bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
AP39, a Mitochondrial-Targeted H2S Donor, Improves Porcine Islet Survival in Culture
Authors: Shinzato Misaki , Miyagi-Shiohira Chika , Kuwae Kazuho , Nishime Kai , Tamaki Yoshihito , Yonaha Tasuku , Sakai-Yonaha Mayuko , Yamasaki Ikuo , Otsuka Ryusei , Saitoh Issei , Watanabe Masami , Noguchi Hirofumi
Published: September 2022

The rapid deterioration of transplanted islets in culture is a well-established phenomenon. We recently reported that pancreas preservation with AP39 reduces reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and improves islet graft function. In this study, we investigated whether the addition of AP39 to the culture medium could reduce isolated islet deterioration and improve islet function. Isolated islets from porcine pancreata were cultured with 400 nM AP39 or without AP39 at 37 °C. After culturing for 6–72 h, the islet equivalents of porcine islets in the AP39(+) group were significantly higher than those in the AP39(−) group. The islets in the AP39(+) group exhibited significantly decreased levels of ROS production compared to the islets in the AP39(−) group. The islets in the AP39(+) group exhibited significantly increased mitochondrial membrane potential compared to the islets in the AP39(−) group. A marginal number (1500 IEs) of cultured islets from each group was then transplanted into streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Culturing isolated islets with AP39 improved islet transplantation outcomes in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. The addition of AP39 in culture medium reduces islet deterioration and furthers the advancements in β-cell replacement therapy.
Optimization of Tokuhashi Scoring System to Improve Survival Prediction in Patients with Spinal Metastases
Authors: Yen Hung-Kuan , Chen Chih-Wei , Lin Wei-Hsin , Wang Zhong-Yu , Huang Chuan-Ching , Chen Hsuan-Yu , Yang Shu-Hua , Hu Ming-Hsiao
Published: September 2022

Introduction: Predicting survival time for patients with spinal metastases is important in treatment choice. Generally speaking, six months is a landmark cutoff point. Revised Tokuhashi score (RTS), the most widely used scoring system, lost its accuracy in predicting 6-month survival, gradually. Therefore, a more precise scoring system is urgently needed. Objective: The aim of this study is to create a new scoring system with a higher accuracy in predicting 6-month survival based on the previously used RTS. Methods: Data of 171 patients were examined to determine factors that affect prognosis (reference group), and the remaining (validation group) were examined to validate the reliability of a new score, adjusted Tokuhashi score (ATS). We compared their discriminatory abilities of the prediction models using area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: Target therapy and the Z score of BMI (Z-BMI), which adjusted to the patients’ sex and age, were additional independent prognostic factors. Patients with target therapy use are awarded 4 points. The Z score of BMI could be added directly to yield ATS. The AUCs were 0.760 for ATS and 0.636 for RTS in the validation group. Conclusion: Appropriate target therapy use can prolong patients’ survival. Z-BMI which might reflect nutritional status is another important influencing factor. With the optimization, surgeons could choose a more individualized treatment for patients.
Evaluation of Osteochondritis Dissecans Treatment with Bioabsorbable Implants in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Wiktor Łukasz , Tomaszewski Ryszard
Published: September 2022

(1) Background: This is the first systematic review concerning the treatment of osteochondritis dissecans with the use of bioabsorbable implants. The study was done as a comprehensive review to identify important factors affecting the results of OCD treatment in children and adolescents; (2) Methods: We searched electronic bibliographic databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge until May 2022. This systematic review was performed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and PICO (Patients, Interventions, Comparisons, Outcomes) guidelines; (3) Results: We identified 2662 original papers of which 11 were found to be eligible for further analysis. The study group included a total of 164 OCD lesions in 158 patients. In 94.86% of postoperative cases, there was complete healing or local improvement on follow-up CT or MRI scans. The great majority of patients achieved a good clinical effect. Out of 164 OCD lesions, 10 did not heal (6.09%); (4) Conclusions: Surgical treatment of stable and unstable OCD in children with the use of bioabsorbable implants facilitates a high rate of healing and a good clinical outcome; treatment of juvenile OCD is associated with a better outcome compared to adult OCD; the use of bioabsorbable implants for the treatment of humeral capitellum OCD is associated with a more frequent incidence of synovitis (18.2%).
Choice of Surgical Procedure for Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament
Authors: Yoshii Toshitaka , Sakai Kenichiro , Machino Masaaki , Furuya Takeo
Published: September 2022

In cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), spinal cord compression causes neurologic symptoms [...]
Interferon Gamma Targeted Therapy: Is It Justified in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome?
Authors: Sebastian Agata , Madej Marta , Gajdanowicz Paweł , Sebastian Maciej , Łuczak Anna , Zemelka-Wiącek Magdalena , Jutel Marek , Wiland Piotr
Published: September 2022

