bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of 8-Channel Radiative Antenna Arrays for Human Head Imaging at 10.5 Tesla
Authors: Woo Myung Kyun , DelaBarre Lance , Waks Matt Thomas , Park Young Woo , Lagore Russell Luke , Jungst Steve , Eryaman Yigitcan , Oh Se-Hong , Ugurbil Kamil , Adriany Gregor
Published: September 2021

For human head magnetic resonance imaging at 10.5 tesla (T), we built an 8-channel transceiver dipole antenna array and evaluated the influence of coaxial feed cables. The influence of coaxial feed cables was evaluated in simulation and compared against a physically constructed array in terms of transmit magnetic field (B1+) and specific absorption rate (SAR) efficiency. A substantial drop (23.1% in simulation and 20.7% in experiment) in B1+ efficiency was observed with a tight coaxial feed cable setup. For the investigation of the feed location, the center-fed dipole antenna array was compared to two 8-channel end-fed arrays: monopole and sleeve antenna arrays. The simulation results with a phantom indicate that these arrays achieved ~24% higher SAR efficiency compared to the dipole antenna array. For a human head model, we observed 30.8% lower SAR efficiency with the 8-channel monopole antenna array compared to the phantom. Importantly, our simulation with the human model indicates that the sleeve antenna arrays can achieve 23.8% and 21% higher SAR efficiency compared to the dipole and monopole antenna arrays, respectively. Finally, we obtained high-resolution human cadaver images at 10.5 T with the 8-channel sleeve antenna array.
SAR.IoT: Secured Augmented Reality for IoT Devices Management
Authors: Fuentes Daniel , Correia Luís , Costa Nuno , Reis Arsénio , Barroso João , Pereira António
Published: September 2021

Currently, solutions based on the Internet of Things (IoT) concept are increasingly being adopted in several fields, namely, industry, agriculture, and home automation. The costs associated with this type of equipment is reasonably small, as IoT devices usually do not have output peripherals to display information about their status (e.g., a screen or a printer), although they may have informative LEDs, which is sometimes insufficient. For most IoT devices, the price of a minimalist display, to output and display the device’s running status (i.e., what the device is doing), might cost much more than the actual IoT device. Occasionally, it might become necessary to visualize the IoT device output, making it necessary to find solutions to show the hardware output information in real time, without requiring extra equipment, only what the administrator usually has with them. In order to solve the above, a technological solution that allows for the visualization of IoT device information in actual time, using augmented reality and a simple smartphone, was developed and analyzed. In addition, the system created integrates a security layer, at the level of AR, to secure the shown data from unwanted eyes. The results of the tests carried out allowed us to validate the operation of the solution when accessing the information of the IoT devices, verify the operation of the security layer in AR, analyze the interaction between smartphones, the platform, and the devices, and check which AR markers are most optimized for this use case. This work results in a secure augmented reality solution, which can be used with a simple smartphone, to monitor/manage IoT devices in industrial, laboratory or research environments.
The Trauma Recovery Actions Checklist: Applying Mixed Methods to a Holistic Gender-Based Violence Recovery Actions Measure
Authors: Sinko Laura , Goldner Limor , Saint Arnault Denise Marie
Published: September 2021

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) trauma recovery models have evolved in such a way that survivors are viewed as actively engaging in a multitude of strategies. In addition to seeking help and coping, survivors engage in diverse lifestyle, social, spiritual, and practical strategies to promote their health and wellbeing. This exploratory sequential mixed-methods study develops an instrument to measure the holistic recovery actions used by GBV survivors. The qualitative phase combined recovery action codes from interviews with 50 GBV survivors in three different survivor samples to create an initial six-concept 41-item Trauma Recovery Actions Checklist (TRAC). The quantitative psychometrics phase used data from 289 American GBV survivors. Results revealed a five-factor 35-item final version (sharing/connecting; building positive emotions; reflecting and creating healing spaces; establishing security; and planning the future). There were positive significant correlations between sharing/connecting and depression scores, and between sharing/connecting, reflecting, and building security with PTSD scores. No correlations were found between any recovery action type and the barriers to help-seeking subscales of Problem Management Beliefs, Discrimination, or Unavailability. However, there were significant negative correlations between Shame and Financial barriers and Sharing/Connecting, and between Feeling Frozen, Constraints, and Establishing Security. Implications for research, clinical practice and ways of understanding survivorship recovery are suggested.
Coordinated Role of Nitric Oxide, Ethylene, Nitrogen, and Sulfur in Plant Salt Stress Tolerance
Authors: Jahan Badar , Rasheed Faisal , Sehar Zebus , Fatma Mehar , Iqbal Noushina , Masood Asim , Anjum Naser A. , Khan Nafees A.
Published: September 2021

