bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatial Variability of Physicochemical Parameters and Phytoplankton at the Tagus Estuary (Portugal)
Authors: Cereja Rui , Chainho Paula , Brotas Vanda , Cruz Joana P. C. , Sent Giulia , Rodrigues Marta , Carvalho Frederico , Cabral Sara , Brito Ana C.
Published: October 2022

The estuarine phytoplankton communities are known to respond rapidly to environmental changes, being considered an important water quality indicator; thus, it is crucial to fully understand its natural variability. The objective of the present study was to assess the spatial variability of both physicochemical variables and the phytoplankton community, to understand how such variability is influenced by seasonality and to evaluate how the anthropogenic sources affect such patterns. The Tagus estuary was used as a case study, since it is one of Europe’s largest estuaries, with high spatial and seasonal variations and a high level of human pressure associated with large urban and industrial areas. To achieve this goal, environmental parameters, nutrients concentration, bivalve biomass (filter feeders) and phytoplankton pigments were quantified in a single summer sampling campaign with high spatial resolution and in monthly campaigns in eight sampling stations through the Tagus estuary, in one year. In general, suspended particulate matter and nutrients decreased from the upper part of the estuary to the estuary mouth; however, relevant local inputs were also observed in more downstream locations, near outfalls of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). The chlorophyll-a concentrations were higher over the southern intertidal mudflats, probably due to resuspension of microphytobenthos, associated with higher nutrient concentrations. Through a grazing indicator, it was observed that grazers are important drivers of variability of the phytoplankton community composition. All water bodies achieved “good” and “high” water quality classifications for both physicochemical and biological indicators, with the worst results reported for the water bodies located at the upper estuary. Therefore, this estuary presents a decreasing trend of nutrients and chlorophyll-a in the upstream–downstream direction, except for the estuary channels and the outfall in the northern margin, which lead to an increase in nutrient concentrations. However, these increases did not affect the water quality of the three analyzed water bodies, presenting at least good ecological status, considering the nutrient and chlorophyll-a indicators.
Destruction Characteristics and Control Countermeasure of Shaft Surrounding Rock Mass in Complex Geological Environment
Authors: Wang Xi , Liu Zhen , Fan Yuyun , Liu Xingquan , Jiang Mingwei , Cheng Li , Li Guilin
Published: October 2022

Increasing construction depth, changeable failure formations, and redistributed stress conditions inevitably make the mechanical response of mining shaft rock mass complicated. The design method and construction technology of deep shaft need to be perfected urgently. We studied the stability and control method of a main shaft from −930 m located in a deep gold mine. It is concluded that the surrounding rock of the shaft faces conditions including non-high-stressed, high-stressed, and possible instabilities. The failure types include structural plane-controlled failure, deep stress induced failure, rock burst, low confining pressure shear failure, spalling, and frequent conversion of multiple failure. The damages of the surrounding rock mass at −930~−1500 m displayed “ear-shaped” damage, with damage ranges of less than 2.5 m. The shaft temporary reinforcement adopted bolt mResh beam support, in which the length of the bolt was 2.5~3 m, and the row spacing was 1.5 m. The steel type and diameter were determined by the on-site bolt pull test. This temporary support countermeasure plays an important role in preventing shaft deformation and is worth promoting in similar mines.
The Impact of Forest Wood Product Exports on Environmental Performance in Asia
Authors: Waqas Waqas , Khan Dilawar , Magda Róbert
Published: October 2022

The pressure on governments has been increased to improve their environmental performance across the globe. To ensure sustainability, every country is now responsible for educating its citizens on its environmental policies for decreasing pollution and managing natural resources. Therefore, it is crucial to manage all elements that have a negative impact on a country’s environmental performance in order to ensure sustainability. This study’s main goal was to investigate how factors such as forest wood product exports, energy use, urbanization, and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Asia affect environmental performance. In order to investigate the empirical links, this study analyzed annual data for 31 Asian countries from 2001 to 2020. Various econometric methodologies were used, including the generalized method of movement (GMM) approach and the Hausman test for fixed and random effects. According to the results of these econometric methodologies, forest wood product exports, urbanization, energy consumption, and GDP are all significantly contributing to Asia’s increasing CO2 emissions and deteriorating environmental performance. Based on the findings of this article, the selected Asian countries should curtail forest products in their trade basket in order to enhance environmental performance in the region. Furthermore, the alternative use of forest products and their exports could be increased to meet requirements.
Automatic Selection of Temperature Variables for Short-Term Load Forecasting
Authors: Candela Esclapez Alfredo , López García Miguel , Valero Verdú Sergio , Senabre Blanes Carolina
Published: October 2022

