bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Unsupervised Learning-Based Spatial Co-Location Detection System from Low-Power Consumption Sensor
Authors: Kosasih David Ishak , Lee Byung-Gook , Lim Hyotaek , Atiquzzaman Mohammed
Published: July 2021

Spatial co-location detection is the task of inferring the co-location of two or more objects in the geographic space. Mobile devices, especially a smartphone, are commonly employed to accomplish this task with the human object. Previous work focused on analyzing mobile GPS data to accomplish this task. While this approach may guarantee high accuracy from the perspective of the data, it is considered inefficient since knowing the object’s absolute geographic location is not required to accomplish this task. This work proposed the implementation of the unsupervised learning-based algorithm, namely convolutional autoencoder, to infer the co-location of people from a low-power consumption sensor data—magnetometer readings. The idea is that if the trained model can also reconstruct the other data with the structural similarity (SSIM) index being above 0.5, we can then conclude that the observed individuals were co-located. The evaluation of our system has indicated that the proposed approach could recognize the spatial co-location of people from magnetometer readings.
Wind Booster Optimization for On-Site Energy Generation Using Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines
Authors: Moreno-Armendáriz Marco A. , Duchanoy Carlos A. , Calvo Hiram , Ibarra-Ontiveros Eddy , Salcedo-Castañeda Jesua S. , Ayala-Canseco Michel , García Damián
Published: July 2021

Large cities have a significant area of buildings with roofs that are not used most of the time. Vertical-axis wind turbines are suitable for this kind of on-site renewable energy generation. Since wind speeds are not high in these cities, a suitable solution to improve energy generation is to add a Wind Booster. This paper presents a methodology useful for selecting and optimizing the main components of a Wind Booster. As a case of study, we present this methodology in a Wind Booster for a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) that considers the wind flow’s specific behavior in a particular city. The final Wind Booster design is state of the art and makes use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Design of Experiments (DOE) techniques. We experimented with the conditions of Mexico City, obtaining a 35.23% increase in torque with the optimized Wind Booster configuration. The results obtained show the potential of this methodology to improve the performance of this kind of system. Moreover, since wind behavior is very different in each city, our proposal could be beneficial for researchers looking to implement the best possible wind turbine in their locality.
Gender and Age Estimation Methods Based on Speech Using Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Kwasny Damian , Hemmerling Daria
Published: July 2021

The speech signal contains a vast spectrum of information about the speaker such as speakers’ gender, age, accent, or health state. In this paper, we explored different approaches to automatic speaker’s gender classification and age estimation system using speech signals. We applied various Deep Neural Network-based embedder architectures such as x-vector and d-vector to age estimation and gender classification tasks. Furthermore, we have applied a transfer learning-based training scheme with pre-training the embedder network for a speaker recognition task using the Vox-Celeb1 dataset and then fine-tuning it for the joint age estimation and gender classification task. The best performing system achieves new state-of-the-art results on the age estimation task using popular TIMIT dataset with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 5.12 years for male and 5.29 years for female speakers and a root-mean square error (RMSE) of 7.24 and 8.12 years for male and female speakers, respectively, and an overall gender recognition accuracy of 99.60%.
Gait Variability and Complexity during Single and Dual-Task Walking on Different Surfaces in Outdoor Environment
Authors: Nohelova Denisa , Bizovska Lucia , Vuillerme Nicolas , Svoboda Zdenek
Published: July 2021

Nowadays, gait assessment in the real life environment is gaining more attention. Therefore, it is desirable to know how some factors, such as surfaces (natural, artificial) or dual-tasking, influence real life gait pattern. The aim of this study was to assess gait variability and gait complexity during single and dual-task walking on different surfaces in an outdoor environment. Twenty-nine healthy young adults aged 23.31 ± 2.26 years (18 females, 11 males) walked at their preferred walking speed on three different surfaces (asphalt, cobbles, grass) in single-task and in two dual-task conditions (manual task—carrying a cup filled with water, cognitive task—subtracting the number 7). A triaxial inertial sensor attached to the lower trunk was used to record trunk acceleration during gait. From 15 strides, sample entropy (SampEn) as an indicator of gait complexity and root mean square (RMS) as an indicator of gait variability were computed. The findings demonstrate that in an outdoor environment, the surfaces significantly impacted only gait variability, not complexity, and that the tasks affected both gait variability and complexity in young healthy adults.
Energy Efficient SWIPT Based Mobile Edge Computing Framework for WSN-Assisted IoT
Authors: Chen Fangni , Wang Anding , Zhang Yu , Ni Zhengwei , Hua Jingyu
Published: July 2021