Salt stress significantly contributes to major losses in agricultural productivity worldwide. The sustainable approach for salinity-accrued toxicity has been explored. The use of plant growth regulators/phytohormones, mineral nutrients and other signaling molecules is one of the major approaches for reversing salt-induced toxicity in plants. Application of the signaling molecules such as nitric oxide (NO) and ethylene (ETH) and major mineral nutrient such as nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) play significant roles in combatting the major consequences of salt stress impacts in plants. However, the literature available on gaseous signaling molecules (NO/ETH) or/and mineral nutrients (N/S) stands alone, and major insights into the role of NO or/and ETH along with N and S in plant-tolerance to salt remained unclear. Thus, this review aimed to (a) briefly overview salt stress and highlight salt-induced toxicity, (b) appraise the literature reporting potential mechanisms underlying the role of gaseous signaling molecules and mineral nutrient in salt stress tolerance, and (c) discuss NO and ETH along with N and S in relation to salt stress tolerance. In addition, significant issues that have still to be investigated in this context have been mentioned.
Investigating the Climate-Related Risk of Forest Fires for Mediterranean Islands’ Blue Economy
Authors: Bacciu Valentina , Hatzaki Maria , Karali Anna , Cauchy Adeline , Giannakopoulos Christos , Spano Donatella , Briche Elodie
Published: September 2021

The Mediterranean islands’ blue economy and, more specifically, the tourism sector, largely regulate Europe’s gross product. Climate change threatens the ecological, societal, and economic sustainability of the islands in many ways, with increasing wildfires making up one of the most critical components of the climate change impacts on tourism. Here, we aim to identify and assess forest fire vulnerability and risk due to climate change for seven Mediterranean islands through the application of the “impact chain” conceptual framework. The backbone of this approach requires the integration of quantitative and qualitative data according to the three main risk components sensu the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), i.e., hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, with a structured participatory approach involving stakeholders and experts. Our results illustrate the islands with high potential for improvement in terms of adapting capacity and, by indicating the contribution of the different risk components, highlight the main environmental and socio-economic elements that affect the islands’ vulnerability and risk under climate change. The approach’s potentials and constraints are discussed, suggesting that the method can be handily used to point out the priorities that must be addressed by mitigation and adaptation policies and measures at the island level.
Less Food Wasted? Changes to New Zealanders’ Household Food Waste and Related Behaviours Due to the 2020 COVID-19 Lockdown
Authors: Sharp Emma L. , Haszard Jillian , Egli Victoria , Roy Rajshri , Te Morenga Lisa , Teunissen Lauranna , Decorte Paulien , Cuykx Isabelle , De Backer Charlotte , Gerritsen Sarah
Published: September 2021

Food waste is a crisis of our time, yet it remains a data gap in Aotearoa New Zealand’s (NZ’s) environmental reporting. This research contributes to threshold values on NZ’s food waste and seeks to understand the impact of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown on household food waste in NZ. The data presented here form part of the ‘Covid Kai Survey’, an online questionnaire that assessed cooking and food planning behaviours during the 2020 lockdown and retrospectively before lockdown. Of the 3028 respondents, 62.5% threw out food ‘never’/‘rarely’ before lockdown, and this number increased to 79.0% during lockdown. Participants who wasted food less frequently during lockdown were more likely to be older, work less than full-time, and have no children. During lockdown, 30% and 29% of those who ‘frequently’ or ‘sometimes’ struggled to have money for food threw out food ‘sometimes or more’; compared with 20% of those who rarely struggled to have money for food (p < 0.001). We found that lower levels of food waste correlated with higher levels of cooking confidence (p < 0.001), perceived time (p < 0.001), and meal planning behaviours (p < 0.001). Understanding why food waste was generally considerably lower during lockdown may inform future initiatives to reduce food waste, considering socio-economic and demographic disparities.
Blockchain-Based Model to Improve the Performance of the Next-Generation Digital Supply Chain
Authors: Rana Sumit Kumar , Kim Hee-Cheol , Pani Subhendu Kumar , Rana Sanjeev Kumar , Joo Moon-Il , Rana Arun Kumar , Aich Satyabrata
Published: September 2021

In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, all aspects of the industrial domain are being affected by emerging technologies. Digitalization of every process is taking place or under process. One of the most important components common to every domain is the supply chain process. Organizations employ a digital supply chain to track the delivery of their products or materials. The digital supply chain is still suffering from a few issues such as no provenance, less transparency, and a trust issue. Blockchain technology, one of the emerging technologies, can be integrated with the supply chain to deal with the existing issues and to improve its performance. In this paper, a model is proposed to integrate blockchain technology with the supply chain to improve performance. The proposed model uses the combination of the Ethereum blockchain and the interplanetary file system to maintain the traceability, transparency, and trustworthiness of the supply chain.
Barriers and Benefits Arising from the Adoption of Sustainable Certification for Smallholder Oil Palm Producers in Malaysia: A Systematic Review of Literature
Authors: Aziz Nurul Fathiah , Chamhuri Norshamliza , Batt Peter J.
Published: September 2021