Due to the infeasibility of large-scale electrical energy storage, electricity is generated and consumed simultaneously. Therefore, electricity entities need consumption forecasting systems to plan operations and manage supplies. In addition, accurate predictions allow renewable energies on electrical grids to be managed, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Temperature affects electricity consumption through air conditioning and heating equipment, although it is the consumer’s behavior that determines specifically to what extent. This work proposes an automatic method of processing and selecting variables, with a two-fold objective: improving both the accuracy and the interpretability of the overall forecasting system. The procedure has been tested by the predictive system of the Spanish electricity operator (Red Eléctrica de España) with regard to peninsular demand. During the test period, the forecasting error was consistently reduced for the forecasting horizon, with an improvement of 0.16% in MAPE and 59.71 MWh in RMSE. The new way of working with temperatures is interpretable, since they separate the effect of temperature according to location and time. It has been observed that heat has a greater influence than the cold. In addition, on hot days, the temperature of the second previous day has a greater influence than the previous one, while the opposite occurs on cold days.
Feasibility of using Waste Brine/Seawater and Sea Sand for the Production of Concrete: An Experimental Investigation from Mechanical Properties and Durability Perspectives
Authors: Cui Yongxiang , Jiang Jiafei , Fu Tengfei , Liu Sifeng
Published: October 2022

The anti-corrosion property of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) makes the concrete produced with marine wastes (waste brine after desalination) and resources (seawater and sea sand) a promising green structural material which can be a sustainable solution to fresh water and river sand scarcity in marine and offshore construction. To evaluate the feasibility of using waste and marine resources in concrete, this study investigated the mechanical properties and durability of brine-sea sand concrete (BSC) and seawater-sea sand concrete (SSC) with three different water-to-cement ratios and compared them to the corresponding ordinary concrete (OC). The results demonstrated that the increased salinity had a minor effect on the 28-day compressive strength, but a significant effect on the large-size capillary pore structure. The semi-quantitative analysis of the concrete phase based on the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that BSC and SSC had larger mass fractions of the amorphous phase (mainly C-S-H), ettringite and gypsum during hydration. At last, the comprehensive performance of three different concrete mixtures was evaluated by five indexes (workability, alkali environment, compressive strength, carbonization resistance, and sulfate resistance). The results show that it is feasible to use brine/seawater and sea sand to replace freshwater and river sand for marine structural concrete reinforced with FRP.
Land Use Change and Disappearance of Hedgerows in a Tuscan Rural Landscape: A Discussion on Policy Tools to Revert This Trend
Authors: Vannucci Antonio , Andreoli Maria , Rovai Massimo
Published: October 2022

Agricultural modernization brought about a significant land use change, with the expansion both of crops that could be more easily mechanized and of woodland and natural areas. Meanwhile, to increase the cultivated area, the farmland fabric of patches and infrastructures underwent a process of progressive simplification that caused the disappearance of landscape elements with high ecological value, such as hedgerows and isolated trees. This paper first analyses the land cover of the territory of a hilly inland municipality in Tuscany (Italy) in the years 1954, 1978 and 2016 and then assesses the loss of hedgerows and isolated trees that occurred between 1954–2016 in a sub-area. This analysis was performed using photointerpretation based on Q-GIS. Secondly, the paper analyzes the drivers of these phenomena focusing on the main direct and indirect costs of reintroducing hedgerows. Finally, it discusses the role of available policy instruments and planning tools in reversing hedgerow-loss trends. Results show that current policies were scarcely effective both from a quantitative and qualitative point of view and that more complex and coordinated tools are needed. While the discussion is mainly based on the case-study analysis, based on the authors’ opinion it could be applied to many other areas.
A Moderated Serial–Parallel Mediation Model of Sustainable Entrepreneurial Intention of Youth with Higher Education Studies in Romania
Authors: Nițu-Antonie Renata Dana , Feder Emőke-Szidónia , Stamenovic Kristina , Brudan Adrian
Published: October 2022

The main purpose of this research paper is to identify the antecedents of sustainable entrepreneurial intentions among university-educated youth through a moderated mediation model. The study has as its theoretical framework two models of entrepreneurial intentions, namely the entrepreneurial event model and the planned behavior model, enclosed in the context of sustainable entrepreneurship. The aim of this study was to establish, in the context of an emerging country, such as Romania, whether the two reference models can be integrated into a single comprehensive model and extended to the situation of sustainable entrepreneurship by taking into account environmental values and the level of university-specific entrepreneurial education. The research results show that for young people with advanced university-level entrepreneurial education, behavioral factors, perceived sustainable entrepreneurial desire, and feasibility are serially and in parallel mediating the relationship between the environmental values and sustainable entrepreneurial intention and, accordingly, the level of university-specific entrepreneurial education plays a moderating role in this relationship. The study findings have significant academic and practical implications for government officials and higher education institutions to foster the willingness of youth with academic backgrounds to engage in sustainable entrepreneurial behavior and initiate it in the future.
Fostering Innovative SMEs in a Developing Country: The ALI Program Experience
Authors: Marinho Bruno Francisco Diniz , Costa Melo Isotilia
Published: October 2022