With the increasing deployment of IoT devices and applications, a large number of devices that can sense and monitor the environment in IoT network are needed. This trend also brings great challenges, such as data explosion and energy insufficiency. This paper proposes a system that integrates mobile edge computing (MEC) technology and simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) technology to improve the service supply capability of WSN-assisted IoT applications. A novel optimization problem is formulated to minimize the total system energy consumption under the constraints of data transmission rate and transmitting power requirements by jointly considering power allocation, CPU frequency, offloading weight factor and energy harvest weight factor. Since the problem is non-convex, we propose a novel alternate group iteration optimization (AGIO) algorithm, which decomposes the original problem into three subproblems, and alternately optimizes each subproblem using the group interior point iterative algorithm. Numerical simulations validate that the energy consumption of our proposed design is much lower than the two benchmark algorithms. The relationship between system variables and energy consumption of the system is also discussed.
Reversible Jump MCMC for Deghosting in MSPSR Systems
Authors: Kulmon Pavel
Published: July 2021

This paper deals with bistatic track association and deghosting in the classical frequency modulation (FM)-based multi-static primary surveillance radar (MSPSR). The main contribution of this paper is a novel algorithm for bistatic track association and deghosting. The proposed algorithm is based on a hierarchical model which uses the Indian buffet process (IBP) as the prior probability distribution for the association matrix. The inference of the association matrix is then performed using the classical reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (RJMCMC) algorithm with the usage of a custom set of the moves proposed by the sampler. A detailed description of the moves together with the underlying theory and the whole model is provided. Using the simulated data, the algorithm is compared with the two alternative ones and the results show the significantly better performance of the proposed algorithm in such a simulated setup. The simulated data are also used for the analysis of the properties of Markov chains produced by the sampler, such as the convergence or the posterior distribution. At the end of the paper, further research on the proposed method is outlined.
The Complexity of Heavy Work Investment (HWI): A Conceptual Integration and Review of Antecedents, Dimensions, and Outcomes
Authors: Tabak Filiz , Tziner Aharon , Shkoler Or , Rabenu Edna
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this paper is to bring conceptual clarity to the heavy work investment (HWI) construct while building a model based on a review of extant empirical and theoretical research and to encourage further discussion and investigations regarding the nature of HWI, specifically its individual level antecedents, dimensions, and outcomes for both the employee and the organization. The proposed theoretical framework builds upon the Job Demands–Resources model and conceptualizes HWI on a continuum of workaholism and work engagement. Specific propositions for the antecedents and outcomes of the HWI continuum are developed. The paper ends with a discussion of future research directions.
Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen Production in the USA
Authors: Falter Christoph , Sizmann Andreas
Published: July 2021

Hydrogen produced from renewable energy has the potential to decarbonize parts of the transport sector and many other industries. For a sustainable replacement of fossil energy carriers, both the environmental and economic performance of its production are important. Here, the solar thermochemical hydrogen pathway is characterized with a techno-economic and life-cycle analysis. Assuming a further increase of conversion efficiency and a reduction of investment costs, it is found that hydrogen can be produced in the United States of America at costs of 2.1–3.2 EUR/kg (2.4–3.6 USD/kg) at specific greenhouse gas emissions of 1.4 kg CO2-eq/kg. A geographical potential analysis shows that a maximum of 8.4 × 1011 kg per year can be produced, which corresponds to about twelve times the current global and about 80 times the current US hydrogen production. The best locations are found in the Southwest of the US, which have a high solar irradiation and short distances to the sea, which is beneficial for access to desalinated water. Unlike for petrochemical products, the transport of hydrogen could potentially present an obstacle in terms of cost and emissions under unfavorable circumstances. Given a large-scale deployment, low-cost transport seems, however, feasible.
Sustainable-Performance Instrument Development and Validation in the Northern Cyprus Banking Sector
Authors: Karpuz Filiz , Güryay Erdal , Kirikkaleli Dervis
Published: July 2021

This study was conducted to develop and validate an instrument called sustainable performance (SP) in the banking sector. A mixed research design was used to understand the nature of SP techniques used by managers and employees from the banking sector. A qualitative approach was first employed to assess the types of SP techniques used through a set of interviews conducted with 11 bank managers. This was followed by a quantitative method to develop and validate an SP scale for use in the banking sector. Items for the assessment of SP were developed with a dataset comprising 415 people, and statistical analyses supported both the validity and reliability of this measurement instrument. This instrument consists of 39 items designed as a 5-point Likert scale. The study is restricted to the investigation that was conducted in certain banks operating in North Cyprus. The implications of the study suggest that managers and researchers could use SP to improve the firm performance of their organizations. This study makes a strong contribution by filling a gap in the literature. It focuses on assessing the SP performance of banks to understand their level of competitiveness.
The Influence of Dual Missions on Employees’ Meaning of Work and Turnover Intention in Social Enterprises
Authors: Sun Jonghun , Sohn Young Woo
Published: July 2021

This study aims to examine the influence of an organization’s missions on employees’ turnover intention in the rarely studied context of social enterprises. Data collected from 236 full-time employees working for social enterprises in South Korea indicated that the negative relationship between social mission and turnover intention was mediated by the meaning of work; this mediation effect was weaker when the economic mission was stronger. The study contributes to the literature on organizational psychology (i.e., meaning of work, turnover) in the context of a new, but increasingly prevalent, organizational form—social enterprises. It also provides practical advice for managers seeking to retain and empower employees and enhance the sustainability of their social enterprises.
Sharing Anxiety Is in the Driver’s Seat: Analyzing User Acceptance of Dynamic Ridepooling and Its Implications for Shared Autonomous Mobility
Authors: Dolins Sigma , Strömberg Helena , Wong Yale Z. , Karlsson MariAnne
Published: July 2021

