bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Environmental Disaster Movies on Corporate Environmental and Financial Performance
Authors: Kim Henry Hyun-Do , Park Kwangwoo
Published: January 2021

Using a unique United States box office data set, we investigate the impact of environmental sentiment on corporate environmental and financial performance of the United States listed firms. The influence of mass media on public and investor sentiments is well documented in the existing literature. However, little is known about the effect of movies, although they may influence the public more than other mass media because people, regardless of age and gender, enjoy watching movies. Using the event study methodology and multivariable regression analysis, we show that the release of anthropogenic environmental disaster movie(s) creates environmental sentiment and influences corporate behaviors. Specifically, firms significantly increase their environmental performance in the subsequent year of strong environmental sentiment after the release of environmental movies. More importantly, the positive effect of corporate environmental performance on financial performance is stronger when the environmental sentiment is stronger.
Determinants of Consumers’ Intentions towards the Purchase of Energy Efficient Appliances in Pakistan: An Extended Model of the Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Ali Muhammad Rizwan , Shafiq Muhammad , Andejany Murad
Published: January 2021

Amplified energy demand due to technologically advanced electrical and electronic appliances has accentuated the importance of energy efficiency to overcome energy shortage and environmental concerns. As adoption of energy efficient appliances depends on perception of the consumers, this study focuses on behavioral exploration of the consumers’ intentions towards the purchase of energy efficient appliances using an extended model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The study is based on a survey comprising 289 respondents. Partial least square (PLS) method is used to analyze the data. The results show that the attitude, perceived behavioral control, policy information campaigns, and past-purchase experiences significantly impact behavioral intentions of the consumers, whereas subjective and moral norms are insignificant in shaping behavioral intentions. Based on analyses, policy implications emphasizing (i) strong awareness campaigns, (ii) energy efficiency incentives, and (iii) replacement initiatives are proposed to help policy makers and administrators in achieving required goals of energy efficiency and conservation. The proposed research model and policy initiatives are a blueprint for synergies among policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in understanding and shaping consumers’ behaviors towards the purchase of energy efficient products, particularly, in developing countries.
Modeling Climate Change Effects on Rice Yield and Soil Carbon under Variable Water and Nutrient Management
Authors: Jiang Zewei , Yang Shihong , Ding Jie , Sun Xiao , Chen Xi , Liu Xiaoyin , Xu Junzeng
Published: January 2021

Soil organic carbon (SOC) conservation in agricultural soils is vital for sustainable agricultural production and climate change mitigation. To project changes of SOC and rice yield under different water and carbon management in future climates, based on a two-year (2015 and 2016) field test in Kunshan, China, the Denitrification Decomposition (DNDC) model was modified and validated and the soil moisture module of DNDC was improved to realize the simulation under conditions of water-saving irrigation. Four climate models under four representative concentration pathways (RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0, and RCP 8.5), which were integrated from the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5), were ensembled by the Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) method. The results showed that the modified DNDC model can effectively simulate changes in SOC, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and rice yield under different irrigation and fertilizer management systems. The normalized root mean squared errors of the SOC and DOC were 3.45–17.59% and 8.79–13.93%, respectively. The model efficiency coefficients of SOC and DOC were close to 1. The climate scenarios had a great impact on rice yield, whereas the impact on SOC was less than that of agricultural management measures on SOC. The average rice yields of all the RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0, and RCP 8.5 scenarios in the 2090s decreased by 18.41%, 38.59%, 65.11%, and 65.62%, respectively, compared with those in the 2020s. The long-term effect of irrigation on the SOC content of paddy fields was minimal. The SOC of the paddy fields treated with conventional fertilizer decreased initially and then remained unchanged, while the other treatments increased obviously with time. The rice yields of all the treatments decreased with time. Compared with traditional management, controlled irrigation with straw returning clearly increased the SOC and rice yields of paddy fields. Thus, this water and carbon management system is recommended for paddy fields.
Predicting Post-Fire Tree Mortality in a Temperate Pine Forest, Korea
Authors: Kwon Semyung , Kim Sanghyun , Kim Jeonghwan , Kang Wonseok , Park Ki-Hyung , Kim Chan-Beom , Girona Miguel M.
Published: January 2021

Warmer and drier conditions in temperate regions are increasing the length of the wildfire season. Given the greater fire frequency and extent of burned areas under climate warming, greater focus has been placed on predicting post-fire tree mortality as a crucial component of sustainable forest management. This study evaluates the potential of logistic regression models to predict post-fire tree mortality in Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) stands, and we propose novel means of evaluating bark injury. In the Samcheok region of Korea, we measured topography (elevation, slope, and aspect), tree characteristics (tree/crown height and diameter at breast height (DBH)), and bark injuries (bark scorch height/proportion/index) at three sites subjected to a surface fire. We determined tree status (dead or live) over three years after the initial fire. The bark scorch index (BSI) produced the best univariate model, and by combining this index with the DBH produced the highest predictive capacity in multiple logistic regression models. A three-variable model (BSI, DBH, and slope) enhanced this predictive capacity to 87%. Our logistic regression analysis accurately predicted tree mortality three years post fire. Our three-variable model provides a useful and convenient decision-making tool for land managers to optimize salvage harvesting of post-fire stands.
Green and Reverse Logistics in Conditions of Sustainable Development in Enterprises in Slovakia
Authors: Richnák Patrik , Gubová Klaudia
Published: January 2021

