bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Allotment of Waste and Degraded Land Parcels for PV Based Solar Parks in India: Effects on Power Generation Cost and Influence on Investment Decision-Making
Authors: Thomas Sanju John , Thomas Sheffy , Sahoo Sudhansu S. , Gobinath Ravindran , Awad Mohamed M.
Published: February 2022

Solar parks are well-defined areas developed in the high solar potential area, with the required infrastructure to minimize the potential threat for the developers. Land occupancy is a major concern for the solar park. The government policy mostly emphasizes the use of waste-degraded land for solar parks. In a competitive energy market, any attempt to use waste-degraded land parcels, without policy regulatory support, can bring large-scale disruptions in the quality and cost of power. The present study investigates the potential of using waste degraded land, with a focus on the impact on the cost of generation and decision making. The study investigates the possibility of including the cost of the externalities in the overall cost economics, through policy and regulatory interventions. Data related to India has been considered in the present analysis. Results show that there are less socio-economic and ecological impacts in using wastelands, compared to land, in urban-semi urban areas with an opportunity cost. Thus, the policy and regulatory interventions could promote wasteland utilization and lure favorable decision-making on investments.
Towards a More Sustainable Urban Food System—Carbon Emissions Assessment of a Diet Transition with the FEWprint Platform
Authors: ten Caat Nick , Tenpierik Martin , van den Dobbelsteen Andy
Published: February 2022

The production, processing, and transportation of food, in particular animal-based products, imposes great environmental burden on the planet. The current food supply system often constitutes a considerable part of the total carbon emissions of urban communities in industrialised cities. Urban food production (UFP) is a method that can potentially diminish food emissions. In parallel, a shift towards a predominantly plant-based diet that meets the nutritional protein intake is an effective method to curtail carbon emissions from food. Considering the high land use associated with the production of animal-based products, such a shift will prompt a community food demand that is more inclined to be satisfied with local production. Therefore, during the design process of a future low-carbon city, the combined application of both methods is worth exploring. This work introduces, describes, and demonstrates the diet shift component of the FEWprint platform, a user friendly UFP assessment platform for designers that is constructed around the broader three-pronged strategy of evaluation, shift, and design. For three neighborhoods, in Amsterdam, Belfast, and Detroit, the contextual consumption and country-specific environmental footprint data are applied to simulate a theoretical community-wide diet shift from a conventional to a vegan diet, whilst maintaining protein intake equilibrium. The results show that in total terms, the largest carbon mitigation potential awaits in Detroit (−916 kg CO2eq/cap/year), followed by Belfast (−866 kg) and Amsterdam (−509 kg). In relative terms, the carbon reduction potential is largest in Belfast (−25%), followed by Amsterdam (−15%) and Detroit (−7%). The FEWprint can be used to generate preliminary figures on the carbon implications of dietary adaptations and can be employed to give a first indication of the potential of UFP in urban communities.
Adopting Carbon Pricing Tools at the Local Level: A City Case Study in Portugal
Authors: Ferreira Lurdes Jesus , Dias Luís Pereira , Liu Jieling
Published: February 2022

Debates on carbon costs and carbon pricing to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are emerging as cities develop local policies and programs to achieve carbon neutrality. This paper focuses on how cities formulate economic instruments and adopt carbon pricing experiments to support their climate objectives. Extensive literature is available on science-policymaking interface Integrated Assessment Models (IAM) and on the two mainstream approaches of carbon cost formulation—Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) and Marginal Abatement Cost (MAC). Although, the literature on how governments develop climate policy instruments, particularly towards a local carbon cost, is recent. We start by reviewing these essential concepts and tools for carbon cost formulation. We then critically review a set of local carbon pricing experiments, totaling fourteen international cities, and confirm a great demand for scientifically robust, verifiable, and transferable carbon cost methodologies at the local level. We thus propose an approach to assess the short-term technology cost of CO2 emission reduction in the mobility sector in Matosinhos municipality, Portugal. Our approach shows that a carbon cost methodology at the local level with robust, verifiable, and transferable results is possible. We advocate for a methodological advance to estimate versatile CO2 prices suitable for local conditions.
Ecohydrological Service Characteristics of Qilian Mountain Ecosystem in the Next 30 Years Based on Scenario Simulation
Authors: Wang Ranghui , Peng Qing , Zhang Weidong , Zhao Wenfei , Liu Chunwei , Zhou Limin
Published: February 2022

