bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reconstruction and Pattern Analysis of Historical Urbanization of Pre-Modern China in the 1910s Using Topographic Maps and the GIS-ESDA Model: A Case Study in Zhejiang Province, China
Authors: Wan Zhiwei , Chen Xi , Ju Min , Ling Chaohao , Liu Guangxu , Liao Fuqiang , Jia Yulian , Jiang Meixin
Published: January 2020

The pattern of urban land use and the level of urbanization in China’s pre-modernization period are of great significance for land use and land cover change (LUCC) research. The purpose of this study is to construct a 1910s spatial dataset of provincial land urbanization in pre-modern China. Using historical topographic maps, this study quantitatively reconstructs the built-up area of various cities in Zhejiang Province in the 1910s. The research indicates that: (1) During the early period of the Republic of China, there were a total of 252 cities and towns in Zhejiang Province, including 75 cities at or above the county level, 21 acropolis, and 156 towns. The total built-up area was 140.590 km2. (2) The county-level urbanization level had significant agglomeration characteristics. The overall urbanization rate of land was 0.135%. (3) Hot spots analysis showed that the Hang-Jia-Hu-Shao plain is hot spot. (4) The correlation coefficient between the city wall perimeter data recorded in the local chronicles and the measured city wall perimeter was 0.908. The research showed that the military topographic maps possessed a good application prospect for the reconstruction of urbanization levels. The research results provide direct evidence for urbanization and urban land use in China’s pre-modernization period.
Performance and Resilience of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) and Conventional Funds during Different Shocks in 2016: Evidence from Japan
Authors: Arefeen Saiful , Shimada Koji
Published: January 2020

Socially responsible investing (SRI) reap the benefits of a social consensus and is often presented as a solution to conciliate finance and sustainable development. This article investigates the performance and resilience of both socially responsible and conventional funds listed in the Japan Investment Trust Association (JITA) during two economic shocks (the U.S. election and Brexit) in 2016. To see the immediate reaction in fund performance around different shocks, an event study with market model using ordinary least square (OLS), an event study with market model using exponential generalized autoregressive heteroscedasticity (EGARCH) and an event study with Fama–French multi-factor model was used to avoid common features of return data such as non-normality, heteroscedasticity, and cross-correlation. This study found that the recent U.S. election had a significant positive effect whereas the Brexit referendum event had a significant negative shock on fund returns in Japan around the event window. It is evident from the empirical findings that, compared to conventional funds, socially responsible funds were more resilient to uncertainty around the recent U.S. presidential election whereas conventional funds were more sensitive during the Brexit referendum. The important implications of these findings are the optimal strategies of institutional or individual investors who have direct or indirect exposure to the fund volatility risk in Japan.
Prediction of Stock Returns: Sum-of-the-Parts Method and Economic Constraint Method
Authors: Dai Zhifeng , Zhou Huiting
Published: January 2020

Forecasting stock market returns has great significance to asset allocation, risk management, and asset pricing, but stock return prediction is notoriously difficult. In this paper, we combine the sum-of-the-parts (SOP) method and three kinds of economic constraint methods: non-negative economic constraint strategy, momentum of return prediction strategy, and three-sigma strategy to improve prediction performance of stock returns, in which the price-earnings ratio growth rate (gm) is predicted by economic constraint methods. Empirical results suggest that the stock return forecasts by proposed models are both statistically and economically significant. The predictions of proposed models are robust to various robustness tests.
Sustainability Assessment and Benchmarking in Higher Education Institutions—A Critical Reflection
Authors: Caeiro Sandra , Sandoval Hamón Leyla Angélica , Martins Rute , Bayas Aldaz Cecilia Elizabeth
Published: January 2020

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a crucial role in implementing practices for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This implementation should be done in different dimensions according to a holistic and whole-school approach. Different tools have been adapted and developed to assess this integrated approach. The aim of this research is to critically reflect the existing tools to assess and benchmark ESD implementation and to discuss their applicability in two case studies. Two public Universities in Southern Europe, with headquarters in the capitals of Portugal and Spain were selected to assess and compare the integration of ESD according to a whole-school approach—Universidade Aberta in Portugal and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Spain. After a critical analysis of the existing tools based on literature review and a list of criteria classified by experts, two tools were selected to be applied in the case studies. The online Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System Reporting Tool was used in Universidade Aberta and Green Metrics tool was used in Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. The tools were complemented with focus group with key-actors in both universities. The results obtained allowed to identify the need to define a common objective of the assessment tools and limitations they still have. The tools need improvements on their development namely to integrate the external impact of Higher Education Institutions on sustainability, to integrate participatory processes and to assess non-traditional aspects of sustainability. This research hopes to contribute to the continuous research about the usefulness of these assessment and benchmarking tools as drivers to HEIs improve their sustainability performance and their role as agents of changes.
MAS-Based Evacuation Simulation of an Urban Community during an Urban Rainstorm Disaster in China
Authors: Yang Qing , Sun Ying , Liu Xingxing , Wang Jinmei
Published: January 2020