Background: The pathomechanism of primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) is multifactorial. Many cytokines take part in this process, including interferon. The study aimed to quantify certain cytokines involved in the pathomechanism of primary Sjögren syndrome (IL2, IL5, IL6, IL10, IL13, TNFα, IFNγ) and determine their common clinical correlation. On this basis, we discuss the potential use of anti-cytokine drugs in pSS therapy. Methods: The study group consisted of adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of pSS. Results: The most frequently detected cytokines were IFNγ (82% of patients), TNFα (70%), IL6 (50%), and IL2 (42.5%). In all patients, except for one patient, IFNγ was found in the presence of other specific cytokines. There was no difference in clinical symptoms, age, and laboratory test results between the group of patients with IL-6 + TNFα + IFNγ positive cytokine, and the group of patients in whom they were not detected. There was no correlation between the presence of IL5, IL13, IL2, IL6, IL10, TNFα and musculoskeletal symptoms, skin lesions, glandular domains, pulmonary neurological, lymphadenopathy, biological and hematological domains in ESSDAI (p > 0.05). Conclusions: IFNγ most likely plays a central role in the pathomechanism of the disease. We have not noticed a clinical correlation between the three most common cytokines (IL6, IFNγ and TNFα), preliminary research results open up the possibility of searching for new treatments for pSS. The lower percentage of patients with detectable levels of TNFα and IL6 may explain the ineffectiveness of drugs targeting cytokines in clinical trials to date.
Stiffness Degradation under Cyclic Loading Using Three-Point Bending of Hybridised Carbon/Glass Fibres with a Polyamide 6,6 Nanofibre Interlayer
Authors: Blythe Ashley , Fox Bronwyn , Nikzad Mostafa , Eisenbart Boris , Chai Boon Xian
Published: September 2022

The stiffness degradation of hybrid carbon/glass fibre composites are investigated under cyclic loading in three-point bending. The composites are compared to toughened composites interlayered with PA 6,6 nanofibre (veil) and a matrix toughened with 5% rubber particulate. With the incorporation of veil into the hybridised composite, the hybrid interface experienced extensive localised delamination, due to crack deflection, causing longitudinal cracking between the fibre and veil interface. It is observed that delamination was redirected and reduced by veil interlayering, due to crack bridging as the cracks propagated. The carbon fibre composites toughened by rubber particulate showed similar stiffness retention to carbon fibre after 1,000,000 cycles. The veil interlayering within carbon fibre improved the stiffness retention by 66.87% for the flexural modulus, compared to carbon fibre and rubber toughened carbon fibre laminates. In both glass and carbon fibre samples, the stiffness retention with veil showed a 10-fold increase in fatigue life, compared with untoughened controls. It is observed from the failure mechanics that veil acted as a randomly orientated fibre layer, rather than a matrix toughener.
Challenges and Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Waste Management Systems: A Review
Authors: Luhar Ismail , Luhar Salmabanu , Abdullah Mohd
Published: September 2022

Unfortunately, nearly the whole world came to a standstill due to the coronavirus disease 2019, i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic, which negatively and severely impacted almost all facets of society, systems, and lives on the planet during the last few years. During this time, a surge in the generation of a huge volume of diverse wastes at an unprecedented rate occurred due to the extensive use of disposables and personal shielding safety gear such as personal protective equipment (PPE) for both infected and uninfected people as well as frontline staff, etc., as corona protocols, especially in the form of “plastic wastes”. Consequently, all these factors induced a novel route for the pollution of air, soil, and water, inviting a great number of health hazards in addition to the pandemic. Beyond a doubt, the susceptibility of the spread of the coronavirus through polluted waste is high, an issue for which the waste management measures are comparatively not up to the mark. The spread of COVID-19 forced the world into lockdown, which had both constructive and unconstructive effects on not only the environment but also systems such as the waste management sector, etc. The unforeseen increase in the quantity of waste created a challenge concerning normal waste disposal facilities, negatively impacting the global waste management industry, and hence, leading to an urgent situation internationally. Still, in developing nations, the sector of waste management is at its nascent stage, and therefore, the sector of waste management during the pandemic period has been influenced severely in many parts of the world. The current comprehensive review provides not only an overview of the impacts and challenges of COVID-19 on the waste management sector but also extends the systematic data of waste generation that has been made accessible so far along with a discussion on the safety of the related workers and staff as well as suggestions for the possible approaches towards better waste management services, which are essential to manage the waste increase resultant of the COVID-19 pandemic in a majority of nations.
Finite Element Analysis of the Non-Uniform Degradation of Biodegradable Vascular Stents
Authors: Zhang Hanbing , Du Tianming , Chen Shiliang , Liu Yang , Yang Yujia , Hou Qianwen , Qiao Aike
Published: September 2022