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an essential economic role through income and employment generation as well as reducing inequalities. In this regard, continuous innovation is a pillar for guaranteeing SMEs’ survival worldwide. In Brazil, the ALI Program (Portuguese acronym for Local Innovation Agent) trains groups of SMEs to implement a continuous innovation process based on agile methodologies. This paper applied focus group methodology to investigate whether, after participating in the program, SMEs practice some innovation processes in their business and the difficulties perceived by entrepreneurs in incorporating innovation processes into their ventures. Based on the extant literature and on the focus group, it was observed that SMEs see innovation as a risk, fear innovating because of tradition, family, and/or generational context, and do not see innovation as a process suitable to be systematized with agile tools. In addition, factors such as the age of the SMEs’ leaders, the age of the SMEs, the gender of the SMEs’ leaders, and the nature of the SMEs (family business or not) may affect their openness to innovation. Recommendations are stated for practitioners (such as ALIs) to improve their training quality, policymakers to improve and create similar programs, and researchers interested in future research directions.
Economic and Organizational Impact of COVID-19 on Colombia’s Tourism Sector
Authors: Tobón Perilla Luz Natalia , Urquía Grande Elena , Cano Montero Elisa Isabel
Published: October 2022

The global COVID-19 crisis has strongly affected tourism. In an emerging economy like Colombia’s, however, the pandemic’s effects may differ from those experienced in more advanced countries. Building on prior studies, this investigation aims to determine the economic and organizational impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector in the areas of lodging, travel agencies, clubs, and restaurants by identifying indicators relevant to the business tourism sector. We contrast data obtained empirically from a survey administered to a sample of 289 Colombian tourism SMEs. The model, developed with structural equations, enables identification of the factors with the greatest influence. The results indicate a high impact on sales and personnel expenses, leading to a decrease in management and innovation capability. In the gradual recovery process, internal measures taken by business owners to face the crisis have been more effective than measures taken by the government. Moreover, firms have prioritized financial strategies and innovation in marketing and services.
Toward Sustainable Couchsurfing: A Comparative Study on Hosting Motives and Behaviors between the USA and China
Authors: Shi Dequn , Hui Takkee
Published: October 2022

Couchsurfing has become a global phenomenon, and its sustainable development highly depends on hosts and their behavioral choice. However, there was seldom discussion on hosts’ motives and behaviors. This study aimed to identify the dimensions of motives and behaviors among CS hosts and explored the cultural differences between the US and Chinese hosts from the perspective of altruism. A total of 462 questionnaires (246 Americans and 216 Chinese) were collected from multiple sources. The findings reveal that CS hosts have definite altruistic motivations, namely relaxation and pleasure, socialization, knowledge enhancement, and escape, which are reflected in behaviors through hospitality, close interaction, daily life involvement, and trust establishment. CS should be a win-win situation both to the hosts and surfers in a nonmonetary way. Hosts are heterogeneous groups with significant cross-cultural differences between the US and Chinese samples.
Risk-Aware Travel Path Planning Algorithm Based on Reinforcement Learning during COVID-19
Authors: Wang Zhijian , Yang Jianpeng , Zhang Qiang , Wang Li
Published: October 2022

The outbreak of COVID-19 brought great inconvenience to people’s daily travel. In order to provide people with a path planning scheme that takes into account both safety and travel distance, a risk aversion path planning model in urban traffic scenarios was established through reinforcement learning. We have designed a state and action space of agents in a “point-to-point” way. Moreover, we have extracted the road network model and impedance matrix through SUMO simulation, and have designed a Restricted Reinforcement Learning-Artificial Potential Field (RRL-APF) algorithm, which can optimize the Q-table initialization operation before the agent learning and the action selection strategy during learning. The greedy coefficient is dynamically adjusted through the improved greedy strategy. Finally, according to different scenarios, our algorithm is verified by the road network model and epidemic historical data in the surrounding areas of Xinfadi, Beijing, China, and comparisons are made with common Q-Learning, the Sarsa algorithm and the artificial potential field-based reinforcement learning (RLAFP) algorithm. The results indicate that our algorithm improves convergence speed by 35% on average and the travel distance is reduced by 4.3% on average, while avoiding risk areas, compared with the other three algorithms.
Measuring Neighbourhood Walking Access for Older Adults
Authors: Fatima Kaniz , Moridpour Sara , Saghapour Tayebeh
Published: October 2022