The high quality of the environment, protection of natural resources, efficient use of natural resources, and elimination of environmental burdens are the main priorities of sustainable development. Therefore, enterprises around the world have to manage the environment wisely, while avoiding negative effects on it. The aim of the paper was to examine the use of green and reverse logistics in the conditions of sustainable development in enterprises in Slovakia. The intention of the paper was to provide a theoretical overview of green and reverse logistics at home and abroad on the basis of the elaboration of a scientific bibliographic-information apparatus. Subsequent practical implementation of the questionnaire research and statistical verification of research results provides a basis for practical recommendations and conclusions for enterprises operating in Slovakia. The research topic of the paper was green and reverse logistics in companies in Slovakia. The research problem was the implementation and use of modern logistics under the influence of the environment. Based on these facts, statistical hypotheses were determined and subsequently tested. Descriptive statistics and inference statistics were used to interpret the research results. Based on the research, we found that the dominant position in green and reverse logistics in Slovakia was achieved by large production enterprises from the automotive industry, which operate in western Slovakia. The analysed enterprises in Slovakia use voluntary tools of environmental policy and the most important environmental tool is corporate social responsibility. Elements of environmental policy are used primarily in the logistics process of warehousing and storage. The biggest barrier in the implementation of elements of environmental logistics analysed by enterprises is the lack of financial resources. The implementation of green logistics and reverse logistics enables the analysed enterprises in Slovakia to improve customer-supplier relations. We can say that despite the government’s efforts, measures to minimize the environmental impact and growing public awareness of environmental issues, environmental problems persist. Initiatives can be seen at the global and national levels of enterprises that make quick decisions and set up new processes in environmental management.
Examination of the Sustainable Rural Tourism Potential of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina Using a Fuzzy Approach Based on Group Decision Making
Authors: Puška Adis , Pamucar Dragan , Stojanović Ilija , Cavallaro Fausto , Kaklauskas Arturas , Mardani Abbas
Published: January 2021

Tourism is an economic activity with great contribution for the development of many countries. To develop rural areas, tourism is especially important and need to be improved in these areas. The Government of Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina has decided to have tourism improvement as one of main objectives in their development strategy focusing on better conditions for development of tourism. Investments in tourism should be applied to the entire area of the Brčko District. Since Brčko District mainly consists of rural areas, it is necessary to invest in rural tourism. The first step of this study was to determine the tourist potential of rural areas. The determination of rural tourist potential in Brčko District was carried out with the assistance of the Brčko District Government. For this purpose, the method of expert decision-making was used, and three experts were selected who evaluated six rural settlements. To obtain results based on expert evaluation, two multi-criteria methods were used: the Full Consistency Method (FUCOM) for determining the importance of criteria and the fuzzy Measurement Alternatives and Ranking according to the COmpromise Solution (MARCOS) method to rank rural settlements in terms of their tourism potential. The results showed that the settlement of Bijela has the best rural tourist potential, while the settlement of Grbavica has the least potential. The results obtained by applying this model showed how rural tourism in Brčko District can be improved. The research model for testing the tourism potential has shown good results and can be applied in other branches of tourism with some adaptation to certain branches of tourism.
Turbulence Effect of Urban-Canopy Flow on Indoor Velocity Fields under Sheltered and Cross-Ventilation Conditions
Authors: Mohammad Ahmad Faiz , Ikegaya Naoki , Hikizu Ryo , Zaki Sheikh Ahmad
Published: January 2021

Understanding the characteristics of natural, wind-induced ventilation of buildings is essential for accurate predictions of ventilation flow rates; however, indoor ventilation is significantly influenced by surrounding buildings. Therefore, a series of wind-tunnel experiments were performed to clarify the relationship between outdoor and indoor air flows around and within a target cube model with several openings. Two surrounding building arrangements, namely square (SQ) and staggered (ST), were placed under the condition of a building coverage ratio of 25%. The results indicated that the wind speed near the windward openings on the streamwise faces showed 0.3 to the reference wind speed, whereas those on the lateral faces were less than 0.1; these numbers indicate that the opening positions significantly affect the mean indoor wind speed. Furthermore, the temporal fluctuations of velocities near the opening demonstrated that the introduction of the flow is significantly affected by turbulent flow due to the surrounding buildings. In addition, correlation between the outdoor and indoor air flows was observed. The highest correlations were obtained for both opening conditions with a certain temporal delay. This result indicates that indoor air flows become turbulent because of the turbulent flows generated by the surrounding outdoor buildings; however, slight temporal delays could occur between indoor and outdoor air flows. Although the present study focuses on the fundamental turbulent characteristics of indoor and outdoor air flows, such findings are essential for accurately predicting the ventilation flow rate due to turbulent air flows for sheltered buildings.
Performance of Retail Stores at Airports and Their Role in Boosting Traveler Satisfaction and Willingness to Repurchase
Authors: Han Heesup , Quan Wei , Gil-Cordero Eloy , Cabrera-Sánchez Juan-Pedro , Yu Jongsik
Published: January 2021