Most of the studies on the finite element analysis (FEA) of biodegradable vascular stents (BVSs) during the degradation process have limited the accuracy of the simulation results due to the application of the uniform degradation model. This paper aims to establish an FEA model for the non-uniform degradation of BVSs by considering factors such as the dynamic changes of the corrosion properties and material properties of the element, as well as the pitting corrosion and stress corrosion. The results revealed that adjusting the corrosion rate according to the number of exposed surfaces of the element and reducing the stress threshold according to the corrosion status accelerates the degradation time of BVSs by 26% and 25%, respectively, compared with the uniform degradation model. The addition of the pitting model reduces the service life of the BVSs by up to 12%. The effective support of the stent to the vessel could reach at least 60% of the treatment effect before the vessel collapsed. These data indicate that the proposed non-uniform degradation model of BVSs with multiple factors produces different phenomena compared with the commonly used models and make the numerical simulation results more consistent with the real degradation scenario.
The Impact of an Enrichment Program on the Emirati Verbally Gifted Children
Authors: Elhoweris Hala , Alhosani Najwa , Alsheikh Negmeldin , Bacsal Rhoda-Myra Garces , Bonti Eleni
Published: September 2022

Most researchers agree that verbally gifted learners should be provided with differentiated curriculum experiences that will allow them to reach their full potential. However, research is scarce in the field. The present study examined the impact of a reading enrichment program on fourth-grade students’ critical reading abilities. The program was based on the Integrated Curriculum Model (ICM). The sample consisted of forty fourth-grade verbally gifted students from a school in Dubai, who were randomly assigned to either an experimental instruction condition or a traditional instruction condition and completed pre and post-tests of language arts. A pre-and post-experimental design was used. The overall results indicated the efficacy of the differentiated enrichment program in enhancing Emirati gifted learners’ critical reading abilities. The study also provides a framework for better provision and teacher training planning regarding gifted education in the UAE.
Three-Dimensional Trajectory Tracking for a Heterogeneous XAUV via Finite-Time Robust Nonlinear Control and Optimal Rudder Allocation
Authors: Xia Yingkai , Huang Zhemin , Xu Kan , Xu Guohua , Li Ye
Published: September 2022

This paper proposes a novel three-dimensional trajectory tracking control methodology for a heterogeneous X-rudder autonomous underwater vehicle (XAUV) that can achieve finite-time convergence, complex actuator dynamics handling, and energy-efficient optimized rudder allocation. Under a compound robust control scheme, the trajectory tracking problem is decomposed into three sub-problems: kinematics control, dynamics control, and rudder allocation. For kinematics control, a novel finite-time line-of-sight (FTLOS) guidance law is proposed, which can achieve faster position and orientation tracking when compared with classical LOS guidance, and is rarely studied in the existing finite time control methods. In the dynamics control loop, global finite-time terminal sliding mode control (FTTSMC) laws are provided to solve the heading control, pitching control, and surge velocity tracking control problems, where finite-time convergence is achieved in both the approaching stage and sliding mode holding stage. The multi-source uncertainties with unknown upper bounds in both kinematics and dynamics loops are well treated by finite-time extended disturbance observers (FTEDOs), thus ensuring the system robustness. Moreover, the influence of complex actuator dynamics is fully considered by employing a RBFNN compensator to deal with the propeller saturation and proposing an energy-efficient optimal rudder allocator to tackle the multi-objective and multi-constraint heterogeneous X-rudder angle assignment problem. Finally, simulation verifications are carried out for two different scenarios, where Case 1 focuses on the adaptability of the algorithm to different conditions and Case 2 focuses on the superiority of the algorithm over three other commonly used algorithms. The comparative simulation results show that the proposed controller has good adaptability to different initial and disturbance conditions, and performs better than three other classical controllers, especially in convergence speed, tracking accuracy, stability, and energy consumption.
Validation and Comparisons of Methodologies Implemented in a RANS-VoF Numerical Model for Applications to Coastal Structures
Authors: Didier Eric , Teixeira Paulo R. F.
Published: September 2022

Methodologies to be used in numerical models based on Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations and the volume of fluid (VoF) to deal with waves over coastal structures, which involve wave breaking and overtopping and porous structures, are shown in this manuscript. Two turbulence models, k-ε NLS (non-linear Reynolds stress tensor) and k-ε SCM (stabilized closure model), that are used to avoid the growth of the eddy viscosity, are implemented in the FLUENT® numerical model. Additionally, equations of momentum and turbulence models are adapted to simulate porous media of coastal structures. Comparisons of performance of k-ε NLS, k-ε SCM and standards k-ε and k-ω SST models in several classical cases of regular and random waves on coastal structures are carried out. It was noticed that the standard k-ε turbulence model, and k-ω SST with less intensity, over-predicted eddy viscosity, caused the decay of the free surface elevation and under-estimated wave overtopping discharge. k-ε NLS and k-ε SCM turbulence models have similar performance, with slightly better results of k-ε NLS, showing good agreement with experimental ones.
A Novel Monoclonal Antibody 1D2 That Broadly Inhibits Clinically Important Aspergillus Species
Authors: Lian Xihua , Scott-Thomas Amy , Lewis John G. , Bhatia Madhav , Chambers Stephen T.
Published: September 2022

