bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Osteogenesis of Dental Pulp Stem Cells In Vitro Induced by Chitosan–PEG-Incorporated Calcium Phosphate Cement
Authors: Kim Jae Eun , Park Sangbae , Lee Woong-Sup , Han Jinsub , Lim Jae Woon , Jeong Seung , Lee Myung Chul , Yang Woo-Young , Seonwoo Hoon , Kim B. Moon , Choung Yun-Hoon , Jang Kyoung-Je , Chung Jong Hoon
Published: July 2021

The use of bone graft materials is required for the treatment of bone defects damaged beyond the critical defect; therefore, injectable calcium phosphate cement (CPC) is actively used after surgery. The application of various polymers to improve injectability, mechanical strength, and biological function of injection-type CPC is encouraged. We previously developed a chitosan–PEG conjugate (CS/PEG) by a sulfur (VI) fluoride exchange reaction, and the resulting chitosan derivative showed high solubility at a neutral pH. We have demonstrated the CPC incorporated with a poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG)-grafted chitosan (CS/PEG) and developed CS/PEG CPC. The characterization of CS/PEG CPC was conducted using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The initial properties of CS/PEG CPCs, such as the pH, porosity, mechanical strength, zeta potential, and in vitro biocompatibility using the WST-1 assay, were also investigated. Moreover, osteocompatibility of CS/PEG CPCs was carried out via Alizarin Red S staining, immunocytochemistry, and Western blot analysis. CS/PEG CPC has enhanced mechanical strength compared to CPC, and the cohesion test also demonstrated in vivo stability. Furthermore, we determined whether CS/PEG CPC is a suitable candidate for promoting the osteogenic ability of Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSC). The elution of CS/PEG CPC entraps more calcium ion than CPC, as confirmed through the zeta potential test. Accordingly, the ion trapping effect of CS/PEG is considered to have played a role in promoting osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs. The results strongly suggested that CS/PEG could be used as suitable additives for improving osteogenic induction of bone substitute materials.
Inverse Parameter Identification for Hyperelastic Model of a Polyurea
Authors: Xiao Yihua , Tang Ziqiang , Hong Xiangfu
Published: July 2021

An inverse procedure was proposed to identify the material parameters of polyurea materials. In this procedure, a polynomial hyperelastic model was chosen as the constitutive model. Both uniaxial tension and compression tests were performed for a polyurea. An iterative inverse method was presented to identify parameters for the tensile performance of the polyurea. This method adjusts parameters iteratively to achieve a good agreement between tensile forces from the tension test and its finite element (FE) model. A response surface-based inverse method was presented to identify parameters for the compression performance of the polyurea. This method constructs a radial basis function (RBF)-based response surface model for the error between compressive forces from the compression test and its FE model, and it employs the genetic algorithm to minimize the error. With the use of the two inverse methods, two sets of parameters were obtained. Then, a complete identified uniaxial stress–strain curve for both tensile and compressive deformations was obtained with the two sets of parameters. Fitting this curve with the constitutive equation gave the final material parameters. The present inverse procedure can simplify experimental configurations and consider effects of friction in compression tests. Moreover, it produces material parameters that can appropriately characterize both tensile and compressive behaviors of the polyurea.
Green Synthesized Chitosan/Chitosan Nanoforms/Nanocomposites for Drug Delivery Applications
Authors: Sivanesan Iyyakkannu , Gopal Judy , Muthu Manikandan , Shin Juhyun , Mari Selvaraj , Oh Jaewook
Published: July 2021

Chitosan has become a highlighted polymer, gaining paramount importance and research attention. The fact that this valuable polymer can be extracted from food industry-generated shell waste gives it immense value. Chitosan, owing to its biological and physicochemical properties, has become an attractive option for biomedical applications. This review briefly runs through the various methods involved in the preparation of chitosan and chitosan nanoforms. For the first time, we consolidate the available scattered reports on the various attempts towards greens synthesis of chitosan, chitosan nanomaterials, and chitosan nanocomposites. The drug delivery applications of chitosan and its nanoforms have been reviewed. This review points to the lack of systematic research in the area of green synthesis of chitosan. Researchers have been concentrating more on recovering chitosan from marine shell waste through chemical and synthetic processes that generate toxic wastes, rather than working on eco-friendly green processes—this is projected in this review. This review draws the attention of researchers to turn to novel and innovative green processes. More so, there are scarce reports on the application of green synthesized chitosan nanoforms and nanocomposites towards drug delivery applications. This is another area that deserves research focus. These have been speculated and highlighted as future perspectives in this review.
History of Mid- and Late Holocene Palaeofloods in the Yangtze Coastal Lowlands, East China: Evaluation of Non-Pollen Palynomorph Evidence, Review and Synthesis
Authors: Innes James B. , Zong Yongqiang
Published: July 2021