As connected, electric, and autonomous vehicle (AV) services are developed for cities, the research is conclusive that the use of these services must be shared to achieve maximum efficiency. Yet, few agencies have prioritised designing an AV system that focuses on dynamic ridepooling, and there remains a gap in the understanding of what makes people willing to share their rides. However, in 2017, the Australian transport authority Transport for New South Wales launched over a dozen trials for on-demand, shared public transport, including AVs. In this paper, we investigate the user willingness-to-share, based on experiences from one of these trials. Four focus groups (19 participants in total) were held in New South Wales with active users of either the trialled on-demand dynamic ridepooling service (Keoride) or commercial ridepooling (UberPool). Through thematic analysis of the focus group conversations, the cost, comfort, convenience, safety, community culture, and trust in authority emerged as factors that influenced the willingness-to-share. When presented with driverless scenarios, the focus group participants had significant concerns about the unknown behaviour of their co-passengers, revealing sharing anxiety as a significant barrier to the adoption of shared AVs. This paper identifies previously disregarded factors that influence the adoption of AVs and dynamic ridepooling and offers insights on how potential users’ sharing anxiety can be mitigated.
Research on Dynamic Reactive Power Compensation Scheme for Inhibiting Subsequent Commutation Failure of MIDC
Authors: Zhang Yifan , Tang Fei , Qin Fanghua , Li Yu , Gao Xin , Du Nianchun
Published: July 2021

Commutation failure at the inverter side of an MIDC (multi-infeed HVDC) is usually caused by AC system faults. Suppose the converter bus voltage cannot recover to the normal operation level in time: in that case, the commutation failure will then develop into more severe subsequent commutation failures or even DC blocking, which will severely threaten the security and stability of the system. Dynamic reactive power compensation equipment (DRPCE) can offer voltage support during accident recovery, stabilize voltage fluctuation and inhibit any subsequent commutation failure risk. This paper proposes the optimal DRPCE configuration scheme for maximizing both inhibitory effect and economic performance. The simulation results on MATLAB-BPA prove the scheme’s correctness and rationality, which can effectively inhibit the risk of subsequent commutation failure and obtain economic benefits.
Emission Characteristics of Hazardous Air Pollutants from Medium-Duty Diesel Trucks Based on Driving Cycles
Authors: Jung Sungwoon , Kim Sunmoon , Chung Taekho , Hong Heekyoung , Lee Seunghwan , Lim Jaehyun
Published: July 2021

Studies on the characteristics of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in the emissions of medium-duty diesel trucks are significantly insufficient compared to those on heavy-duty trucks. This study investigated the characteristics of regulated pollutants and HAPs, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), aldehydes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and estimated non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) speciation in the emissions of medium-duty diesel trucks. Ten medium-duty diesel trucks conforming to Euros 5 and 6 were tested for four various driving cycles (WLTC, NEDC, CVS-75, and NIER-9) using a chassis dynamometer. In an urban area such as Seoul, CO and NMHC emissions were increased because of its longer low-speed driving time. NOx emissions were the highest in the high-speed phase owing to the influence of thermal NOx. PM emissions were almost not emitted because of the DPF installation. Alkanes dominated non-methane volatile organic compound (NMVOC) emissions, 36–63% of which resulted from the low reaction of the diesel oxidation catalyst. Formaldehyde emissions were the highest for 35–53% among aldehydes irrespective of driving cycles. By sampling the particle-phase of PAHs, we detected benzo(k)fluoranthene and benzo(a)pyrene and estimated the concentrations of the gas-phase PAHs with models to obtain the total PAH concentrations. In the particle portion, benzo(k)fluoranthene and benzo(a)pyrene were over 69% and over 91%, respectively. The toxic equivalency quantities of benzo(k)fluoranthene and benzo(a)pyrene from NIER-9 (cold) for both Euro 5 and Euro 6 vehicles were more than five times higher than those of NIER (hot) and NEDC. In the case of NMHC speciation, formaldehyde emissions were the highest for 10–45% in all the driving cycles. Formaldehyde and benzene must be controlled in the emissions of medium-duty diesel trucks to reduce their health threats. The results of this study will aid in establishing a national emission inventory system for HAPs of mobile sources in Korea.
Exploring Fruit Tree Species as Multifunctional Greenery: A Case of Its Distribution in Indonesian Cities
Authors: Santosa Edi , Susila Anas Dinurrohman , Widodo Winarso Drajad , Nasrullah Nizar , Ruwaida Ismi Puji , Sari Rismita
Published: July 2021