Mountain ecosystems have special ecohydrological services, and the study of water conservation and soil conservation services in the Qilian Mountain Ecosystem (QLME) in China has important theoretical value for scientific understanding of the ecological processes and mechanisms of mountain ecosystems. In this study, we quantitatively estimated the spatial-temporal changes of water conservation and soil conservation services in the QLME based on the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model and estimated the future ecosystem services (ESS) of the QLME under RCP4.5 (Representative Concentration Pathways) and RCP8.5 scenarios using the coupled Geosos-FLUS model. Firstly, the QLME ecohydrological service increased from 1985 to 2018, and its spatial heterogeneity was high in the east and low in the west. Among them, water conservation first decreased and then showed a trend of fluctuating increase, and soil conservation services decreased sharply from 2010 to 2015. Secondly, there are differences in the ecohydrological services of the QLME under different land-use types. The water conservation capacity in descending order is glacier snow, grassland, forest land, wetland, and cultivated land. The soil conservation intensity from strong to weak is woodland, grassland, arable land, glacier snow, and bare land. Thirdly, under different scenarios, QLME water conservation and soil conservation functions will increase to varying degrees over the next 30 years. The water conservation in the RCP4.5 scenario is higher than that in the RCP8.5 scenario, and the higher discharge scenario will lead to the decline of the water conservation service function. The increased rate of soil conservation was greater under the RCP8.5 scenario. With the development of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and scenarios below 2 °C, the future of QLME ecohydrological services will be further understood.
Exploring Recreationist-Environment Fit Hospitality Experiences of Green Hotels in China
Authors: Yu Jing
Published: February 2022

To develop the hotel industry’s competitiveness, research on satisfaction and revisit intentions has always been important. More research has recently focused on guests’ pro-environmental behaviors and low-carbon management in the hotel industry. This research creates a recreationist-environmental fit satisfaction-revisit intention model based on the recreationist-environmental fit theory. This study surveyed seven green-standard hotels in Sanya, China, and tested the moderating effect of guests’ environmental behavior on their satisfaction and willingness to revisit. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to respondents who had visited the surveyed green-standard hotels. Two hundred and forty-five valid questionnaires were collected with the hypotheses developed and examined using the SEM and HMR methods. The results indicated that the suitability of a leisure environment could positively impact guest satisfaction, which positively affected their willingness to revisit. In addition, this study proved the moderating effect of guests’ pro-environmental behaviors between satisfaction and revisit intentions.
Public Perceptions of Legislative Action to Reduce Plastic Pollution: A Case Study of Atlantic Canada
Authors: Molloy Shen , Medeiros Andrew S. , Walker Tony R. , Saunders Sarah J.
Published: February 2022

Government-led legislation is a key strategy to reduce plastic pollution; however, societal perception can heavily influence government intervention for environmental issues. To understand the public acceptability of government action to reduce plastic pollution, we examine the perception of existing and upcoming legislative action on single-use plastics (SUPs) by means of a structured survey with additional semi-structured interviews. Our focus is on the four Atlantic provinces of Canada, which was the first region in Canada to implement provincial-wide legislation for plastic reduction at the consumer level in 2019. Results show strong public support (77%, n = 838) for bans of SUP bags at the consumer level, and for further plastic pollution reduction legislation. However, the level of support differed between regions and by demographics. Semi-structured interviews show that decision makers should increase efforts in raising consumer awareness and standardizing regulations across jurisdictions for smoother transitions prior to legislative action.
Bank Employee Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility Practices: Evidence from Egypt
Authors: El Sayad Samar , Diab Ahmed
Published: February 2022

This study examined bank employee perceptions regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in Egypt as a developing country. In particular, it explored bank employee perceptions towards the CSR aspects on which banks should focus. It also investigated whether factors such as bank type (i.e., public or private), employee age, experience, job position, and number of CSR training programs undertaken can affect this perception. Data were gathered through a questionnaire distributed to both public and private bank employees. The final sample consisted of 127 employees. SPSS was used to analyse the data. We found that bank employees placed different importance on the CSR aspects on which banks should focus. In particular, they prioritized employment and workplace-related aspects such as operational efficiency, financial literacy, equal employment opportunities, and workplace safety. In contrast, they placed less emphasis on environment-related aspects such as greenhouse gas emission and energy consumption. We also found that bank type, age, employee experience, job position, and number of CSR training programs undertaken could affect the perceptions of bank employees regarding the CSR aspects on which banks should focus. While there is a growing stream of research on CSR, prior research lacks CSR practices in developing markets, especially in the banking sector. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to look at the importance and priorities of CSR aspects in Egypt—one of the fastest-growing economies in the developing world. Based on the findings of this study, policymakers and regulators in Egypt such as the Central Bank of Egypt and the Egyptian Banking Institute are advised to request banks to pay more attention to environmental-related aspects of CSR to keep pace with Egypt 2030 vision and develop an action plan that helps increase bank employee awareness regarding the importance of CSR practices and engage employees further in developing their banks’ sustainability strategy.
Critical Success Factors for Supply Chain Sustainability in the Wood Industry: An Integrated PCA-ISM Model
Authors: Paul Sumit , Ali Syed Mithun , Hasan Mohd Asif , Paul Sanjoy Kumar , Kabir Golam
Published: February 2022

