bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cross-Scale Water and Land Impacts of Local Climate and Energy Policy—A Local Swedish Analysis of Selected SDG Interactions
Authors: Engström Rebecka Ericsdotter , Destouni Georgia , Howells Mark , Ramaswamy Vivek , Rogner Holger , Bazilian Morgan
Published: March 2019

This paper analyses how local energy and climate actions can affect the use of water and land resources locally, nationally and globally. Each of these resource systems is linked to different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); we also explore related SDG interactions. A municipality in Sweden with the ambition of phasing out fossil fuels by year 2030 is used as illustrative case example. The local energy system is modelled in detail and indirect water and land requirements are quantified for three stylised decarbonisation scenarios of pathways to meeting climate and energy requirements (related to SDG13 and SDG7, respectively). Total local, national and global implications are addressed for the use of water and land resources, which relate to SDG6 for water, and SDG2 and SDG15 for land use. We find that the magnitude and location of water and land impacts are largely pathway-dependent. Some scenarios of low carbon energy may impede progress on SDG15, while others may compromise SDG6. Data for the studied resource uses are incoherently reported and have important gaps. As a consequence, the study results are indicative and subject to uncertainty. Still, they highlight the need to recognise that resource use changes targeting one SDG in one locality have local and non-local impacts that may compromise progress other SDGs locally and/or elsewhere in the world.
Internationalization and Its Discontents: Help-Seeking Behaviors of Students in a Multicultural Environment Regarding Acculturative Stress and Depression
Authors: Nguyen Minh-Hoang , Serik Meirmanov , Vuong Thu-Trang , Ho Manh-Tung
Published: March 2019

Stress and depression can be seen as the major obstacles for sustained education and attainment of foreign students, and in turn, the sustainability of an education system as a whole. However, the mainstream consideration following Berry’s model on acculturation does not take into account whether students of the host countries are immune to these problems. This study aims to examine the prevalence and predictors of help-seeking behaviors among international and domestic students in a multicultural environment by employing ANOVA and polynomial regression. Some significant results from this study are: (1) Informal sources were the most prevalent sources of help-seeking among international and domestic students, while formal help-seeking was not popular; (2) international students were more likely to overcome emotional difficulties alone and seek help on the Internet than domestic students; (3) acculturative stress was a positive predictor of formal, informal, and miscellaneous help-seeking behaviors among international students and informal help-seeking behaviors or among domestic students; and (4) depression was negatively correlated with the willingness of international students to seek help from informal sources. The findings hint at the risk of acculturative stress faced by domestic students in a multicultural environment being overlooked and the lack of help-seeking sources for international students. The study also provides empirical evidence for policy-planners to design a sustainable education system better at supporting students dealing with depression and acculturative stress.
Utilization of Calcium Carbonate-Coated Wood Flour in Printing Paper and Their Conservational Properties
Authors: Seo Yung Bum , Kang Dong Suk , Han Jung Soo
Published: March 2019

Wood flours (WFs) are bulky lignocellulosic materials that can increase the bulk and stiffness of paper. To be used in printing paper for replacing chemical pulp, WFs were first fractionated by a 200-mesh screen to improve smoothness; second, they were coated with calcium carbonate by an in-situ CaCO3 formation method (coated wood flours, CWFs) to improve brightness. The performance of CWFs for printing paper was compared to those of bleached wood flours (BWFs) and bleached chemical pulp. Equivalent brightness and much higher smoothness were obtained for the CWFs compared to the BWFs. Furthermore, BWFs caused a significant loss of yield and required wastewater treatment in the bleaching process, while the CWFs increased the yield greatly by attaching CaCO3 to the wood flours, and caused no wastewater burden. An accelerated aging test showed that the CWFs caused lesser brightness and strength loss than the bleached chemical pulp and BWFs. CWFs still had room for improvement to replace chemical pulp, but showed slower aging in optical and close strength properties.
Investigation of a Farm-scale Multitrophic Recirculating Aquaculture System with the Addition of Rhodovulum sulfidophilum for Milkfish (Chanos chanos) Coastal Aquaculture
Authors: Chang Bea-Ven , Liao Chien-Sen , Chang Yi-Tang , Chao Wei-Liang , Yeh Shinn-Lih , Kuo Dong-Lin , Yang Chu-Wen
Published: March 2019

Globally, coastal aquaculture is growing due to the large demand for marine products. Specific impacts caused by coastal aquaculture on the environment include the discharge of culture farm effluents, stress on ground water (the absence of recycling), nutrient pollution, and diseases of cultured animals. Three methods, integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA), recirculating aquaculture system (RAS), and beneficial bacteria for aquaculture, have been developed to solve these problems. In this study, the advantages of IMTA and RAS were integrated to develop a novel multitrophic recirculating aquaculture system (MRAS) to adapt to the farm-scale culturing of milkfish (Chanos chanos). The photosynthetic bacteria Rhodovulum sulfidophilum was added to enhance the performance of the farm-scale milkfish MRAS. This setting could promote growth of beneficial bacteria, such as the nitrogen cycle-associated microbial community and the anoxygenic phototrophic Acidobacteria community. The ammonia level was reduced, and the total phosphorous level was stable in the water recycled in the MRAS. The cyanobacteria, algae, Vibrio, Escherichia, and other potential pathogenic bacteria communities were inhibited in the MRAS. This study provides an effective design of a water recycling aquaculture system. Milkfish, Asian tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), Asian hard clam (Meretrix lusoria), and seaweed (Gracilaria sp.) can be cultured and simultaneously produced in the system.
The Role of Occupational Stress in the Association between Emotional Labor and Mental Health: A Moderated Mediation Model
Authors: Park Heyeon , Oh Hyunjin , Boo Sunjoo
Published: March 2019

