bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of Stress, Mental Health, and VEGFR-2 Gene Polymorphisms with Cardiometabolic Risk in Chinese Malaysian Adults
Authors: Yap Roseline W. K. , Lin Mei-Hua , Shidoji Yoshihiro , Yap Wai Sum
Published: May 2019

Gene-environment (G × E) interactions involving job stress and mental health on risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are minimally explored. This study examined the association and G × E interaction effects of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) gene polymorphisms (rs1870377, rs2071559) on cardiometabolic risk in Chinese Malaysian adults. Questionnaires: Job Stress Scale (JSS); Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21); and Rhode Island Stress and Coping Inventory (RISCI) were used to measure job stress, mental health, and coping with perceived stress. Cardiometabolic risk parameters were evaluated in plasma and genotyping analysis was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The subjects were 127 Chinese Malaysian adults. The allele frequencies for rs1870377 (A allele and T allele) and rs2071557 (A allele and T allele) polymorphisms were 0.48 and 0.52, and 0.37 and 0.63, respectively. Significant correlations include scores from JSS dimensions with blood glucose (BG) (p = 0.025–0.045), DASS-21 dimensions with blood pressure, BMI, and uric acid (p = 0.029–0.047), and RISCI with blood pressure and BG (p = 0.016–0.049). Significant G × E interactions were obtained for: rs1870377 with stress on total cholesterol (p = 0.035), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.019), and apolipoprotein B100 (p = 0.004); and rs2071559 with anxiety on blood pressure (p = 0.006–0.045). The significant G × E interactions prompt actions for managing stress and anxiety for the prevention of CVD.
Metabolic Syndrome Features: Is There a Modulation Role by Mineral Water Consumption? A Review
Authors: Costa-Vieira Daniela , Monteiro Rosário , Martins Maria João
Published: May 2019

Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) promotes, among others, the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Its prevalence increases with age, highlighting the relevance of promoting precocious MetSyn primary prevention and treatment with easy-to-implement lifestyle interventions. MetSyn features modulation through mineral water consumption was reviewed on Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases, using the following keywords: metabolic syndrome, hypertension, blood pressure (BP), cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein, chylomicron, very low-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), glucose, insulin, body weight, body mass index, waist circumference (WC), obesity and mineral(-rich) water. Twenty studies were selected: 12 evaluated BP, 13 assessed total-triglycerides and/or HDL-cholesterol, 10 analysed glucose and/or 3 measured WC. Mineral waters were tested in diverse protocols regarding type and composition of water, amount consumed, diet and type and duration of the study. Human and animal studies were performed in populations with different sizes and characteristics. Distinct sets of five studies showed beneficial effects upon BP, total-triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and glucose. WC modulation was not reported. Minerals/elements and active ions/molecules present in mineral waters (and their pH) are crucial to counterbalance their inadequate intake and body status as well as metabolic dysfunction and increased diet-induced acid-load observed in MetSyn. Study characteristics and molecular/physiologic mechanisms that could explain the different effects observed are discussed. Further studies are warranted for determining the mechanisms involved in the putative protective action of mineral water consumption against MetSyn features.
Memory Enhancement by Oral Administration of Extract of Eleutherococcus senticosus Leaves and Active Compounds Transferred in the Brain
Authors: Yamauchi Yui , Ge Yue-Wei , Yoshimatsu Kayo , Komatsu Katsuko , Kuboyama Tomoharu , Yang Ximeng , Tohda Chihiro
Published: May 2019

The pharmacological properties of Eleutherococcus senticosus leaf have not been clarified although it is taken as a food item. In this study, the effects of water extract of Eleutherococcus senticosus leaves on memory function were investigated in normal mice. Oral administration of the extract for 17 days significantly enhanced object recognition memory. Compounds absorbed in blood and the brain after oral administration of the leaf extract were detected by LC-MS/MS analyses. Primarily detected compounds in plasma and the cerebral cortex were ciwujianoside C3, eleutheroside M, ciwujianoside B, and ciwujianoside A1. Pure compounds except for ciwujianoside A1 were administered orally for 17 days to normal mice. Ciwujianoside C3, eleutheroside M, and ciwujianoside B significantly enhanced object recognition memory. These results demonstrated that oral administration of the leaf extract of E. senticosus enhances memory function, and that active ingredients in the extract, such as ciwujianoside C3, eleutheroside M, and ciwujianoside B, were able to penetrate and work in the brain. Those three compounds as well as the leaf extract had dendrite extension activity against primary cultured cortical neurons. The effect might relate to memory enhancement.
The Effect of Nutrition Intervention with Oral Nutritional Supplements on Pancreatic and Bile Duct Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy
Authors: Kim Seong Hyeon , Lee Song Mi , Jeung Hei Cheul , Lee Ik Jae , Park Joon Seong , Song Mina , Lee Dong Ki , Lee Seung-Min
Published: May 2019

