bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Behavioral changes before lockdown and decreased retail and recreation mobility during lockdown contributed most to controlling COVID-19 in Western countries
Authors: Deforche Koen , Vercauteren Jurgen , Müller Viktor , Vandamme Anne-Mieke
Published: January 2021

Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a lockdown in many countries to control the exponential spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, hereby reducing the time-varying basic reproduction number (Rt) to below one. Governments are looking for evidence to balance the demand of their citizens to ease some of the restriction, against the fear of a new peak in infections. In this study, we wanted to quantify the relative contribution of mobility restrictions, and that of behavioral changes that occurred already before the lockdowns, on the reduction of transmission during lockdowns in Western countries in early 2020.
Methods
Incidence data of cases and deaths from the first wave of infections for 35 Western countries (32 European, plus Israel, USA and Canada) were analyzed using epidemiological compartment models in a Bayesian framework. Mobility data was used to estimate the timing of changes associated with a lockdown, and was correlated with estimated reductions of Rt.
Results
Across all countries, the initial median estimate for Rt was 3.6 (95% IQR 2.4 – 5.2), and it was reduced to 0.78 (95% IQR 0.58 – 1.01) during lockdown. 48% (18% – 65%) of the reduction occurred already in the week before lockdown, with lockdown itself causing the remaining drop in transmission. A lower Rt during lockdown was independently associated with an increased time spent at home (0.21 per 10% more time, p < 0.007), and decreased mobility related to retail and recreation (0.07 per 10% less mobility, p < 0.008).
Conclusions
In a Western population unaware of the risk, SARS-CoV-2 can be highly contagious with a reproduction number R0 > 5. Our results are consistent with evidence that recreational activities (including restaurant and bar visits) enable super-spreading events. Exiting from lockdown therefore requires continued physical distancing and tight control on this kind of activities.
Multiple freeze-thaw cycles lead to a loss of consistency in poly(A)-enriched RNA sequencing
Authors: Kellman Benjamin , Baghdassarian Hratch , Pramparo Tiziano , Shamie Isaac , Gazestani Vahid , Begzati Arjana , Li Shengzhong , Nalabolu Srinivasa , Murray Sarah , Lopez Linda , Pierce Karen , Courchesne Eric , Lewis Nathan
Published: January 2021

Background: Both RNA-Seq and sample freeze-thaw are ubiquitous. However, knowledge about the impact of freeze-thaw on downstream analyses is limited. The lack of common quality metrics that are sufficiently sensitive to freeze-thaw and RNA degradation, e.g. the RNA Integrity Score, makes such assessments challenging.Results: Here we quantify the impact of repeated freeze-thaw cycles on the reliability of RNA-Seq by examining poly(A)-enriched and ribosomal RNA depleted RNA-seq from frozen leukocytes drawn from a toddler Autism cohort. To do so, we estimate the relative noise, or percentage of random counts, separating technical replicates. Using this approach we measured noise associated with RIN and freeze-thaw cycles. As expected, RIN does not fully capture sample degradation due to freeze-thaw. We further examined differential expression results and found that three freeze-thaws should extinguish the differential expression reproducibility of similar experiments. Freeze-thaw also resulted in a 3’ shift in the read coverage distribution along the gene body of poly(A)-enriched samples compared to ribosomal RNA depleted samples, suggesting that library preparation may exacerbate freeze-thaw-induced sample degradation.Conclusion: The use of poly(A)-enrichment for RNA sequencing is pervasive in library preparation of frozen tissue, and thus, it is important during experimental design and data analysis to consider the impact of repeated freeze-thaw cycles on reproducibility.
Systematic comparison of high-throughput single-cell RNA-seq methods for immune cell profiling
Authors: Yamawaki Tracy M , Lu Daniel R , Ellwanger Daniel C , Bhatt Dev , Manzanillo Paolo , Arias Vanessa , Zhou Hong , Yoon Oh Kyu , Homann Oliver , Wang Songli , Li Chi-Ming Kevin
Published: January 2021

Background: Elucidation of immune populations with single-cell RNA-seq has greatly benefited the field of immunology by deepening the characterization of immune heterogeneity and leading to the discovery of new subtypes. However, single-cell methods inherently suffer from limitations in the recovery of complete transcriptomes due to the prevalence of cellular and transcriptional dropout events. This issue is often compounded by limited sample availability and limited prior knowledge of heterogeneity, which can confound data interpretation. Results: Here, we systematically benchmarked seven high-throughput single-cell RNA-seq methods. We prepared 21 libraries under identical conditions of a defined mixture of two human and two murine lymphocyte cell lines, simulating heterogeneity across immune-cell types and cell sizes. We evaluate methods by their cell recovery rate, library efficiency, sensitivity, and ability to recover expression signatures for each cell type. We observed higher mRNA detection sensitivity with the 10x Genomics 5’ v1 and 3’ v3 methods. We demonstrate that these methods have fewer drop-out events which facilitates the identification of differentially-expressed genes and improves the concordance of single-cell profiles to immune bulk RNA-seq signatures.Conclusion: Overall, our characterization of immune cell mixtures provides useful metrics, which can guide selection of a high-throughput single-cell RNA-seq method for profiling more complex immune-cell heterogeneity usually found in vivo.
Abnormal Eye Movements in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3
Authors: Lin Junyu , Zhang Lingyu , Cao Bei , Wei Qianqian , Ou Ruwei , Hou Yanbing , Xu Xinran , Liu Kuncheng , Gu Xiaojing , Shang Huifang
Published: January 2021