The frequent occurrence of urban waterlogging constantly affects cities’ stability, bringing about a lot of economic losses and casualties. Coupled with the deficient rescue activities, waterlogging often exacerbates the impact of urban rainstorm disasters. By setting up a diverse distribution of shelters and various types of pedestrians, the evacuation route choice of pedestrians in an urban rainstorm disaster is simulated and analyzed through multi-agent system simulation. Then, clustering analysis is applied to discover population characteristics in different survival scenarios. The simulations for sustainable rescue after pedestrians reach the shelters are also carried out. It was found that the pedestrians’ herd mentality and the distribution of shelters have a significant impact on the success rate of post-disaster evacuation. The results could help pedestrians to make decisions in the evacuation. The wide scope of the shelters’ allocation facilitates the effect of disaster relief.
International Cooperation in Developing Countries: Reducing Fatalism and Promoting Self-Efficacy to Ensure Sustainable Cooperation
Authors: Pajardi Daniela , Vagni Monia , La Spada Viviana , Cubico Serena
Published: January 2020

International cooperation projects aim to support populations in developing countries or affected by emergency situations and to promote their wellbeing in a coherent way and in line with the 10th Sustainable Development Goal and with the principles of the psychology of sustainability and sustainable development. This study analyzed the ways in which such projects influence two psychosocial variables, fatalism and self-efficacy, which are of great importance in determining the attitude of people to promoting change and improving their living conditions by themselves. The sample (N = 510) consists of adult users of Caritas Italiana projects in developing countries, namely, 161 individuals in Argentina, 123 in Bosnia, 96 in Sierra Leone, and 130 in Sri Lanka. The results indicate that the very fact of being involved in cooperation projects, both economic welfare and social promotion projects, favors a reduction in fatalistic attitudes and that greater perception of self-efficacy predicts a reduction in fatalism. Specific effects are presented in relation to the different cultures, and education levels of the countries analyzed.
Algorithm Selection for Edge Detection in Satellite Images by Neutrosophic WASPAS Method
Authors: Bausys Romualdas , Kazakeviciute-Januskeviciene Giruta , Cavallaro Fausto , Usovaite Ana
Published: January 2020

Nowadays, integrated land management is generally governed by the principles of sustainability. Land use management usually is grounded in satellite image information. The detection and monitoring of areas of interest in satellite images is a difficult task. We propose a new methodology for the adaptive selection of edge detection algorithms using visual features of satellite images and the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method. It is not trivial to select the most appropriate method for the chosen satellite images as there is no proper algorithm for all cases as it depends on many factors, like acquisition and content of the raster images, visual features of real-world images, and humans’ visual perception. The edge detection algorithms were ranked according to their suitability for the appropriate satellite images using the neutrosophic weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) method. The results obtained using the created methodology were verified with results acquired in an alternative way—using the edge detection algorithms for specific images. This methodology facilitates the selection of a proper edge detector for the chosen image content.
How Does Technology Startups Increase Innovative Performance? The Study of Technology Startups on Innovation Focusing on Employment Change in Korea
Authors: Choi Dae Soo , Sung Chang Soo , Park Joo Y.
Published: January 2020

As the fourth industrial revolution has been emerging, there are concerns of labor forces being replaced by technology, recent interest on the work-life balance, and the quality of employment has received attention. This study investigates the role of technology startups on employment and innovative performance. Using empirical data from workplace panel data provided by the Korea Labor Institute, this study reveals that technology startups impact the employment quality and innovative performance by the action of technological innovation. The results highlight the quality of employment as a driver for innovative performance in technology startups. The results of this study will provide practical implications for enhancing technology entrepreneurship.
Photovoltaic Plant Optimization to Leverage Electric Self Consumption by Harnessing Building Thermal Mass
Authors: Fernández Bandera Carlos , Pachano Jose , Salom Jaume , Peppas Antonis , Ramos Ruiz Germán
Published: January 2020

The self-consumption without surplus to the grid is one of the aspects of the new Spanish law for prosumers. Increasing the share of renewable energy sources into the grid inherently leads to several constraints. The mismatch between the energy demand and the renewable energy production, which is intermittent in nature, is one of those challenges. Storage offers the possibility to decouple demand and supply, and therefore, it adds flexibility to the electric system. This research evaluates expanding electricity self-consumption without surplus to the grid by harnessing thermal mass storage in the residential sector. The methodology is investigated by using a variable refrigerant flow air conditioner system. Because there is no option to export the excess capacity to the grid, this research proposes an approach to profiting from this surplus energy by activating structural thermal mass, which is quantified from the information acquired using a building energy model. For this purpose, an EnergyPlus model of a flat in Pamplona (Spain) was used. The optimization analysis was based on a set-point modulation control strategy. Results show that under adequate climatological circumstances, the proposed methodology can reduce the total electric energy from the grid between by 60– 80 % .
A New Procedure for an Effective Management of Geo-Hydrological Risks across the “Sentiero Verde-Azzurro” Trail, Cinque Terre National Park, Liguria (North-Western Italy)
Authors: Giordan Daniele , Cignetti Martina , Godone Danilo , Peruccacci Silvia , Raso Emanuele , Pepe Giacomo , Calcaterra Domenico , Cevasco Andrea , Firpo Marco , Scarpellini Patrizio , Gnone Marta
Published: January 2020