Older adults are an important part of the world’s population. Many researchers have worked on walking as a mode of transport and measuring walking access. However, considering older adults (aged 65 and over) walk time, older population, and older pedestrians’ safety to measure walking accessibility has not been widely discussed. This study proposes two Walking Accessibility Index (OWAI1 and OWAI2) to measure walking access levels for older adults around the neighbourhoods. The index considers the older travelers’ walk time to reach various destinations (e.g., shopping, healthcare, education, and recreation services), land use mix, pedestrian crash datasets, street connectivity and the older population. Among these two proposed indices, OWAI1 statistically performs better. The transport and urban planners can use the newly developed OWAI1 for future planning and policy implementations. The index may be applied to measure disabled commuters’ walking access levels as considerable walking speed is lower. Besides, the proposed index is also appropriate for other adults by using the corresponding variables for that particular age group. Metropolitan Melbourne is used in this paper as the case study to measure older adults’ walking accessibility. This paper outlines that the older adults’ walking access level is very low for most Melbourne areas, negatively impacting their travel behavior.
The Integrated Approach for Organic and Inorganic Sources of Nutrients to Enhance Performance of Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) under Sub-Humid Climatic Conditions
Authors: Koodi Sunita , Ameta Kapil Dev , Kaushik Ram Avatar , Choudhary Ashok , Jain Devendra , Dudwal Babu Lal , Kumar Uttam , Farooq Taimoor Hassan , Gulnaz Aneela , Al-Sadoon Mohammad Khalid
Published: October 2022

To overcome the limitations of soil fertility and provide high crop output, soil fertility management, including the sensible use of mixes of organic and inorganic fertilizers, is a realistic approach. The strategy of integrated nutrient usage was used since there was a decrease in soil characteristics and crop productivity as a result of the overuse of chemical fertilizers. The present study was designed in 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 at the high-tech unit, Department of Horticulture, Udaipur to investigate the integrated use of FYM and inorganic fertilizers along with silicon on the development and output parameters of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.). The field experiment was carried out with fourteen treatments as a soil application under randomized block design. The results revealed that treatment T14 (50% recommended dose of nitrogen by FYM + 50% recommended dose of fertilizers + 100 kg Silicon/ha) showed maximum plant height at harvest (65.73 cm), number of leaves per plant (24.27), leaf area index (11.83), chlorophyll content at 50 days after transplanting (1.99 mg/g), stalk length (8.23 cm) and stem girth (7.41 cm), minimum number of days to curd initiation after transplanting (66.37), minimum number of days required for marketable curd maturity after transplanting (89.17), maximum plant weight (1154.74 g), diameter of curd (15.75 cm), curd yield (277.53 q/ha) and dry weight of curd (91.41 g) as compared to control. In the end, the results showed that the growth and yield of cauliflower were better when silicon, manure, and chemical fertilizers were used together.
Smart Water Resource Management Using Artificial Intelligence—A Review
Authors: Krishnan Siva Rama , Nallakaruppan M. K. , Chengoden Rajeswari , Koppu Srinivas , Iyapparaja M. , Sadhasivam Jayakumar , Sethuraman Sankaran
Published: October 2022

Water management is one of the crucial topics discussed in most of the international forums. Water harvesting and recycling are the major requirements to meet the global upcoming demand of the water crisis, which is prevalent. To achieve this, we need more emphasis on water management techniques that are applied across various categories of the applications. Keeping in mind the population density index, there is a dire need to implement intelligent water management mechanisms for effective distribution, conservation and to maintain the water quality standards for various purposes. The prescribed work discusses about few major areas of applications that are required for efficient water management. Those are recent trends in wastewater recycle, water distribution, rainwater harvesting and irrigation management using various Artificial Intelligence (AI) models. The data acquired for these applications are purely unique and also differs by type. Hence, there is a dire need to use a model or algorithm that can be applied to provide solutions across all these applications. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning (DL) techniques along with the Internet of things (IoT) framework can facilitate in designing a smart water management system for sustainable water usage from natural resources. This work surveys various water management techniques and the use of AI/DL along with the IoT network and case studies, sample statistical analysis to develop an efficient water management framework.
Information Extraction and Prediction of Rocky Desertification Based on Remote Sensing Data
Authors: Cao Jiaju , Wen Xingping , Zhang Meimei , Luo Dayou , Tan Yinlong
Published: October 2022