Malaysia is the world’s second largest producer of palm oil, which, not unexpectedly, is one of the largest contributors to the country’s GDP. However, the Malaysian palm oil industry faces numerous issues, including a boycott for imports into the European Union (EU) on the basis that Malaysia does not allegedly practice good agriculture, fails to meet sustainability standards and exploits labor rights. To overcome the situation, the Government of Malaysia is strongly committed to implementing good agricultural practices that meet international sustainability standards through sustainable certification. To facilitate the adoption of sustainable certification by smallholder palm oil producers, through a comprehensive review of the literature, this study seeks to identify the social, environmental and economic benefits derived from sustainable certification.
Food Losses and Wastage along the Wheat Value Chain in Egypt and Their Implications on Food and Energy Security, Natural Resources, and the Environment
Authors: Yigezu Yigezu A. , Moustafa Moustafa A. , Mohiy Mohamed M. , Ibrahim Shaimaa E. , Ghanem Wael M. , Niane Abdoul-Aziz , Abbas Enas , Sabry Sami R. S. , Halila Habib
Published: September 2021

Pushing yield frontiers of cereals and legumes is becoming increasingly difficult, especially in drylands. This paper argues and provides empirical evidence that food loss and wastage constitute a sizeable proportion of the total wheat supply in Egypt. By following the life cycle of food and using standard measurement protocols, we estimated the levels of food loss and wastage along the wheat value chain in Egypt and their socioeconomic, biophysical, and environmental implications. About 4.4 million tons (20.62% of total wheat supply from domestic production and imports in 2017/2018) is estimated to be lost or wasted in Egypt which is also associated with the wastage of about 4.79 billion m3 of water, and 74.72 million GJ of energy. This implies that if Egypt manages to eliminate, or considerably reduce, wheat-related losses and wastage, it will save enough food to feed 21 million more people from domestic production and hence reduce wheat imports by 37%, save 1.1 billion USD of much-needed foreign exchange, and reduce emissions of at least 260.84 million kg carbon dioxide-equivalent and 8.5 million kg of methane. Therefore, investment in reducing food loss and wastage can be an effective strategy to complement ongoing efforts to enhance food security through productivity enhancement in Egypt.
A Scoping Review of Ontologies Relevant to Design Strategies in Response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Authors: Chou Jyh-Rong
Published: September 2021

Since the initiation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, academia and industry have been taking action to seek how to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) via research, practice, and community engagement. Due to the UN SDGs comprising comprehensive domain-centric ontologies for reaching a consensus on their achievement, so far there has been a literature gap on how and what product design strategies can help achieve which of the SDGs. Inspired by the implication of creating a better world with design, this study conducted a scoping review to synthesize existing design strategies toward the implementation of the SDGs. More than 110 design strategies/methods were collected and synthesized as evidence to map onto the ontological domains of the SDGs. The results indicate that Goals 8, 9, 11, and 12 can be correspondingly addressed by the current body of design strategies, whereas a gap exists in the design strategies to address Goals 15, 16, and 17. Most of the corresponding strategies can be workable to Goals 3, 4, 6, and 7 to a certain extent and, in a broad sense, are in line with the contextual implications of Goals 1, 2, 5, 10, 13, and 14. This study provides a useful starting point for researchers to explore how design has been contributing to the sustainability goals. It also contributes to existing knowledge of the design discipline by providing methodological guidance for researchers and practitioners to conduct further research and practice on the UN SDGs.
A New Process for the Recovery of Ammonia from Ammoniated High-Salinity Brine
Authors: Mohammad Ameera F. , Al-Marzouqi Ali H. , El-Naas Muftah H. , Van der Bruggen Bart , Al-Marzouqi Mohamed H.
Published: September 2021

This paper describes a new method for the recovery of high-concentration ammonia from water in the form of ammonium chloride, ammonium hydroxide and ammonium carbonate. The method was applied to the Solvay process, in which sodium bicarbonate is produced through the reaction of ammoniated brine and CO2 gas. The Solvay effluent contains ammonia in the form of soluble ammonium chloride. The proposed method is based on the recovery of ammonia using a high-alkalinity reactant, calcium oxide (CaO), in a closed electrocoagulation cell operating at a specific current density. The recovered ammonia is collected as a gas within a closed cell containing deionized (DI) water at room temperature. Afterwards, the collected solution (DI water–NH3 gas) is concentrated through a separate process, and is then reused in the Solvay process and other applications. The electrocoagulation process is applied to the treatment cell using aluminum electrodes and a current density of 5–15 mA/cm2. After 7 h of treatment using the electrocoagulation cell, a high reduction of the ammonia concentration—99%—was realized after ~9 h of the electrochemical treatment. The initial ammonia concentration in a Solvay effluent of 13,700 mg/L N was decreased to 190 mg/L N. Furthermore, an ammonia recovery of 77.1% in the form of ammonium hydroxide was achieved. Generally, this process, which starts at room temperature, can result in an energy reduction of 80%—from 7.8 to 2.3 kWh/kg NH3—compared to conventional processes, which entail heating the Solvay effluents to 160 °C. The proposed system and method were found to be suitable for the recovery of ammonia from ammoniated water, and can be utilized for the treatment of landfill leachate, and municipal and industrial wastewater.
Measuring the Semi-Century Ecosystem-Service Value Variation in Mekelle City Region, Northern Ethiopia
Authors: Weldegebriel Shishay Kiros , Yeshitela Kumelachew
Published: September 2021