Due to the increasing popularity of cost-based outsourcing and growing stakeholder concern about environmental, social, and technological issues, supply chain sustainability is vital in both developed and emerging economies. Bangladesh is an emerging economy and wood industry of Bangladesh is suffering from severe sustainability issues besides its growth. Hence, this article aims to examine the critical success factors (CSFs) for sustainability in the Bangladeshi wood industry, which is crucial to help supply chain managers engage in achieving sustainable development goals. This research investigated the CSFs and uncovered their interdependencies through the development of a methodology integrating a literature review, principal component analysis (PCA), interpretive structural modelling (ISM), and Matriced Impacts Croises Multiplication Appliquee aunClassement (MICMAC) techniques. PCA (n = 150) was used to identify and rank the CSFs for sustainability in the Bangladeshi wood industry while ISM (n = 9) and MICMAC were used to determine the driving and dependence power of the CSFs. The findings reveal that research and development, supplier relations, and using eco-friendly technology are the most significant CSFs of the Bangladeshi wood industry. Indispensable links revealing the driving and dependence power among the CSFs were also reported. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind that examined the CSFs for supply chain sustainability in the Bangladeshi wood industry. The proposed methodology and findings will help managers in the Bangladeshi wood industry as well as other similar industries to understand the CSFs and reduce the complexity of decision-making in managing business process towards sustainability journey.
The Effects of Rabbit Manure-Derived Biochar on Soil Health and Quality Attributes of Two Mine Tailings
Authors: Cárdenas-Aguiar Eliana , Méndez Ana , Paz-Ferreiro Jorge , Gascó Gabriel
Published: February 2022

Biochar amendment is becoming a promising technology for mining soil restoration. The addition of biochar can improve soil microbiological parameters related to soil quality, such as enzyme activities. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the effect of rabbit manure (RM) and two rabbit manure biochars prepared at two pyrolysis temperatures (300 and 600 °C) on the biochemical properties of two mining soils in the Portman area (Spain) in the presence or absence of vegetation. Soils were amended with the RM, the two biochars and a mixture of the rabbit manure and biochars (50/50 w/w) at a rate of 10% in a mesocosms experiment to study the changes in dehydrogenase, phosphomonoesterase, β-glucosidase activities, geometric mean of enzyme activities (GMea) and soil microbial biomass (SMB). Changes in individual enzyme activities were not always consistent. However, when using the GMea as a measure of soil quality, our results showed an increase in the GMea (217–360 times) after the addition of rabbit manure to mining soils, while this increase was from 81–270 times following the addition of rabbit manure with biochar prepared at 300 °C. Therefore, the use of biochar prepared at low temperatures could be a promising direction for the improvement of soil quality and soil carbon sequestration.
Resilience of a Complex Watershed under Water Variability: A Modeling Study
Authors: Vazquez Kathleen , Muneepeerakul Rachata
Published: February 2022

Understanding how socio-ecological systems respond to environmental variability is an important step in promoting system resilience. In this paper, we asked: How do the frequency and amplitude of water availability variation affect both the social-ecological regimes present and how the system transitions between them? How do these transitions differ under flood-prone and drought-prone conditions? We modified a dynamical systems model of a complex watershed to directly link environmental variability to system-level outcomes, specifically the livelihoods present in the system. The model results suggest that flood-prone systems exhibit more drastic regime shift behavior than drought-prone systems, with abrupt shifts from the complete participation to complete abandonment of livelihood sectors. Drought-prone systems appeared to be more sensitive to the amplitude of water variability, whereas flood-prone systems exhibited more complex relationships with amplitude and frequency, with frequency playing a bigger role compared to drought-prone systems. Lower frequency variations with sufficient amplitudes exposed the system to extended periods of environmental hardship, reducing the system’s ability to recover. Our analysis also highlighted the importance of environmental stochasticity: the deterministic version of the model that assumed no stochasticity overestimated system resilience. The model and analysis offer a more systematic framework to investigate the linkages between sustainability of social-ecological systems and environmental variability. This lays the groundwork for future research in systems with significant current or predicted environmental variability due to climate change.
Obstacle Factors and Spatial Measurement of the Well-Being of the Elderly in China
Authors: Dong Lijing , Jia Zhanhua , Zhang Lingyu , Wang Shaohua
Published: February 2022

This paper takes 31 provinces in China as the research object and constructs an evaluation index system for the well-being of the elderly in four aspects (health well-being, income well-being, social well-being and educational well-being) and uses a set-pair analysis model to spatially measure the well-being of the elderly. Then, barrier analysis is used to identify the main factors that lead to the differences in the well-being levels of the elderly in different regions. The results show that: (1) The provinces with higher levels of well-being of the elderly are mainly concentrated in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, Pearl River Delta region, Yangtze River Delta region and Bohai Sea Rim region. (2) The differences in income well-being levels are the largest among provinces, and the differences in health levels are the smallest among provinces. (3) Analysis of the barriers to elderly well-being shows that the number of beds per 1000 population in health care facilities, elderly dependency ratio, number of higher education schools for adults, number of nursing homes and urban road area per capita are the main factors affecting the differences in the well-being levels of elderly people across provinces. Finally, policy recommendations are made to introduce localized policies for the elderly in China to continuously promote solutions to the problems of the elderly.
On Semiotics Perspectives of Computational Thinking: Unravelling the “Pamphlet” Approach, a Case Study
Authors: Dolgopolovas Vladimiras , Dagiene Valentina
Published: February 2022