Aspergillus fumigatus is a ubiquitous airborne fungus, is the predominant cause (>90%) of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in immunosuppressed patients and has a high mortality. New approaches to prevention and treatment are needed because of the poor efficacy, toxicity and side effects of the current anti-Aspergillus drugs on patients. Thus, we aim to explore a new avenue to combat Aspergillus infection by using a novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) 1D2 against a glycoprotein on the cell wall of Aspergillus. The ability of this mAb to inhibit attachment, germination, and growth of Aspergillus conidia and hyphae in vitro were examined. A dose-dependent growth inhibition of Aspergillus conidia in the presence of mAb 1D2 was found. The mAb 1D2 inhibited attachment of Aspergillus conidia to an untreated slide surface and fibronectin-treated surface compared to an unrelated mAb 6B10. When conidia were exposed to 1D2 concomitantly with inoculation into culture media, the mAb prevented the swelling and germination of conidia. This inhibitory ability of 1D2 was less apparent if it was added two hours after inoculation. Damage to hyphae was also observed when 1D2 was added to Aspergillus hyphae that had been incubated in media overnight. These in vitro results indicate that mAb 1D2 broadly inhibits clinically important Aspergillus species and has a promising therapeutic effect both as prophylaxis to inhibit an Aspergillus infection as well as a treatment.
Penicillium digitatum, First Clinical Report in Chile: Fungal Co-Infection in COVID-19 Patient
Authors: Iturrieta-González Isabel , Giacaman Annesi , Godoy-Martínez Patricio , Vega Fernando , Sepúlveda Marcela , Santos Cledir , Toledo Valentina , Rivera Gonzalo , Ortega Leandro , San Martín Andrés , Bahamondes Vitalia , Collao Felipe , Sánchez Raúl , Fonseca-Salamanca Flery
Published: September 2022

Penicillium digitatum is one of the most important phytopathogens. It causes deterioration and rotting of citrus fruits, generating significant economic losses worldwide. As a human pathogen, it is extremely rare. We present a case of pulmonary co-infection in a patient diagnosed with pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2. A 20-year-old female patient, primigravid, 36 weeks of gestation, without comorbidities, and diagnosed with severe pneumonia due to the SARS-CoV-2, showed rapid lung deterioration for which their pregnancy was interrupted by surgery. The patient was hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), connected to mechanical ventilation and receiving corticosteroids and antibiotics. The diagnosis of pulmonary fungal infection was made through bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) culture, and the species identification was performed by sequencing of β-tubulin. Phylogenetic analysis with related species was performed for the confirmation of species identification. Antifungal susceptibility tests were performed for itraconazole (4 µg/mL), voriconazole (2 µg/mL), and amphotericin B (2 µg/mL). The patient was successfully treated with itraconazole. This is the second worldwide report of pulmonary infection by P. digitatum and the first in Chile. Although it is a fungus that rarely infects humans, it could represent an emerging opportunistic fungal pathogen, with associated risk factors that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of Penicillium species isolated from infections in humans.
Apprising Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers in Cutaneous Melanoma—Persistent Updating
Authors: Georgescu Simona Roxana , Mitran Cristina Iulia , Mitran Madalina Irina , Matei Clara , Constantin Carolina , Neagu Monica , Tampa Mircea
Published: September 2022

The incidence of melanoma, a very aggressive skin cancer, has increased over the past few decades. Although there are well-established clinical, dermoscopic and histopathological criteria, the diagnosis is often performed late, which has important implications on the patient’s clinical outcome. Unfortunately, melanoma is one of the most challenging tumors to diagnose because it is a heterogeneous neoplasm at the clinical, histopathological, and molecular level. The use of reliable biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression is becoming a standard of care in modern medicine. In this review, we discuss the latest studies, which highlight findings from the genomics, epitranscriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics areas, pointing out different genes, molecules and cells as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in cutaneous melanoma.
Relationship between Body Composition and Cardiac Autonomic Regulation in a Large Population of Italian Olympic Athletes
Authors: Lucini Daniela , Spataro Antonio , Giovanelli Luca , Malacarne Mara , Spada Raffaella , Parati Gianfranco , Solaro Nadia , Pagani Massimo
Published: September 2022

