bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advanced Detection of Invasive Neophytes in Agricultural Landscapes: A Multisensory and Multiscale Remote Sensing Approach
Authors: Thürkow Florian , Lorenz Christopher Günter , Pause Marion , Birger Jens
Published: January 2024

The sustainable provision of ecological products and services, both natural and man-made, faces a substantial threat emanating from invasive plant species (IPS), which inflict considerable economic and ecological harm on a global scale. They are widely recognized as one of the primary drivers of global biodiversity decline and have become the focal point of an increasing number of studies. The integration of remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS) plays a pivotal role in their detection and classification across a diverse range of research endeavors, emphasizing the critical significance of accounting for the phenological stages of the targeted species when endeavoring to accurately delineate their distribution and occurrences. This study is centered on this fundamental premise, as it endeavors to amass terrestrial data encompassing the phenological stages and spectral attributes of the specified IPS, with the overarching objective of ascertaining the most opportune time frames for their detection. Moreover, it involves the development and validation of a detection and classification algorithm, harnessing a diverse array of RS datasets, including satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery spanning the spectrum from RGB to multispectral and near-infrared (NIR). Taken together, our investigation underscores the advantages of employing an array of RS datasets in conjunction with the phenological stages, offering an economically efficient and adaptable solution for the detection and monitoring of invasive plant species. Such insights hold the potential to inform both present and future policymaking pertaining to the management of invasive species in agricultural and natural ecosystems.
Assessment of Surface Inundation Monitoring and Drivers after Major Storms in a Tropical Island
Authors: Yu Mei , Gao Qiong
Published: January 2024

Extreme climate events such as storms and severe droughts are becoming more frequent under the warming climate. In the tropics, excess rainfall carried by hurricanes causes massive flooding and threatens ecosystems and human society. We assessed recent major floodings on the tropical island of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and Hurricane Fiona in 2022, both of which cost billions of dollars damages to the island. We analyzed the Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images right after the hurricanes and detected surface inundation extent by applying a random forest classifier. We further explored hurricane rainfall patterns, flow accumulation, and other possible drivers of surface inundation at watershed scale and discussed the limitations. An independent validation dataset on flooding derived from high-resolution aerial images indicated a high classification accuracy with a Kappa statistic of 0.83. The total detected surface inundation amounted to 10,307 ha after Hurricane Maria and 7949 ha after Hurricane Fiona for areas with SAR images available. The inundation patterns are differentiated by the hurricane paths and associated rainfall patterns. We found that flow accumulation estimated from the interpolated Fiona rainfall highly correlated with the ground-observed stream discharges, with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.98. The detected inundation extent was found to depend strongly on hurricane rainfall and topography in lowlands within watersheds. Normal climate, which connects to mean soil moisture, also contributed to the differentiated flooding extent among watersheds. The higher the accumulated Fiona rain and the lower the mean elevation in the flat lowlands, the larger the detected surface flooding extent at the watershed scale. Additionally, the drier the climate, which might indicate drier soils, the smaller the surface flooding areas. The approach used in this study is limited by the penetration capability of C-band SAR; further application of L-band images would expand the detection to flooding under dense vegetation. Detecting flooding by applying machine learning techniques to SAR satellite images provides an effective, efficient, and reliable approach to flood assessment in coastal regions on a large scale, hence helping to guide emergency responses and policy making and to mitigate flooding disasters.
A Robust TCPHD Filter for Multi-Sensor Multitarget Tracking Based on a Gaussian–Student’s t-Mixture Model
Authors: Wei Shaoming , Lin Yingbin , Wang Jun , Zeng Yajun , Qu Fangrui , Zhou Xuan , Lu Zhuotong
Published: January 2024

To realize multitarget trajectory tracking under non-Gaussian heavy-tailed noise, we propose a Gaussian–Student t-mixture distribution-based trajectory cardinality probability hypothesis density filter (GSTM-TCPHD). We introduce the multi-sensor GSTM-TCPHD (MS-GSTM-TCPHD) filter to enhance tracking performance. Conventional cardinality probability hypothesis density (CPHD) filters typically assume Gaussian noise and struggle to accurately establish target trajectories when faced with heavy-tailed non-Gaussian distributions. Heavy-tailed noise leads to significant estimation errors and filter dispersion. Moreover, the exact trajectory of the target is crucial for tracking and prediction. Our proposed GSTM-TCPHD filter utilizes the GSTM distribution to model heavy-tailed noise, reducing modeling errors and generating a set of potential target trajectories. Since single sensors have a limited field of view and limited measurement information, we extend the filter to a multi-sensor scenario. To tackle the issue of data explosion from multiple sensors, we employed a greedy approximation method to assess measurements and introduced the MS-GSTM-TCPHD filter. The simulation results demonstrate that our proposed filter outperforms the CPHD/TCPHD filter and Student’s t-based TCPHD filter in terms of accurately estimating the trajectories of multiple targets during tracking while also achieving improved accuracy and shorter processing time.
Intercomparisons and Evaluations of Satellite-Derived Arctic Sea Ice Thickness Products
Authors: Chen Feifan , Wang Deshuai , Zhang Yu , Zhou Yi , Chen Changsheng
Published: January 2024