Background: Abnormal eye movements are common in spinocerebellar ataxias Type 3 (SCA3). We conducted the research to explore the frequency of abnormal eye movements in Chinese patients with SCA3, to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics between SCA3 patients with and without each type of abnormal eye movement, and to explore the correlation between abnormal eye movements and the severity of ataxia.Methods: Seventy-four patients with SCA3 were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Six types of abnormal eye movements including impaired smooth pursuit, increased square-wave jerks (SWJ), gaze-evoked nystagmus (GEN), slowing of saccades, saccadic hypo/hypermetria and supranuclear gaze palsy were evaluated by experienced neurologists. The severity of ataxia was evaluated by Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA). Results: The prevalence of impaired smooth pursuit, increased SWJ, GEN, slowing of saccades, saccadic hypo/hypermetria and supranuclear gaze palsy in Chinese SCA3 patients was 28.4%, 13.5%, 78.4%, 41.9%, 23.0%, and 5.4%, respectively. SCA3 patients with GEN had higher scores of International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS-IV) and total ICARS, and longer length of CAG repeat than patients without GEN. SCA3 patients with slowing of saccades had a longer disease duration, higher scores of ICARS-I, ICARS-II, total ICARS and SARA than patients without slowing of saccades. SCA3 patients with saccadic hypo/hypermetria had higher scores of ICARS-III, ICARS-IV, and SARA than patients without saccadic hypo/hypermetria. The demographic and clinical characteristics did not differ significantly between SCA3 patients with and without impaired smooth pursuit, increased SWJ, or supranuclear gaze palsy. Multivariate linear regression showed that the number of abnormal eye movements (0-6), disease duration, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 (HDRS-24) score, and CAG repeat length were positively correlated with SARA score, whereas Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score was negatively correlated with SARA score in SCA3. Conclusions: An increased number of abnormal eye movement types correlated with the severity of ataxia in SCA3.
Enormous thermoelectric power factor of ZrTe2/SrTiO3 heterostructure
Authors: Suen Chun Hung , Cai Songhua , Li Hui , Tang Xiaodan , Wang Huichao , He Mingquan , Chai Yisheng , Zhou Kai , Wong Chi Man , Wang Jiannong , Zhou Xiaoyuan , Dai Jiyan
Published: January 2021

Achieving high thermoelectric power factor in thin film heterostructures is essential for integrated and miniaturized thermoelectric device applications. In this work, we demonstrate a mechanism to enhance thermoelectric power factor through coupling the interfacial confined two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with thin film conductivity in a transition metal dichalcogenides-SrTiO3 heterostructure. Owing to the formed conductive interface with two-dimensional electron confinement effect and the elevated conductivity, the ZrTe2/SrTiO3 (STO) heterostructure presents enormous thermoelectric power factor as high as 4×10^5 μW cm^(-1) K^(-2) at 20 K and 4800 μW cm^(-1) K^(-2) at room temperature. Interfacial reaction induced degradation of Ti cations valence number from Ti4+ to Ti3+ is attributed to be responsible for the formation of the quasi-two-dimensional electrons at the interface which results in very large Seebeck coefficient; and the enhanced electrical conductivity is suggested to be originated from the charge transfer induced doping in the ZrTe2. By taking the thermal conductivity of STO substrate as a reference, the effective zT value of this heterostructure can reach 15 at 300 K. This superior thermoelectric property makes this heterostructure a promising candidate for future thermoelectric device, and more importantly, paves a new pathway to design promising high-performance thermoelectric systems.
Issues of resource and energy saving in corundum production
Authors: Palyanicin P. S. , Petrov P. A. , Bazhin V. Yu.
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this article is study and identification of the most promising trends and engineering solutions in order to improve resource saving and energy efficiency in the production of corundum on the basis of the conducted patent review on melting improvement and optimization. The ways to optimize the corundum production are considered in three directions from the point of view of energy saving. The first direction relates to the development of promising engineering developments. The latter are studied to select rational operating modes and determine the main factors affecting voltage surges during the technological process and useful product yield. Consideration is given to the conditions for reducing specific energy consumption and improvement of production environmental friendliness at all stages beginning from isothermal sintering of corundum, production of electrocorundum, fine corundum to single corundum crystals. The second direction is the optimization of corundum production at all stages for the development of an optimal control algorithm for the technological process. In this case the electricity consumption might be reduced by 10-12% as compared to current standards. The third direction is the development of engineering solutions involving the change of individual structural units of furnaces, namely, the use of modern components and new heat insulating materials, as well as the application of spent heat carriers as the sources of secondary energy resources and the introduction of additional controllers of the automated control system of the process. The analytical study has shown that the result of optimization should be upgraded designs of plants and electrical equipment, which can provide maximum electrochemical efficiency, and corresponding furnace tightness. Criteria for energy supply and energy quality making possible to stabilize furnace material balance and solve resource saving issues have been developed. These measures allow to reduce the loss of raw materials up to 20-25%, the specific energy consumption under the production of corundum by 2-3 thousand kWh per 1 t.
The use of natural clay-carbonate gypsum in the production of sulfate-containing cements
Authors:   Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transport and Architecture named after N. Isanov, Assakunova Bubuzuura T. , Barpiev Bakytbek B. ,   International University of Innovative Technologies, Ordobaev Beishenbek S. ,   Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, Amanzhan-kyzy Zhazgul ,   Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transport and Architecture named after N. Isanov, Abdykeeva Shirin S. ,   Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University
Published: January 2021