Chemotherapy may negatively affect nutritional status and quality of life (QOL) in pancreatic cancer patients. Our aim was to investigate the beneficial effects of oral nutrition supplements (ONS) on pancreatic and bile duct cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Among patients with progressive pancreatic and bile duct cancer receiving chemotherapy, the ONS group (n = 15) received two packs of ONS daily for 8 weeks while the non-ONS group (n = 19) did not. Anthropometric measures, dietary intake, nutritional status, and quality of life were assessed. ONS significantly increased daily intakes of energy, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids at 8 weeks compared to the baseline. After 8 weeks, fat mass significantly increased in the ONS group. For patients in their first cycle of chemotherapy, body weight, fat-free mass, skeletal muscle mass, body cell mass, and fat mass increased in the ONS group but decreased in the non-ONS group. Fat mass increased in second or higher cycle only in the ONS group. Patient-generated subjective global assessments (PG-SGA) and fatigue scores in the Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30) improved in the ONS group. ONS might improve nutritional status by increasing fat mass and/or maintaining the body composition of pancreatic and bile duct cancer patients with chemotherapy, especially those in the first cycle, and alleviate fatigue symptoms.
Targeting MMP-9 in Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Authors: Jones Jeffrey I. , Nguyen Trung T. , Peng Zhihong , Chang Mayland
Published: May 2019

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are significant complications of diabetes and an unmet medical need. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in the pathology of wounds and in the wound healing process. However, because of the challenge in distinguishing active MMPs from the two catalytically inactive forms of MMPs and the clinical failure of broad-spectrum MMP inhibitors in cancer, MMPs have not been a target for treatment of DFUs until recently. This review covers the discovery of active MMP-9 as the biochemical culprit in the recalcitrance of diabetic wounds to healing and targeting this proteinase as a novel approach for the treatment of DFUs. Active MMP-8 and MMP-9 were observed in mouse and human diabetic wounds using a batimastat affinity resin and proteomics. MMP-9 was shown to play a detrimental role in diabetic wound healing, whereas MMP-8 was beneficial. A new class of selective MMP-9 inhibitors shows clinical promise for the treatment of DFUs.
Polymer Electrolyte Membranes Based on Nafion and a Superacidic Inorganic Additive for Fuel Cell Applications
Authors: Mazzapioda Lucia , Panero Stefania , Navarra Maria Assunta
Published: May 2019

Nafion composite membranes, containing different amounts of mesoporous sulfated titanium oxide (TiO2-SO4) were prepared by solvent-casting and tested in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), operating at very low humidification levels. The TiO2-SO4 additive was originally synthesized by a sol-gel method and characterized through x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and ion exchange capacity (IEC). Peculiar properties of the composite membranes, such as the thermal transitions and ion exchange capacity, were investigated and here discussed. When used as an electrolyte in the fuel cell, the composite membrane guaranteed an improvement with respect to bare Nafion systems at 30% relative humidity and 110 °C, exhibiting higher power and current densities.
Polyhexamethylene Biguanide:Polyurethane Blend Nanofibrous Membranes for Wound Infection Control
Authors: Worsley Anna , Vassileva Kristin , Tsui Janice , Song Wenhui , Good Liam
Published: May 2019

Polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) is a broad-spectrum antiseptic which avoids many efficacy and toxicity problems associated with antimicrobials, in particular, it has a low risk of loss of susceptibility due to acquired antimicrobial resistance. Despite such advantages, PHMB is not widely used in wound care, suggesting more research is required to take full advantage of PHMB’s properties. We hypothesised that a nanofibre morphology would provide a gradual release of PHMB, prolonging the antimicrobial effects within the therapeutic window. PHMB:polyurethane (PU) electrospun nanofibre membranes were prepared with increasing PHMB concentrations, and the effects on antimicrobial activities, mechanical properties and host cell toxicity were compared. Overall, PHMB:PU membranes displayed a burst release of PHMB during the first hour following PBS immersion (50.5–95.9% of total released), followed by a gradual release over 120 h (≤25 wt % PHMB). The membranes were hydrophilic (83.7–53.3°), gradually gaining hydrophobicity as PHMB was released. They displayed superior antimicrobial activity, which extended past the initial release period, retained PU hyperelasticity regardless of PHMB concentration (collective tensile modulus of 5–35% PHMB:PU membranes, 3.56 ± 0.97 MPa; ultimate strain, >200%) and displayed minimal human cell toxicity (<25 wt % PHMB). With further development, PHMB:PU electrospun membranes may provide improved wound dressings.
Off-Grid Solar PV Power Generation System in Sindh, Pakistan: A Techno-Economic Feasibility Analysis
Authors: Xu Li , Wang Ying , Solangi Yasir , Zameer Hashim , Shah Syed
Published: May 2019