The surface of the lowland deltaic plain around Taihu (Lake Tai), south of the Yangtze river mouth in eastern China, lies near sea level and until recent drainage and development by human societies was mostly covered by wetlands of various types. It was created by regular overbank flooding, mainly from the Yangtze, and the deposition of mostly mineral sediments over the several millennia since sea level regained its current altitude in the early mid-Holocene and progradation of the Yangtze delta began. Fluvial activity has therefore been the dominant influence on sedimentation in the Taihu lowlands, and in the lower Yangtze valley generally, and has determined the character of the mainly inorganic sediment sequences that have accumulated there, with autochthonous deposition of organic sediments within the local wetland plant communities playing a minor role. The presence of both clastic flood horizons and peat layers within the deposits of the Taihu plain attests to great variability in the magnitude of fluvial input from the Yangtze, with repeated extreme floods occurring at some periods, but with periods when the growth of peat layers shows low water tables, little exogenic sediment input and so little fluvial influence. We have examined the published evidence for these different depositional environments in the lower Yangtze and the Taihu plain during the Holocene, comparing the flood history with the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze catchment. Discrete phases of high or low flooding influence are recognised, and these correspond with large-scale Holocene climate history. Intensified human land use in recent millennia has complicated this relationship, amplifying the flooding signal. Our palynological research shows that algal microfossil type and abundance is a useful proxy for changing water depth and quality in the aquatic environments of the Holocene Taihu wetlands, and can recognise flooding events that are not registered in the floodplain lithological sequences.
Water Mixing Conditions Influence Sentinel-2 Monitoring of Chlorophyll Content in Monomictic Lakes
Authors: Perrone Michela , Scalici Massimiliano , Conti Luisa , Moravec David , Kropáček Jan , Sighicelli Maria , Lecce Francesca , Malavasi Marco
Published: July 2021

Prompt estimation of phytoplankton biomass is critical in determining the ecological quality of freshwaters. Remote Sensing (RS) may provide new opportunities to integrate with situ traditional monitoring techniques. Nonetheless, wide regional and temporal variability in freshwater optical constituents makes it difficult to design universally applicable RS protocols. Here, we assessed the potential of two neural networks-based models, namely the Case 2 Regional CoastColour (C2RCC) processor and the Mixture Density Network (MDN), applied to MSI Sentinel-2 data for monitoring Chlorophyll (Chl) content in three monomictic volcanic lakes while accounting for the effect of their specific water circulation pattern on the remotely-sensed and in situ data relation. Linear mixed models were used to test the relationship between the remote sensing indices calculated through C2RCC (INN) and MDN (IMDN), and in situ Chl concentration. Both indices proved to explain a large portion of the variability in the field data and exhibited a positive and significant relationship between Chl concentration and satellite data, but only during the mixing phase. The significant effect of the water circulation period can be explained by the low responsiveness of the RS approaches applied here to the low phytoplankton biomass, typical of the stratification phase. Sentinel-2 data proved their valuable potential for the remote sensing of phytoplankton in small inland water bodies, otherwise challenging with previous sensors. However, caution should be taken, since the applicability of such an approach on certain water bodies may depend on hydrological and ecological parameters (e.g., thermal stratification and seasonal nutrient availability) potentially altering RS chlorophyll detection by neural networks-based models, despite their alleged global validity.
BDS-3/Galileo Time and Frequency Transfer with Quad-Frequency Precise Point Positioning
Authors: Ge Yulong , Cao Xinyun , Shen Fei , Yang Xuhai , Wang Shengli
Published: July 2021

In this work, quad-frequency precise point positioning (PPP) time and frequency transfer methods using Galileo E1/E5a/E5b/E5 and BDS-3 B1I/B3I/B1C/B2a observations were proposed with corresponding mathematical models. In addition, the traditional dual-frequency (BDS-3 B1I/B3I and Galileo E1/E5a) ionospheric-free (IF) model was also described and tested for comparison. To assess the proposed method for time transfer, datasets selected from timing labs were utilized and tested. Moreover, the number of Galileo or BDS-3 satellites, pseudorange residuals, positioning accuracy and tropospheric delay at receiver end were all analyzed. The results showed that the proposed quad-frequency BDS-3 or Galileo PPP models could be used to time transfer, due to stability and accuracy identical to that of dual-frequency IF model. Furthermore, the quad-frequency models can provide potential for enhancing the reliability and redundancy compared to the dual-frequency time transfer method.
Research on Tightly Coupled Multi-Antenna GNSS/MEMS Single-Frequency Single-Epoch Attitude Determination in Urban Environment
Authors: Gao Ming , Liu Genyou , Wang Shengliang , Xiao Gongwei , Zhao Wenhao , Lv Dong
Published: July 2021