The purpose of the article is to study the raw materials located in the deposits of Kyrgyzstan and used in the production of sulfate-containing cements. The article aims to identify features of the technological process of clinker formation. An analysis of deposits of gypsum raw materials in Kyrgyzstan was carried out. For the most common raw materials of limestones, their chemical and mineralogical composition was studied using the chemical, derivatographic and X-ray methods. By calculating raw mixtures, a charge was produced for obtaining sulfate-containing cement from limestone of the Tashkumyr deposit, local loams and clay-carbonate gypsum. The temperature regime of the clinker formation of sulfate-containing cements using local clay-carbonate gypsum awas studied. The article analyzes an effect of high temperatures on clay-carbonate gypsum whose chemical and mineralogical composition decreases the decarbonization temperature and causes the partial decomposition of CaSO4 and the early formation of primary clinker minerals. The use of gypsum rock with a high content of carbonates and clay impurities as a sulfate component in the preparation of sulfoclinkers helps to reduce the decomposition temperature of calcium carbonate and sulfate during burning. The data on the intensification of clinker formation are presented. They depend on the composition of charge components and the burning temperature, which correspond to the low-power technology. The technology can save energy, reduce CO2 emissions and improve the environmental safety.
Average annual background quantity of chemical elements and organic matter in the streams of the "River" environment flowing into Lake Baikal reservoirs
Authors:   Irkutsk Department of Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, Astrakhantseva Olga Yu. , Palkin Oleg Yu. ,   Baikal State University
Published: January 2021

The aim of the article is to assess the average long-term background hydrochemical input of chemical elements and organic matter from the flows of the natural component of the environment "Rivers" flowing into the South, Selenginsky, Middle and North reservoirs of Lake. Baikal. The results of calculation of the average annual amount (g/year) of chemical elements and organic matter (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Al, Si, Mn2+, Feобщ , SO42-, HCO3-, Cl-, NO3-, PO43-, Cr, Cu, Cd, Hg, Pb, Sr, Zn, Co, U, V, Mo, Cорг, Nорг, Pорг, Sорг, CO2, Ti) in the streams of the natural component of the environment "Rivers" flowing into the South, Selenginsky, Sredniy, Severny reservoirs of Lake Baikal are presented. The scale of the river chemical input into the reservoirs and the contribution of the "River" flows to the chemical balances of these reservoirs have been determined. It has been established that only in the Selenga reservoir the rivers carry a significant amount of matter (about 3%). The contribution of river flows to the chemical balance of the reservoir is 3.54; 5.4; 17.5 and 21.5% in the South, Selenga, Middle and North reservoirs, respectively. The rivers flowing into the Selenga reservoir carry 70.6% of the total amount of matter brought by the rivers into the lake. Whereas the rivers of the Northern, Middle and Southern reservoirs carry 14.0; 11.6 and 3.8% of the matter. Only in the Selenga and Northern reservoirs, the rivers (tributaries) are the main sources of macrocomponents (K+, Na+, Ca2+, SO42-, CO3-, Cl-), a number of microcomponents (Rb, Mo, Hg, Sr, and Cu and Zn in the Selenga river-), organic matter (Corgг, Norg, Porg), and biogenic components in the Selenga reservoir (NO3-).
Boron isotope compositions establish the origin of marble from metamorphic complexes: Québec, New York, and Sri Lanka
Authors: Kuebler Corinne , Simonetti Antonio , Simonetti Stefanie S. , Martin Robert F.
Published: January 2021