The off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) system is a significant step towards electrification in the remote rural regions, and it is the most convenient and easy to install technology. However, the strategic problem is in identifying the potential of solar energy and the economic viability in particular regions. This study, therefore, addresses this problem by evaluating the solar energy potential and economic viability for the remote rural regions of the Sindh province, Pakistan. The results recommended that the rural regions of Sindh have suitable solar irradiance to generate electricity. An appropriate tilt angle has been computed for the selected rural regions, which significantly enhances the generation capacity of solar energy. Moreover, economic viability has been undertaken in this study and it was revealed that the off-grid solar PV power generation system provides electricity at the cost of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 6.87/kWh and is regarded as much cheaper than conventional energy sources, i.e., around PKR 20.79/kWh. Besides, the off-grid solar PV power generation system could mitigate maximum CO2 annually on the condition that all of the selected remote rural regions adopt the off-grid solar PV system. Therefore, this study shall help the government to utilize the off-grid solar PV power generation system in the remote rural regions of Pakistan.
Preserving the Intangible: Orthodox Christian Approaches to Spiritual Heritage
Authors: Antohin Alexandra S.
Published: May 2019

This article presents the ways Orthodox countries form their own discourses for heritage representation and observes how these practices interact with emerging tourism and preservation agendas. Recent history of heritage tourism in Russia and Ethiopia provides insights into how participants engage with the spiritual heritage of their Churches and the contemporary dilemmas produced when orienting towards preservation protocols that seek to safeguard heritage and make it palatable to a global audience. The Ethiopian case study of Meskel, the festival of the Finding of the True Cross, a UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) intangible cultural heritage entry in 2014, is examined in order to identify key issues when spiritual heritage is situated in preservation management discourse. The discussion concludes by considering a vital component of preservation efforts contained within Orthodox Churches and proposes that indigenous approaches to the elaboration and circulation of cultural values be an essential component of heritage policies.
Editorial for Special Issue “Remote Sensing Water Cycle: Theory, Sensors, Data, and Applications”
Authors: Wan Wei , Xie Hongjie , Hasan Emad , Hong Yang
Published: May 2019

Global water cycle dynamics involve the exchange of water and energy matter among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere [...]
Versatile Tunable Voltage-Mode Biquadratic Filter and Its Application in Quadrature Oscillator
Authors: Wang San-Fu , Chen Hua-Pin , Ku Yitsen , Lin Yi-Chun
Published: May 2019

This paper presents a versatile tunable voltage-mode biquadratic filter with five inputs and three outputs. The proposed filter enjoys five single-ended output operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) and two grounded capacitors. The filter can be easily transformed into a quadrature oscillator. The filter with grounded capacitors is resistorless and electronically tunable. Either a voltage-mode five-input single-output biquadratic filter or a voltage-mode single-input three-output biquadratic filter can be operated by appropriate selecting input and output terminals. In the operation of five-input single-output biquadratic filter, the non-inverting lowpass, non-inverting bandpass, inverting bandpass, inverting highpass, non-inverting bandreject, inverting bandreject, and non-inverting allpass filtering responses can be realized by appropriately applying the input voltage signals. In the operation of single-input three-output biquadratic filter, the non-inverting/inverting lowpass, bandpass and bandreject filtering responses can be realized simultaneously. The circuit provides independent adjustment of the resonance angular frequency and quality factor, high-input impedance, and no inverting-type input voltage signals are imposed. The application in quadrature oscillator exhibits independent electronic tuning characteristic of the oscillation condition and the oscillation frequency. The theoretical analysis has been verified through OrCAD PSpice and furthermore by experimental measurements.
ECG Signal as Robust and Reliable Biometric Marker: Datasets and Algorithms Comparison
Authors: Pelc Mariusz , Khoma Yuriy , Khoma Volodymyr
Published: May 2019

In this paper, the possibility of using the ECG signal as an unequivocal biometric marker for authentication and identification purposes has been presented. Furthermore, since the ECG signal was acquired from 4 sources using different measurement equipment, electrodes positioning and number of patients as well as the duration of the ECG record acquisition, we have additionally provided an estimation of the extent of information available in the ECG record. To provide a more objective assessment of the credibility of the identification method, some selected machine learning algorithms were used in two combinations: with and without compression. The results that we have obtained confirm that the ECG signal can be acclaimed as a valid biometric marker that is very robust to hardware variations, noise and artifacts presence, that is stable over time and that is scalable across quite a solid (~100) number of users. Our experiments indicate that the most promising algorithms for ECG identification are LDA, KNN and MLP algorithms. Moreover, our results show that PCA compression, used as part of data preprocessing, does not only bring any noticeable benefits but in some cases might even reduce accuracy.
A Hybrid Energy Equating Game for Energy Management in the Internet of Underwater Things
Authors: Ahmed Gulnaz , Zhao Xi , Fareed Mian Muhammad Sadiq
Published: May 2019

The Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) is an evolving class of Internet of Things and it is considered the basic unit for the development of smart cities. To support the idea of IoUT, an Underwater Sensor Network (USN) has emerged as a potential technology that has attractive and updated applications for underwater environment monitoring. In such networks, route selection and cluster-head management are still challenging. As the optimal routes always lead to congestion and longer delays while the cluster-head mismanagement leads to ending the USN lifespan earlier. In this paper, we propose a cooperative clustering game that is based upon energy heterogeneity and a penalty mechanism to deal with the cluster head mismanagement issue. Then, we use a non-cooperative evolutionary game for the best relay selection; the results prove that this utility function is the most suitable solution for the relay selection and its strategy selection converges to Nash Equilibrium. The proposed framework is compared with recent schemes using different quality measures and we found that our proposed framework performs favorably against the existing schemes for all of the evaluation metrics.
Sugar Concentration Measurement System Using Radiofrequency Sensor
Authors: Aguila Rodriguez Gerardo , Arias Duque Nayda Patricia , Gonzalez Sanchez Blanca Estela , Sandoval Gonzalez Oscar Osvaldo , Giraldo Osorio Oscar Hernan , Trujillo Romero Citlalli Jessica , Wilches Torres Miriam Andrea , Flores Cuautle Jose de Jesus Agustin
Published: May 2019

A sugar solution measurement system was developed based on the dielectric properties of the sucrose molecule. An ac conductivity and tan δ study as a function of the frequency was performed to find the suitable frequency range for the measuring system. The results indicate that it is possible to obtain a better response of the sensor using the frequencies as the maxima peak in tan δ appears. Developed setup for sucrose solution was appropriate to measure in a 0.15 to 1 g/mL range with an experimental error of about 3%. The proposed system improves the measurement time over some other methods.
Ecofriendly Long Life Nanocomposite Sensors for Determination of Carbachol in Presence of Choline: Application in Ophthalmic Solutions and Biological Fluids
Authors: Al-Harbi Eman A. , Abdelrahman Mona H. , El-Kosasy Amira M.
Published: May 2019

Several emerging nano scale forms of carbon are showing great promise in electrochemical sensing such as graphene and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Herein we present an ecofriendly method to fabricate long life and sensitive ion selective sensors based on graphene and MWCNTs nanocomposites with no need for volatile organic solvents. Both sensors were fabricated, for the analysis of carbachol in ophthalmic solutions, plasma and urine where ion- association complex was formed between cationic carbachol and anionic Sodium tetra phenyl borate (NaTBP) in a ratio 1:1. Both sensors were evaluated according to the IUPAC recommendation data, revealing linear response in the concentration range 10−7 M to 10−2 M with near Nernstian slopes 50.80 ± 5 and 58.14 ± 3 mV/decade and correlation coefficients 0.9992 and 0.9998 for graphene and MWCNTs based sensors, respectively. Both sensors were successfully applied as stability indicating method for the analysis of carbachol in presence of its metabolite choline, in ophthalmic preparations, in plasma and urine showing good recovery percentage values. MWCNTs based sensor showed some advantages over graphene sensor regarding lower limit of detection (LOD), longer life time and higher selectivity towards carbachol. Statistical comparison of the proposed sensors with the official method showed no significant difference for accuracy and precision.
Detection of Type, Blended Ratio, and Mixed Ratio of Pu’er Tea by Using Electronic Nose and Visible/Near Infrared Spectrometer
Authors: Xu Sai , Sun Xiuxiu , Lu Huazhong , Zhang Qianqian
Published: May 2019

The objective of this study was to find an intelligent and fast method to detect the type, blended ratio, and mixed ratio of ancient Pu’er tea, which is significant in maintaining order in the Pu’er tea industry. An electronic nose (E-nose) and a visible near infrared spectrometer (VIS/NIR spectrometer) were applied for tea sampling. Feature extraction was conducted using both the traditional method and a convolutional neural network (CNN) technique. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and partial least square regression (PLSR) were applied for pattern recognition. After sampling while using the traditional method, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed that the mean differential value of each sensor should be selected as the optimal feature extraction method for E-nose data, and raw data comparison results showed that 19 peak/valley values and two slope values were extracted. While the format of E-nose data was in accord with the input format for CNN, the VIS/NIR spectrometer data required matrixing to meet the format requirements. The LDA and PLSR analysis results showed that CNN has superior detection ability, being able to acquire more local features than the traditional method, but it has the risk of mixing in redundant information, which can act to reduce the detection ability. Multi-source information fusion (E-nose and VIS/NIR spectrometer fusion) can collect more features from different angles to improve the detection ability, but it also contains the risk of adding redundant information, which reduces the detection ability. For practical detection, the type of Pu’er tea should be recognizable using a VIS/NIR spectrometer and the traditional feature extraction method. The blended ratio of Pu’er tea should also be identifiable by using a VIS/NIR spectrometer with traditional feature extraction. Multi-source information fusion with traditional feature extraction should be used if the accuracy requirement is extremely high; otherwise, a VIS/NIR spectrometer with traditional feature extraction is preferred.
Deep CT to MR Synthesis Using Paired and Unpaired Data
Authors: Jin Cheng-Bin , Kim Hakil , Liu Mingjie , Jung Wonmo , Joo Seongsu , Park Eunsik , Ahn Young , Han In , Lee Jae , Cui Xuenan
Published: May 2019