Athletic performance is determined by many factors, such as cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength and psychological features, which all interact simultaneously. The large Italian National Olympic Committee database of Olympic athletes offers a unique healthy population to verify the strength of the interplay among a number of major elements of training, including autonomic nervous system (ANS) modulation, biochemical indicators and body composition, in a system medicine approach. This observational, retrospective study involved 583 individuals. As part of the yearly precompetitive examination, cardiac autonomic (heart rate variability), psychological, physical (cycloergometer stress test), biochemical and body composition (BOD POD) evaluations were performed. In subsequent analysis, we first considered the relationship between body composition and single individual variables in a simple correlation matrix, including a multitude of variables; then, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) restricted the information to six latent domains, each combining congruent information in relation to body composition. Finally, we employed a multiple quantile regression model to evaluate possible relationships between ANSIs (index capable of synthetizing ANS regulation) and the latent domains indicated by EFA reflecting body composition. We observed a clear relationship between ANS and body mass composition parameters, as indicated by both bivariate correlations and the quantile regression result of ANSIs versus the latent domain aggregating mainly body composition data expressed in % (p = 0.002). In conclusion, these results suggest that specific training may elicit parallel adaptation of ANS control and body composition. The analysis of Olympic athletes’ data allowed us to obtain a better understanding of the complex, multidimensional factors involved in determining sport performance. The latter appears to be determined by the simultaneous interaction not only of cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength and psychological features, but also of ANS cardiovascular modulation and body composition.
Understanding the Patient Experience of Receiving Clinically Actionable Genetic Results from the MyCode Community Health Initiative, a Population-Based Genomic Screening Initiative
Authors: Baker Anna , Tolwinski Kasia , Atondo Jamie , Davis F. Daniel , Goehringer Jessica , Jones Laney K. , Pisieczko Cassandra J. , Sturm Amy C. , Williams Janet L. , Williams Marc S. , Rahm Alanna Kulchak , Buchanan Adam H.
Published: September 2022

Understanding unselected individuals’ experiences receiving genetic results through population genomic screening is critical to advancing clinical utility and improving population health. We conducted qualitative interviews with individuals who received clinically actionable genetic results via the MyCode© Genomic Screening and Counseling program. We purposively sampled cohorts to seek diversity in result-related disease risk (e.g., cancer or cardiovascular) and in personal or family history of related diseases. Transcripts were analyzed using a two-step inductive coding process of broad thematic analysis followed by in-depth coding of each theme. Four thematic domains identified across all cohorts were examined: process assessment, psychosocial response, behavioral change due to the genetic result, and family communication. Coding of 63 interviews among 60 participants revealed that participants were satisfied with the results disclosure process, initially experienced a range of positive, neutral, and negative psychological reactions to results, adjusted positively to results over time, undertook clinically indicated actions in response to results, and communicated results with relatives to whom they felt emotionally close. Our findings of generally favorable responses to receiving clinically actionable genetic results via a genomic screening program may assuage fear of patient distress in such programs and guide additional biobanks, genomic screening programs, and research studies.
Study on the Spatial Pattern Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Inefficient Urban Land Use in the Yellow River Basin
Authors: Cui Guoqing , Zheng Wenlong , Chen Siliang , Dong Yue , Huang Tingyu
Published: September 2022

In order to realize the optimization of urban spatial patterns in the Yellow River Basin, a study on the inefficient use of urban land in the Yellow River Basin was carried out. In this study, Dali County and Hancheng County in Weinan City are selected as the research areas. Firstly, the analytic hierarchy process is used to build a comprehensive evaluation system for the identification of inefficient land in stock; secondly, the standard deviation ellipse method and spatial kernel density estimation method are used to quantitatively analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of inefficient land. Thirdly, the contribution model is used to analyze the influencing factors of inefficient land use. Finally, corresponding redevelopment suggestions are given for each type of inefficient land. The results show that Dali had the smallest area of inefficient land; second is Xincheng Street in Hancheng City; and Longmen Town, Hancheng City has the largest area. The distribution of inefficient land in Dali and Longmen Town in Hancheng City is relatively balanced, while the distribution of all kinds of inefficient land in Xincheng Street in Hancheng City is not concentrated. The density of the road network is the most important contributing factor to inefficient land use in the study area. This paper comprehensively uses the methods of economics and geography to study inefficient land use, quantifies the spatial-temporal characteristics and influencing factors of land use units, explores the spatial patterns of land use and enriches the research into relevant theories.
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Land Cover and Their Driving Forces in the Yellow River Basin since 1990
Authors: Zhao Shirui , Fan Zemeng , Gao Xing
Published: September 2022