The origin of an array of marble samples found in both the Grenville Province and southwestern Sri Lanka remains uncertain, whether magmatic, sedimentary, or mixed, due to their proximity to both carbonatite bodies and carbonate-rich metasedimentary rocks. This study reports boron and trace element abundances, in addition to carbon, oxygen, boron, and strontium isotopic compositions, to determine the petrogenesis of these carbonate-rich samples. Boron abundances for all of the samples are relatively high and variable (1.48–71.1 ppm) compared to those for carbonatites worldwide (≤1 ppm), and mostly overlap those documented for sedimentary sources (up to 54 ppm). The rare earth element (REE) abundances (0.5–1068 ppm) for the marbles studied are similar to those for local sedimentary units and thus contain, in general, lower REE contents than both the average worldwide calciocarbonatite and respective neighboring carbonatite bodies. The δ13CV-PDB and δ18OV-SMOW compositions for all of the samples range between –2.9 to +3.2 ± 0.1‰ and +14.3 to +25.8 ± 0.2‰, respectively, and are considerably heavier than those reported for magmatic or metamorphosed carbonatites. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios reported here range from 0.70417 to 0.70672, which are more radiogenic than the average 87Sr/86Sr (~0.70345) reported for carbonatites included for comparison in this study. Importantly, the boron isotopic compositions (δ11B‰) for samples from the Grenville Province range from +7.5 to +15.7 ± 0.5‰, which are consistent with those reported for biogenic carbonate (+4.9 to +35.1‰). In contrast, δ11B values for the samples of marble from Sri Lanka vary from –9.8 to –14.3 ± 0.5‰ overlapping with those estimated for average bulk continental crust (–9.1 ± 2.4‰). Together, the boron compositions, chemical data, stable (C, O), and radiogenic Sr isotopic data overwhelmingly point to a sedimentary origin for the marble samples examined here. Specifically, the samples from the Grenville Province represent marble formed during high-temperature regional metamorphism of limestone units. The Sri Lankan samples were formed from carbonate-rich and 11B-poor fluids derived from a crustal source. The boron isotopic compositions for the samples studied here are also compared to those reported for mantle-derived carbonate (i.e., carbonatites) worldwide, along with their associated δ13CV-PDB and 87Sr/86Sr values. This comparison results in defining three isotopically distinct fields; mantle-derived carbonates, sedimentary carbonates derived from heterogeneous limestone protoliths, and carbonates derived from meteoric water interacting with crustal material. This work establishes the effective use of boron isotopic compositions in determining the origin of carbonate-rich rocks of contentious petrogenesis.
GUMİLYOV’UN ETNOGENEZ VE PASSİONARLIK KURAMLARININ SİMBİYOTİK İLİŞKİSİ
Authors: AYDIN Onur
Published: January 2021

Bilimde bazı kuramlar canlı organizmalar gibidir. Birbirlerinden doğar, birbirleri içinde şekillenir ya da birlikte bilimsel yaşamlarını sürdürürler. Sovyet bilim insanı Lev Gumilyov’un (1912-1992) en ünlü çalışmaları olan etnogenez ve passionarlık kuramları arasında da böyle bir ilişkinin varlığından söz edilebilir. İki ayrı isimle adlandırılmış olsalar da Gumilyov’u daha yakından tanımak ve kuramlarını daha iyi anlamak için bilim insanının sözü edilen kuramları arasındaki bağlantının incelenmesi gerekmektedir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, çalışmamızda ilk olarak, Gumilyov’un yaşamına ve bilimsel çalışmalarına kısaca değinilecektir. Ardından etnogenez kuramı detaylı olarak incelenecektir. Daha sonra etnogenez safhaları tablo olarak sunulacak ve passionarlık kuramına geçilecektir. Passionarlık sözcüğü ilk olarak anlam bilimsel olarak incelenecek, Gumilyov’a özgü bir terim olan sözcükle bilim insanının anlatmak istediği ifade ortaya çıkarılacaktır. Son olarak passionarlık ve etnogenez kuramları arasındaki simbiyotik ilişki çözümlenecektir. Etnogenez ve passionarlık kuramları arasındaki ilişkiyi ortaya koymak, birtakım tarihsel olaylara bütüncül bakış açısı geliştirilmesini ve olaylar arasındaki sistematik bağlantıların daha iyi çözümlenmesini sağlayacaktır.
Muslim prophets-revolutionaries in Sub-Saharan Africa: prophetic movements in the history of the continent
Authors:   Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Savateev Anatoly D.
Published: January 2021

In the article, the phenomenon of mimicries to Muhammad the Prophet by African religious leaders of XVIII–XX centuries is investigated. It is noted that the paedagogical component played the leading role in the formation and evolution of the prophetic movements. The society was being reformed both political (the Muridiyya Sufi order) and military ways (different jihadist movements).
Material testimonies of the history of diplomatic relations between the Russian Empire and Ethiopia in the St. Petersburg collections
Authors:   National Research University «Higher School of Economics», Gusarova Ekaterina V. ,   Institute of Oriental manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: January 2021

Relations between Russian Empire and Ethiopia have a long-lasting history. They became much more active in the last quarter of 19th century, when the international situation has changed and became tense. During this period the vast territories of northeastern part of African continent transformed in a kind of scene of international plans realization of World Empires and their colonial interests. Ethiopia managed to avoid colonial occupation of its territories. Consequently, it was again isolated from the external world. Having no support from abroad and being in hard conditions Emperor of Ethiopia Menelik II (1889–1913) looked towards the Russian Empire, close to Ethiopia in the matters of the Christian Orthodox faith.
Geopolitical Location of the Republic of Azerbaijan: temporal and Spatial Changes
Authors:   Ege University, Ibrahimov Aydin I. , Ismaylova Gulzar M. ,   Chanakkale 18 Mart University
Published: January 2021