This study investigated whether occupational stress factors moderate the effect of emotional labor on psychological distress in call center employees. A cross-sectional and descriptive study using anonymous paper-based survey methods was conducted in a sample of 283 call center employees in South Korea. Participants completed the Emotional Labor Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the Korean Occupational Stress Scale. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro in order to investigate the relationship among variables. The results showed that the association between surface acting while having emotional labor and psychological distress was mediated by emotional dissonance. The mediated effect of emotional dissonance was moderated by discomfort in occupational climate, suggesting that improving the occupational environment can lessen the level of psychological distress among emotional workers, and that more attention should be devoted to the development of an intervention at the organizational level in order to prevent mental health problems in this population.
Federation and Orchestration: A Scalable Solution for EU Multimodal Travel Information Services
Authors: Detti Andrea , Tropea Giuseppe , Blefari Melazzi Nicola , Kjenstad Dag , Bach Lukas , Christiansen Ivar , Lisi Federico
Published: March 2019

Multimodal travel planning services allow travelers to plan their journey by combining different transport modes: air, rail, waterborne, coach, public transport, demand responsive transport, walking, cycling, etc. The European Union is fostering the development of cross-border multimodal planning services by establishing a regulation framework for their coordinated and coherent deployment across Member States (under the Directive 2010/40/EU). This EU regulation gives precise requirements on travel data formats (DATEX II, SIRI, NeTEx, etc.) and on fundamental and recommended system-level services, such as discovery and linking services. However, it does not (yet) pose constraints on how to implement them. In this paper, we devise and test a system architecture, named Bonvoyage, which proposes an innovative solution implementing such services. For discovery purposes, it federates nation-wide NoSQL databases that contain travel information by exploiting a novel telecommunication paradigm, Information Centric Networking. As regards linking purposes, it orchestrates the use of autonomous monomodal or multimodal routing services provided by small/big stakeholders to compose the best door-to-door journey.
Study on Surrounding Rock-Bearing Structure and Associated Control Mechanism of Deep Soft Rock Roadway Under Dynamic Pressure
Authors: Qin Dongdong , Wang Xufeng , Zhang Dongsheng , Chen Xuyang
Published: March 2019

Providing support for deep soft rock roadways under dynamic pressure is a major technical challenge. In this study, the distribution characteristics of surrounding rock-bearing structure of such roadways were systematically examined using theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. Based on the control effect of different support methods on the surrounding rock-bearing structure; a reinforcement scheme for deep dynamic soft rock roadway was proposed and applied. The results indicate that: (1) by increasing the supporting strength of the internal bearing structure, cohesion, and internal friction angle of the surrounding rock, and by reducing the influence of mining, making the external bearing structure close to the roadway and reducing the thickness of the bearing structure, can improve the bearing capacity of the shallow surrounding rock in the roadway; (2) under the conditions of dynamic load and creep of the surrounding rock; the deformation of the rock increases significantly; external bearing structure is far away from the roadway, and thickness of the bearing structure increases; anchor cable support and floor pressure relief effect better control over the roof and the roadside deformation and floor heave, respectively; and the thickness of the corresponding external bearing structure is reduced by 30.84% and 41.50%, respectively; and (3) based on the application, the zonal reinforcement scheme of “fix cable to shed, floor pressure relief, deep-shallow composite grouting” is proposed and put into practice, with good results. The results of this study can provide theoretical support and reference for the determination of supporting parameters in deep roadways.
Swedish and Scottish National Transport Policy and Spend: A Social Equity Analysis
Authors: Rye Tom , Wretstrand Anders
Published: March 2019

The topic of social equity in transport planning has been dealt with, in particular, by authors such as Martens (2012) and Martens and Golob (2012) using a social justice based-approach. However, such an approach, whilst valuable and analytically rigorous (based as it is on accessibility modelling), does not consider a wide range of possible other social impacts of transport, as set out in a framework first put forward by Geurs et al. (2009). This paper uses Geurs’ analytical framework to consider two empirical case studies: The National Transport Strategy for Scotland, adopted in January 2016, together with associated national level spending plans; and Sweden’s 2014–2025 National Transport Plan. The paper will first summarise the contents of each document before analysing them in relation to the categories of social impact that Geurs (2009) identifies, and assess how, in relation to each category of impact, various social groups will benefit or disbenefit. A range of projects (planned) to be delivered by the two national strategies is then analysed in relation to the criteria. This analysis shows that the two national strategies/plans are in their distribution of spending, and the projects funded are generally working away from greater social equity in their distributional impacts.
Improving the Impact of Green Construction Management on the Quality of Highway Engineering Projects
Authors: Wu Xueying , Zhao Wenyi , Ma Tianshan
Published: March 2019