The Mekelle city region is facing severe ecosystem degradation. The study area has experienced unprecedented land-use dynamics over the past 47 years, but the effect of these dynamics on ecosystem-service values remains unknown. Estimating the various ecosystem services from a city region perspective has not been attempted so far. The rationale of this study was to estimate the spatial–temporal ecosystem-service value variations. The methodology employed was land-use/land-cover (LULC) datasets of remotely sensed datasets of the years 1972, 1984, 2001, 2012, and 2019, and ecosystem service value coefficient, expert focus group discussion, and document review were used. The digital satellite images were processed, classified, and analyzed using Earth Resource Development Assessment System (ERDAS) Imagine. Computations of changes in the land-use categories were made using Arc GIS 10.5.1, Eviews for time series data analysis, and XLSTAT analytical tools were used. Over the whole study period from 1972 to 2019, a loss of USD 128.6 million was observed, which is a reduction of 501.9%. The study shows that due to land-use changes, the total ecosystem service value is decreasing annually, suggesting that much more severe ecosystem degradation is due to occur. The results are relevant to policy development and indicate that ecological restoration is the best option in the study area.
A Multi-Criteria Approach for Arabic Dialect Sentiment Analysis for Online Reviews: Exploiting Optimal Machine Learning Algorithm Selection
Authors: Abo Mohamed Elhag Mohamed , Idris Norisma , Mahmud Rohana , Qazi Atika , Hashem Ibrahim Abaker Targio , Maitama Jaafar Zubairu , Naseem Usman , Khan Shah Khalid , Yang Shuiqing
Published: September 2021

A sentiment analysis of Arabic texts is an important task in many commercial applications such as Twitter. This study introduces a multi-criteria method to empirically assess and rank classifiers for Arabic sentiment analysis. Prominent machine learning algorithms were deployed to build classification models for Arabic sentiment analysis classifiers. Moreover, an assessment of the top five machine learning classifiers’ performances measures was discussed to rank the performance of the classifier. We integrated the top five ranking methods with evaluation metrics of machine learning classifiers such as accuracy, recall, precision, F-measure, CPU Time, classification error, and area under the curve (AUC). The method was tested using Saudi Arabic product reviews to compare five popular classifiers. Our results suggest that deep learning and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers perform best with accuracy 85.25%, 82.30%; precision 85.30, 83.87%; recall 88.41%, 83.89; F-measure 86.81, 83.87%; classification error 14.75, 17.70; and AUC 0.93, 0.90, respectively. They outperform decision trees, K-nearest neighbours (K-NN), and Naïve Bayes classifiers.
Cycling Tourism and Revitalization in the Sicilian Hinterland: A Case Study in the Taormina–Etna District
Authors: Petino Gianni , Reina Giuseppe , Privitera Donatella
Published: September 2021

This study aims to present a strategy for the revitalization of the Sicilian “internal areas”, recognizing a directional tool, together with the integration of self-centered actions of slow tourism. The design was specifically located in the Taormina–Etna tourist district (an area of north-eastern Sicily that includes 60 municipalities) which, in rethinking the post-pandemic restart, aims at the development of a mobile system of cycling tourism able to interconnect cultural peculiarities, environmental characteristics, and landscape values. This paper also examines key features and interpretations, and develops a strategy based on a slow travel framework as an alternative means of achieving success in the Sicilian hinterland. Starting from the current financial and environmental crisis, therefore, the paper finds explanations and solutions, in which we try to conceive of the economy and ecology as systems that not only open to one another, but mutually determine one another in defining new, self-sustaining local development processes. In order to build a competitive alternative to help less favorable regions, it is necessary to move within the scope of investments by a public system capable of planning resilient strategies based on sustainable principles.
Assessing Vulnerability to Climate Change in Smallholder Irrigation Schemes of Zimbabwe
Authors: Mwadzingeni Liboster , Mugandani Raymond , Mafongoya Paramu L.
Published: September 2021