Planting multifunctional trees (e.g., fruit species) in cities can promote genetic conservation, economic activity, ecosystem services, and social cohesion. However, in Indonesia, the relationship between the abundance of fruit tree species and different city characteristics, including their involvement in the national smart city project, is still unknown. In this study, published reports and field surveys were used to evaluate the fruit tree distribution and its relationship with the characteristics of 224 of 514 Indonesian cities in order to identify tree species for multifunctional city greenery. This is the first study on the distribution of fruit tree species at the national level. The study identified 151 fruit species of 90 genera and 40 families, including large-sized fruits, such as avocados, breadfruit, coconuts, durians, jackfruit, and mangos. On average, cities contained 54 tree species, of which 21 (38.9%) were fruit trees. These findings indicate that cities are important contributors to the genetic conservation of local fruit trees, which can be further evaluated as new city greenery. However, a city’s involvement in the smart city project bore no relationship (p > 0.05) with the number of identified fruit species. Conversely, non-fruit species tended to be more diverse in smart cities. Since the presence of fruit species is associated with the city population, geographic position, climate, altitude, and attitude towards the fragility of sustainable conservation, introducing and maintaining these species as city greenery requires advocacy to city stakeholders.
A Data-Driven Approach to Assess the Risk of Encountering Hazardous Materials in the Building Stock Based on Environmental Inventories
Authors: Wu Pei-Yu , Mjörnell Kristina , Mangold Mikael , Sandels Claes , Johansson Tim
Published: July 2021

The presence of hazardous materials hinders the circular economy in construction and demolition waste management. However, traditional environmental investigations are costly and time-consuming, and thus lead to limited adoption. To deal with these challenges, the study investigated the possibility of employing registered records as input data to achieve in situ hazardous building materials management at a large scale. Through characterizing the eligible building groups in question, the risk of unexpected cost and delay due to acute abatement could be mitigated. Merging the national building registers and the environmental inventory from renovated and demolished buildings in the City of Gothenburg, a training dataset was created for data validation and statistical operations. Four types of inventories were evaluated to identify the building groups with adequate data size and data quality. The observations’ representativeness was described by plotting the distribution of building features between the Gothenburg dataset and the training dataset. Evaluating the missing data and the positive detection rates affirmed that reports and protocols could locate hazardous materials in the building stock. The asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-containing materials with high positive detection rates were highlighted and discussed. Moreover, the potential inventory types and building groups for future machine learning prediction were delineated through the cross-validation matrix. The novel study contributes to the method development for assessing the risk of residual hazardous materials in buildings.
Only for Citizens? Local Political Engagement in Sweden and Inclusiveness of Terms
Authors: Guziana Bozena
Published: July 2021

In both policy and research, civic engagement and citizen participation are concepts commonly used as important dimensions of social sustainability. However, as migration is a global phenomenon of huge magnitude and complexity, citizen participation is incomplete without considering the political and ethical concerns about immigrants being citizens or non-citizens, or ‘the others’. Although research on citizen participation has been a frequent topic in local government studies in Sweden, the inclusiveness and exclusiveness of terms used in the context of local political engagement, which are addressed in this article, has not received attention. This article examines the Swedish case by analyzing information provided by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and by websites of all 290 municipalities as well terms used in selected research publications on local participation. Additionally, this article studies the effectiveness of municipal websites in providing information to their residents about how they can participate in local democracy. The results show that the term citizen is commonly and incorrectly used both by local authorities and the Association. The article concludes that the term citizen is a social construction of exclusiveness and the use of the term citizen should be avoided in political and civic engagement except for the limited topics that require formal citizenship.
Sustainable and Stable Clay Sand Liners over Time
Authors: Al-Mahbashi Ahmed M. , Dafalla Muawia , Shaker Abdullah , Al-Shamrani Mosleh A.
Published: July 2021

The washout of fine materials from liners consisting of clay–sand mixtures is expected to influence the hydraulic conductivity. Clay sand liners must be assessed for efficiency when initially subjected to flood or standing water as the wetting under a hydraulic gradient can cause fine material to move and migrate away from the mixture. During wetting and drying complex expansion and shrinkage, changes take place. These changes affect the hydraulic conductivity and are likely to go out of the design range set out for the facility. The research covers the behavior of two clay sand liners tested over an extended time. The hydraulic conductivity measured under a specific hydraulic gradient was measured continuously following the establishment of the test set-up. Self-recording sensors were used to measure the temperature during the tests. The results indicated that the hydraulic conductivity reduces after an initial period of increase and fluctuation caused by the loss of mass because of fine material migration and swelling initiated due to the high content of smectite minerals. The testing and monitoring continued for more than 400 days. The permanent reduction in the hydraulic conductivity occurs after the initial period of repeated rise and fall. The extent of the initial period for the two tested mixtures is subject to the fine content mass and the clay mineralogy. The continuous reduction in the hydraulic conductivity after the initial period is due to the rearrangement of particles and compression in the sand–clay mixture.
Solar Photovoltaic Architecture and Agronomic Management in Agrivoltaic System: A Review
Authors: Zainol Abidin Mohd Ashraf , Mahyuddin Muhammad Nasiruddin , Mohd Zainuri Muhammad Ammirrul Atiqi
Published: July 2021