Currently, Arctic sea ice thickness (SIT) data with extensive spatiotemporal coverage primarily comes from satellite observations, including CryoSat-2, Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS), and the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). The studies of the intercomparison and evaluation of multi-source satellite products in recent years are limited. In this study, three latest version products of ICESat-2, CryoSat-2, and CS2SMOS (a merged product of CryoSat-2 and SMOS) were examined from October to April, between 2018 and 2022. Three types of observation including airborne data from the Operation IceBridge (OIB) and IceBird, and in situ data from Beaufort Gyre Exploration Project (BGEP) are selected as the reference in the evaluation. The intercomparison results show that the mean SIT is generally largest in ICESat-2, second largest in CryoSat-2, and smallest in CS2SMOS. The SIT in CryoSat-2 is closer to the SIT in ICESat-2. The thickness displayed by the three satellite products starts to increase at different freezing months, varying between October and November. The three satellite products demonstrated the strongest agreements in SIT in the Beaufort Sea and Central Arctic regions, and exhibited the most distinct differences in the Barents Sea. In the evaluation with OIB data, three satellite-derived SIT were generally underestimated and CS2SMOS demonstrates the closest match. The evaluation using IceBird data indicates an underestimation for all satellites, with CryoSat-2 showing the best agreement. In the assessment with BGEP data, ICESat-2 displayed a more pronounced degree of overestimation or underestimation compared to the other two satellites, and CS2SMOS exhibited the optimal agreement. Based on the comprehensive consideration, CS2SMOS demonstrated the best performance with the airborne and in situ observational data, followed by CryoSat-2 and ICESat-2. The intercomparison and evaluation results of satellite products can contribute to a further understanding of the accuracies and uncertainties of the latest version SIT retrieval and the appropriate selection and utilization of satellite products.
Sea Ice Detection from RADARSAT-2 Quad-Polarization SAR Imagery Based on Co- and Cross-Polarization Ratio
Authors: Zhao Li , Xie Tao , Perrie William , Yang Jingsong
Published: January 2024

Arctic sea ice detection is very important in global climate research, Arctic ecosystem protection, ship navigation and human activities. In this paper, by combining the co-pol ratio (HH/VV) and two kinds of cross-pol ratio (HV/VV, HV/HH), a novel sea ice detection method is proposed based on RADARSAT-2 quad-polarization synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. Experimental results suggest that the co-pol ratio shows promising capability in sea ice detection at a wide range of incidence angles (25–50°), while the two kinds of cross-pol ratio are more applicable to sea ice detection at small incidence angles (20–35°). When incidence angles exceed 35°, wind conditions have a great effect on the performance of the cross-pol ratio. Our method is validated by comparison with the visual interpretation results. The overall accuracy is 96%, far higher than that of single polarization ratio (PR) parameter-based methods. Our method is suitable for sea ice detection in complex sea ice and wind conditions.
Co-ECL: Covariant Network with Equivariant Contrastive Learning for Oriented Object Detection in Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Zhang Yunsheng , Ren Zijing , Ding Zichen , Qian Hong , Li Haiqiang , Tao Chao
Published: January 2024

Contrastive learning allows us to learn general features for downstream tasks without the need for labeled data by leveraging intrinsic signals within remote sensing images. Existing contrastive learning methods encourage invariant feature learning by bringing positive samples defined by random transformations in feature spaces closer, where transformed samples of the same image at different intensities are considered equivalent. However, remote sensing images differ from natural images in their top-down perspective results in the arbitrary orientation of objects and in that the images contain rich in-plane rotation information. Maintaining invariance to rotation transformations can lead to the loss of rotation information in features, thereby affecting angle information predictions for differently rotated samples in downstream tasks. Therefore, we believe that contrastive learning should not focus only on strict invariance but encourage features to be equivariant to rotation while maintaining invariance to other transformations. To achieve this goal, we propose an invariant–equivariant covariant network (Co-ECL) based on collaborative and reverse mechanisms. The collaborative mechanism encourages rotation equivariance by predicting the rotation transformations of input images and combines invariant and equivariant learning tasks to jointly supervise the feature learning process to achieve collaborative learning. The reverse mechanism introduces a reverse rotation module in the feature learning stage, applying reverse rotation transformations with equal intensity to features in invariant learning tasks as in the data transformation stage, thereby ensuring their independent realization. In experiments conducted on three publicly available oriented object detection datasets of remote sensing images, our method consistently demonstrated the best performance. Additionally, these experiments on multi-angle datasets demonstrated that our method has good robustness on rotation-related tasks.
Down to the Rivers: A Geophysical Investigation at Étiolles (France) to Reconstruct the Magdalenian Occupation
Authors: Corradini Erica , Wilken Dennis , Jeune Yann Le , Weber Mara-Julia , Wunderlich Tina , Pickartz Natalie , Zolchow Manuel , Bignon-Lau Olivier , Caron-Laviolette Elisa , Mevel Ludovic , Valentin Boris , Villa Valentina , Rabbel Wolfgang
Published: January 2024