GNSS-only attitude determination is difficult to perform well in poor-satellite-tracking environments such as urban areas with high and dense buildings or trees. In addition, it is harder to resolve integer ambiguity in the case of single-frequency single-epoch process mode. In this contribution, a low-cost MEMS gyroscope is integrated with multi-antenna GNSS to improve the performance of the attitude determination. A new tightly coupled (TC) model is proposed, which uses a single filter to achieve the optimal estimation of attitude drift, gyro biases and ambiguities. In addition, a MEMS-Attitude-aided Quality-Control method (MAQC) for GNSS observations is designed to eliminate both the carrier multipath errors and half-cycle slips disturbing ambiguity resolution. Vehicle experiments show that in GNSS-friendly scenarios, the Ambiguity Resolution (AR) success rate of the proposed model with MAQC can reach 100%, and the accuracy of attitudes are (0.12, 0.2, 0.2) degrees for heading, pitch and roll angles, respectively. Even in harsh scenarios, the AR success rate increases from about 67% for the GNSS only case to above 90% after coupling GNSS tightly with MEMS, and it is further improved to about 98% with MAQC. Meanwhile, the accuracy and continuity of attitude determination are effectively guaranteed.
Topoclimate Mapping Using Landsat ETM+ Thermal Data: Wolin Island, Poland
Authors: Ciazela Marta , Ciazela Jakub
Published: July 2021

Variations in climatic pattern due to boundary layer processes at the topoclimatic scale are critical for ecosystems and human activity, including agriculture, fruit harvesting, and animal husbandry. Here, a new method for topoclimate mapping based on land surface temperature (LST) computed from the brightness temperature of Landsat ETM+ thermal bands (band6) is presented. The study was conducted in a coastal lowland area with glacial landforms (Wolin Island). The method presented is universal for various areas, and is based on freely available remote sensing data. The topoclimatic typology obtained was compared to the classical one based on meteorological data. It was proven to show a good sensitivity to changes in topoclimatic conditions (demonstrated by changes in LST distribution) even in flat, agricultural areas with only small variations in topography. The technique will hopefully prove to be a convenient and relatively fast tool that can improve the topoclimatic classification of other regions. It could be applied by local authorities and farmer associations for optimizing agricultural production.
Cloud-Top Height Comparison from Multi-Satellite Sensors and Ground-Based Cloud Radar over SACOL Site
Authors: Yang Xuan , Ge Jinming , Hu Xiaoyu , Wang Meihua , Han Zihang
Published: July 2021

Cloud-top heights (CTH), as one of the representative variables reflecting cloud macro-physical properties, affect the Earth–atmosphere system through radiation budget, water cycle, and atmospheric circulation. This study compares the CTH from passive- and active-spaceborne sensors with ground-based Ka-band zenith radar (KAZR) observations at the Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observatory of Lanzhou University (SACOL) site for the period 2013–2019. A series of fundamental statistics on cloud probability in different limited time and areas at the SACOL site reveals that there is an optimal agreement for both cloud frequency and fraction derived from space and surface observations in a 0.5° × 0.5° box area and a 40-min time window. Based on the result, several facets of cloud fraction (CF), cloud overlapping, seasonal variation, and cloud geometrical depth (CGD) are investigated to evaluate the CTH retrieval accuracy of different observing sensors. Analysis shows that the CTH differences between multi-satellite sensors and KAZR decrease with increasing CF and CGD, significantly for passive satellite sensors in non-overlapping clouds. Regarding passive satellite sensors, e.g., Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua, the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) on Terra, and the Advanced Himawari Imager on Himawari-8 (HW8), a greater CTH frequency difference exists between the upper and lower altitude range, and they retrieve lower CTH than KAZR on average. The CTH accuracy of HW8 and MISR are susceptible to inhomogeneous clouds, which can be reduced by controlling the increase of CF. Besides, the CTH from active satellite sensors, e.g., Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) on CloudSat, and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), agree well with KAZR and are less affected by seasonal variation and inhomogeneous clouds. Only CALIPSO CTH is higher than KAZR CTH, mainly caused by the low-thin clouds, typically in overlapping clouds.
Novel Approach Sizing and Routing of Wireless Sensor Networks for Applications in Smart Cities
Authors: Inga Esteban , Inga Juan , Ortega Andres
Published: July 2021

Citizens are expected to require the growth of multiple Internet of Things (IoT) -based applications to improve public and private services. According to their concept, smart cities seek to improve the efficiency, reliability, and resilience of these services. Consequently, this paper searches for a new vision for resolving problems related to the quick deployment of a wireless sensor network (WSN) by using a sizing model and considering the capacity and coverage of the concentrators. Additionally, three different routing models of these technology resources are presented as alternatives for each WSN deployment to ensure connectivity between smart meters and hubs required for smart metering. On the other hand, these solutions must reduce costs when this type of wireless communication network is deployed. The present work proposes various optimization models that consider the physical and network layers in order to integrate different wireless communication technologies, thus reducing costs in terms of the minimum number of data aggregation points. Using a heterogeneous wireless network can reduce resource costs and energy consumption in comparison to a single cellular technology, as proposed in previous works. This work proposes a sizing model and three different models for routing wireless networks. In each case, constraints are evaluated and can be associated with different real-world scenarios. This document provides an optimization model that encompasses all of the proposed constraints; due to the combinatorial nature of the problem, this would require a heuristic technique.
Impact of Visual Design Elements and Principles in Human Electroencephalogram Brain Activity Assessed with Spectral Methods and Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Cabrera Francisco E. , Sánchez-Núñez Pablo , Vaccaro Gustavo , Peláez José Ignacio , Escudero Javier
Published: July 2021