Despite its criticality for airport business, duty-free shopping at the retail stores of airports has received scant attention. To overcome this difference, this study explains the complex process via which travelers show their willingness to repurchase in the context of airport retail stores. A quantitative process comprising a field survey is conducted for data collection. The measurement quality is assessed and established through the evaluation of a measurement model. As a result of analyzing the structural equation model, it was found that the perceived performance, utilitarian value, hedonic value, and satisfaction evaluation of airport retail stores play a crucial role in determining traveler willingness to repurchase. The conceptual framework encompassing these concepts also adequately accounts for traveler willingness to repurchase. Moreover, our results from the invariance assessment reveal that the moderating impact of shopping engagement on the hypothesized relationship between utilitarian value and satisfaction evaluation is significant. Overall, the proposed direct associations among theoretical constructs within our framework are well supported. Furthermore, the efficacy of the proposed theoretical framework for a clear understanding of airport shoppers’ post-purchase behaviors is successfully identified.
A Methodological Approach on Disused Public Properties in the 15-Minute City Perspective
Authors: Balletto Ginevra , Ladu Mara , Milesi Alessandra , Borruso Giuseppe
Published: January 2021

Accessibility and Walkability represent, today, some of the most striking challenges contemporary cities are facing, particularly in light of the goals from UN Agenda 2030, aimed at a sustainable city, and particularly in terms of a livable, healthy and inclusive city. This can be also performed thanks to a set of high quality public services and a set of important and central services and infrastructures. These principles, however, are constrained by an overall, general fragmentation affecting many urban areas, particularly as an outcome of the vehicular accessibility needs. Scholars have debated through the years on the nature of cities and on the preference for centrality of services compared to the distribution of services towards dispersed neighborhood units. Recently, a need for a wider, minimum set of services that is easily reachable to most citizens is filling the scholars and city mayors’ agendas in order to improve urban performances. This is also coupled with a huge surge in the heritage of abandoned urban items coming from previous periods of time and alternative uses. The aim of this research is to evaluate the role of abandoned urban assets—particularly big-size buildings and compounds and their areas—to facilitate the implementation of the concept of a 15-minute city, a city that is capable of granting a wider social equality and access to main urban services to citizens and city users. To do this, we developed a set of indexes, capable of detecting porosity, crossing and attractiveness. This latter index in particular represents a combined index that can be used to improve the accessibility of pedestrians in urban central locations. In the present research, we decided to limit the analysis to a subset of disused public buildings in the historic center of a sample city, as Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy). This was done in order to understand if and in which terms they can contribute, after their redevelopment, to the development of the 15-minute city, as well as reducing the “enclave–effect: they are, at present, playing in the historic urban fabric.
Three Futures Scenarios of Policy Instruments for Sustainable Textile Production and Consumption as Portrayed in the Finnish News Media
Authors: Virta Laura , Räisänen Riikka
Published: January 2021

This research uses futures studies as background methodology and presents three scenarios for sustainable textile production and consumption based on the data of the Finnish news media. The scenarios extend to 2050, and the emphasis is on recognising policy instruments that can potentially support sustainable textile production and consumption. The first data set included 214 news articles from 2019 that were analysed using theory-guided qualitative content analysis. The second data set consisted of five textile experts’ evaluations of the probability and preferability of claims based on the first data set. As a result, a table of futures scenarios was created, including descriptions of the current state and preferable, threatening and probable textile futures. The data show that textile and fashion sustainability issues are strongly presented in the media as part of the comprehensive climate-change-driven criticism of consumerism. The data emphasised a need for a holistic change in production and consumption. The most likely forms of policy instruments appear to be stronger corporate responsibility legislation (regulatory), environmental taxation of goods and services (economic), and eco-labelling of goods and services (information). These help in reaching the preferable scenario for 2050, which suggests a carbon-neutral textile production based on a circular economy.
Evaluating Accessibility Benefits of Opening Gated Communities for Pedestrians and Cyclists in China: A Case Study of Shanghai
Authors: Yang Senqi , Tan Wenken , Yan Longxu
Published: January 2021

Opening gated communities (GCs) has been widely discussed for urban inclusion and revitalization. With the policies of opening GCs being promoted in China, the quantitative and comprehensive evaluation of the potential benefits is heavily needed. Taking Shanghai as an example, this study quantifies and analyzes the accessibility benefits and risks of opening GCs for pedestrians and cyclists considering two GC types, two opening levels, two travel modes, and different facilities. We found that (1) opening GCs can bring 50 m+ accessibility gains to 17% and 52% of the residents in moderate opening (MO) and complete opening (CO) scenarios, respectively. (2) Cyclists benefits more than pedestrians in all scenarios. (3) Conventional GCs have fewer benefits in MO but more in CO than newly established ones. Trips to bus stations demonstrate the largest accessibility gains. (4) The accessibility benefit of a residential building is highly determined by its closeness to the gates and relative location in the block. (5) Only 1% and 5–7% of external trips may penetrate the opened communities in MO and CO scenarios, respectively, which are far less than both the expectation and the benefits. Finally, several local design guidelines are proposed.
Consumption in the Circular Economy: Learning from Our Mistakes
Authors: Georgantzis Garcia Dimitris , Kipnis Eva , Vasileiou Efi , Solomon Adrian
Published: January 2021