Agrivoltaic systems (AVS) offer a symbiotic strategy for co-location sustainable renewable energy and agricultural production. This is particularly important in densely populated developing and developed countries, where renewable energy development is becoming more important; however, profitable farmland must be preserved. As emphasized in the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus, AVS advancements should not only focus on energy management, but also agronomic management (crop and water management). Thus, we critically review the important factors that influence the decision of energy management (solar PV architecture) and agronomic management in AV systems. The outcomes show that solar PV architecture and agronomic management advancements are reliant on (1) solar radiation qualities in term of light intensity and photosynthetically activate radiation (PAR), (2) AVS categories such as energy-centric, agricultural-centric, and agricultural-energy-centric, and (3) shareholder perspective (especially farmers). Next, several adjustments for crop selection and management are needed due to light limitation, microclimate condition beneath the solar structure, and solar structure constraints. More importantly, a systematic irrigation system is required to prevent damage to the solar panel structure. To summarize, AVS advancements should be carefully planned to ensure the goals of reducing reliance on non-renewable sources, mitigating global warming effects, and meeting the FEW initiatives.
Carbon Dioxide Footprint and Its Impacts: A Case of Academic Buildings
Authors: Abbasi Muhammad Aashed Khan , Khahro Shabir Hussain , Javed Yasir
Published: July 2021

Carbon emissions have been considered a major reason behind climate change and global warming. Various studies report that rapid urbanization and the changing demands of 21st century life have resulted in higher carbon emissions. This study aims to examine the carbon footprints in an academic building to observe the carbon dioxide (CO2) levels at crucial landmarks and offices. A sensor-based automated system was designed and implemented for the collection of CO2 concentrations at selected locations. In the final stage, a CO2 footprint map was generated to highlight the vulnerable areas of CO2 in the academic building. It was concluded that offices have higher CO2 concentrations at both intervals (morning and afternoon), followed by the laboratory, corridors, and praying area. The CO2 concentration did not exceed 500 ppm at any location. Thus, all locations other than offices had normal CO2 concentration levels. Similarly, the humidity level was also satisfactory. The average humidity level was below 50%, which is below the permissible value of 65%. The recommended range for temperature values as per ASHRAE standards is 22.5 °C to 25.5 °C, except for prayer places. It was concluded that the selected academic institute is providing a good environment to the users of the building, but that may change once the academic institute becomes fully functional after COVID-19. This study assists the stakeholders in making guidelines and necessary actions to reduce CO2 concentration in academic buildings, as it is expected to rise once the human load increases in the next academic year. The suggested approach can be used in any other country and the results will vary based on the building type, building energy type, and building ventilation design.
A Novel Analytical View of Time-Fractional Korteweg-De Vries Equations via a New Integral Transform
Authors: Rashid Saima , Khalid Aasma , Sultana Sobia , Hammouch Zakia , Shah Rasool , Alsharif Abdullah M.
Published: July 2021

We put into practice relatively new analytical techniques, the Shehu decomposition method and the Shehu iterative transform method, for solving the nonlinear fractional coupled Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation. The KdV equation has been developed to represent a broad spectrum of physics behaviors of the evolution and association of nonlinear waves. Approximate-analytical solutions are presented in the form of a series with simple and straightforward components, and some aspects show an appropriate dependence on the values of the fractional-order derivatives that are, in a certain sense, symmetric. The fractional derivative is proposed in the Caputo sense. The uniqueness and convergence analysis is carried out. To comprehend the analytical procedure of both methods, three test examples are provided for the analytical results of the time-fractional KdV equation. Additionally, the efficiency of the mentioned procedures and the reduction in calculations provide broader applicability. It is also illustrated that the findings of the current methodology are in close harmony with the exact solutions. It is worth mentioning that the proposed methods are powerful and are some of the best procedures to tackle nonlinear fractional PDEs.
Where to Next? Research Directions after the First Hepatitis C Vaccine Efficacy Trial
Authors: Phelps Christopher C. , Walker Christopher M. , Honegger Jonathan R.
Published: July 2021

Thirty years after its discovery, the hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a leading cause of liver disease worldwide. Given that many countries continue to experience high rates of transmission despite the availability of potent antiviral therapies, an effective vaccine is seen as critical for the elimination of HCV. The recent failure of the first vaccine efficacy trial for the prevention of chronic HCV confirmed suspicions that this virus will be a challenging vaccine target. Here, we examine the published data from this first efficacy trial along with the earlier clinical and pre-clinical studies of the vaccine candidate and then discuss three key research directions expected to be important in ongoing and future HCV vaccine development. These include the following: 1. design of novel immunogens that generate immune responses to genetically diverse HCV genotypes and subtypes, 2. strategies to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies against envelope glycoproteins in addition to cytotoxic and helper T cell responses, and 3. consideration of the unique immunological status of individuals most at risk for HCV infection, including those who inject drugs, in vaccine platform development and early immunogenicity trials.
Variant Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Genomes from Belgian Military Personnel Engaged in Overseas Missions and Operations
Authors: Pirnay Jean-Paul , Selhorst Philippe , Hong Samuel L. , Cochez Christel , Potter Barney , Maes Piet , Petrillo Mauro , Dudas Gytis , Claes Vincent , Van der Beken Yolien , Verbeken Gilbert , Degueldre Julie , Dellicour Simon , Cuypers Lize , T’Sas France , Van den Eede Guy , Verhasselt Bruno , Weuts Wouter , Smets Cedric , Mertens Jan , Geeraerts Philippe , Ariën Kevin K. , André Emmanuel , Neirinckx Pierre , Soentjens Patrick , Baele Guy
Published: July 2021