The implementation of green projects continues to encounter several challenges with regards to the project management techniques applied in different construction projects. This study aims to find out the relationship between green construction management and the quality of highway engineering projects, and to try to help innovators identify the best place to focus. This study adopted mixed research method where both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used. The analysis techniques adopted included Pearson’s correlation, regression analysis, and Student’s t-test. The study found that the effect of financial issues, design codes and standards, and various risks will be the most effective green performance constructing strategies. It is revealed that there are eight determinants explained 77.5% of the variations in the quality of the highway engineering projects. The quality of highway engineering projects was expected to improve by 0.246 units for a unit change in the adoption of the green construction management. The research result will help stakeholders in improving the quality standards for highway engineering projects and help practitioners and experts in the construction project industry to better understand the relationship between green construction management and quality of highway engineering projects, and help them improve green construction management in an effort to promote sustainable development of project management. This research can be further studied in the future to expand the scope of data analysis to explain the differences in the level of social development.
Do Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance Influence Intellectual Capital Efficiency?
Authors: Gangi Francesco , Salerno Dario , Meles Antonio , Daniele Lucia Michela
Published: March 2019

Using a large sample of public firms in 51 countries during the period from 2010 to 2015 and a two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression with an instrumental variable (IV), this study investigates how corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate governance (CG) mechanisms interact to influence a firm’s intellectual capital (IC) efficiency. The empirical results reveal that CSR engagement and CG structures influence the firm efficiency in managing IC. This study contributes to managerial practice by demonstrating the causal effect of CSR on value-added intellectual capital (VAIC) measures and the positive impact of CG on both CSR engagement and the efficiency with which firms manage their IC. Furthermore, the current study provides an additional understanding of the relationship among CSR engagement, CG practices, and the determining factors of IC efficiency within a comprehensive framework.
A Proof of the Standard Completeness for the Involutive Uninorm Logic
Authors: Wang SanMin
Published: March 2019

In this paper, we solve a long-standing open problem in the field of fuzzy logics, that is, the standard completeness for the involutive uninorm logic IUL. In fact, we present a uniform method of density elimination for several semilinear substructural logics. Especially, the density elimination for IUL is proved. Then the standard completeness for IUL follows as a lemma by virtue of previous work by Metcalfe and Montagna.
Pink Bollworm Resistance to Bt Toxin Cry1Ac Associated with an Insertion in Cadherin Exon 20
Authors: Wang Ling , Ma Yuemin , Guo Xueqin , Wan Peng , Liu Kaiyu , Cong Shengbo , Wang Jintao , Xu Dong , Xiao Yutao , Li Xianchun , Tabashnik Bruce E. , Wu Kongming
Published: March 2019

Insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are widely used to control insect pests, but their efficacy is reduced when pests evolve resistance. We report on a novel allele (r16) of the cadherin gene (PgCad1) in pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) associated with resistance to Bt toxin Cry1Ac, which is produced by transgenic cotton. The r16 allele isolated from a field population in China has 1545 base pairs of a degenerate transposon inserted in exon 20 of PgCad1, which generates a mis-spliced transcript containing a premature stop codon. A strain homozygous for r16 had 300-fold resistance to Cry1Ac, 2.6-fold cross-resistance to Cry2Ab, and completed its life cycle on transgenic Bt cotton producing Cry1Ac. Inheritance of Cry1Ac resistance was recessive and tightly linked with r16. Compared with transfected insect cells expressing wild-type PgCad1, cells expressing r16 were less susceptible to Cry1Ac. Recombinant cadherin protein was transported to the cell membrane in cells transfected with the wild-type PgCad1 allele, but not in cells transfected with r16. Cadherin occurred on brush border membrane vesicles (BBMVs) in the midgut of susceptible larvae, but not resistant larvae. These results imply that the r16 allele mediates Cry1Ac resistance in pink bollworm by interfering with the localization of cadherin.
Dinophysis Species and Diarrhetic Shellfish Toxins: 20 Years of Monitoring Program in Andalusia, South of Spain
Authors: Fernández Raúl , Mamán Luz , Jaén David , Fuentes Lourdes Fernández , Ocaña M. Asunción , Gordillo M. Mercedes
Published: March 2019