Computational thinking (CT) is in the midst of an ongoing debate about its scope and definitions. There is a trend away from a “traditional” computer science-inspired agenda towards a focus on universal competences for today’s labor market. However—and this is the motivation behind the research—the shift described is just an unconscious attempt to reveal the immanent nature of CT as an evolving semiotic phenomenon. The aim of this study is to explore directions and perspectives for the further development of CT and related methodological design approaches. As a research strategy, this article utilizes a case study on the presented set of resources dedicated to CT early education and reveals it in terms of multimodal discourse analysis. As a result, a landscape of future CT trends is presented, uncovering CT from a multimodal semiotic perspective. This article discusses various issues related to CT and its multimodal semiotics nature, perspectives on the design of CT-related resources and additional educational issues such as the perspectives on instructional approaches for CT teaching. We conclude that CT as a social phenomenon is in the process of an evolutionary transformation of its constitutive structure in the direction of further revealing its agentive semiotic nature.
On the Opportunities of the Soundscape Approach to Revitalise Acoustics Training in Undergraduate Architectural Courses
Authors: Xiao Jieling , Aletta Francesco , Ali-Maclachlan Islah
Published: February 2022

Soundscape research has been gaining prominence in studies on the built environment. The soundscape concept is defined as the acoustic environment as perceived and/or understood by a person in context. Compared with traditional building acoustics, the soundscape concept brings interesting perspectives—but also challenges—for undergraduate architectural curricula, where it tries to strike a balance between qualitative and quantitative methodologies, a theoretical approach that in the context of soundscape studies it is often referred to as ‘triangulation’. Starting from real-world higher education courses, the aim of this paper is to examine how the soundscape approach can be integrated into teaching building acoustics at the undergraduate level in architectural courses. Methods such as soundwalks, acoustic measurements, and computational simulations that are commonly used in soundscape research are introduced in educational projects as tools for students to experience, analyse, and articulate the narrative around the sound environment to inform their design concepts and details.
Olympic Waterfronts: An Evaluation of Wasted Opportunities and Lasting Legacies
Authors: Pinto Pedro Janela , Lopes dos Santos Gustavo
Published: February 2022

Mega-events such as the Olympic Games are powerful tools for city-branding and urban development, carrying the ability to create lasting physical, political, social, and economic legacies. Waterfront redevelopment has become a primary mechanism for revitalizing urban spaces, especially through brownfield requalification, and the Olympics have not been indifferent to this trend. Several recent editions have engaged in the rehabilitation of urban waterfronts. To analyze common mistakes that may impair the quality of these interventions, we apply a revised version of a binary evaluation tool to nine such Olympic Waterfronts, starting with Barcelona 1992, assessing their contexts, budgets, programs, plans, and environmental integration. The results show that the Olympic Waterfront can drastically change the image of the city, greatly contributing to the perceived success of the event’s legacy and creating new urban centralities. However, the inadequate management in the planning, delivery and, especially, legacy stages of the event can compromise this “Olympic Effect”. The test application of the evaluation tool proved successful in the context of mega-event planning and post-event transformation. It could potentially be useful in informing present and future decision-making regarding waterfront regeneration projects by highlighting pressure-points that, if not addressed, may hinder the future success of the interventions.
Evaluation of Traditional and Indigenous Horse Breeds for Wider Intended Use: Case Study from Slovenia
Authors: Prišenk Jernej , Filipič Nina , Rozman Črtomir , Pažek Karmen , Turk Jernej
Published: February 2022

In this work, a new multi-criteria model for the evaluation of traditional and indigenous horse breeds, the HORQUAL model, was developed by applying the DEX (Decision Expert) method. The idea for this study culminated from brainstorming among researchers who had the importance of conserving traditional and indigenous horse breeds in Slovenia and their universal uses (recreative and sport) in mind. The conservation of native domestic animal breeds is one of the important indicators of sustainable agricultural development in particular countries. Here, the assessment process considered the horse breeds in terms of lifestyle, expectations, requirements and experiences. The development process was based on the multi-criteria decision analysis approach, and it was applied to seven traditional and indigenous Slovenian horse breeds. The horse breeds were classified into four groups of breed ratings according to the chosen criteria. The horse breeds were categorised as follows: “does not correspond to the criteria”, “less correspondence with the criteria”, “corresponds to the criteria” and “completely corresponds to the criteria”. The results of the HORQUAL model clearly show that it is easier and more effective to choose the most suitable breeds for specific purposes (i.e., recreative/sport horses with the potential for breeding along with acceptable costs, favourable temperament and suitable price) as they can easily be analysed or compared with each other, according to the criteria chosen in this paper. The rating by group takes the criteria for the multi-attribute evaluation that were identified by an expert group into account and balances between the assessment of recreational and sports needs for riders and the life expectancy for breeders. Additionally, incorporating the Plus-minus-1 analysis proved to be a useful support tool to analyse the assessments and to further improve horse breeding plans.
Determinants of Customer Intentions to Use Electric Vehicle in Indonesia: An Integrated Model Analysis
Authors: Gunawan Indra , Redi Anak Agung Ngurah Perwira , Santosa Ahmad Arif , Maghfiroh Meilinda Fitriani Nur , Pandyaswargo Andante Hadi , Kurniawan Adji Candra
Published: February 2022

