the technical and structural functions to the well-being of users. The post-occupancy evaluation (POE) fits perfectly into this context. The POE, through qualitative and quantitative information on the interior environment, makes it possible to identify the differences between the performances modeled in the design phase and the real performances experienced by the occupants. This review of 234 articles, published between 2006 and 2022, aims to analyze and compare the recent literature on the application of the POE methodology. The aim was to provide both a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the main factors that comprise the indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The study highlighted the factors that comprise the quality of the indoor environment, as well as the variables that are usually analyzed to describe the well-being of the occupants. The results suggested which are the most common approaches in carrying out POE studies and will identify the factors that most influence the determination of the good quality of an indoor environment.
Microcystin-LR in Primary Liver Cancers: An Overview
Authors: Gu Shen , Jiang Mingxuemei , Zhang Bo
Published: October 2022

The cyanobacterial blooms produced by eutrophic water bodies have become a serious environmental issue around the world. After cellular lysing or algaecide treatment, microcystins (MCs), which are regarded as the most frequently encountered cyanobacterial toxins in fresh water, are released into water. Among all the variants of MCs, MC-LR has been widely studied due to its severe hepatotoxicity. Since 1992, various studies have identified the important roles of MC-LR in the origin and progression of primary liver cancers (PLCs), although few reviews have focused on it. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the major achievements and shortcomings observed in the past few years. Based on the available literature, the mechanisms of how MC-LR induces or promotes PLCs are elucidated in this review. This review aims to enhance our understanding of the role that MC-LR plays in PLCs and provides a rational approach for future applications.
Comparative Venom Proteomics of Iranian, Macrovipera lebetina cernovi, and Cypriot, Macrovipera lebetina lebetina, Giant Vipers
Authors: Ghezellou Parviz , Dillenberger Melissa , Kazemi Seyed Mahdi , Jestrzemski Daniel , Hellmann Bernhard , Spengler Bernhard
Published: October 2022

Envenoming by Macrovipera lebetina subspecies causes severe life-threatening difficulties for people living in North Africa and the Middle East. To better understand the pathophysiology of envenoming and improve patient management, knowledge about the venom components of the subspecies is essential. Here, the venom proteomes of Macrovipera lebetina lebetina from Cyprus and Macrovipera lebetina cernovi from Iran were characterized using RP-HPLC separation of the crude venom proteins, SDS-PAGE of fractionated proteins, and LC-MS/MS of peptides obtained from in-gel tryptic digestion of protein bands. Moreover, we also used high-resolution shot-gun proteomics to gain more reliable identification, where the whole venom proteomes were subjected directly to in-solution digestion before LC-HR-MS/MS. The data revealed that both venoms consisted of at least 18 protein families, of which snake venom Zn2+-dependent metalloprotease (SVMP), serine protease, disintegrin, phospholipase A2, C-type lectin-like, and L-amino acid oxidase, together accounted for more than 80% of the venoms’ protein contents. Although the two viper venoms shared mostly similar protein classes, the relative occurrences of these toxins were different in each snake subspecies. For instance, P-I class of SVMP toxins were found to be more abundant than P-III class in the venoms of M. l. cernovi compared to M. l. lebetina, which gives hints at a more potent myonecrotic effect and minor systemic hemorrhage following envenoming by M. l. cernovi than M. l. lebetina. Moreover, single-shot proteomics also revealed many proteins with low abundance (<1%) within the venoms, such as aminopeptidase, hyaluronidase, glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase, cystatin, phospholipase B, and vascular endothelial growth factor. Our study extends the in-depth understanding of the venom complexity of M. lebetina subspecies, particularly regarding toxin families associated with envenoming pathogenesis and those hard-detected protein classes expressed in trace amounts.
Genetic and Cross Neutralization Analyses of Coxsackievirus A16 Circulating in Taiwan from 1998 to 2021 Suggest Dominant Genotype B1 can Serve as Vaccine Candidate
Authors: Cheng Dayna , Chiu Yo-Wei , Huang Sheng-Wen , Lien Yun-Yin , Chang Chia-Lun , Tsai Huey-Pin , Wang Ya-Fang , Wang Jen-Ren
Published: October 2022

Coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) is well known for causing hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) and outbreaks were frequently reported in Taiwan in the past twenty years. The epidemiology and genetic variations of CVA16 in Taiwan from 1998 to 2021 were analyzed in this study. CVA16 infections usually occurred in early summer and early winter, and showed increased incidence in 1998, 2000–2003, 2005, 2007–2008, and 2010 in Taiwan. Little or no CVA16 was detected from 2017 to 2021. CVA16 infection was prevalent in patients between 1 to 3 years old. A total of 69 isolates were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis based on the VP1 region showed that CVA16 subgenotype B1 was dominantly isolated in Taiwan from 1998 to 2019, and B2 was identified only from isolates collected in 1999 and 2000. There was a high frequency of synonymous mutations in the amino acid sequences of the VP1 region among CVA16 isolates, with the exception of position 145 which showed positive selection. The recombination analysis of the whole genome of CVA16 isolates indicated that the 5′-untranslated region and the non-structural protein region of CVA16 subgenotype B1 were recombined with Coxsackievirus A4 (CVA4) and enterovirus A71 (EVA71) genotype A, respectively. The recombination pattern of subgenotype B2 was similar to B1, however, the 3D region was similar to EVA71 genotype B. Cross-neutralization among CVA16 showed that mouse antisera from various subgenotypes viruses can cross-neutralize different genotype with high neutralizing antibody titers. These results suggest that the dominant CVA16 genotype B1 can serve as a vaccine candidate for CVA16.
Phylogenetic Characterization of HIV-1 Sub-Subtype A1 in Karachi, Pakistan
Authors: Tariq Uroosa , Nazziwa Jamirah , Sasinovich Sviataslau , Shah Sharaf Ali , Naeem Sadaf , Abidi Syed Hani , Esbjörnsson Joakim
Published: October 2022