The Circular Economy (CE) is gaining increasing attention among businesses, policymakers and academia, and across research disciplines. While the concept’s strong diffusion may be considered its main strength, it has also contributed to the emergence of many different understandings and definitions, which may hinder or slow down its success. Specifically, despite growing attention, the role of the consumption side in the CE remains a largely under-researched topic. In the present review, we first search the literature by means of snowball mapping and a systematic key-word strategy, and then critically analyze the identified sources in order to elucidate the fundamental elements that should characterize consumption in a CE. We extract two pillars, directly from definition, that should be at the nucleus of future research on consumption in the CE: (1) the hierarchical nature of circular strategies, with “reduce” being preferred to all other strategies; and (2) the inadequacy of defining the CE only through its loops or strategies without considering its goal of attaining sustainable development. Moreover, the discussion is placed within the extant consumer research streams deemed relevant, in order to bridge these with the context of the CE. We highlight limitations of said research streams regarding their typical focus on the quality (and not the quantity) of consumption, the lack of heterogeneity in the theories and data collection methods employed, and the non-impact-based instruments typically used to measure consumption behaviors. We show how these limitations have contributed to the emergence of the intention–behavior gap, a phenomenon extant studies identify as key to overcome for encouraging sustainable consumption practices. In particular, we focus the analysis on the intention–behavior gap in order to: (1) establish the state-of-the-art; and (2) uncover avenues for future research addressing extant limitations.
Sustainability Calculus in Adopting Smart Speakers—Personalized Services and Privacy Risks
Authors: Cha Hoon S. , Wi Jong Hyun , Park Chanhi , Kim Taeha
Published: January 2021

Despite the benefits of using smart speakers, serious privacy concerns have been raised, particularly due to their constantly listening microphones. Given the mixture of the advantages and risks deciding whether to use them is not an easy matter, casting a doubt about sustainable growth and development of smart speakers. Using a sample of 559 users in South Korea and the U.S., we empirically investigated the dilemma of users seeking to adopt smart speakers. The results revealed users’ perceived usefulness and enjoyment positively influenced the intention to adopt smart speakers. No direct effect of perceived ease of use was found but this effect was completely mediated by perceived usefulness and enjoyment. Perceived enjoyment was found to be twice as strong as perceived usefulness in determining the usage intention, confirming the hedonic aspect of smart speakers. Conversely, perceived privacy risks were shown to be a significant negative factor. This negative impact was significantly stronger in the U.S. than in South Korea. We could infer that the more mature the stage of acceptance of smart speakers, the greater the sensitivity of users to privacy risks. Lastly, in the South Korean sample, we found that the perceived usefulness could reduce the negative impact of perceived risks on the intention. to adopt smart speakers.
Symmetric Properties for Dirichlet-Type Multiple (p,q)-L-Function
Authors: Hwang Kyung-Won , Agarwal Ravi P. , Ryoo Cheon-Seoung
Published: January 2021

The main aim of this article is to investigate some interesting symmetric identities for the Dirichlet-type multiple (p,q)-L function. We use this function to examine the symmetry of the generalized higher-order (p,q)-Euler polynomials related to χ. First, the generalized higher-order (p,q)-Euler numbers and polynomials related to χ are defined. We also give a few new symmetric properties for the Dirichlet-type multiple (p,q)-L-function and generalized higher-order (p,q)-Euler polynomials related to χ.
Extended Hořava Gravity with Physical Ground-State Wavefunction
Authors: Shu Fu-Wen , Zhang Tao
Published: January 2021

We propose a new extended theory of Hořava gravity based on the following three conditions: (i) power-counting renormalizable, (ii) healthy IR behavior and (iii) a stable vacuum state in a quantized version of the theory. Compared with other extended theories, we stress that any realistic theory of gravity must have physical ground states when quantization is performed. To fulfill the three conditions, we softly break the detailed balance but keep its basic structure unchanged. It turns out that the new model constructed in this way can avoid the strong coupling problem and remains power-counting renormalizable, moreover, it has a stable vacuum state by an appropriate choice of parameters.
Fuzzy Heuristics and Decision Tree for Classification of Statistical Feature-Based Control Chart Patterns
Authors: Zaman Munawar , Hassan Adnan
Published: January 2021