In Andalusia, the official monitoring program for toxic phytoplankton and marine biotoxins was launched in 1994 to comply with European legislation. Since then, there have been numerous episodes of DST (Diarrhetic shellfish toxins) associated with the proliferation of Dinophysis species. This article reviews two decades of time series data and assesses the effectiveness of the program established. The testing of lipophilic toxins and toxic phytoplankton is based on official methods harmonized and accredited since 2007 according to the standard UNE-EN-ISO 17025. The major species of Dinophysis identified were D. acuminata complex, D. caudata, D. acuta and D. fortii, with the main growth season being from early spring until the end of autumn. Both D. acuminata complex and D. acuta have been clearly associated with toxicity in molluscs. Despite the complexity of data obtained through monitoring programs, it is possible to provide early warning of potential health risks for most situations. This is the first report of Dinophysis species and their relation to DST events in a time series from Andalusia.
Interaction of Structural Glycoprotein E2 of Classical Swine Fever Virus with Protein Phosphatase 1 Catalytic Subunit Beta (PPP1CB)
Authors: Vuono Elizabeth A. , Ramirez-Medina Elizabeth , Holinka Lauren G. , Baker-Branstetter Ryan , Borca Manuel V. , Gladue Douglas P.
Published: March 2019

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) E2 protein, the major virus structural glycoprotein, is an essential component of the viral envelope. E2 is involved in virus absorption, induction of a protective immune response and is critical for virulence in swine. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we identified protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit beta (PPP1CB), which is part of the Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) complex, as a specific binding host partner for E2. We further confirmed the occurrence of this interaction in CSFV-infected swine cells by using two independent methodologies: Co-immunoprecipitation and Proximity Ligation Assay. In addition, we demonstrated that pharmacological activation of the PP1 pathway has a negative effect on CSFV replication while inhibition of the PP1 pathway or knockdown of PPP1CB by siRNA had no observed effect. Overall, our data suggests that the CSFV E2 and PPP1CB protein interact in infected cells, and that activation of the PP1 pathway decreases virus replication.
Comparative Analysis of the Liver Transcriptome among Cattle Breeds Using RNA-seq
Authors: Pareek Chandra , Sachajko Mateusz , Jaskowski Jedrzej , Herudzinska Magdalena , Skowronski Mariusz , Domagalski Krzysztof , Szczepanek Joanna , Czarnik Urszula , Sobiech Przymeslaw , Wysocka Dominika , Pierzchala Mariusz , Polawska Ewa , Stepanow Kamila , Ogłuszka Magdalena , Juszczuk-Kubiak Edyta , Feng Yaping , Kumar Dibyendu
Published: March 2019

Global gene expression in liver transcriptome varies among cattle breeds. The present investigation was aimed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), metabolic gene networks and metabolic pathways in bovine liver transcriptome of young bulls. In this study, we comparatively analyzed the bovine liver transcriptome of dairy (Polish Holstein Friesian (HF); n = 6), beef (Hereford; n = 6), and dual purpose (Polish-Red; n = 6) cattle breeds. This study identified 895, 338, and 571 significant (p < 0.01) differentially expressed (DE) gene-transcripts represented as 745, 265, and 498 hepatic DE genes through the Polish-Red versus Hereford, Polish-HF versus Hereford, and Polish-HF versus Polish-Red breeds comparisons, respectively. By combining all breeds comparisons, 75 hepatic DE genes (p < 0.01) were identified as commonly shared among all the three breed comparisons; 70, 160, and 38 hepatic DE genes were commonly shared between the following comparisons: (i) Polish-Red versus Hereford and Polish-HF versus Hereford; (ii) Polish-Red versus Hereford and Polish-HF versus Polish-Red; and (iii) Polish-HF versus Hereford and Polish-HF versus Polish-Red, respectively. A total of 440, 82, and 225 hepatic DE genes were uniquely observed for the Polish-Red versus Hereford, Polish-HF versus Hereford, and Polish-Red versus Polish-HF comparisons, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) analysis identified top-ranked enriched GO terms (p < 0.01) including 17, 16, and 31 functional groups and 151, 61, and 140 gene functions that were DE in all three breed liver transcriptome comparisons. Gene network analysis identified several potential metabolic pathways involved in glutamine family amino-acid, triglyceride synthesis, gluconeogenesis, p38MAPK cascade regulation, cholesterol biosynthesis (Polish-Red versus Hereford); IGF-receptor signaling, catecholamine transport, lipoprotein lipase, tyrosine kinase binding receptor (Polish-HF versus Hereford), and PGF-receptor binding, (Polish-HF versus Polish-Red). Validation results showed that the relative expression values were consistent to those obtained by RNA-seq, and significantly correlated between the quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and RNA-seq (Pearson’s r  > 0.90). Our results provide new insights on bovine liver gene expressions among dairy versus dual versus beef breeds by identifying the large numbers of DEGs markers submitted to NCBI gene expression omnibus (GEO) accession number GSE114233, which can serve as useful genetic tools to develop the gene assays for trait-associated studies as well as, to effectively implement in genomics selection (GS) cattle breeding programs in Poland.
Morphodynamic Response to Low-Crested Detached Breakwaters on a Sea Breeze-Dominated Coast
Authors: Torres-Freyermuth Alec , Medellín Gabriela , Mendoza Ernesto Tonatiuh , Ojeda Elena , Salles Paulo
Published: March 2019