An investigation of the Magdalenian occupation at Étiolles-Les Coudray (France) was conducted using geophysical methods. Based on ground-penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), electromagnetic induction (EMI), and stratigraphic information, we present a reconstruction of the main sediment interfaces carrying the Magdalenian occupation. Étiolles-Les Coudray is one of the most important open-air campsites in the Paris Basin, where consecutive settlements distributed along the Hauldres stream were preserved by silts. The geoarchaeological goals were, in particular, the reconstruction of the ancient environment in which hunter–gatherers settled, providing spatialized known stratigraphies able to find an echo in the Seine Valley. Moreover, a focus on the capability of geophysical methods to detect archaeological features is also presented and discussed. We observed that the major reflections in the GPR records were generated from interfaces that have grain size variation: (1) the bottom of the Holocene colluvium and (2) the bottom of the upper Late Glacial silt. EMI and ERT show a very clear horizon associated with the upper Late Glacial silt, in some places even more clearly defined than with GPR. We confirmed the presence of a channel along the slope, placed under Locus 1, and a second channel of the same type globally following the paleotopography of Locus 2. We created a thickness map of the “beige sandy silt” and hypothesized a high probability of good preservation conditions of Magdalenian evidence. Finally, the detection of several localized diffraction hyperbolas in the GPR record offers the possibility to obtain the ground truth of the geophysical results in the near future and verify the nature (archaeological or geological) of these features.
A Geodetic-Data-Calibrated Ice Flow Model to Simulate Historical and Future Response of Glaciers in Southeastern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Xiao Letian , Li Shijie , Wu Kunpeng , Liu Shiyin , Zhu Yu , Afzal Muhammad Mannan , Zhou Jun , Yi Ying , Wei Jinyue , Duan Yunpeng , Shen Yiyuan
Published: January 2024

Glaciers play a vital role in the Asian mountain water towers and have significant downstream impacts on domestic, agricultural, and industrial water usage. The rate of glacier mass loss in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau (SETP) is among the highest in Asia and has intensified in recent decades. However, a comprehensive quantification that considers both spatial and temporal aspects of glacier mass loss across the entire SETP is still insufficient. This study aimed to address this gap by utilizing geodetic datasets specific to each glacier by calibrating the Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM) driven by HAR v2 and reconstructing the glacier mass balance of 7756 glaciers in the SETP from 1980 to 2019 while examining their spatial variability. The findings reveal that the average mass balance during this period was −0.50 ± 0.28 m w.e. a−1, with an accelerated loss observed in the 2000s (average: 0.62 ± 0.24 m w.e. a−1). Notably, central glaciers in the SETP exhibited relatively smaller mass loss, indicating a gradient effect of increased loss from the central region toward the eastern and western sides. By the end of this century, the area, length, and volume of glaciers in the entire SETP region are projected to decrease by 83.57 ± 4.91%, 90.25 ± 4.23%, and 88.04 ± 4.52%, respectively. Moreover, the SETP glacier melt runoff is estimated to decrease by 62.63 ± 6.16% toward the end of the century, with the “peak water” point of glacier melt runoff predicted to occur in 2023 under the SSP585 scenario. Sensitivity experiments demonstrated that the SETP glaciers are more than three times more sensitive to temperature changes than to precipitation variations, and the observed decrease in monsoon precipitation indicates the weakening magnitude of the Indian summer monsoon in recent years. The spatially refined and high-temporal-resolution characteristics of glacier mass loss presented in this study contribute to a better understanding of specific glacier changes in the SETP. Additionally, the prediction results provide valuable references for future water resources management and policy formulation in the SETP region.
How Do the Dynamics of Urbanization Affect the Thermal Environment? A Case from an Urban Agglomeration in Lower Gangetic Plain (India)
Authors: Das Arijit , Saha Priyakshi , Dasgupta Rajarshi , Inacio Miguel , Das Manob , Pereira Paulo
Published: January 2024

Urban growth and development has significantly affected urban heat island (UHI) due to urbanization. Particularly in the cities in developing countries, the assessment of UHI has emerged as one of the core research themes as it significantly affects the ecological environment and livability in cities. Thus, the assessment of UHI is crucial for climate mitigation and sustainable urban landscape planning. This study identifies the dynamics of landscape patterns and the impact of composition and configuration on the thermal environment in English Bazar Urban Agglomeration (EBUA), Eastern India, along the urban–rural gradient (URG) approach. Geospatial approaches and spatial metrics were employed to assess the impact of the landscape pattern on the thermal environment. Descriptive and inferential statistics have also been used to find the effects of landscape patterns on the thermal environment. The result has also been validated based on the location and correlation analysis. The built-up area increased by about 63.54%; vegetation covers and water bodies declined by 56.72% and 67.99% from 2001 to 2021. Land surface temperature (LST) decreased with increasing distance from the core of the city. LST declined by about 0.45 °C per kilometer from the core of the city towards the outside. LST had a positive correlation with IS and a negative correlation with green space (GS) and blue space (BS). The mean aggregation of the impervious patches was larger (73.21%) than the GS (43.18%) and BS (49.02%). The aggregation of impervious surface (IS) was positively correlated, and aggregations of GS and BS had a negative correlation with LST. Findings suggest that the spatial composition and configuration of the impervious surface, GS, and BS must be considered in landscape planning and design framework to make the city more livable.
Reviewing Air Pollutants Generated during the Pyrolysis of Solid Waste for Biofuel and Biochar Production: Toward Cleaner Production Practices
Authors: Li Simeng
Published: January 2024