Monitoring manufacturing process variation remains challenging, especially within a rapid and automated manufacturing environment. Problematic and unstable processes may produce distinct time series patterns that could be associated with assignable causes for diagnosis purpose. Various machine learning classification techniques such as artificial neural network (ANN), classification and regression tree (CART), and fuzzy inference system have been proposed to enhance the capability of traditional Shewhart control chart for process monitoring and diagnosis. ANN classifiers are often opaque to the user with limited interpretability on the classification procedures. However, fuzzy inference system and CART are more transparent, and the internal steps are more comprehensible to users. There have been limited works comparing these two techniques in the control chart pattern recognition (CCPR) domain. As such, the aim of this paper is to demonstrate the development of fuzzy heuristics and CART technique for CCPR and compare their classification performance. The results show the heuristics Mamdani fuzzy classifier performed well in classification accuracy (95.76%) but slightly lower compared to CART classifier (98.58%). This study opens opportunities for deeper investigation and provides a useful revisit to promote more studies into explainable artificial intelligence (XAI).
Will There Be Enough Water? A System Dynamics Model to Investigate the Effective Use of Limited Resources for Emergency Water Supply
Authors: Bross Lisa , Krause Steffen
Published: January 2021

The increased probability of occurrence of various hazards to water supply systems due to climate change requires the strengthening of their resilience through effective emergency preparedness planning. This paper introduces a method for the assessment of the resilience of water supply systems, including emergency supply measures. With 20 uniquely defined emergency situations, the technical constellations for possible impairments of the water supply are documented. The system analysis developed for each emergency situation is then used to determine and prioritise all suitable supply measures to reduce the supply deficit. Based on the data of a water utility close to Frankfurt, Germany, the developed system dynamics model was used to examine the resource utilisation for the respective emergency situations and to estimate the amount of water provided. The model allows us to scrutinize and compare emergency water supply measures as well as to identify required resources. Furthermore, the method helps us to prioritize measures as well as to make decisions when planning and providing emergency water supply (EWS).
An Integrated Vegetated Treatment System for Mitigating Imidacloprid and Permethrin in Agricultural Irrigation Runoff
Authors: Phillips Bryn M. , Cahn Michael , Voorhees Jennifer P. , McCalla Laura , Siegler Katie , Chambers David L. , Lockhart Thomas R. , Deng Xin , Tjeerdema Ron S.
Published: January 2021

Pyrethroid and neonicotinoid pesticides control an array of insect pests in leafy greens, but there are concerns about the off-site movement and potential water quality impacts of these chemicals. Effective on-farm management practices can eliminate aquatic toxicity and pesticides in runoff. This project evaluated an integrated vegetated treatment system (VTS), including the use of polyacrylamide (PAM), for minimizing the toxicity of imidacloprid and permethrin pesticides in runoff. The VTS incorporated a sediment trap to remove coarse particles, a grass-lined ditch with compost swales to remove suspended sediment and insecticides, and granulated activated carbon (GAC) or biochar to remove residual insecticides. Runoff was sampled throughout the VTS and analyzed for pesticide concentrations, and aquatic toxicity using the midge Chironomusdilutus and the amphipod Hyalella azteca. In simulated runoff experiments, the VTS reduced suspended sediment load by 88%, and imidacloprid and permethrin load by 97% and 99%, respectively. In runoff events from a conventionally grown lettuce field, suspended sediment load was reduced by 98%, and insecticide load by 99%. Toxicity was significantly reduced in approximately half of the simulated runoff events, and most of the lettuce runoff events. Integrated vegetated treatment systems that include components for treating soluble and hydrophobic pesticides are vital tools for reducing pesticide load and occurrence of pesticide-related toxicity.
Morphological and Behavioral Effects in Zebrafish Embryos after Exposure to Smoke Dyes
Authors: To Kimberly , St. Mary Lindsey , Wooley Allyson , Wilbanks Mitchell , Bednar Anthony , Perkins Edward , Truong Lisa , Tanguay Robyn , Garcia-Reyero Natàlia
Published: January 2021

Solvent Violet 47 (SV47) and Disperse Blue 14 (DB14) are two anthraquinone dyes that were previously used in different formulations for the production of violet-colored smoke. Both dyes have shown potential for toxicity; however, there is no comprehensive understanding of their effects. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to SV47 or DB14 from 6 to 120 h post fertilization (hpf) to assess the dyes’ potential adverse effects on developing embryos. The potential ability of both dyes to cross the blood–brain barrier was also assessed. At concentrations between 0.55 and 5.23 mg/L, SV47 showed a dose-dependent increase in mortality, jaw malformation, axis curvature, and edemas. At concentrations between 0.15 and 7.54 mg/L, DB14 did not have this same dose-dependence but had similar morphological outcomes at the highest doses. Nevertheless, while SV47 showed significant mortality from 4.20 mg/L, there was no significant mortality on embryos exposed to DB14. Regardless, decreased locomotor movement was observed at all concentrations of DB14, suggesting an adverse neurodevelopmental effect. Overall, our results showed that at similar concentrations, SV47 and DB14 caused different types of phenotypic effects in zebrafish embryos.
Botulinum Toxin in Movement Disorders: An Update
Authors: Anandan Charenya , Jankovic Joseph
Published: January 2021