The national strategy for ecological protection and high-quality development is raising the ecological security protection to an unprecedented level in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) of China. Due to the explicitly analyzed land cover changes under climate change and rapid urbanization in the YRB area since 1990, land cover dynamic degree index, transfer matrix, and geo-detector method were used to explicate land cover changes and their key driving factors, based on the spatial data of land cover from 1990 to 2020. The results show that grasslands, croplands, and forests are the main land cover types, accounting for 48.37%, 25.05%, and 13.50%, respectively, of the total area in the YRB area. Grassland, cropland, and cropland are the major land cover type, accounting for 61.49%, 37.13%, and 66.33%, respectively, in the upstream, midstream, and downstream of the YRB area. Built-up land has showed a continual increasing trend, and its dynamic degree was up to 3.38% between 2010 and 2020. Population density was a key factor for land cover change, with an average contribution rate of 0.264; then, elevation and temperature also expressed an important role to drive the land cover change in the YRB area during the period from 1990 to 2020.
Too Much, Too Soon? The Changes in Greece’s Land Administration Organizations during the Economic Crisis Period 2009 to 2018
Authors: Balla Evangelia , Zevenbergen Jaap , Madureira Ana Mafalda , Georgiadou Yola
Published: September 2022

Land administration is the managing of spatial and legal data pertaining to land. Land administration organizations provide services for land ownership and are essential to a well-functioning land administration system to secure land and property rights for all and support real estate markets. This article reviews the case of the Hellenic Land Administration Reform and the associated changes in the land administration organizations during the economic crisis period (2009–2018). We qualitatively analyze these changes and their actual effects through a set of legislative initiatives according to the orders of change of the enactive theory of reforms and the concept of isomorphism. The study is informed by interviews with key informants involved in the land administration policy domain, and by secondary data, such as legislative documents and reports. Findings show that the legislative initiatives aimed to bring efficiency, transparency, and rationalization to the land administration policy domain by centralizing the collection of land transaction fees and nationalizing the land administration organizations., The enacted legislative initiatives encompassed organizational (second-order) changes within a short period, instead of incremental technical or managerial measures (first-order) to improve ineffective practices and services for citizens. They ended with a drastic organizational transformation, resulting in “premature load bearing” in the involved organizations, which complexified the implementation of an ambitious land administration reform and impacted the smooth operation of the real estate market. The article increases the current insight on the merger of land administration organizations and its implications. It contributes to the land administration scholarly literature on the establishment of new organizations to create a modern cadastral system from a public policy perspective through the orders of change of the enactive theory of reforms.
Revealing Changes in the Management Capacity of the Three-River-Source National Park, China: An Application of the Best Practice-Based Evaluation Method
Authors: Liu Xianyang , Min Qingwen , Jiao Wenjun
Published: September 2022

Management evaluation is increasingly required for national parks worldwide as it is an essential mechanism for improving management levels and achieving management objectives. The management capacity evaluation (MCE), an integral component of management evaluation, emphasizes the suitability of management measures. It helps identify the deficiencies in existing management measures and form feedback to improve them, thus increasing the overall management level of national parks. However, the existing MCE methods from international programs suffer from limited adaptability and are difficult to promote in other countries. In this research, we apply the best practice-based (BPB) method to the Three-River-Sources National Park (TNP), the first national park in China, to reveal the changes in its management capacity during the pilot period. The BPB method is new compared with other MCE methods, but is more adaptable to the current situation of China’s national parks. Results show that TNP’s comprehensive management capacity and the five aspects of management capacities improved effectively, which means the management measures adopted during the pilot phase were generally appropriate and practicable. Some management capacities, such as management organization, legal system construction, management planning, and natural resources confirmation and registration performed well or improved significantly during the pilot period, providing beneficial lessons for other national parks in China. Some management capacities, such as the ecological compensation scheme, monitoring and early warning system, and management team, are still deficient and should be prioritized for future improvement. The effectiveness and operability of the BPB method are validated in this research, as it provides a rapid and accurate diagnosis of TNP’s management capacities and useful feedback for improving them. We submit that the BPB method not only contributes to the theoretical improvement of MCE methods, but also shows wider adaptability to different protected area types and countries.
Evaluation of Cultural Ecosystem Service Functions in National Parks from the Perspective of Benefits of Community Residents
Authors: Wang Peng , Li Nan , He Yating , He Youjun
Published: September 2022