Electric vehicles can be a solution to certain social problems in Indonesia, such as pollution and an increase in consumption of energy from fossil fuels, which cannot be met by domestic production. The discussion of the TPB theoretical model, UTAUT2, and risk perception, using the structural equation modeling (SEM) method, in this study aims to provide an overview of the factors that drive interest in adopting electric vehicles in Indonesia. Data were collected from 526 respondents in various cities located in Indonesia. The results showed that the model can estimate the study variables adequately. The constructs of TPB such as attitude toward use (ATU), subjective norm (SBN), and perceived behavior control (PBC) positively affect interest in using electric vehicles. Meanwhile, ATU is influenced by performance and effort expectancies, hedonic motivation, price value, as well as functional, financial, and social risks. Another factor, known as PBC, is influenced by certain facilitating conditions. The ATU factor is the most influential on the use of electric vehicles, therefore factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, price value, functional risk, financial risk, and social risk need to be properly analyzed.
Effect of Thymol and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs) Incorporated with Thymol as Antimicrobial Agents in Sausage
Authors: Sepahvand Somayeh , Amiri Sedigheh , Radi Mohsen , Amiri Mohammad Javad
Published: February 2022

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of thymol and thymol-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) on inoculated sausages at 4 °C over a period of 28 days. To this end, sausage samples containing 600 mg/kg thymol, 600 mg/kg thymol-loaded NLC, 600 mg/kg thymol + 60 mg/kg nitrite, and 600 mg/kg thymol-loaded NLC + 60 mg/kg nitrite were prepared, and each treatment was divided into three portions to be inoculated with S. aureus, E. coli, and C. perfringens (105.5 CFU/g). The mean diameter and zeta potential of thymol-NLCs were 140 nm and −0.52 mV, respectively. Thymol-NLCs showed (two-fold) higher values for MIC and MBC than that of thymol, but similar halo diameters were detected for both against all bacteria examined in the agar well diffusion test. The control and nitrite-containing sausages showed an increasing trend in bacterial growth and the bacterial population was the largest in these samples. The bacterial growth within samples treated with thymol or thymol-NLCs was around 3.90–4.67 log CFU/g lower in comparison with the control. In this regard, no significant differences were detected between the thymol and thymol-NLC samples against each bacterium. A first-order reaction was detected for bacterial growth in all sausages. Overall, the higher antimicrobial property of thymol and its NLC compared with nitrite makes thymol a good alternative to nitrite with regards to its antimicrobial capability.
Recent Applications of the Electrocoagulation Process on Agro-Based Industrial Wastewater: A Review
Authors: Rakhmania  , Kamyab Hesam , Yuzir Muhammad Ali , Abdullah Norhayati , Quan Le Minh , Riyadi Fatimah Azizah , Marzouki Riadh
Published: February 2022

Agro-based final discharge is one of the major contributors to wastewater in the world. It creates high demand for efficient treatment. The electrocoagulation process can be used for agro-based wastewater treatment. The performance of the electrocoagulation process is based on several parameters, including the electrode materials, electrolysis time, current density, and electrolyte support. Agro-based industrial wastewater (AIW) treatment processes depend on the characteristics of the wastewater. The removal of organic content from various sources of AIW can reach up to more than 80%. Some studies show that the performance of the electrochemical process can be increased using a combination with other methods. Those other methods include biological and physical treatment. The results of previous research show that organic content and color can be degraded completely. The relationship between the energy consumption and operating cost was analyzed in order to show the efficiency of electrocoagulation treatment.
Longitudinal Observation of Asymmetric Iron Deposition in an Intracerebral Hemorrhage Model Using Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping
Authors: Tsuji Keiho , Onishi Ryutarou , Sawaya Reika , Arihara Narumi , Ueda Junpei , Saito Shigeyoshi
Published: February 2022

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is used to obtain quantitative magnetic susceptibility maps of materials from magnitude and phase images acquired by three-dimensional gradient-echo using inverse problem-solving. Few preclinical studies have evaluated the intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) model and asymmetric iron deposition. We created a rat model of ICH and compared QSM and conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during the longitudinal evaluation of ICH. Collagenase was injected in the right striatum of 12-week-old Wistar rats. QSM and conventional MRI were performed on days 0, 1, 7, and 28 after surgery using 7-Tesla MRI. Susceptibility, normalized signal value, and area of the hemorrhage site were statistically compared during image analysis. Susceptibility decreased monotonically up to day 7 but increased on day 28. Other imaging methods showed a significant increase in signal from day 0 to day 1 but a decreasing trend after day 1. During the area evaluation, conventional MRI methods showed an increase from day 0 to day 1; however, decreases were observed thereafter. QSM showed a significant increase from day 0 to day 1. The temporal evaluation of ICH by QSM suggested the possibility of detecting of asymmetric iron deposition for normal brain site.
Influence of Spatial Resolution and Compressed SENSE Acceleration Factor on Flow Quantification with 4D Flow MRI at 3 Tesla
Authors: Pravdivtseva Mariya S. , Gaidzik Franziska , Berg Philipp , Ulloa Patricia , Larsen Naomi , Jansen Olav , Hövener Jan-Bernd , Salehi Ravesh Mona
Published: February 2022