Globally, climate change poses enormous threats to the livelihoods of rural communities in arid and semi-arid regions. Assessing the extent of vulnerability is critical to identify climate hot spots and develop appropriate adaptation policies and strategies. This paper uses the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and the Livelihood Vulnerability Index—Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (LVI-IPCC) to compare vulnerability to climate change in the Exchange, Insukamini, and Ruchanyu smallholder irrigation schemes (SISs) in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 317 randomly selected households. Results show higher exposure and sensitivity to climate change in the Insukamini irrigation scheme despite the higher adaptive capacity. Both LVI and LVI-IPCC show that households in Insukamini irrigation scheme are more vulnerable to climate change than in Exchange and Ruchanyu irrigation schemes, attributed to water insecurity, poor social networks, and natural disasters and climate variability. The study recommends that development and investment in Insukamini and Ruchanyu should prioritize improving social networks while Exchange should primarily focus on improving livelihood strategies. Using the LVI-IPCC framework is a key methodology for understanding the vulnerability of communities in SISs and identifying areas that need prime development and investment. These results have implications on implementing investments and livelihood policies in SISs of Zimbabwe.
Business Intelligence: Business Evolution after Industry 4.0
Authors: Tavera Romero Carlos Andrés , Ortiz Jesús Hamilton , Khalaf Osamah Ibrahim , Ríos Prado Andrea
Published: September 2021

Industry 4.0 is a set of technologies that companies require to promote innovation strategies and obtain a rapid response in dynamic markets. It focuses mainly on interconnectivity, digital technology, predictive analytics and machine learning to revolutionize the way companies operate and develop. Therefore, this article proposes and motivates the implementation of Industry 4.0 in organizations. Studying the state of the art and reviewing the current situation of business intelligence (BI) technology, the way it has positively impacted organizations at the economic and business level in terms of decision-making and some success stories implemented in different business, academic, social and governmental environments. Moreover, it addresses the future expected for Industry 4.0 primarily in BI and how companies should face this revolution. This article provides knowledge contribution about the current state and positive consequences of Industry 4.0, and high development in technology when implemented in the organization and the harmonization between production and intelligent digital technology.
Lean Based Maturity Framework Integrating Value, BIM and Big Data Analytics: Evidence from AEC Industry
Authors: Demirdöğen Gökhan , Diren Nihan Sena , Aladağ Hande , Işık Zeynep
Published: September 2021

The construction industry is considered as one of the least productive, highest energy consuming, and least digitized industries. The Lean Management (LM) philosophy became a significant way for eliminating non-value-added activities and wastes during a building’s lifecycle. However, studies have shown that philosophies are not efficient by themselves to solve the issues of the construction industry. They need to be supported with the appropriate technologies and tools. Therefore, the integrated use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) with LM or Value Engineering (VE) were proposed in the literature. Nonetheless, it was also seen that BIM can provide more insights and improvements when BIM is integrated with data analysis tools to analyze BIM data. In the literature, the synergies between these concepts are generally addressed pairwise, and there is no comprehensive framework which identifies their relationships. Therefore, this study aims to develop a maturity framework that facilitates the adoption of LM, VE, BIM, and Big Data Analytic (BDA) concepts to address long-standing productivity and digitalization issues in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. Design Science Research (DSR) methodology and its three-cycle view (relevance, rigor, and design cycle) were applied to build the proposed maturity framework. Two interviews were performed to identify and observe research problem in relevance cycle. In the rigor cycle, a comprehensive literature review was performed to create a base for the development of the maturity framework. In addition to the developed base of the framework, lean processes were added to this cycle. In the design cycle, the developed framework was evaluated and validated by five experts through face-to-face interviews. The importance of employer’s requirements to adopt the proposed methodologies, the negative impact of change orders, the importance of pre-construction phases to facilitate value creation and waste elimination, and the usage of common data environment with BIM were identified as the prominent application and adaptation issues.
Stability Relevant Properties of an SiO2 Aerogel-Based Rendering and Its Application on Buildings
Authors: Stahl Thomas , Wakili Karim Ghazi , Heiduk Ernst
Published: September 2021

Aerogel-based renderings and plasters have been spreading throughout Europe for nearly a decade. Several national and EU-funded projects have addressed this interesting building product, both at research level within academia and at application level within R&D of renowned industrial enterprises. At present, a number of investigations into the hygro-thermal, chemical and application properties of a commercially successful aerogel-based rendering and its main ingredient, SiO2 aerogel granules, have been undertaken. Immersion in water showed that even under harsh circumstances water does not enter the aerogel granules, but rather accumulates in the porous phase surrounding the granules. A further immersion in calcium hydroxide at different temperatures did not affect the aerogel granule either, which indicates the robustness of the granules with respect to their exposure to moisture and chemical deterioration emerging from the construction materials the rendering is applied on. An executed application to a historic building with a structured finish, and without any reinforcement mesh, showed the advantage of a versatile applicability of this rendering when the external appearance and visible details of a façade must be kept unchanged. The investigation is rounded off by an infrared picture taken on a cold day showing the thermal influence of the aerogel-based rendering, and its effectiveness for reducing heat loss in buildings.
A New Integrated Tool to Calculate and Map Bilateral Asymmetry on Three-Dimensional Digital Models
Authors: Melchionna Marina , Profico Antonio , Buzi Costantino , Castiglione Silvia , Mondanaro Alessandro , Del Bove Antonietta , Sansalone Gabriele , Piras Paolo , Raia Pasquale
Published: September 2021