The production of biofuels and biochar through pyrolysis is a promising avenue for sustainable energy generation and waste management. However, this process can inadvertently release various air pollutants into the atmosphere, potentially compromising its environmental benefits. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the gas pollutants associated with pyrolysis for biofuel and biochar production, as well as different variables affecting gas emissions. Key pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) have been discussed in terms of their formations and emissions during pyrolysis processes. Furthermore, major factors influencing pollutant emissions, including feedstock composition, pyrolysis conditions, and combustion technologies have been examined with up-to-date examples. The review highlights the significance of emission control strategies, such as advanced reactor design, catalyst utilization, and the integration of realtime monitoring systems, in mitigating air pollution from pyrolysis processes. By shedding light on the environmental challenges associated with pyrolysis-based biofuel and biochar production, this article aims to encourage the development of cleaner and more sustainable approaches to harness the potential of solid waste conversion technologies.
Sustainable Retrofitting Solutions: Evaluating the Performance of Jute Fiber Nets and Composite Mortar in Natural Fiber Textile Reinforced Mortars
Authors: Majumder Arnas , Stochino Flavio , Frattolillo Andrea , Valdes Monica , Gatto Gianluca , Martinelli Enzo
Published: January 2024

Sustainable building materials for integrated (structural and thermal) retrofitting are the need of the hour to retrofit/upgrade the seismic vulnerable and ill-insulated existing building stocks. At the same time, the use of natural fibers and their recyclability could help construct safer and more sustainable buildings. This paper presents three aspects of jute fiber products: (1) the evaluation of the mechanical performance of the jute nets (2.5 cm × 2.5 cm and 2.5 cm and 1.25 cm mesh configurations) through tensile strength tests (with the aim for these to be used in upgrading masonry wall with natural fiber textile reinforced mortars (NFTRM) systems); (2) the hundred percentage recyclability of left-over jute fibers (collected during the net fabrication and failed nets post-tensile strength tests) for the composite mortar preparation; (3) and the evaluation of insulation capacity of the recycled jute net fiber composite mortar (RJNFCM) through thermal conductivity (TC) measurements, when a maximum amount of 12.5% of recycled jute fiber could be added in the mortar mixture at laboratory conditions and with available instruments Notably, when more than the said amount was used, the fiber–mortar bonding was found to be not optimal for the composite mortar preparation. These studies have been carried out considering these products’ applicability for integrated retrofitting purposes. It has been found that the denser mesh configuration (2.5 cm × 1.25 cm) is 35.80% stiffer than the other net configurations (2.5 cm × 2.5 cm). Also, the mesh configuration (2.5 cm × 1.25 cm) shows about 60% more capability to absorb strain energy. TC tests have demonstrated the moderate insulation capacity of these composite mortar samples, and the TC values obtained from the tests range from 0.110 (W/mK) to 0.121 (W/mK).
Dynamics of Iterations of the Newton Map of sin(z)
Authors: Cloutier Aimée , Dwyer Jerry , Barnard Roger W. , Stone William D. , Williams G. Brock
Published: January 2024

The dynamical systems of trigonometric functions are explored, with a focus on sz=sin(z) and the fractal image created by iterating the Newton map, Fs(z), of s(z). The basins of attraction created from iterating Fs(z) are analyzed, and some bounds are determined for the primary basins of attraction. We further prove x and y-axis symmetry of the Newton map as well as some interesting results on periodic points on the real axis.
A Comprehensive Performance Analysis of a 48-Watt Transformerless DC-DC Boost Converter Using a Proportional–Integral–Derivative Controller with Special Attention to Inductor Design and Components Reliability
Authors: Jayaswal Kuldeep , Palwalia D. K. , Guerrero Josep M.
Published: January 2024