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging plays a highly important role in radiotherapy treatment planning for the segmentation of tumor volumes and organs. However, the use of MR is limited, owing to its high cost and the increased use of metal implants for patients. This study is aimed towards patients who are contraindicated owing to claustrophobia and cardiac pacemakers, and many scenarios in which only computed tomography (CT) images are available, such as emergencies, situations lacking an MR scanner, and situations in which the cost of obtaining an MR scan is prohibitive. From medical practice, our approach can be adopted as a screening method by radiologists to observe abnormal anatomical lesions in certain diseases that are difficult to diagnose by CT. The proposed approach can estimate an MR image based on a CT image using paired and unpaired training data. In contrast to existing synthetic methods for medical imaging, which depend on sparse pairwise-aligned data or plentiful unpaired data, the proposed approach alleviates the rigid registration of paired training, and overcomes the context-misalignment problem of unpaired training. A generative adversarial network was trained to transform two-dimensional (2D) brain CT image slices into 2D brain MR image slices, combining the adversarial, dual cycle-consistent, and voxel-wise losses. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons against independent paired and unpaired training methods demonstrated the superiority of our approach.
Land Use and Land Cover Scenarios for Optimum Water Yield and Sediment Retention Ecosystem Services in Klong U-Tapao Watershed, Songkhla, Thailand
Authors: Srichaichana Jamroon , Trisurat Yongyut , Ongsomwang Suwit
Published: May 2019

The Klong U-Tapao watershed is the main source of water supply for agriculture, industry, and household consumption of the Songkhla province and it frequently contributes serious problems to lowland areas, particularly flood and soil erosion. Therefore, land use and land cover (LULC) scenario identification for optimum water yield and sediment retention ecosystem services are necessary. In this study, LULC data in 2010 and 2017 were firstly classified from Landsat data using random forests classifiers, and they were then used to predict LULC change during 2018 –2024 under three different scenarios by CLUE-S model. Later, actual LULC data in 2017 and predictive LULC data of three scenarios were further used to estimate water yield and sediment retention services under the InVEST and LULC scenario for optimum water yield and sediment retention ecosystem services were finally identified using the ecosystem service change index (ESCI). The result of the study showed the major increasing areas of LULC types during 2010–2017 were rubber plantation and urban and built-up area while the major decreasing areas of LULC classes were evergreen forest and miscellaneous land. In addition, the derived LULC prediction of three different scenarios could provide realistic results as expected. Likewise, water yield and sediment retention estimation of three different scenarios could also provide expected results according to characteristics of scenarios’ definitions and climates, soil and terrain, and LULC factors. Finally, LULC of Scenario II was chosen for optimum water yield and sediment retention ecosystem services. In conclusion, the integration of remote sensing technology with advanced classification methods and geospatial models can be used as proficient tools to provide geospatial data on water yield and sediment retention ecosystem services from different scenarios.
A Hybrid Model for Addressing the Relationship between Financial Performance and Sustainable Development
Authors: Zhang Yanfang , Lee Mushang
Published: May 2019

Measuring financial performance has become an essential topic due to the potential decimating impacts on the corporation itself as well as to whole societies during financial turmoil. In order to provide an overarching description of the multidimensional nature for measuring a corporation’s operations, it is preferable to employ data envelopment analysis (DEA). Different from prior research that merely focuses on a singular DEA performance rank, this study extends it to multiple DEA specifications (i.e., it combines inputs and outputs in several different ways) so as to make judgments more complete and robust. We also execute fuzzy visualization technique (i.e., nonlinear fuzzy robust principal component analysis, NFRPCA) to represent the main characteristics of data so that non-specialists can have better access to the results. The analyzed result is then fed into the restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM) to establish a model to forecast a firm’s operating performance. Even a fraction of accuracy improvement can result in considerable future savings to a firm and investors. When examined using real cases, the model is a promising alternative for operating performance forecasting and can assist both internal and external market participants.
Modelling of Emissions and Energy Use from Biofuel Fuelled Vehicles at Urban Scale
Authors: Dias Daniela , Antunes António Pais , Tchepel Oxana
Published: May 2019