In recent years, Cinque Terre National Park, one of the most famous UNESCO sites in Italy, experienced a significant increase in tourist visits. This unique landscape is the result of the rough morphology of a small coastal basin with a very steep slope and a long-term human impact, mainly represented by anthropic terraces. This setting promotes the activation of numerous geo-hydrological instabilities, primarily related to heavy rainfall events that often affect this area. Currently, the main challenge for the administrators of Cinque Terre National Park is the correct maintenance of this environment along with the functional management of the hiking trail to ensure the safety of tourists. The definition of a methodology for effective management is mandatory for the sustainable administration of this unique site. We implement a new codified procedure based on the combined use of the Operative Monography and the Survey Form, focusing on the “Sentiero Verde-Azzurro” trail, for a proper description of the known landslides affecting the trail and the identification of damage and/or landslides activated by critical meteorological events. This guarantees effective geo-hydrological risk management, which is also applicable to other similar sites in a unique environmental and cultural heritage site such as Cinque Terre Park.
Natural Capital Evolution and Driving Forces in Energy-Rich and Ecologically Fragile Regions: A Case Study of Ningxia Province, China
Authors: Guo Shanshan , Wang Yinghong , Hou Huping , Wu Changyue , Yang Jing , He Wei , Xiang Lan
Published: January 2020

Ningxia Province is rich in energy but fragile in ecology. How to coordinate sustainable utilization of natural capital and the fragile ecological environment is a significant guarantee for social-economic development. This study uses the improved three-dimensional ecological footprint to characterize the utilization status of natural capital flows and stocks in Ningxia Province from 2004 to 2017. Additionally, the driving factors behind changes in the natural capital stock are revealed by the partial least squares method (PLS). The results are as follows: (1) From 2004 to 2017, ecological footprint increased rapidly in Ningxia Province at an annual rate of 4.52%, resulting in a increase of the ecological deficit from 1.64 to 3.85 gha/cap at an annual rate of 6.8%, among which, Yinchuan city and Shizuishan city had the largest ecological deficit, while Guyuan city basically maintained ecological surplus. The fossil energy land and cropland were the main components of ecological footprint. (2) The consumption of capital stock in Ningxia Province continued to grow at an annual rate of 3.12%, from a value of 2.28 times overusing the existing area in 2004, increasing to 3.41 times in 2017. While the EF size increased slightly with an annual rate of 1.95%. The capital stock consumption was concentrated in Yinchuan and Shizuishan, and the capital flow consumption was concentrated in Wuzhong, Guyuan, and Zhongwei. (3) The capital flows of forest land and built-up land basically meet consumption demand, while the capital stock occupation of grassland, water and fossil energy land was serious. By 2017, the capital flow of cropland could basically satisfy people’s consumption demand. (4) The urbanization rate, GDP, the secondary industry output value and per capita consumption expenditure of urban residents were the main influence factors on the natural capital stock consumption. These findings not only are of real significance in promoting the coordinated development between economy and natural capital utilization in Ningxia Province but also have policy implications in improving the utilization efficiency of natural capital in energy-rich ecologically fragile regions.
An Interpretive Study on Sustainability in the Link between Agriculture and Tourism: Tourist-Stakeholder Satisfaction in Tiantangzhai, China
Authors: Han Guosheng , Akhmedov Armigon , Li Hui , Yu Jingjing , Hunter William Cannon
Published: January 2020

Tourism and agriculture can contribute to destination sustainability by increasing tourist-stakeholder satisfaction. Grown agriculture is an important component of a rural destination attraction. Nonetheless, tourists’ satisfaction with locally grown agricultural food has been unexplored when it comes to linking tourism with agriculture. The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the links between demand for locally grown agricultural products at the destination and the levels of satisfaction among visitors. Theoretical views concerning tourist consumption of local agricultural products and its effects were reviewed. Unstructured in-depth interviews were conducted onsite in Tiantangzhai to investigate the relationship between tourism and agriculture with visitor satisfaction. The sample of respondents consisted of 71 participants who shared their views on the relationship between agriculture and tourism at the destination. Findings were presented in a two-level analysis including the industry focus and a soft-laddering technique that revealed deeper insights. Findings indicate that tourist-stakeholders present a demand-driven economy that can be exploited by local agricultural producers and the tourism economy itself. Theoretical implications point to a more sustainable destination image and practical implications highlight the demand-driven implications of tourist expectations and experience satisfaction.
Dynamic Gaming Case of the R-Interdiction Median Problem with Fortification and an MILP-Based Solution Approach
Authors: Xiao Yiyong , Yang Pei , Zhang Siyue , Zhou Shenghan , Chang Wenbing , Zhang Yue
Published: January 2020