For instance, the evolution of the Republic of Azerbaijan was examined in three different periods. The first one is the republican period (1918–1920); the second one is the sovereign state period (1920–1991); and the third one is the period since 1991. Each period was compared with the others and the similarities and differences experienced in the geopolitics of the country were evaluated. Three main lines are clearly seen in the geopolitics conducted approximately throughout the last century by different Azerbaijans. Firstly, the main geopolitical competitor is the Republic of Armenia; secondly, the competition taking place in the region between Russia and the West creates the atmosphere which influences the geopolitical behaviors; and thirdly, the fixed element which determines the status of the country is the energy resources.
Trends of change of geopolitical processes in the Caspian Region
Authors:   Academy of public administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ismayilov Chingiz N.
Published: January 2021

The article considers the prerequisites and conditions for the transformation of geopolitical processes in the Caspian region. The analysis of influence of internal and external factors on arrangement of political forces in the region. The article shows the trends in the development of economic and political cooperation between the countries of the region. The research focused on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, the use of hydrocarbon resources and protection of the natural environment. The distinctive features and priorities of the economic development of the countries of the Caspian region are revealed.
Factors affecting Russian-Turkish relations in the energy sphere at the present stage
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Zeleneva Irina V. , Savkina Ekaterina A. ,   St. Petersburg State University
Published: January 2021

The article is devoted to the research of Russian-Turkish relations in the energy sphere at the present stage. The peculiarity of the Russian-Turkish relations in the energy sphere is the contradictory situation in which, on the one hand, Turkey needs constant energy supplies to maintain its economic growth, on the other hand, Turkey is afraid of getting into energy dependence on Russia and therefore sees an outlet in the diversification of energy sources entering the country. The article analyzed the key indicators of the fuel and energy complex of the two countries, explored joint energy projects and the main bilateral agreements between Russia and Turkey in such areas of cooperation as: the gas industry, the oil industry, and nuclear energy. Based on the study, the authors identified the main internal and external factors affecting Russian-Turkish relations in the energy sphere. The article concludes that at the present time political, geographic and economic factors exert a great influence on Russian- Turkish relations in the energy sector.
Digitalization of U. S. Public Diplomacy
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Tsvetkova Natalia A.
Published: January 2021

The methods of qualitative and quantitate analysis are applied in the research in order to discuss new shifts in U. S. public diplomacy. The author concludes that the digital diplomacy, bots, and artificial intellect constitute a new imperative for the U. S. public diplomacy. In addition, the author confirms her previous findings that such notions as “soft power” and “public diplomacy” have been substituted by the “strategic communication” in official documents that implies the priority in the development of propaganda and information campaigns in both traditional and digital public diplomacy. The findings can contribute to the Russian foreign policy.
Central Asia in Russian Foreign Policy: Losses and Opportunities
Authors:   Moscow State Institute of Inernational Relations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Relations of the Russian Federation, Ponomareva Elena G. , Rudov Georgij A. ,   Diplomatic Academy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Published: January 2021

The Central Asia region is a complex geopolitical tangle of contradictions and an ethno-religious knot, comparable in the degree of influence of national and religious feelings on the political development of the world system with the Balkans and the Caucasus. For Russia, this is a zone of special interests, including in connection with the residence of a large Russian-speaking population in the Central Asian states. However, while strengthening its position in the world, Russia is losing its status in the Central Asian region. In order to return or strengthen the role of a leader in these countries, new approaches, formats of interaction are needed, and, above all, in the social and humanitarian spheres. The article examines four groups of problems: the reasons for the world-political importance of the countries of the region, the determining importance of such development factors as the economy, resources of soft power and religion.
Export of education: comparative analysis of Russian and Turkish practices in the post-soviet space
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Nemchinova Tamara S. , Muzalev Anton A. ,   St. Petersburg State University
Published: January 2021

The article assesses the export potential of Russian and Turkish universities. The influx of foreign citizens to study at universities is the most important quality criterion for the country’s higher education system. It is also an indicator of the country’s integration into the world community and a major export item. The leaders in the number of students from other countries have traditionally been the United States, Great Britain, France, the USSR, and Germany. At the turn of XX — XXI centuries. a significant increase in foreign students is observed in Australia, Japan, China. Other countries are also taking steps to improve the national higher education system and, accordingly, increase the number of foreign students. But attempts to penetrate the world market of educational services are significantly complicated, the market is already thoroughly divided, and the states that have long been entrenched in it are not going to allow new players to enter it. This process is also taking place in Turkey, which is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
“General cleaning” of the Arctic: causes, current problems and prospects for resolving the issue
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Alimov Andrej A. , Viktorov Sergej V. ,   Saint-Petersburg research institute Center for environmental safety of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: January 2021