Biofuels have been considered to be sustainable energy source and one of the major alternatives to petroleum-based road transport fuels due to a reduction of greenhouse gases emissions. However, their effects on urban air pollution are not straightforward. The main objective of this work is to estimate the emissions and energy use from bio-fuelled vehicles by using an integrated and flexible modelling approach at the urban scale in order to contribute to the understanding of introducing biofuels as an alternative transport fuel. For this purpose, the new Traffic Emission and Energy Consumption Model (QTraffic) was applied for complex urban road network when considering two biofuels demand scenarios with different blends of bioethanol and biodiesel in comparison to the reference situation over the city of Coimbra (Portugal). The results of this study indicate that the increase of biofuels blends would have a beneficial effect on particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions reduction for the entire road network (−3.1% [−3.8% to −2.1%] by kg). In contrast, an overall negative effect on nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions at urban scale is expected, mainly due to the increase in bioethanol uptake. Moreover, the results indicate that, while there is no noticeable variation observed in energy use, fuel consumption is increased by over 2.4% due to the introduction of the selected biofuels blends.
Recycling of Communal Waste: Current State and Future Potential for Sustainable Development in the EU
Authors: Taušová Marcela , Mihaliková Eva , Čulková Katarína , Stehlíková Beáta , Tauš Peter , Kudelas Dušan , Štrba Ľubomír
Published: May 2019

The constant consumption of resources exerts pressure on the environment. In this sense, waste management has obtained increasing attention from the view of a circular economy. The European Union deals with these mentioned aspects, trying maintain long-term competitiveness and to provide sustainable development in accordance with all related environmental aspects. This paper focuses on the evaluation of the production of communal waste in 36 EU countries. The main aim is to evaluate the success of countries’ efforts to decrease waste production and increase recycling rates. The methodology used for the evaluation included data collected from the publicly available database Eurostat, consequent analyses and evaluation in the statistical software JMP 13 through regression, distribution, and cluster analysis, and the interpretation of the results. The results of the cluster analysis showed that despite clear EU waste management legislation, EU member states have significantly different waste management systems at the national level. However, generally, we could see positive correlation between the generation of waste and recycling rates. Although, Malta, Austria, Greece, and Norway recorded a decreasing level of waste recycling over the last several years, some countries (Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania) had significantly lower recycling rates accompanied by low landfill taxes. The evaluation of waste production and recycling can be used for government policy in the area of waste management, as well as for individual communities dealing with communal waste.
New Approach to Sustainability in Rural Areas Comprising Agriculture Practices–Analysis of Demonstration Farms in the Czech Republic
Authors: Šťastná Milada , Peřinková Veronika , Pokorná Pavla , Vaishar Antonín
Published: May 2019

The research was aimed at an overview and analysis of the demonstration activities in the Czech Republic dealing with the transfer of innovations for agricultural practice. Several methods were used to compile the national inventory, in particular the questionnaire survey method. The Czech part of the research was based on 30 questionnaires conducted among both farmers and agricultural organizations engaged in demonstration activities. The questions were focused on a specialization in agriculture, type of the management, connections with networks and their size, types of demonstration activities according to the types of farms and non-productive activities. The most common topics and purposes for demonstration in the Czech Republic are recorded for the category arable land with combined crops. Highly linked to sustainability are activities such as conservation agriculture on arable land with combined crops, root crops and fodders mainly due to a reduction of soil erosion within crop production and animal health management and welfare for dairy within livestock production. The Ministry of Agriculture has prepared a subsidy program to help farmers in the form of illustrative practical demonstrations of comprehensive sustainable farming practices. The main added values for the end-users, if the generated knowledge is implemented, are to strengthen the knowledge transfer system in agriculture, focusing on practical demonstrations and presentation of sustainable farming systems and soil protection in practice. However, the demonstration activities support mostly technological development and some individual ecological measures whereas the sustainability of agriculture as the complex process unifying the crop and animal production is not in the foreground.
Smart Grid R&D Planning Based on Patent Analysis
Authors: Ree Jason Jihoon , Kim Kwangsoo
Published: May 2019

A smart grid employs information and communications technology to improve the efficiency, reliability, economics, and sustainability of electricity production and distribution. The convergent and complex nature of a smart grid and the multifarious connection between its individual technology components, as well as competition between private companies, which will exert substantial influences on the future smart grid business, make a strategic approach necessary from the beginning of research and development (R&D) planning with collaborations among various research groups and from national, industry, company, and detailed technological levels. However, the strategic, technological, business environmental, and regulatory barriers between various stakeholders with collaborative or sometimes conflictive interests need to be clarified for a breakthrough in the smart grid field. A strategic R&D planning process was developed in this study to accomplish the complicated tasks, which comprises five steps: (i) background research of smart grid industry; (ii) selection of R&D target; (iii) societal, technological, economical, environmental, and political (STEEP) analysis to obtain a macro-level perspective and insight for achieving the selected R&D target; (iv) patent analysis to explore capabilities of the R&D target and to select the entry direction for smart grid industry; and, (v) nine windows and scenario planning analyses to develop a method and process in establishing a future strategic R&D plan. This R&D planning process was further applied to the case of a Korean company holding technological capabilities in the sustainable smart grid domain, as well as in the sustainable electric vehicle charging system, a global consumer market of smart grid. Four plausible scenarios were produced by varying key change agents for the results of this process, such as technology and growth rates, policies and government subsidies, and system standards of the smart grid charging system: Scenario 1, ‘The Stabilized Settlement of the Smart Grid Industry’; Scenario 2, ‘The Short-lived Blue Ocean of the Smart Grid Industry’; Scenario 3, ‘The Questionable Market of the Smart Grid’; and, Scenario 4, ‘The Stalemate of the Smart Grid Industry’. The R&D plan suggestions were arranged for each scenario and detailed ways to cope with dissonant situations were also implied for the company. In sum, in this case study, a future strategic R&D plan was suggested in regard to the electric vehicle charging technology business, which includes smart grid communication system, battery charging duration, service infrastructure, public charge station system, platform and module, wireless charging, data management system, and electric system solution. The strategic R&D planning process of this study can be applicable in various technologies and business fields, because of no inherent dependency on particular subject, like electric vehicle charging technology based on smart grid.
An Overview of Ecopreneurship, Eco-Innovation, and the Ecological Sector
Authors: Rodríguez-García María , Guijarro-García María , Carrilero-Castillo Agustín
Published: May 2019