This paper studies the cyclic dynamic gaming case of the r-interdiction median problem with fortification (CDGC-RIMF), which is important for strengthening a facility’s reliability and invulnerability under various possible attacks. We formulated the CDGC-RIMF as a bi-objective mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model with two opposing goals to minimize/maximize the loss from both the designer (leader) and attacker (follower) sides. The first goal was to identify the most cost-effective plan to build and fortify the facility considering minimum loss, whereas the attacker followed the designer to seek the most destructive way of attacking to cause maximum loss. We found that the two sides could not reach a static equilibrium with a single pair of confrontational plans in an ordinary case, but were able to reach a dynamically cyclic equilibrium when the plan involved multiple pairs. The proposed bi-objective model aimed to discover the optimal cyclic plans for both sides to reach a dynamic equilibrium. To solve this problem, we first started from the designer’s side with a design and fortification plan, and then the attacker was able to generate their worst attack plan based on that design. After that, the designer changed their plan again based on the attacker’s plan in order to minimize loss, and the attacker correspondingly modified their plan to achieve maximum loss. This game looped until, finally, a cyclic equilibrium was reached. This equilibrium was deemed to be optimal for both sides because there was always more loss for either side if they left the equilibrium first. This game falls into the subgame of a perfect Nash equilibrium—a kind of complete game. The proposed bi-objective model was directly solved by the CPLEX solver to achieve optimal solutions for small-sized problems and near-optimal feasible solutions for larger-sized problems. Furthermore, for large-scale problems, we developed a heuristic algorithm that implemented dynamic iterative partial optimization alongside MILP (DIPO-MILP), which showed better performance compared with the CPLEX solver when solving large-scale problems.
The Impact of Manufacturing Flexibility and Multi-Criteria Optimization on the Sustainability of Manufacturing Systems
Authors: Ojstersek Robert , Buchmeister Borut
Published: January 2020

The presented manuscript deals with the impact of manufacturing flexibility on cost-time investment as a function of sustainable production, which addresses the company’s sustainable social and environmental impact adequately. The impact of manufacturing flexibility on cost-time investment in the research sphere is not described, despite the fact that we know its key role in the high-mix low-volume production types. Recently, researchers have been addressing intensively the impacts of various parameters on the sustainable aspect and its dependence on manufacturing flexibility. The complexity of the influence parameters is reflected in the multi-criteria nature of optimization problems that can be solved with appropriate use of the evolutionary computation methods. The manuscript presents a new method of manufacturing flexibility modelling, with respect to the four-level architectural model, which reflected as a symmetry phenomena influence on the cost-time profile diagram. The solution to a complex optimization problem is derived using the proposed improved heuristic Kalman algorithm method. A new method is presented of optimization parameters’ evaluation with respect to the manufacturing flexibility impacts on cost-time investment. The large impact of appropriate multi-criteria optimization on a sustainably justified production system is presented, with the experimental work on benchmark datasets and an application case. The new method allows a comprehensive optimization approach, and validation of the optimization results by which we can provide more sustainable products, manufacturing processes, and increase the company’s total, social and environmental benefits.
Numerical Analysis of Fluid Forces for Flow Past a Square Rod with Detached Dual Control Rods at Various Gap Spacing
Authors: Manzoor Raheela , Ghaffar Abdul , Baleanu Dumitru , Nisar Kottakkaran Sooppy
Published: January 2020

A two-dimensional numerical study was conducted for flow past a square rod in the presence of two control rods. One is placed vertically in the upstream direction and the second one is placed horizontally in the downstream direction of the square rod. The influence of gap spacing was studied by taking g1 = 1–5 and g2 = 0.5–5 (where g1 is the gap between the upstream control rod and the main rod, and g2 is the space between the main rod and the downstream control rod) at Re = 160. The simulation results were obtained in the form of vorticity contour, drag and lift coefficients, Strouhal number, and force statistics. Under the effect of gap spacing, three different flow modes were found and named according to their behavior. It was found that the mean drag coefficient showed decreasing behavior by increasing the value of g2 continually at a fixed value of g1. The largest value of C d m e a n was found at (g1, g2) = (1, 1) and the greatest percentage reduction in C d m e a n was obtained at (g1, g2) = (1, 3), which is 139.72%. The effect of thrust was also noticed for all selected values of g1 and g2. Furthermore, it was noticed that the Strouhal number and the root mean square values of the drag and lift coefficients smaller values than the single rod values, except for the Clrms value of (g1, g2) = (1, 3) and (1, 4).
T-2 Toxin-Induced Oxidative Stress Leads to Imbalance of Mitochondrial Fission and Fusion to Activate Cellular Apoptosis in the Human Liver 7702 Cell Line
Authors: Yang Junhua , Guo Wenbo , Wang Jianhua , Yang Xianli , Zhang Zhiqi , Zhao Zhihui
Published: January 2020