In this research paper, a comprehensive performance analysis was carried out for a 48-watt transformerless DC-DC boost converter using a Proportional–Integral–Derivative (PID) controller through dynamic modeling. In a boost converter, the optimal design of the magnetic element plays an important role in efficient energy transfer. This research paper emphasizes the design of an inductor using the Area Product Technique (APT) to analyze factors such as area product, window area, number of turns, and wire size. Observations were made by examining its response to changes in load current, supply voltage, and load resistance at frequency levels of 100 and 500 kHz. Moreover, this paper extended its investigation by analyzing the failure rates and reliability of active and passive components in a 48-watt boost converter, providing valuable insights about failure behavior and reliability. Frequency domain analysis was conducted to assess the controller’s stability and robustness. The results conclusively underscore the benefits of incorporating the designed PID controller in terms of achieving the desired regulation and rapid response to disturbances at 100 and 500 kHz. The findings emphasize the outstanding reliability of the inductor, evident from the significantly low failure rates in comparison to other circuit components. Conversely, the research also reveals the inherent vulnerability of the switching device (MOSFET), characterized by a higher failure rate and lower reliability. The MATLAB® Simulink platform was utilized to investigate the results.
Surveillance of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection in Preschool Child Population: Do Changes in Behavior and Immunological Responses Affect Prevalence?
Authors: Adrizain Riyadi , Nagari Monika Verena , Sukandar Hadyana , Berbudi Afiat , Setiabudi Djatnika , Setiabudiawan Budi
Published: January 2024

Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) persist as a significant global public health issue among neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), particularly in children. STH infection can induce immune responses that affect the course of the disease; if treatment fails, chronic infection can lead to stunting, especially among children aged 24–59 months, which is a vulnerable period for growth and development. We conducted a correlational, cross-sectional data collection study to evaluate the characteristics and association of 25(OH)D, interleukin-5 (IL-5), and interleukin-13 (IL-13) with the prevalence of STH infection in children aged 24–59 months in Bandung District, Indonesia, in October 2019–January 2023. We recruited 694 subjects (401 stunted and 293 normal-height children). The prevalence of STH infection among the stunted and normal-height groups was 5.7% (95% CI: 3.85–8.46%) and 3.4% (95% CI; 1.86–6.17%) (p = 0.156), respectively. The probability of the prevalence of STH infection in children with levels of 25(OH)D, IL-5, and IL-13 below the cut-off point was 6,93 to 16.71 times higher. We found a relationship between IL-5, IL-13, and environmental factors and the prevalence of STH infection in stunted children.
Whole-Genome Sequencing of Two Canine Herpesvirus 1 (CaHV-1) Isolates and Clinicopathological Outcomes of Infection in French Bulldog Puppies
Authors: Rocchigiani Angela Maria , Bertoldi Loris , Coradduzza Elisabetta , Lostia Giada , Pintus Davide , Scivoli Rosario , Cancedda Maria Giovanna , Fiori Mariangela Stefania , Bechere Roberto , Murtino Anna Pina , Pala Giovanni , Cardeti Giusy , Macioccu Simona , Dettori Maria Antonietta , Pintore Antonio , Ligios Ciriaco , Puggioni Giantonella
Published: January 2024

Canine herpesvirus 1 (CaHV-1) infects dogs, causing neonatal death and ocular, neurological, respiratory, and reproductive problems in adults. Although CaHV-1 is widespread in canine populations, only four studies have focused on the CaHV-1 whole genome. In such context, two CaHV-1 strains from both the kidney and spleen of 20-day-old deceased French Bulldog puppies were recently isolated in Sardinia, Italy. The extracted viral DNA underwent whole-genome sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform. The Italian CaHV-1 genomes were nearly identical (>99%), shared the same tree branch, and clustered near the ELAL-1 (MW353125) and BTU-1 (KX828242) strains, enlarging the completely separated clade discussed by Lewin et al., in 2020. This study aims to provide new insights on the evolution of the CaHV-1, based on high-resolution whole-genome phylogenetic analysis, and on its clinicopathological characterization during a fatal outbreak in puppies.
Viral Interference between the Insect-Specific Virus Brejeira and the Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus In Vitro
Authors: Ribeiro Ana Cláudia , Martins Lívia , Silva Heloisa , Freitas Maria Nazaré , Santos Maissa , Gonçalves Ercília , Sousa Alana , Prazeres Ivy , Santos Alessandra , Cruz Ana Cecilia , Silva Sandro , Chiang Jannifer , Casseb Livia , Carvalho Valéria
Published: January 2024

The Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) is an encephalitogenic arbovirus (Flaviviridae family) that has a wide geographical distribution in the western hemisphere, especially in the Americas. The negevirus Brejeira (BREV) was isolated for the first time in Brazil in 2005. This study aimed to verify the existence of a possible interfering effect of BREV on the course of SLEV infection and vice versa. We used clone C6/36 cells. Three combinations of MOIs were used (SLEV 0.1 × BREV 1; SLEV 1 × BREV 0.1; SLEV 1 × BREV 1) in the kinetics of up to 7 days and then the techniques of indirect immunofluorescence (IFA), a plaque assay on Vero cells, and RT-PCR were performed. Our results showed that the cytopathic effect (CPE) caused by BREV was more pronounced than the CPE caused by SLEV. Results of IFA, the plaque assay, and RT-PCR showed the suppression of SLEV replication in the co-infection condition in all the MOI combinations used. The SLEV suppression was dose-dependent. Therefore, the ISV Brejeira can suppress SLEV replication in Aedes albopictus cells, but SLEV does not negatively interfere with BREV replication.
The Microbiota Architecture of the Chinchilla Gastrointestinal Tract
Authors: Wu Yuhong , Liu Bo , Ma Xinyi , Yang Luo , Lu Xinyi , Wang Wei , Li Jing
Published: January 2024