Given the current trend toward a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly economy, the overlap between entrepreneurship and sustainability has become a key research area. Part of this trend is the emergence of ecopreneurial businesses. These businesses are pioneers in using innovation to achieve sustainable growth by exploiting market opportunities. This article presents an overview of the concepts of ecopreneurship, eco-innovation, and the ecological sector. A rigorous review of the literature in this area is presented. The results of this review show the key values and principles that are central to this new stream of research and shed light on opportunities for further research. The primary conclusion is that there is a need for collective collaboration between ecopreneurs, consumers, and producers to achieve long-term sustainability.
Tangible Technologies for Childhood Education: A Systematic Review
Authors: González-González Carina S. , Guzmán-Franco María D. , Infante-Moro Alfonso
Published: May 2019

This study reviews published scientific literature on the use of tangible technologies in childhood education, in order to (a) identify the what tangible technologies have been used, (b) recognize the educational purposes and uses these technologies of, and (c) present a synthesis of the available empirical evidence on its educational effectiveness. After systematically searching in WoS, 288 relevant articles were located and analyzed using the Science Mapping Analysis Software Tool from 1968 to 2018. Then, 29 relevant papers of the last five years were included in the review study. For each article, we analyze the purpose of the study, the type of tangible technology used, the research method applied, the sample characteristics and the main results observed. The articles reviewed suggest that the main tangible technology used in childhood education is the tablet and literacy (basic and emergent) is the area most studied with promising results.
A Study on the Effect of TMT Characteristics and Vertical Dyad Similarity on Enterprise Achievements
Authors: Xu Jianzhong , Yun Kumchol , Yan Fu , Jang Paeksan , Kim Jonggun , Pang Cholho
Published: May 2019

The top management team (TMT) is a key resource for an enterprise’s sustainability, and the study of TMT characteristics is very important to explain the factors involved in an enterprise’s development. In order to comprehensively evaluate the impact of TMT characteristics on enterprise performance in China, the effect of average characteristics and vertical dyad characteristics of TMTs on enterprises performance was researched in this paper. This study is based on upper echelon theory, the similarity–attraction paradigm, and social categorization theory, stemming from the dual perspectives of social psychology and social politics. The concept of chairperson–TMT vertical dyad similarity is first proposed as a TMT characteristic, and the effect of vertical dyad similarity on enterprise performance is empirically analyzed using panel data from 235 manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) samples. The findings demonstrated that TMT average tenure, TMT age vertical dyad similarity, and tenure vertical dyad similarity have a significant positive effect on enterprise performance, while TMTs’ other average characteristics and chairperson–TMT vertical dyad differences have no significant effect on enterprise performance.
Integrated Value Model to Assess the Sustainability of Active Learning Activities and Strategies in Architecture Lectures for Large Groups
Authors: Pons Oriol , Franquesa Jordi , Hosseini S. M. Amin
Published: May 2019

At present, university professors lack the tools to know which is the most sustainable activity and/or strategy that should be incorporated into large-group theoretical classes in order to improve our students’ learning process whilst taking each scenario into account. These scenarios have different order thinking levels, numbers of students, available time, classroom size and professor skills, among other factors to consider. In architecture schools we have this problem in theoretical lectures. This project has developed and applied a new multi-criteria decision making tool incorporating a mathematical algorithm in order to choose the best set of active learning activities for each case for these lectures in architectural technology courses. This process has relied on seminars involving experts and the use of The Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Assessment. This tool has been very useful to solve the aforementioned problems because architecture professors have been able to choose the most sustainable activity for each scenario considering the alternative sustainability indexes. This first application has been highly useful to assist professors to incorporate active learning methodologies in their classes and to promote lecturers’ management of their course contents and time. Future improved versions of this tool will increase its interactivity and broaden its scope.
Effects of Different Carbon Sources on Fumonisin Production and FUM Gene Expression by Fusarium proliferatum
Authors: Wu Yu , Li Taotao , Gong Liang , Wang Yong , Jiang Yueming
Published: May 2019