Low-crested detached breakwaters (LCDBs) have been widely employed as a mitigation measure against beach erosion. However, only a few studies have assessed their performance in sea-breeze-dominated environments. This work investigates the beach morphodynamics behind LCDBs deployed on a micro-tidal sea-breeze-dominated beach. The study area, located in the northern Yucatán peninsula, is characterized by low-energy, high-angle waves, which drive a persistent (westward) alongshore sediment transport (O(104) m3/year). High-resolution real-time kinematics global positioning system (GPS) beach surveys were conducted over a one-year period (2017–2018) to investigate the performance of LCDBs at three sites. Moreover, unmanned aerial vehicle flights were employed to evaluate far-field shoreline stability. Field observations revealed a distinct behavior in the three study sites, dependent on the breakwaters’ transmission characteristics, geometry, stability, and shoreline orientation. Impermeable LCDBs, made of sand-filled geosystems, induced significant beach accretion (erosion) in up-(down-)drift areas. On the other hand, permeable LCDBs, made of Reef Ball™ modules, induced moderate beach changes and small erosion in down-drift areas owing to higher transmission coefficients. Measurements of LCDBs’ freeboard height show that sand-filled geosystems’ breakwaters presented a significant loss of sand during the study period, which explains the unexpected beach morphodynamic response on the lee side of the structure. Observations suggest that the study area is highly sensitive to the presence of LCDBs with low transmissivity.
Identification of the Debris Flow Process Types within Catchments of Beijing Mountainous Area
Authors: Wang Nan , Cheng Weiming , Zhao Min , Liu Qiangyi , Wang Jing
Published: March 2019

The distinguishable sediment concentration, density, and transport mechanisms characterize the different magnitudes of destruction due to debris flow process (DFP). Identifying the dominating DFP type within a catchment is of paramount importance in determining the efficient delineation and mitigation strategies. However, few studies have focused on the identification of the DFP types (including water-flood, debris-flood, and debris-flow) based on machine learning methods. Therefore, while taking Beijing as the study area, this paper aims to establish an integrated framework for the identification of the DFP types, which consists of an indicator calculation system, imbalance dataset learning (borderline-Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (borderline-SMOTE)), and classification model selection (Random Forest (RF), AdaBoost, Gradient Boosting (GBDT)). The classification accuracies of the models were compared and the significance of parameters was then assessed. The results indicate that Random Forest has the highest accuracy (0.752), together with the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC = 0.73), and the lowest root-mean-square error (RMSE = 0.544). This study confirms that the catchment shape and the relief gradient features benefit the identification of the DFP types. Whereby, the roughness index (RI) and the Relief ratio (Rr) can be used to effectively describe the DFP types. The spatial distribution of the DFP types is analyzed in this paper to provide a reference for diverse practical measures, which are suitable for the particularity of highly destructive catchments.
Comparison of Shallow Water Solvers: Applications for Dam-Break and Tsunami Cases with Reordering Strategy for Efficient Vectorization on Modern Hardware
Authors: Ginting Bobby Minola , Mundani Ralf-Peter
Published: March 2019

We investigate in this paper the behaviors of the Riemann solvers (Roe and Harten-Lax-van Leer-Contact (HLLC) schemes) and the Riemann-solver-free method (central-upwind scheme) regarding their accuracy and efficiency for solving the 2D shallow water equations. Our model was devised to be spatially second-order accurate with the Monotonic Upwind Scheme for Conservation Laws (MUSCL) reconstruction for a cell-centered finite volume scheme—and be temporally fourth-order accurate using the Runge–Kutta fourth-order method. Four benchmark cases of dam-break and tsunami events dealing with highly-discontinuous flows and wet–dry problems were simulated. To this end, we applied a reordering strategy for the data structures in our code supporting efficient vectorization and memory access alignment for boosting the performance. Two main features are pointed out here. Firstly, the reordering strategy employed has enabled highly-efficient vectorization for the three solvers investigated on three modern hardware (AVX, AVX2, and AVX-512), where speed-ups of 4.5–6.5× were obtained on the AVX/AVX2 machines for eight data per vector while on the AVX-512 machine we achieved a speed-up of up to 16.7× for 16 data per vector, all with singe-core computation; with parallel simulations, speed-ups of up to 75.7–121.8× and 928.9× were obtained on AVX/AVX2 and AVX-512 machines, respectively. Secondly, we observed that the central-upwind scheme was able to outperform the HLLC and Roe schemes 1.4× and 1.25×, respectively, by exhibiting similar accuracies. This study would be useful for modelers who are interested in developing shallow water codes.
Integrating Meso-Scale Habitat Modelling in the Multicriteria Analysis (MCA) Process for the Assessment of Hydropower Sustainability
Authors: Vassoney Erica , Mammoliti Mochet Andrea , Rocco Raffaele , Maddalena Roberto , Vezza Paolo , Comoglio Claudio
Published: March 2019