T-2 toxin, as a highly toxic mycotoxin to humans and animals, induces oxidative stress and apoptosis in various cells and tissues. Apoptosis and mitochondrial fusion/fission are two tightly interconnected processes that are crucial for maintaining physiological homeostasis. However, the role of mitochondrial fusion/fission in apoptosis of T-2 toxin remains unknown. Hence, we aimed to explore the putative role of mitochondrial fusion/fission on T-2 toxin induced apoptosis in normal human liver (HL-7702) cells. T-2 toxin treatment (0, 0.1, 1.0, or 10 μg/L) for 24 h caused decreased cell viability and ATP concentration and increased production of (ROS), as seen by a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (∆Ψm) and increase in mitochondrial fragmentation. Subsequently, the mitochondrial dynamic imbalance was activated, evidenced by a dose-dependent decrease and increase in the protein expression of mitochondrial fusion (OPA1, Mfn1, and Mfn2) and fission (Drp1 and Fis1), respectively. Furthermore, the T-2 toxin promoted the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytoplasm and induced cell apoptosis triggered by upregulation of Bax and Bax/Bcl-2 ratios, and further activated the caspase pathways. Taken together, these results indicate that altered mitochondrial dynamics induced by oxidative stress with T-2 toxin exposure likely contribute to mitochondrial injury and HL-7702 cell apoptosis.
New Insights into the Type II Toxins from the Sea Anemone Heteractis crispa
Authors: Kalina Rimma S. , Peigneur Steve , Zelepuga Elena A. , Dmitrenok Pavel S. , Kvetkina Aleksandra N. , Kim Natalia Y. , Leychenko Elena V. , Tytgat Jan , Kozlovskaya Emma P. , Monastyrnaya Margarita M. , Gladkikh Irina N.
Published: January 2020

Toxins modulating NaV channels are the most abundant and studied peptide components of sea anemone venom. Three type-II toxins, δ-SHTX-Hcr1f (= RpII), RTX-III, and RTX-VI, were isolated from the sea anemone Heteractis crispa. RTX-VI has been found to be an unusual analog of RTX-III. The electrophysiological effects of Heteractis toxins on nine NaV subtypes were investigated for the first time. Heteractis toxins mainly affect the inactivation of the mammalian NaV channels expressed in the central nervous system (NaV1.1–NaV1.3, NaV1.6) as well as insect and arachnid channels (BgNaV1, VdNaV1). The absence of Arg13 in the RTX-VI structure does not prevent toxin binding with the channel but it has changed its pharmacological profile and potency. According to computer modeling data, the δ-SHTX-Hcr1f binds within the extracellular region of the rNaV1.2 voltage-sensing domain IV and pore-forming domain I through a network of strong interactions, and an additional fixation of the toxin at the channel binding site is carried out through the phospholipid environment. Our data suggest that Heteractis toxins could be used as molecular tools for NaV channel studies or insecticides rather than as pharmacological agents.
Circumstances and Consequences of Snakebite Envenomings: A Qualitative Study in South-Eastern Costa Rica
Authors: Arias-Rodríguez Jazmín , Gutiérrez José María
Published: January 2020

A qualitative study was carried out in south-eastern Costa Rica on the circumstances and consequences of snakebite envenomings. This region has the highest incidence of snakebites and the lowest per capita and per family income in the country. There is a high degree of destitution and an unstable labor situation in the region. This study was based on semistructured interviews with 15 people who had suffered snakebite envenomings. This sample size was established on the basis of data saturation. Bites occurred mostly while doing agricultural work, either as salaried workers, as occasional workers, or working on their own. Although all people were attended in health centers of the public health system, and received antivenom free of charge, the majority of them did not receive compensation or rehabilitation upon discharge from the health facilities as a result of not being regular salaried workers. People described many difficulties as a consequence of these envenomings, such as permanent physical sequelae, including two amputations, psychological consequences, economic hardships, and difficulties for reinsertion into agricultural work. In spite of the significant advances that Costa Rica has made for reducing the impact of these envenomings, results reveal issues that require urgent attention by government and civil society organizations, to compensate for the physical, psychological, social, and economic consequences of these envenomings.
Gravity and Nonlinear Symmetry Realization
Authors: Arbuzov Andrej , Latosh Boris
Published: January 2020

Application of nonlinear symmetry realization technique to gravity is studied. We identify the simplest extensions of the Poincare group suitable for nonlinear realization at the level of physical fields. Two simple models are proposed. The first one introduces additional scalar degrees of freedom that may be suitable for driving inflation. The second one describes states with well-defined mass that lack a linear interaction with matter states. We argue that this phenomenon points out a necessity to draw a distinction between gravitational states with well-defined masses and states that participate in interaction with matter.
The 19th Rocky Mountain Virology Association Meeting
Authors: Rovnak Joel , St. Clair Laura A. , Lian Elena , McAlister Carley , Perera Rushika , Cohrs Randall J.
Published: January 2020