More than a year after the first identification of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as the causative agent of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China, the emergence and spread of genomic variants of this virus through travel raise concerns regarding the introduction of lineages in previously unaffected regions, requiring adequate containment strategies. Concomitantly, such introductions fuel worries about a possible increase in transmissibility and disease severity, as well as a possible decrease in vaccine efficacy. Military personnel are frequently deployed on missions around the world. As part of a COVID-19 risk mitigation strategy, Belgian Armed Forces that engaged in missions and operations abroad were screened (7683 RT-qPCR tests), pre- and post-mission, for the presence of SARS-CoV-2, including the identification of viral lineages. Nine distinct viral genotypes were identified in soldiers returning from operations in Niger, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, and Mali. The SARS-CoV-2 variants belonged to major clades 19B, 20A, and 20B (Nextstrain nomenclature), and included “variant of interest” B.1.525, “variant under monitoring” A.27, as well as lineages B.1.214, B.1, B.1.1.254, and A (pangolin nomenclature), some of which are internationally monitored due to the specific mutations they harbor. Through contact tracing and phylogenetic analysis, we show that isolation and testing policies implemented by the Belgian military command appear to have been successful in containing the influx and transmission of these distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants into military and civilian populations.
Coxsackievirus B3 Exploits the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System to Facilitate Viral Replication
Authors: Voss Martin , Braun Vera , Bredow Clara , Kloetzel Peter-Michael , Beling Antje
Published: July 2021

Infection by RNA viruses causes extensive cellular reorganization, including hijacking of membranes to create membranous structures termed replication organelles, which support viral RNA synthesis and virion assembly. In this study, we show that infection with coxsackievirus B3 entails a profound impairment of the protein homeostasis at virus-utilized membranes, reflected by an accumulation of ubiquitinylated proteins, including K48-linked polyubiquitin conjugates, known to direct proteins to proteasomal degradation. The enrichment of membrane-bound ubiquitin conjugates is attributed to the presence of the non-structural viral proteins 2B and 3A, which are known to perturb membrane integrity and can cause an extensive rearrangement of cellular membranes. The locally increased abundance of ubiquitinylated proteins occurs without an increase of oxidatively damaged proteins. During the exponential phase of replication, the oxidative damage of membrane proteins is even diminished, an effect we attribute to the recruitment of glutathione, which is known to be required for the formation of infectious virus particles. Furthermore, we show that the proteasome contributes to the processing of viral precursor proteins. Taken together, we demonstrate how an infection with coxsackievirus B3 affects the cellular protein and redox homeostasis locally at the site of viral replication and virus assembly.
Clinical Characteristics of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Who Received at Least One Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine
Authors: Rzymski Piotr , Pazgan-Simon Monika , Simon Krzysztof , Łapiński Tadeusz , Zarębska-Michaluk Dorota , Szczepańska Barbara , Chojnicki Michał , Mozer-Lisewska Iwona , Flisiak Robert
Published: July 2021

The clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccines that are authorized in the European Union have revealed high efficacy in preventing symptomatic infections. However, during vaccination campaigns, some vaccine recipients, including those partially and fully vaccinated, will experience severe COVID-19, requiring hospitalization. This may particularly concern patients with a diminished immune response to the vaccine, as well as non-responders. This work has retrospectively analyzed the 92 cases of patients who were hospitalized between 27 December 2020 and 31 May 2021 in four Polish healthcare units due to COVID-19, and who have previously received the COVID-19 vaccine (54.3% ≤ 14 days after the first dose, 26.1% > 14 days after the first dose, 7.6% ≤ 14 days after the second dose, and 12% > 14 days after the second dose). These patients represented a minute fraction (1.2%) of all the COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized during the same period in the same healthcare institutions. No significant differences in white blood count, absolute lymphocyte count nadir, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, procalcitonin, oxygen saturation, lung involvement, and fever frequency were found between the recipients of the first and second vaccine dose. A total of 15 deaths were noted (1.1% of all fatal COVID-19 cases in the considered period and healthcare units), including six in patients who received the second dose (five > 14 days after the second dose)—three of these subjects were using immunosuppressive medicines, and two were confirmed to be vaccine non-responders. The study reassures that severe COVID-19 and deaths are not common in vaccinated individuals, highlights that the clinical course in such patients may not reveal any distinctive features, and advocates for close monitoring of those at a higher risk of vaccine failure.
Production and Immunogenicity of a Tag-Free Recombinant Chimera Based on PfMSP-1 and PfMSP-3 Using Alhydrogel and Dipeptide-Based Hydrogels
Authors: Anand Gaurav , Biswas Saikat , Yadav Nitin , Mukherjee Paushali , Chauhan Virander Singh
Published: July 2021