Fusarium proliferatum can infect many crops and then produce fumonisins that are very harmful to humans and animals. Previous study indicates that carbon sources play important roles in regulating the fumonisin biosynthesis. Unfortunately, there is limited information on the effects of carbon starvation in comparison with the carbon sources present in the host of fumonisin production in F. proliferatum. Our results indicated that F. proliferatum cultivated in the Czapek’s broth (CB) medium in the absence of sucrose could greatly induce production of fumonisin, while an additional supplementation of sucrose to the culture medium significantly reduced the fumonisin production. Furthermore, cellulose and hemicellulose, and polysaccharide extracted from banana peel, which replaced sucrose as the carbon source, can reduce the production of fumonisin by F. proliferatum. Further work showed that these genes related to the synthesis of fumonisin, such as FUM1 and FUM8, were significantly up-regulated in the culture medium in the absence of sucrose. Consistent with fumonisin production, the expressions of FUM gene cluster and ZFR1 gene decreased after the addition of sucrose. Moreover, these genes were also significantly down-regulated in the presence of cellulose, hemicellulose or polysaccharide extracted from peel. Altogether, our results suggested that fumonisin production was regulated in F. proliferatum in response to different carbon source conditions, and this regulation might be mainly via the transcriptional level. Future work on these expressions of the fumonisin biosynthesis-related genes is needed to further clarify the response under different carbon conditions during the infection of F. proliferatum on banana fruit hosts. The findings in this study will provide a new clue regarding the biological effect of the fumonisin production in response to environmental stress.
Fifty Years of Energy Extraction from Rotating Black Hole: Revisiting Magnetic Penrose Process
Authors: Tursunov Arman , Dadhich Naresh
Published: May 2019

Magnetic Penrose process (MPP) is not only the most exciting and fascinating process mining the rotational energy of black hole but it is also the favored astrophysically viable mechanism for high energy sources and phenomena. It operates in three regimes of efficiency, namely low, moderate and ultra, depending on the magnetization and charging of spinning black holes in astrophysical setting. In this paper, we revisit MPP with a comprehensive discussion of its physics in different regimes, and compare its operation with other competing mechanisms. We show that MPP could in principle foot the bill for powering engine of such phenomena as ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, relativistic jets, fast radio bursts, quasars, AGNs, etc. Further, it also leads to a number of important observable predictions. All this beautifully bears out the promise of a new vista of energy powerhouse heralded by Roger Penrose half a century ago through this process, and it has today risen in its magnetically empowered version of mid 1980s from a purely thought experiment of academic interest to a realistic powering mechanism for various high-energy astrophysical phenomena.
Enterovirus A71 VP1 Variation A289T Decreases the Central Nervous System Infectivity via Attenuation of Interactions between VP1 and Vimentin In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Zhu Huimin , Cao Yujuan , Su Weitao , Huang Shan , Lu Weizhi , Zhou Yezhen , Gao Jing , Zhao Wei , Zhang Bao , Wu Xianbo
Published: May 2019

Vimentin (VIM) is a surface receptor for enterovirus-A71, mediating the initial binding and subsequent increase in EV-A71 infectivity. The caspid protein VP1 variation, A289T, is reportedly closely associated with less severe central nervous system (CNS) infections in humans. However, it is unclear whether VIM is associated with a reduction in CNS infections of EV-A71 in the presence of A289T. We investigated whether VIM served as a receptor for EV-A71 in the presence of an A298T substitution in VP1. EV-A71-289A and EV-A71-289T were used to infect human rhabdomyosarcoma cells, control human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), and VIM-knockout (KO) HBMECs and inoculated BALB/c mice, SV129 mice, and VIM-KO SV129 mice. Furthermore, we cloned VP1-289A-Flag and VP1-289T-Flag proteins for co-immunoprecipitation analysis. Analysis of viral function revealed that the capacity of viral attachment, replication, and protein synthesis and secretion decreased in HBMECs during an EV-A71-289A infection, the infectivity being higher than that of EV-A71-289T upon VIM-KO. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses of brain tissue revealed that cerebral cortical damage was more extensive in EV-A71-289A than in EV-A71-289T infections in control SV129 mice; however, no significant difference was observed upon VIM-KO. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis revealed an interaction between VP1 and VIM, which was attenuated in VP1 harboring A289T; however, this attenuation was reversed by VIM (1-58) peptide. The A289T variation of VP1 specifically decreased the virulence of EV-A71 in HBMECs, and the attenuated interaction between VP1 harboring the A289T variation and VIM essentially decreased the CNS infectivity of EV-A71 in vitro and vivo.