(1) Background: HIV-1 sub-subtype A1 is common in parts of Africa, Russia, former Soviet Union countries, and Eastern Europe. In Pakistan, sub-subtype A1 is the predominant HIV-1 subtype. Preliminary evidence suggests that distinct strains of HIV-1 sub-subtype A1 are circulating in Pakistan; however, an in-depth molecular phylogenetic characterization of HIV-1 sub-subtype A1 strains in Pakistan have not been presented. We performed a detailed characterization of the HIV-1 sub-subtype A1 epidemic in Pakistan using state-of-the-art molecular epidemiology and phylodynamics. (2) Methods: A total of 143 HIV-1 sub-subtype A1 gag sequences, including 61 sequences generated specifically for this study from PLHIVs part of our cohort, representing all sub-subtype A1 gag sequences from Pakistan, were analyzed. Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic cluster analysis was used to determine the relationship between Pakistani sub-subtype A1 strains and pandemic sub-subtype A1 strains. Furthermore, we used signature variation, charge distribution, selection pressures, and epitope prediction analyses to characterize variations unique to Pakistani HIV-1 strains and establish the association between signature variations and Gag epitope profile. (3) Results: The HIV-1 sub-subtype A1 sequences from Pakistan formed three main clusters: two that clustered with Kenyan sequences (7 and 10 sequences, respectively) and one that formed a Pakistan-specific cluster of 123 sequences that were much less related to other sub-subtype A1 sequences available in the database. The sequences in the Pakistan-specific cluster and the Kenyan reference strains exhibited several signature variations, especially at amino acid positions 312, 319, 331, 372, 373, 383, and 402. Structural protein modeling suggested that amino acid changes in these positions result in alterations of the Gag protein structure as well as in Gag-specific T-cell epitopes. (4) Conclusions: Our results suggest that the majority of the Pakistan HIV-1 sub-subtype A1 strains were unique to Pakistan and with a specific mutation pattern in Gag.
Low NETosis Induced in Anaplasma phagocytophilum-Infected Cells
Authors: Artigas-Jerónimo Sara , González-García Almudena , de la Fuente José , Blanda Valeria , Shekarkar Azgomi Mojtaba , Villar Margarita , Mohammadnezhad Leila , Grippi Francesca , Torina Alessandra , Sireci Guido
Published: October 2022

Anaplasma phagocytophilum are obligatory intracellular bacteria that preferentially replicate inside leukocytes by utilizing biological compounds and processes of these primary host defensive cells. In this study, bioinformatics analysis was conducted to further characterize A. phagocytophilum–host interactions using the neutrophil-like model of human Caucasian promyelocytic leukemia HL60 cells. We detected a hierarchy of molecules involved in A. phagocytophilum-HL60 interactions with overrepresentation in infected human cells of proteins involved in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathway and cell surface monocyte markers. As A. phagocytophilum phagocytosis by neutrophils is inhibited, the results suggested a possible explanation for our bioinformatics data: radical oxygen compounds could induce the killing of bacteria activating NETosis, a unique form of defense mechanism resulting in cell death that is characterized by the release of decondensed chromatin and granular contents to the extracellular space, forming neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to eliminate invading microorganisms. Thus, we confirmed the existence of a low NETosis induced in A. phagocytophilum-infected cells by immunofluorescence (IF) experiments. These results provide new insights into the complex mechanisms that govern immune response during A. phagocytophilum host interactions.
Post-Vaccination Neutralization Responses to Omicron Sub-Variants
Authors: Jacobsen Henning , Katzmarzyk Maeva , Higdon Melissa M. , Jiménez Viviana Cobos , Sitaras Ioannis , Bar-Zeev Naor , Knoll Maria Deloria
Published: October 2022

Background: The emergence of the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529), which correlated with dramatic losses in cross-neutralization capacity of post-vaccination sera, raised concerns about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against infection and disease. Several clinically relevant sub-variants subsequently emerged rapidly. Methods: We evaluated published and pre-print studies reporting sub-variant specific reductions in cross-neutralization compared to the prototype strain of SARS-CoV-2 and between sub-variants. Median fold-reduction across studies was calculated by sub-variant and vaccine platform. Results: Among 178 studies with post-vaccination data, after primary vaccination the sub-variant specific fold-reduction in neutralization capacity compared to the prototype antigen varied widely, from median 4.2-fold for BA.3 to 40.1-fold for BA.2.75; in boosted participants fold-reduction was similar for most sub-variants (5.3-fold to 7.0-fold); however, a more pronounced fold-change was observed for sub-variants related to BA.4 and BA.5 (10.4-fold to 14.2-fold). Relative to BA.1, the other Omicron sub-variants had similar neutralization capacity post-primary vaccination (range median 0.8-fold to 1.1-fold) and post-booster (0.9-fold to 1.4-fold) except for BA.4/5-related sub-variants which was higher (2.1-fold to 2.7-fold). Omicron sub-variant-specific responder rates were low post-primary vaccination (range median 28.0% to 65.9%) compared to the prototype (median 100%) but improved post-booster (range median 73.3% to 100%). Conclusions: Fold-reductions in neutralization titers were comparable post-booster except for sub-variants related to BA.4 and BA.5, which had higher fold-reduction. Assessment after primary vaccination was not possible because of overall poor neutralization responses causing extreme heterogeneity. Considering large fold-decreases in neutralization titers relative to the parental strain for all Omicron sub-variants, vaccine effectiveness is very likely to be reduced against all Omicron sub-variants, and probably more so against variants related to BA.4 or BA.5.