The observation and the quantification of asymmetry in biological structures are deeply investigated in geometric morphometrics. Patterns of asymmetry were explored in both living and fossil species. In living organisms, levels of directional and fluctuating asymmetry are informative about developmental processes and health status of the individuals. Paleontologists are primarily interested in asymmetric features introduced by the taphonomic process, as they may significantly alter the original shape of the biological remains, hampering the interpretation of morphological features which may have profound evolutionary significance. Here, we provide a new R tool that produces the numerical quantification of fluctuating and directional asymmetry and charts asymmetry directly on the specimens under study, allowing the visual inspection of the asymmetry pattern. We tested this show.asymmetry algorithm, written in the R language, on fossil and living cranial remains of the genus Homo. show.asymmetry proved successful in discriminating levels of asymmetry among sexes in Homo sapiens, to tell apart fossil from living Homo skulls, to map effectively taphonomic distortion directly on the fossil skulls, and to provide evidence that digital restoration obliterates natural asymmetry to unnaturally low levels.
An Overview on Methods for Producing Side-Emitting Polymer Optical Fibers
Authors: Kallweit Jan , Pätzel Mark , Pursche Franz , Jabban Junes , Morobeid Mohamad , Gries Thomas
Published: September 2021

An overview of the most important methods for producing side-emitting polymer optical fibers is given. Based on a systematic literature and patent search, the methods that are applied in practice and explored in research are identified. The fabrication methods are classified into four groups according to the physical phenomenon that hinders total internal reflection: bulk scattering, bending, surface perforations and luminescence. Subdivisions are made regarding the actual processing steps. The production methods are described in detail and discussed with respect to their customizability and applications.
Potential Environmental Risk Characteristics of PCB Transformation Products in the Environmental Medium
Authors: Li Minghao , He Wei , Yang Hao , Sun Shimei , Li Yu
Published: September 2021

The complementary construction of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) phytotoxicity and the biotoxicity 3D-QSAR model, combined with the constructed PCB environmental risk characterization model, was carried out to evaluate the persistent organic pollutant (POP) properties (toxicity (phytotoxicity and biotoxicity), bioconcentration, migration, and persistence) of PCBs and their corresponding transformation products (phytodegradation, microbial degradation, biometabolism, and photodegradation). The transformation path with a significant increase in environmental risks was analyzed. Some environmentally friendly PCB derivatives, exhibiting a good modification effect, and their parent molecules were selected as precursor molecules. Their transformation processes were simulated and evaluated for assessing the environmental risks. Some transformation products displayed increased environmental risks. The environmental risks of plant degradation products of the PCBs in the environmental media showed the maximum risk, indicating that the potential risks of the transformation products of the PCBs and their environmentally friendly derivatives could not be neglected. It is essential to further improve the ability of plants to degrade their transformation products. The improvement of some degradation products for environmentally friendly PCB derivatives indicates that the theoretical modification of a single environmental feature cannot completely control the potential environmental risks of molecules. In addition, this method can be used to analyze and evaluate environmentally friendly PCB derivatives to avoid and reduce the potential environmental and human health risks caused by environmentally friendly PCB derivatives.
Sub-Acute Feeding Study of Saxitoxin to Mice Confirms the Effectiveness of Current Regulatory Limits for Paralytic Shellfish Toxins
Authors: Finch Sarah C. , Webb Nicola G. , Boundy Michael J. , Harwood D. Tim , Munday John S. , Sprosen Jan M. , Cave Vanessa M. , Broadhurst Ric B. , Nicolas Jeane
Published: September 2021

Regulatory limits for shellfish toxins are required to protect human health. Often these limits are set using only acute toxicity data, which is significant, as in some communities, shellfish makes up a large proportion of their daily diet and can be contaminated with paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) for several months. In the current study, feeding protocols were developed to mimic human feeding behaviour and diets containing three dose rates of saxitoxin dihydrochloride (STX.2HCl) were fed to mice for 21 days. This yielded STX.2HCl dose rates of up to 730 µg/kg bw/day with no effects on food consumption, growth, blood pressure, heart rate, motor coordination, grip strength, blood chemistry, haematology, organ weights or tissue histology. Using the 100-fold safety factor to extrapolate from animals to humans yields a dose rate of 7.3 µg/kg bw/day, which is well above the current acute reference dose (ARfD) of 0.5 µg STX.2HCl eq/kg bw proposed by the European Food Safety Authority. Furthermore, to reach the dose rate of 7.3 µg/kg bw, a 60 or 70 kg human would have to consume 540 or 630 g of shellfish contaminated with PSTs at the current regulatory limit (800 µg/kg shellfish flesh), respectively. The current regulatory limit for PSTs therefore seems appropriate.
De-Escalating Strategies in HPV-Associated Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Economopoulou Panagiota , Kotsantis Ioannis , Psyrri Amanda
Published: September 2021