Rock desertification has become the third most serious ecological problem in western China after desertification and soil erosion. It is also the primary environmental problem to be solved in the karst region of southwest China. Karst landscapes in China are mainly distributed in southwest China, and the area centered on the Guizhou plateau is the center of karst landscape development in southern China. It has a fragile ecological environment, and natural factors and human activities have influenced the development of stone desertification in the karst areas to different degrees. In this paper, Dafang County, Guizhou Province, was selected as the study area to analyze the effect of the decision tree and multiple linear regression model on stone desertification and to analyze the evolution characteristics of stone desertification in Dafang County from 2005 to 2020. The FLUS model was applied to predict and validate the stone desertification information. The results show that the overall accuracy of multiple linear regression extraction of stone desertification is 70%, and the Kappa coefficient is 0.69; the overall accuracy of decision tree extraction of stone desertification is 60%, and the Kappa coefficient is 0.521. The multiple linear regression stone desertification extraction model is more accurate than the traditional decision tree classification. The overlay analysis of stone desertification and slope, elevation, slope direction and vegetation cover showed that stone desertification was more distributed between 1300–1900 m in elevation; stone desertification decreased gradually with the increase in slope; each grade of stone desertification was mainly distributed in the range of 5 to 25° in slope, which might be related to human activities. The FLUS model was used to predict the accuracy of 2015 data in the region and project the changes in stone desertification area in 2035 under a conventional scenario and an ecological protection scenario in the region to provide a new reference for predicting stone desertification.
Modern Methods of Sustainable Behaviour Analysis—The Case of Purchasing FMCG
Authors: Biercewicz Konrad , Chrąchol-Barczyk Urszula , Duda Jarosław , Wiścicka-Fernando Małgorzata
Published: October 2022

In this manuscript, the authors aim to explore sustainable consumer behaviour during shopping at a self-service store with fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). An innovative combination of virtual reality (VR) equipment and an electroencephalogram (EEG) was used in the study. The objective of the study was to gather information as to how consumers make shopping decisions when buying fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). The studies conducted so far have used either VR or EEG. To the best knowledge of the authors, no results of a study from the FMCG sector using both these devices simultaneously have ever been published. The results of the pilot studies are presented in the paper. The presented results constitute a part of a wider research project within the scope of which a triangulation of the research methods was used, enabling deeper analyses to be conducted of conscious and non-conscious aspects of the study subjects. The authors analysed primary data indicative of sustainable consumer behaviour. Descriptive statistics, including such measures as a mean value, standard deviation, and correlation analysis, as well as the Valence/Arousal Index, were used. The conducted studies provided knowledge of sustainable behaviour for two types of consumers – non-routine and considerate. Moreover, emotion indicators for FMCG products were defined, out of which the highest satisfaction was recorded for salmon as a product.
Classifying Vegetation Types in Mountainous Areas with Fused High Spatial Resolution Images: The Case of Huaguo Mountain, Jiangsu, China
Authors: Chen Dan , Fei Xianyun , Wang Zhen , Gao Yajun , Shen Xiaowei , Han Tingting , Zhang Yuanzhi
Published: October 2022

This study tested image fusion quality aiming at vegetation classification in the Kongquegou scenic location on the southern slope of Huaguo Mountain in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China. Four fusion algorithms were used to fuse WorldView-2 multispectral and panchromatic images: GS (Gram-Schmidt) transform, Ehlers, Wavelet transform, and Modified IHS. The fusion effect was evaluated through visual comparison, quantitative index analysis, and vegetation classification accuracy. The study result revealed that GS and Wavelet transformation produced higher spectral fidelity and better-quality fusion images, followed by Modified IHS and Ehlers. In terms of vegetation classification, for the Wavelet transform, both spectral information and adding spatial structure provided higher accuracy and displayed suitability for vegetation classification in the selected area. Meanwhile, although the spectral features obtained better classification accuracy using the Modified IHS, adding spatial structure to the classification process produced less improvement and a lower robustness effect. The GS transform yielded better spectral fidelity but relatively low vegetation classification accuracy using spectral features only and combined spectral features and spatial structure. Lastly, the Ehlers method’s vegetation classification results were similar to those of the GS transform image fusion method. Additionally, the accuracy was significantly improved in the fused images compared to the multispectral image. Overall, Wavelet transforms showed the best vegetation classification results in the study area among the four fusion algorithms.
Climate Change Affecting Forest Fire and Flood Risk—Facts, Predictions, and Perceptions in Central and South Greece
Authors: Angra Dimitra , Sapountzaki Kalliopi
Published: October 2022