On the basis of a critical analysis of the materials of “Liquidation of the accumulated ecological damage in the Arctic: on the way cooperation between business and power” panel session in the frames of VII International Forum “The Arctic to Day and in Future” conducted in St. Petersburg on December 4–6, 2017 the article covers the main our day problems in the process of “cleaning the Arctic zone of Russia”. The main gaps in the legal aspects as well as problems of cadres for conducting the process of liquidation of the accumulated damage to natural environment are discussed.
Estimation of parameters in groundwater modelling by modified Clonalg
Authors: Eryiğit Miraç
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this study was to improve the optimization model for predicting more parameters in more difficult conditions (more grid cell numbers and high time interval numbers) than other studies in groundwater flow modelling. Also, the model needs fewer observation numbers for estimating parameters than other studies. In the present study, an optimization model based on model calibration was developed to estimate simultaneously four groundwater flow parameters – hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, storage coefficient and leakance. The modified clonal selection algorithm, a class of artificial immune systems, was used as a heuristic optimization method. In order to simulate the groundwater flow, MODFLOW was used in conjunction with the model in MATLAB. The input files for MODFLOW were obtained by GMS groundwater simulator. The model was applied to two different hypothetical groundwater systems (two- and three-dimensional) under transient conditions to evaluate its performance. The results showed that the model was feasible for groundwater flow modelling and it could determine the groundwater flow parameters successfully with less observations and more grid cell numbers than the other studies.
A least squares method for identification of unknown groundwater pollution source
Authors: He Zhukun , Zuo Rui , Zhang Dan , Ni Pengcheng , Han Kexue , Xue Zhenkun , Wang Jinsheng , Xu Donghui
Published: January 2021

The identification of unknown groundwater pollution sources is one of the most important premises in groundwater pollution prevention and remediation. In this paper, an exploratory application of a least squares method to identify the unknown groundwater pollution source is conducted. Supported by a small amount of observation data and the analytical solutions of the pollutant transport model, the initial concentration, the leakage location and the pollutant mass are identified by using the least squares method under a sand tank experiment and a gas station area. In the sand tank experiment, it is found that the fitting errors of three cross-sections are within 6%. In the gas station area, it is found that the results are nearly consistent with the site investigation information. The results indicate that the least squares method has considerable application values in the identification of groundwater pollution sources.
A comparison between the European and the Brazilian models for management and diagnosis of river basins
Authors: Bettencourt Pedro , Fulgêncio Claudia , Grade Maria , Wasserman Julio Cesar
Published: January 2021

Water management is assuming more and more importance as freshwater resources are becoming scarce, both in quality and in quantity, across many developed and developing countries. This trend can be attributed to population growth, industrialization, growing agricultural demand, poor water management practices and climate change. In attempting to deal with the intensification of water quality- and quantity-related problems in recent decades, many countries have revised their water resource management policies and legislation, introducing new institutional frameworks and management instruments. Considering regional geographic and cultural distinctions, the present article aims at comparing the models of water resource management in the European Union (EU) and in Brazil. Institutional and legal arrangements currently in place, water planning and management instruments currently in use, assessments of water body status and watershed diagnoses were analysed. Main strengths and weaknesses of each water management system are pointed out in the conclusion. Main challenges for the water sector, and highlights of the converging and diverging points concerning water resource management systems, in each region, are discussed.
Calculation of drainage volume during tunnel construction based on the control of negative effects of ecosystem
Authors: Wang Yu , Zhao Yan , Ge Xiaoyan , Li Yongyu , Huang Tianrong , Zhang Qingming
Published: January 2021

Water inrush and seepage in tunnel engineering often lead to the loss of regional environmental groundwater resources and the imbalance of the hydrological ecological circulation system, which have a serious impact on the growth of natural vegetation. Based on the analysis of the burial depth of the critical water level of vegetation groundwater, a calculation method for the response of vegetation to water environment stress is established, and the water inrush and seepage volume of tunnel engineering under the condition of ecological balance protection are derived. By calculating the range and volume of the dewatering funnel when the tunnel underground water level reaches the maximum depth after water inrush and seepage, the maximum drainage value that must be controlled in tunnel construction is obtained. The proposed method has achieved certain practical results and could provide some theoretical reference for guiding the reasonable protection of groundwater, alleviating and eliminating adverse environmental geological effects in tunnel construction.
Variation of total phosphorus concentration and loads in the upper Yangtze River and contribution of non-point sources
Authors: Li Qian , Yang Zhonghua , Yue Yao , Zhong Hua , Li Da
Published: January 2021

Excessive phosphorus has become the primary reason for the deterioration of the water quality of the upper Yangtze River Basin. Here, we comprehensively study variations in total phosphorus (TP) concentration and TP loads in the upper reach of the Yangtze River during 2004–2017 (after the impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam). Non-point source TP loads flowing into the mainstream are also analyzed based on the base flow segmentation method. TP concentration in the mainstream showed a fluctuating trend of decreasing–increasing–decreasing from 2004 to 2017. TP loads from tributaries had a greater impact on TP concentration in the mainstream than the retention effect. Non-point source was an important source of TP loads. Average TP loads from non-point source pollution were 24.9 × 106 kg per year, contributing about 50.8% of the TP loads from 2004 to 2017. Non-point source TP loads were mainly from Jinsha River and Jialing River, accounting for 59.1% of total non-point TP loads, and they mainly occurred in the wet season. The long-term variation trend of TP loads from tributaries was affected by economic development, intensity of pollution control and significant discharge change. In terms of pollution control, we suggest comprehensive treatment of point and non-point source pollution.
Pilot-scale enrichment of anammox biofilm using secondary effluent as source water
Authors: Tao Runxian , Zheng Xingcan , Guo Xingfang , Li Mai , Shen Shifeng , Yang Min , Sun Yongli , Wu Fansong
Published: January 2021