Since its initial approval in 1989 by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of blepharospasm and other facial spasms, botulinum toxin (BoNT) has evolved into a therapeutic modality for a variety of neurological and non-neurological disorders. With respect to neurologic movement disorders, BoNT has been reported to be effective for the treatment of dystonia, bruxism, tremors, tics, myoclonus, restless legs syndrome, tardive dyskinesia, and a variety of symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. More recently, research with BoNT has expanded beyond its use as a powerful muscle relaxant and a peripherally active drug to its potential central nervous system applications in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Although BoNT is the most potent biologic toxin, when it is administered by knowledgeable and experienced clinicians, it is one of the safest therapeutic agents in clinical use. The primary aim of this article is to provide an update on recent advances in BoNT research with a focus on novel applications in the treatment of movement disorders. This comprehensive review of the literature provides a critical review of evidence-based clinical trials and highlights recent innovative pilot studies.
Chlorovirus PBCV-1 Multidomain Protein A111/114R Has Three Glycosyltransferase Functions Involved in the Synthesis of Atypical N-Glycans
Authors: Noel Eric , Notaro Anna , Speciale Immacolata , Duncan Garry A. , De Castro Cristina , Van Etten James L.
Published: January 2021

The structures of the four N-linked glycans from the prototype chlorovirus PBCV-1 major capsid protein do not resemble any other glycans in the three domains of life. All known chloroviruses and antigenic variants (or mutants) share a unique conserved central glycan core consisting of five sugars, except for antigenic mutant virus P1L6, which has four of the five sugars. A combination of genetic and structural analyses indicates that the protein coded by PBCV-1 gene a111/114r, conserved in all chloroviruses, is a glycosyltransferase with three putative domains of approximately 300 amino acids each. Here, in addition to in silico sequence analysis and protein modeling, we measured the hydrolytic activity of protein A111/114R. The results suggest that domain 1 is a galactosyltransferase, domain 2 is a xylosyltransferase and domain 3 is a fucosyltransferase. Thus, A111/114R is the protein likely responsible for the attachment of three of the five conserved residues of the core region of this complex glycan, and, if biochemically corroborated, it would be the second three-domain protein coded by PBCV-1 that is involved in glycan synthesis. Importantly, these findings provide additional support that the chloroviruses do not use the canonical host endoplasmic reticulum–Golgi glycosylation pathway to glycosylate their glycoproteins; instead, they perform glycosylation independent of cellular organelles using virus-encoded enzymes.
Immunological Characterization of Proteins Expressed by Genes Located in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Specific Genomic Regions Encoding the ESAT6-like Proteins
Authors: Mustafa Abu Salim
Published: January 2021

The 6 kDa early secreted antigen target (ESAT6) is a low molecular weight and highly immunogenic protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with relevance in the diagnosis of tuberculosis and subunit vaccine development. The gene encoding the ESAT6 protein is located in the M. tuberculosis-specific genomic region known as the region of difference (RD)1. There are 11 M. tuberculosis-specific RDs absent in all of the vaccine strains of BCG, and three of them (RD1, RD7, and RD9) encode immunodominant proteins. Each of these RDs has genes for a pair of ESAT6-like proteins. The immunological characterizations of all the possible proteins encoded by genes in RD1, RD7 and RD9 have shown that, besides ESAT-6 like proteins, several other proteins are major antigens useful for the development of subunit vaccines to substitute or supplement BCG. Furthermore, some of these proteins may replace the purified protein derivative of M. tuberculosis in the specific diagnosis of tuberculosis by using interferon-gamma release assays and/or tuberculin-type skin tests. At least three subunit vaccine candidates containing ESAT6-like proteins as antigen components of multimeric proteins have shown efficacy in phase 1 and phase II clinical trials in humans.
Vaccine Hesitancy on Social Media: Sentiment Analysis from June 2011 to April 2019
Authors: Piedrahita-Valdés Hilary , Piedrahita-Castillo Diego , Bermejo-Higuera Javier , Guillem-Saiz Patricia , Bermejo-Higuera Juan Ramón , Guillem-Saiz Javier , Sicilia-Montalvo Juan Antonio , Machío-Regidor Francisco
Published: January 2021

Vaccine hesitancy was one of the ten major threats to global health in 2019, according to the World Health Organisation. Nowadays, social media has an important role in the spread of information, misinformation, and disinformation about vaccines. Monitoring vaccine-related conversations on social media could help us to identify the factors that contribute to vaccine confidence in each historical period and geographical area. We used a hybrid approach to perform an opinion-mining analysis on 1,499,227 vaccine-related tweets published on Twitter from 1st June 2011 to 30th April 2019. Our algorithm classified 69.36% of the tweets as neutral, 21.78% as positive, and 8.86% as negative. The percentage of neutral tweets showed a decreasing tendency, while the proportion of positive and negative tweets increased over time. Peaks in positive tweets were observed every April. The proportion of positive tweets was significantly higher in the middle of the week and decreased during weekends. Negative tweets followed the opposite pattern. Among users with ≥2 tweets, 91.83% had a homogeneous polarised discourse. Positive tweets were more prevalent in Switzerland (71.43%). Negative tweets were most common in the Netherlands (15.53%), Canada (11.32%), Japan (10.74%), and the United States (10.49%). Opinion mining is potentially useful to monitor online vaccine-related concerns and adapt vaccine promotion strategies accordingly.
Current State of the First COVID-19 Vaccines
Authors: Prüβ Birgit M.
Published: January 2021