Global Climate change (CC) is featured by long-term changes in the mean values of climatic parameters (predominantly mean temperature) and in the profile of extreme weather events (e.g., increase in frequency, intensity, lengthening, and persistence). These climatic changes are supposed to have a deterioration impact on forest fire and flood disasters. Greece, an east Mediterranean country, is featured by a wide variety of micro-climates due to its unique geographical diversity, including hot and dry summers in the eastern part of the country (where a large amount of precipitation falls in the form of showers and thunderstorms) and wet winters in the western part. The combination of certain climatic zones with unfavorable land use and land cover changing patterns has resulted in several regions being prone to flooding and forest fires. The authors, based on relevant records, consider central and south Greece as flood and forest fire hotspots and attempt to: (a) present scientific estimations of local climate changes; (b) outline recent trends in the number of respective disasters and the amount of losses in these regions; (c) address recent changes in local climatic factors that might have influenced flood and forest fire hazard and risk in these regions; and (d) study the perceptions of the lay public and management authorities regarding the accountability of CC for flood and forest fire risk and hazard changes. The results show the variability of climate changes between neighboring areas, which directly affect the risk of forest fires and floods. Especially since the beginning of the 21st century, central Greece has been experiencing dramatic increases in both risks, while in south Greece the latter remain relatively stable. With regard to the perceptions of citizens and management authorities, the mental connection of local CC with forest fires and floods is still weak if not totally missing. Since knowledge and perceptions of the local “history” of forest fires and floods and the interconnections with CC by region is very important for the local communities to take appropriate mitigation and adaptation measures, this paper outlines a methodological path for similar studies to be conducted also in other regions of the Mediterranean basin and beyond.
Start-Up Accelerators and Their Impact on Sustainability: Literature Analysis and Case Studies from the Energy Sector
Authors: Bańka Michał , Salwin Mariusz , Kukurba Maria , Rychlik Szymon , Kłos Joanna , Sychowicz Monika
Published: October 2022

Start-up accelerators are units supporting entrepreneurs (substantively, financially, legally, and organizationally) in establishing and running young and innovative companies such as start-ups. The commencing energy crisis has led to the need for energy savings, as well as the need to change energy policies and implement energy transformation, creating a wide field for start-ups and start-up accelerators. Making full use of potentially innovative solutions developed by start-ups is, in turn, essential for energy giants and related accelerators in the market. This has created the need for specific research in this direction. Therefore, in this paper we review the literature for 2011–2021 with respect to the role of accelerators supporting start-ups. A survey based on the Scopus database resulted in the identification of 76 papers on accelerators. Particular attention was paid to aspects of sustainable development (economic, social, and environmental). The analysis indicated that 75 works dealt with the economic aspects, 35 focused on social aspects, and only 5 focused on environmental aspects. Due to the perceived gap related to the small number of works dealing with environmental aspects, a decision was made to analyse the energy sector and the methods of operation of accelerators in this sector. Three models found in the market that were used by energy companies to cooperate with start-ups were characterized, along with their goals, in an attempt to enable an improved understanding as to which acceleration model best fits a manager’s organization. The models were supported by case studies—a model of commercial cooperation between a corporation and an external accelerator, a model of creating a corporate accelerator within an internal structure, and a hybrid model.
Herbicide-Resistance in Turf Systems: Insights and Options for Managing Complexity
Authors: Allen Jennifer H. , Ervin David E. , Frisvold George B. , Brosnan James T. , McCurdy James D. , Bowling Rebecca G. , Patton Aaron J. , Elmore Matthew T. , Gannon Travis W. , McCarty Lambert B. , McCullough Patrick E. , Kaminski John E. , Askew Shawn D. , Kowalewski Alec R. , Unruh J. Bryan , McElroy J. Scott , Bagavathiannan Muthukumar V.
Published: October 2022

Due to complex interactions between social and ecological systems, herbicide resistance has classic features of a “wicked problem”. Herbicide-resistant (HR) Poa annua poses a risk to sustainably managing U.S. turfgrass systems, but there is scant knowledge to guide its management. Six focus groups were conducted throughout the United States to gain understanding of socio-economic barriers to adopting herbicide-resistance management practices. Professionals from major turfgrass sectors (golf courses, sports fields, lawn care, and seed/sod production) were recruited as focus-group participants. Discussions emphasized challenges of the weed management of turfgrass systems as compared to agronomic crops. This included greater time constraints for managing weeds and more limited chemical control options. Lack of understanding about the proper use of compounds with different modes of action was identified as a threat to sustainable weed management. There were significant regional differences in perceptions of the existence, geographic scope, and social and ecological causes of HR in managing Poa annua. Effective resistance management will require tailoring chemical and non-chemical practices to the specific conditions of different turfgrass sectors and regions. Some participants thought it would be helpful to have multi-year resistance management programs that are both sector- and species-specific.
Heat Transfer in an Inclined Rectangular Cavity Filled with Hybrid Nanofluid Attached to a Vertical Heated Wall Integrated with PCM: An Experimental Study
Authors: Al-Maliki Muqdad , Al-Farhany Khaled , Sarris Ioannis E.
Published: October 2022