Enough biomass of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacteria is essential for maintaining a stable partial nitrification/anammox (PN/A) wastewater treatment system. Present enrichment procedures are mainly labor-intensive and inconvenient for up-scaling. A simplified procedure was developed for enrichment of anammox biofilm by using secondary effluent as source water with no supplement of mineral medium and unstrict control of influent dissolved oxygen (DO). Anammox biofilm was successfully enriched in two pilot-scale reactors (XQ-cul and BT-cul) within 250 and 120 days, respectively. The specific anammox activity increased rapidly during the last 2 months in both reactors and achieved 2.54 g N2-N/(m2·d) in XQ-cul and 1.61 g N2-N/(m2·d) in BT-cul. Similar microbial diversity and community structure were obtained in the two reactors despite different secondary effluent being applied from two wastewater treatment plants. Anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria genera abundance reached up to 37.4% and 43.1% in XQ-cul and BT-cul biofilm, respectively. Candidatus Brocadia and Ca. Kuenenia dominated the enriched biofilm. A negligible adverse effect of residual organics and influent DO was observed by using secondary effluent as source water. This anammox biofilm enrichment procedure could facilitate the inoculation and/or bio-augmentation of large-scale mainstream PN/A reactors.
DISTATIS: A Promising Framework to Integrate Distance Matrices in Molecular Phylogenetics
Authors: Agüero-Chapin Guillermin , Jiménez Yuliana , Sánchez-Rodríguez Aminael , Molina-Ruiz Reinaldo , Vivanco Oscar , Antunes Agostinho
Published: January 2021

Background:

Molecular phylogenetic algorithms frequently disagree with the approaches
considering reproductive compatibility and morphological criteria for species delimitation. The
question stems if the resulting species boundaries from molecular, reproductive and/or morphological
data are definitively not reconcilable; or if the existing phylogenetic methods are not sensitive
enough to agree morphological and genetic variation in species delimitation.

Objectives :

We propose DISTATIS as an integrative framework to combine alignment-based (AB)
and alignment-free (AF) distance matrices from ITS2 sequences/structures to shed light whether
Gelasinospora and Neurospora are sister but independent genera.

Methods:

We aimed at addressing this standing issue by harmonizing genus-specific classification
based on their ascospore morphology and ITS2 molecular data. To validate our proposal, three phylogenetic
approaches: i) traditional alignment-based, ii) alignment-free and iii) novel distance integrative
(DI)-based were comparatively evaluated on a set of Gelasinospora and Neurospora species.
All considered species have been extensively characterized at both the morphological and reproductive
levels and there are known incongruences between their ascospore morphology and
molecular data that hampers genus-specific delimitation.

Results:

Traditional AB phylogenetic analyses fail at resolving the Gelasinospora and Neurospora
genera into independent monophyletic clades following ascospore morphology criteria. In contrast,
AF and DI approaches produced phylogenetic trees that could properly delimit the expected monophyletic
clades.

Conclusions:

The DI approach outperformed the AF one in the sense that it could also divide the
Neurospora species according to their reproduction mode.
ANALYSIS ON VOLUMETRIC SHRINKAGE OF PLASTIC FOOD CONTAINER MADE FROM AN INJECTION MOLDING PROCESS
Authors:   Center of Smart System and Innovative Design, Fakulti Kejuruteraan Pembuatan, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Hang Tuah Jaya, 76100,  Durian Tunggal, Melaka, Malaysia, Jaafar Rosidah , Arep Hambali , Mohamad Effendi , Abd Razak Jeefferie , Arfauz A Rahman Muhamad , Yuniarti Rahmi ,   Department of Industrial Engineering, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia
Published: January 2021

The plastic injection molding process is one of the widely used of the manufacturing process to manufacture the plastic product with high productivity. Moreover, the food packaging manufacturing industry undergoes the trials and errors to obtain the optimal setting of the process parameters in order to minimize the quality issues and these trials and errors are time consuming and costly. The aim of this study is to improve the quality of the butter tub by minimizing the volumetric shrinkage. This study is to deal with the application of Moldflow integrating with the statistical technique to minimize the volumetric shrinkage the butter tub which depends on the process parameters of the plastic injection molding. For this purpose, the rectangular shape of butter tub is designed by utilizing the SolidWorks. Molflow is used to simulate the plastic filling of the single cavity mold of butter tub based on the Taguchi’s �!" orthogonal array table. In addition, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) is applied to investigate significant impact of the process parameters on the quality of the butter tub. Minitab is used to optimize the response of the volumetric shrinkage by selecting the most appropriate process parameters that maximizing the desirability value. Furthermore, the butter tub has a uniform thickness which was 1.2 mm and its factor of safety was 3.383 and the volumetric shrinkage response have optimized by 0.956 %. The melt temperature and mold temperature are found to be the most significant process parameters for the plastic injection molding process of butter tub and the volumetric shrinkage value obtained from the simulation is verified by the calculated volumetric shrinkage value.
STATISTICAL PROCESS CONTROL IMPLEMENTATION AS EARLY WARNING SIGNAL FOR SAFETY INTERVENTION IMPROVEMENT AT MINING OPERATION
Authors:   School of Bussiness and Management, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Nugraha Arya , Yudoko Gatot
Published: January 2021