The increasing number of water abstractions and water-use conflicts in alpine regions represents a significant threat for these fragile aquatic ecosystems. The use of tools, like multicriteria analysis (MCA), can support related decision-making processes towards sustainable solutions. In this paper, an innovative approach to assess water withdrawals sustainability by integrating the MesoHABSIM (Mesohabitat Simulation Model) into an MCA framework is presented and discussed. The methodology was implemented by replacing, within the MCA assessment, Water Framework Directive biological indicators with the MesoHABSIM based river Habitat Integrity Index, related to watercourse discharge and morphology, which allows quantifying the impacts of withdrawals on river ecosystems and fish communities. The resulting MCA procedure considers four criteria (energy, environment and fishing, landscape, economy) and requires only the use of measurable indicators based on watercourse discharge and its continuous monitoring. It was tested in Aosta Valley region (NW Italy) to both ex ante and ex post scenarios, for different types of water withdrawals and, currently, 20 experimentations, involving 58 hydropower plants and 12 farmer consortia, are ongoing. The proposed MCA process demonstrated its applicability with an increased decision-making quality and involved stakeholders’ satisfaction and is being officially endorsed in the regional River Strategic Plan.
Flux of Inorganic Carbon as Dissolved, Suspended, and Bed Loads through a Karstic Basin
Authors: Paylor Randall , Wicks Carol
Published: March 2019

Most studies of carbonate bedrock weathering have focused on the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) flux while dismissing particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) as insignificant. However, under certain flow conditions PIC flux may be an important term in carbonate weathering. In this study, the total inorganic carbon (TIC) flux was calculated in a fluviokarst basin. Water samples and in situ data loggers were used to determine suspended sediment concentration and water chemistry. The mass of PIC within suspended sediments was quantified by cation/anion analysis of dual filtered/unfiltered samples. The flux of bed load material was calculated via stream power calculations. The analysis of recorded storm events indicated that PIC flux is moderate but can be significant during peak storm discharges. A small storm with a 0.87-month return period produced a PIC flux of 14 g s−1 and a DIC flux of 150 g s−1 at 1.4 m3 s−1 discharge. The largest storm had a return period of 7.7 months, a peak discharge of 4.6 m3 s−1, and peak PIC flux of 620 g s−1 compared to a peak DIC flux of 350 g s−1. During storm events, bed load was the most significant component of the total PIC flux, exceeding the suspended load flux by an order of magnitude. When calculated on an annual basis, the data show that PIC contributes about 10 percent to total inorganic carbon removal.
Characterization of Disinfection By-Products Levels at an Emergency Surface Water Treatment Plant in a Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda
Authors: Ali Syed Imran , Arnold Matt , Liesner Frederick , Fesselet Jean-Francois
Published: March 2019

The reliance on chlorination in humanitarian operations has raised concerns among practitioners about possible health risks associated with disinfection by-products; however, to date, there has not been an evaluation of disinfection by-product (DBP) levels in an emergency water supply intervention. This study aimed to investigate DBP levels at a surface-water treatment plant serving a refugee settlement in northern Uganda using the colorimetric Hach THM Plus Method. The plant had two treatment processes: (1) Simultaneous clarification–chlorination (“rapid treatment”); and (2) pre-clarification and chlorination in separate tanks (“standard treatment”). For both standard (n = 17) and rapid (n = 3) treatment processes, DBP levels in unique parcels of water were tested at 30 min post-chlorination and after 24 h of storage (to simulate what refugees actually consume). DBP levels after 24 h did not exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline limit of 300 ppb equivalent chloroform, either for standard treatment (mean: 85.1 ppb; 95% confidence interval (C.I.): 71.0–99.1 ppb; maximum: 133.7 ppb) or for rapid treatment (mean: 218.0 ppb; 95% C.I.: 151.2–284.8; maximum: 249.0 ppb). Observed DBPs levels do not appear to be problematic with respect to the general population, but may pose sub-chronic exposure risks to specifically vulnerable populations that warrant further investigation.
Risk Assessment and Decision-Making Based on Mean-CVaR-Entropy for Flood Control Operation of Large Scale Reservoirs
Authors: Wang Quansen , Zhou Jianzhong , Huang Kangdi , Dai Ling , Zha Gang , Chen Lu , Qin Hui
Published: March 2019

The risk inevitably exists in the process of flood control operation and decision-making of reservoir group, due to the hydrologic and hydraulic uncertain factors. In this study different stochastic simulation methods were applied to simulate these uncertainties in multi-reservoir flood control operation, and the risk caused by different uncertainties was evaluated from the mean value, extreme value and discrete degree of reservoir occupied storage capacity under uncertain conditions. In order to solve the conflict between risk assessment indexes and evaluate the comprehensive risk of different reservoirs in flood control operation schemes, the subjective weight and objective weight were used to construct the comprehensive risk assessment index, and the improved Mahalanobis distance TOPSIS method was used to select the optimal flood control operation scheme. The proposed method was applied to the flood control operation system in the mainstream and its tributaries of upper reaches of the Yangtze River basin, and 14 cascade reservoirs were selected as a case study. The results indicate that proposed method can evaluate the risk of multi-reservoir flood control operation from all perspectives and provide a new method for multi-criteria decision-making of reservoir flood control operation, and it breaks the limitation of the traditional risk analysis method which only evaluated by risk rate and cannot evaluate the risk of the multi-reservoir flood control operation system.
STRUCTURAL AND ORGANOMETRIC CHANGES IN RAT THYROID GLAND UNDER EARLY IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE AND IMMUNOMODULATORY THERAPY
Authors: Kashchenko S.A. , Mosin D.V.
Published: March 2019