HPV-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has emerged as a diverse clinical and biological disease entity, mainly in young patients with oropharyngeal tumors who are nonsmokers and nondrinkers. Indeed, during the past few years, the pendulum has shifted towards a new epidemiological reality, the “HPV pandemic”, where the majority of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs) are attributed to HPV. The oncogenic potential of the virus is associated to its capacity of integrating oncogenes E6 and E7 into the host cell, leading to the inactivation of several tumor suppressor genes, such as Rb. HPV status can affect prognosis in OPSCC, but its role as a predictive biomarker remains to be elucidated. Given the favorable prognosis associated with HPV-positive disease, the concept of de-escalation treatment strategies has been developed with the primary intent being the reduction of treatment-related long-term toxicities. In this review, we aim to depict current data regarding treatment de-escalation in HPV-associated OPSCC and discuss ongoing clinical trials.
Estimating Organic and Inorganic Part of Suspended Solids from Sentinel 2 in Different Inland Waters
Authors: Alvado Bárbara , Sòria-Perpinyà Xavier , Vicente Eduardo , Delegido Jesús , Urrego Patricia , Ruíz-Verdú Antonio , Soria Juan Miguel , Moreno José
Published: September 2021

Inland waters are very sensitive ecosystems that are mainly affected by pressures and impacts within their watersheds. One of water’s dominant constituents is the suspended particulate matter that affects the optical properties of water bodies and can be detected from remote sensors. It is important to know their composition since the ecological role they play in water bodies depends on whether they are mostly organic compounds (phytoplankton, decomposition of plant matter, etc.) or inorganic compounds (silt, clay, etc.). Nowadays, the European Space Agency Sentinel-2 mission has outstanding characteristics for measuring inland waters’ biophysical variables. This work developed algorithms that can estimate the total concentration of suspended matter (TSM), differentiating organic from inorganic fractions, through the combined use of Sentinel-2 images with an extensive database obtained from reservoirs, lakes and marshes within eastern zones of the Iberian Peninsula. For this, information from 121 georeferenced samples collected throughout 40 field campaigns over a 4-year period was used. All possible two-band combinations were obtained and correlated with the biophysical variables by fitting linear regression between the field data and bands combination. The results determined that only using bands 705 or 783 lead to the obtaining the amount of total suspended matter and their organic and inorganic fractions, with errors of 10.3%, 14.8% and 12.2%, respectively. Therefore, remote sensing provides information about total suspended matter dynamics and characteristics as well as its spatial and temporal variation, which would help to study its causes.
Analysis of Socio-Hydrological Evolution Processes Based on a Modeling Approach in the Upper Reaches of the Han River in China
Authors: Zhao Xiaoyu , Liu Dengfeng , Wei Xiu , Ma Lan , Lin Mu , Meng Xianmeng , Huang Qiang
Published: September 2021

The Han River is the water source of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the “Han River to Wei River Water Diversion Project” in China. In order to ensure that the water quality and quantity are sufficient for the water diversion project, the natural forest protection project, river chief system and other measures have been implemented in the Han River by the government. At the same time, several large reservoirs have been built in the Han River basin and perform the functions of water supply and hydropower generation, which is an important type of clean power. Under the influence of human activities, the coupling interaction between humans and water in the upper reach of the Han River drives the socio-hydrological evolution process. In this study, from the perspective of socio-hydrology, a model of socio-hydrological evolution (SHE) in the Han River in southern Shaanxi was built to simulate the potential evolution path of the socio-hydrological system and determine possible measures for the sustainable governance of the river basin. By adjusting the model parameters, four future scenarios were established: natural continuation, economic development, environmental protection and industrial adjustment scenarios. Taking 2018 as the base year, the evolution of socio-hydrology in the upper reaches of the Han River was predicted under the four scenarios from 2019 to 2045. The simulation results show that: (1) In the entire study area, except for domestic water, the water consumption of other departments show an upward or stable trend. There are differences in water consumption changes in the upper and lower sections, which are related to the different socio-economic conditions. (2) Comparing different development scenarios, the industrial adjustment and environmental protection scenarios are superior to the other scenarios. Natural continuation and economic development scenarios appear to be unfavorable for the sustainability of water resources and the economy. (3) In addition, based on the development scenarios, some policy suggestions are put forward, such as reducing the irrigation water quota, appropriately adjusting the industrial structure and promoting the growth of the urban population and the development of urbanization.
Collaborative Design for Uneven Physical Structures of Multi-Layers in PEMFC
Authors: Yang Qinwen , Chen Shujun , Xiao Gang , Li Lexi
Published: September 2021