The visual design elements and principles (VDEPs) can trigger behavioural changes and emotions in the viewer, but their effects on brain activity are not clearly understood. In this paper, we explore the relationships between brain activity and colour (cold/warm), light (dark/bright), movement (fast/slow), and balance (symmetrical/asymmetrical) VDEPs. We used the public DEAP dataset with the electroencephalogram signals of 32 participants recorded while watching music videos. The characteristic VDEPs for each second of the videos were manually tagged for by a team of two visual communication experts. Results show that variations in the light/value, rhythm/movement, and balance in the music video sequences produce a statistically significant effect over the mean absolute power of the Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma EEG bands (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we trained a Convolutional Neural Network that successfully predicts the VDEP of a video fragment solely by the EEG signal of the viewer with an accuracy ranging from 0.7447 for Colour VDEP to 0.9685 for Movement VDEP. Our work shows evidence that VDEPs affect brain activity in a variety of distinguishable ways and that a deep learning classifier can infer visual VDEP properties of the videos from EEG activity.
Analysis of the Influence of the Vortex Shedder Shape on the Metrological Properties of the Vortex Flow Meter
Authors: Rzasa Mariusz R. , Czapla-Nielacna Beata
Published: July 2021

Vortex flow meters are used to measure the flow of gases and liquids. The flow meters of this type measure the frequency of vortices that arise behind an obstacle set in the path of the flowing fluid. The frequency is a function of the speed of the flowing fluid. This obstacle is called the vortex shedder bar. The advantage of this solution is that the frequency of vortices does not viscose on the rheological properties of the fluid, such as viscosity or density. As a result, the indications of the vortex flowmeter do not depend on the temperature and type of fluid. The work includes numerical and experimental studies of the effect of changing the shape of a vortex generator on the stability of vortex generation in a vortex flowmeter. The article presents a numerical analysis of the influence of selected surfaces of the vortex shedder on the parameters of the vortex flowmeter. In order to determine the influence of the shape of the vortex shedder on the type of generated vortices, simulations were carried out for various flow velocities. Numerical calculations were experimentally verified for a cylinder-shaped vortex shedder. The experimental tests consist in determining the velocity field behind the vortex shedder. For this purpose, a proprietary method of determining local liquid velocities and the visualization of local vortices were used. On the basis of the conducted research, the influence of the shape of the vortex shedder on the width of the von Karman vortex street was determined and the optimal longitudinal distance from the shedder was determined in which it is most useful to measure the frequency of the vortices. This place ensures the stability of the frequency of the generated vortices.
Optimization of Virtual Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensing
Authors: Yue Xian , Yang Yaliang , Xiao Fei , Dai Hao , Geng Chao , Zhang Yudong
Published: July 2021

Virtual Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensing (vSHWS) can flexibly adjust parameters to meet different requirements without changing the system, and it is a promising means for aberration measurement. However, how to optimize its parameters to achieve the best performance is rarely discussed. In this work, the data processing procedure and methods of vSHWS were demonstrated by using a set of normal human ocular aberrations as an example. The shapes (round and square) of a virtual lenslet, the zero-padding of the sub-aperture electric field, sub-aperture number, as well as the sequences (before and after diffraction calculation), algorithms, and interval of data interpolation, were analyzed to find the optimal configuration. The effect of the above optimizations on its anti-noise performance was also studied. The Zernike coefficient errors and the root mean square of the wavefront error between the reconstructed and preset wavefronts were used for performance evaluation. The performance of the optimized vSHWS could be significantly improved compared to that of a non-optimized one, which was also verified with 20 sets of clinical human ocular aberrations. This work makes the vSHWS’s implementation clearer, and the optimization methods and the obtained results are of great significance for its applications.
A Statistical Method for Exploratory Data Analysis Based on 2D and 3D Area under Curve Diagrams: Parkinson’s Disease Investigation
Authors: Sushkova Olga Sergeevna , Morozov Alexei Alexandrovich , Gabova Alexandra Vasilievna , Karabanov Alexei Vyacheslavovich , Illarioshkin Sergey Nikolaevich
Published: July 2021