In this paper, natural convective heat transfer in a rectangular cavity filled with (50% CuO-50% Al2O3)/water hybrid nanofluids connected to a wall containing a phase change material (PCM) has been experimentally investigated. The vertical walls were heated at varying temperatures while the horizontal walls were kept adiabatic. The considered parameters were the concentration of hybrid nanomaterial (Φ = 0.03, 0.05), the cavity inclination angle (θ = 0°, 30°, 45°), and the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides (∆T = 10, 15, 20 °C). The results have been validated and agree well with previously published papers. Furthermore, the main results stated that when the nanomaterial concentration increased, the heat transfer rate by free convection also increased. By increasing the natural convection flows via high temperature, symmetrical vortexes may appear near the heated wall. It also found that the PCM can potentially reduce the temperature of the hot side by up to 22% due to its high absorbability and heat storage. Furthermore, the inclusion of hybrid nanofluids in addition to the PCM enhanced its efficiency in heat storage and, therefore, its capacity to cool the hot side. Moreover, the influence of the inclination cavity enhanced the heat transfer, where θ = 30° was the optimal angle in terms of thermal conductivity.
Impact of a 5-Year Mass Drug Administration Programme for Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases on the Spatial Distribution of Childhood Anaemia in Burundi from 2007 to 2011
Authors: Assoum Mohamad , Ortu Giuseppina , Basáñez Maria-Gloria , Lau Colleen , Clements Archie C. A. , Halton Kate , Fenwick Alan , Magalhães Ricardo J. Soares
Published: October 2022

Background: Childhood anaemia affects 1.8 billion people globally. Little is known about the long-term impact of mass drug administration (MDA) for the control of soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) on the spatiotemporal variation of anaemia prevalence and severity. We describe the long-term spatiotemporal impact of a 5-year STH MDA programme (2007–2011) on the prevalence of anaemia and anaemia severity in school-aged children (SAC) in Burundi. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used annual haemoglobin concentration and STH data collected during 2007–2011 in 31 schools in Burundi. Spatial dependence in prevalence and severity of anaemia was assessed using semivariograms. Bayesian geostatistical models were developed to (a) quantify the role of STH (adjusted for other anaemia determinants) in the spatiotemporal distribution of anaemia prevalence/severity, and (b) predict the geographical variation of both outcomes across Burundi. Adjusted population data were used to estimate the geographical distribution of the number of SAC at risk of anaemia and with low and moderate/severe anaemia. Infections with Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura were positively and significantly associated with childhood anaemia; hookworm infections were not. A significant decrease in anaemia prevalence, from 40–50% (2008) to 10–20% (2011) was predicted in western areas. The predicted prevalence of low-severity anaemia decreased from 40–50% (2008) to <20% (2011) in southern and eastern areas. Moderate/high-severity anaemia was concentrated in western regions of Burundi, with pockets of moderate/high-severity anaemia in central and northern regions in 2008. The overall number of predicted anaemic children decreased from 443,657 (2008) to 232,304 (2011), with a resurgence after MDA disruption in 2010 (to 480,605). Prevalence of low- and moderate-severity anaemia was higher in boys than in girls. Conclusions/Significance: Despite ongoing MDA, the prevalence of anaemia in SAC remained high and increased in certain parts of the country. It is recommended that MDA programmes targeting STH are complemented with specific anaemia interventions.
An Innovative Test for the Rapid Detection of Specific IgG Antibodies in Human Whole-Blood for the Diagnosis of Opisthorchis viverrini Infection
Authors: Sadaow Lakkhana , Rodpai Rutchanee , Janwan Penchom , Boonroumkaew Patcharaporn , Sanpool Oranuch , Thanchomnang Tongjit , Yamasaki Hiroshi , Ittiprasert Wannaporn , Mann Victoria H. , Brindley Paul J. , Maleewong Wanchai , Intapan Pewpan M.
Published: October 2022

Chronic human liver fluke infections caused by Opisthorchis viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis can last for decades and cause liver and biliary diseases, including life-threatening pathology prior to cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). CCA generally has a poor prognosis. Serological diagnosis can support parasitological examination in diagnosing disease and screening for the risk of CCA. Here, we present an improved and innovative lateral flow immunochromatographic test (ICT) kit that uses whole-blood samples (WBS) rather than serum to diagnose human opisthorchiasis, which also successfully diagnosed human clonorchiasis. This ICT includes a soluble worm extract of O. viverrini adults and colloidal-gold-labeled conjugates of the IgG antibody to evaluate the diagnostic values with simulated WBS (n = 347). Simulated WBS were obtained by the spiking infection sera with red blood cells. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy for detecting opisthorchiasis were 95.5%, 87.0%, 80.5%, 97.2%, and 90.1%, respectively. For clonorchiasis, these findings were 85.7%, 87.0%, 53.6%, 97.2%, and 86.8%, respectively. Combined for both diseases, they were 93.2%, 87.0%, 84.0%, 94.6%, and 89.6%, respectively. The ICT kit can possibly replace the ICT platforms for antibody detection in serum samples in field surveys in remote areas where sophisticated equipment is not available.
Seroprevalence of Four Polyomaviruses Linked to Dermatological Diseases: New Findings and a Comprehensive Analysis
Authors: Jeles Krisztina , Katona Melinda , Csoma Eszter
Published: October 2022