This autumn, 95 scientists and students from the Rocky Mountain area, along with invited speakers from Colorado, California, Montana, Florida, Louisiana, New York, Maryland, and India, attended the 19th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Virology Association that was held at the Colorado State University Mountain Campus located in the Rocky Mountains. The two-day gathering featured 30 talks and 13 posters—all of which focused on specific areas of current virology and prion protein research. The keynote presentation reviewed new tools for microbial discovery and diagnostics. This timely discussion described the opportunities new investigators have to expand the field of microbiology into chronic and acute diseases, the pitfalls of sensitive molecular methods for pathogen discovery, and ways in which microbiology help us understand disruptions in the social fabric that pose pandemic threats at least as real as Ebola or influenza. Other areas of interest included host factors that influence virus replication, in-depth analysis of virus transcription and its effect on host gene expression, and multiple discussions of virus pathology, epidemiology as well as new avenues of diagnosis and treatment. The meeting was held at the peak of fall Aspen colors, surrounded by five mountains >11,000 ft (3.3 km), where the secluded campus provided the ideal setting for extended discussions, outdoor exercise and stargazing. On behalf of the Rocky Mountain Virology Association, this report summarizes 43 selected presentations.
Structural Fluidity of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Rev Response Element
Authors: Sherpa Chringma , Grice Stuart F. J. Le
Published: January 2020

Nucleocytoplasmic transport of unspliced and partially spliced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA is mediated in part by the Rev response element (RRE), a ~350 nt cis-acting element located in the envelope coding region of the viral genome. Understanding the interaction of the RRE with the viral Rev protein, cellular co-factors, and its therapeutic potential has been the subject of almost three decades of structural studies, throughout which a recurring discussion theme has been RRE topology, i.e., whether it comprises 4 or 5 stem-loops (SLs) and whether this has biological significance. Moreover, while in vitro mutagenesis allows the construction of 4 SL and 5 SL RRE conformers and testing of their roles in cell culture, it has not been immediately clear if such findings can be translated to a clinical setting. Herein, we review several articles demonstrating remarkable flexibility of the HIV-1 and HIV-2 RREs following initial observations that HIV-1 resistance to trans-dominant Rev therapy was founded in structural rearrangement of its RRE. These observations can be extended not only to cell culture studies demonstrating a growth advantage for the 5 SL RRE conformer but also to evolution in RRE topology in patient isolates. Finally, RRE conformational flexibility provides a target for therapeutic intervention, and we describe high throughput screening approaches to exploit this property.
Caspase-Mediated Cleavage of Human Cortactin during Influenza A Virus Infection Occurs in Its Actin-Binding Domains and Is Associated with Released Virus Titres
Authors: Chen Da-Yuan , Husain Matloob
Published: January 2020

Influenza A virus (IAV) exploits host factors to multiply and cause disease. An in-depth knowledge of this interaction of IAV with the host will aid the development of anti-IAV intervention strategies. Previously, we demonstrated that host cortactin, an actin filament-binding protein promotes IAV infection, but undergoes degradation via a lysosome-associated apoptotic pathway during the late stages of IAV infection. Next, we wanted to further understand the mechanisms and significance of this phenomenon. By using the RNA interference screens and site-directed mutagenesis followed by western blotting, we found that lysosome protease, cathepsin C is involved in cortactin degradation in human cells infected with IAV. Furthermore, executioner apoptotic caspase, caspase-3 not caspase-6 or caspase-7 is involved in cortactin degradation during IAV infection, and caspase-3 cleavage site is located in the first actin-binding repeat of cortactin polypeptide. Finally, when expressed ectopically, the cleavage-resistant cortactin mutants decreased the amount of IAV progeny released from infected cells that was enhanced by the cleavage-sensitive cortactin wild type. These data strengthen the hypothesis proposed earlier that host cortactin plays an inhibitory role during the late stages of IAV infection, and IAV is facilitating its degradation to undermine such function.
Seepage, Deformation, and Stability Analysis of Sandy and Clay Slopes with Different Permeability Anisotropy Characteristics Affected by Reservoir Water Level Fluctuations
Authors: Yu Shuyang , Ren Xuhua , Zhang Jixun , Wang Haijun , Wang Junlei , Zhu Wenwei
Published: January 2020

Evaluation of slope stability under water level fluctuations is an important topic in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) in China. However, most of the previous studies regarded slope soil as isotropic material, or only considered the influence of anisotropy ratio (kr = kx/ky) but ignored the anisotropy direction (α). Meanwhile, the pore pressure–stress coupling was rarely considered in the previous numerical simulations. In the present study, the SIGMA/W and SLOPE/W modules in Geo-studio are utilized to carry out the numerical simulation of Caipo slope under the drawdown of the reservoir water level, and the anisotropy ratio (kr) as well as the anisotropy direction (α) of two kinds of soils (clay and sand) are included. Results show that the anisotropy ratio kr and anisotropy direction α decrease the infiltration capacity of the soil, which increases the infiltration line hysteretic elevation (ILHE) as well as maximum horizontal displacement (MHD), and reduces the minimum safety factor (MSF). The slope toe firstly fails with the drawdown of water level. The influence of reservoir water level drop on seepage, deformation, and stability of the sand slope is less than that of the clay slope. For the sandy soil slope, it is not only necessary to consider the influence of kr, but also the influence of α. For the soil slope, we can only consider α in order to simplify calculation.
Metallic Pollution and the Use of Antioxidant Enzymes as Biomarkers in Bellamya unicolor (Olivier, 1804) (Gastropoda: Bellamyinae)
Authors: Aljahdali Mohammed Othman , Alhassan Abdullahi Bala
Published: January 2020