A fusion chimeric vaccine comprising multiple protective domains of different blood-stage Plasmodium falciparum antigens is perhaps necessary for widening the protective immune responses and reducing the morbidity caused by the disease. Here we continue to build upon the prior work of developing a recombinant fusion chimera protein, His-tagged PfMSP-Fu24, by producing it as a tag-free recombinant protein. In this study, tag-free recombinant PfMSPFu24 (rFu24) was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the soluble protein was purified using a three-step purification involving ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by 2-step ion exchange chromatography procedures and shown that it was highly immunogenic with the human-compatible adjuvant Alhydrogel. We further investigated two dipeptides, phenylalanine-α, β-dehydrophenylalanine (FΔF) and Leucine-α, β-dehydrophenylalanine (LΔF) based hydrogels as effective delivery platforms for rFu24. These dipeptides self-assembled spontaneously to form a highly stable hydrogel under physiological conditions. rFu24 was efficiently entrapped in both the F∆F and L∆F hydrogels, and the three-dimensional (3D) mesh-like structures of the hydrogels remained intact after the entrapment of the antigen. The two hydrogels significantly stimulated rFu24-specific antibody titers, and the sera from the immunized mice showed an invasion inhibitory activity comparable to that of Alhydrogel. Easily synthesized dipeptide hydrogels can be used as an effective antigen delivery platform to induce immune responses.
Fusion Protein Vaccine Based on Ag85B and STEAP1 Induces a Protective Immune Response against Prostate Cancer
Authors: Guo Linpei , Xie Hui , Zhang Zheng , Wang Zhun , Peng Shuanghe , Niu Yuanjie , Shang Zhiqun
Published: July 2021

(1) Background: There are currently limited treatments for castration-resistant prostate cancer. Immunotherapy involving Sipuleucel-T has increasingly drawn attention for prostate cancer management. BCG plays a vital role in treating bladder cancer, mainly by inducing immune activation, but is rarely used for prostate cancer. (2) Methods: The TCGA database, PCR, and Western blotting were used to analyze the expression of STEAP1 in mouse and human tissues. Then, we constructed a fusion protein vaccine with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Ag85B and three repeated octapeptide epitopes of a six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 (STEAP1186-193), Ag85B-3×STEAP1186-193. The uptake of the fusion protein vaccine by DCs was evaluated by confocal microscopy, and DC markers were detected using flow cytometry after incubation with the fusion protein. The immune response against prostate cancer was evaluated by the LDH assay and xenografts in vitro and in vivo. Then, the tumor microenvironment was determined using IHC and ELISA. In addition, the epitope was mutated using CRISPR-Cas9 to illustrate that the fusion protein elicited immunization against STEAP1. (3) Results: The TCGA database analysis, PCR, and Western blotting showed that STEAP1 was highly expressed in human and murine prostate cancer. After the uptake of the purified fusion protein vaccine by DCs, CD11c, CD80, CD86, and MHC II were upregulated and triggered a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response against TRAMP-C1 and RM1 cells in vitro. Furthermore, the fusion protein vaccine inhibited tumor growth and improved the tumor microenvironment in vivo, with more CD3+ cells and fewer FOXP3+ cells in the tumor. Serum IFN-γ and IL-2 were significantly higher than in the control group, while IL-4 expression was lower, indicating that the fusion protein vaccine activated Th1 immunity. The immune response against prostate cancer was greatly suppressed when the antigen targets were knocked out using CRISPR-Cas9. (4) Conclusion: In summary, our results provide the first evidence that a vaccine based on a fusion protein consisting of Ag85B and a prostate cancer octapeptide epitope with complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA), triggers a robust immune response and inhibits tumor growth in murine prostate cancer.
Stochastic Hybrid Event Based and Continuous Approach to Derive Flood Frequency Curve
Authors: Sordo-Ward Alvaro , Gabriel-Martín Ivan , Bianucci Paola , Mascaro Giuseppe , Vivoni Enrique R. , Garrote Luis
Published: July 2021