The gastrointestinal microbiota develop alongside the host and play a vital role in the health of cecal fermenters such as chinchillas. However, little is known about the microbiota architecture in healthy chinchillas. Illumine-based 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was used to investigate the microbiota present in six different gastrointestinal tract regions of three healthy adult chinchillas. The findings revealed significantly more abundant microbiota in the large intestine compared with the proximal segments. In addition, the cecum exhibited better evenness compared to the colon. The core microbiota are Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, Actinobacteriota, and Proteobacteria at the phylum level. The signature microbiota of each segment were identified. The cecum had 10 signature microbiota, which had the widest coverage and overlapped with that of the cecum. The stomach had five signature microbiota, exhibiting the second widest coverage and overlapping with the duodenum. No signature microbiota were detected in the jejunum and ileum. While similarities exist with the microbiota of other cecal fermenters, chinchillas exhibit distinct microbiota closely related to their unique digestive mechanisms. This study is a preliminary study of the gastrointestinal microbiota architecture and distribution in healthy chinchillas. Further study is needed in order to better understand the effect of gastrointestinal microbiota on the health of the chinchilla.
Mimicking Facial Expressions Facilitates Working Memory for Stimuli in Emotion-Congruent Colours
Authors: Sivananthan Thaatsha , Most Steven B. , Curby Kim M.
Published: January 2024

It is one thing for everyday phrases like “seeing red” to link some emotions with certain colours (e.g., anger with red), but can such links measurably bias information processing? We investigated whether emotional face information (angry/happy/neutral) held in visual working memory (VWM) enhances memory for shapes presented in a conceptually consistent colour (red or green) (Experiment 1). Although emotional information held in VWM appeared not to bias memory for coloured shapes in Experiment 1, exploratory analyses suggested that participants who physically mimicked the face stimuli were better at remembering congruently coloured shapes. Experiment 2 confirmed this finding by asking participants to hold the faces in mind while either mimicking or labelling the emotional expressions of face stimuli. Once again, those who mimicked the expressions were better at remembering shapes with emotion-congruent colours, whereas those who simply labelled them were not. Thus, emotion–colour associations appear powerful enough to guide attention, but—consistent with proposed impacts of “embodied emotion” on cognition—such effects emerged when emotion processing was facilitated through facial mimicry.
Microplastic Contamination in Shrimps from the Negombo Lagoon—Sri Lanka
Authors: Lawan P. L. M. J. H. , De Silva D. S. M. , Amarathunga A. A. D. , McGoran A. , Bakir A. , Sivyer D. B. , Reeve C.
Published: January 2024

Microplastic (MP) pollution is a serious global issue affecting freshwater systems, coastal regions, and oceans. These non-biodegradable materials have a detrimental impact on marine species and ecosystems, disrupting their feeding, breathing, and reproduction. In this study, 120 samples of two species of shrimp, Penaus monodon and Penaus indicus, from ten locations in the Negombo lagoon in Sri Lanka were analyzed. MPs were extracted from gastrointestinal tracts (GI) and gills (GL) by alkali digestion followed by vacuum filtering. Stereomicroscopy coupled with advanced micro-imaging and analysis software was employed for analyzing the isolated MPs. A total of 415 items were identified as MPs with an average of 8.29 ± 4.63 items per gram of GI and GL in Penaus monodon and 5.52 ± 3.78 items per gram of GI and GL in Penaus indicus. The majority of MPs identified were fibers (93%), and the remaining ones were fragments. Most of the MPs were >1000 μm, and the most prevalent color was blue (61%), followed by red (15%), black (9%), and others, comprising polystyrene, polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, and rayon, as revealed by FTIR spectroscopy. This study highlights the prevalence of MPs in shrimps harvested from the Negombo lagoon and displays missing baseline data before the effects of fragmented nurdles from the X-Press Pearl incident.
Photodegradation of Methylene Blue Using a UV/H2O2 Irradiation System
Authors: Ali Mohammad Ashraf , Maafa Ibrahim M. , Qudsieh Isam Y.
Published: January 2024

This study presents an efficient way to degrade methylene blue (MB) present in water via photodegradation using H2O2 as an oxidant in the presence of UV irradiation and without the use of a catalyst. The reaction variables, employed to evaluate the performance of the photodegradation process using the UV/H2O2 system, were the amount of H2O2 in the reacting solution and the initial concentration of methylene blue. The degradation of methylene blue in the presence of H2O2 was not observed during agitation in darkness. The degradation time decreased as the H2O2 concentration increased after the ideal concentration was reached. At this stage, as it began to scavenge the generated hydroxyl radicals, the rate of degradation became inversely proportional to the concentration of H2O2. An increase in the quantities of MB and H2O2 improved the degradation efficiency because the oxidation process was aided by using the appropriate amount of H2O2 and an ideal length of UV light exposure. The experimental data obtained were well-fitted to zero-order reaction kinetics based on the high values of the correlation coefficient. It is believed that the OH radicals (OH●) generated during the breakdown of H2O2 and the generated O2●− species attack the MB molecules and produce MB radicals (MB●). These MB radicals further experience oxidation and convert to intermediates and finally to CO2 and H2O. The UV/H2O2 system proved to be quite efficient for the photodegradation of methylene blue without the use of any solid catalyst. This UV/H2O2 system can be employed in the degradation of other organic pollutants in industrial wastewater.
Corresponsabilidad familiar enfocada al desempeño académico del educando: retos para el docente moderno.
Authors: Perero Rosado Carlos Eráclito , Chávez Loor María Patricia , Ramírez Loor Fátima Ramona , Loor Farías Sandra Raquel
Published: January 2024