SARS CoV-2 and its associated disease COVID-19 has devastated the world during 2020. Masks and social distancing could be efficient if done by large proportions of the population, but pandemic fatigue has decreased their efficacy. Economic shut downs come with large price tags and cannot be a long term solution either. The announcements by three vaccine manufacturers in November that their vaccines are 90% or more effective has given hope to at least those in the population who plan to get vaccinated as soon as a scientifically and medically sound vaccine becomes available. This review summarizes the underlying design strategies and current status of development of the nine vaccines that were in phase III trial on 8 November 2020. Contracts between vaccine manufacturing companies and governments aim at distributing the vaccine to a large part of the world population. Questions remain how the temperature sensitive mRNA vaccines will be transported and/or stored and how vaccination will be prioritized within each country. Additionally, current contracts do not cover all countries, with a serious gap in Africa and South America. The second part of this review will detail current distribution plans and remaining challenges with vaccine accessibility and acceptance.
The Use of Extracellular Membrane Vesicles for Immunization against Francisellosis in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua L.)
Authors: Mertes Verena , Bekkelund Alexander Kashulin , Lagos Leidy , Ciani Elia , Colquhoun Duncan , Haslene-Hox Hanne , Sletta Håvard , Sørum Henning , Winther-Larsen Hanne Cecilie
Published: January 2021

Francisellosis in fish is caused by the facultative intracellular Gram-negative bacterial pathogens Francisella noatunensis ssp. noatunensis and Francisella orientalis. The disease is affecting both farmed and wild fish worldwide and no commercial vaccines are currently available. In this study, we tested isolated membrane vesicles (MVs) as possible vaccine candidates based on previous trials in zebrafish (Danio rerio) indicating promising vaccine efficacy. Here, the MV vaccine-candidates were tested in their natural hosts, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Injection of MVs did not display any toxicity or other negative influence on the fish and gene expression analysis indicated an influence on the host immune response. However, unlike in other tested fish species, a protective immunity following vaccine application and immunization period could not be detected in the Atlantic cod or tilapia. Further in vivo studies are required to achieve a better understanding of the development of immunological memory in different fish species.
A High Frequency Self-Reconfigurable Battery for Arbitrary Waveform Generation
Authors: Thomas Rémy , Despesse Ghislain , Bacquet Sylvain , Fernandez Eric , Lopez Yan , Ramahefa-Andry Prince , Cassarino Léandro
Published: January 2021

This article presents an innovative self-reconfigurable battery (SRB) architecture, which is able to generate directly at its output any waveform signals. Thanks to that specific characteristic of the proposed system, it is even possible to dispense with any AC charger. Although the individual ability of each cell in the battery pack to perform an efficient active cell balancing has been already studied in the literature, the system presented in this article is the first of its kind. This article describes a real prototype of a high frequency SRB of 128 cells and demonstrates that it can be charged without any dedicated charger directly on the electrical grid, by generating a sinusoidal waveform voltage, while perfectly balancing the cells in real time.
A development study of drain fluid gastrografin as a biomarker of anastomotic leak
Authors: Clark David A. , Yeoh Edward , Edmundson Aleksandra , Harris Craig , Stevenson Andrew , Steffens Daniel , Solomon Michael
Published: January 2021

Purpose: Anastomotic leakage (AL) is the anathema of colorectal surgery. Its occurrence leads to increased morbidity and mortality and a prolonged hospital stay. Much work has gone into studying various biomarkers in drain fluid to facilitate early detection of AL. This stage 2a development study aims to assess the safety and feasibility of reliably detecting the iodine in Gastrografin (GG; Bayer Australia Ltd.) in drain fluid and stool samples by dual-energy computed tomography (DECT).Methods: This is a prospective, observational, controlled, consecutive cohort study establishing the safety and feasibility of the detection of GG in surgical drain fluid and stool as a biomarker of AL when patients with a low pelvic colorectal anastomosis undergo luminal flushing of the rectal tube with GG.Results: Ten consecutive patients were allocated to the saline flush group and the following 10 to the GG flush group. Three patients in the saline flush group developed an AL. One patient in the GG flush group developed an AL. An elevation in the drain fluid GG was detected using DECT on the day of clinical deterioration. None of the patients in the control group were found to have a positive result on DECT.Conclusion: This study demonstrates the safety of a novel approach to the early detection of AL from extraperitoneal colorectal anastomoses. The technique requires validation in a larger cohort and a multicenter study is planned to investigate the efficacy of GG rectal tube flushes as an early biomarker of AL in low pelvic anastomoses.
Pengaruh Metode 5’S (Swadding, Stomach Position, Sushing, Swingging, Sucking) terhadap Respon Nyeri Bayi Setelah Imunisasi HB-0
Authors: Syatriawati Syatriawati , Sembiring Iskandar Markus
Published: January 2021