A statistical method for exploratory data analysis based on 2D and 3D area under curve (AUC) diagrams was developed. The method was designed to analyze electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG), and tremorogram data collected from patients with Parkinson’s disease. The idea of the method of wave train electrical activity analysis is that we consider the biomedical signal as a combination of the wave trains. The wave train is the increase in the power spectral density of the signal localized in time, frequency, and space. We detect the wave trains as the local maxima in the wavelet spectrograms. We do not consider wave trains as a special kind of signal. The wave train analysis method is different from standard signal analysis methods such as Fourier analysis and wavelet analysis in the following way. Existing methods for analyzing EEG, EMG, and tremor signals, such as wavelet analysis, focus on local time–frequency changes in the signal and therefore do not reveal the generalized properties of the signal. Other methods such as standard Fourier analysis ignore the local time–frequency changes in the characteristics of the signal and, consequently, lose a large amount of information that existed in the signal. The method of wave train electrical activity analysis resolves the contradiction between these two approaches because it addresses the generalized characteristics of the biomedical signal based on local time–frequency changes in the signal. We investigate the following wave train parameters: wave train central frequency, wave train maximal power spectral density, wave train duration in periods, and wave train bandwidth. We have developed special graphical diagrams, named AUC diagrams, to determine what wave trains are characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases. In this paper, we consider the following types of AUC diagrams: 2D and 3D diagrams. The technique of working with AUC diagrams is illustrated by examples of analysis of EMG in patients with Parkinson’s disease and healthy volunteers. It is demonstrated that new regularities useful for the high-accuracy diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease can be revealed using the method of analyzing the wave train electrical activity and AUC diagrams.
Computing Resource Allocation Scheme for DAG-Based IOTA Nodes
Authors: Hellani Houssein , Sliman Layth , Samhat Abed Ellatif , Exposito Ernesto
Published: July 2021

IOTA is a distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform proposed for the internet of things (IoT) systems in order to tackle the limitations of Blockchain in terms of latency, scalability, and transaction cost. The main concepts used in IOTA to reach this objective are a directed acyclic graph (DAG) based ledger, called Tangle, used instead of the chain of blocks, and a new validation mechanism that, instead of relying on the miners as it is the case in Blockchain, relies on participating nodes that cooperate to validate the new transactions. Due to the different IoT capabilities, IOTA classifies these devices into full and light nodes. The light nodes are nodes with low computing resources which seek full nodes’ help to validate and attach its transaction to the Tangle. The light nodes are manually connected to the full nodes by using the full node IP address or the IOTA client load balancer. This task distribution method overcharges the active full nodes and, thus, reduces the platform’s performance. In this paper, we introduce an efficient mechanism to distribute the tasks fairly among full nodes and hence achieve load balancing. To do so, we consider the task allocation between the nodes by introducing an enhanced resource allocation scheme based on the weight least connection algorithm (WLC). To assess its performance, we investigate and test different implementation scenarios. The results show an improved balancing of data traffic among full nodes based on their weights and number of active connections.
Constant Optical Power Operation of an Ultraviolet LED Controlled by a Smartphone
Authors: Chen Ching-Hua , Zhang Jia-Jun , Wang Chang-Han , Chang Yu-Chia , Yeh Pinghui S.
Published: July 2021

Constant light power operation of an ultraviolet (UV) LED based on portable low-cost instrumentation and a monolithically integrated monitoring photodiode (MPD) has been reported for the first time. UV light irradiation has become one of the essential measures for disinfection and sterilization. Monitoring and maintaining a specified light power level is important to meet the criteria of sterilization. We built a module composed of a monolithically integrated UV LED and MPD, a transimpedance amplifier, an Arduino Uno card, a digital-to-analog converter and a Bluetooth transceiver. An Android App that we wrote remotely controlled the UV LED module via Bluetooth. The Arduino Uno card was programmed to receive demands from the smartphone, sent a driving voltage to the LED and returned the present MPD voltage to the smartphone. A feedback loop was used to adjust the LED voltage for maintaining a constant light output. We successfully demonstrated the functioning of remote control of the App, and the resultant UV LED measured power remained the same as the setting power. This setup can also be applied to visible or white LEDs for controlling/maintaining mixed light’s chromaticity coordinates or color temperature. With such controlling and internet capability, custom profiling and maintenance of precision lighting remotely would be possible.
Novel High Accuracy Resolver Topology for Space Applications
Authors: Santiso-Zelaia Jon , Ugalde Gaizka , Garramiola Fernando , Iturbe Ion , Sarasola Izaskun
Published: July 2021

In recent years, the space industry has experienced a significant change mainly due to the incursion of private companies, which has shaken up the sector. This new situation allows for a reduction regarding the reliability of conventional instrumentation for space while reducing the development time and manufacturing volume. Consequently, even though it has been typical to use equipment that was previously tested in space, this could be the right moment to introduce new technologies due to the previously mentioned reasons. One of the interesting technologies with great potential is the rotary sensor in applications with motors. Historically, the resistive potentiometer has been the most used due to its simplicity and robustness; however, it has several drawbacks. Due to this, the aim of this paper is to identify an interesting rotary sensor. Hence, in this article, different sensor types are studied. Then, we review the literature regarding resolvers in order to find the best topology. We designed and compared different single speed absolute position resolvers to find the ones that offered the best results. In this process, a novel resolver topology was designed that improved on the performances of any other studied topology.
The Dialectic of Transnational Integration and National Disintegration as Challenge for Multilevel Governance
Authors: Décieux Jean Philippe
Published: July 2021