La corresponsabilidad concebida como don individual de la sociedad, indispensable en el seno familiar, permite las mejoras socioculturales, emocionales, económicas y educativas, por ello se considera a la vinculación corresponsable de las familias en los procesos educativos de nivel básico superior, como acción primordial en la obtención del aprendizaje significativo integral del educando, y motiva la redacción del presente artículo, con el fin de incidir para la mejora del récord académico de los discentes de los centros educativos de sostenimiento fiscal del Ecuador, proporcionando una metodología integradora corresponsable donde los padres de familia son el eje transformacional, potencializando la educación de calidad con calidez, mediante una anticipada detección de los factores relevantes del accionar educativo y sus integrantes. Investigación que tiene como eje, el enfoque cuantitativo no experimental, la orientación paradigmática, propositiva y crítica de la revisión teórica de estudios relacionados, apegados al ámbito educacional, se propone el diseño correlacional descriptivo bajo la compilación de trabajos relacionados a la educación primaria, obteniendo resultados relevantes como aporte a la modernización educativa transgeneracional y la labor docente del siglo XXI.
PALABRAS CLAVE: Educación; corresponsabilidad familiar; calidad educativa.
Family co-responsibility focused on the academic performance of the student: challenges for the modern teacher
ABSTRACT
Co-responsibility conceived as an individual gift of society, essential within the family, allows for socio-cultural, emotional, economic, and educational improvements, which is why the co-responsible involvement of families in higher basic level educational processes is considered a primary action. in obtaining significant comprehensive learning for the student, and motivates the writing of this article, in order to influence the improvement of the academic record of the students of the fiscally supported educational centers of Ecuador, providing a co-responsible integrative methodology where parents family are the transformational axis, enhancing quality education with warmth, through early detection of the relevant factors of educational action and its members. Research that has as its axis, the non-experimental quantitative approach, the paradigmatic, propositional and critical orientation of the theoretical review of related studies, attached to the educational field, the descriptive correlational design is proposed under the compilation of works related to primary education, obtaining relevant results as a contribution to transgenerational educational modernization and the teaching work of the 21st century.
KEYWORDS: Education, family co-responsibility, educational quality.
Rapport de Michel Aurillac, Maître des requêtes au Conseil d’État, Préfet de la région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Préfet des Bouches-du-Rhône
Authors: Aurillac Michel
Published: January 2024

M. Aurillac

It is not so much the forms of administration which are new but rather the way in which they are used, i.e. on a regional level. When the 1972 Law came into force, this was greeted by a certain amount of suspicion on the part of the Regional Council vis-a-vis the State administrative machinery and the development of polymorphous structures entrusted with a wide range of functions, e.g. State enterprises, associations, semi-public companies. No one will deny their efficiency but their use involves grave dangers which demonstrate the limits of para-administration, e.g. hostility between these organisations and government departments and the surrender of power by elected assemblies to intermediary bodies which threaten to usurp their authority.
Environnement politique et réforme administrative en Europe
Authors: Chapel Yves
Published: January 2024

Political environment and administrative reform in Europe

The author discusses exclusively induced and controlled changes in central administration with main emphasis on the role of political environment in the process of administrative reform. Problems arise from interaction between reform and — mainly political — environment.

The concept of political environment has to be defined more specifically by listing through objective and comparative assessment its main ingredients, whose respective weightage is tentatively measured in the light of circumstances or politico-administrative Systems.

A first attempt tries to assess the constituent elements of political environment, i.e. constitutional regime, politico-administrative machinery with relevant implications on the governmental or ministerial plane, political assemblies, political parties and pressure groups, etc., and finally the press and public opinion.

This leads to a second stage, where the main questions can be sorted out and first answers provided.

To what extent is administrative reform caused by political environment ? What main factors account for changes in the administrative machinery ? Do structures and administrative procedures adjust in line with changes in legal and societal requirements, or is it rather the administrative machinery that spearheads political and social change ? Finally, how does the civil service’s normal adjustment to changing times — disregarding any reform movement — affect administrative reform and political environment ?
L’administration de l’Économie et des Finances en France
Authors: Huet Philippe
Published: January 2024

Economic and financial administration in France

The author examines structural changes that hâve taken place since 1929 within the French Economie and Finance Department by showing how the new reality resulting from the extraordinary development of the State function in our advanced industrial society has been grafted on an ancient institution to meet the basic requirements of any constituted body corporate, viz. to have the ways and means for common action.