Immunization is a source of acute pain in infants that can cause trauma, nonpharmacological techniques that can be done is by giving of 5'S  method(swaddling, stomach position, sushing, swinging, and sucking) which are effective and easy to do and the purpose of this study was to find out whether there is an effect of 5'Smethod (swaddling, stomach position, sushing, swinging and sucking) on pain response in infants after Hb-0 immunization at Grandmed Hospital LubukPakam, the method and design of this study was Quasy Experiment with one group pre test and post test design. the population in this study were infants aged0-7 days who received Hb-0 immunization, amounting to 40 people with purposive sampling technique according to inclusion criteria and pain measurement uses the NIPS (Neonatal Infant Pain Scale) pain scale, the data analysis was performed by Paired Sample t-test with a confidence level of 0.05%, the results of the study were lower pain in the treatment group with p = 0.0000 <0.05 (<ɑ), the conclusion of this study is that there was an effect of the 5'S method (swaddling, stomach position, sushing, swinging, and sucking) on pain response in infants after Hb-0 immunization.Immunization is a source of acute pain in infants that can cause trauma, nonpharmacological techniques that can be done is by giving of 5'S  method(swaddling, stomach position, sushing, swinging, and sucking) which are effective and easy to do and the purpose of this study was to find out whether there is an effect of 5'Smethod (swaddling, stomach position, sushing, swinging and sucking) on pain response in infants
La réception du droit français de la responsabilité à Maurice
Authors: Knetsch Jonas
Published: January 2021

Le droit mauricien fait partie de la famille des systèmes juridiques mixtes qui suscitent un intérêt accru au sein de la doctrine comparatiste contemporaine. L’objectif de cette étude est de contribuer à l’étude des systèmes de droit hybrides par une analyse des sources d’influence du droit mauricien de la responsabilité, civile et administrative, à Maurice. Cette matière a connu des évolutions intéressantes, au cours des dernières années, qui témoignent des potentialités, mais aussi des difficultés d’un raisonnement juridique qui se nourrit à la fois du droit français et du droit britannique.
L’avenir de la présomption de paternité : comparaisons franco-québécoises
Authors: Kessler Guillaume
Published: January 2021

Qu’elle continue à jouer un rôle central dans l’établissement de la filiation, comme c’est le cas en France, ou qu’elle n’ait plus qu’un rôle subsidiaire, comme c’est le cas au Québec, la présomption de paternité est aujourd’hui contestée dans la mesure où elle maintient une distinction entre enfants nés dans le mariage et enfants nés hors-mariage que les législateurs des deux États ont cherché à éliminer par ailleurs. Si une partie de la doctrine s’interroge sur l’opportunité de son extension aux couples non-mariés, un nombre important d’auteurs, de part et d’autre de l’Atlantique, estiment qu’il conviendrait de la supprimer purement et simplement et de rompre ainsi avec la logique d’imitation qui soulève d’importantes difficultés lorsque l’enfant concerné est né d’une insémination artificielle dans le cadre d’un couple de même sexe ou encore d’une convention de mère porteuse. L’analyse comparée des droits français et québécois invite ainsi à réfléchir à une nouvelle façon de penser le droit de la filiation.
Développement des recherches en droit comparé en Russie
Authors: Tikhomirov Iu A.
Published: January 2021

L’étude de l’évolution du droit comparé en Russie et des tendances de son développement montre à quel point ce processus était complexe et contradictoire. Actuellement la théorie et les méthodes existantes d’application du droit comparé permettent d’aboutir à la résolution des problèmes pratiques de la régulation juridique de la coopération État-entreprises dans des domaines différents. Les citoyens obtiennent des droits et des garantis de réalisation de leurs intérêts grâce au mécanisme universel de la suprématie du droit.
La notion d’entreprise en droit québécois : aspects de droit positif et vision prospective
Authors: Onguene Onana Dieudonné Edouard
Published: January 2021

Le présent article présente les conclusions de la synthèse d’une notion ambigüe et incontournable en droit économique, celle d’entreprise, essentiellement à partir du droit québécois et dans une moindre mesure, du droit français. L’auteur démontre que plusieurs facteurs militent pour la refondation du processus de définition de cette notion en droit québécois. Il expose, dans ce cadre, les difficultés de sa consécration légale, la variété de ses tendances interprétatives et met à nu les dangers de l’incohérence des dispositions parallèles portant sur la notion. Plus encore, une analyse exhaustive de la critériologie habituellement associée à cette notion est effectuée. L’approche critique adoptée, à la fois transdisciplinaire et transjuridictionnelle, conduit à confirmer certains des critères actuels de la notion, mais met surtout en évidence de possibles critères substitutifs ou additionnels, inconnus ou habituellement minorés, qui pourraient en permettre une qualification plus précise et dans une perspective de lege ferenda qui se révèle nécessaire 23 ans après la réforme du Code civil du Québec.