Four-dimensional (4D) flow MRI allows quantifying flow in blood vessels–non invasively and in vivo. The clinical use of 4D flow MRI in small vessels, however, is hampered by long examination times and limited spatial resolution. Compressed SENSE (CS-SENSE) is a technique that can accelerate 4D flow dramatically. Here, we investigated the effect of spatial resolution and CS acceleration on flow measurements by using 4D flow MRI in small vessels in vitro at 3 T. We compared the flow in silicon tubes (inner diameters of 2, 3, 4, and 5 mm) measured with 4D flow MRI, accelerated with four CS factors (CS = 2.5, 4.5, 6.5, and 13) and three voxel sizes (0.5, 1, and 1.5 mm3) to 2D flow MRI and a flow sensor. Additionally, the velocity field in an aneurysm model acquired with 4D flow MRI was compared to the one simulated with computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A strong correlation was observed between flow sensor, 2D flow MRI, and 4D flow MRI (rho > 0.94). The use of fewer than seven voxels per vessel diameter (nROI) resulted in an overestimation of flow in more than 5% of flow measured with 2D flow MRI. A negative correlation (rho = −0.81) between flow error and nROI were found for CS = 2.5 and 4.5. No statistically significant impact of CS factor on differences in flow rates was observed. However, a trend of increased flow error with increased CS factor was observed. In an aneurysm model, the peak velocity and stagnation zone were detected by CFD and all 4D flow MRI variants. The velocity difference error in the aneurysm sac did not exceed 11% for CS = 4.5 in comparison to CS = 2.5 for all spatial resolutions. Therefore, CS factors from 2.5–4.5 can appear suitable to improve spatial or temporal resolution for accurate quantification of flow rate and velocity. We encourage reporting the number of voxels per vessel diameter to standardize 4D flow MRI protocols.
Vanadium Toxicity Monitored by Fertilization Outcomes and Metal Related Proteolytic Activities in Paracentrotus lividus Embryos
Authors: Chiarelli Roberto , Martino Chiara , Roccheri Maria Carmela , Geraci Fabiana
Published: February 2022

Metal pharmaceutical residues often represent emerging toxic pollutants of the aquatic environment, as wastewater treatment plants do not sufficiently remove these compounds. Recently, vanadium (V) derivatives have been considered as potential therapeutic factors in several diseases, however, only limited information is available about their impact on aquatic environments. This study used sea urchin embryos (Paracentrotus lividus) to test V toxicity, as it is known they are sensitive to V doses from environmentally relevant to very cytotoxic levels (50 nM; 100 nM; 500 nM; 1 µM; 50 µM; 100 µM; 500 µM; and 1 mM). We used two approaches: The fertilization test (FT) and a protease detection assay after 36 h of exposure. V affected the fertilization percentage and increased morphological abnormalities of both egg and fertilization envelope, in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, a total of nine gelatinases (with apparent molecular masses ranging from 309 to 22 kDa) were detected, and their proteolytic activity depended on the V concentration. Biochemical characterization shows that some of them could be aspartate proteases, whereas substrate specificity and the Ca2+/Zn2+ requirement suggest that others are similar to mammalian matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs).
Fusarium Mycotoxins in Maize Field Soils: Method Validation and Implications for Sampling Strategy
Authors: Kenngott Kilian G. J. , Albert Julius , Meyer-Wolfarth Friederike , Schaumann Gabriele E. , Muñoz Katherine
Published: February 2022

While mycotoxins are generally regarded as food contamination issues, there is growing interest in mycotoxins as environmental pollutants. The main sources of trichothecene and zearalenone mycotoxins in the environment are mainly attributed to Fusarium infested fields, where mycotoxins can wash off in infested plants or harvest residues. Subsequently, mycotoxins inevitably enter the soil. In this context, investigations into the effects, fate, and transport are still needed. However, there is a lack of analytical methods used to determine Fusarium toxins in soil matrices. We aimed to validate an analytical method capable of determining the toxins nivalenol (NIV), deoxynivalenol (DON), 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-AcDON), and zearalenone (ZEN), at environmentally relevant concentrations, in five contrasting agricultural soils. Soils were spiked at three levels (3, 9 and 15 ng g−1), extracted by solid-liquid extraction assisted with ultrasonication, using a generic solvent composition of acetonitrile:water 84:16 (v:v) and measured by LC–HRMS. Method validation was successful for NIV, DON, and 15-AcDON with mean recoveries > 93% and RSDr < 10%. ZEN failed the validation criteria. The validated method was applied to eight conventionally managed maize field soils during harvest season, to provide a first insight into DON, NIV, and 15-AcDON levels. Mycotoxins were present in two out of eight sampled maize fields. Soil mycotoxin concentrations ranged from 0.53 to 19.4 ng g−1 and 0.8 to 2.2 ng g−1 for DON and NIV, respectively. Additionally, we found indication that “hot-spot” concentrations were restricted to small scales (<5 cm) with implications for field scale soil monitoring strategies.
LC-MS/MS Analysis of Fumonisin B1, B2, B3, and Their Hydrolyzed Metabolites in Broiler Chicken Feed and Excreta
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Zhou Shuang , Yu Song , Zhao Yunfeng , Wu Yongning , Wu Aibo
Published: February 2022