Our aim was to study the seroprevalence of human polyomaviruses (HPyV) linked to skin diseases. A total of 552 serum samples were analysed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect IgG antibodies against Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), HPyV6, HPyV7 and Trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus (TSPyV) using recombinant major capsid proteins of these viruses. The individuals (age 0.8–85 years, median 33) were sorted into seven age groups: <6, 6–10, 10–14, 14–21, 21–40, 40–60 and >60 years. The adulthood seroprevalence was 69.3%, 87.7%, 83.8% and 85% for MCPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7 and TSPyV, respectively. For all four polyomaviruses, there was increasing seropositivity with age until reaching the adulthood level. There was a significant increase in seroreactivity for those age groups in which the rate of already-infected individuals also showed significant differences. The adulthood seropositvity was relatively stable with ageing, except for TSPyV, for which elevated seropositivity was observed for the elderly (>60 years) age group. Since seroepidemiological data have been published with wide ranges for all the viruses studied, we performed a comprehensive analysis comparing the published age-specific seropositivities to our data. Although the cohorts, methods and even the antigens were variable among the studies, there were similar results for all studied polyomaviruses. For MCPyV, geographically distinct genotypes might exist, which might also result in the differences in the seroprevalence data. Additional studies with comparable study groups and methods are required to clarify whether there are geographical differences.
Prospective Case Series of Clinical Signs and Adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) Concentrations in Seven Horses Transitioning to Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID)
Authors: Kirkwood Naomi C. , Hughes Kristopher J. , Stewart Allison J.
Published: October 2022

Poor recognition of subtle clinical abnormalities and equivocal ACTH concentrations make early diagnosis of PPID difficult. Progressive clinical findings and corresponding ACTH concentrations in horses transitioning to PPID over time have not been documented. Seven horses with ACTH concentrations equivocal for PPID (utilizing locally derived, seasonally adjusted diagnostic-cut off values (DCOV)) and no clinical signs of PPID were selected. Sequential measurement of basal and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-stimulated ACTH concentrations and recording of clinical findings occurred from October 2017 to November 2021 in a prospective case series. In two horses, marked hypertrichosis developed. Although 1/11 basal ACTH concentrations were below DCOV in 2018, subsequently all basal ACTH concentrations in these two horses without treatment were greater than DCOV. One horse was treated with pergolide which normalized basal ACTH concentrations. Four horses developed intermittent, mild hypertrichosis, and one horse never developed hypertrichosis. Basal ACTH concentrations in these five horses were greater than DCOV in 63/133 (47.4%) of testing points. TRH-stimulated ACTH concentrations in these five horses were greater than DCOV in 77/133 (57.9%) of testing points, sometimes markedly increased and greater than the assay upper limit of detection (LoD) of 1250pg/mL. TRH-stimulated ACTH concentrations were most frequently positive in late summer and early autumn, with 24/37 (64.9%) of TRH-stimulated ACTH concentrations greater than the DCOV in February and March. Horses transitioning to PPID can have subtle clinical signs and equivocal ACTH concentrations. However, TRH-stimulated ACTH concentrations can be markedly greater than DCOV, especially in late summer and early autumn (February and March) allowing for identification of subclinical and transitional cases.
Some topical issues of prevention of salmonella infection in the production and consumption of chicken eggs: the role of disinfection in the context of antiepidemic measures
Authors:   Republican Unitary Enterprise «Scientific and Practical Center of Hygiene», Minsk, Republic of Belarus, Vasilkevich V. M.
Published: October 2022

Chicken eggs and their processed products are food products that have valuable nutritional and dietary properties.However, the shell and the food eggs themselves can be infected with Salmonella pathogens — Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium. The prevalence of salmonella infection associated with the production and consumption of chicken eggs, economic losses from the diagnosis and treatment of patients predetermine the need for a comprehensive study of risk factors, the development and improvement of a set of measures to prevent this anthropozoon infection. An analytical review of the scientific literature and regulatory documents allowed us to conclude that for the prevention of salmonellosis, it is necessary to develop and implement a set of sanitary and veterinary measures aimed at breaking the vertical and horizontal transmission routes of infection, covering all links of the food chain (from laying hens to eating eggs), among which disinfection measures play an important role.