A large number of studies have detected that within the EU multilevel governance there is a transformation toward a hybrid knowledge co-production that overcomes traditional categories such as locality or embeddedness. There, a sort of sustainable decision-making knowledge is co-developed and theoretically supposed to be applied top-down on the national level of EU member states. However, in practice such processes of unification are always associated with a risk of limited compliance with specific national situations and with a specific national “world of relevancies”. Despite the rise in popularity of these top-down initiatives within international policy levels, there is a lack of studies that empirically analyze how national policy systems respond to these global standardization approaches. Therefore, the central aim of this study is twofold: Based on an exemplary case of an international information system co-produced by an expert group of the European Commission, it first reconstructs whether and how transnational information is integrated on the national policy level. Second, it elucidates factors limiting an application. The results show that this international knowledge system was used for basal purposes and was mainly challenged by non-compliance with national specificities and the existence of alternative knowledge sources.
Geometric and Fractal Characterization of Pore Systems in the Upper Triassic Dolomites Based on Image Processing Techniques (Example from Žumberak Mts, NW Croatia)
Authors: Pavičić Ivica , Briševac Zlatko , Vrbaški Anja , Grgasović Tonći , Duić Željko , Šijak Deni , Dragičević Ivan
Published: July 2021

Karst aquifers are important sources of thermal and groundwater in many parts of the world, such as the Alpine–Dinaric–Carpathian region in Europe. The Upper Triassic dolomites are regionally recognized thermal and groundwater aquifers but also hydrocarbon reservoirs. They are characterized by predominantly fractured porosity, but the actual share of depositional and diagenetic porosity is rarely investigated. In this research, we presented the geometric characterization of the measured microporosity of the Upper Triassic dolomites of the Žumberak Mts (Croatia), through thin-section image processing and particle analysis techniques. Pore parameters were analyzed on microphotographs of impregnated thin sections in scale. A total of 2267 pores were isolated and analyzed. The following parameters were analyzed: pore area, pore perimeter, circularity, aspect ratio (AR), roundness, solidity, Feret AR, compactness, and fractal dimension. Furthermore, porosity was calculated based on the pore portion in each image. The effective porosity on rock samples was determined using saturation and buoyancy techniques as an accompanying research method. We analyzed distributions of each parameter, their correlation, and most of the parameters are characterized by an asymmetric or asymmetric normal distribution. Parameters that quantify pore irregularities have similar distributions, and their values indicate the high complexity of the pore geometry, which can significantly impact permeability.
Sustainability in Refugee Camps: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wardeh Mai , Marques Rui Cunha
Published: July 2021

Many studies have stated the results of interventions presented in refugee camps to improve the quality of refugees’ lives and reduce their suffering. However, there has been no formal systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the evidence of the relative effectiveness of these interventions along with sustainability and the current 2030 Agenda. We developed a comprehensive search strategy designed to identify all peer-reviewed articles that presented interventions related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a refugee camp setting. We examined only articles with a specific focus on development goals. We screened the titles and, where necessary, the abstracts of 1108 publications. Seventy-two studies were judged to contain relevant evidence and were reviewed in detail. Data were extracted from these studies and pooled by meta-analysis to provide summary estimates of the effectiveness of existing procedures. Health and education sectors were the most frequently discussed SDGs. Results and recommendations from included studies were categorized into seven sectors: planning, development, and shelters; health and well-being; education; water and sanitation; energy; work and economic growth; and others. In order to improve the quality of life of refugees and internally displaced persons living in camps, more research that addresses both SDGs and camp planning and management is needed. This study is the first review found in the literature to report on sustainability in refugee camps.
Antecedents and Consequences of Digital Shadow Work in Mobile Shopping Apps Context
Authors: Ryoo Sung-Yul , Park Sang-Cheol
Published: July 2021

Shadow work continues to witness a significant uptick in the context of mobile shopping. Therefore, we question whether shadow work perceived by mobile shoppers may become a bigger problem, create fatigue for mobile shoppers, and lead them to discontinue the use of mobile shopping apps. This study examines the relationship between shadow work and the discontinuance of mobile shopping apps. Data from a total of 266 completed surveys were collected by a market research firm. We adopted partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to assess both the measurement and structural components of the model. The results show that both information overload and system feature overload positively influence individuals’ shadow work. This study explores the concept of shadow work in the context of mobile shopping apps. Specifically, the study developed the relationships between the antecedents and consequences of shadow work in the mobile shopping context. The main contribution of our study is that it introduces an integrative model of shadow work in the mobile shopping context, highlighting the importance of shadow work.
Analyzing the Critical Factors Influencing Post-Use Trust and Its Impact on Citizens’ Continuous-Use Intention of E-Government: Evidence from Chinese Municipalities
Authors: Li Wenjuan , Xue Lan
Published: July 2021