One of the factors affecting the prevalence of thyroid disease is the immunopathological process, in particular immunosuppression. The purpose of the study is to determine the characteristics of thyroid gland morphological structure and organometric parameters under immunosuppressive (methotrexate) and immunomodulatory (imunofan) drugs, and immunomodulatory management of immunosuppressive state during early follow-up period (1st and 7th days). Materials and Methods. The study was carried out on 48 white outbred young male rats of the reproductive period, which were divided into 4 groups. The dynamics of structural and organometric parameters of the thyroid gland was studied during the early stages of observation (1st and 7th day) after administration of immunosuppressive (methotrexate) and immunomodulating (imunofan) drugs. Results. When studying microscopic sections of the thyroid gland in animals exposed to methotrexate (group I), imunofan (group II), and after immunomodulatory management of immunosuppressive state (group III), the dynamics in the structure of the thyroid gland was observed during the whole follow-up period. Experimental animals demonstrated insignificant changes in follicles and thyrocytes on the 1st day after the drug administration when compared with those of the control group. The authors didn’t observe any statistically significant deviations in the dynamics of the organometric indicators. Significant deviations were seen on the 7th day of observation. Changes in the morphostructure were revealed after administration of methotrexate (group I): organ mass and volume as well as lobe linear dimensions decreased, indicating an active response of the organ and its depression, which was associated with the drug inhibitory effect on the synthesis, DNA repair and cell mitosis. After isolated administration of an immunomodulator (group II) and in case of immunosuppresson management with imunofan (group III) changes in thyroid morphostructure and organometric parameters were revealed on the 1st and 7th days of observation. Such changes indicated a favorable effect of imunofan on the organ morphofunctional state: organ mass and volume as well as lobe linear dimensions increased. Conclusion. In the early stages of methotrexate administration, the dynamics of thyroid changes indicated the organ depression. Positive dynamics in the thyroid structure was detected after administration of the immunomodulator, however, it was not clear-cut. Keywords: thyroid gland, methotrexate, imunofan, immunosuppression, immunomodulation, correction, organometry.
SODIUM PROFILING AND ULTRAFILTRATION IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING PROGRAMMED HEMODIALYSIS: THERAPY OPTIMIZATION
Authors: Litun A.V. , Kolmakova E.V. , Simonova Zh.G.
Published: March 2019

The objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of sodium profiling and ultrafiltration on the clinical and functional status of patients undergoing programmed hemodialysis (HD). Materials and Methods. The study consisted of two stages. During the first stage, a group of patients (n=25) undergoing HD was formed. The follow-up period lasted 20 months. Evaluation of blood pressure levels, interdialytic weight gain and laboratory parameters was carried out taking into consideration five variants of sodium profiling and ultrafiltration. During the second stage a comparative analysis of patients’ clinical and functional status according to the profiling option (3 and 5) was conducted in the group (n=20). Results. During the first stage, the authors found out that profiles 3 and 5 were desirable for blood pressure stabilization, interdialytic weight gain loss and improvement of laboratory parameters. The second stage showed that using profile 5 in case of adequate hemodialysis contributes to improving clinical and laboratory status and reducing concomitant drug therapy in 63.3% of patients. Conclusions. Under profiling patients undergoing hemodialysis demonstrate blood pressure stabilization, interdialytic weight gain loss and improvement in such blood values as total protein, albumin and hemoglobin. Keywords: hemodialysis, sodium profiling, ultrafiltration, blood pressure, albumin, hemoglobin.
Development Potential of the Journal «Voprosy statistiki»
Authors: Zavarina Elena S.
Published: March 2019

This article covers some development directions for the professional statistical journal that is the journal «Voprosy statistiki». There are two fundamental principles of editorial policy of the journal: first, the adherence to best traditions of the established editorial school; second, implementing reasonably required modernizations that is essential for the development of the journal. The author comments on the positive trends in updating the remit of the journal, its information density; improving the quality of scientific publications and their compliance with contemporary tasks facing the state statistics system.

The paper argues that the journal should enhance its function as an instrument of feedback for the editors and the readers, and the institute of official statistics and the general public. In this regard, there is a necessity to revise the ways to increase the journal’s audience and the pool of potential authors who determine the content of the journal as well as its distribution forms - printed and electronic format.

The author addresses further steps towards improving the competitiveness of the journal «Voprosy statistiki», its promotion in the global science and information space of professional statistical publications.
Milestones of a Century-Long Journey of the Russian Professional Statistical Journal
Authors: Ryabushkin Bоris T.
Published: March 2019

This article briefly outlines milestones for the Russian information and science journal «Voprosy statistiki» amid its 100th anniversary. The paper addresses the story behind the establishment of a national professional periodical journal and presents objective and goals set before at its creation in January 1919. A point of emphasis is that applied mathematics is vital for shaping statistics as a tool, in contemporary terms, of modelling socio-economic processes. There is a need for aiming statistics at obtaining specific practical effects in executive decision-making.