By pinpointing the continued adjustment process which transpires from the history of this department to meet new challenges, the author bears out the fact that Administration is living and reacting like a living organism which will stick to traditional values while adjusting for pressing demands from its social environment and new tasks assigned by the body politic to justify its lasting existence.
L’Administration économique et financière en Grande-Bretagne : le mécanisme budgétaire central
Authors: Wright Maurice
Published: January 2024

Economic and financial administration in Great-Britain : the central budgetary mechanism

There is no medium-term economic planning in Great-Britain. The economy is governed by a short-term, day-to-day System. In addition, there is a well-established public sector resource allocation planning System. The author focusses his attention on this aspect rather than on the formulation and implementation of economic policies. A spécial section deals with resource allocation in the wider context of mechanics and procedures whereby économie, financial and fiscal policies are formulated ; a detailed analysis is provided of the planning System and expenditure control in the public sector.
L’administration économique et financière aux États-Unis
Authors: Pois Joseph
Published: January 2024

Economic and financial administration in the United-States

The author analyses the various factors which have contributed to the présent structure whereby the United-States formulate and implement fiscal, monetary and économie policies. A survey is provided of some salient features of economic and financial administration in the United-States, in particular the Treasury Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers and the Federal Reserve System. He finally stresses the important function of Congress by discussing the General Accounting Office.
L’Administration économique au Maroc
Authors: Berrada Abdallah , Claisse Alain
Published: January 2024

Economic administration in morocco

The full deployment of national resources, both manpower and material, has started right on Independence Day and has been taken care of by a large Economie and Finance Department, which had to face very soon the political and social discrepancies and conflicts that beset the new Moroccan society (1956-1966). After a period of hésitation when the need for maintaining the existing political order prevailed over the urge for a well-ordered économic development, Morocco set up quite an advanced forecasting and planning mechanism which was getting dominated by an expanding financial administration.

The Moroccan economic administration witnesses, at présent, a somewhat artificial growth of its central services. This difficulty, which implies a strong risk of entailing a process of administrative balkanisation, is due to a lack of necessary différentiation between management and control, effective and formai control ; this drawback might be overcome by a better grasp of the économie mechanism and an increased rigour in management and control.
La réforme de l’Administration locale en Chine
Authors: Ardant Philippe
Published: January 2024

Local government reform in China

The author analyses the changes in local government in China following application of the law of 1st July 1975. This law purports to bring about a far reaching reform in the wake of the movement in favour of legality and democracy which has been noted through recent months. The reform aims at a complete overhaul of structures. The committees of revolution are disappearing, and powers on the local plane are assumed by three bodies : an assembly, a permanent committee, and a government.
Interventionnisme économique et contrat
Authors: Laubadère André de
Published: January 2024

Economic intervention through contract

Over the past thirty years, Administration had adopted ever more frequently contracting for economic control purposes.

Two considerations seem to prompt this choice. First, a contract allows more easily for economic factors to be taken into due account than a unilateral decision ; second, economic State action generally concern a multiplicity of partners both public and private.

Contracting procedures have evolved along three main stages : right after the Second World War, contracting was used for the first time as a means of controlling certain economic sectors ; in the sixties, a new type of economic contracting was adopted involving quite original procedures ; since 1970, the scope of intervention has been extended to implement industrial policies and achieve local equipment under contracts.

This innovation in legal procedures raises, however, some problems, in particular the problem of how to qualify in law this type of agreement with regard to the traditional definition of contract.
La situation du personnel des universités
Authors: Gaudemet Yves
Published: January 2024

La situación del personal universitario.

El autor analiza la situación del personal universitario en referencia a los recientes textos, y en particular a los decretos del 9 de agosto de 1.979 que contribuyen a la redefinición de varios aspectos de la situación administrativa del personal universitario (se trata, naturalmente del personal responsable de las actividades de enseñanza o de investigación, excluyendo lo demás del personal).

Después de indicar que el principio manifestada en los nuevos estatutos correspondía a una necesidad, el autor estima que el método adoptado no conviene por la inadecuación y el índole de reglementación seguido en vez de arreglaro por vía de ley que hubiera sido mucho más correcto en muchos respectos.

Presenta pues el contenido de los textos indicando que la reglementación actual se caracteriza por una parte por una tendencia de nivelación (diferencia entre varias categorías de personal, mas excluyendo diferencias entre disciplinas) que habrá de poner en duda, pero por otra parte se nota una preocupación de ajuste, de aclaración y de cohesión ante la cual hay que inclinarse.
L’Administration des universités en République Fédérale d’Allemagne
Authors: Siedentopf Heinrich
Published: January 2024

University Management in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Various factors tend to progressively centralize university self-management with a growing encroachment by public administration upon German universities. Most factors have lasting effects and are irreversible. The scientific freedom granted under the constitution certainly affords an efficient protection of the autonomy of the body corporate representfed by universities. Yet this autonomy needs and has to be supported by an efficient, loyal, and reliable university management. Finally, the scientific autonomy should be recognized and conceived as an important field of research, advanced studies and clarification.