The ecosystem of national parks bears some cultural features. How the cultural ecosystem service functions are perceived by the public and how the cultural ecosystem service functions shape the public’s cognition have become urgent scientific questions. This paper performs a case analysis on the Qianjiangyuan National Park System Pilot Area, a representative national park in China, which clarifies the main types of cultural ecosystem service functions from the perspective of the landscape aesthetics benefits of community residents, and analyze the varied impacts of demographics on functional cognition. On this basis, the entropy weight method was adopted to evaluate the importance of each function. Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation was employed to assess the composite level of the cultural service functions. The results show that: (1) the community residents value the benefits brought by the national park the most in terms of the ecological improvement function, and the situation is consistent across the four towns/townships; by contrast, the community residents attach the least importance to the benefits in terms of system governance function. (2) Except for the years of local residence, the community residents’ cognition of different cultural ecosystem service functions may vary significantly, owing to factors like gender, age, education level, occupation, and annual mean income. (3) Concerning the importance of functional indices, the importance scores of the natural experience functions, humanistic concern functions, and social service functions are 0.3286, 0.3503, and 0.3211, respectively. The community residents had a moderate to high level of cognition for the cultural ecosystem service functions (3.99). The different types of functions can be sorted by effectiveness as: the social service functions (4.11) > natural experience functions (4.03) > humanistic concern functions (3.86). The research results provide a reference for improving the management level of national parks, and ease the increasingly prominent contradiction between people and land.
Climate Change and New Markets: Multi-Factorial Drivers of Recent Land-Use Change in The Semi-Arid Trans-Himalaya, Nepal
Authors: Meier Wolfgang Jens-Henrik , Pohle Perdita , Grießinger Jussi
Published: September 2022

The Nepalese Mustang District is subject to profound environmental change. In recent decades, rising temperatures have been apparent, accompanied by increasing precipitation variability and a reduction in glacier extent. In a semi-arid climate, this reduces water availability and threatens irrigation-based subsidence agriculture. In addition, the region is experiencing rapid socio-economic change due to a new road connecting the former periphery to new markets downstream. This enables a higher market orientation for agricultural products and improved accessibility for tourists. In recent decades, these changes have triggered severe transformations in the local land-use systems and settlements, which are investigated in this study. Detailed on-site re-mappings of the settlements of Marpha and Kagbeni were performed based on historical maps from the early 1990s. Additionally, land-use patterns and functionality of buildings in the district capital of Jomsom and in the settlement Ranipauwa/Muktinath were mapped. For all settlements, a profound increase in cash crop (apple) cultivation can be observed since the 1990s. Recently, new cultivation practices such as intercropping have been extensively introduced as an adaptation strategy to climate extremes. Demand for different crops from the new markets downstream is causing a significant decline in local, well-established cultivation of traditional crops such as buckwheat. This corroborates with an increasing demand for freshwater for the enhanced vegetable cultivation used for inter-cropping. Simultaneously, the freshwater demands from the tourism sector are steadily increasing. In a region where water quality is deteriorating and springs are already drying up due to climate change, this will probably lead to further challenges regarding the allocation of water in the future.
The Multidimensional Evaluation of Cultural Heritage Regeneration Projects: A Proposal for Integrating Level(s) Tool—The Case Study of Villa Vannucchi in San Giorgio a Cremano (Italy)
Authors: Nocca Francesca , Angrisano Mariarosaria
Published: September 2022

The challenges of sustainable development are mainly concentrated in the cities. Therefore, they represent a key place for implementing strategies and actions to achieve (or not achieve) sustainable development objectives. In this perspective, the circular city model represents a new way of organizing the city. As demonstrated by a variety of best practices, the entry points for triggering circular processes at the urban scale are various. In this paper, cultural heritage is presented as the entry point for the implementation of this new urban development model. The focus here is on the implementation tools, with a particular emphasis on the evaluation tools for assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of this model, that is, the multidimensional benefits that it can produce. The Level(s) tool, proposed by the European Commission in 2017, is the only officially recognised assessment tool related to the circular economy at the European level. It aims to evaluate the performance of new buildings from a circular economy perspective. This paper intends to expand the field of action of the aforementioned tool to projects related to cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the Level(s) tool has some weaknesses in relation to values and attributes that need to be considered when dealing with cultural heritage. This paper proposes an evaluation framework for assessing cultural heritage renovation and reuse projects, considering all its values and the multidimensional impacts that they are able to produce (economic, social, environmental impacts) in the city. The starting point for the development of the proposed evaluation framework is the Level(s) tool by the European Commission. On the basis of critical considerations, this tool is integrated with criteria and indicators deduced from other previous studies and other official tools on this issue (Green Building Council and Heritage Impact Assessment tools). The evaluation framework is here tested to evaluate the renovation/reuse project of Villa Vannucchi, a historic building located in the city of San Giorgio a Cremano in the metropolitan city of Naples (Italy).
Threats in Water–Energy–Food–Land Nexus by the 2022 Military and Economic Conflict
Authors: Sargentis G.-Fivos , Lagaros Nikos D. , Cascella Giuseppe Leonardo , Koutsoyiannis Demetris
Published: September 2022