There is an attempt to set a historical timeline of the evolution of editorial policy and provide a brief content-related description of publishing activities, advanced topics in statistics at some stages of development of the country, place of statistics in society, its relationship with the state. The author mentions issues of the journal dating to various periods of the journal history: pre-war and post-war, the Thaw, perestroika, post-perestroika and modern period. The paper references relevant articles authored by Russian and various foreign statisticians, researchers, professors, practitioners in statistics. The author identifies the role of journal founder in developing common content-related strategy, improvement of editorial policy. The article describes the evolution of the editorial policy in the last 25 years, modern day issues and challenges facing the journal editors and possible solutions for them.
Change Point Detection of Sustainable Periods of Economic Systems Under the Robust Control
Authors: Khrushchev S. E. , Alekseev M. A. , Logachova O. M.
Published: March 2019

This article addresses the potential of mathematical and statistical modelling the change point detection in economic systems on the example of UC «RUSAL». Change point prediction of stable or quasi-stable periods of economic systems is necessary for the operational changing of a strategy, tactics and control of the considered economic system. It solves one of the robust control problems, the purpose of which is the synthesis of the regulator that can provide the preservation of output variables of the system within the robust limit for all types of membership functions and the uncertainty of the input data.

The developed algorithm is based on the study of the behavior of residuals of regression models by the observed series of the dynamics of some exponent (as a benchmark was chosen the price of ordinary share). This algorithm is applicable for small volume samples, which, as a rule, are the series of dynamics of exponents of economic systems and also, in the study of non-Gaussian observational models.
Measuring Digital Economy in National Accounts
Authors: Tatarinov A. A.
Published: March 2019

The paper addresses methodological and practical issues of statistical evaluation of the digital economy in macroeconomic calculations. The UN Statistical Commission has determined the statistical description of digitalisation processes as one of the priorities of the SNA research programme.

The author examines the problems and structure of Digital Economy Satellite Account (DESA) proposed by OECD as a complex tool for measuring digitalisation processes. Compiling this account will enable statisticians to evaluate all measurable phenomena in a digital economy and expand the production boundaries by including free digital services into the evaluation.

Compilers of the new SNA satellite account now focus on Digital Supply and Use Tables (DSUT) that play the role of core structure for the future DESA. In the process, the traditional SUT structure is revised by including new groups of specific products and extracting digital components of several products of CPA classification. Moreover, developers add new industries that form by reclassifying producer units en­gaged in digital production.

The author explores the issue of measuring «digital» value added and outlines approaches to solving it used, for example, by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. He also gives a summary of the relevant methodological challenges affecting DESA compilation.

Special attention in the paper is paid to the problem of valuation of data (information) which is not covered by the existing 2008 SNA methodology. The author proposes to evaluate data as a non-produced asset, using the Net Present Value (NPV) approach. According to it the value of information (non-produced asset) at a specific moment is equal to the difference between the sum of discounted future incomes of the organisation and the value of its fixed capital. Such an approach could be applied to the valuation of data used as a principal subject of activity by organisations producing digital products.

The paper also presents various aspects of statistical evaluation of free digital products.

It is the author’s opinion that approaches to statistical evaluation presented in this article could serve as a basis for creating the system of such measures in the Russian Federation.
About the Journal «Voprosy statistiki» and its Authors
Authors: Pashintseva N. I.
Published: March 2019

This article is devoted to the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Journal «Voprosy statistiki». In it, the author shares her opinion on the evolution of the journal for the past several decades commenting further on the period from the second half of 1980th. It was Perestroika - the democratization of society, development of the policy of open discussion («glasnost») and transition to the market economy - that led to reforms in the state statistics. This period marked a significant shift in the journal’s evolution. It started accepting articles introducing the readers to new, original approaches to various research fields in statistical science. They covered questions related to the economic reform, development of new methodological approaches aimed at reforming the system of statistical indicators and improving methods of statistical observation; as well as introducing into statistical practice the improved system of the national accounts: 2008 SNA instead of 1993 SNA.

The author not only reminisces about Russian scientists and educators in statistics but also characterizes them from different perspectives as professionals and human beings; she addresses their role in establishing the school for training statistical personnel, that is relevant to this day. The article touches upon the question of increasing statistical literacy that today is an integral part of professional training of specialists in science and education, production, business, and other areas.
Discours ou métadiscours ?
Authors: Borillo Andrée
Published: March 2019

There are types of utterances clearly recognizable as having a commentary function on discourse : commentary on the status of a term or of an expression or on its adequacy in the particular instance in which it appears ; commentary on the discourse utterance conditions, specially those securing its intelligibility ; commentary also on the discourse structuration. But these may be particular utterances with characteristic formal properties. It is not sure that metadiscourse phenomenon can be as a rule reduced to the expression of specific constructions distinguishable and separable from the discourse they refer to.