Industrial and domestic discharges of effluent is one of the major causes of heavy metal pollution in aquatic ecosystems. Samples of benthic sediment and freshwater mollusc Bellamya unicolor were collected from 5 sites in the River Kaduna to determine heavy metal concentration, their ecological risk, and antioxidant enzymes activities in Bellamya unicolor. The results revealed the level of pollution based on heavy metal concentrations across the sites in the order S5 > S3 > S4 > S1 > S2. The ecological risk factor (ErF) revealed that Cd made the highest contribution to pollution, recording the highest ErF (2206.41). Moreover, the results of correlation base multivariate analysis showed that urban and industrial waste were the sources of Cu and Pb in the River Kaduna. The significant positive correlation between metal concentration and antioxidants catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) was established, with maximum activities of antioxidants at site S5. Results from this study have revealed potential ecological risk as a result of heavy metals pollution in the River Kaduna. Hence the need for approaches and policies be put in place to prevent the discharge of untreated industrial and domestic waste into this aquatic ecosystem.
3D Numerical Investigation of Forces and Flow Field around the Semi-Submersible Platform in An Internal Solitary Wave
Authors: Ding Weiye , Ai Congfang , Jin Sheng , Lin Jinbo
Published: January 2020

Characteristics of hydrodynamic forces and flow fields around the semi-submersible platform induced by the internal solitary wave (ISW) propagation were investigated in a 3D numerical wave tank. Good agreements between numerical results and experimental data of forces and torque on the platform were achieved. The hydrodynamic loads increased and decreased with the increases in the ISW amplitude and fluid depth ratio, respectively. The pressure mainly contributed to the force on the platform. The horizontal forces on bracings were negligible. Almost all the vertical forces on the platform were derived from those on pontoons. The horizontal force and torque on the platform increased with the increases in the angle between the platform symmetrical axis and the ISW propagation direction. The platform subjected the maximum vertical force when the angle was 0°. There were obvious velocity reductions around the platform during the ISW propagation, as visible vortexes shedding around the platform could be observed. Complexities of the distributions of flow fields around the platforms located at the 30°- and 60°-direction were greater than those around the platforms located at the 0°- and 90°-direction. Flow fields around the same kind components of each platform located at different angles were similar.
Long-Term Homogeneity, Trend, and Change-Point Analysis of Rainfall in the Arid District of Ananthapuramu, Andhra Pradesh State, India
Authors: Patakamuri Sandeep Kumar , Muthiah Krishnaveni , Sridhar Venkataramana
Published: January 2020

The objective of this study is to evaluate the homogeneity, trend, and trend change points in the rainfall data. Daily rainfall data was collected for the arid district of Ananthapuramu, Andhra Pradesh state, India from 1981 to 2016 at the subdistrict level and aggregated to monthly, annual, seasonal rainfall totals, and the number of rainy days. After quality checks and homogeneity analysis, a total of 27 rain gauge locations were considered for trend analysis. A serial correlation test was applied to all the time series to identify serially independent series. NonParametric Mann–Kendall test and Spearman’s rank correlation tests were applied to serially independent series. The magnitude of the trend was calculated using Sen’s slope method. For the data influenced by serial correlation, various modified versions of Mann–Kendall tests (pre-whitening, trend-free pre-whitening, bias-corrected pre-whitening, and two variants of variance correction approaches) were applied. A significant increasing summer rainfall trend is observed in six out of 27 stations. Significant decreasing trends are observed at two stations during the southwest monsoon season and at two stations during the northeast monsoon season. To identify the trend change points in the time series, distribution−free cumulative sum test, and sequential Mann–Kendall tests were applied. Two open−source library packages were developed in R language namely, ”modifiedmk” and ”trendchange” to implement the statistical tests mentioned in this paper. The study results benefit water resource management, drought mitigation, socio−economic development, and sustainable agricultural planning in the region.
Hydrogeomorphic Impacts of Floods in a First-Order Catchment: Integrated Approach Based on Dendrogeomorphic Palaeostage Indicators, 2D Hydraulic Modelling and Sedimentological Parameters
Authors: Tichavský Radek , Ruman Stanislav , Galia Tomáš
Published: January 2020