A collaborative design for the uneven distributions of a flow channel, gas diffusion layer porosity and catalyst layer porosity are newly proposed to improve the utilization ratio of the membrane electrode assembly of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The effects of the uneven design of the rib width and of the uneven porosity parameters of the cathode and anode gas diffusion layer and catalyst layer on the fuel cell performance were studied in detail. Numerical simulations were designed and implemented for validation. The results show that the fuel cell performance could be improved through the collaborative design of uneven distributions for different layers. The rib width gradually decreasing and the porosity of the cathode gas diffusion layer and the cathode catalyst layer gradually increasing along the fluid flow direction would contribute to a better design compared to the regular even design. The new uneven design can make the fuel penetrate into the catalyst layer in time to participate in the reaction, improve the utilization rate of the membrane electrode assembly, and greatly improve the performance of the fuel cell.
Energy-Environmental Impact Assessment of Greenhouse Grown Tomato: A Case Study in Almeria (Spain)
Authors: Hueso-Kortekaas Katia , Romero José C. , González-Felipe Raquel
Published: September 2021

Tomato is one of the most common crops across the world, but it is also one of the types of food that generates the most losses across its life cycle. This paper addresses this issue by providing a Life Cycle Analysis of greenhouse grown tomato in southern Spain. The results confirm that tomatoes are a thirsty and frail crop. Most of its energy demands and carbon emissions go to packaging (35%) and transportation (42%) as well as supplying water for their growth. There seems to be room for improvement in the recovery of energy (54.6%) and CO2 emissions, mainly addressing the waste treatment of packaging and plastic as well as improving transportation. Despite being highly water demanding, irrigation processes are already efficient in industrial greenhouses, and most of the water recovery will need to take place in the waste recovery stage. Food losses at the consumption phases do not constitute a significant loss in energy or a significant amount of carbon emissions saved.
TEKNIK BIOLOGIC NURTURING BABY LED FEEDING DAN FINGER HOLD TERHADAP PERUBAHAN RASA NYERI PADA IBU POST SECTIO CAESAREA
Authors: Rusmilawati Ni Wayan , Ririn Sri Wulandari Made , Ratih Agustini I G A , Putu Indah Purnamayanthi Pande
Published: September 2021

Pelayanan kesehatan ibu dimulai selama masa kehamilan, persalinan salah satunya adalah dengan cara sectio caesarea. Permasalahan yang terjadi post sectio caesarea adalah nyeri. Penatalaksanaan untuk mengurangi rasa nyeri post sectio caesarea yang adalah relaksasi finger hold. Teknik relaksasi yang juga dianjurkan adalah menyusui dengan posisi biologic nurturing baby led feeding. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui pengaruh teknik biologic nurturing baby led feeding dan finger hold terhadap perubahan rasa nyeri pada ibu post sectio caesarea. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kuantitatif true experimental dengan desain pretest-posttest with control. Teknik sampling yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah probability sampling dengan simple random sampling. Populasi adalah ibu post sectio caesarea sebanyak 36 orang yang terbagi ke dalam dua kelompok yaitu kelompok kontrol sebanyak 18 orang dan kelompok perlakuan sebanyak 18 orang. Instrumen penelitian menggunakan lembar observasi intensitas nyeri deskriptif. Analisa data bivariat menggunakan analisis Mann-Whitney. Hasil analisis menunjukkan nilai p value adalah 0,001 artinya ada pengaruh teknik biologic nurturing baby led feeding dan finger hold terhadap perubahan rasa nyeri pada ibu post sectio caesarea. Hasil penelitian dapat dijadikan acuan dalam asuhan keperawatan ibu post sectio caesarea dalam mengatasi rasa nyeri yang dialami

 

Maternal health services begin during pregnancy, one of which is delivery by means of cesarean section. The problem that occurs post sectio caesarea is pain. Management to reduce post sectio caesarean pain is finger hold relaxation. The relaxation technique that also recommended is breastfeeding with the biological nurturing position of the baby led feeding. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of biologic nurturing baby led feeding and finger hold techniques on changes in pain in post sectio caesarean mothers.This research is a true experimental quantitative research with a pretest - posttest design with control. The sampling technique used in this study is probability sampling by simple random sampling. The number of samples in this study were 36 people who were divided into two groups, namely the control group as many as 18 people and the treatment group as many as 18 people. Bivariate  analysis of data using the Mann-Whitney. The results of the Mann Whitney showed that the p value was 0.001 meaning that the hypothesis of this study was accepted, which means that there was an effect of biological nurturing baby led feeding and finger hold techniques on changes in pain in post-sectio caesarean mothers. The results of this study are expected to be used as a reference in providing nursing care so that it can improve the quality of post-caesarean post section maternal services in dealing with pain experienced.