Whereas the pivotal role of trust in the adoption of e-government was highlighted in prior research, attention was rarely paid thus far to investigate the role of post-use trust and its impact on citizens’ continuous-use intention of e-government. This study develops a comprehensive model, which consists of antecedents of post-use trust, perceived usefulness, satisfaction, and citizens’ continuous-use intention of e-government, to explain how interactional, government, and environmental factors influence citizens’ post-use trust as well as how post-use trust influences citizens’ continuous-use intention. Using data collected from a survey of 1867 citizen users living in one direct-controlled municipality and four high-population cities in China, this study tests the proposed concept model using structural equation modeling. The results show that trust in government, trust in the internet, service quality, and information quality have positive effects on citizens’ post-use trust. Factors that do not determine a user’s post-use trust are the perception of privacy and security, as well as system quality. Another finding is that citizens’ post-use trust does not directly influence their continuous intention to use e-government. Post-use trust will impact continuous-use intention through whether or not citizens find using e-government useful and satisfying.
A Typology of the Level of Market Participation among Smallholder Farmers in South Africa: Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces
Authors: Hlatshwayo Simphiwe Innocentia , Ngidi Mjabuliseni , Ojo Temitope , Modi Albert Thembinkosi , Mabhaudhi Tafadzwanashe , Slotow Rob
Published: July 2021

Smallholder farmers face several challenges that limit their access to markets and prevent them from taking advantage of market opportunities. This study sought to provide observed information on households’ involvement in the output market and to analyse the determinants of the level of market participation among smallholder farmers in South Africa. Data (secondary) for this study were collected from a total of 1520 respondents who were selected through stratified random sampling. Descriptive statistics, t-test and a double-hurdle model were used to analyse factors influencing smallholder farmers’ decisions regarding participation in the agricultural market. The first-hurdle equation of the double-hurdle model showed that gender of the household, family member working on the farm, wealth index, and agricultural assistance had a positive significant impact on the decision of smallholder farmers to participate in the market, while household age and family member with HIV had a negative significant impact. The results of the second-hurdle model showed marital status, educational level of household, wealth index, and access to agricultural assistance had a negative significant effect on the extent of market participation among smallholder farmers, while household size, household age, and family member with HIV had a positive significant impact. The suggestions emanating from the results as to what factors need to be addressed to encourage smallholder farmers to participate in the market indicate that there is a need for government to hire sufficient and skilled extension workers who understand the market related issues. With the help of extension workers and policymakers, government need to organize smallholder farmers into groups that are easy to manage, train, and support. Smallholder farmers’ groups should have their farmers registered, visible, and easily accessible for coordinated government support services. They also need to do more workshops in rural areas to encourage young people to be involved in agriculture. This will lead to sustainable production, alleviation of poverty, improvement of the economy, and food security.
Indoor Environmental Quality and Consumption Patterns before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Twelve Social Dwellings in Madrid, Spain
Authors: de Frutos Fernando , Cuerdo-Vilches Teresa , Alonso Carmen , Martín-Consuegra Fernando , Frutos Borja , Oteiza Ignacio , Navas-Martín Miguel Ángel
Published: July 2021

This article analyses the situation that prevailed in 12 dwellings located on the outskirts of Madrid during Spain’s state of emergency. How did 24/7 occupation affect the quality of indoor air and power consumption patterns? The mixed method used (surveys and instrumental monitoring) pragmatically detected the variation in consumption, comfort and indoor air quality patterns before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The characteristics initially in place and household predisposition had a conclusive effect on such variations. The starting conditions, including household composition, habits and the way daily activities were performed, differed widely, logically affecting power consumption: 8/12 case studies increase occupancy density by more than 25 percent; 11/12 improve thermal comfort; 10/12 improve air quality but not necessarily translate in a sufficient ventilation practices; air quality was lower in the bedrooms on the whole; only 4/12 case studies use the potential of passive measures; only one household adopted energy savings strategies; 10/12 case studies increase electric power consumption but none of the dwellings was fitted with a renewable power generation system. The conclusion drawn is that, despite starting conditions differing widely, household composition, habits (including performance of daily activities performance) and power consumption also played an active role in the end result. This approach allowed to integrate qualitative and quantitative findings on indoor environmental quality (IEQ), energy use and households’ behavior. The objective data on the energy situation of the case studies not only is useful for the study, but also for potential enrollment in energy rehabilitation programs, such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Mycotoxins as Emerging Contaminants. Introduction to the Special Issue “Rapid Detection of Mycotoxin Contamination”
Authors: Székács András
Published: July 2021

Concerns for human and environmental health regarding mycotoxins are predominantly raised in connection with their occurrence in food and feed (especially in grains) [...]
Probing Gravitational Waves from Pulsars in Brans–Dicke Theory
Authors: Verma Paritosh
Published: July 2021