As the frequency, severity, and costs of safety risks continue to become a challenge for mining industry, the company understood that the existing safety analytic does not provide adequate information, as it has been relying predominantly on collecting and evaluating aggregated data of lagging indicators about past accidents. This method has been negatively driving the organization to carry out repetitive cycle of accident analysis and problem solving, and therefore, undertaking reactive responses. This paper investigated how statistical process control, in particular control charts, can be applied to hazards data, as the leading indicator of accidents, to detect statistically trends in safety process and safety behavior, aiming to control the safety process in real-time manner before the occurrence of accidents. The result showed that the latest iteration of control limits development in Phase 3 is suitable as the control chart for safety process in one of case study mine operation site. Furthermore, the implementation of control charts to hazards data not only it helps the organization to transition its safety analytic to leading indicator analysis, it enables the organization to control safety process in real-time practice and to carry out timely safety intervention long before the potential occurrence of severe accidents, in which within this case, the first early warning signal was triggered 49 days before the occurrence of the fatality accident.
Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Sugarcane Industry Using Life Cycle Assessment
Authors:   Mechanical Engineering Department, Brawijaya University, Zuhria Kautzar Galuh , Pambudi Tama Ishardita , Sumantri Yeni ,   Industrial Engineering Department, Brawijaya University
Published: January 2021

The sugarcane industry is one of the industries that generated negatives impact on the environment. Therefore, it can be concluded that the sugarcane industry is not environmentally sustainable. The results of this research show that the use of electricity from bagasse cogeneration becomes the main contributor to all of damage categories. Meanwhile, the highest contribution to damage categories is human health with a total score of 59%. The results of this research are expected to reduce the environmental impact produced by PT. X so that PT. X will be more environmentally sustainable.
Determinants of Wine Prices: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Gál Péter
Published: January 2021

Wine is a highly differentiated product sold at a wide range of different prices. This article aims to provide a systematic review of the literature written on the determinants of wine prices globally. The article runs a search on the combination of keywords “wine”, “price”, “determinant” in the Web of Science, Scopus, JSTOR, ProQuest, and Science Direct databases. Based on a final set of 46 articles written between 1998 and 2018, results suggest that terroir and quality ratings are the most significant determinants of wine prices, while objective quality and label data also determines wine prices, though to a different extent and with a different sign in some cases. The hedonic pricing method was the most common way of analyzing the relationship between wines prices and their determinants, and results are similar for most regions and varieties. We believe that our results can be useful for researchers, stakeholders, and even for decision-makers in better understanding the factors lying behind wine prices.

Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) codes: D12, D40 Q11
Társasági adó – új paradigmára van szükség! – I.
Authors: Török László
Published: January 2021

Mióta a társasági adó intézménye létezik, nehezen megoldható feladatot jelent a társasági adó alapjának egzakt meghatározása. Amíg az államok a lehető legnagyobb, az adóalanyok a lehető legkisebb adóalapban érdekeltek. Az adóalap meghatározásának nemzeti és nemzetek feletti szabályai irreális gyakorisággal módosulnak, betartásuk csaknem lehetetlen, ezért állandósulni látszanak a konfliktusok az országok, valamint a vállalatok és az adóhivatalok között a fizetendő társasági adóval összefüggésben. A transz- és multinacionális vállalatok térnyerésével pedig kimutathatók a társasági adóval kapcsolatos agresszív adótervezésre, a burkolt adóelkerülésre irányuló erőfeszítések is. A nemzeti kormányok két- és többoldalú szerződésekkel próbálják ennek elejét venni, de a közelmúltban leleplezett, több milliárd euró/dollár nagyságrendű társasági adóügyek verdiktjei azt igazolják, hogy ezek nem bírnak elrettentő erővel, vagyis az eddig megtett intézkedések koránt sem elégségesek az adóelkerülések megakadályozására. Kutatási hipotézisemben azt állítom, hogy a társasági adó mai formájában nemzeti és globális szinten is fenntarthatatlan a bonyolult rendszere és manipulálhatósága miatt, valamintjelentős makro- és mikroszintű implicit költségei következtében. Ezt követően javaslatot teszek egy olyan hozzáadott érték alapú új adóra és adókulcsra, mellyel a megszüntetésre kerülő társasági adó miatt kieső államháztartási bevétel ekvivalens és esszenciálisan letisztult módon pótolható. Ezután elvégzem a javaslatom szerinti új adónem tesztjét az Európai Unió országainak hozzáadottérték-adatai alapján. Végül bemutatom a társasági adót helyettesítő új globális adó területi elvét és hozzájárulását a nemzeti közteherviseléshez.

Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) kódok: C53, E62, H24, K34