Floods represent frequent hazards in both low- and first-order catchments; however, to date, the investigation of peak flow discharges in the latter catchments has been omitted due to the absence of gauging stations. The quantification of flood parameters in a first-order catchment (1.8 km2) was realised in the moderate relief of NE Czechia, where the last flash flood event in 2014 caused considerable damage to the infrastructure. We used an integrated approach that included the dendrogeomorphic reconstruction of past flood activity, hydraulic modelling of the 2014 flash flood parameters using a two-dimensional IBER model, and evaluation of the channel stability using sedimentological parameters. Based on 115 flood scars, we identified 13 flood events during the period of 1955 to 2018, with the strongest signals recorded in 2014, 2009 and 1977. The modelled peak flow discharge of the last 2014 flood was equal to 4.5 m3·s−1 (RMSE = 0.32 m) using 26 scars as palaeostage indicators. The excess critical unit stream power was observed at only 24.2% of the reaches, representing predominantly bedrock and fine sediments. Despite local damage during the last flood, our results suggest relatively stable geomorphic conditions and gradual development of stream channels under discharges similar to that in 2014.
Removal of COD and SO42− from Oil Refinery Wastewater Using a Photo-Catalytic System—Comparing TiO2 and Zeolite Efficiencies
Authors: Tetteh Emmanuel K. , Obotey Ezugbe Elorm , Rathilal Sudesh , Asante-Sackey Dennis
Published: January 2020

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have many prospects in water and wastewater treatment. In recent years, AOPs are gaining attention as having potentials for the removal of different ranges of contaminants from industrial wastewater towards water reclamation. In this study, the treatability efficiencies of two photo-catalysts (TiO2 and zeolite) were compared on the basis of the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and SO42− from oil refinery wastewater (ORW) using photo-catalytic system. The effects of three operating parameters: catalyst dosage (0.5–1.5 g/L), reaction time (15–45 min), mixing rate (30–90 rpm) and their interactive effects on the removal of the aforementioned contaminants were studied using the Box–Behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology (RSM). Statistical models were developed and used to optimize the operating conditions. An 18 W UV light was incident on the system to excite the catalysts to trigger a reaction that led to the degradation and subsequent removal of contaminants. The results obtained showed that for almost the same desirability (92% for zeolite and 91% for TiO2), TiO2 exhibited more efficiency in terms of mixing rate and reaction time requirements. At the 95% confidence level, the model’s predicted results were in good agreement with experimental data obtained.
La rationalisation de la justice administrative en Italie : éléments d’actualité
Authors: Pardini Jean-Jacques
Published: January 2020

La justice administrative italienne est en pleine mutation depuis quelques années. Outre la codification du procès administratif réalisée par le décret législatif n° 104 du 2 juillet 2010 (entré en vigueur le 16 septembre 2010), de nombreuses mesures ont été adoptées tendant à assurer une simplification de ce procès. Il s’agit, plus largement, de rationaliser les mécanismes et procédures qui gouvernent la justice administrative, les juridictions – Conseil d’État et Tribunaux administratifs régionaux – étant confrontées, aujourd’hui encore, à un stock d’affaires relativement important. Les mesures évoquées peuvent être classées en deux catégories en fonction des finalités poursuivies par les pouvoirs publics : tantôt, il s’agit d’instituer des mécanismes visant à endiguer l’afflux des recours, tantôt, les mécanismes adoptés ont pour effet de contribuer à la célérité du procès administratif. L’on doit assurément louer le nécessaire effort consenti en vue de juguler le stock des affaires et de rendre plus «simple » le procès administratif, sans oublier le souci de son «accélération » . Pour autant, la réflexion doit porter sur l’incidence des mesures prises sur les justiciables.
Fin de vie : le regard italien
Authors: Klesta Laurence
Published: January 2020

Le projet de loi italien envisage les situations de fin de vie dans le cadre de la relation de soins caractérisée par l’équilibre entre les compétences du médecin et du patient, le principe d’auto-détermination de ce dernier et l’utilité thérapeutique. Si celleci fait défaut, le projet, prenant appui sur la Constitution, affirme le droit, pour toute personne, d’établir le moment où le processus naturel de la mort doit reprendre son cours. Lorsque la mise en oeuvre de ce droit s’inscrit dans la durée, le refus de soins est appréhendé par des critères de sécurité juridique ; à défaut, la recherche de la volonté du patient emprunte les valeurs propres à l’harmonie du vécu afin de sauvegarder, en toutes circonstances, la dignité de la personne. L’originalité du texte tient à la capacité d’écoute individuelle de la règle à l’égard de situations qui, par hypothèse, sont intemporelles et transcendent le domaine juridique.
La résolution judiciaire du conflit (JDR) par les juges en Alberta : un modèle hybride
Authors: Piquet Hélène
Published: January 2020

La résolution judiciaire des conflits par le juge (JDR) en Alberta, au Canada, a été développée par les juges. La médiation judiciaire ne constitue qu’une des techniques employées dans le cadre du JDR. Le JDR déroge au modèle de la justice forum public

identifié par Garapon et Papadopoulos pour les pays de common law. Le JDR souffre d’une malencontreuse association avec la médiation extra judiciaire alors qu’elle s’en démarque sur plusieurs points. Il s’agit d’un modèle hybride, combinant des éléments de justice privée et de justice publique. Ses traits distinctifs, soit le rôle central du juge dans le JDR et le caractère confidentiel du processus, suscitent des craintes eu égard à la nature du système canadien de justice civile. Elles se révèlent non fondées. Le JDR, à titre complémentaire du procès, répond aux besoins des parties et ne menace pas le modèle de justice forum public.