This paper comprises the theoretical background for the data analysis of gravitational waves (GWs) from spinning neutron stars in Brans–Dicke (BD) theory. Einstein’s general theory of relativity (GR) predicts only two tensor polarization states, but a generic metric theory of gravity can also possess scalar and vector polarization states. The BD theory attempts to modify the GR by varying gravitational constant G, and it has three polarization states. The first two states are the same as in GR, and the third one is scalar polarization. We derive the response of a laser interferometric detector to the GW signal from a spinning neutron star in BD theory. We obtain a statistic based on the maximum likelihood principle to identify the signal in BD theory in the detector’s noise. This statistic generalizes the well known F-statistic used in the case of GR. We perform Monte Carlo simulations in Gaussian noise to test the detectability of the signal and the accuracy of estimation of its parameters.
Dark Matter Searches at LNF
Authors: Gatti Claudio , Gianotti Paola , Ligi Carlo , Raggi Mauro , Valente Paolo
Published: July 2021

In recent years, the absence of experimental evidence for searches dedicated to dark matter has triggered the development of new ideas on the nature of this entity, which manifests at the cosmological level. Some of these can be explored by small experiments with a short timescale and an investment that can be afforded by national laboratories, such as the Frascati one. This is the main reason why a laboratory that, traditionally, was focused in particle physics studies with accelerators has begun intense activity in this field of research.
Virus-Targeted Transcriptomic Analyses Implicate Ranaviral Interaction with Host Interferon Response in Frog Virus 3-Infected Frog Tissues
Authors: Tian Yun , De Jesús Andino Francisco , Khwatenge Collins N. , Li Jiuyi , Robert Jacques , Sang Yongming
Published: July 2021

Ranaviruses (Iridoviridae), including Frog Virus 3 (FV3), are large dsDNA viruses that cause devastating infections globally in amphibians, fish, and reptiles, and contribute to catastrophic amphibian declines. FV3’s large genome (~105 kb) contains at least 98 putative open reading frames (ORFs) as annotated in its reference genome. Previous studies have classified these coding genes into temporal classes as immediate early, delayed early, and late viral transcripts based on their sequential expression during FV3 infection. To establish a high-throughput characterization of ranaviral gene expression at the genome scale, we performed a whole transcriptomic analysis (RNA-Seq) using total RNA samples containing both viral and cellular transcripts from FV3-infected Xenopus laevis adult tissues using two FV3 strains, a wild type (FV3-WT) and an ORF64R-deleted recombinant (FV3-∆64R). In samples from the infected intestine, liver, spleen, lung, and especially kidney, an FV3-targeted transcriptomic analysis mapped reads spanning the full-genome coverage at ~10× depth on both positive and negative strands. By contrast, reads were only mapped to partial genomic regions in samples from the infected thymus, skin, and muscle. Extensive analyses validated the expression of almost all of the 98 annotated ORFs and profiled their differential expression in a tissue-, virus-, and temporal class-dependent manner. Further studies identified several putative ORFs that encode hypothetical proteins containing viral mimicking conserved domains found in host interferon (IFN) regulatory factors (IRFs) and IFN receptors. This study provides the first comprehensive genome-wide viral transcriptome profiling during infection and across multiple amphibian host tissues that will serve as an instrumental reference. Our findings imply that Ranaviruses like FV3 have acquired previously unknown molecular mimics, interfering with host IFN signaling during evolution.
A Contemporary Systematic Review on Repartition of HPV-Positivity in Oropharyngeal Cancer Worldwide
Authors: Carlander Amanda F. , Jakobsen Kathrine K. , Bendtsen Simone K. , Garset-Zamani Martin , Lynggaard Charlotte D. , Jensen Jakob Schmidt , Grønhøj Christian , Buchwald Christian von
Published: July 2021

Significant variation in human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) across countries ranging from 11% in Brazil to 74% in New Zealand has been reported earlier. The aim of this study was to systematically review the most recently published studies on the occurrence of HPV in OPSCC globally. PubMed and Embase were systematically searched for articles assessing the occurrence of HPV+ OPSCC published between January 2016 and May 2021. Studies with a study period including 2015 and the following years were included. Both HPV DNA and/or p16 were accepted as indicators of HPV+ OPSCC. 31 studies were enrolled comprising 49,564 patients with OPSCC (range 12–42,024 patients per study) from 26 different countries covering all continents. The lowest occurrences of HPV+ OPSCC were observed in India (0%) and Spain (10%) and the highest occurrences were observed in Lebanon (85%) and Sweden (70%). We observed great variation in HPV prevalence in OPSCC worldwide varying from 0% to 85%. The highest occurrences of HPV+ OPSCC were found in general in Northern European countries, USA, Lebanon, China, and South Korea. We observed a trend of increase in HPV-positivity, indicating a mounting burden of HPV+ OPSCC.