An accurate, reliable, and specific method was developed for the quantitative determination of fumonisins B1, B2, B3, and their hydrolyzed metabolites, HFB1, HFB2, and HFB3, in broiler chicken feed and excreta using ultra-performance liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The samples were extracted and diluted for the determination of parent fumonisins. Another portion of the extracted samples was alkaline-hydrolyzed and cleaned using a strong anionic exchange adsorbent (MAX) for the determination of hydrolyzed fumonisins. Chromatographic separation was performed on a CORTECS C18 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.6 μm) using 0.2% formic acid aqueous solution and methanol with 0.2% formic acid as the mobile phase under gradient elution. The six fumonisins, FB1, FB2, FB3, HFB1, HFB2, and HFB3, were analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry using multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The six fumonisins showed good linearity, with relative coefficients of r > 0.99. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) were 160 μg/kg. At the low, medium, and high spiked levels, the recovery of fumonisins in chicken feed and excreta ranged from 82.6 to 115.8%, with a precision (RSD) of 3.9–18.9%. This method was successfully applied to investigate the migration and transformation of fumonisins in broiler chickens.
Milky Way Star Clusters and Gaia: A Review of the Ongoing Revolution
Authors: Cantat-Gaudin Tristan
Published: February 2022

The unprecedented quality of the astrometric measurements obtained with the ESA Gaia spacecraft have initiated a revolution in Milky Way astronomy. Studies of star clusters in particular have been transformed by the precise proper motions and parallaxes measured by Gaia over the entire sky as well as Gaia’s deep all-sky photometry. This paper presents an overview of the many topics of cluster science that have been impacted by the Gaia DR1, DR2, and EDR3 catalogues from their release to the end of the year 2021. These topics include the identification of known clusters and the discovery of new objects, the formation of young clusters and associations, and the long-term evolution of clusters and their stellar content. In addition to the abundance of scientific results, Gaia is changing the way astronomers work with high-volume and high-dimensionality datasets and is teaching us precious lessons to deal with its upcoming data releases and with the large-scale astronomical surveys of the future.
Elucidation of the Mechanism of Host NMD Suppression by HTLV-1 Rex: Dissection of Rex to Identify the NMD Inhibitory Domain
Authors: Nakano Kazumi , Karasawa Nobuaki , Hashizume Masaaki , Tanaka Yuetsu , Ohsugi Takeo , Uchimaru Kaoru , Watanabe Toshiki
Published: February 2022

The human retrovirus human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-1) infects human T cells by vertical transmission from mother to child through breast milk or horizontal transmission through blood transfusion or sexual contact. Approximately 5% of infected individuals develop adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) with a poor prognosis, while 95% of infected individuals remain asymptomatic for the rest of their lives, during which time the infected cells maintain a stable immortalized latent state in the body. It is not known why such a long latent state is maintained. We hypothesize that the role of functional proteins of HTLV-1 during early infection influences the phenotype of infected cells in latency. In eukaryotic cells, a mRNA quality control mechanism called nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) functions not only to eliminate abnormal mRNAs with nonsense codons but also to target virus-derived RNAs. We have reported that HTLV-1 genomic RNA is a potential target of NMD, and that Rex suppresses NMD and stabilizes viral RNA against it. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of NMD suppression by Rex using various Rex mutant proteins. We found that region X (aa20–57) of Rex, the function of which has not been clarified, is required for NMD repression. We showed that Rex binds to Upf1, which is the host key regulator to detect abnormal mRNA and initiate NMD, through this region. Rex also interacts with SMG5 and SMG7, which play essential roles for the completion of the NMD pathway. Moreover, Rex selectively binds to Upf3B, which is involved in the normal NMD complex, and replaces it with a less active form, Upf3A, to reduce NMD activity. These results revealed that Rex invades the NMD cascade from its initiation to completion and suppresses host NMD activity to protect the viral genomic mRNA.
Diphyllin Shows a Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Activity against Multiple Medically Important Enveloped RNA and DNA Viruses
Authors: Štefánik Michal , Bhosale Dattatry Shivajirao , Haviernik Jan , Straková Petra , Fojtíková Martina , Dufková Lucie , Huvarová Ivana , Salát Jiří , Bartáček Jan , Svoboda Jan , Sedlák Miloš , Růžek Daniel , Miller Andrew D. , Eyer Luděk
Published: February 2022