This study proposes a methodology that combines the advantages of the event-based and continuous models, for the derivation of the maximum flow and maximum hydrograph volume frequency curves, by combining a stochastic continuous weather generator (the advanced weather generator, abbreviated as AWE-GEN) with a fully distributed physically based hydrological model (the TIN-based real-time integrated basin simulator, abbreviated as tRIBS) that runs both event-based and continuous simulation. The methodology is applied to Peacheater Creek, a 64 km2 basin located in Oklahoma, United States. First, a continuous set of 5000 years’ hourly weather forcing series is generated using the stochastic weather generator AWE-GEN. Second, a hydrological continuous simulation of 50 years of the climate series is generated with the hydrological model tRIBS. Simultaneously, the separation of storm events is performed by applying the exponential method to the 5000- and 50-years climate series. From the continuous simulation of 50 years, the mean soil moisture in the top 10 cm (MSM10) of the soil layer of the basin at an hourly time step is extracted. Afterwards, from the times series of hourly MSM10, the values associated to all the storm events within the 50 years of hourly weather series are extracted. Therefore, each storm event has an initial soil moisture value associated (MSM10Event). Thus, the probability distribution of MSM10Event for each month of the year is obtained. Third, the five major events of each of the 5000 years in terms of total depth are simulated in an event-based framework in tRIBS, assigning an initial moisture state value for the basin using a Monte Carlo framework. Finally, the maximum annual hydrographs are obtained in terms of maximum peak-flow and volume, and the associated frequency curves are derived. To validate the method, the results obtained by the hybrid method are compared to those obtained by deriving the flood frequency curves from the continuous simulation of 5000 years, analyzing the maximum annual peak-flow and maximum annual volume, and the dependence between the peak-flow and volume. Independence between rainfall events and prior hydrological soil moisture conditions has been proved. The proposed hybrid method can reproduce the univariate flood frequency curves with a good agreement to those obtained by the continuous simulation. The maximum annual peak-flow frequency curve is obtained with a Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient of 0.98, whereas the maximum annual volume frequency curve is obtained with a Nash–Sutcliffe value of 0.97. The proposed hybrid method permits to generate hydrological forcing by using a fully distributed physically based model but reducing the computation times on the order from months to hours.
Effects of Cattails and Hydraulic Loading on Heavy Metal Removal from Closed Mine Drainage by Pilot-Scale Constructed Wetlands
Authors: Nguyen Thuong Thi , Soda Satoshi , Kanayama Akihiro , Hamai Takaya
Published: July 2021

This study demonstrated heavy metal removal from neutral mine drainage of a closed mine in Kyoto prefecture in pilot-scale constructed wetlands (CWs). The CWs filled with loamy soil and limestone were unplanted or planted with cattails. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) in the CWs was shortened gradually from 3.8 days to 1.2 days during 3.5 months of operation. A short HRT of 1.2 days in the CWs was sufficient to achieve the effluent standard for Cd (0.03 mg/L). The unplanted and the cattail-planted CWs reduced the average concentrations of Cd from 0.031 to 0.01 and 0.005 mg/L, Zn from 0.52 to 0.14 and 0.08 mg/L, Cu from 0.07 to 0.04 and 0.03 mg/L, and As from 0.011 to 0.006 and 0.006 mg/L, respectively. Heavy metals were removed mainly by adsorption to the soil in both CWs. The biological concentration factors in cattails were over 2 for Cd, Zn, and Cu. The translocation factors of cattails for all metals were 0.5–0.81. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) belonging to Deltaproteobacteria were detected only from soil in the planted CW. Although cattails were a minor sink, the plants contributed to metal removal by rhizofiltration and incubation of SRB, possibly producing sulfide precipitates in the rhizosphere.
Strategi Komunikasi Keluarga dalam Mengatasi Stress Belajar Online Anak Masa Pandemi Covid-19 di Desa Sei Rotan
Authors: Iwanda lubis Muya Syaroh , Nuraflah Cut Alma , Hanum Azizah
Published: July 2021

Communication has an important role in every family especially. Imagine what happens when in a family far from the word communication, of course misunderstandings will continue to occur. Because there is no good communication between each other. Family communication exists to provide order and help overcome stress levels in children, especially in doing online learning at home after the Covid-19 pandemic. Where the child also feels that his freedom in learning is limited without any friends in class. Information provided if this online learning period will be permanent. This is certainly homework for parents in dealing with stress on children. The Technology Readiness Level (TKT) in this study is expected that parents can receive suggestions from the author to make alternative learning at home by bringing some of their friends, teaching parents to use video call technology in the learning process with the child's teacher and school friends, if all this time learn only to use WA (whatsapp) only. This research was conducted in Si Rotan Village, to be precise Dusun I and Dusun II, because in these areas there are more than other hamlets. From the research conducted it shows that the role of family communication in overcoming the stress of online learning can be done well by parents.
Peran Komitmen Afektif terhadap Perubahan sebagai Mediator Hubungan antara Pertukaran Pemimpin-Anggota dengan Kemampuan Mengatasi Perubahan pada Unit Area PT X
Authors: Permana Jonathan , Parahyanti Endang
Published: July 2021

The development in the era of digitalization requires companies to make significant changes in their business processes to face competitors and adapt to the environment. This study aims to determine the role of affective commitment to change as a mediator of the leader-member exchange relationship with the ability to coping with change in the PT X Area Unit. Subjects totaled 222 participants from 7 Unit Area PT X. This study uses a quantitative method through online questionnaires, with a non-experimental research design with a correlation design and a mediation analysis of the research variables. The results of the mediation analysis show that affective commitment to change can act as a mediator with a form of full mediation between leader-member exchanges, with an indirect coefficient value of 0.08 with a 95% confidence interval value between 0.03 and 0.15 on the ability to cope with change. The results of study concluded that leader-member exchange can predict the ability of employees to deal with change if employees have an affective commitment to change.