The formation of societies is based on the dynamics of spatial clustering, which optimizes economies of scale in the management of the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus. Energy and food are determinant measures of prosperity. Using the WEF nexus as an indicator, we evaluate the social impacts of the current (2022) conflict and in particular the economic sanctions on Russia. As Russia and Ukraine are major global suppliers of energy sources, food, and fertilizers, new threats arise by their limitations and the rally of prices. By analyzing related data, we show the dramatic effects on society, and we note that cities, which depend on a wider area for energy and food supplies, are extremely vulnerable. This problem was substantially worsened due to the large-scale urbanization in recent decades, which increased the distance from food sources. We conjecture that the Western elites’ decision to sanction Russia dramatically transformed the global WEF equilibrium, which could probably lead to the collapse of social cohesion.
Predictive Processing and Inhibitory Control Drive Semantic Enhancements for Non-Dominant Language Word Recognition in Noise
Authors: Fricke Melinda , Zirnstein Megan
Published: September 2022

Auditory word recognition in the non-dominant language has been suggested to break down under noisy conditions due, in part, to the difficulty of deriving a benefit from contextually constraining information. However, previous studies examining the effects of sentence constraints on word recognition in noise have conflated multiple psycholinguistic processes under the umbrella term of “predictability”. The present study improves on these by narrowing its focus specifically on prediction processes, and on whether the possibility of using semantic constraint to predict an upcoming target word improves word recognition in noise for different listener populations and noise conditions. We find that heritage, but not second language, Spanish listeners derive a word recognition-in-noise benefit from predictive processing, and that non-dominant language word recognition benefits more from predictive processing under conditions of energetic, rather than informational, masking. The latter suggests that managing interference from competing speech and generating predictions about an upcoming target word draw on the same cognitive resources. An analysis of individual differences shows that better inhibitory control ability is associated with reduced disruption from competing speech in the more dominant language in particular, revealing a critical role for executive function in simultaneously managing interference and generating expectations for upcoming words.
The Impact of Grammar on the Construal of Discourse Alternatives in German and English
Authors: Dimroth Christine , Starren Marianne
Published: September 2022

This paper investigates additive links to discourse alternatives in picture comparison dialogues produced by adult native speakers of English and German. Additive relations are established across turns when participants are confirming the presence of matching objects on both pictures (A: “I have X”. B: “I also have X”). Speakers thereby describe their own picture and construe the interlocutor (or rather: the interlocutor’s picture) as a discourse alternative. Whereas the vast majority of the confirming descriptions in German contain an additive particle (auch), less than half of the corresponding confirmations in the English data do (“also”, “too”, etc.). Numbers differ even more drastically in polarity questions (“Do you (also) have X?”) that are equally typical for the dialogue task. Such frequency differences are at odds with recent accounts treating additive particles as being quasi obligatory when their presupposition is satisfied. An in-depth contrastive analysis of lexical, syntactic and information structural properties reveals that the default mapping of information units on syntactic functions (subject) in conjunction with the SVO word order of English leads to a structure in which subject, initial (topic) position and the particle’s associated constituent coincide. This would make the relation to its discourse alternative more prominent than warranted by the dialogue task and speakers of English leave this relation unmarked or resort to alternative constructions instead. The V2 syntax of German, on the other hand, allows for a dissociation of discourse topic and associated constituent. It allows the speaker to topicalize reference to the matching object, to highlight the confirmation of its presence on the speaker’s picture, and to relate the changing information to its discourse alternative in a non-contrastive way.
Experimental and DEM-Based Numerical Studies on the Shearing Characteristics of Talus-like Rock Mass
Authors: Li Xiaochang , Zhang Zixin , Yi Yinlian , Wang Shuaifeng
Published: September 2022

The talus-like rock mass is a special kind of geomaterial widely distributed in southwestern China, which has induced serious engineering disasters for tunneling engineering. However, the mechanical behavior of the talus-like rock mass remains unclear as the previous studies mainly focused on similar geomaterials such as the soil–rock mixtures. In this paper, we have carried out both experimental and discrete element method (DEM)-based numerical analyses to investigate the shearing characteristics of the talus-like rock mass collected from a real project site. Large-scale direct shear tests reveal that the strength parameters increase with the block content, which is different from the traditional soil–rock mixture. A dependence has been discovered in that the specimen dilation becomes more obvious under lower normal stress and larger block content. It is also observed that higher normal stress is beneficial for crushing blocks. The force chains obtained in the DEM simulations show that distinct internal structures are generated in the rock samples with different block contents. The distribution of coordination number establishes the dependence of fabric stability on block content during shearing. Bond-break evolution reveals the tendencies of crushed particles were consistent with those of experimental tests. The findings provide a more in-depth understanding about the mechanical behavior of the talus-like rock mass, which helps to uncover the cause of the collapse of the real tunnel project.