Diphyllin is a natural arylnaphtalide lignan extracted from tropical plants of particular importance in traditional Chinese medicine. This compound has been described as a potent inhibitor of vacuolar (H+)ATPases and hence of the endosomal acidification process that is required by numerous enveloped viruses to trigger their respective viral infection cascades after entering host cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis. Accordingly, we report here a revised, updated, and improved synthesis of diphyllin, and demonstrate its antiviral activities against a panel of enveloped viruses from Flaviviridae, Phenuiviridae, Rhabdoviridae, and Herpesviridae families. Diphyllin is not cytotoxic for Vero and BHK-21 cells up to 100 µM and exerts a sub-micromolar or low-micromolar antiviral activity against tick-borne encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, Zika virus, Rift Valley fever virus, rabies virus, and herpes-simplex virus type 1. Our study shows that diphyllin is a broad-spectrum host cell-targeting antiviral agent that blocks the replication of multiple phylogenetically unrelated enveloped RNA and DNA viruses. In support of this, we also demonstrate that diphyllin is more than just a vacuolar (H+)ATPase inhibitor but may employ other antiviral mechanisms of action to inhibit the replication cycles of those viruses that do not enter host cells by endocytosis followed by low pH-dependent membrane fusion.
Recent Progress on Tick-Borne Animal Diseases of Veterinary and Public Health Significance in China
Authors: Jia Weijuan , Chen Si , Chi Shanshan , He Yunjiang , Ren Linzhu , Wang Xueli
Published: February 2022

Ticks and tick-borne diseases pose a growing threat to human and animal health, which has brought great losses to livestock production. With the continuous expansion of human activities and the development of natural resources, there are more and more opportunities for humans to contract ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Therefore, research on ticks and tick-borne diseases is of great significance. This paper reviews recent progress on tick-borne bacterial diseases, viral diseases, and parasitic diseases in China, which provides a theoretical foundation for the research of tick-borne diseases.
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Healthcare Workers in Jordan towards the COVID-19 Vaccination
Authors: Lataifeh Lujain , Al-Ani Abdallah , Lataifeh Isam , Ammar Khawlah , AlOmary Ameera , Al-hammouri Fawzi , Al-Hussaini Maysa
Published: February 2022

The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines raises concerns over vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers (HCWs) and the general public, which made understanding the factors influencing hesitancy crucial in the maintenance of a solid healthcare system. This cross-sectional study investigated the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAP) of Jordanian HCWs to the COVID-19 vaccine from February to March 2021, using a self-administered questionnaire validated by a panel of public health experts. A total of 364 Jordanian HCWs were included in the final analysis, in which women accounted for 48.8% of the total sample. HCWs subjected to the seasonal flu vaccine were significantly more likely to uptake the COVID-19 vaccine. In comparison to nurses, physicians were significantly more likely to take or register for the vaccine. They demonstrated significantly higher knowledge of the vaccine’s effectiveness, side effect profile, recommended doses, and target population. Among our participants, the most common reasons for vaccine hesitancy include a lack of confidence, inadequate knowledge, and disbelief in effectiveness. Vaccine hesitancy among Jordanian HCWs is low, with discrepancies between nurses and physicians. It is pertinent for independent committees and trusted authorities to provide interventions and raise awareness regarding the vaccine’s safety and efficacy.
Metrics from Wearable Devices as Candidate Predictors of Antibody Response Following Vaccination against COVID-19: Data from the Second TemPredict Study
Authors: Mason Ashley E. , Kasl Patrick , Hartogensis Wendy , Natale Joseph L. , Dilchert Stephan , Dasgupta Subhasis , Purawat Shweta , Chowdhary Anoushka , Anglo Claudine , Veasna Danou , Pandya Leena S. , Fox Lindsey M. , Puldon Karena Y. , Prather Jenifer G. , Gupta Amarnath , Altintas Ilkay , Smarr Benjamin L. , Hecht Frederick M.
Published: February 2022

There is significant variability in neutralizing antibody responses (which correlate with immune protection) after COVID-19 vaccination, but only limited information is available about predictors of these responses. We investigated whether device-generated summaries of physiological metrics collected by a wearable device correlated with post-vaccination levels of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD), the target of neutralizing antibodies generated by existing COVID-19 vaccines. One thousand, one hundred and seventy-nine participants wore an off-the-shelf wearable device (Oura Ring), reported dates of COVID-19 vaccinations, and completed testing for antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 RBD during the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination rollout. We found that on the night immediately following the second mRNA injection (Moderna-NIAID and Pfizer-BioNTech) increases in dermal temperature deviation and resting heart rate, and decreases in heart rate variability (a measure of sympathetic nervous system activation) and deep sleep were each statistically significantly correlated with greater RBD antibody responses. These associations were stronger in models using metrics adjusted for the pre-vaccination baseline period. Greater temperature deviation emerged as the strongest independent predictor of greater RBD antibody responses in multivariable models. In contrast to data on certain other vaccines, we did not find clear associations between increased sleep surrounding vaccination and antibody responses.